Category Archives: Memoir

Bragging Rights

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Ellen Ross

That’s my son Nick when he was fourteen and on the set of Married with Children. (The silicone-enhanced young lady on his arm was an actress who had appeared in the episode we had just watched taped.) I love this … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer games, Memoir, Nintendo, Nostalgia, pop culture | 25 Comments

Happy New Year!

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Ellen Ross

This post is dedicated to Ellen Kander and Judy Lynch. Almost sixty years ago, we were little girls who excitedly waited for the school bus on many a first day of school. Maybe it’s the inveterate student in me, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoca School, Memoir, New Trier High School, Nostalgia, pop culture | 18 Comments

Class Reunion

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Ellen Ross

These are class photos from Echoes 1965. My New Trier High School year book. (That’s me with the corsage- second row, third from the left. No idea why I’m wearing it. Maybe this picture was taken on my birthday?) I … Continue reading →

Posted in Dating, Memoir, New Trier High School, pop culture, Restaurants, The 60's | 8 Comments

Rage Against The Machine

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Ellen Ross

That kid with the guitar- and the attitude- is my son, Nick. Dressed in his boarding school clothes. He had just gotten home for Thanksgiving break. The year was 1995. (Interior designers please note the wall covering in Nick’s room. … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Music, pop culture | 4 Comments

A Bottle of Red, A Bottle of White

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Ellen Ross

The woman pictured above putting the serious chop on some vegetables is the eminent personification of abbondanza herself- Mamma Leone. Founder and culinary genius of the eponymous- but now shuttered- restaurant in New York. Her first customer was Enrico Caruso. … Continue reading →

Posted in food, Memoir, Restaurants | 23 Comments

Exit Plan

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Ellen Ross

This past Tuesday, May 19, would have been Nora Ephron’s 74th birthday. My heroine. Gone way too soon. But I read recently that she had kept a file on her computer labelled “Exit.” (She herself had pilfered the idea from … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Movies, pop culture, Tributes | 18 Comments

Diversity

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Ellen Ross

PC WARNING: This post was inspired by Louis C.K’s “mild racism” riff on last week’s SNL. It got me reminiscing. In case you aren’t from Chicago, this is Francis Parker School. From pre-K to high school, it is one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chicago, Education, Memoir | 18 Comments

Salad Days

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Ellen Ross

At long last the temperature here in Chicago is forecast to hit 80 degrees today. Yeah! So my appestat automatically dials down to lighter fare. And that means only one thing. Salad. Whether it’s Caesar, chopped or spinning, I love … Continue reading →

Posted in food, Memoir, pop culture, Restaurants | 6 Comments

“Fuck You” Money

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Ellen Ross

This is the new Rolls-Royce Wraith. The Wraith is a V-12, 642 horsepower, two door sports coupe with 2+2 seating and suicide doors. It is controlled by an eight-speed automatic transmission. Combined fuel economy is fifteen miles per gallon. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Money, Movies, Music, pop culture | 18 Comments

Carved In Stone

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Ellen Ross

Author’s Note: This post is dedicated to all our fathers. Today, May seventh, is the one year anniversary of our dad’s death. This is the stone that has just been put up to mark his grave. You’ll notice the words … Continue reading →

Posted in Grandparents, Memoir, Tributes | 22 Comments