I’m going to start off with a persistent thought I’ve been having regarding Obama and healthcare. Don’t roll your eyes. It sounds like it’s just boring politics, but it has such a human face. I don’t know all the ins and outs as the economics of healthcare on a national level. I know a few things, such as the fact that preventive care saves money down the line, but that fewer and fewer people can afford their preventive care. I know it’s costing the towns i... Read Full Story

By BetsyG I’m a tad obsessed with baseball, and in particular my 11-year-old son A’s “career.” Baseball in general is a sport for which my appreciation has grown over the years. When I was younger, I thought it was about hitting and scoring—the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, full count stuff of movies. But as I’ve become a more knowledgeable spectator, I’ve learned that the real drama is in the pitching, in keeping the other team from scoring. Jus... Read Full Story

We’ve been living in absolute dreariness for weeks here in Boston, but suddenly the clouds broke and it became almost uncomfortably hot yesterday. I must say, the sunny and hot weather seemed most unfamiliar. I wouldn’t mind getting reacquainted with sunshine, though. On the other hand, the rain gives me a good excuse not to mow, and my grass is actually growing with all the water it’s getting. Today is the first day of summer for the kids, who got out of school quite late s... Read Full Story

By BetsyG I’m not the first person who’s made alcohol-induced errors in judgment when it comes to men. But the number of errors I’ve committed in this arena would challenge the math brain. It’s stupid at my age to fixate on the past. But I can trace where I am now to alcoholic excesses that started over 30 years ago, and that makes it hard to let it go. The first major incident occurred in high school, when my partying was an issue for a boyfriend who I liked quite a b... Read Full Story

[Man, I totally butchered this post! I didn't like something I wrote in it, so I removed it, then didn't like something else, so I removed that, but I didn't read far enough and nothing makes sense without the missing stuff! I'll see what I can repair...] I believe I promised you a column for Wednesday. I tried to write something but the fact of the matter is I’m a little down, and that doesn’t translate to great writing. Anyone who’s been reading for the past few months kno... Read Full Story

BetsyG recognizes the first anniversary of her blog. Read Full Story

By BetsyG I’m not prone to living in the past, but every so often I do a V-8 palm to the forehead. If I knew then what I know now, I’m sure I would have done things differently. But that’s the problem with 20-20 hindsight: you don’t have the information you would have needed to do the thing you now wish you would have done. The particular case of regret I am thinking of today (I have a list) involves someone I have known since seventh grade. While my ancient diary fro... Read Full Story

I have finally recovered from the bug that got me, but I am still really tired, but not so tired that it is alarming. I just feel as if I could sleep for a month. Here’s what’s been on my mind: Obama bashing. Before Obama was elected, there was a shocking (to me) smear campaign against him, where they painted him as all kinds of things he wasn’t. This is quasi-expected during elections, but I believe that, as a country, we need to put the pettiness in the past and get behind... Read Full Story

By BetsyG I like to think I’m the sort of person who’s never needed anybody’s help in any way. And that may be so, given that I’ve managed to keep my house intact, my kids alive, and my lawn at least 50% grass for nine years now. In reality, though, I want some help. I realize that everyone thinks they have ADHD, but whether or not I do, I am chronically disorganized when it comes to taking care of the mundane details of life. (Oddly enough, I am quite efficient at ta... Read Full Story

Heading into another weekend of tournament baseball with my son. Unlike last time when the team was falling apart, we’re both looking forward to it. The team still isn’t great, and the coaching still isn’t great, but Alex likes the kids and was working on his pitching this week and we’re optimistic that at least something good will come of this weekend. That may be in the face of evidence to the contrary, but I often think of myself as “Funny Mr. Punching Clown&#... Read Full Story