And it’s not what you might think. — Do women over age 50 have trouble finding a date because we’re too old? I know it’s BS, but the media can make us seem undesirable after a certain age. …

He can come fill me up next: the not-so-secret tale of a drive-by crush. — There’s a new gas station attendant at my local Chevron. His name is Gary*, which is pretty much all I know about him. He’s got dreamy hazel eyes and always breaks into a sexy smile when he’s filling my tank. I can’t tell if he’s flirting or unwittingly looks at…

You probably won’t be fluent in a new language when you sober up — People marvel at my ability to speak nearly fluent Spanish. I’ll bet no one knows the real reason why I sound like I was born in Mexico. I’m exceptionally adept at learning foreign languages. I took classes in college, and I enjoyed it immensely. …

When you know, you know. — If you can read people well, you know if they’re a good fit before you meet or go out on a date. You don’t always know why you know. But you know. And it’s painfully obvious. …

Who knew cat poop would motivate me — My cats have made it clear that I need to switch out their litter for a fresh bowl. It’s been on my to-do list, but I’ve put it off for obvious reasons. Once I change it out, though, scooping poop gets easier again. We all want that, right? But I…

When the truth hurts too much — Your silence screams Go away, I’m not free don’t look at me like you still want me and please don’t talk to me about our past about the love that didn’t last Your persona doesn’t fool me I’m not that happy, you know I’m sad and exposed Please don’t remind me of…

It’s easier to stay there than where my lost love doesn’t live — Joaquin looks a little like the guy in the above photo. We’ve been apart for fourteen years, but I’ve never felt closer to anyone. It felt like love at first sight when we met, which I wouldn’t believe existed if it weren’t for him. …

How my complicated maternal relationship led to an uncertain future — I remember the first time I was trapped. I was three or four years old. My mother told me to clean my room, then she locked the door behind me. I assume the intent was to keep me in there until I finished. I played on the floor with my…

Most of you won’t read this because it’s too long — There are seventeen gazillion things to read on the internet. We can gobble up information like skittles, with bright colors and sharp flavors to match. In a click, we can discover the mating habits of sloths (we can learn a lot from taking it slow), if our kids’ rash is…