If you’re familiar with my column, you know that last year I started out excited and optimistic for a fun-filled summer, and ended up broke, overweight and miserable, literally counting down the hours until that first day of school. This year I’m more realistic. I know summer will be like running a marathon. Those first […]
In late October 2012, I was doing communications and volunteer management for Serve Rhode Island (SRI). Much of the work involved providing nonprofits with resources to help recruit volunteers, particularly through weekly articles I wrote for The Providence Journal. But in times of crisis, SRI meets the community’s needs. For many Rhode Islanders, Hurricane Sandy […]
The seaside community of Narragansett has more to offer than just beaches. Even the beach haters out there can find something to love in this picturesque town. One of Narragansett’s major attractions is the Point Judith Lighthouse at 1470 Ocean Rd. The original building, which used whale oil to light its revolving spider lantern, was […]
Dear Dr. Brilliant Cliché, My 19-year-old daughter isn’t really into school, she’s attending because I want her to. Recently, she met a 35-year-old man online who is from across the country. After two months she thinks she is in love with him. They Skype and she has seen his son and says he is real cute and […]
Allergy season is here. You can tell by the blotchy green dust on your car, the sniggley, snitchy sneezing, and your weeping eyes. Doctors recommend that you begin taking an allergy medication right away and stay on it for the duration. Before you step blindly onto this unending treadmill, we’d like to give you some information that your […]
It was the last sunday in April and it was gorgeous outside. After the winter we just had, it seemed unreal that we would ever see another day like this. The temp was in the high 60s, and as usual, I had a loose plan with Jay to venture into the woods. We usually discuss […]
I work on Smith St. This means that at least a few times a week, I witness something on my way to or from work that could happen only in Rhode Island. We live in the smallest state in the union with one of the most diverse populations per capita in the entire country. Last […]
Dear Dr. Brilliant Cliché, My son is 19 and was recently caught smoking marijuana. He’s not a juvenile delinquent — his grades are good. The friends he smokes pot with are all otherwise good kids. My son has never previously been a discipline problem and has an amiable nature. However, his mom went ballistic and gave him […]
The legalization of cannabis is nearly upon us and it is a move that I both applaud and dread. If we lived in a perfect world, with people who respected the properties and consequences of inebriates and used them to enhance life rather than replace it, there would be no contest. However, we don’t — so let’s look […]