Blog Feed: sea salt

anchored.

Published on 2012-04-16 11:40:00

J.J. was a skinny kid who moved to our neighborhood when I was in middle school. He was my age, but a lot shorter than me (most of the boys were). More importantly, he played basketball in his driveway. For a few glorious summers, there were enough kids in my neighborhood to have big games of basketball, dodge ball, and hide-and-seek. So one afternoon I took my basketball over to J.J.'s house and rang the doorbell."A bunch of us are playing basketball at the end of the street. Wanna play?"After [..] > read more

estate.

Published on 2012-02-28 09:20:00

"Do we just go in?" Kevin asked."I think so?" I said, unsure, as we slowly walked up the brick steps. The front door was open behind a glass storm door, and we looked in. A woman standing in the kitchen looked up at me, and I smiled and awkwardly gestured to the door."Come on in!" she shouted, and when we walked in we saw two women sitting on a couch, another sitting at a table behind a cash box, and stuff everywhere."Everything's for sale, upstairs, downstairs, and basement. Let us know if you [..] > read more

pretending.

Published on 2012-01-27 15:42:00

“The fish is cooked really well. And the mushrooms have a perfect blend of oil and salt - not too much of either.” Our waitress beamed when I said this, and hurried off to bring the next course. My husband Kevin and I looked at each other across the small candlelit table and waited until the waitress was out of earshot before laughing. I wrote a few notes in my notebook, sitting conspicuously next to my plate, and Kevin took a few pictures with his iPhone. We were at a special, sold-out, res [..] > read more

pearls.

Published on 2012-01-18 11:59:00

I have this unrealistic idea about myself, which is that I can probably do anything I set out to do. Of course, our parents and teachers wanted us to believe this, but most of us know it's not really true. Most of us. So one day while watching a reality show about fancy cake bakers, I thought, "How hard can that be? I can do that." I purchased a good cookbook, a few supplies, and set out to make the first fancy cupcake: a simple pink top with a black bow.On Sunday I baked vanilla cupcakes and wh [..] > read more

eulogy.

Published on 2012-01-09 09:12:00

As many of you know, I've been lucky enough to have a close relationship with all of my grandparents. As some of you know, we recently lost my grandfather, a man I truly admired and loved. I've published various pieces about him before (see links to the right for "What I Think My Grandmother is Thinking," "Mt. Auburn," and "The Man I Know"), but this weekend I was honored to write a new piece, one to deliver at his memorial service.Below is the eulogy I read at the service. I was limited to 3 m [..] > read more

free.

Published on 2011-12-06 15:18:00

I never identified with kids who watched TV after school, or went to friends' houses during the week, or slept in until 11am on the weekends. The idea that kids my age had so much free time was mysterious and wonderful. What did it feel like to have all that free time? While I chose all of my school activities and am ever grateful for the experiences I was able to have as a kid and a teenager, there were times I wanted to know what it felt like to not have sports practice after school every day, [..] > read more

prepared.

Published on 2011-09-15 18:23:00

I walked into our bedroom and the bags were packed. Suitcases bulging with t-shirts and socks covered the bed, and trash bags filled with old clothes lined the wall, waiting for their trip to Goodwill.I burst into tears. Heavy sobs and an intense panic took over my body: what will I do now?My husband is not leaving me. In fact, I knew that today, while I was at work, he was at home packing, preparing for our trip tomorrow from Nashville to Boston. His new job starts on Monday, and so he is going [..] > read more

remembering.

Published on 2011-09-09 10:48:00

One of the most distinctive differences in the way my generation has grown up, compared to our parents and grandparents, is that we are both more exposed to and protected from the harsh realities of war. People lazily protest with bumper stickers and others use the military as a political platform. Media channels tell us what they think we need to know, and then we turn off the TV and go to bed. But when it comes to our day-to-day lives, most of us could easily forget that we've been at war for [..] > read more

don't.

Published on 2011-08-18 16:59:00

This week I had the chance to work on something truly meaningful. One of my coworkers asked me to re-write the copy for a brochure, advertising an annual 5K run. The run is in honor of her brother, who died seven years ago at the age of fourteen, dropping from a sudden heart attack after cross country practice. This assignment comes just four months after the news of Alison, who also died far too young. I worked on the brochure, filled with pictures of a smiling kid always surrounded by friends [..] > read more

fear.

Published on 2011-07-27 12:08:00

Yesterday I had lunch with my best friend in Nashville. We were at a tiny burger joint, and at 12:30pm on a Tuesday, it was filled with men. We managed to squeeze ourselves into a spot at the greasy counter, facing the grills and sharing elbow space with men all around."I quit smoking," she said to me. I smiled, but didn't see the big deal, as she only smoked a few cigarettes a day to deal with the stress of her new business."And I stopped eating white bread and sugar.""That's ... a lot to quit [..] > read more

news.

Published on 2011-06-23 13:23:00

(Aleksander Hemon. "The Aquarium: a child's isolating illness." The New Yorker, June 13, 2011.)After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan hit, I plunged into news overload. For days I read articles, watched videos and scanned pictures - the same ones over and over. The horror of it was not simply gripping ... it was paralyzing. I didn't know how to balance the seemingly trivial existence of my every day with the overwhelming tragedy of this disaster. The same thing happened when I recently lost a [..] > read more

news.

Published on 2011-06-23 13:23:00

(Aleksander Hemon. "The Aquarium: a child's isolating illness." The New Yorker, June 13, 2011.)After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan hit, I plunged into news overload. For days I read articles, watched videos and scanned pictures - the same ones > read more

q&a.

Published on 2011-06-03 15:59:00

This morning I started my day like any other. I woke up at 5:30, got dressed, went for a walk and called my sister. But instead of finishing off the routine with yoga before leaving for work, I called a 6th grade classroom in Florida for a Q&A > read more

q&a.

