Musings from my driveway, my home and my heart
As part of the gig economy, I’ve been on several job interviews in the past year. I made a major gaffe during an interview for a freelance project not long ago and I’ve also learned from friends in human resources that others are being tripped up by this particular stumbling block. It has to do... Continue Reading →
When my grandmother Rozalia Krzemienski stepped off the Majestic – the sister ship of the Titanic – and arrived in America in 1928, she was an immigrant with a third-grade education, $2 in her pocket and a dream to come to Detroit and start a new life. Like many immigrants, she did not appear to... Continue Reading →
It’s been a monastic life for me as a writer for the past 25 years, since I’ve largely abandoned newsrooms and classrooms in favor of a home office. For 15 of those years, my faithful co-worker has been my miniature schnauzer Pinki, who would arise with me at 5 a.m. and shepherd me into my... Continue Reading →
My sister and I spent nearly every Christmas Day when we were growing up at the Greyhound bus terminal in Detroit – going nowhere. Our family fell a little short of the Norman Rockwell version of Christmas. Like many people, my mother struggled with the pressures of Christmas Day and dealing with three small children.... Continue Reading →
When a neighbor in her Polish village raised his rifle and shot her little dog, that was just the beginning of the heartache for my grandmother. The dog’s furry brown pelt was used as a collar on a new winter coat made by the neighbor’s wife. Grandma was reminded of the violent act every day... Continue Reading →
My students are taking a little break after the big push to meet the November 1 deadline for submitting early decision/action applications to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, MIT, the United States Military Academy, the University of Michigan and other highly ranked schools. It gave me some time to reflect on the different parenting styles I’ve encountered... Continue Reading →
I like to think of Father Solanus Casey as the Post-it Note priest, since the monument above his tomb on Mt. Elliott in Detroit invariably has a pack of sticky papers on top, so that the faithful can easily attach their prayer requests. More than 60,000 people will fill Ford Field here on November 18,... Continue Reading →
The toddlers at my granddaughter’s Detroit area birthday party were absorbed in painting pumpkins, so the parents – all millennials with professional jobs – had a chance to chat. Inevitably, the talk turned to cars and their dream rides in a post-SUV world. It seems that millennials are open to all sorts of vehicles. They... Continue Reading →
Everything is a test for my students when they come to my home office or chat with me on Skype, even some of the strange stuff I surround myself with, like my Distinguished Concubine doll and the poster that hangs next to my desk of Saint Matthew and the Angel by an artist born in... Continue Reading →
When I was a rookie reporter at the Oakland Press in Pontiac, Michigan, the chief photographer snapped a picture of me hugging my silver 1976 Volkswagen Beetle, a car I loved for its counterculture vibe and cute looks. The picture and the car meant so much to me that I got out my craft supplies... Continue Reading →
Anita's Way 