Christa Allan

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(Just in case your browser doesn’t pick up on the above, it’s supposed to be a row of Christmas trees. It’s called Lindvist 2; a font I discovered during procrastination prior to grading papers.)
My oldest daughter, Erin, said that I should blog about my fascination/obsession (her words) with grocery stores. (And this from the [...]

God spoke to me this morning. Okay, not in one of those Charleton Heston burning bush in the middle of Paramount (or whatever) Studio kind of ways or my phone ringing with an unidentified caller ID. No, it was during my morning Bible study that I experienced one of those “aha” moments that could only [...]

Words –their abundance, their power, their generosity–fascinate me. Bundles and baskets and bushels and bowls and barrels of letters strung together to form meaning. Every word an act of creation. Words are invincible, indestructible. They transport us through time, space, and feeling at snail-like measures or supersonic speeds without ever forcing us to leave our [...]

Gems from my grandmother (who’s now watching The Price is Right in heaven…with Moses, maybe?):
1. Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.
2. All politicians are the same; they go in straight and come out crooked.
3. The poor woman thinks she can fit California into Rhode Island (usually describing [...]

I write because there is no one left in my life who knew me before I knew myself. I write because I can talk to the paper and not be interrupted or misunderstood or frozen mid-sentence by a quizzical stare from a listener’s eyes. I write because I can’t (nor would you want to watch [...]

Do: (verb) to bring to pass; to carry out
Teachers tend to abuse this word, mostly its past tense. “Have you done (actually, this is present perfect tense) _____________?” Fill in the blank with: grammar, Shakespeare, writing, clauses, vocabulary, copies, sentences, short stories, grades, conferences. It’s a question that covers a myriad of tasks.
We’re constantly [...]

Since I don’t have the photos yet to prove it, I’ll tell you that I am composing this blog wearing my Princess for the Day tiara. It’s a lovely little plastic silver creation embedded with plastic pastel-colored stones and made for the petite head of a seven-year-old. But no matter. Even if it squeezesthe gray out [...]

Dear Britney:
No doubt, gazillions of people are blogging about and posting photos of your recent situational challenges with exiting automobiles. Since you and I share a birthday, I thought that our astrological connection might open the door (or in your case, maybe it should close the door?) to a few ponderings.
Perhaps you should consider [...]

A voicemail yesterday from the Mammography department, and my first thought was, “Oh, dear, she read my blog, and there’s going to be Hades to pay.” So, a return visit this morning introduced me to yet another instrument of smashing torture. This one’s affectionately called, “the paddle.” Imagine someone pinching your cheek [...]