Me: 40-something; Jeopardy! champion; Ivy-League educated woman; non-practicing lawyer licensed in 2 states and 4 Federal courts; sometime singer; mother of three boys; married to a wonderful man since 1992.
Wine Guy: my husband; in his mid 50s but slowing down and turning into an old codger; a brilliant physician; a good father; makes me laugh, and challenges my thinking. Alternately endearing and enfuriating, but aren’t all men?
Wizard: My oldest son, age 15; totally a teenager, jonesing for a driver’s permit; a very, very smart boy who reads 2 newspapers and multiple magazines daily; a lazy and manipulative child; used to love reading, now hates homework; is totally car-crazy; stands 6’3″ and wears a man’s size 14 shoe. Wizard is a sophomore in high school sheerly by the grace of G-d. He is a boil on the backside of humanity.
Wild Thing: My middle son, age 12, in 7th grade; the classic middle child; absolutely adorable and funny; a natural runner; shares my love of music; has a big stubborn streak; wonderful zest for life; as much street- smarts as book-smarts; a dawdler, a dreamer, but a real fighter. Peachfuzz-ridden, moody, puberty has struck this one, too.
Moose: my youngest son, age 9; my sugar and my heart; full of wonder and attitude; as physically able as his older brothers; a force to be reckoned (not reasoned) with; in 4th Grade, but the private school wants to skip him; the smartest of the bunch and likely to be the biggest.
My Parents: Dad passed away in October 2007 at the age of 79. Mom, still going strong in her early 80s, comes from a line of long-lived Jewish mothers. She’ll be around for a long time.
My Brothers:
- The eldest is The Egg; he is brilliant but completely deficient in common-sense or money-management skills. Emigrated to Israel more than 20 years ago; has a wife, eight kids (four of whom are married), and four grandchildren.
- Doc Bro is the second of my three older brothers. His an orthopaedic surgeon in New Jersey. We look and act similarly. He’s married to my SIL, VJ, who is the most competent mother you’ll ever meet.
- Tax Man is the third brother. He’s actually a business- and estate-planning lawyer in the DC area. He is the most artistically talented of us all. He’s married to SILL and has 4 kids.
August96 Moms: My circle of Internet friends whom I’ve known since 1995. They are The Oracle, The Source of Wisdom. They keep me sane. I tend to identify them geographically — e.g. CT Mom, Malibu Mom — except for Radio Mom, who lives near The Zone.
My Friends
- MB Walker: My very best friend (f/k/a BFF), whom I met in law school. She is the wind beneath my wings.
- Belle: A fiercely loyal friend. She’s got a great sense of humor and is a very hard worker. She is more than a realtor; she is the real estate oracle. She is a charter member of The Breakfast Club. She helps run my life.
- Lina: is my alter-ego: a lawyer; from a large family; speaks her mind; loves to cook; takes care of everyone; has the most gorgeous smile. She moved from Chicago to The Zone, found a great job and a great apartment. She regularly saves my sanity and runs my life. Now, we need to find her a great guy.
- Calvin: One of my first friends in SW Florida. She works full-time as an attorney in her own practice, has 2 boys about the same age as my younger two, and a big teddy-bear of a husband; known for her dry, Midwestern wit.
- Sprite: A positively brilliant woman; an English teacher with the most impressive degrees, including a Master’s in Literature. We could discuss books endlessly, and we should.
- Lilo: This spitfire is new to the Breakfast Club, and I can see us being friends for a long time. She’s very creative, funny, a lawyer, and practically a super-mom. Personality-wise, this chick is more like Stitch than Lilo.
