The pandemic is still happening. One charge against Derek Chauvin has been dropped. The presidential election is 9 days away. The Senate will vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court tomorrow, and unless something truly unexpected happens, she will be confirmed. Also, on October 20th, the Twin Cities had its first blizzard … Continue reading This week’s a little serious, but not without a hope. And scented candles.

Things I love that get made fun of on the Internet (and sometimes in person): Hallmark movies, scented candles that smell like leaves or flannel or fall, Taylor Swift even before Folklore, romantic comedies. Not pumpkin spice lattes, because honestly, I’m not a pumpkin spice anything kind of chick, but I like a good peppermint … Continue reading Speaking of Romance…

I went up north this weekend. This isn’t something I’ve done since the pandemic hit, but Tony was going up for the evening to take a client to dinner. The client is married, and I’d met the wife before. (The wife. This is my unedited thinking: not his wife, the wife. Jeez.) I liked her. … Continue reading Being Polite

It’s 2020, so lately my self-care has relied heavily on escapism. I read novels, listen to audiobooks, leave familiar episodes of Gilmore Girls running in the background as I Marie Kondo my downstairs closet. (She’d disapprove, I know. She says it’s important to have quiet while sorting your belongings, in order to really feel any … Continue reading Hallmark Movies, or, Retreating into Problematic Narratives for Comfort and Trying Not to Ask Why

RBG passed. That I begin by calling her, simply, RBG and assume that you know who I mean, is a testament to her notoriety. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Notorious RBG. An icon, a role model, and someone most women I know, were counting on to keep our rights protected. It’s because of her, … Continue reading RBG, AOC, and ME

Every week, I write an essay. Every week, I tell myself (and you) that this essay is about how the patriarchy impacts my life. The more essays I write, the more I question this assertion. Is Suddenly Suburban really about the patriarchy? Always? The dinner parties? The sad hydrangeas? The self care and beauty standards … Continue reading What am I even talking about? I mean, really.

Confession: some days, I spend more time watching beauty product reviews on YouTube than I do reading. And I read a lot. I love these reviews. I love these reviewers. I'll watch 12 minutes  of The BEST Face Sunscreens for this Summer! by Hyram. When Samantha Ravndahl posted a review of Selena Gomez's new makeup … Continue reading Self Care, Beauty, the Patriarchy, & Me

In 2017, thinking only of the picturesque, I bought a house on a beautifully quiet street in a beautifully quiet suburb of Minneapolis. I pictured myself sitting on the patio in summer, looking out to the acre of woods behind my house. In winter, I planned to curl up with a book beside a first … Continue reading Suddenly Suburban and the Case of the Sad Hydrangeas

A man in my hometown stands accused of misdemeanor assault. My mother read about it in the local paper and relayed the details to me over the phone as I drove to work. The story is that an employee at the local deli— a teenage girl, fifteen years-old— hid behind a refrigerator, and when the … Continue reading Conversations with My Mother