On Halloween, Sweetheart and I saw “Hamilton,” which is finally touring. It would probably be more accurate to say that I finally saw “Hamilton” and Sweetheart came along for the ride. He knows I wouldn’t have spent gobs of money and dragged him out on a work night if I hadn’t been pretty certain he’d … Continue reading ‘Hamilton’ lyrics hit home for me & my sister: who tells our cousin’s story?
Category: Commentary
Two days ago, in Rome, I had five different flavors of gelato. Three before pizza (in a dish) and two after (in a cone). Then, we walked to the Trevi Fountain. If anyone is wondering about flavors, the cup was stracciatella (chocolate chip)/a vanilla with pistachio nuts, chocolate ribbons, and cappuccino. The cone was pecorino & … Continue reading Gelato, Gravlax & other Foodgasms: eating in the Euro Zone
by Debby Waldman For my sister’s 60th birthday this year, my husband and I invited her to join us on a two week trip to Italy and France. In turn, Amy offered to treat me to an early birthday gift, a cooking class in Sardinia. She organized the class through a travel blogger, Claudia Tavani, who … Continue reading Guest post: The Cooking Class, With Attempts at Salesmanship and Decluttering Thrown In
The good news: I'm eating bread without getting sick. I don't have a bread picture. This sea bream was my first entree in Sardinia, presented by Julio, who has worked in Australia & Ireland and would like to come and work in the US. The bad news: My alpaca shawl* and ipod* got lost in … Continue reading Great bread, Phoenician ruins and lost stuff: the first few days of my European adventure
For the next few weeks, welcome to my travel blog. When I turned 50, I threw a girls-only sleep-over party. Dinner and breakfast were both co-ed affairs, with invitees welcome to show up for either or both. It was a glorious event, held at a friend’s mansion-turned-law-office. (You can see photos here.) Judy (who flew … Continue reading How to turn 60 & go to Europe: be my sister’s sister
What a couple of weeks it’s been. Fifty people, including members of the Macy-Huffman and Mossimo-Loughlin families were charged with screwing deserving college applicants out of admission to schools where they may have thrived. It would have been the talk of Sunday shows in the US, but for the white male horror show at a … Continue reading Neighborhood readers talk books, eat cake: ‘Resistance Women’ Part II
In 1989, I kicked off the freelance writing career that ended up tanking my marriage and catapulting me out of the middle class. (Or, to put it another way, I traded in one set of problems for another set that I liked better.) My book group. One of many joyful by-products of that trade-in. In … Continue reading Advance Reader’s Copies spark joy for local book group: A shoutout to William Morrow, Jennifer Chiaverini &, most of all, Mildred Fish Harnack
It’s been one of those weeks where there’s much to write about that it’s hard to know where to start. Sometimes when it's all too much, you want to curl up and take a nice nap. Michael Cohen paid a visit to Congress and refused to promise not to profit from a book or movie … Continue reading If Willy Wonka’s factory churned out Mind Candy: a Dispatch from the Department of Healing Truths
Dear Rep. Omar: I’ve been writing you a letter in my head since the second round of “She’s a raging anti-Semite!” hysteria, but this is the first moment I’ve had time to actually begin setting anything down on virtual paper. Apologies in advance for the interruptions – our 11 am tickets to “Disney on Ice” … Continue reading Random Jewish American seeks Pen Pal: An open letter to Rep. Ilhan Omar
I first heard of Josephine Baker in the 1980s, when my sister wrote a story about her in the New Haven Courier Register. Debby was a feature writer there, and her story mostly focused on the 12 children Baker had adopted from countries around the world. Josephine Baker and 10 of her 12 children on … Continue reading ‘Josephine Baker’s Last Dance’ tells an important story at the right moment
