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