Category Coping

To Remain Positive

It’s tough to remain positive these days. Personally, I’m feeling really rough. I’ve been applying for jobs since November, when I found out that my position was going to be eliminated. My boss did his best to keep me on as long as he could, bless him. But now it’s been five weeks without a […]

My Friend, AI

She looks pretty cool, doesn’t she? That’s my new friend, AI-mie, the newly-generated woman that the WordPress image generator drew up for me. She totally looks like she has it going on, in a somewhat decaying urban setting. Ready for action, AI-mie will jump into any fray, with a cool head and a thirst for […]

Not This Again…

The writing was on the wall, but I was so busy that I didn’t notice until it was too late. My boss and I had quite a conversation on our weekly meetup call. We both work remotely, so every Monday we’d have a half-hour talk about tackling the projects I’d been assigned. On this particular […]

That Uncertain Feeling

I knew something was up when my boss appeared on the Zoom call with the HR person. That’s a sure sign nothing good’s going to happen. A sickly feeling crept up my spine. It was the first week of November, and just in time for the holidays, I was told that my position was being […]

World On Fire

I’d been having a rotten, rough week. It was bad enough that my boss had to inform me that my position was being eliminated – not his idea nor what he wished – but in the end, I found myself having to look for a job, once again. Not that I was entirely thrilled with […]

One Morning In Autumn

The weather’s been gorgeous as of late, maybe a bit too gorgeous. By now, my breath should freeze on my morning walk, gloves should be covering my hands and a nice warm knit cap to keep me cosy. Instead, I had on a thin jacket over a T-shirt. It was early, and the sun only […]

The iPhone Oracle

Way, way back, when cell phones were beginning to be a thing, I had a boyfriend who moved quite a distance away. I really cared for him, perhaps too much. But then, he did something incredibly nasty when I visited him, and then insulted me once I returned home. After a verbal cannonball shot from […]

Oh, Deer!

So there I was, heading back from a doctor’s appointment at lunchtime. The road ahead of me was clear, and my thoughts wandered to my job. Had a grant I was working on, nearing deadline. Needed tweaking, here and there, to make the narrative more compelling. I was playing around with language my mind, but […]

The Almost Loss

Not quite gone yet…and still beautiful with life Above you see what’s left of a canal that once was vibrant with life. It carried many passengers in its day, from coal territory in Pennsylvania to the waters of the Hudson River. Donkeys towed the barges that held not only coal, but other goods manufactured in […]

The Rite (or Wrong) of Spring

You can practically smell the perfume… Ah, spring! The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and one’s heart turns to romance. Or does it? I sit here alone on a Thursday night when I should’ve been out on a date. Last week I had a really great phone conversation with someone I met on […]