Author Archives: jzbrence

Checking Out at the Grocery Store

Posted on August 19, 2015 by jzbrence

When it comes to grocery shopping, there’s absolutely no limit to the things I can forget. Every week, I start with the best of intentions – detailed list in hand, reusable bags at the ready – but as soon as … Continue reading →

Posted in That's Life | Tagged cart corral, checkout, forget, forgetfulness, goldfish crackers, groceries, grocery amnesia, grocery bags, grocery cart, grocery shopping, Grocery Store, hot dogs, italian ice, mommy brain, muzak, register, rotisserie chicken, self-checkout, shopping cart, supermarket | 2 Comments

Dads Who Go The Distance

Posted on June 21, 2015 by jzbrence

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (2013) Us by David Nicholls (2014) Father’s Day is the perfect time to highlight two noteworthy books featuring particularly intrepid dads. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged albie petersen, british authors, connie petersen, dads, david fry, david nicholls, douglas petersen, england, europe, father's day, grand tour, maureen fry, queenie hennessy, rachel joyce, the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry, us | Leave a comment

The Boys in the Boat

Posted on June 2, 2015 by jzbrence

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2013) “Where is the spiritual value of rowing?…The losing of self entirely to the cooperative effort of the crew as a whole.” George Yeoman Pocock Once in a while, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged 1936 olympics, 1992 olympics, al ulbrickson, berlin, bobby moch, crew, daniel james brown, dream team, george pocock, great depression, hitler, joe rantz, nazi, racing shell, rowing, seattle, shorty hunt, the boys in the boat, tom bolles, u.s. men's olympic basketball team, university of washington, washington, washington huskies | Leave a comment

Positive Energy

Posted on May 22, 2015 by jzbrence

Last Sunday, I hit the pavement along with nearly 8,000 other runners for the 8th Annual Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The day was unseasonably warm and humid, which set the stage for a slow, sweaty slog … Continue reading →

Posted in That's Life | Tagged 13.1, army ten-miler, cowbell, cyberbullying, encouragement, fat shaming, fredericksburg, half-marathon, hospital hill, marine corps historic half, marine corps marathon, positive energy, race course, race day, shade throwing, twitter feud, virginia, washington dc, wounded warrior | Leave a comment

Hats Off To Mom

Posted on May 13, 2015 by jzbrence

An epic convergence of all things maternal took place over the weekend, with a celebration of my mom’s 70th birthday on Saturday, followed by Mother’s Day on Sunday. The birthday party was a Kentucky Derby theme, with roses, mint juleps … Continue reading →

Posted in appreciation | Tagged 70th birthday party, appreciation, attention, being there, birthday party, churchgoing, classical music, clean eating, derby hat, faith, family, fitness, generosity, giving, gratitude, half-marathon, happy birthday, hats, hats off, high intensity interval training, kentucky derby, kentucky derby party, kindness, listening, mint julep, mother's day, music, opera diva, roses, thanks, tip of the hat | 4 Comments

Winning Words

Posted on March 31, 2015 by jzbrence

At this time last year, I was feeling distinctly uneasy about the state of the English language. In my post Is Modern Language Boring?, I fretted over our shrinking vocabulary and the resulting deterioration in the quality of our communication. … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | Tagged barcelona, bein sports, english premier league, espn, football, fox nbc, jeremy mathieu, la liga, leo messi, liverpool, luis suarez, magisterial, neymar, premier league, ray hudson, rayo vallecano, real madrid, soccer | 2 Comments

The Rosie Effect

Posted on March 19, 2015 by jzbrence

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (2014) If you enjoyed The Rosie Project as much as I did, you’ll be thrilled to know that Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back in Graeme Simsion’s second novel The Rosie Effect. Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged asperger's, asperger's syndrome, australia, don, don tillman, fatherhood, genetics, graeme simsion, new york, pregnancy, rain man, rosie, rosie jarman, sheldon cooper, the baby project, the big bang theory, the rosie effect, the rosie project, the wife project | Leave a comment

Dear Lorne Michaels

Posted on March 4, 2015 by jzbrence

March 4, 2015 Mr. Lorne Michaels Saturday Night Live 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 Dear Mr. Michaels, There we were, settled in on the sofa for the comedy event of the year – the Saturday Night Live 40th … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrities | Tagged adam sandler, amy poehler, andy samberg, bassomatic, betty white, billy crystal, celebrity jeopardy, chevy chase, chopping broccoli, clip show, dan aykroyd, dana carvey, darrell hammond, eddie murphy, harry shearer, jane curtin, jim carrey, kate mckinnon, lorne michaels, martin short, sarah palin, saturday night live, saturday night live 40th anniversary, snl, snl 40, snl 40th anniversary, that's when you break, the californians, tina fey, wayne's world, weekend update | Leave a comment

All the Light We Cannot See

Posted on February 6, 2015 by jzbrence

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (2014) Once upon a time, there was a French girl who was enthralled by the creatures that dwell in the sea. In a land far away lived a German boy who … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged all the light we cannot see, anthony doerr, blindness, daniel leblanc, etienne leblanc, france, frank volkheimer, germany, jutta pfennig, madame manec, marie-laure leblanc, national museum of natural history, radio waves, saint-malo, werner pfennig, world war II, zollverein | Leave a comment

Mommy Piñata Syndrome

Posted on January 29, 2015 by jzbrence

The flu is on every mom’s mind these days. Apparently, mutations to one of the active strains of the virus have rendered this year’s vaccine less effective. That’s why you and your family and all of your friends and neighbors … Continue reading →

Posted in Parenting | Tagged birthday, birthday card, birthday party, book club meeting, children, counseling, crepe paper, dinner, flu, flu season, flu vaccine, girls' night out, group therapy, halloween, halloween costume, library, masochism, mommy pinata syndrome, moms, motherhood, parenting, pinata, raising children, remission, running a household, strep throat, target, trick or treating | Leave a comment

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Author Archives: jzbrence

Checking Out at the Grocery Store

Dads Who Go The Distance

The Boys in the Boat

Positive Energy

Hats Off To Mom

Winning Words

The Rosie Effect

Dear Lorne Michaels

All the Light We Cannot See

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