Todd Shotz is like the Jewish Kevin Bacon. No matter who you are, if you’re Jewish, you are somehow connected to him in less than six degrees. We found shared connections with dear friends in La Jolla, after about 42 seconds. Maybe his gift of creating community wherever he goes is because he’s just…
As far back as Ilana Muhlstein can remember she struggled mightily with her weight. As a morbidly obese child whose weight was the center of her family’s focus, she took comfort in sitting on a stool in front of the TV mindlessly eating to stuff down feelings about her chaotic family life and her parents’…
By Debra Rich Gettleman Dr. Melanie Rich, (no relation), doesn’t necessarily look like a first responder as she sits in her tastefully appointed Scottsdale, AZ office. But she’s been on the ground helping victims cope with trauma for decades. At Ben Taub hospital in Houston in 1975, she was part of the team that…
We are buckled up on an Alaska Airlines flight scheduled from Oklahoma City to Seattle. It’s just my husband, Mark, and me. Our two teenage boys are home alone and have called and texted us at least 300 times since our departure 48 hours ago. I’m deathly ill with a head cold and sinus infection,…
“Mom, he’s got a gun!” I hear my 17-year-old son, Levi, scream from the den where he’s doing his homework. I race to him faster than a cheetah pursuing a wildebeest. When I get to the den, Levi’s sitting on the couch, his computer open on his lap, the television blasting. My 14-year-old son, Joe,…
Full disclosure: I was never a Girl Scout. I will admit to a short stint as a Brownie. But I really couldn’t stand how bossy Angelise Haralumbus was, and since her mom was the troop leader, I gave it up pretty quickly. Plus, honestly, I wasn’t into the regalia. Brown just isn’t my color. But…
I am the opposite of a creature of habit. I never buy the same laundry detergent twice. I switch breakfast cereals each time I replenish my supply. I have never repeated the same nail polish color within a two-month time span. But there is one thing in this world about which I am completely consistent:…
Have you noticed your teen compulsively taking hot showers or baths lately? Has he been complaining of abdominal pain, nausea, or unexplainable vomiting? Well, there’s a new syndrome in town and it’s hard to recognize and diagnose, and maybe even harder to treat. As marijuana legalization spreads across the country, doctors are noticing an increase…
When your life has been a sitcom since you were 15 years old, it’s hard to discern the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. But alas, I think I can safely say that today, I have definitely mastered the art of the idiocy. Black Friday. Ha! That’s funnier than you’d think. Just wait. I decided to…
I moved to Phoenix in 1999. It took me a while to find my place, connect with like-minded people, and tap into a thriving artistic community. I have to admit, at first I felt lost and alone. The first person I met who gave me hope that I could actually live and be happy in…
