A friend of mine had a story growing up about a fairy thorn in a field. The farmer wanted rid of it but everytime he tried to dig it up, something would happen. The shovel would snap, he'd fall in some mud - just narky little things that irritated and embarrassed him. 'It's because you're irritating the fey,' he was…

I love past life stories. My college roommate's mom is convinced her son (my roommate's older brother) is a reincarnation of her grandfather. When the boy was around 3, she had taken him to the doctor for a checkup. He was running around the exam room (before the doc came in) climbing on things and whatnot. She told…

So I told what I thought was the one story I had that was spooky story worthy. But then this happened over Christmas:

My mom let the guy who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart sleep on her front lawn a couple times. (Pre-Elizabeth Smart kidnapping he was a local character nicknamed Homeless Moses.) I wasn't there at the time but my two little sisters were living with her.

I have a story!

I live in a very old area of town. Almost every other house on my street is a "century home" with a little plaque saying it was built in 1905 or sometime thereabouts. Mine doesn't just because it costs money to get that title.

Context: I am recounting an experience that I had about 8 years ago when I was a sophomore in college in West Chester, PA. I am recounting it to the best of my ability but some details might have been lost due to the time passing and the fact that I try not to think about this all that often.

AARRGGHH I LOVE THE JEZ SPOOKY STORIES CONTEST!!

Ahhhh!! I've been waiting all year for this feature. I don't really have any ghost experiences, but I have had bizarre dreams involving dead people from my life. I had a lot of dreams involving my grandmother after she died, but the most recent one happened about a month ago. I dreamed that I was meeting my entire…

VYeah I assumed you knew there were more than two ingredients in a dish - even salt and pepper would put it over the edge. I was responding to the idea that you explicitly said there is no chicken in matzo ball soup when it is, in fact, the defining ingredient of the soup and the schmaltz in matzo balls. You…

Potato soup is the food of the gods. It's absolutely perfect in all ways. Imagine it: a damp, chilly fall day. A crusty sourdough bread bowl. A steaming hot serving of luscious potato soup. There is literally nothing better.

We can't be friends anymore with that list.

Well I don't say anything to anyone i know who has done it (I know several) but the whole concept fills me with fear and rage too. Rage that women especially are taught that their biggest value is in what they look like and only youth looks good. And feel so shitty about themselves that they have invasive unnecessary…

I absolutely know what you mean about people claiming to be things they aren't - I used to be an editor and I hate writers saying they are 'editing' their own books because they. Just. Aren't. – but one of the things that most shocked me about becoming a mother was the responsibility for my child's health - knowing…

Yeah, I get that. But I feel like there are just as many people bitching about getting to work, people they work with, their boss, their company, etc. I have to admit I don't read the mommy blogs, so maybe that is where people get frustrated with the complaining.

I've shared this story before, but it fits in well here, too.

I think it has something to do with visible, obvious, and continuing repercussions. Of course the world would be a different place without the Roman or Egyptian empires, but I have no idea if my ancestors were slaves who built castles in Poland or pyramids in Egypt. I probably have relatives who were fucked over in…

"Antebellum" means "pre-Civil War."

You guys! Have you seen her dancing to Anaconda?! I must have watched it 15 times in a row when I discovered it.

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