Girl Employed

My daughter is quite good with my iPhone. And a pink backpack. And the hustle and bustle of navigating airports.

Jordan Limelight

I traveled some 10,000 miles to start a novel — roaming through Ireland for inspiration. I was reluctant to write the story I knew I really had to tell. By some weird coincidence, I mentioned the neglected story to a few colleagues, and they went wild. I mentioned the story I’d been writing and they acted respectfully. So … I’m changing course. Can you guess the more exciting story?

Jeanette and I have dropped off the grid and onto Monarch Beach (without kids) for a few days to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Pretty, charming, smart and downright fun, she’s the reason I haven’t taken to living in a cave, writing a manifesto.

We met a few months after I graduated from USC. I was kind of rudderless at the time, not sure what I wanted to do next and not really minding. I planned to check out for a year and took a job as an usher at the Los Angeles Music Center. Jeanette was a senior usher. She was also a friend of a friend. Between working on “her zone” in one of the center’s various houses, or watching her drink coffee late at night in our circle of friends, something about her struck me. (more…)

The truest source of inspiration emanates from fonts we often overlook. Fifteen years ago today, I stood before a priest with a beautiful young woman who made me want to write and start a family and conquer the world (not necessarily in that order). It was one of the happiest days in my life. Today, she still inspires me — encourages me to do things I don’t have in me, allows me to do the things my wild stream of consciousness suggests, and welcomes me back with a smile that makes me feel home. Happy anniversary, Jeanette.