It’s funny, the things one remembers from college. I went to Northern Michigan University in Marquette and I remember little about my studies and nothing about my professors, with the exception of Jerry Cushman and Phillip Legler. Jerry Cushman was my big crush – my gay, modern dance teacher who choreographed the troupe, writhing on dusty […]
Category Archives: Sobriety
As I pulled into the driveway after the long car trip from Jacksonville to Georgia, I turned to Fiona and said, “We’re home!” This is not my house or my furnishings. None of my possessions are here – not my art, not my books, not my Barbie collection, not even my best shoes. So what is it […]
Dear Miss Manners: What does one say to an alcoholic who has announced they have quit drinking? Love, Miss Mare Dear Miss Mare: The appropriate response is: “Congratulations,” without the exclamation point (a bit too exuberant) or “Good for you.” ***** I am a polite person. I know how to deport myself. For example, I know […]
I lived in San Francisco for a few years. I did not leave my heart there. I lived on Knob Hill and other than strolling to the bars along the crest of my neighborhood, any walk, anywhere, was an aerobic nightmare. I often think of the little, old, Chinese ladies in San Francisco, whenever I embark on a difficult […]
I have been communicating with a woman who is trying to quit drinking. Alcohol has become a problem in her life and it is beginning to negatively impact her work and family. We have exchanged emails during a difficult time for her, and although I am not a doctor (aren’t you GLAD), I have had the […]
As far as the eye can see… I’m in Jacksonville for a few days and low tide was at 7 AM yesterday morning, so I decided to take Fiona to the beach. It was a perfect beach day – chilly, but with the wind coming off the mainland and buffered by the dunes. In all the […]
Lotta Dann is a woman I admire who writes a blog called Mrs. D is Going Without. She has also written a book by the same name. She and I got together (from across the world – she’s a New Zealander) to talk about why we have decided to come out of the closet as named alcoholics. Lotta Dann […]
Those who are effected by alcohol because they are the responsibility of an alcoholic? How’s that for a non sequitur? I’m talking about the children and pets who are under the thumb of someone under the thumb of alcohol… In the photo above you see a guilty Fiona dripping in Georgia mountain mud – she […]
It occurred to me that alcoholics are oftentimes like those lovable grifters from children’s books who come to stay when mom’s away and cause trouble. The Cat in The Hat springs to mind, or the annoying moose who, when given a free muffin, demands jam and a washcloth and the change from your piggy […]
I have an entire series of blurry, “Bright Lights Big City” photos of this night – I have no idea who took them, but they are PERFECT depictions… More and more I am inspired by readers who write to me with comments and suggestions. Some of their musings are pure poetry… I try to […]