I let Nathan play hooky from day care a couple of weeks ago, and we hung out in town doing fun stuff such as getting cappuccino at Starbucks, shopping for a new fry pan at Williams-Sonoma and lunching on chicken confit at Derek's Culinary Creations in Sarasota. OK, I admit the fun was for me - but, hey, he felt lucky already that I didn't make him do the laundry in exchange for ditching day care. ...more

September 23, 2008

I spent my holiday vacation in Costa Rica. That's not the norm for my family, but I decided it was time to round up the kids and take them on a trip that would be fun, educational and a little adventurous. No more lying on the beach - we went rafting, zip-lining and camping. ...more

January 20, 2008

Years ago, late on a Sunday afternoon, I found myself sitting in my favorite cafe in the North End of Boston, calculating whether to buy another cappuccino or save the few dollars I had left in my pocket to buy subway tokens for getting back and forth to work that week. Post-college, I was broke, as usual, and relying on cigarettes and coffee to keep the stomach from rumbling too much. ...more

November 21, 2007

Patricia Dugas reached out, touched Kevin Everett's arm and asked her son if he could feel her hand. Everett - lying in a hospital bed, barely awake and hooked to life-support systems - nodded yes. ...more

September 13, 2007