An interesting dilemma came up today. India has kept a diary for much of the last year, and usually shares it with me. But today, she let me know that I’m not allowed to read it. And while I’m fine with that, since I suspect her current rants involve how annoying her brothers are and how mean I am for making her unload the dishwasher. However, I can also see how a diary, in the teen years, could leave some vital clues for parents if their teens were really facing some bigger issues. If I had . . .

This may be the most random question I’ve ever asked in a blog post, but I need to know . . . Do you have these chevron black-and-white pillows in your home? I just feel like they’ve become a Thing. Maybe it’s because I have them. Maybe it’s just the old “when you’re shopping for a Volvo, all you see is Volvos” phenomenon. But I swear, I see this pillows all over instagram. Admittedly. I’m a fan. I have them in our living room, and also in Jafta’s room. And then when we re-did our own . . .

I cannot even count how many people have told me what a brilliant show The Walking Dead is over the past few years. And it seems like every time it is on, twitter and facebook lights up with people talking about it. Some of the people whose opinion I most trust have insisted I need to watch it, and my first question is always, “Isn’t it a bit scary?”  And everyone assures me . . . No! It’s not that scary! It’s a plot-driven show! Well I’m calling shenanigans. Mark and I finally decided to . . .

Are you a pen snob? I have never understood the people who buy expensive pens. When I was in private practice there was a guy in my office who kept an expensive Montblanc pen on his desk. Inevitably some intern would grab it to write notes, or hand it to a client to write a check, and it would wind up in the communal cup of office pens, or worse . . . lost completely. And then there would be a bunch of inter-office drama because his pen was lost, and had anyone seen it? Can everyone stop what . . .

This question is inspired by my friend Chad, who asks the best questions on facebook. Initially I thought this would be a silly post, but the more I thought about my answer to this question, the more I thought, you know? Might as well make it official. So, Mark . . . kids . . . loved ones. The following are my instructions for my funeral. There is choreography involved. You’ve been warned. First, I’d like a little old-school gospel rendition of Johnny Cash & June Carter’s Will The Circle . . .

I've tackled some pretty controversial stuff this past week, but here's a debate I'm not sure we can survive. My friend Melanie waded into this territory last week and her readers were quite passionate in their views.  Here we go: Toilet paper. Over or under?   You guys, I have to admit. I don't really have a dog in this fight. I really don't care what way it's hung. I don't even notice. I couldn't even tell you what way ours is hanging as I typed this. (Okay, I looked. I . . .

Last week I saw a play called Reunion at South Coast Rep. It was the story of three high school buddies who get together after their high school reunion and rehash the memories, hurts, and relationship dynamics that shaped them. It was a powerful play (local folks, check it out) and it got me thinking about how oddly emotional high school reunions can be. My 20-year-reunion was this past summer. I was a class officer my senior year, which means I’m responsible for planning our reunions . . . . . .

When I was in DC last month with some friends, we played a game where we went around the table and shared our first concert and our dream concert. The concert we saw first, and the concert we would really love to see. It was really entertaining to hear some of the concerts people saw in their youth . . . quite the stroll down memory lane. It was also fun to hear the bands that people were dying to see. My first concert is a little embarrassing. I’ll give you a hint. I was hangin’ tuff. That’s . . .

We’ve been having a little marital spat because recently I decided to move my iphone plug from a desk in the living room to my nightstand in the bedroom. I like using my phone as an alarm clock, and sometimes it’s relax to thumb through instagram before I fall asleep. Mark feels that this is a slippery slope because we’ve always been a “screen-free bedroom” kind of couple. But I’ve tried excusing this since a) it’s really about the alarm feature which is more convenient than an alarm clock, and . . .