An Argument for Dylan

 What are the chances? Driving along and there you see a big sign flashing “BOB DYLAN IN CONCERT.”  Since I have never seen him and I might not get another chance, I thought I’d be an idiot not to grab this opportunity. He is, after all, truly a living legend.

Veronica wasn’t overly thrilled since she had seen him several times before (her dad is the quintessential old hippy making the annual Dylan pilgrimage). I tried to think of some provocative ways to sell her on the idea of spending a hundred bucks and a couple hours of her life listening to unintelligible… CONTINUE READING >>

 What are the chances? Driving along and there you see a big sign flashing “BOB DYLAN IN CONCERT.”  Since I have never seen him and I might not get another chance, I thought I’d be an idiot not to grab this opportunity. He is, after all, truly a living legend.

Veronica wasn’t overly thrilled since she had seen him several times before (her dad is the quintessential old hippy making the annual Dylan pilgrimage). I tried to think of some provocative ways to sell her on the idea of spending a hundred bucks and a couple hours of her life listening to unintelligible… CONTINUE READING >>

Attack of the 1000 Dollar Mammogram

Ten people. TEN.

This is how many people I dealt with while getting my annual mammogram. How did something so personal turn into an assembly line? As if getting my boobs pancaked and my skin yanked so tight that I felt it all the way up to my ears isn’t bad enough. I get to be treated like a cow in a roundup.

Before I go off on a complete diatribe, I want to be fair. I’m ALWAYS a wreck at mammogram time. My mother died of breast cancer. The final ten years of her life were hell as the cancer spread to her lymph nodes, her spine and her brain. I learned to administer shots. I watched as her brain fluid was removed from a shunt in her… CONTINUE READING >>

Ten people. TEN.

This is how many people I dealt with while getting my annual mammogram. How did something so personal turn into an assembly line? As if getting my boobs pancaked and my skin yanked so tight that I felt it all the way up to my ears isn’t bad enough. I get to be treated like a cow in a roundup.

Before I go off on a complete diatribe, I want to be fair. I’m ALWAYS a wreck at mammogram time. My mother died of breast cancer. The final ten years of her life were hell as the cancer spread to her lymph nodes, her spine and her brain. I learned to administer shots. I watched as her brain fluid was removed from a shunt in her… CONTINUE READING >>

9 Things We Told Our Girls in the Event of the Manhattan Hurricane

We have two daughters, The Piglet and Decibel, planning to ride out Hurricane Irene on Manhattan. Having lived in the Caribbean, here is the advice we gave them. Please share this with loved ones as being over prepared can make you feel stupid, it can also save your life.

1. Fill up your bathtub with water. Water supplies get contaminated with flooding. You will want to bathe and cook. If you don’t have a bathtub, buckets, pots & pans work as well.

2. Buy food. I called it “The Week of Living Amishly.” Canned food, canned food, canned food.

3. It’s gross, but your toilet will onlyCONTINUE READING >>

We have two daughters, The Piglet and Decibel, planning to ride out Hurricane Irene on Manhattan. Having lived in the Caribbean, here is the advice we gave them. Please share this with loved ones as being over prepared can make you feel stupid, it can also save your life.

1. Fill up your bathtub with water. Water supplies get contaminated with flooding. You will want to bathe and cook. If you don’t have a bathtub, buckets, pots & pans work as well.

2. Buy food. I called it “The Week of Living Amishly.” Canned food, canned food, canned food.

3. It’s gross, but your toilet will onlyCONTINUE READING >>

Video – How to Volunteer at a National Park

Kay, a veteran parks volunteer – and fellow GypsyNester – discusses how to apply, where one lives at the parks, what is expected of volunteers and, most importantly… CONTINUE READING >>

Kay, a veteran parks volunteer – and fellow GypsyNester – discusses how to apply, where one lives at the parks, what is expected of volunteers and, most importantly… CONTINUE READING >>

50 @ 50

Ever wonder how many people have visited all Fifty states? We have, so before we accomplished that feat we checked it out…
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Ever wonder how many people have visited all Fifty states? We have, so before we accomplished that feat we checked it out…
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Fear Conquering & Self Defense

I must confess I have anxiety concerning this GypsyNesting stuff. I have strong ideas about the way I want to live my life, but by nature I’m not exactly the bravest person around. I’m a bit of a worrier. Okay, a lot of a worrier. It doesn’t help that half of our family and friends think that this whole GypsyNesting thing is quite mad.

In order to alleviate my fears, I decided to take a self defense course to fight the urge to cop out and just “grow old gracefully.” I wanted to be able to protect myself in that dark alley that was… CONTINUE READING >>

I must confess I have anxiety concerning this GypsyNesting stuff. I have strong ideas about the way I want to live my life, but by nature I’m not exactly the bravest person around. I’m a bit of a worrier. Okay, a lot of a worrier. It doesn’t help that half of our family and friends think that this whole GypsyNesting thing is quite mad.

In order to alleviate my fears, I decided to take a self defense course to fight the urge to cop out and just “grow old gracefully.” I wanted to be able to protect myself in that dark alley that was… CONTINUE READING >>

Facebook and Memory Lane

About a month ago, a thought popped into my head. What ever happened to Tamera? Where did that gangly, sweet and truly unique little girl with the pig tails and big glasses that I went to Junior High with end up? What did she become?

We were the original Valley Girls. We hung out with boys who skateboarded, went to the beach every weekend and said “Like” and “You know” like, way too much, you know? I wonder if Tamera finds it ironic, as I do, when she hears today’s college girls speaking like this, while most of us old school Valley Girls don’t anymore? Actually, I’ve managed to completely kill off the “likes,” but the “you knows” keep sneaking in… CONTINUE READING >>

About a month ago, a thought popped into my head. What ever happened to Tamera? Where did that gangly, sweet and truly unique little girl with the pig tails and big glasses that I went to Junior High with end up? What did she become?

We were the original Valley Girls. We hung out with boys who skateboarded, went to the beach every weekend and said “Like” and “You know” like, way too much, you know? I wonder if Tamera finds it ironic, as I do, when she hears today’s college girls speaking like this, while most of us old school Valley Girls don’t anymore? Actually, I’ve managed to completely kill off the “likes,” but the “you knows” keep sneaking in… CONTINUE READING >>

Honey, Who Are We Again?

I’ve read that one of biggest pitfalls to having kids is that couples tend to forget who they were prior to breeding (though I personally think the the loss of perky breasts is high on the list). As a Gypsy Nester, one who is looking forward to life after kids, I thought I’d share a secret.

David and I offset this pitfall with “date nights.” Admittedly, most of our date nights were spent talking about the kids, ordering soda water to get the baby puke off my little black dress and worrying that the nanny cam may have malfunctioned. Difficult as it was to apply lipstick while avoiding chocolate covered toddlers… CONTINUE READING >>

I’ve read that one of biggest pitfalls to having kids is that couples tend to forget who they were prior to breeding (though I personally think the the loss of perky breasts is high on the list). As a Gypsy Nester, one who is looking forward to life after kids, I thought I’d share a secret.

David and I offset this pitfall with “date nights.” Admittedly, most of our date nights were spent talking about the kids, ordering soda water to get the baby puke off my little black dress and worrying that the nanny cam may have malfunctioned. Difficult as it was to apply lipstick while avoiding chocolate covered toddlers… CONTINUE READING >>