by AnnSheybani | Apr 2, 2010 | anorexia, Confidence, dieting, goals, Karen Bridson, Planning, South Beach Diet, The Secrets of Skinny Chicks, The Zone, weight loss, Weight Watchers
When I was eleven, my mother signed me up for a weight loss class. Having battled the bulge for years on end, she was alarmed when, at that awkward age, I, too, started piling on the pounds. So, every week, we drove out to the local University, where a pair of... by AnnSheybani | Mar 3, 2010 | Betrayal, Boundaries, Codependency, Cultural Issues, Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Polygamy, Self-Esteem, The Invitation
A long time ago, before I had children, my husband took a second wife. We were living in Washington, D.C., not the Islamic Republic of Iran, and I had nothing of real value to lose if I packed up and left. The other woman— an old girlfriend who, last I’d heard, had... by AnnSheybani | Feb 21, 2010 | Authenticity, Codependency, Cultural Issues, Match.com, narcissism, personality disorder, Self-Esteem, Sociopathology, Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, virgin
“You know,” my Iranian boyfriend said one evening as we lay squished together on his twin bed. “I don’t think I’m the kind of man who could ever marry an American. I just wasn’t raised that way. I always believed that one day I would return home and marry one of my... by AnnSheybani | Feb 1, 2010 | Authenticity, Confidence, Cultural Issues, George Sheehan, Islamic modesty, running, Running to Win
In grade school, I was one of those kids. The kind no one picked for their team. Instead, I lurked on the sidelines with Arlene, a fragile girl who made osteoporosis look sturdy. And Joanne, a chubby thing with an attitude problem. The trouble with me was that I... by AnnSheybani | Jan 19, 2010 | Alcoholism, Amy Tan, anorexia, Authenticity, bulimia, Codependency, Cultural Issues, culture shock, eating disorders, rage, The Joy Luck Club
When I turned thirty, I was angry and unhappy, but didn’t really know it. I figured that niggling feeling, the one I couldn’t really identify, the one that wouldn’t go away, was the natural result of having two little kids, too much time with...
