For background, read last week’s post. At first I thought it was a terrible mistake. I thought my outfit or education or skin color would surely disqualify me in the eyes of the defense, as it had before. But incredibly, I was empaneled with 13 other jurors (12+2 alternates) for a sting case. Over the […]
How My Attempt to Avoid Jury Duty Led to Loss
Jury duty. The two words that strike fear and loathing in my heart. I received my dreaded Baltimore City jury summons in the mail recently. It comes every year, regular as rain. There is so much crime in Baltimore, and not a few people who can’t serve on a jury due to their own prior […]
6 Reasons to See Crazy Rich Asians
Add me to the list of fans of Crazy Rich Asians. I didn’t read the book, but we saw the movie this week and I was impressed with a few things. 1. It Has Universal Themes Thus the mainstream success, I suppose. Once you peel back the Rich and Asian, you discover the film is […]
When Friends Laugh at Your Dreams, Do You Shrink or Shine?
This past fall, my mom had a mini-reunion in Ohio with three college friends from Cornell University. They hadn’t been together since they graduated in 1959. Probably goes without saying, but these are wise – and wizened – women who have seen a thing or two. There was much catching up on grandchildren, health issues, […]
A Lesson in Prioritizing Giving, from My 24th College Reunion
Last weekend, I returned to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine for my 24th reunion. Not exactly a landmark year, but it was a good excuse to get together with friends, one of whom was celebrating his 25th year out of college. Like most other small competitive liberal arts colleges, Bates is in the midst of […]
8 Rules for Successful Gift-Giving on a Budget
My mom received a gift of yoga classes from my sister for Christmas. Mom isn’t exactly a zen-type person, so I wondered how it was going. “What do you think? Is yoga fun or no?” “I’m tired and sore,” she said. “I’m not a happy person.” Ahhh, the failed gift. I know it well. I’ve […]
I Get Dinged Doubly By Baltimore’s Automated Traffic Cameras
Living in Baltimore is like living in a police state when it comes to traffic laws. There are high-volume citation-mailing signal and speed cameras everywhere around the city. Fines are $40 a pop for speeding, $75 for signal violations. Checkered History Started in 1999 and at one time the largest program in North America, it […]
A Valuable Discovery in the Maine Woods
Last August, Nora and Pippa were in Maine, visiting Nora’s college roommate Fiona. She lives in South Paris, which has beaucoup French-speaking residents, but that’s where the similarities to its eponymous sister city end. No complaints though. Maine is truly “The Way Life Should Be,” as its state motto affirms. Even for non-coastal cities like […]
I’ll Give You My Spare Change if You Let Me Feel Superior
Living in Baltimore, I’ve developed a hard shell. Everyone has a story. Everyone wants your spare change. I’ll cop to sometimes ignoring someone on the street or at a gas station when I don’t have the time or patience for it. I was in one of those moods when we were driving I-70 in Western […]
When My Dad Almost Struck Gold
My dad grew up in New York state on the North Fork of Long Island. In 1952, when he was 16, his widowed step-grandmother Vera announced she was moving to Oil City, Pennsylvania. But first, she wanted to simplify and downsize. Would my dad be interested in buying her gold coins at face value? At […]