First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

Do You Have a Game Plan?

I’ve always admired people who are able to envision where they want their lives to be, 5, 10, 20 years from now. It’s not my temperament, but I’ve often wondered how things would look if I’d charted them out ahead of time.

What about you?

Illustration by Christoph Niemann

May Day

May Day in Central Park by Maurice Prendergast, 1901.

Staying Off Balance and Afloat

I enjoy living alone, especially in the company of my dog. But this past weekend, I celebrated a big birthday and wanted to wake up to something different. I dug into my ex boyfriend file and invited one of my favorites to spend (a platonic) weekend with me. It was a wild card choice, which in retrospect, was part of the appeal. Back in the day when we were madly in love, we didn’t talk about politics, so after picking him up at the airport, I was surprised to discover how far our points of view had veered. After 5 minutes in the car, I thought, “this is going to be a very long weekend.” But we quickly agreed to disagree, and kept a respectful truce for the reminder of our time together. It was easy to be with him, and we had lots of fun. I even put him to work changing the propane tank on my gas grill, which was a durable birthday present. I appreciated the break from my routine, though it didn’t make me want my life any other way.

Relativity by Alex Hall

How to be a Queen on your Birthday

Years ago I realized that if I wanted to get the birthday I deserved, I would have to organize it myself. Even though I harbor a husband fantasy that a loving spouse would plan the perfect birthday celebration for me, until that actually happens I’m willing to take matters into my own hands.  This year, my guest list included lots of couples, and as I was in NO mood to be the 11th wheel on this special day, I excavated an old boyfriend to be my plus 1. It was a risky move, involving plane travel and a sleepover. But I had a hunch it would go well.

Part 2 tomorrow.

Gown made of Legos by Nathan Sawaya

Birthday Weekend

About to embark on my annual celebration. Wish me luck.

Image by Jenny Holzer.

Another Reason for Community

“Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine.” - Honoré de Balzac

via newyorkshitty

What Can’t You Live Without?

My personal motto is, a martini a day keeps the doctor away. What are your must haves?

Artwork by Jeanne Susplugas

Words Matter

The results may sound clunky at first, but it’s progress. Following a six-year effort, the governor of Washington State has just taken the final step of signing a law rewriting gender-neutral terms into their statutes. For example:

Penmanship is now handwriting
Signalman is now signal operator
Fisherman is now fisher
Freshman is now first-year student

The word “manhole” will remain as is.

Image from Toiletwolf

This Will Blow Your Mind

WATCH THIS for the awesomeness of Richie Havens, who died today at 72.

Earth Day

The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970, with 20 million people participating in support of environmental protection. This massive display of civic engagement led to the formation of the EPA, the Clean Air, the Clean Water, and the Endangered Species Acts. Now that’s power. How do we harness this again?

Illustration by Alex Nabaum