Girl on the Brink: Surviving Desperate Times with Desperate Measures

Day 234 — News of the Times

Life never ceases to amaze me, and that’s a good thing because I’d hate to cease to exist. Take, for example, a blurb in today’s Washington Post about the discovery of 200 sewing needles in the body of a 2-year-old boy. The brief failed to reveal how the needles got there or what prompted the probe [...]

Day 223 — Peek-a-boo

Hiding things begins at an early age and carries through to adulthood. Take the game of peek-a-boo. As a child, you hide your eyes, and if you’re really annoying pop up in front of a stranger’s airline seat and say, “Peek-a-boo.” The other person is supposed to smile and engage with you, when in reality they’d rather [...]

Day 192 — The Ethics of Survival

If the federal government could do for the unemployed what GEICO has done for cavemen, we’d all feel a hair more civilized. GEICO has changed the public’s perception of cavemen. They’re not stupid but hairy urban bachelors with enough brains to use the Internet. I would love for the feds to change the perception of my [...]

Day 160 1/2 — Manifesto of the Idle Workers of the World

ANN’S NOTE: I decided to post the manifesto early given the outpouring of support and response I received from my appearance on the Fox Business Happy Hour yesterday. Tune in to NPR affiliate the Louisiana Radio Network at 10:45 AM EST on Labor Day to hear me speak more about it. Read the manifesto through [...]

Day 113 — Alone Again, Unnaturally

My ex spoofed me on Match.com. I knew it when I read his online profile, but I was seduced by the thought of exploring a relationship with a man who shared my passion for sailing. He could have had another passion as long as he wouldn’t take mine away. When I finally confronted him and he admitted [...]

Day 101 — Ann’s ‘Larger Voyage’

The next time I get a job and get into trouble at work, I’m going to invoke the Bible and quote King David to cleanse me of my sins. If Mark Sanford, South Carolina’s naughty boy governor, can mention scripture to keep his job, then why can’t I? None of this “at will” job stuff. As [...]

Day 76 — The Impulse to Cheat

How you cheat is your business, but you can’t deny the impulse. For me, I’d never steal from a store. Too risky, and the punishment is real, unlike what’s happened to the corporate pirates on Wall Street. A stupid college friend of mine got caught shoplifting at a G.C. Murphy five and dime (now out of business). [...]

Day 6 — 9 Commandments

Getting fired made me as so angry. You want to stomp your feet and swear your heart out because management done you wrong. But I’ve got to agree with more traditional career-advice columnists: You don’t want to do that, especially not online or on Facebook. The digital breadcrumbs you leave behind your bitching live for what seems to be forever on the Internet.