I was disastisfied with my own explanation of how empathy worked ( Read more... )

My friend L has two little girls. One of which I held four days after she was born. We went over to their house, and their 120 pound newfoundland followed us around, rubbing twigs that were stuck to his butt onto our pants while we took turns holding little Margot. Her head fit into the palm of my hand and she continuously made faces even though ( Read more... )

Saturday morning Lee and her roomate Archie got up at the crack o'dawn, as in, that's what Archie calls anytime before 9am. Lee pulled a bucket hat over her eyes, put on a pair of sweatpants under a new white tank top, and slipped her pink socked foot into her "going out house sandals" while Archie wore basically the same thing but in black. They ( Read more... )

The divorcing architect came over for coffee the other weekend. He, once the most handsome architect I'd ever met, as in, he'd be someone I'd be really excited to be seated next to on a plane or at a wedding. But now he looked depressed. I mean sure he was still buff, neat, an excellent haircut and riding a motorcycle, but in truth I wanted to ( Read more... )

I woke up and made pasta with pesto this morning. I remembered this dish well. M made it for me when he was still dating XG in Beijing. I went over and he told me it was their favorite thing to eat recently. It had no garlic or spice. It was a mild, mild flavor ( Read more... )

We walked around Silverlake reservoir, which used to be such a scene. On those laps you'd see people you knew, and kind of knew, or maybe just wanted to know, like those B movie stars, and their children. The architecture conservationalists have parties in houses on the perimeter, and if you go, you can always drink a beer in the shade. Or so it ( Read more... )

I am stuck in structuring my book. I have been here before, and I don't know how to take the next step. I have no one to talk about it with here.  I wish I were still in ny, and I can turn to my friend Hanna, and ask if I can buy her a cup of coffee and we'll walk out of our weird FBI warehouse studio and go to this big corporate La Colombe, and I' ( Read more... )

Is there a light at the end of this ( Read more... )

1. The China I remembered as a child, frightened in kindergarten, of peeing in my bed during nap time. and always peeing my bed during nap time. The one store in our apartment block, where every day after kindergarten, my dad would let me buy one thing, as a reward for the battle of the day. Sometimes I got a button. Sometimes a chaulky handful of ( Read more... )

fuck it, i'm almost 36 and I know it's not cool at all to talk about this, but i am so fucking tired. And though it should come as no surprise at all to anyone, it shocks me. Why am I so tired? who was that person who used to complain about bars closing at 4AM? Who then went to the 24 hour grocery store to buy two bags full of fruits to warrant ( Read more... )