The Adventures of Roberta X

     Recovery from this cold is about as slow as I have ever experienced.  My lungs and sinuses are still emptying.  And I'm still prett...

     In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine,* news outlets from National Public Radio to Fox News are referring to the She...

     The cold has mostly passed but I'm worn out.  The next few days, I'm going to concentrate on trying to catch up.  I lost over a...

     Ever the optimist, I keep thinking I'm getting better.  Then the decongestant wears off.      Making the big effort Saturday cost ...

     If you're an introvert, dealing with other people can still be interesting, but it takes it out of you.  I have to "nerve up...

     Still sick.  Better, I think, but still sick.  I am craving salt and flavor -- something awful, like a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.  It w...

     The stuff just feels comforting on a sore throat: well-cooked oatmeal, sweetened with honey.  Tamara picked up a bottle of raw, local h...

     Yeah, I've got Tamara's cold.  Tried to dodge it, but it was a slim hope at best.  Mild so far, mostly a sore throat and annoye...

     After working today, I'm off all this week.  Tamara K has been sick since Friday, a rattling cough that got worse and worse.  It ap...

     When you got your driver's license -- and in some states, when you renewed it* -- you had to pass a test to show you understood the...

     All wars are tragic.  The Middle East manages to be even more so, a combination of dense population, scarce resources and conflicts wit...

     Wisdom may not arrive with age but you do begin to develop a sense of what you can't solve.      Take the Middle East as an exampl...