No Dumping: Why No One Benefits From Complaining

I’ve lived in San Francisco for almost a year, but it still feels like another world to me. Take for instance these blue signs on the ground that read “No Dumping.” It’s not clear to me what the crab is supposed to convey. Do some inconsiderate people throw live or eaten crabs down the drain?…

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Take a Risk and See What You’re Made Of

The best job I ever had was the one where I took my clothes off for money. Um, let me start at the beginning… I was 19 years old and a sophomore in college. I had recently been dumped by a cheating boyfriend (my 2nd cheating boyfriend in less than a year). I was feeling…

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When Stress Brings Out the Worst in You

So…I went a little nutso over the weekend. First, my work e-mails were out of control because I had been on a business trip for 3 days. I then had 2 vacation days that weren’t very restful because, apparently, my projects fall apart when I’m not chained to my laptop. Next, Chris and I bought…

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Keep Your Ducks in a Row and Other Bad Advice

Normal duck…normal duck…WACKY DUCK!…normal duck…. I love the “duck crossing” street signs in my neighborhood. The third duck in the line seems to be having the time of his life strutting across Main Street. That little duck’s got attitude. He’s not content to be just another duck in a row. Have you heard that phrase before—keep…

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Stop Living Your Life Like It’s Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day! For my non-American readers, Groundhog Day is a holiday where a groundhog (a medium-sized rodent) is said to be able to predict whether it will be a long winter or an early spring. If the groundhog comes out of its hole and see his shadow, we can expect 6 more weeks of…

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What Would You Grab in a Fire?

One day last summer, I had just finished my step aerobics class at the gym across the street and swung open the front door to our apartment complex when I smelled it. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was smelling until I had taken a few steps up the stairs. SMOKE! Holy crap! The staircase…

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Do You Make Do or Make Adjustments?

Here’s an interesting factoid: I used to be left-handed. I say “used to be” because when I was in kindergarten, the teachers made me and the other lefties use our right hands for tasks like writing, drawing, and using scissors. I was forced to be right-handed. Before you call the ACLU, let me say that…

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