oldschoolinparis
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Les Etudes
“Courage, Nicholas,” I tell him, “You have what it takes.” “No worries,” I say to my student who forgot his online tutoring lesson. “Pas de probléme. I’ve had five seniors. I know what that looks like.” And I did and… Continue reading
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A Crucible
For the most part, Will has left his world intact. His room is tidy and tended, not stripped bare but definitely looking recently departed, with a burst of packaging and wrappers overflowing the wastebasket from his recent shopping – new… Continue reading
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Dearie
She had the last word, after all. Researching my paternal grandmother–my step-grandmother, actually, as my father’s mother died of breast cancer when I was only one–I came across the crowning glory of her life. For some women, it is children.… Continue reading
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Travels with Mommy, Part I
I am happy to report that the tricks and trades of the budget traveler still work out there, and I have discovered one more: the panini check. Like a coat check. But involving a left-over sandwich. Our story begins on… Continue reading
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The Shake Down
She’s standing there with a knife in her hands, shaking it at me she’s so angry. Tense moment #567 in the span of so many throughout this impossible situation, though most of them not involving weapons. “It doesn’t work that… Continue reading
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Busy on the Inside
December 2022 Got my holiday FOMO in high gear again this year, feeling sad and torn over the lovely holiday events and activities going on that we won’t attend. Too busy, too behind, too stressed, and too much dealing with… Continue reading
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Sounds and Lights
December 2024 I’ve been searching for the funny story. Pets, tents, holes, and house disrepair notwithstanding, the humor fodder is thin this year. Don’t get me wrong, there is much behind us. But not that you put in a Christmas… Continue reading
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The Harvest
I think I roasted the squash just for spite. Or a distraction—something else to gripe about, something to take her mind off the many things I hadn’t done right in the short time I was there. Too much tomato in… Continue reading
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Resale
It’s called the Burk Emporium for a reason. After near 30 years in the same house, two attics, three sheds, and one well-appointed garage, we have one of everything on the planet. If not, we can surely procure one for… Continue reading
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Perfetto
On the fifth floor of the Italian consulate building in Philadelphia, the AC has gone out. Someone has opened a window near the elevators, an odd choice on a hot day as it is a huge window, about waist high… Continue reading
Souvenirs 