American Spinster How-To: Feeling Safe At Home Since the previous blogs covered finding an apartment, home safety seemed like the next best logical step. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about feeling unsafe when they’re at home alone. This is rarely a problem for me, but the first few nights in a new place […]
The American Spinster Review of Katherine Paterson’s Lyddie Growing up, one of my favorite fiction writers was Katherine Paterson. She’s the children’s lit writer who created the Newberry Honor-winning The Great Gilly Hopkins, and the Newberry Medal-winning Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved. The less recognized novel that I’m thinking of today, however, […]
Now that I’ve reached the big 3-0, maybe people will begin to see me as a childless woman, rather than a woman who simply hasn’t realized she wants kids yet. I don’t dislike kids. I get along with most kids very well. I’ve simply decided not to raise them. But this decision has perplexed some […]
American Spinster How-To: Buying Car Insurance I was going to post something different today, but last night I was involved in a hit-and-run accident, and the fact that I had the right insurance saved me a lot of money and grief. If you own a car, you need insurance. Many insurance companies today let you […]
The American Spinster Review of Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking. I should confess, I have been a devoted fan of Amanda Palmer for years. Since 2004 when I first heard of the bizarre and yet inexplicably familiar sound of her band The Dresden Dolls, I’ve been in love. Fan-love, that is, not creepy-stalker-fan-love. Just […]
Buy Your Life In keeping with the recent theme of renting an apartment, I thought I’d add a few words about renting versus buying – in the spiritual sense. You know that Dido song, “Life for Rent?” I always thought that I would love to live by the sea To travel the world alone and […]
American Spinster How-To: Your First Apartment Part II: Making Your Selection Last week I talked about 6 things to look at while surveying your apartment options. This week we’ll go over what to do when you’ve narrowed your list down to a few places. First, you’ll want to call the offices of your top picks, […]
The American Spinster Review of Ann Pachett’s This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage I first heard of this book sitting in my car listening to NPR. I was on my lunch break from the grocery store, where I worked with some of the best co-workers I’d ever had. All but one were married […]
American Spinster How-To: Your First Apartment Part I: Finding The Right One So it’s time to move out. Or at least, you want it to be time. Deciding on a place to live can be overwhelming. You don’t want to settle for the first empty unit in Cracktown, but you also don’t want to blow […]
Please note: There are parents who do truly seem to enjoy having children. But this small minority is not being addressed in this week’s comic.