Random Thoughts

As You Wish

As You Wish

by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger Like many people, I have a list of what I call “always-watchable” movies. When I come across one, I’ll stop on a favorite scene or two, or I’ll sometimes watch it from start to finish. Some of them even find their way into my Facebook posts from […]

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10 Tips for Those Who Dare to Be Alone

10 Tips for Those Who Dare to Be Alone

I’m sure many of you already saw or heard reports about the recent study that a majority of people would rather give themselves an electric shock than spend 15 minutes alone in a room. More men than women would shock themselves, but still, there are a lot of people who’d rather feel pain than be […]

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65 Can't Come Soon Enough

65 Can’t Come Soon Enough

by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger A few years ago, I wrote a column addressing what I thought was the nadir of women’s self-esteem in the early 21st century. The topic was “hand-plumping,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a procedure that injects fat into your hands. It delivers a more youthful-looking […]

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Sometimes You Just Need to Dig a Hole

Sometimes You Just Need to Dig a Hole

After a recent visit to my garden, I’ve come to the realization that I’m much more of a landscaper than a vegetable gardener. Don’t worry, I’m not giving up on vegetables, but I understand now that I prefer to plant a bush, tree, or flower and let it grow on its own, for as long […]

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10 Reasons I Love Fútbol (That’s Soccer, for Ya'll Americans)

10 Reasons I Love Fútbol (That’s Soccer, for Ya’ll Americans)

I didn’t grow up in a sporty family. Our primary sport was reading, punctuated by a few bicycle races in Europe (see #5). In fact, I can’t even remember a single sporting event on the TV in our house growing up, except the Olympics. Which, oh, yeah, my dad was in for skeet-shooting, and oh, […]

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Maria Rodale head shot, Maria Rodale

Why I Won’t Wear Makeup Again…Ever

I was like most girls when I was little (well, almost). I loved getting into my mom’s and sisters’ makeup drawers. I loved playing with Barbie. I even wanted to be a fashion designer. Of course, there was the other side of me—the part that came out typically around my brother: We’d make parachutes and […]

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Ode to Tom Robbins

Ode to Tom Robbins

I vividly remember my first Tom Robbins book. It was Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and I first spotted it in my father’s reading pile. “What on earth,” I thought to myself, “was my dad doing with a book that looked so very interesting?” I did what any good daughter would do: I “borrowed” it. […]

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Sisterhood for Sale

Sisterhood for Sale

by guest blogger Renee James, humorist and blogger I don’t know much, but I’m pretty sure the only thing more annoying than The New York Times’ Sunday Styles feature titled “Ladies of the Lanyards” will be the letters and emails the Times prints next week in support of it. In case you missed, it, I’ll […]

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