Blogs – Page 6 – Your Local News

30 Years Later

08/18/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

It had to be 1982, which would have made me 12, when my parents went off, perfumed, cologned, and dressed up, to their 20th high school reunion. They came back later that evening in a […]

You Can Go Home Again

08/04/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I got off the plane, and the smell hit me in the face with the force of a Mike Tyson punch. There was garlic there in large measure, and jet fuel – sure, it was […]

Being in possession of a human-type body like I am, there is some routine maintenance that needs to be done. Most of that maintenance is not particularly pleasant. It can be invasive, uncomfortable, or downright […]

To Yap or Not To Yap

07/08/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

For reasons I do not care to get into right now (though trust me, everyone is fine now) I have spent a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms lately. These are odd little microcosms […]

I Think I’m Funny

06/25/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I have this absolutely non-humorous, borderline boring, slightly academic theory on humor, which is that laughter is the pinnacle of mindfulness. That is, when you are laughing, you are entirely in the moment in which […]

A blog by Lori Duff – I’m Proud Every Month

06/09/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

The month of June is known in the United States for many things, among them, the fact that it has been designated Pride Month, to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in NYC in June of 1969. […]

Ode to a Varsity Chili Dog

05/27/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

If you find yourself heading to Atlanta and you post something on social media like, “Going to the ATL – where should I eat?” 9,999 out of 10,000 people who reply will tell you to […]

For the Love of Worry

05/12/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

My Dad is in the hospital. This, naturally, is cause for alarm, and I worry. My parents live 600 miles away from me, so it isn’t so easy for me to just go and check […]

Things You’ll Never Hear Me Say

04/29/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

For years now, I’ve been writing these columns and you’ve been hearing a lot of things I’ve had to say. I am not sure I will ever run out of rants. My opinions have changed […]

Pollen season

04/15/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I have a superpower. I can take ordinary grocery items, like lettuce and milk and Little Debbie Snack Cakes, and turn them into pounds and pounds of pollen-induced mucus. I can do this without, apparently, […]

Golden Anniversary and Advice

04/01/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

On April 6, 2018, just a few days from when I am typing this, my parents will have been married for fifty years. Yup, their golden anniversary has arrived. There are a number of miracles […]

Sleep Training my Teenager

03/03/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I’m having to sleep train my teenage daughter. You remember sleep training, don’t you? When your sweet precious angel baby was six months old and you thought if you didn’t get three whole hours of […]

The Real Toilet Paper Wars

02/16/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I am a big fan of indoor plumbing. I am NOT a fan of indoor plunging. There is nothing more gag-producing than jamming a wood-and-rubber plunger into a poo filled toilet and slurping it up […]

Mrs. Potato Head

02/04/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I have always looked like I came from Russian peasant stock. I have a face that looks like it was carved from a potato. My broad shoulders were designed for swinging a pickaxe through Siberian […]

Miss Trunchbull

01/23/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

About ten years ago, I had eyeball surgery which implanted contact lenses right in front of my retinas. This allowed me to go glasses free for a long time. Recently, however, my left eye decided […]

A Night at the Opera

01/07/2018 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I get it. You have some preconceived notion of the Opera being stuffy and boring and something that only rich people do after a diet of caviar and foie gras and a glass full of […]

The Game Changer

12/26/2017 Sharon Swanepoel 0

My life has recently changed for the better. My son got his driver’s license, and it is an absolute game changer. We did not run out and buy him a new car. Rather, the old […]

Oh Ricky You’re So Fine

12/11/2017 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I will not deny that I am older than my 47 years might imply. I’m not particularly young at heart, I’m a soul that belongs in assisted living. I know this for many reasons, not […]

Now That It’s Over, I’m Thankful

11/26/2017 Sharon Swanepoel 0

I don’t know about you, but I’m mostly just thankful that I survived yet another Thanksgiving. Just kidding. Sort of. Holidays can be stressful. Some of us are spending our first Thanksgiving without a loved […]

Three Minutes in Milton

11/11/2017 Sharon Swanepoel 0

On Saturday, November 11, 2017, I had the immense privilege of participating in the “Book an Author” event at the Milton Literary Festival. This was a sort of “speed dating” for books event, in which […]