What does a mayor do?

If your city, like mine, is hosting municipal elections this week, you might be paying absolutely no attention. Or, you might be picking names based on the number of yard signs you’ve seen with a particular candidate’s name on them. After all, What does a mayor do, anyway? and What happens in a city councilContinue reading “What does a mayor do?”

A Word About Coffee Addicts

You know you have it bad as a coffee addict when you run out of the house, late, screaming behind you as you run, “I hate you, Benedict!”, having just renamed your travel mug (formerly “Harvey”), who—yes, “who”—disappeared at a most inconvenient moment. Fifteen minutes later, when the aforementioned coffee mug rolls out from beneathContinue reading “A Word About Coffee Addicts”

In a Sunshine Coma

Sunshine comas. They’re a thing now. Trust me. A sunshine coma is akin to the food coma you get after eating thirds at Thanksgiving dinner. After sitting in a coffee shop with exposure to the winter sunshine for fifteen minutes, you want to lie on the carpet in another patch of sunshine and stay thereContinue reading “In a Sunshine Coma”

The Story Addict

In my humble opinion, the best conversations last for at least an hour and conclude with a handshake and, “My name is Jen, by the way.” That is, if you are a certified story addict like I am. Whether talking about Peter the Great, the Great Depression, and the harems of ancient Persia with anContinue reading “The Story Addict”