I hold Salon in high regard (translation: I read it religiously). However, today’s headline story (you may need to watch an ad and get the free day pass to read the whole thing - it’s painless) made me want to drive an unfolded paper clip through my cornea, and not in a good way. Alas, […]

Women check out other women. It’s one of the universal rules of femaledom, habitual in frequency, inherent in daily interaction, intrinsic to our Darwinian struggle to eliminate competition and nab all the hunter gatherers we can. Call it shallowness, vanity, instinct, or a product of our “beauty is God” culture, but it’s the truth. Every […]

So the “Times” wants to talk about women in law firms. It cites the very interesting statistic that, despite the fact that 50% of the associates in first-year classes at most firms are women, less than 17% of partners are female. Of that group of bright-eyed, eager young female first-years, more than half are gone […]

“So! It’s nice to meet you all.” I’m standing in a birthday party surrounded by a pack of Manhattan women, trying to hide the fact that I’m terrible in these situations. The host is one of Boyfriend’s friends , and we know almost no one.
Vowing to infiltrate a tight group of women in one […]

“Hello?”
“Hi Grandma, it’s Melissa.”
“What?”
“It’s Melissa!”
“Who?”
“MELISSA!”
“Oh, hello.”
“How is everything? How are you feeling?”
“Well, I have that leg thing, and there’s the stomach thing, and some asthma recently and my eyes haven’t been too good. But I’m still kicking.”
“You sound in pretty good spirits. How have they been treating you down there?”
“The food here is dreadful.”
“It didn’t […]

“Hi B! I know it’s been a while, I just wanted to say Happy New Year and congratulations!
“Hi O, thanks, nice to hear from you. Happy New Year to you too.”
“Wow, a new baby, that’s so fantastic. How is D liking his new little brother?”
“Well he’s taking some time adjusting. We’re in the middle […]

In a rare burst of self-improvement, I’m making an effort to be less judgmental. Really, I mean it. I realize that the human propensity for passing judgment on every act of our peers is one of our most repulsive communal traits. The only thing foiling my attempts is that I truly believe that I know […]

Someone on my floor has been throwing up her meals. I don’t know who, but the frequency with which it happens rules out any possibility of stomach flu or morning sickness. I have not a sliver of doubt that the woman is both an attorney and an experienced purger - she hides it well, normally […]