First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

Confessions of a Non-Adventurious Eater

Years ago, while attending a film festival in the port city of Busan, South Korea, I was invited to a VIP dinner. As one of the few Westerners at the table, I felt compelled to be a gracious guest. The meal included many seafood delicacies, which I forced myself to chew, and then surreptitiously spit the morsels into the elegant, damask napkin. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’m squishy on squishy foods.

Illustration by Eiko Ojala

Strategy for Dining Alone

My favorite way to dine solo is to sit at the counter. 

Do you enjoy dining out alone, and what’s your strategy?

Illustration by Mari Andrew

End of Week Zen

Illustration by Ella Frances Sanders

Stop Blaming Women

If you can bear to read one more thing about Harvey Weinstein, please read this.

Neon by David Drebin

Holiday Season Creep

It was a few weeks ago that I first noticed Halloween candy and decorations taking up space in the stores. It sent a slight shiver through my body. Halloween begets Thanksgiving which begets Christmas which begets New Years. And then I tell myself, be here now. It’s barely mid-October.

Hand needlework by Britt Hutchinson

Rub Down

Illustration by Eran Mendel

Doing the Right Thing

This year, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to rename the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day. With the insanity (and cruelty) of our national political environment, I’m grateful to live in a civilized city.

Illustration by Mari Andrew

End of Week Zen

What a brutal week it’s been. As a way to shift the energy, I’m happy to toast Jacob Jonas, whose dance company is skyrocketing to fame. I first met Jacob in ballet class, when he was just beginning to form a company. I was impressed by his ambition and singular vision, combined with being a a really good guy. Here’s one of his dancers, Jill Wilson, at the Kennedy Center.

“There is a connection, hard to explain logically but easy to feel, between achievement in public life and progress in the arts. The age of Pericles was also the age of Phidias. The age of Lorenzo de Medici was also the age of Leonardo da Vinci, the age of Elizabeth also the age of Shakespeare, and the new frontier for which i campaign in public life, can also be a new frontier for American art.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

October

It was 80 degrees in L.A. today, but it still feels like fall. In the early mornings when heading out the door to walk the dog, I now reach for a hooded sweatshirt and Uggs. Even this diehard summer fan is appreciating the season change. What’s it like in your neck of the woods?

Fall by Klaus Kremmerz

What, me worry?

In the days leading up to my annual internist appointment (which was today), I have waves of heart-pounding anxiety. It’s not logical. I’m in excellent health and take really good care of my body. By now, the feeling is familiar, and each year, I try to understand it. But mostly all I can do is breathe through the experience.

Don’t Worry by Martin Creed