What Mommy Says: “Boys, it’s time to get ready for school. Shut that TV off, please, and let’s get your teeth brushed.” What They Hear: “Boys, why don’t you race each other to the TV, please, knock those drinks off the coffee table, and trip over each other in an effort to be … [Read more...]

Growing up, my younger brother and I were not members of one of those families fortunate enough to have a house pet. Not to say we didn’t have great childhoods, but something about the thought of a shedding, four-legged creature roaming loose about the house caused Mom and Dad … [Read more...]

When Fanny Grossman turned eighty-six, she decided she'd had it with life at the Magnolia Village Assisted Living Home in Peachtree City, Georgia. But it was mainly Nellie Mae Karr and her damn Southern accent that got to her. Nellie, the perennially smiling director of Magnolia … [Read more...]

Fifteen years ago, I was an unemployed 22 year-old living in a friend’s studio apartment near Los Angeles when I took a temp job working for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. My job was to process orders for a casting bible they’ve been putting out since 1937 called … [Read more...]

“Did you get your haircut?” Mom immediately asked upon greeting us at her front door. “Yep.” She didn’t say a word. No, “It’s cute.” Or, “It looks awful.” The three of us just stood there. So I left the blank, silent stillness that lingered and walked inside. She followed … [Read more...]