Author, Journalist, Pop Folklorist
As a folklorist, I often feel that marketing messes with holidays. I don’t want to think about Halloween the day after the fourth of July, but the drugstore and the “seasonal” aisle of the supermarket and the forests worth of catalogs that arrive at my door want me to, because there’s really no big ticket…
Read more about From Pumpkin Spice Latte to Pitaya Juice: An Autumnal Journey
There’s a Yiddish saying that when man plans, God laughs. Apparently, when I plan, the laughter comes from my infant daughter Amalía, who was due to arrive in this world on August 19th, if not before, my doctors said, judging from her size. When I heard that, I began making plans. And it wasn’t just…
Read more about Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Other Acts of God and Man
It’s going to be a long day. And I mean that literally. Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Twice a year the sun goes to extremes as the Earth tilts on its axis, tilting away from or towards the sun and giving us the longest night of the year at…
I know, dolphins are a friend to mankind. But I’m a little achy today because I did not get my fabulous prenatal pilates Wednesday workout in yesterday. And it’s not because I was lying on the couch eating frozen custard (two of my favorite pregnancy pastimes). It’s because my great Pilates instructor, Kim, took off…
So, cryogenics and anti-feminist princess rhetoric aside, Disney was right about one thing: It is a small world after all. What’s got me thinking that today is Candelaria, or Candlemas, or Hypapante, or whatever you and yours call the religious celebration on February 2nd, if you call it anything at all. Coming 39 days after…
So, yesterday was the Wolf Moon. That’s the name the Native Americans gave the January full moon, because it was the time of year when wolves howled at it. (Is it wrong that the image of wolves howling at the moon now makes me think of the logo of Foxwoods casino, my dad’s happy place…
