Darryle Pollack | I never signed up for this...
confessions of a cluttered mind
We were married 17 years ago today—but we’re not celebrating. The problem isn’t the state of the union—but the date of the union. Flashback to 1994. It’s my second marriage—a small wedding on short notice—and it involves complicated logistics— work, two sets of kids, and me relocating from Los Angeles to Carmel. To settle my [...]
I have very few pictures from my Yale years– and they perfectly capture the experience. Not just the era but the lopsided numbers. Not too many girls were in the picture—literally or figuratively. Leaving out faculty and staff there are just a handful of women in this shot of the seniors graduating from my residential [...]
While everyone is still feeling warm and glowy about their moms, I feel a little guilty to go rogue…. and point out a Mother’s Day comment I read on Facebook: A friend described her mom as “imperfectly perfect.” I like it because it fits perfectly into what I was planning to write about today—the pursuit [...]
It’s a universal need; basically the job of every human being on the planet. It’s programmed into our genes; something we don’t even think about—until we face something that challenges that innate human instinct— to survive. Modern life doesn’t typically include what our ancestors faced– threats like saber tooth tigers on a regular basis. We [...]
What are the odds? A young couple in Brooklyn, Nathan and Elisa Bond, found out last month in one terrible week— that they both have aggressive and advanced cancer. I just read about this; and the numbers tell their sad story: Nathan: age 38, Stage 3 colorectal cancer; 60% chance of surviving 5 years or [...]
There’s a surprising amount of power in a sense of humor, sometimes including the power of attraction— humor is what connected me to my first husband. Not only is he funny himself, he was the personal manager for Mel Brooks, a man who knows the power of a punchline. He told me once about a [...]
Nothing says the holidays like a party. The holidays can be tough times as it is—if you’re alone, or stressed, or sick, or melancholy—and for some, the parties alone are enough reason to hate the season. Not me; I love going to parties–although I don’t throw them often. A few days ago, I did have [...]
At times of loss, they never seem to be enough; but sometimes words are all we have. I always feel a mix of pain and poignancy watching young women like Cate Edwards, who have the poise and presence of mind to deliver beautiful eulogies for their mothers. When my mother died at 41, nothing would [...]
A doctor takes care of “patients”. I’ve always wondered who came up with that. Impatient is more like it; patient is the last thing you are when you need a doctor. I figure it had to be a doctor who coined the word “patient”—in an effort to subliminally influence the mindset. But I digress. [...]
I don’t go to fireworks on the fourth of July. They’ve always come to me. Over the years, by some awful coincidence, Independence Day is when my mother died; my father died; my husband and I told our kids we were separating and he was moving out; and I got my cancer diagnosis. [...]
After becoming a writer, artist, TV journalist, mother and breast cancer survivor----I realize nothing turns out the way we expect. So I blog about handling the big and little things — with humor, humanity, and hope.
The knobs say it all: Susan is the super-hero inside every woman. Made of ceramic knobs, hand–painted tiles, on a painted background. Measures 12″ X 12″ .
It's the combination, of course. And the locks will open for the right person---(to be revealed on the back when you take her home.) Made of combination locks and hand-painted tiles on a painted background. Measures 14" by 14".
Pun intended. A nice pair---of pears...made of miniature porcelain boxes, surrounded by painted tiles and broken china on a painted background. Measures 11" square.
Hope: not only on her driver’s license, but in her heart. Ceramic ribbon, hand-painted tiles on a painted background, measures 9 inches square.
Word surrounded by hand-painted tiles in bright and beautiful (gold and marine blue) colors, with border of tiny gold tiles. Measures 11" square.
True beauty lies in the imperfections. Irregular mirror surrounded by hand-painted tiles with a border of ceramic tiles. Measures 11" square.
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