The Girl Under the Bookcase (Part 1)

Everyone has a moment of shame and humiliation that they revisit now and then. A place they go back to whenever they’ve done something they wish they hadn’t. For me, that big moment occurred late in the fall of 1979 when I was 15 years old. What made this moment so memorably awful was two-fold.…

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The Girl Under the Bookcase (Part 2)

what Carlie meant to me

You’re probably wondering how Carlie had become so important to me so quickly. Quite simply, just like I’d done with P, I’d instantly made Carlie into my savior, my world. Before Carlie and I had become friends, I’d always liked her—even envied her. We hadn’t gone to the same school until this year, but we…

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The Girl Under the Bookcase (Part 3)

The events that led up to my unfortunate decision went like this: First, Carlie started to make plans that didn’t include me. I didn’t understand what was happening, couldn’t remember anything specific that I’d done. The story that I told myself was that it had to do with the fact that I’d become increasingly depressed…

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The Girl Under the Bookcase (Part 4)

From what I remember, I spent the rest of that day alone, avoiding my classmates, hiding my shame. I wanted to go home sick, but I didn’t dare. I felt bad enough already. As I walked to my next class, I waited for the inevitable teasing. I new what to expect: ostracized. Excommunicated. Banished.I would…

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You Know It’s The Last Day of Vacation When… (2-panel)

Internal demons last day of vacation

It happens every time I go on vacation. After six days of internal wrangling: “No Worrier, it’s not time to check email again.” “No, Driver we don’t need to go to the gym today.” Everything starts to settle down… Unfortunately that usually means that it’s time to go home. I used to have a boss,…

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Chronic Overthinker’s Demons 2.0

Lisa Sinicki Demons 2.0

As you can see from this image, I’ve given my Demons an upgrade. Yes, they now have bodies and they’re no longer all the same height. Each now has sort of his or her own way of moving and appears in side and rear view–rather than always facing forward. Demons 2.0. This is what I…

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Bald Headed Woman–The Musical

I mention this “performance” in the story I’m working on. Yes, I actually stood up in front of 100 people and sang. Wearing a bald cap. Here are the words (with apologies to the BeeGees and love to Barbie M.). I still remember all of the words, so I’m sharing. Bald Headed Woman Sung to…

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My Demon Family Tree

Lisa Sinicki Demon family tree

Every one of my internal Demons has a very important purpose. They are both what makes me successful and the root of most of my angst. The trick is to learn not to react to what they tell me until I’ve thought through whether they are giving me good advice or getting me upset for…

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