First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

Leonard Nimoy, Boldly Go…

I will miss him.

How Do You Feel About Laundry?

I was snuggling with a friend’s cat, and though it felt good at the time, my navy sweater ended up covered in fur. I thought about washing it, and looked at the label. Illustration from Aaron Gillies

The Party

It’s fun to imagine the backstory of this collage by Croatian artist, Sanda Anderlon. I haven’t had a night like this in a long time. But it almost looks worth it.

Homesick

Cinemagraph of San Francisco by Marcello Maiorana

Oscar Highlight

I watched this year’s tepid Oscars at a friends house, where we sat by the fire on a rainy night, eating bowls of Texas chili. Midway through, suddenly everything went dark. (The storm had sparked a power outage in the neighborhood.) Back at home, I was grateful for electricity and caught up with the second half.  What was one of your favorite moments?

Walking On Air

For a cousin’s wedding more than a decade ago, I treated myself to a pair of Christian Louboutins (on sale). Occasionally, I take the red-soled beauties out of the closet to admire them, though I’m rarely inclined to put my foot inside. At the Brooklyn museum right now, there’s an exhibition, Killer Heels: The Art of the High Heeled Shoe. It’s the next best thing to owning a pair.

Bringing in the New Year

Eat dumplings, a symbol of prosperity, and don’t sweep the house, as it sweeps away good fortune. Yes and yes.

Photo by Joshua Paul/AP

Retro Love

Painting by Andrew Valco

Telling the Whole Story

On Valentines Day, I had lunch with a friend who is in the midst of cancer treatment. She’s no longer wearing a scarf or a cap, as her hair is starting to grow back. She looks beautiful. Through the process, everyone has been moved by her grace and resilience, and we tell her so. But at lunch, my friend admitted that she’s tired of being identified as a sick person, even a courageous one. She wants to be ordinary, again. And that got me to thinking that none of us wants to be labelled as only one part of ourselves. Whether it’s brave cancer survivor or plucky single woman with a cat.

Food Groups

Illustration by Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber