I've been thinking about magic. I love magic in novels and in movies. Recently, I read The Starless Sea. Holy moly, if magic were light, this book would be seen in the dark from miles away. The magic Morgenstern has spun into being is amazing. If you only like magic that is explained, this is …
I've thought of a dozen topics to write about only to run out of steam by the time I get to my computer. At least this summer I don't have chemo. My hair is growing back. Slowly. I hate short hair, but I'm glad it's coming back. I might have lymphedema. Might not. I've got …
How do you think a unicorn starts its day? As a kid, I wanted to be a unicorn. Sometimes I would wish to turn into one. Ah, childhood. I don't suppose I can be a unicorn and a writer. Unicorns can't type. As far as I know. Tomorrow will be a year since my surgery. …
My hair is growing back. It's a little more than two inches in length. Everyone says nice things about it, of course. I hate it. I'm happy it is growing back, but I can't wait for it to be longer. When does our hair become important to us? My son was almost two before we …
Recovering from surgery seems like a good time to blog again. But after I recover from this surgery, I'll start taking Tamoxifen and that should be it. Except for checkups every three months (until I graduate to every six months and then to once a year), all this cancer stuff should be behind me. I'm …
Today was the summer solstice. A year ago today, we had our housewarming party to celebrate moving into our very first house. A week from today I'll have my fourth chemo treatment (12 more to go after that). Before I'm done with chemo, I'll have another book out that I've illustrated. Soon after I finish …
The drains are gone! If you've ever had surgery that required post-op drains, you know how awesome it is to be drain free. If you don't know what I'm talking about, google Jackson-Pratt drain. I chose not to take a picture of mine. It's kind of hard to make them look pretty. Writing about difficult …
When I tell people I teach English as a second language, they usually say, "Oh. You speak Spanish?" "No." I wait a beat. "Most of my students don't speak Spanish either." My students come from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, France, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Taiwan, …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 