I’m gonna post a couple of Modern Muse columns that ran in the Alameda Sun, just to catch you up. I’ll mark the ones I submitted to CNPA which got me the award. This one ran in April of last year. The Thin Line Between Love and HateThere is a stranger in my house, an 11-year-old girl who used to be my baby. She hates me. This was made evident on a recent shopping trip to find suitable attire for her graduation from the sixth grade. We went to the mall, which is where one goes to find the perfect graduation dress, and as we walked into the mall, all…

Is it so wrong — can I just say this? Is it really so wrong to love Hootie and the Blowfish so much? It’s a girl thing, I know. But I love Hootie. Know who else I love? It’s even more deliciously wrong…future American Idol Constantine Maroulis. Yes, I love him. My sister and I discovered our mutual admiration — I mean, lust — for Constantine a few weeks ago, when he sang “I Think I Love You.” (insert screams here). That’s right, the David Cassidy/Partridge Family hit from 1,000 years ago. My sister and I had a big thing for David Cassidy back then, and darned if there isn’t…

Just checking in to say why, yes, had a great weekend at the Jimmy Buffett concert with wonderful Significant Other (he’s the best; can you say fun, limo, Jacuzzi, fun, and more fun?), and though tired, hit the ground running. The new issues of Alameda and Oakland City magazines arrived today in our offices and look beautiful — my first big magazine spread is in both: a large feature in AM about our graduating high school seniors and a smaller feature in OCM on same topic, different kids. There were 21 kids featured in Alameda; we tried to get more response in Oakland but got just six kids’ stories back.…

News flash…just found out that my Modern Muse column in the Alameda Sun (most of which were posted here) won an Achievement Award from the CNPA (California Newspaper Publishers’ Association) for 2004, in the category of Columns/Commentary/Criticism. They were judged together, not individually, as an example of general excellence in the category. The three I submitted were the book signing that went wrong, slavery and hunger/food bank. Wait, I think I didn’t actually post them all. I’ll find them and post them here for your elucidation and entertainment. So woo-hoo! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to be an award-winning writer? Hint: FOREVER! Advice to Aspiring Writers: Good…

I’ve been swimming in bigger ponds (whatever that means — off the Island, I guess) lately, the other night at the book awards, and last night had a brief interview with Dave Eggers after his really funny and entertaining conversation with Stephen Elliott onstage at the Oakland Museum. The event was to highlight National Library Week at the Oakland Public Library, and the place was packed. Digression: Sometimes I hate being press — people don’t trust you, don’t want to talk to you, they think you’re out to screw them somehow (as if I have time for that) — but when it gets you front-row (or free) seats to sold-out…