Author Archives: Lynn McLean
It Started Like Any Other Day At School
The summer before the Columbine shootings, I worked at a middle school. Our French teacher was taking a leave of absence, and we scheduled a full day of interviews. Positions for French teachers were scarce, so we had lots of … Continue reading
Posted in Issues, Memoir, Opinion, Parents and children, Schools, Teachers
Tagged Education, Families, Leadership, Schools, Teaching, Violence
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Parade Day
The first Sunday in December is a big day in my home town. Main Street closes down by 10 in the morning; traffic is diverted a mile or so west, and everyone knew that there will be a few spots … Continue reading
Legacy
The kids were toddlers, and money was tight. The TV ad promised hours of holiday fun with the “Disney Christmas” LP; I must have seen the ad a dozen times before I dared to give it much thought. With shipping, … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Learning, Memoir, Obsessions, Parents and children, Uncategorized
Tagged children, Christmas, Holidays, learning, Memoir, Music, Parenting, traditions
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Turkey Mummy
Yesterday I went to three different grocery stores. Thanksgiving is next week, and my shopping list was ready to go. For everyday shopping, I almost always keep a skeletal grocery list on my cell phone, and browse just a few … Continue reading
Posted in Balance, Domesticity, Holidays, Memoir, Obsessions, Overwhelmed
Tagged cooking, flipping out, overwhelmed, Thanksgiving, turkey
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News Weak
I’ve been traveling the last few days, and my route has taken me through a few airports. This morning, my flight taxied out into the queue at PHL before the crew gave their obligatory welcome. Including the fact that we … Continue reading
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Just Waiting
Waiting is the hardest part, they say. And there is certainly some truth to that. I’ve never been particularly patient in situations that involved a lot of waiting. At 15, waiting for the drivers’ ed roster … Continue reading
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The 95th Summer: A Tribute
My mom was born at the peak of the first World War. I learned in high school that the war was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand; I’m not sure how…or even if…my mom’s family got word of that … Continue reading
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You Just Can’t Have It All
Beautiful loser Where you gonna fall When you realize You just cant have it all…. ~ Bob Seger Women are in the news again today, making the cover of The Atlantic. A few weeks ago, the buzz was all about Time’s … Continue reading
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Meeting Aira
Yesterday was a domestic kind of day. I cleaned my kitchen. Paid bills. Organized a stack of paperwork and resolved again to scan it all one of these days and get rid of the clutter. Cooked up some Swiss … Continue reading
Unfriending
It was a perfect afternoon in May, sometime in the 1990’s, when my car died in the parking lot of the grocery store. The Blazer was nearly new, but in the ten minutes that it took to pick up milk … Continue reading
Posted in Decisions, Friendship, Uncategorized
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The Quality of the Day 