February 2009

Other Person: You know, you should lighten it up sometimes. Your blog can be depressing. Me:  I know. I’m just not all that funny, though. OP:  You’re not totally unfunny. Me:  Really? I once cried during a Damon Wayan’s comedy sketch. Do you want to know why? OP:  No! Write another piece about your vagina. [...]

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George Rindahl Saved By Positive Thinking

by Jane Devin on 02/26/2009

Last November, a churning stomach ache and bowel problems sent George Rindahl to the doctor’s office, where he was diagnosed with an acute parasitic infection, which can cause diarrhea, burning sensations, remarkable fluid loss, extreme itching, abdominal bloating and distention, as well as exhaustion and pain. After picking up generic, horse-sized antiparasitic drugs from the [...]

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The Winston Woman

by Jane Devin on 02/24/2009

I saw her standing in the checkout line the other day. She was wearing a black leather jacket, and the pair of Vuarnet’s I’d given her for her 35th birthday. Her dark hair was messy, and there was an air of do-not-care about her as she waited her turn with a container of yogurt, a [...]

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WTF Friday: We Missed The Gravy Train

by Jane Devin on 02/20/2009

As I was gathering materials and enough righteous indignation to bring you another WTF Friday, a light bulb went off.  Surely, I thought, there’s a job out there for me reporting nothing but meaningless trivia.  Plenty of  people seem to be making their livelihoods this way, and I’m sure I could write a compelling two [...]

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The Zucchini Stimulus

by Jane Devin on 02/19/2009

I was a 16 year-old wanna-be love child in a lace shirt, faded jeans, and moccasin boots. Bill was a real 30-something hippie, who had camped out at Woodstock and demonstrated at Berkeley. He drove an old Volkswagon Bug the color of chewed-up Wrigley’s gum, and was fond of quoting both Carlos Castaneda and Ayn [...]

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The Thick-Thighed Women of Roller Derby

by Jane Devin on 02/16/2009

Spellbound in front of the television set at eight, nine years old, I’d watch the thick-thighed women of roller derby growl, sweat, and scuffle their way around the track, flying their opponents into the rails with a body slam or, when the referees weren’t watching, by the hair.  Much of it was choreographed, like WWWF [...]

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