A back-to-school list for the rest of us
A Cancer crab July baby born in the deserts of New Mexico, I tend to love the summer. Breezy nautical styles, scoops of ice cream teetering on a sugar cone, sunshine that feels like it’s baking your body through and through, lazy naps on hot beaches, mmmmmhmm. This year, however, I’ve been itching for fall, … Continue reading
My own private food desert
Let me be clear that the title of this article is meant to be an exaggeration — by car, I live a very comfortable two or three minutes from a well-stocked grocery store with plenty of produce and a somewhat self-involved organic food section. (I’m down with organic foods, but this place is set up … Continue reading
Bad swag
Novelty items are popular. People can’t help buying silly, whimsical merchandise if they think the joke is hysterical or their love for geekery is strong enough. I am no exception. I used to own a Kermit the Frog phone. If the items double as something moderately useful then so much the better! (I’m looking at … Continue reading
Prosecco: the perfect accompaniment to love
I believe the first time I tasted prosecco was on the Paris to Milan Artesia night train. It’s called the Stendhal service and that’s a perfect name for a journey between these two cities. Stendhal was the pen name of Marie-Henri Beyle, a French writer well known for his unrequited love for Mathilde, Countess Dembowska, … Continue reading
I’ll take a Michelob
They say you can’t go home again. For me it’s too easy. I now live two doors down from the house where I grew up. My parents have been keeping tabs on the neighborhood for fifty years. It’s that kind of continuity, unique to fewer and fewer communities in the United States, that binds us … Continue reading
Candy is dandy, but tequila tastes like Mexico
I fell for tequila long before I ever traveled to Mexico. From what I remember — although tequila memories are always a bit blurry — I’ve never actually fallen because of tequila. That honor goes to the Mexican dark beer, Negra Modelo. Cerveza oscura — dark beer — was my drink of choice on the … Continue reading
Coffee, I owe you my life
You’re the first thing I think of in the morning. I’ve never smoked, but I imagine it’s a similar craving. Should I make a pot or run to the corner café? When my head is heavy with sinusitis, it’s impossible to lift it off the pillow. On these days I need coffee to keep me … Continue reading
