Amy Palleson's Blog
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May.08.2013
A few years ago, I caught a cold that wouldn’t go away. The runny nose left me dehydrated and exhausted and was accompanied by sneezes so powerful that my eyes would explode like volcanos of hot, mascara’ed saltiness while twin rivers of black gook oozed down my face.
“Are...
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3 comments
Apr.24.2013
(As a pet sitter, I just felt that I should share what I've learned.)
1. Try and establish a positive relationship at the outset. Non-confrontational postures (head tilted down and turned slightly away from the feline), slow movements and calming voices, letting them be the ones to come...
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12 comments
Apr.21.2013
On September 11, 2001, J. and I were in Reno, Nevada. J. had a business trip, and my mom and stepdad (from California) agreed to meet us in Reno for a visit if the girls and I drove with J. from Salt Lake to Reno.
Courtesy of my sleepless daughters, we were awake early that morning....
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4 comments
Apr.07.2013
On October 17, 1989, I was unknowingly on a collision course with a lifetime of future regret.
I was riding my bike home from my Clinical Psychology class at UC Davis, looking forward to watching the Bay Bridge World Series Game 3—San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland A’s—on TV with my boyfriend...
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11 comments
Mar.31.2013
Years ago, I got food poisoning.
Lying on the couch—10 or 11 or 12 a.m..; unsure—the repeating cycle of "I wish I would die" took 20-40 minutes, commencing immediately after I vomited. Which was the exact point where I would feel better and convince myself that maybe it was over and...
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7 comments
Mar.31.2013
I can’t tell you what his name is.
Okay. Well, that’s not entirely true.
What I mean is that I shouldn’t tell you what his name is.
Or what college he teaches at. Or what symphony he is a conductor for.
Because Google is like truth serum. And reveals private information...
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5 comments
Mar.17.2013
One of the most energetic breeds, the German Shorthaired Pointer is a hunting dog by nature. When they lack in exercise they can become high strung, and frustrated. The GSP will not listen if they sense that they are stronger minded than their owner, however they...
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12 comments
Mar.09.2013
I splurged one year and called the heating/cooling place in the spring to hook up my swamp cooler.
As a moderate do-it-yourselfer raised by extreme do-it-yourselfers, there’s usually nothing I can’t do as long as I have access to the internet and enough time (measured in days and weeks, mind...
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9 comments
Mar.04.2013
The crap will hit the fan once he finally remembers my last name.
Because my ex-husband is paralyzed by what people think of him. PARALYZED. One of our daughters quipped the other day: "If I got hit by a car, Dad would probably be upset that I might have hurt the other...
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6 comments
Mar.03.2013
The story is legendary. J.—a teen boy, reading in his childhood bedroom (a room he had all to himself, even though his four siblings all had to share)—hears the noise his dad is making outside mowing their large lawn, opens the window, and screams out, “Would you please stop making all...
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Mar.02.2013
Some won’t believe it. That I really didn’t notice during the marriage that it was so dysfunctional.
Because, after the divorce, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed either.
But J. was a stubborn, pride-filled salesman--who refused to treat his anxiety--who liked to cover his...
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6 comments
Feb.24.2013
The first time I went to J.'s apartment (1992) in Davis, CA, I saw the books. Nazi books. And it freaked me out. Because I didn’t realize at the time that publishers of WWII history books had their own sensationalistic marketing strategies just like other publishers. So I...
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7 comments
Feb.24.2013
I've always been a dedicated revisionist. And it's usually a good thing. Because of my tendency to overanalyze, repeat myself, and state the obvious, my writing process usually takes on water as it goes along--becoming edemic--sinking the verbal ship with extra weight and making the result...
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3 comments
Feb.22.2013
I’m always surprised at how many people assume I must be Mormon.
A family member at a California wedding last year--someone I hadn't seen for many years--hit up my youngest daughter for information about it. Flashing a borrowed CTR ring, she plied Livy for information.
“So, Livy, do you...
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2 comments
Jan.16.2013
I keep waiting for Wayne LaPierre to come to his senses. For there to be some press release--designed to maximize his dignity--during which he can state, “Upon further reflection, we have reversed our position on armed personnel in the nation’s schools.” The reversal of which would push...
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Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
—Unknown (but most likely paraphrased from the Buddha)
About Amy
I was born to a pair of hippies who then became yuppies who then became divorced.
I grew up in various areas of Northern California, and spent my teens and early twenties searching for meaning, but only found over-thinking and isolation. And--perhaps not...
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Amy’s Favorite Books
Of Human Bondage
Lord of the Rings
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Last Temptation of Christ