“I look at you right now and I just want to cry because you’re so nice,” Mary Katherine Gallagher said, crying. “I’m just going to miss working with you guys so much.”

A week or so ago, we were in Lunch Club talking about all the crap in the office that H, the office manager, will have to get rid of now that the office is closing. We were making jokes about how as a parting gift each person will get a stapler, a box of paper [...]

Today was so busy that I almost forgot to watch the State of the Union. Thankfully, Sister #2 reminded me that it was on. In case you too were busy here’s what you missed.

Ted Kennedy napped through the entire thing, sitting next to his BFF Barack
Bush and Cheney showed their support of photography and the [...]

You pick up Lorrie Moore’s collection of short stories called Self-Help because you’ve always admired her writing. Plus, your own writing is often compared to hers. Not because you are a master of the form, like Moore, but more because your short stories are peppered with a sort of sad and self-deprecating humor.
What you love [...]

While Liam, Cade, and I were still happily making Valentines, Nolie decided he was done. He climbed into the La-Z-Grrl and started perusing the random reading material piled on it. Probably the cutest thing ever.

If I die tonight, my death will be the result of an accidental overdose of homemade chicken noodle soup. I am helpless in the face of my addiction.

First with Liam, who is two:
“Ouch you are on my arm,” I said.
“There are two puppies,” he said, pointing to the TV that was playing Pound Puppy Adventures or something like that. “Two. He fell and hurt his hand. That’s a big shrragon.”
“Dragon?” I asked.
“Big dragon. Oh no he is going to eat the puppy. [...]

I have no idea why I lifted my ban on “buzz” books to read Ian McEwan’s Atonement this week, especially now that the movie’s out, but I’m really glad that I did.
I spent a good portion of my time while reading Atonement fretting. The book came highly recommended by my writing teacher Dale. Despite an [...]

David Lee Roth’s isolated voice track from “Running With the Devil.” If you only listen to one mp3 today. Make it this one. [via]

Madison is in love. Because he is a cat named after the best dead president, I thought his loves would always be of a more intellectual nature. Like that time he fell in love with Kissing in Manhattan.
But now that I’ve seen Madison with Pinguino, I know that the Kissing in Manhattan incident was [...]

In honor of my night reminiscing with Sweet Clementine and the 2.7 degrees out I decided to rock the shlong (short sleeves over long sleeves) and flannel today. Also I figured that it was probably illegal to wear a flannel shirt and not listen to Pearl Jam’s “Vs.”
And here’s what I came to tell [...]

Did you know that yesterday was Blue Monday? Allegedly it’s the most depressing day of the year. Nice. I am glad to have participated in the worldwide pity party.
Blue Monday was the talk of the office today, well until Heath Ledger was found dead. But this Blue Monday phenomenon was news to me until [...]

I’m having a rough go of it these past few days. Between the upcoming lay off and accompanying money fears and ever-increasing family troubles (legal, marital, political), it’s takes everything i have no to shove my head in the damn over. Over the past two days I have found myself, more than once, sitting with [...]

1. That I turned off CNN’s post-debate debrief in favor of
2. An old episode of Who’s the Boss (I’m actually working on my online portfolio, so I’m doing something productive and just needed background noise) where I immediately
3. Recognized Sam’s date for the dance as Ralphie from A Christmas Story, and at the dance
4. They [...]

Maria and I like to keep up a steady patter of absolute nonsense during the day when we’re not particularly busy. Today, I decided to bitch about the local news. Local news generally gives me an aneurysm in the parts of my brain I still haven’t managed to unwash thanks to five years of journalism [...]