ArcaMax

My family came to visit me in Florida recently. Their sole request was to patronize a Tijuana Flats since they don't have one at home in Ohio. No problem! I can put down some tacos and am an enthusiastic T-Flats connoisseur. In fact, the chain is home to my favorite sugary-garlicky-spicy sauce, an all-purpose accoutrement I keep in my fridge. ...Read more

"Can you tell me what comes with the garlic chicken?" my husband asked our server.

"I can tell you," I said. "Bad breath."

My husband rolled his eyes at me. We were out to dinner at our usual place and decided the chef must have come into a surplus of garlic, because everything on the specials menu featured garlic. Good for garlic lovers. ...Read more

You do not want to lose the wrestling fans, OK? Few folks are so passionately clear-eyed about their heroes and foes. Today's wrestling supporters love to marinate in juicy narratives, foretell plot twists with the acuity of Columbo and sniff out bull from miles away. We all need wrestling fans on our proverbial teams.

And yet, when Florida ...Read more

It sounded like a pop, followed by the sound of whooshing air, and then a flap-flapping noise. I knew immediately what it was.

"What's that, Mom?" asked my daughter, looking around the inside of the car for the source of the sound.

"I'm pretty sure that is one of our tires, and it's on its way to being flat," I replied.

I'd barely gotten ...Read more

Storm riders, it's time to begin all rituals that induce good fortune. Knock on wood, harness the energy of the moon and wear the same socks each time a red cyclone appears on a radar.

Those of us in the crosshairs of hurricanes pray to be spared every year, of course. But in 2025, hurricane season takes on a decisive aura of finger-crossing....Read more

I'm not a french fry snob. I'll pretty much eat any kind of french fry, whether it's shoestring, waffle or curly; from a fast food restaurant, a steakhouse or my freezer. Given the choice between a baked potato or french fries, I will always choose the fries, thunder thighs be damned.

There is, in fact, only one thing that stands between me ...Read more

Although some people are uncomfortable going out to a restaurant by themselves, I am perfectly fine with dining alone. Honestly, with the level of pandemonium we used to have in our house, I was always happy to have a quiet meal by myself every once in a while. I don't ask myself to get up and get some more water, I don't typically spill food ...Read more

I say this as the biggest procrastinator in the world, a habitual April 14 taxpayer, someone who thinks 10 minutes late is actually on time: Why don't some of you have your Real IDs yet? Rather, how?

Again, I say this with love and Type B fascination. I say this as someone who once looked down at her license in the Boston airport and said, "...Read more

About five years ago I started having a problem with airplanes. It wasn't a fear of flying or a fear of the plane food or a fear that the person in front of me would recline so much that I would be forced to look up his nose for the duration of the flight.

No, the problem was my feet.

For some reason, suddenly, my body decided that feet and ...Read more

In my free time, I've been exclusively watching medical shows and making doctor's appointments. No, this is a blast, I swear.

Have you seen "The Pitt"? Best thing on TV right now. "Dying for Sex"? Heartfelt and hilarious. Are you also mired in a cursed rewatch of Season 6 of "Grey's Anatomy"? I'm so sorry, and we will get through this ...Read more

Yes, it’s that glorious season that so many pumpkin-spice addicts claim to be their favorite. I must admit that, I, too, succumb each year to the autumnal charms of fall, except for my seemingly never-ending battle with leaves, or, as I like to call them – tree dandruff.

So what is it that ironically draws us to a season that marks the ...Read more