• Rock, paper, scissors 

    I have a new hatred for the paper gowns at a doctors office.  I sat in an exam room with an 8-year-old patient for 45 minutes.   My son was scheduled for a checkup.  It would have been a stress-free appointment had it not been for the constant rustling of the gown.    Like most children, he cannot sit still.   It’s no secret that I suffer from Misophonia.  A crisp apple can send me over the edge.   Being in a 10 x 10 room with a child in a paper gown is pure torture.  I was on the verge of ripping the damn thing off him when the…

  • Instructions not included

    The Oscars are a week away and I have seen four of the movies nominated, two of which were animated films.  That is a record for me.   I think the movie “Instructions Not Included” deserved a nomination.  It didn’t resonate with critics, but the common folk gave better reviews.  The Spanish-language film grossed over $40 million.  I saw it in the theater with a good friend of mine, but watched it again on TV over the weekend with my husband.  We tried to start the movie when the kids were still awake.  It was a bad idea.  My 6-year-old is learning to read and is very excited about it.   Do…

  • Missing

    I remember when the story came into our newsroom.   A local girl had supposedly gone missing while on spring break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  I say supposedly because in the news industry a person isn’t missing until police say so.   Over the years we have received countless phone calls from frantic loved ones pleading with us to run a photo on the evening news.  They begged for help, but our hands were tied until it authorities confirmed it to be suspicious.  More often than not the missing person turned out to be a runaway.   Initially,  many people in our newsroom were skeptical about Brittanee Drexel’s supposed disappearance. …

  • Things that make you go hmmmmmm

    I actually received an email questioning, “Why haven’t you written anything in the past few days?” I love my fan. I could barely get out of bed, let alone type. I exercise on a daily basis, but my muscles are spent. Raking a million leaves will do that to you. Well, it will do that to you at my age.We got a little behind schedule with our Fall cleanup. Minutes after my husband started clearing the yard today the belt busted on the lawn mower. He insisted he could fix it. This is coming from the same man who “fixed” the oven door with scotch tape. He grabbed his tools.…