There are lots of ways to know you're aging. You make noise when you stand up. You wake up with sleep injuries. You indulge in a night of merriment, and...
To the optimist, spring in the Midwest is all about budding trees and crocuses. To the realist, it's about damp ground and warming temperatures. To the pessimist, it's about late...
Dear Sal, The other night, while making an evening run to my neighborhood Walgreens, I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of someone walking through the aisles in their slippers....
Let's start with a multiple-choice question: Do you use your public library? a) sometimes b) never c) what's a public library? A week ago, if you'd answered "what's a public...
I. Tattle Tales As far as I can tell, what used to be called tattling is now called Contact Tracing. So I'm not being petty when I point fingers and...
Two years ago, my daughter overheard a tiny conversation in a public bathroom. A toddler was talking to her pregnant mother. "Mommy, I don't remember. Am I getting a baby...
Bleak, cold, dispiriting. That's Chicago in winter, even without a pandemic. Add COVID-19, and a stroll around the block can be eerily quiet. More than once I've looked across the...
"You have to go to a convenience store," Betsy said, in lieu of a greeting. "Now." Sisters speak in code. I understood immediately we were discussing the Lottery. "How big...
Dec. 1, 2021 Dear Santa- I want to believe in you, but honest to goodness, I'm struggling. I've put up a tree. I'm listening to holiday music. I've single-handedly supported...
This past week, the collective worlds of TikTok, Instagram and the New York Times Thursday Styles joined forces in spewing out a frothy brew of luxury brand outrage. The designer...