First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I’ve been enticing men with my chocolate chip cookies for years, though way past the era when good cooking was part of the down payment for marriage. The recipe that I’m about to share took me years to discover, and it’s now my favorite. Two tips: Bake for less time than the recipe calls for, and if possible, use Callebaut bittersweet chocolate callet chips. (In L.A., I find them at Surfas.)

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What’s Annoying You Today?

1. Listening to “he” used as a gender neutral pronoun, again
2. How dark it is at 7AM
3. 9% humidity wreaking havoc on my hair
4. Favorite t-shirt ripping at the seams after just 3 washings in cold water, delicate cycle
5. Cars making a right turn on a red light without checking for pedestrians (HELLO!)

Image via Partners & Spade

How to Cope When the Stakes Are High

With the World Series on (my team down 2-1) and the mid-term elections looking grim, I’m keeping all of my options on the table.

Late update: SF Giants win 11-7. Something must be working.

Image: Untitled (Madonna), circa 1950 by Martin Ramirez

Why I Care About Baseball

Tomorrow afternoon, California time, the San Francisco Giants will be warming up for the World Series. Even from 400 miles away, they’re still my team. These West Coast Giants are baseball’s equivalent of “always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” having competed in, but never yet won a world championship. As a kid, I used to watch the last-place Mets play in Shea Stadium, perched on my father’s lap. And In 1989, ten days after a major earthquake toppled a piece of the Bay Bridge, I went to Game 3 of the World Series draped in team colors, and wept, as 40,000 strong sang, “San Francisco, open your Golden Gate…” I like the social gatherings around sports and the way an entire city, no matter Democrat or Republican, can come together to root for victory.

Illustration by Hiroshi Tanabe

In Search of the Elusive Sweatpant

Shuffling around at home, or taking the dog for a neighborhood walk, I like my sweatpants plain, baggy, made out of cotton, with an elastic waistband and at least one pocket for poop bags and a key. When did this humdrum item become as hard to find as a travel agent? In the teeming metropolis of L.A. which I call home, boasting some of the finest retail outlets on the planet, all I can locate is “athletic” wear that is low-rise, hi-performance, overly spandexed, with a fit as tight as a drum, and as unlikely an item to want to lounge in as thong underwear. Any leads greatly appreciated. (No yoga pants, please!)

Get Out the Vote

Comic by Kate Beaton. Visit her awesome site, Hark a Vagrant.

How to Spend Money When You’re Rich

51 years ago, the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and patronized by Solomon Guggenheim, opened on the edge of Central Park. I spent many happy days of my childhood there, and still remember the awe of stepping into what felt like a tubular space ship. Last May, thousands of miles away, I visited another Guggenheim museum, this one in a Venetian palazzo, originally the home of Peggy (Solomon’s niece), who like her uncle, was a superb collector of modern art. I love when rich people put their fortunes to good use.

Photograph of Peggy Guggenheim, 1924, by Man Ray

The Price of Beauty, Part 2

Is there a correlation between marital status and your willingness to do what it takes to be sexually attractive? A few years back, I was invited to a formal winter wedding in an elegant Manhattan hotel. I had one fancy dress in my closet that would work. Except I’d be freezing. My fashion friend took me shopping for a suitable wrap, and made me promise to wear it, not as a muffler, but draped low around my elbows. “Just suffer,” she said. Once out of her view, I bundled up.

Image: Hold Still, 2010, by Iraqi artist Hayv Kahraman. If you’re in Dubai, check out her show.

Oh Joy is Me!

After reading in the Times this morning that optimists live longer, I’ve been fighting my pessimistic instincts. (That’s all I need. Having to worry about worrying.) The rain doesn’t help, nor did Gramps in the Camry, giving me the finger for making a perfectly reasonable turn onto my street. And it’s a very bad hair day (see rain). On the bright side, my team, the San Francisco Giants just made it one step closer to the World Series. Sorry, Phillies fans, if your glass feels half empty.

Image: Stems in a Vase, 2006, Bing Wright. See his work at the Paula Cooper Gallery.

Qualities of the Ex Boyfriend Sweater

Madewell, a clumsily obvious name, is a division of J Crew, with an item called the ex-boyfriend sweater. It’s described as cozy and oversized, just like his only much softer. This got me to thinking about what other characteristics I’d use for a sweater by that name – (PLEASE JOIN IN.)

1. Like, but don’t love
2. Lost its shape
3. Often in a heap on the floor
4.  Can’t find it when I really need it
5. Coming apart at the seams