Nancy Ruhling's Astoria Characters

Daniella Vitolo is sitting in her silver Dodge Caravan perusing a pile of textbooks while preparing for a Zoom conference. A certified ADHD/executive function parent and child coach who helps students prepare for success, Daniella has turned her 2016 car into a home office of sorts. Daniella is an ADHD/executive function coach. “I generally am parked on the side of my house,” she says, showing off her lower arms, which are a golden tan from leaning out the car windows. “Everybody…

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“Guys are selfish.” George Fuiaxis makes this matter-of-fact declaration with just the correct hint of disgust in his voice. George is a real estate broker and author. This is the conclusion he came to after writing a book on female orgasms. This bears repeating: He’s a guy – guys are, by his experience and definition, selfish — and he’s the author of a manual on women’s sexuality. If he realizes how odd this sounds, he doesn’t let on. But when prompted, for…

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After whipping the buttercream icing, Alexis Heugly places the first layer of the chocolate birthday cake on a crystal stand that’s on the dining table in her apartment. Alexis is from Utah. She spreads on some ganache and sets the second layer, which had been cooling momentarily in the freezer, on top. She ices the confection, filling a piping bag to decorate it with a bouquet of rosettes. “This cake was easy to make,” she says. “It didn’t take me too long.” Alexis, who…

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Rosie Segura opens her shopping bag, and like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, produces a beautiful bloom. Rosie was born in Mexico. She runs her fingers over the petals of the deep-pink paper rose – it’s the size of a dinner plate — and smiles. Rosie’s rose is her signature piece. To it, she adds a pale pink rose and a white one and a couple of fan-like leaves, creating a pretty sculpture on the sidewalk. “I’ve always loved crafts,” she says. “I grew…

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There’s no music playing, but that doesn’t stop Laura Ziegler from dancing. Laura’s the face behind JAM. Arms thrust triumphantly in the air, she spins around to the tune in her head, her peasant skirt, the color of caramel, twirling around her like a top. She stops, reluctantly. She’s really happy. With her life. With her job. And she wants to express – and share — her joy. Laura plays several instruments. Laura, an exuberant woman whose wardrobe features…

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