Writer
Our house smells salty and sweet. My daughter has spent the early afternoon baking a mix of vegan banana muffins (for herself) and chocolate chip banana muffins (for the rest of us) while frying what she calls 15-hour potatoes. The potato recipe is more involved than any dinner I've ever committed to making. It included... Continue Reading →
Here's a short story about my grandmother, Juanita, who I loved dearly. And Lent. For most of her life, my grandmother smoked Virginia Slims. She started smoking as a teenager. When I was pregnant with my first child, she told me her doctor had advised her to smoke more during both of her pregnancies. "He... Continue Reading →
I'm having urges for a new tattoo. My last one, on the palm of my right hand was four years ago. It was a celebration of sorts - a mark on my body to remind me how long I've lasted without a drink. I was five years sober at the time, now nine years. Nine... Continue Reading →
I finally watched the last episode of The Good Wife. They brought back a dead guy - the Good Wife's unrequited love who was murdered a few seasons back. It was a cop out. You can't bring dead people back to life no matter how many candles you burn, or seances you hold, or how... Continue Reading →
It's Monday and I keep listening to the same songs over and over. I start with The Killers Are we human...or are we dancers? and then go to the Pixie's Where is my mind? Before the Pixie song ends, I search YouTube for Father John Misty and start singing along, "...oh, pour me another drink,... Continue Reading →
Not so long ago, my daughter's bedtime routine ended with the following question every night: "Will you talk to me about it?" It was all of the anxieties and fears and worries that invaded her bedroom as soon as she was tucked in. "No matter what, everything will be okay. There's absolutely nothing to worry... Continue Reading →
Remember that scene in Heathers when Winona Ryder burns herself with the car lighter and Christian Slater lights his cigarette with palm of her burnt hand? That's how I feel every time I try to write a new blog post - an initial flash of self torture, immediately followed by utter apathy toward any words... Continue Reading →
I'm enrolled in a 12-week writing course this summer aimed at helping writers complete book-length projects. The course overview said students should come to the class with at least east 25 pages of a first draft. When I found the course more than a month ago, my plan was to dig back into a story... Continue Reading →
Last month I ran a half marathon. It was my first. I've come to running a little later than most. Toward the end of last year, at age 41, I started jogging halfway through my walks. My usual three mile jog turned into four miles, and then five. Eventually, during a particularly good run, an... Continue Reading →
So far during this daily blogging commitment, I've published two posts after midnight. The first one made me feel like I had tainted the accomplishment, lessening it. By the second one, I had justified the lateness of the post, rethinking "daily" to fit my day - not the one that ends at midnight. That's the... Continue Reading →
Amy Gesenhues 