Letters to the Reader

I have a special place in my heart for Joe Biden. Yes, I admire his fervor when the former vice president speaks, his strength in living through tragedy and willingness to speak on his pain, and even his often too-truthful, off-the-cuff comments that can get him in trouble. He is a man of passion, a […]

Growing up, I rarely stayed home from school. There was no “let’s play hooky” day, and being sick presented a whole host of issues. With two working parents, only vomiting or a fever granted us the right to stay home. Honestly, I never thought much about it. My siblings and I had strong immune systems, […]

Growing up, we always had a full house. My parents are the kind of people who invite anyone and everyone who doesn’t have their own celebration to join our celebration. In fact, after that last-minute grocery store run for those missing ingredients prior to a holiday meal, my mother often comes home to announce that […]

It’s that time of year. The time of year my cookbooks come off the shelves, the invitations start coming, and the planning starts. I’ll plan for Thanksgiving dinner. My sister and I will go back and forth brainstorming recipes to repeat from last year and new recipes to try. But the real planning is for […]

One week after I graduated from college, I boarded a train to pursue my graduate education in NYC. My intentions were to study, choreograph, and find whatever means necessary to financially support myself. Every Wednesday morning, I would pick up a free Village Voice outside the subway station and scour the wanted ads during my commute. By […]

My parents aren’t gamblers. They’ve never played the slot machines, bet on a game, or even driven much over the speed limit. And still, every once in a while, when the jackpot was particularly awe-inspiring, my father would buy a single lottery ticket. It was these small brushes with gambling that inspired one of my […]

I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a wordsmith. Rather, I’m interested in investigating concepts and ideas. Sometimes those ideas are inspiring and uplifting. Other times they’re painful and complicated. So recently, after Hurricane Harvey, and then Irma, and now the mass execution in Las Vegas, I found myself looking for answers and understanding in the dictionary. […]

I can’t cut a potato. No, it’s not a metaphor. I discovered this week that my ability to cut a potato with any kind of precision is a major challenge. I wouldn’t say that precision in cutting vegetables has ever really been a personal goal of mine. I admire the perfectly diced vegetables when I […]

It’s been a while since I’ve sat down at my computer to write a Sunday letter. My China adventure was my first excuse to leave my letters behind. And then, upon my return, I was jet-lagged and struggling to find my footing to return to the swing of life. And then I was sick, and […]

There is much ado about rice. White rice or brown rice? To eat it or not? Both white and brown rice have benefits, and both have a place in a healthy diet. But here is my question. Do we actually love rice itself, or do we love everything that goes along with it—the vegetables, meat, […]

Time is something I struggle with each and every day. Without a physical office or studio to call my own, I am dependent on public transportation and my own two feet to get me from client to client. On a good day, buses and subways run on time, traffic is moving, and the sun is […]

I’ve had a bad week. It actually all started three weeks ago when I came home to what looked like a light dusting of snow all over my apartment. But this was no winter wonderland. Dust covered absolutely everything. It was so bad that when my puppy came to greet me, she left behind a […]