The Queen of Hearts and the King of All Fools

King and Queen of Hearts My Ideal

Last night Sam and I went down to Party in the Park, Cincinnati’s summer soiree that happens every Wednesday night where folks gather to drink beer and listen to live music. We started talking about potential mates, and I noted that there wasn’t a single man there within my age range. I might as well wait until I’m 45 to have some sort of romantic social life. He tried to disagree with me, but I pointed out the thirty-somethings that were there had never been married and were not looking to date a divorced mom of three. Those who might not be opposed to a relationship with a single mom were in their fifties and were looking more for someone in their mid- forties with older children. Again, not in my spectrum of possible partners. Sam begrudgingly agreed that the pickings were slim, but insisted that 45 seems like an awful long time to wait for that special someone to steal my heart. Perhaps he has a point, but I wouldn’t be opposed to waiting that long for the right someone. Continue reading →

Like the Down of a Thistle

Last night I had some wicked crazy dreams, so much so that I woke up with a bunch of ideas for a blog topic. My head swimming, I tried to narrow one down as I checked into my Facebook to tap my social media vein. I scrolled through my feed, looking at cute baby pictures, laughing at my lawyer friend’s posts, which always crack me up, and suddenly stopped at a college friend’s status. She had chosen today to break her silence about her fight with breast cancer and asked for prayers and positive thoughts for both her and her family as they all struggle to support her through this difficult time.  Continue reading →

Respect the Ebb

It has been a thunderstormy kind of day. We’ve had two big ones pass through, much to my delight. In my book, there are few things better than a mid-summer thunderstorm; they often make me dig deep and think about my life. But I’ve been doing a lot of that lately, perhaps too much. So I enjoyed the storms, watched the clouds clip by as the rain fell, and tried not to think so much. Continue reading →

Love What You Do, and Do It

This morning I had a meeting with a well-known publisher of one of Cincinnati’s preeminent magazines. I had done due diligence and picked up the magazine to browse through before my meeting to try and familiarize myself with exactly what I was getting myself into…after all, I was applying for a position that is normally reserved for underpaid twenty-somethings and here I am a thirty-something with specific needs to keep my family afloat. But it was an in into an industry where I want to grow and thrive, so I donned my suit instead of my normal work attire of jeans and a tee and prepared to put forth the best representation of myself. Continue reading →

Seven Sentences for Sunday: The I’m So Whooped I Can Barely Type Edition

  1. My blood sugar is so low and I am so exhausted that I am literally cramming creamed spinach from Boston Market into my mouth as I type one-handed.
  2. I spent about six hours today helping my friend Jeff paint his entire rental house from a tenant who left it trashed; how sad it was to see this adorable house that I first stepped into four years ago transformed into a complete dump.
  3. Following the above, who leaves condoms, dog feces, and dirty diapers on the floor—guh-ross.
  4. On a happier note, I scored some sweet Avon treats from my friend Tanya, including some makeup so I can look like a grownup at tomorrow’s meeting.
  5. Oh yeah—the meeting—the super secret, uber exciting meeting that I am going to in the morning. Shhhh…but keep your fingers crossed and maybe say a little prayer for me if you’re into that sort of thing.
  6. I heard from a friend this week whom I never thought I would hear from again…made my day.
  7. Why do they have security sensors in front of the bathrooms at Joseph-Beth Booksellers? Have people seriously been caught smuggling literary material into the john to read?? I echo my previous statement…guh-ross.

I love you all, some more than others.

Nerdy Girls Love Rubies, Too

A few months ago Sam urged me to sign me up for a class on Ruby on Rails that promised to help newbies like myself learn to program web apps. It’s a class offered through webschoolcincy.com, and I have to admit that while I was excited, I was also a bit hesitant. First of all, the course follows the curriculum of Stanford’s Computer Science 142 course, which requires a new book practically every week and forces us to sit through a series of, well, to be completely honest, very dry lectures. (Apologies to the professor.) Second of all, I learned in the first class that out of 25 students, only one other guy and I were the true newbies. Everyone else had a background in programming and was trying to pick up a new language. There was no way I could compete…. Or so I thought.  Continue reading →

Flash Fiction Friday–Inaugural Edition

In 2010 I entered the National Flash Fiction Challenge. There are four rounds in this particular contest, the first two guaranteed and the third and fourth are determined by how you place in your heat. I was fortunate enough to place in the top 25 in the nation at the end of three essays. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances that were out of my control, I was unable to finish the fourth round. However, I was proud to have placed high enough to make it to the fourth round. Here is the first essay that I entered. The genre I was assigned was fantasy, probably my least favorite genre to write, however I dove in with gusto and came out with something that I think is pretty cool. With that, I invite you to enjoy the first installment of Flash Fiction Friday… Continue reading →

Nowhere Man, Please Listen…

Image photo courtesy of J

A few months ago I bought the kids and I annual passes to the Newport Aquarium. They have been a godsend on those days when it’s too hot to go to the park or pop on our bathing suits for a dip in the Little Miami. The chill of the penguin exhibit is a refreshing welcome from the stank that is a humid Cincinnati day, so we headed down there today. Continue reading →

Ms. Just, You Are Now Dismissed

Those who are close to me know that lately I’ve been going through a bit of an identity crisis. I look at myself now and see how much I’ve changed since my divorce 3.5 years ago and I am amazed by how far I’ve come and also a bit dismayed at all that I have lost. I was talking to my friend Sara the other day and was lamenting the fact that the Destiny! who took her exclamation point just a few short years ago has become simply Destiny Just. That passion, that zest for life and work and love has gone dormant. And it’s not just because I broke up with my pretend boyfriend, Donnie Wahlberg. This has been the case long before he started kissing anything and anyone that came near him, no matter the cooties that they clearly carry. This is a bona fide acute case of “holy shit, what has happened to me?” I only hope it isn’t terminal.  Continue reading →