Confessions...

Reading other blogs can become a little addictive, as long as the writer has a life more interesting than mine (believe it or not, there are some out there that actually make my existence seem hyper-cool). In fact, peering into other people's lives is generally alluring--who doesn't like catching a glimpse of someone else's diary?

That's the basic premise behind the postsecret.com project. Originally, this art exhibit was an experiment to uncover a few blips of juicy, anonymous info. Now it's an international phenomenon, populating a book, web site, and several periodicals that regularly feature the more interesting submissions.

Some are perverted. Others are heart wrenching. Mostly, I think, they're very provocative.

You Can Ring My Bell...

What's a good Jewish mother to do over the holidays? This one brought her daughters out in the cold to ring bells at The Salvation Army's red kettle today.

I know. Intensely strange considering my pro-choice, liberal stances on, well, pretty much everything.

But while the "Army"'s foundation is evangelical and sometimes offensive in nature (I've had more than one friend talk of their antisemitic reputation), the reality of the organization is this: the charitable nature of an average neighbor gives a ton of money to those less fortunate, resulting in day care, health care, disaster relief and many other services that our federal dollars increasingly aren't able to meet.

The lesson to my girls is a good one, and my oldest understood it pretty well. We do our part because we can, and hopefully someone who needs help will be able to get it with the money we helped raise.

Paperback Writer

When my youngest daughters were born, I contemplated writing a "twins" book along the lines of Vicki Iovine's "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" books.

Three and a half years later, I've written an impressive one-page outline.

It's not that I've given up on the idea entirely, it's just...well...I had twins. And a toddler. And now they're older, and somehow the incentive to write isn't as compelling.

Anyway, I did actually write a couple of essays in the first year or so of their lives, with the thought that perhaps they could serve as content if ever I do get around to the book.

One of those essays was published this month in Strut, a Detroit-based magazine for women.

Maybe this will inspire me to work on something other than the business writing I've been spending my time with lately. Drier than a felt boot.

And if not, it's still a nice little glimpse into their lives that my girls can read when they're older.