Do You Want To Know a Secret? When I was younger, so much younger than today . . . yes, I listened to the Beatles, just like everyone else. But I also had a fantasy that I think is somewhat unique. When I’m 64 , I thought to myself, I would be a kind of geriatric Eloise living at the Plaza Hotel. Imagine that! If you remember your children’s literature, Eloise was...

Gershwin and grief do not mix. The first thing they should tell you in grief groups is that you should never, ever go to a romantic musical while you’re in mourning. And of these musicals, the worst (because it’s the best) would be An American In Paris. Here’s my story: A short time after being widowed, my good friend Diana suggested we go to dinner and a play. I...

Open Letter to  Bill de Blasio Dear Mr. Mayor: I have a quick and easy way to make you a popular mayor— or at least a hero to citizens afraid for their lives: Make me the Official Commissioner Of Bicycle Safety Enforcement,      AKA The Bike Bitch. You see, your honor, I live on East 22nd Street, and I’m mad as hell about cyclists speeding, going the wrong way, and...

Everything sounds so much classier when the British say it. Take “snogging.” Celebs in the British tabloids are always photographed snogging in some secluded rendezvous or other, and I assumed that this was just a nice way to describe kissing and hugging, indicating to the press and to those who love this sort of gossip— which appears to be most of the world judging...

What good is a “secret” that’s been around for thousands of years? Well, if it’s news to you, it could change your life. The Secret, which Oprah introduced to her adoring public just before she left her show, is that everything in the universe is connected, including your thoughts, so that what you think directly affects what happens to you. In fact, you get...

“I’m in bed with a cold” is not my favorite sentence (you know you want that final noun to be something more interesting). And it is a sentence: you are condemned to miss all the fun and wallow in your own misery. Oh well, I had some nice soup in the freezer. Just nuke it and Voila! instant comfort, right? Not exactly. Because, having realized that...

It’s December 10 as I write this post, but I can safely say that whenever you read it, I still won’t be ready. Wasn’t it just summer when I was worrying about going out in public in a bathing suit? Wasn’t it just Halloween when I was passing out packets of hyperactivity-producing goodies to cute little gremlins who seemed shocked when asked whether they wanted...

Quick! Think of 10 things you’re thankful for even in this tumultuous year of 2018. If you can’t think of anything, feel free to steal from my list: 1) You don’t have to cook. Oh wait, you are cooking. Go immediately to 2).  Pass the gravy and collect 200 leftovers. 2) Drunk Uncle is not coming to dinner  because he’s mad at someone in the...