Here we all are, four years on. Seven or more, for those who started with Gawker or Jezebel. Continue reading
life
46 posts
I flew from New Orleans to San Francisco for a series of Grateful Dead shows at the Oakland Coliseum culminating with a Chinese New Year concert. Obviously.
We made a connection along the way, and on the second leg of the flight, we met a hippie couple from New Jersey going to the same concerts and had a fun time partying with them over the Rockies. Although they could have taken a direct flight, they took two extra legs because the chick couldn’t make it across country without a cigarette break. I distinctly remember an empty Wild Turkey bottle rolling wildly around the aisle as we came in for a landing and a stern talking-to by the pilot as we exited. Continue reading
On January 16, Ron Kirk, 46 of Las Vegas, sent his sister a text saying he was going hiking. It was the last anyone would hear from him.
Word spread to Chicago about a week after Ron’s disappearance that he had not been heard from in a few days. I immediately sent him a text to check on him. This was not the first time I had sent him this type of text. He was known for doing some pretty wacky things. One time he rode his bike down I-290 and passed out on the side of the highway. Another time at a big hash event he jumped in the Chicago River and went for a swim (the Chicago River is not the place to just go for a swim). He always ran without his shirt, no matter the temperature and made snow angels like a kid without a care in the world. Continue reading
While in New Orleans over the weekend one of my friends mentioned to me that she has a new 1- and 5-year plans. I was a little shocked because this particular friend never seemed like too much of a planner. She got laid off last year and instead of trying to become a cog in another machine, she decided to go her own way. I think this life change has forced her to look further ahead than she might have normally. When she brought it up, a light bulb went off in my head. I’ve been feeling sort of restless (for lack of a better word) in my life lately. Having some long-term plans that I need to hold myself accountable for seems like it will make me work for the things that I actually want.
So far this is what I have: Continue reading
During winters when I was a kid, my Dad insisted we wear real, proper shoes to school. I have no memory what type of shoes these were. Desert boots? Penny loafers, complete with shiny penny? Wee, child-sized Oxfords? No clue. I do vividly remember, however, the footwear I was desperate to wear to school instead. The footwear my father thought too flimsy to keep our feet warm through a New Jersey winter. The footwear I put in my bag and a few blocks from home, changed into, so desperate was I to have them on my feet, always. Sneakers. Continue reading
As some of you know, I spent the past summer in Hong Kong. I was there for an internship helping people apply to the UN for refugee status. This will be nothing at all about that experience, although I could write for days about the refugee status determination process and its many faults, especially in Hong Kong. Instead, as I walked through the many food markets, I was reminded of some life lessons that I would like to share. Continue reading
Greetings and salutations! As some of you know, I am Woman. ROAR! As people who know me know, I am a non-stereotypical woman. For the Crasstalk Day Of Woman I decided to make a list of some things which I think help women be better women. This list is but a small part of the continual refinement which is every human’s job. Brave capable sisters, know that I have only your best interests at heart, and gather round: Continue reading
Eustace Conway is one of my heroes. The word crisitunity comes from a Simpsons episode wherein Homer, after hearing from Lisa that the Chinese use one word for both “crisis” and “opportunity”, says “Crisitunity!” Crisitunity is the act of using a problem to make a solution.
Eustace Conway practices crisitunity. In his colorful life, he has met and mastered many challenges, challenges that others looked on as impossible. To Eustace, nothing is impossible, and anyone can do anything they set their mind to. He is an avid student of life and is fully alive in the world. He first left home with nothing for the woods at age twelve, and at age seventeen he moved, with little more than nothing, into a tipi in the Blue Ridge mountains. Continue reading
In 6 years of working at a membership-only pool, I’ve come to notice many things that bother me about how the members treat the club and our staff. So in order to help you potential pool and beach-goers avoid pissing off people like me, I’ve compiled a short list of things that bother me and how they can be remedied! Read more and pay attention! Continue reading
The alarm went off at 5:45 AM and I immediately bolted out of bed. Despite having to get up at the early hour during a) my vacation and b) a federal holiday, I was excited to run this race. My parents ran the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race every summer we lived in Atlanta (1987-94) and it’s a city tradition. Just like any other race, I had carefully laid out my race clothes the night before. We had planned to leave at 6:15 AM, but we were actually out closer to 6:25 AM. Not too bad considering I was mentally aiming for a 6:30 AM departure time. My parents and an elementary school friend I met with on Sunday warned me that MARTA (Atlanta’s public transportation system) would be crazy. I would gauge that most people in the Atlanta metro area use their cars to get around and MARTA is simply an afterthought. Continue reading