They came to me in the middle of the night. They were young and beautiful and dressed up like they were about to go out. I had about an hour’s warning, and their knock on the door was light so as to wake no one who wasn’t already up. When Read More…
Somewhere in a cloister, there is a nun who kissed Elvis Presley. There must be some people in the world who live a life without surprises. Most of us, however, find that life unfolds in ways we never expected, showing us that absolutely anything is possible. Mother Dolores Hart of Read More…
Corn tortillas were being warmed over an open gas burner, perfuming the kitchen with that taco night scent. A simmering pan bubbled and spat, and I spotted a mounded bowl of shredded jack cheese. Tomatoes, lettuce and onions were arranged like birthday balloons in bright colors, and bottle of crema Read More…
“We’re going to go on an adventure.” My mom had woken me up sometime after midnight to tell me this news. I blinked in the low light, trying to wake up fully. “What?” “You’re going to pack up your backpack for a trip. Bring clothes and the stuff that’s most Read More…
If you attended high school in the United States, you probably read a story called “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. It’s a story about a poor woman who borrows a necklace from a friend and loses it. She then panics because she believed the necklace was worth a great Read More…
When I first met the guy I was going to marry, he told me he had a book called “Dating for Under a Dollar.” I didn’t believe him until he showed me. His parents had raised him in a lifestyle he cheerfully called “frugal” rather than “cheap.” Most of the Read More…
Sometimes, when Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce and Frank Ocean love each other very much, they form a self-referential and very profitable psychosexual corporation and produce an album. That album was 2011’s Watch the Throne. Since that album, Jay and Kanye have become fathers, Ocean publicly came out and Beyonce’s stardom Read More…
Somewhere in the world tonight, Michael Bay is crying himself to sleep. “Pacific Rim” is Guillermo del Toro’s monsters-versus-mechas spectacular. It is not a perfect movie, but it is an awe-inducing, jaw-dropping achievement in the visual qualities of the summer blockbuster. The film does not suffer from a slow start. Read More…
Oakland boasts so much art that it’s impossible to take it all in. Some of it appears furtively, illegally, on the streets and under the onramps. Some of it shows in upscale galleries all over town, with price tags and author credits. Occasionally, the same artist spans the two worlds, Read More…
“BART’s going on strike.” I got the news first from Twitter. “Well, we’re screwed,” my roommate said. His boyfriend piped up reassuringly. “We can make it work. We need to make a plan.” My tribe of roommates sat down last week to figure out a strategy. Our apartment is in Read More…
