I like the science of nutrition, but I am not a follower of diet trends. For two months, I was doing some intense aerial training while simultaneously trying to rid myself of a lingering virus that made my joints feel like they were filled with toxic marshmallows. As a result, I had to think about … Continue reading
A recent study in Psychological Science cataloging the findings of Neil Lewis of the University of Michigan and Daphna Oyserman of the University of Southern California found that subjects would take action sooner if far off events were put in terms of days, rather than months or years, thus tricking the brain into solving some … Continue reading
Current status: stress vomiting like a house cat. I’m supposed to do this aerial showcase on saturday. My aerial…teacher, (Coach? Guru? Enchantress? Evil Siren?), Laura, keeps telling me I’m doing great, I’m ready, I’m good, it looks awesome. I think she’s falsely boosting my confidence just so I don’t start crying again. I don’t blame … Continue reading
pilgrim’s progress Last year, my parents walked the Camino de Santiago – the medieval pilgrimage road through Spain ending at the town of Santiago de Compostela. My parents are devout Catholics, in the most hippie sense of that description: they are pacifists, oppose capital punishment, and believe every life is sacred – so we must … Continue reading
boy-shaped love drug & the best pumpkin pie alternative Poets likened love to a disease, Donne called it a canker worm, eating at the tender rose, like a cancer or virus weakening the host cell. But The Beatles said all you need is love, to save, to heal, to act as a salve curing the loneliness … Continue reading
defining moments Coming up with recipes and menus is often about defining a moment rather than a taste. Yes, I’m trying to make a dish that tastes good, but I’m also trying to distill the essence of a particular moment into a flavor – communicate the breadth of all the feels I have but am … Continue reading
root beer floats to lift a heavy heart In all my hippy belief that the universe will sort everything out, sometimes things happen that are inherently unfair. On the global scale of war, poverty, and disease to the personal injustices of death, hurt, loss, it’s hard to rationalize when bad things happen to good people. … Continue reading
hippie karma & vegan cookies I’m always wary when things are going too well; I never get that lucky. Something comically disastrous is just waiting to happen when the going is good, and it always does. The reverse is true too: just when that bully Fate steals my lunch money, yet again, someone reaches out and … Continue reading
genetic flaws, hair dye, and blondies My mother is amazing. I’m convinced she can pretty much do anything, from making my clothes to making me feel better. She has helped me navigate literary theory, piano scales, middle school, AP art class, cooking disasters, hair disasters, and the marketing materials I write daily. She ziplined … Continue reading
asia, apple pie, and emotional investment My mother may have told me not to put all my eggs in one basket, (the supermarket frowns on taking them out of the carton anyway), but my dad taught me to diversify: stocks and bonds, Fiat and Ford, oil futures and airlines, allocating investments to different economic sectors, different … Continue reading
The Boozy Bakeshop 