Published on 2011-06-03 15:59:00

This morning I started my day like any other. I woke up at 5:30, got dressed, went for a walk and called my sister. But instead of finishing off the routine with yoga before leaving for work, I called a 6th grade classroom in Florida for a Q&A session. My role in this session? The author.Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?Who is your favorite author? Are you going to write another book?*Six years ago I was in the Harvard COOP bookstore with my sister. I had just begun my MFA progra [..] > read more

disappointment.

Published on 2011-05-24 14:35:00

On May 22, I felt an overwhelming sense of pity. Sympathy, maybe. As everyone knows, a fringe sect (some might say cult) of Christians believed the world would end on May 21. And they didn't keep it to themselves. They created websites, wrote article > read more

listening.

Published on 2011-05-12 08:21:00

Those readers who know me in person know that I am, well, loud. My voice is loud, my laugh is loud, my gait is loud (it's inevitable when you walk as fast as a person who has lived in Boston). I like loud music, loud conversation, and loud white nois > read more

unique.

Published on 2011-04-27 13:59:00

(in loving memory of Alison)Last week Kevin and I had dinner with some dear friends who have a 2-year old and a 3-month old. Their lives have changed dramatically since they had children, their world turned upside down. We had a pretty dramatic > read more

congratulations.

Published on 2011-04-25 17:01:00

At my college graduation in 2005, I was showered with cards and wishes of "Congratulations!" I smiled, thanked everyone, and scratched my head. Why was I being congratulated? I went to college, did my work, and finished in four years. To me, it didn' > read more

(self)published!

Published on 2011-04-16 21:48:00

I did it. I self-published. And I'm thrilled.Some books are less commercial than others, which makes them poor choices for agents and publishing giants.But these books can be the most timely, and thus the ones that need to be shared by any means poss > read more

leaning.

Published on 2011-03-10 15:08:00

In five months, we've made some good friends who have helped us out with everything from airport pick ups to recommending a good car mechanic. We've appreciated these people all along the way, but didn't realize how much we needed them until th > read more

pellegrino.

Published on 2011-02-28 16:40:00

Pellegrino was not my grandfather. He was not even related to me. He was an old man with broken English who smoked on the porch and wore a red knit cardigan from September - May. Every morning I came down from my third floor a > read more

tumblr.

Published on 2011-02-27 01:53:00

The new typewriter has sparked a new blog! You can check it out at: http://smithcoronasisters.tumblr.com/. My co-author (and dear friend) Kristen and I decide on a writing prompt, respond independently on our Smith-Corona typewr > read more

old.

Published on 2011-02-21 22:41:00

On Sunday afternoon we bought this typewriter. We had gone to browse our two favorite stores (8th Ave. Antiques and Pre-to-Post Modern Vintage) in search of used furniture and otherwise useful, cool things for our new house. We' > read more

cost.

Published on 2011-01-31 17:32:00

On Sunday our pastor read from 2 Samuel, in which Araunah says to God, "I would not make an offering that cost me nothing." The story shed light on the true meaning of any kind of gift - someone gives up something for the sake of another. > read more

work.

Published on 2011-01-02 20:16:00

I did it. After three months of getting up, saying goodbye to my husband in the morning and spending the day at home on my computer, I have finally gotten myself a job. I realize that a job shouldn't seem like such a big deal - after all, I've been&n > read more

B218.

Published on 2010-10-25 17:39:00

Last week our marriage certificate finally arrived, which means that I could begin the process of legally changing my name. To me, the issue of whether or not a woman takes her husband's name is far too interesting to far too many people, and I > read more

language.

Published on 2010-10-21 12:54:00

I spoke with a woman who wants my help as she begins writing short stories."I've never written a story before, never in my life! I'm a songwriter, but I've never written anything else before.""Look," I said, "in order for an > read more

1865.

Published on 2010-10-16 23:56:11

To confirm the actual date of the end of the Civil War, I consulted a history timeline. While the war officially ended in May of 1865, a series of events led up to the important day on which, in theory, a divided nation was reunited. This morning I c > read more

half moon.

Published on 2010-10-15 23:08:00

(Photo courtesy of lenayoga.com)While I am in half moon pose, my DVD yoga instructor says, "Notice how even the slightest movement, even breath, affects the balance."I am balanced on my left leg, my left arm on the ground in front of me; my right leg > read more

stuck.

Published on 2010-10-11 16:22:00

We arrived in Nashville a week ago. This time it was a one-way flight, a permanent move, a plan to stay. He has been living here, and now I live here, and so we will live here.Here is where we are.The list of things to do grows every day. I am used t > read more

(still).

Published on 2010-06-22 20:01:00

(Photo courtesy of: Marie Gabrielle)My parents didn't remember under which weeping willow my father proposed to my mother, forty years ago on the Public Garden in Boston. To prove that he's not a jerk, my dad listed off several of their early d > read more

geometry.

Published on 2010-05-24 17:36:00

In geometry, there are families of shapes considered special. Special quadrilaterals: parallelogram, rectangle, rhombus, square, trapezoid, and kite.Special triangles: 3-4-5 (and other Pythagorean triples), 30-60-90, 45-45-90, and Fibonacc > read more

grey.

Published on 2010-05-20 15:13:00

The past few days have been overcast. Boston has been gloomy, rainy, and grey. It is May, but there is a little bit of winter in every month in New England, and this month I am having a rough time. I have just completed five weeks’ worth of trainin > read more

sharks.

Published on 2010-05-07 14:55:00

This morning I kept repeating the dreams to myself so I wouldn't forget them: sharks and wedding, sharks and wedding, sharks and wedding...I wanted to remember the dreams so I could ask a friend at school what they meant. She is an amateur dream inte > read more