Not for Nothing...

I almost always have something to say; and pretty much always have.  So much so, that in college a dear friend suggested I could be the next Oprah.  (Yeah, except that I hate being the center of attention and being on film of any kind, but other than that, it was a great idea.)  And the name for this show?  Why the Donnarama Ramadonna Show, of course!  I never did pursue a career in entertainment, but did manage to find a career where I could get paid to ask people their opinions (marketing research), and shortened the nickname to Donnarama.  And, as I enter what is likely my last (long and happy) lifestage, I feel now is finally the time to share what's on my mind with the personal anonymity of a blog (which of course didn't exist those many decades ago).  Plus, the ubiquitous "they" say catharsis is good for the soul, so by doing this, I guess I'll live longer/ be happier!

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I have always been opinionated, sarcastic, and unabashedly willing to speak my mind.  And, while I do not consider myself an "expert" in anything, I've experienced a lot which friends and peers have found interesting, amusing, and helpful.  I have been called an Andy Rooney for my diatribes on all things ranging from societal ills to the Oxford comma (I'm a fan).  I was among the first to lose both parents and experience the familial upheaval (THERE'S an understatement!) which can result from that; I was among the first to make the move to my forever home (literally 25+ years in the making), and I happen to be passionate about food (cooking, dining, eating, ingredients -- pretty much you name it), travel, college admissions (no idea why), paperwork organizing (Orderly Affairs), and Vermont (my new full-time home) -- thank God I like maple!

 

Like many, I have an utterly dysfunctional family, from which survival has been challenging (and extremely amusing) at times.  Those lucky (?) enough to have been close to me as my family was described to them (both pre- and post-implosion) were highly entertained and felt that the saga(s) warranted publication, either in the form of a book, or a soap opera, or a miniseries, or a movie (in which Jennifer Gray (pre-nose job) would have played me if she could have put on some weight).  As a precursor to my stories, I have decided to introduce a fictitious family saga, based on a fictional book my mother (the writer in the family) tried to get published (to no avail) before she died. (see: The Book!).   [To be clear, while there is some truth in The Book, it is truly a work of fiction with no character depicting any actual person in my totally screwed up family.]