Yes, folks, today is my 39th birthday! I wear it proudly because, well, what other choice do you have? If you’re not aging, you’re either a freak of nature, a vampire or…six feet under. This past year, I bought my first house (turns out that having a mortgage feels very adult), attended the coolest conference […]
Thirteen years ago today, my dad died suddenly of a massive heart attack. He was 61 years old. Sometimes it feels like yesterday; sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago. For me, grief has been a good teacher. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that life can change on a dime…
If you can’t spend time with your mom in person today, just be sure to give her a call (or do a Skype or FaceTime chat). Studies show that talking to your mom can reduce stress hormones like cortisol and increase comfort hormones like oxytocin…
Here’s a confession: I have mixed feelings about the month of May…
My dad took this photo of me when I was maybe four years old. (Lovely ’70s furniture in our old apartment, right?)…
This photo could be from The Royal Tenenbaums, the book True Prep and/or the Ralph Lauren dreams of a young Korean-American girl…
You probably know that the autumnal equinox occurred last Friday the 23rd, signaling the official start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Who doesn’t love this time of year when the leaves change color and the air turns crisp?
Dear Nike, I have loved you since 2003. Wait, let me clarify—I was wearing your Swoosh way before then. Here I am at 8 years old: It wasn’t until two decades later, though, that I really fell for you. Oddly enough, you appealed to my head first, then my heart. (I know, I’m definitely not […]
I returned to DC several days ago, just in time for the heat wave blasting straight from Hades itself. I wasn’t off exploring a faraway, exotic locale. No, I drove to the Philly ‘burbs for a pathetically short visit to my mom’s house to celebrate her 70th birthday. I figured this trip would also be […]
I wasn’t officially allowed to watch Flashdance when it first came out in 1983. I was ten years old at the time, and my Asian scientist parents freaked out over the R rating. Exotic dancing? Ripped clothing? Sex scenes? Michael Nouri? All that was way too much for their traditional sensibilities. But as the saying […]