French women. The phrase connotes images of sophistication, savoir faire and understated beauty. They don’t wear tons of makeup or baubles. They smoke and eat fatty cheese. They talk in husky voices like Edith Piaf. Whatever they do, they are sexy.
Those are all stereotypes, of course. I’ve been to…
About three weeks ago I collapsed; turns out I had a brain tumor. They did surgery, removed the tumor and now I’m recovering. The tumor was a stage IV brain cancer. It has metastasized.
Since mobility is an issue, a friend is looking after my German Shepherd Snowy. I miss…
Misery loves company, and I’ve always been a happy person. No wonder I was often lonely.
Even as a little girl, I was happy. I liked to explore, spin stories, and build things. I was friendly and curious, but while people were initially attracted to me, they often turned against…
In 1991, I watched a movie about Indian immigrants living in Mississippi, aptly named Mississippi Masala. As a person of Indian heritage living in South Carolina at the time, I related to the movie. I also developed a crush on Denzel Washington, who is frankly beautiful in the film.
The…
The title of this article may be misleading, since I’m not pretending I have the answers. Rather, I have thoughts and questions. If you are the type of person who demands certainty, seek it elsewhere. If you enjoy a journey down the rabbit hole, then maybe keep reading.
I’ve always…
The Black Death had a devastating impact on Europe. It hit the continent in the middle of the 14th century, being brought from Asia via ships that docked in the Sicilian port of Messina in 1347. When workers boarded these ships, they found the sailors dead and dying, with their…
Before COVID, there was a restaurant that I would go to about once a month, sometimes with a friend, often with a date. One of the waiters there was really cute and I liked flirting with him. We hit it off. We’d often talk about Dominion and other games we…
Traveling through Eastern Europe in 2019, we crossed from Austria into what used to be part of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSSR). We saw the Cold War remnants of barbed wire fencing, guard towers, strong posts, and a grassy corridor. Our driver informed us that this corridor had been patrolled…
My grandfather was born in 1910. He lived to 92 years old. Even though he was born and lived in India, a third world country at the time. But he was a Brahmin, and that makes a difference. But, he was also over 6 feet tall. And shorter people do…
Many people are feeling stressed this holiday season. It’s not just the usual worries getting them down. The pandemic has added a whole new dimension.
You see, families tend to have multiple generations. They may encompass a variety of health conditions as well as political viewpoints and tastes in cuisine…
