Column: Need a new perspective on aging? Go to a whiskey bar
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...
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Column: Spring is the season of unwelcome guests
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...
Column: Let’s talk about late-night shopping, slippers and kitchen justice
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....
Column: Highwood redefines role of public library
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...
Column: Catching up with corned beef and COVID
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...
Column: Gray is the new color for baby things, and that’s progress
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...
Column: Tackling COVID and football
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...
Column: Playing by the rules gives sisters a Powerball ‘win’
"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...
Column: Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a COVID-19 rapid test kit
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...
Column: Luxury Advent calendars are all the rage on social media. I miss the tiny chocolates.
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...