Just Desserts

Just Desserts is inspired by a true story, however it is entirely a work of fiction. All names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Special thanks to Allie Crawford, Russell Smith, Danny Dien and Nicolas Forero from Foster.co for their support and editorial assistance. Thanks also to Adobe Firefly for helping…

Read More

Metro Rules

Special thanks to Felicity Brand, Allie Crawford, Denny Dien, Theresa Murphy and Russell Smith, the very patient and helpful editors from Foster.co who helped me pull this together. I couldn’t have done it without you!!

Read More

Draw a Clock

Draw a Clock

Draw a Clock The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of Aging A friend of mine recently retired. She was a well-respected computer science professor. After she and her husband retired, they moved to another state. When you move, one of the royal pains is having to deal with finding new doctors.  My friend is articulate,…

Read More

The Committee on Conformity

Conformity

“Shalene4272” boomed the voice over the loudspeaker. A young girl stood up and pressed her hands together, fingers pointing skyward in the universal sign of acceptance and gratitude. Her pile of nearby friends, absorbed in their devices, looked up and returned the gesture. Shalene walked to the door marked EVALUATION. She tried to relax into…

Read More

No Remorse, Revenge

Remorse

I can feel my body start to wake up. I don’t understand. I’m lying flat, on my back. I try wiggling my fingers. I bend my toes. Slowly I’m gaining control over my body, but not my mind.The thud, thud, thud sound that I was only dimly aware of begins to dominate my senses, like…

Read More

Souls R Us

Souls R Us

First off, you need to know how I love to shop. I mean I was born to shop. The thrill of the hunt for something new, the delicious uncertainty of deciding if it is really worth buying. The tang of guilt laced with a splash of indulgence. Maybe I really don’t need this pair of…

Read More

If Only

If Only Kitchen

Would that I could travel back in time. Would that I could undo what has been done. I did the best I could but it wasn’t good enough to save her. Or him. It started the same as every other day. I was standing in the main kitchen, early in the morning, alone, the way…

Read More

Powder Day

Powder Day

This is inspired by and dedicated to Caryn Tan’s “Storm Rider” piece. I’m a skier, not a surfer but it looks like we have a lot in common. Storms excite me. I’ve tried before to capture the rapture of a powder day and fell short. I’m going to try again. Mostly, I ski Snowbird, in…

Read More

It’s Happening: Will AI write better than you?

Man of Letters, AI: It's Happening

*Written for Foster blog. It’s happening. Call it Pandora’s box unleashing powers we do not comprehend. Call it Cassandra foretelling a future we cannot imagine. Call it augmented intelligence. Call it artificial intelligence. Call it AI for short because you are about to get intimate with it. AI is in use in every possible field…

Read More

Cooking in Extreme Circumstances

Cooking in Extreme Circumstances

Work in Progress For many reasons, I have had the opportunity to cook in challenging circumstances: on a winter training expedition in Alaska, on a sailboat, in at a high-altitude ski lodge, and the most dreaded of all places – the vacation rental apartment kitchen. This is not about Instagram-ready food or TikTok self-consciousness, but…

Read More