notquiteold

Nancy Roman

Tag Archives: Humor

Not My Dream Job

As I wrote in my last post, for a very long time (too long to call it a childhood fantasy) I wanted to be on TV. Well, it sort of turned out that way.  I worked for TV. Though not as an actress playing the heroine. I was in Finance. But although I was preparing …

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Dream Job

I’m proud to be First Generation.  The first generation to grow up with TV. My parents got their first television in 1951, the year I was born. They had the first TV in the family; the first TV in the neighborhood. They told me stories about everyone coming over on Friday night to watch Boxing. …

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I.D.K.W.T.M.

I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS When I was seventeen, my sister’s boyfriend came home from his first semester at a New York acting school. He had a new word.  “Heavy”.  Like in, “Those jeans are so heavy.” I was a lifetime proponent of “Cool”.  But oh, “Heavy” was so cool. So I went back …

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Don’t Laugh. (Or Blink.)

I am on a quest. Well, several, really. I am a seeker of knowledge,of love, of joy. And, of beauty. My heart warms at a sunset, a lovely photograph, or a baby’s smile. Flowers lift my spirit. A cello can make me cry. And since I was a little girl, I have sought personal beauty …

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The Smartest Person

My father died this past Christmas.  Yesterday was his birthday.  He would have been 89. My Dad was a man of great intelligence and corny jokes. As an engineer of precision gauges, he had a PhD mind and a high school diploma. He sang dumb words to old songs. “It had to be stew.  Meat …

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It’s Raining Men. No. It’s Men Raining.

(My last post for heternormative week.  I’m sure you are relieved.) I don’t understand men. Growing up, my mother and my sisters were easy.  They were exactly like me.  They looked like me; they dressed like me; they thought like me. My father and my brother were smart and loving and funny, and I enjoyed having …

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We Can Walk To The Curb From Here.

(I promised I would write at least one essay on something that men do better than women.  Here it is.) In “Annie Hall”, when Alvy Singer first meets Annie, she gives him a ride home. It’s a harrowing ride, and when she finally stops in front of his place, he opens the car door and …

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Boy Stuff and Girl Stuff

Men and women both have lots of shit. But the shit we collect is very different. I have too many: Clothes (especially sweaters) Shoes – none of which are comfortable Makeup products, but I’m still searching for the right stuff Books Opinions All of these things are crucial, as I am sure you would agree, …

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“Where’s my hat?” asked Waldo.

(Installment #2 for Heteronormative Week) While your kids are looking for Waldo, Waldo doesn’t seem to know how to look. Men can’t seem to find anything. They will holler (from another room, from another floor, and sometimes, by phone, from another state): “Where is: –  the mail?” –  the peanut butter?” –  my watch?” – …

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Hetero-normative Week: Fire

About six weeks ago, I posted an essay, “The Conspiracy” – a theory that men pass down from father to son the key to getting out of housework.  Basically, just screw it up so bad that your wife will never ask you again. It was a relatively popular post, and I got quite a few appreciative …

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