Am I being paranoid? — When I first started writing on Medium in late 2017, there was a prolific writer who always attached photos of herself to her blog posts. She shared (and shared and shared) stories about her ex-beau who dumped her in Asia and the aftermath of that experience. I never particularly minded…

Gone too soon — I’d never visited the house before but recognized the face looming down at us as we crossed the threshold. The massive high school senior portrait above the mantle was unmistakably from my alma mater and graduating class of 1990. “Is that Quinn Toulon? Is this the Toulon home?” My then-husband…

And it was exactly what I needed — After the absurdity of December 2021’s triple whammy of the hobosexual, the flake, and the only-wants-one-thing dude, I had every intention in 2022 of shutting down my dating apps from Thanksgiving to the new year. But I left them open again and ended up matching with Sam Rockwell’s doppelganger in…

A BMT Mixtape for the Riff — I apologize for being so out-of-pocket. I’ve traveled a fair amount over the past several weeks, but mostly I’ve been unmotivated. My current house hasn’t sold. That is such a frustrating story of things WAY out of my control. It should have sold at full asking weeks ago, but my…

Forty Years of Controversy, Stardom, Influence, and Experimentation — I’m driving 120 mph down a quiet south Georgia highway. Music blasting. The sunroof’s open and my hair is swirling. My best pal is in the front passenger seat and two other close friends lounge in the back. We’re one week away from high school graduation and our parents have…

A BMT Mixtape for the Riff — My longtime Medium pal, Jon Scott, recently had his 39th birthday. In his own humorous way, he shared his inevitable midlife crisis concerns. Because I’m not normal, I pretty quickly landed on this concept for my latest mixtape: a birthday wish to Jon with unsolicited fashion advice. Today’s mixtape features…

Warning: This Story Includes Exactly Zero Grunge Songs — I’m thrilled to finally knock out this story to celebrate the forgotten year of some of the greatest music ever created, especially for my Gen-X cohort: 1991! If you’re looking for grunge, this story isn’t for you. Nary a flannel shirt or grungy dude can be found today. OK, that’s…

A BMT Mixtape for the Riff — I’ve culled a special collection of my very favorite performances of some of pop history’s best songs by the master, Burt Bacharach. I mean, sure, you can enjoy these songs on a cursory level, but it’s worth taking a little extra time to absorb the talent on display properly. This…

I’m Doing It Anyway — Me: “I’m considering moving to Savannah once my son graduates from high school in May. That’s my loose plan anyway.” Bumble Eligible Bachelor: “Can I give you my honest opinion?” Me: “Of course.” Eligible Bachelor: “Savannah is poor and dirty. It doesn’t have anything going for it. Nothing upscale. You…