Monthly Archives: March 2016

Back in Tahoe

We are back in Lake Tahoe. When I announced this plan, several friends consoled me, clearly remembering the challenges of our last trip to the mountains. This was sort of funny, because one of them did it in front of Rob, and although I think he knows that Tahoe is not at the top of my travel list, I’m sure he was surprised to hear that I was accepting condolences.

“Sarah is taking one for the team,” he said, playing the good sport.

In many ways, it’s a silly thing for me to complain about. We stay at arguably the nicest hotel in the area, and Scarlett and Rob both love skiing. We found out that friends will be up this weekend, and the weather is beautiful. The best part is that our van is working again, and so I’m in my comfortable wheelchair, sitting at a desk by the window, looking out at the sun-covered snow.

I can see skiers coming down the mountain. I have to squint my eyes because at one point I am pretty sure there’s a penguin skiing down. Read More>

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Moldy Monday

Extremely loud noises are permeating my living room as workers pull the walls apart to remove a mold problem around our windows. We renovated the entire house two years ago, to make it accessible, so in my opinion this should not be happening. But I have a lot of opinions, and only so much control.

The first to arrive was Ronnie, at 8am, in a dark polo with the logo of his company and jeans, his scruffy blond beard a match not only for so many people in his construction industry, but also nearly every man in San Francisco. Beards have been in for so long that I keep expecting the backlash – – didn’t everyone read the articles about how beards are as dirty as toilet seats? Scarlett keeps trying to get Rob to grow a mustache. I am not a fan of that plan. But again, opinions.

I will disclose that the last time Rob grew a mustache, a friend of mine who had never met him asked if he was my dad. This story still makes me laugh, and that is why I enjoy sharing it widely. Read More>

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Extrovert Inaction

It’s pouring rain in San Francisco, and I decided to spend my day reading Sue Klebold’s memoir, A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy, about her son, one of the gunmen in 1999′s Columbine High School massacre. I read a review of the book this morning, and was immediately compelled to purchase it, for reasons I can’t easily explain. I’m actually in the middle of another book, a pretty good debut mystery called Out of the Blues, but I set that one aside to begin Reckoning. It felt like a critical read.

This whole week has been really busy for me, with visitors and meetings, and tomorrow is no different. But today my calendar was wide open. To some people that probably sounds nice, and even I can see the benefits of it. But here’s what happens to me when I spend too much time alone. I get withdrawn and tired, and I focus more on my ALS symptoms. Add to that that I’m reading this particularly devastating (but very good) book, and it doesn’t look like today is going to be the high point of my week.

I’m an extrovert. Read More>

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