Read more
Category Archives: janelle holden
Waiting for that special moment
A while back I met up with an old friend at a wedding in Michigan. We hadn’t seen each other in years, and decided to take some extra time and stroll through town to catch up on each other’s lives. … Continue reading
Published in December 2008, janelle holden
Donate to a great cause: the NFL
I’ve decided that the only hope for restoring civil society in this country is sports. Here’s why. Given that my parents, most of my family, and some close friends are big fans of the current president’s administration, sports is about … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, October 2005
Lighting the unity torch
Nothing in life is more telling about a person than their wedding ceremony. Weddings reveal the couple’s faith, world view, and most importantly, their favorite color patterns. I’ve been to a wedding where the priest compared good love to eating … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, September 2005
4H should change the way it does business
My mother never wanted me to join 4-H. When my father suggested signing me up, she argued that 4-H was “too political,” and she wasn’t interested in camping out at the county fair for a week. But my father prevailed … Continue reading
Published in August 2005, janelle holden
On top of my pyramid
For the past two weeks, I’ve been on what my chiropractor calls a “detox diet.” This diet is supposed to purge my liver and colon of all the toxins I ingested during my three-week Easter egg diet. My meals now … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, May 2005
Cinderella strikes again
I briefly considered writing this column about current affairs, but had second thoughts when I scanned through recent headlines. About the only news that struck a chord with me was the tidbit that Martha Stewart used dandelions and wild apples … Continue reading
Published in April 2005, janelle holden
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
I was lying flat on my back, staring at my chiropractor’s ceiling while he lectured me, once again, for doing something stupid. I was just beginning to heal from a wrestling match with a 200-pound garbage can the week before, … Continue reading
Published in February 2005, janelle holden
Notes from a politically challenged election
Let me first apologize for writing about pre-election politics for post-election readers. Understandably, you may all be sighing a collective sigh that your phone lines aren’t ringing any more and political advertising is once more banished to the post-season, I … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, November 2004
Culture shock in the land of cotton
A friend of mine recently moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., after a two-year teaching stint in China. In August, I went to visit her. I told her I’d help her explore her new home, but frankly, I was a little relieved … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, October 2004
Ferreting out the truth about ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’
I’d like to write about “Fahrenheit 9/11,” but I haven’t seen it yet. I feel like I have. Several people I work with gave me first-hand accounts, and I’ve read about 20 reviews. Some reviewers were liberals bashing the film, … Continue reading
Published in August 2004, janelle holden
Coming soon to a state near you: Global warming
As the conference hall erupted with applause, I leaned over to a colleague and said, “I think the alcoholic intake in West Yellowstone is going to increase rapidly in the next hour.” We had just finished a two-day conservation conference … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, July 2004
Bush-bashing books may not make a difference
An awful lot of authors seem to have been inspired by the Bush administration lately. Every time I turn on the television Larry King or Charlie Rose is asking a concerned-looking, 60-ish male why George Bush thinks God appointed him … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, May 2004
Is Kerry more than just the anti-Bush?
At a dinner party last weekend, a friend of mine announced that he had an important question to ask our host. “George,” he said, munching on a shrimp cocktail, “You have eight months to answer this, but I need you … Continue reading
Published in April 2004, janelle holden
Football’s strange allure captures a reluctant fan
I commute to work with a psychiatrist. She’s become a good friend, and during our half-hour drive, we discuss our personal lives, the weather, and occasionally who should be president. She’s a physician, so when discussing medical problems, we use … Continue reading
Published in February 2004, janelle holden
‘Festivus’ for the rest of us
One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is about “Festivus,” the holiday Frank Castanza made up to replace Christmas. Instead of a tree you get an undecorated pole. And instead of sharing good times with friends and family there is a … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, January 2004
The Money Pit, or the Year of the Landlord
This is dedicated to anyone paying rent to a cheap crazy person who likes to call him or herself your landlord, but whom you call an unmentionable name. For innumerable years, my husband and I have rented our living spaces … Continue reading
Published in December 2003, janelle holden
Paranoia: Into your life it will creep
Yesterday morning, my upstairs neighbor confessed that he’d stolen a magazine out of our public library. “I don’t like to read it in the lobby,” he said, “so I just take it out on Saturday evening and return it Monday … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, October 2003
The carnival rolls into California
When I worked in Washington, D.C., staffers called Capitol Hill “Hollywood for ugly people.” With C-Span, CNN, and all the Sunday talk shows trained on them, politicians certainly have the opportunity to attain celebrity status, especially if there is anything … Continue reading
Published in janelle holden, September 2003