Back to the whole Family Guy thing. I know I said we should leave Sarah Palin out of it, but of course you know I didn’t really mean it.
I mean, I did want to figure out whether that Down syndrome Girl episode was funny or not, on its face (general consensus from admittedly biased GIAPH [...]

It’s sort of amazing that Annabelle’s still even pretending, given my thoughts three Christmases ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long. Here is a radio essay I did for the local NPR affiliate in 2006 on the whole believing thing.

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The second part of my series “The Lost Kids” is out this week.
The day before the story came out, a Facebook friend across the country posted a really beautiful quote from “A Prayer for Owen Meaney” by John Irving.
I found it an odd coincidence.
The story of Cynthia Clark Harvey’s struggle to get [...]

You know that Bare Naked Ladies song “If I Had a Million Dollars?”
Well, if I had a million dollars, I’d spend it the way Maxine and Jonathan Marshall did. Their Marshall Fund brings smart book authors and well-versed poets to town on a regular basis. And twice a year, the butterflies come, too.
The butterfly pavilion [...]

Things have gone a little John Hughes around here this week.
The other day I had lunch with two dear girlfriends I don’t get to see very often, women I met once I moved back to Phoenix. We talked about recent purchases at Last Chance, recent travels, and recent blog posts.
“Wow, you’re so brave!” one remarked [...]

…and everybody came.
I don’t know if the latter will hold true, but the former certainly is. Sophie’s entire class is invited to her birthday party tomorrow. No matter what she tells you.
Yesterday afternoon — after the local NPR commentary I did about her birthday was long in the can — my friend Vicki (mother of Anyssa, a [...]

Boy, do I wish I used that word disparagingly. Because it really applies here. Just the other day, an out-of-stater remarked (again) that she just doesn’t understand my state of Arizona — a place where you can have Down syndrome but not qualify for services for the developmentally disabled.
Yeah, I don’t understand it either. Maybe State Senator [...]

I’m sitting perfectly still at my computer, but the room is rocking — back and forth, back and forth, back and….
It’s not a completely unpleasant sensation, which is good, since I’m not sure how long it will last. I do know how it started. I knew better than to agree to ride Mulholland Madness — [...]

The girls just rushed the kitchen, both wearing embroidered, sparkly, Mickey-eared princess hats.
“Perfect! Let’s pack those!” I said to Ray, anticipating at least a $75 savings. We’ve never gone to Disneyland at such a busy time – spring break for many Arizona schools, hopefully not all the Southern California ones — but maybe the crowds won’t [...]

This morning I snuck (sneaked? snook?) out of bed, leaving both girls snoring.
A real feat, the first time since Sophie’s been in her big girl bed. Every morning, it seems, she comes to us earlier. Ray calls it the “snuffle shuffle” and it’s true, she’s blessed with our noisy sinuses and who can blame her [...]