What If?
July 1, 2004
Look to the Squirrels for the Answer
Have you ever watched a squirrel cross the road? They are very plentiful here in North Georgia and very often lose their lives on the roads. These cute and furry rodents would be fine most of the time if they would just choose a direction in which to run and go with it. If they would just decide to cross the road and then cross it without looking back, most of them would reach the other side without incident. But the squirrels seem to have a genetic fatal flaw: they doubt themselves. When they get part of the way into the road, they sometimes stop altogether and turn to look back. Unfortunately this is when many of them are flattened by cars. If only they hadn't asked, "What if I go back across the road that way?" they would be okay. Read more.
Walk a Mile in These Shoes, Smartypants
by Julie Miller
What if each of us had to spend a week living the life of every person we ever scorned? Surely you've seen the movie Freaky Friday (either in its original 1976 version with Jodie Foster, its forgettable TV version with Shelley Long, or its more recent big-screen incarnation with Jamie Lee Curtis and the new "it" girl, Lindsay Lohan). The premise, of course, is that a mother and daughter each think the other has an easy life and neither can understand why the other is always making such a mess of it. Something causes them to magically trade bodies for a period of time and finally they realize that things aren't as easy as they'd seemed. Duh. Read more.
The Perfect Plan
We've all fantasized about it. Winning the lottery or being the sole heir to a long lost relative's stash of cash. Life would change and everything would be perfect. We'd have it all. The maids, the cooks, the gigantic house with multiple swimming pools. The travel, the adventure, the luxury. Read more.
File Under TMI
by Brenda Ponnay
The unwrapped pregnancy test sits on the cold counter, flying in the face of two warnings listed in the instructions: Do not unwrap the test until you are ready to take it, and Extreme cold can cause inaccurate results. Well, it's not that cold on the counter. I let it sit and wait. And wait and wait. I have to wait to save up enough urine to be able to pee for five seconds straight. Oh, the intricacies of taking a pregnancy test. Read more.
What a Day for a Daydream
I'll bet people who work in gray, windowless cubicles indulge in a lot more daydreaming to make it through the day than do folks who have thrilling jobs--or even folks who have windows at work. Read more.
The Great Unknown
I was a fairly late arrival on the Internet scene, not surfing the Web until the fall of 1997, and not being online at home until the spring of 2000. For reasons inexplicable to me now, I just wasn't especially interested. Oh, I'd go to the library now and again and use their computers to find specific information, and occasionally I'd play around a bit on a friend's computer, but just sitting around surfing didn't appeal to me. Read more.
This Is Life
by Bosten
"I wanna end it." Read more.
The Eyes of the Dragon: Stephen King
Who is not familiar with the King of Horror? Everyone who has read at least one King--under this name or under his pseudonym Richard Bachman--knows how his stories can totally capture you, terrifying you and making goose bumps rise on your skin. While reading him, you know there is a lurking threat between the lines or somewhere in the next few pages and you are compelled to know what it is, either out of curiosity or for your own peace of mind when the lights go off (like me!) Read more.
Americana Whoop-Ass
by Jennifer C. Cooke
In the fickle business of music today, the story of alt-country heroes Old 97's is not a unique one. It is the story of a truly great band that has been around for over a decade. One that started out in Texas obscurity and garnered a solid national fan base through years of touring and recording. A critical reputation so stellar that even Bruce Springsteen called them one of his favorite bands. A shot at major label success that seemed inevitable, but never really materialized. A lead singer with the looks and the hooks for a promising solo career that just missed the mark. A period of "hiatus" that left them with no record deal and that lasted so long, people started to wonder...are they still around? Read more.
The Darlings of Today's Jazz Scene
by Arlene Guillen
One evening a jazz guitarist friend and I were cooing over the voice of another friend who is a female jazz singer. My guitarist friend noted that our singer friend should cut an album and then finished with, "like the world needs yet one more album from a female jazz singer." It's partly funny but partly true. Currently in the jazz world, there seems to be a steady supply of female jazz singers. With so many artists offering up a sampling of jazz, it's hard to know which to put in your basket and which ones to pass on. So if you're a newbie to this music, here are a few suggestions to take with you when you peruse the jazz CD section. Read more.
Up All Night by Martha Gies
by Jessica Poundstone
Reading about the work lives of folks who have jobs entirely unlike my own is a wonderfully voyeuristic pleasure. In the last few years I've enjoyed several new books focusing on people's lives at work: Gig, What Should I Do With My Life?, and Studs Terkel's Working--the original of the genre--to name a few. Read more.
Confessions of a Harry Potter Maniac
I'm one of the original Harry Potter fans--one of the people who loved Harry Potter before he became a household name.
It started innocently enough. I was browsing through my crummy little local bookstore, hoping against hope that they would have something new and exciting. It was a "hip" place, which meant they sold a lot of tarot cards and astrology guide books. Not my style, but in a town with one bookstore I didn't have a lot of choice when I wanted old fashioned browsing that didn't involve pointing and clicking. Read more.
Growing Up with Barenaked Ladies
by Abigail Vint
I was screeching. Swooning. Jumping up and down like a lovesick puppy. To me, they were like the Beatles. I could hardly contain my pounding heart. I was a teenage girl seeing my rock stars on stage. Read more.