Not too long ago a reader from Smallwood (you know who you are) wrote me and in his letter suggested that I might just be living in the “Paris of the Catskills.” Perhaps he was referring …
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Ramona Jan
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10/31/23
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Back in ’67, when I was in the fifth grade, a classmate of mine, Colleen, came to school with frosted hair, which in today’s lingo means blonde highlights.
Colleen’s mom …
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Ramona Jan
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10/24/23
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I broke up with sugar years ago…or so I thought. You know how it goes with an old flame. You hate them when it’s almost over and then when it is, you only remember the good parts. Like …
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By Ramona Jan
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10/17/23
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I grew up between two brothers, Danny and Andrew. For the longest time, we were equals in every way. We built forts together, made go-carts, jumped in the leaves, threw snowballs at each other, …
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Ramona Jan
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10/10/23
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It was 1984 and Venus Fly Trap (Soozie Tyrell, myself and Lisa Lowell) had just arrived back in NYC from the streets of France, England and Italy where we mesmerized crowds with our incessant …
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Ramona Jan
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10/3/23
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How to form a rock band in two easy steps…based on true stories
1. Recruit friends
2. Procure a great band name
Note: I didn’t mention learning to play an instrument. …
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Ramona Jan
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9/26/23
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CBGB’s was long and narrow like my chicken coop. Unlike the coop, however, walls were covered in posters and stickers so thick you couldn’t see through to the paint, if there was any …
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Ramona Jan
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9/19/23
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If you’re going to steal my identity, you have to take it cancer and all. My credit card number was filched more than once most likely by someone using a device called a skimmer, which zaps …
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Ramona Jan
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9/12/23
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My boyfriend in ’77 played lead guitar in The Rousers; an original rockabilly band that was extremely popular on the NYC club circuit. They played everywhere including CBGB’s, The Ritz, …
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By Ramona Jan
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9/12/23
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Can we talk? I’ll be delicate. One of the side effects of chemo, shall we say, is a blockage of the lower hemisphere.
After my first infusion, back-door movements (the kind we …
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By Ramona Jan
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8/29/23
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Why do they call it the Emergency Room? I think a better name would be Extreme Waiting Room. Yes folks, I visited the ER in two hospitals this weekend. First, at Garnet Health in Callicoon where a …
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Ramons Jan
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8/22/23
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Dear Readers and Friends:
After my oncologist visit the other day, my mom offered the following story:
Mom: You remember my friend the doctor’s wife?
Me: Yes
Mom: Well she …
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Ramona Jan
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8/15/23
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While in NYC (getting treated for cancer), I suddenly craved a massage. A google search turned up Anna and Lucy; Reflexologists located only a few blocks away. I walked into a very narrow basement …
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Ramona Jan
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8/8/23
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Hope. I consider the word deeply as I settle once more into NYC for another week of treatment. According to Emily Dickinson, it’s “the thing with feathers that perches on the soul” …
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Ramona Jan
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8/1/23
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I feel stressed so I google acupuncture on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and find three places. Typically, I go to the nearest place. However, something tells me to look at the reviews. It …
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Ramona Jan
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7/25/23
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New York, with your sweltering heat and big boy cockroach there to greet me, yeah, the one I had to juice under my foot. You’re not going to get to me. Just stop it with your man on the corner. …
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by Ramona Jan
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7/18/23
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It’s hot out and the power just went out. My plans for tomorrow are dashed. I need to do laundry before I head out of town for my treatments. Okay, I’ll go to the laundromat. It’s …
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Ramona Jan
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7/11/23
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Last night I held my head in my hands agonizing over, “decisions, decisions, decisions” because that’s what every cancer patient is faced with; where to go, what doctor to work …
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by Ramona Jan
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7/4/23
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We all know that Sheena was a punk rocker. Well, some of us do. The point is; so was I. To prove said point, the Ramone’s song, Sweet Little Ramona, was written about me. I had worked with the …
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Ramona Jan
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6/27/23
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“Our company has been retained to mediate on a serious matter under your name and social security number,” says a voice on my answering machine. I think ya’ll know by now that I …
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Ramona Jan
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6/20/23
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‘Ronno’ was the nickname of David Bowie’s lead guitarist, Mick Ronson, a small but tightly muscled mousy-haired fellow who eventually had to bleach his hair and wear make-up to stay …
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Ramona Jan
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6/13/23
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When you’re two years-old, you only want to grow bigger; become older. By the time you hit three, you’re so proud of your age, you hold up fingers (not always the right amount) to show …
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Ramons Jan
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6/6/23
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Even though I knew nothing about love at age twelve, my new Easter shoes seemed to know everything. Cadmium yellow square-toed patent leather numbers with a fat buckle; the envy of any pilgrim. They …
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Ramona Jan
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5/30/23
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My husband, Andre, and I visit my mom for her ninetieth birthday. She makes a point of saying she isn’t ninety yet because we’re ahead of her special day by about two weeks. We duly make …
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Ramona Jan
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5/23/23
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One day I woke up with the crazy idea of writing a letter to a ‘frenemy.’ We all have frenemies, people we’ve fallen out with and decided not to talk to anymore. My nutty idea was …
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Ramona Jan
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5/16/23
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