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My Heritage
Ok so when we were little kids in school, we learned the most terrifying thing about the Middle Ages. No, not the Plague! To me, the most terrifying this about feudalism was that, whatever class you were born into, that was your job for life. Basically, if your parents were farmers, you were a farmer. If your parents were nobility,…
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Mama Giuseppa’s – My Own (Generous) Helping of Red Sauce America
I can’t cook to save my life, but I closely follow Bon Appétit online. I have never once made one of their recipes. Not. One. I’m only into it for the food culture articles, and this month, they’ve been running a series that has knocked me for a loop. The Red Sauce America series is every bit as…
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Return to the Little Red Lighthouse
I’ve loved the Little Red Lighthouse for a long time. And I can PROVE it! HERE! With this blog post from 2012! Now, don’t be confused about the purple Chuck Taylors — it’s a pure coincidence that I was rocking these Chucks in May ’12 and happen to have a very similar pair at present: I…
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I Just Wanna Know
It hit me the other day when I was at work, on a Saturday. I had the studio space to myself and was working on a large-scale (messy) task, playing a podcast for my enjoyment (The Bowery Boys Epsiode #169 The Tallest Building In New York: A Short History if you must know). When…
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Grilled Cheese and Tomato
Let’s get first things first: I am a diner gal. I loooove a good diner. I feel reeeeal comfortable in a vinyl booth, with a laminated menu in my hands, stacking up little jelly pots and creamer pods. I came of age in diners. I think many of you did, also. There was a Denny’s…
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Living In The Moment
I’m partly convinced that “living in the moment” is a pretty string of words that has almost no meaning. I was thinking about it the other day — as I think about a lot of things. I mean, there’s always the thinking of thoughts. That’s what my “moments” are like. A near-constant stream of philosophizing,…
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Cultural Appropriation in the Curriculum?
So the hottest of hot topics this week is VIRGINIA, and how apparently, a rite of passage for college students in Virginia is… blackface??? Both the Governor and the AG of the great state of Virginia have been caught/admitted to it. This story’s been around a while, Twitter has already made the best jokes like “huh…
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I’m Alive Today Because Of Welch’s Fruit Snacks
I have a long, long history with Welch’s Fruit Snacks. WELCH’S FRUIT SNACKS. Let’s start with a little trip down memory lane, shall we? Back to the Early-Mid-90’s. Now, I’m A #90sKID, so obviously, I ate a lot of fruit snacks growing up. Who among us whomst was born in the 80’s and…
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Where I’m Coming From
After ten years, I can call New York my “home town.” Those are the rules. Read ’em & weep, suckers. But the place where I lived for most of my life — the town I grew up in — will always have a special place in my heart. I may have left Vestal,…
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Dance As If Nobody’s Watching — Oh God, Are They Watching?
You know how some people are afraid to dance because they claim that they “can’t dance”? Hmm…. can’t relate. Not that I’m bragging about my skills on the dance floor! Au contraire — I am openly and unapologetically an awful dancer. But I’ve always taken a special joy in dancing. I vividly remember the excitement of having…
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New York, I ❤️ You (And You ❤️ Me Back)
Guys, let me tell you about the New Jersey Turnpike. See, you never really know how much you love something until you lose it. This was how I realized I was stanning Sasha Velour in season 9: when it looked like she might be in danger of having to lip sync for her…
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“Tradition”
Christmas was ruuuuuuuuuined. When I was very young, it was the tradition to go to Christmas Eve mass and pick up a sheet pizza from Nirchi’s on the way home. Then, one year, we got a deep fryer…and discovered the joy of tempura. It was decided that this year, we would come home from…
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To All The Converse I Have Loved Before
RIP, dark blue Converse (2016-2017). I broke you in on the red rocks of Joshua Tree. I wore you for eight days straight at Burning Man. I slept in you in a tent, because heaven forbid I wake up in the middle of the night and have to pee, I cannot be bothered to put…
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RIP, Chevron
It is with heavy heart that we announce the passing of Chevron. Chevron came to prevalence in October 1950, when it graced the polo shirt of Peanuts character Charlie Brown. Chevron reached worldwide fame and legendary status at the age of 60, when suddenly, Chevron was ubiquitous on maxi dresses, curtains, and in blog designs. Those of us…
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Five Albums: Double Fantasy
Three chimes. Double Fantasy is a meditative experience. It plays like a story of a relationship which begins in the middle — a genius move that lends itself brilliantly to playing it over and over, to “start over” again and again. Lennon’s gift for songwriting is undoubtedly enhanced by his relationship with Ono. I’ve always regarded them…
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Five Albums: Tapestry
Sometimes I wonder if I’m ever going to make it home again. I didn’t know just what was wrong with me. Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore? Carole King’s Tapestry is a masterpiece of meandering insecurities and confident piano riffs. The album dives right in with “I Feel The Earth Move,” a jangly rock anthem…
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8 Of Your Favorite Childhood Toys (And The Dark Stories Behind Them)
If the Toy Story franchise made you cry, I’m about to really make you weep — first, by reminding you of all the toys you begged your parents for, and then by ruining your fond memories of them with the tragic backstories you never knew. 1989 Polly Pocket In 1982, Chris Wiggs designed a tiny dollhouse…
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Menstrual Cycling
“Isn’t it weird how your period transforms you into Wonder Woman?” my friend texted as my uterine lining erupted out of me like hot magma out of Krakatoa. Wonder Woman? Is everyone else’s menses making them super-strong and giving them invisible jets? That’s right, I’m talking about my period again! I talk about my period…
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Five Albums: Pearl
One of the fondest and fuzziest memories of my young life was when my dad woke me up and took me down to the basement late at night. He sat me on the ping-pong table, put his Iron Butterfly record on the turntable he’d just hooked up, and flamboyantly gesticulated the importance of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” while…
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Brought To You By…
You guys, I miss blogs. Like, I really miss blogs. You know that awful Twitter chat question: “What made you start blogging teehee lol?” BLOGS. Blogs made me start blogging. Blogs opened my eyes to something human beyond myself, something real and sympathetic and extraordinary in the everyday banal realities of life. A voyeuristic window…