Friendship means something here in Germany. Friends are people you’ve spent a lot of time with, shared private thoughts with, people you can trust to be there when you need a listening ear, and who look forward to seeing you. Everyone else is an acquaintance. It’s not an insult here to call someone an acquaintance. [...]
My friend, minkymomo, sent me a link to the American Literature Abuse Society (ALAS). I can certainly check “yes” to most of the indicators of Literature Abuse. My favorite in the list is:
10. I keep books or magazines in the bathroom for a “quick nip.”
When I was growing up, our whole family were reading [...]
Nothing can change the past. There is no time machine to take me back and allow me to change my childhood. No person can make up for what I lacked as a child. There is no Prince Charming to sweep me up on his white charger and take me off to a far better life.