First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

How to Pack for 10 Days in Europe

I leave for Italy next week, and I’m trying to figure out my wardrobe. I’ve abandoned the idea of a carry-on, though how great would it be to stroll right from the plane to customs without anxiously waiting for luggage. (The friend whom I’m meeting in Rome had to make do for four days before his bag finally showed up. OMG!) With variable spring weather, it’s hard to be concise, but the thought of dragging my suitcase around airports and trains, is enough to warrant some discipline. Keeping the shoes down to a minimum is the hardest part. Here’s some surprising advice from a flight attendant who really knows how to squeeze things in.

Image: How Do You Get There, 1941, by H.A. Rey at The Jewish Museum.

The Unmarried Women of the Supreme Court

An excerpt from Ruth Marcus’s column today in the Washington Post:

(Elena) Kagan’s nomination raises another, somewhat uncomfortable question: what to make of the fact that, assuming she is confirmed, two of the three women on the court will be unmarried and childless. The obvious inference is that marriage and motherhood are not particularly compatible with the relentless career path required to achieve that level of success.

Read the full column.

Legendary Lena Horne, 1917-2010

Lena Horne on how World War II made her a star, “Of course the black guys couldn’t put Betty Grable’s picture in their footlockers. But they could put mine.”

Succumbing to Dancing with the Stars

With women dressed in tacky lingerie, and men parading around like strippers you’ve hired for a bridal shower, DWTS is a weird idea of family entertainment. But it’s a ratings juggernaut, pulling in almost 20 million viewers each week. I tune in every once in awhile, and get to linger in yet another way that I feel alienated from mainstream culture. But Olympic gold medalist, Evan Lysacek, is the real deal. A disciplined athlete and graceful dancer, he makes it almost worth fast-forwarding through the abundance of crap. Or better still, catch up with him here.

Fudgy, Chewy, Cakey Brownies

This is the recipe I turn to when I’m looking for a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s super easy to make. It’s from a really good, basic cookbook, The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson. The hardest part, and this is true for most baking, is knowing when to pull the pan from the oven. As a general baking rule, I always start testing for doneness at least 5 or 10 minutes before the recipe suggests.

Image from Handmade Font, a design company with the coolest fonts, based in Estonia.

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When Lust Can be a Good Thing

Last week, to celebrate my birthday, I dined out almost every night. When the last rich morsel was gobbled up (banana caramel cream tart), what I really longed for was a light salad plopped in front of the TV, wearing my sweats. I’d reached my fill of elegant food and atmosphere, and at least for the moment, they’d lost their value. Maybe you can’t have too many Chanel purses (I’d be thrilled for even one), but it’s possible to consume too much of a good thing, and begin to take it for granted. So I don’t begrudge longing. I take pleasure in dreaming about a Chanel handbag, lusting after it, imagining it in my arms, and then, if the day comes when I actually own one, really appreciating its specialness.

Am I Bitter?

You may NOT want to watch this video. When I saw the Babies trailer a few weeks ago, while captive at the movies, I almost gagged. I can’t think of a film I’d rather not sit through, and that includes Hot Tub Time Machine. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy cuddling with adorable toddlers as much as the next woman, but it’s not how I’d choose to spend my entertainment dollars or time. (Sorry Moms!) And since I’m in a confessional mood, I don’t like cute pet videos, either. Am I missing a goo goo ga ga gene?

Why Me?

It sounds like a setup for a Woody Allen joke. What happens when a Rabbi and a Jungian get together to talk about faith? (Pause for laughter.) But seriously folks, the unlikely pairing of Rabbi David Wolpe and Psychoanalyst Lionel Corbett were brought together by the Hammer Museum for a dialogue about Jung’s illustrated manuscript, The Red Book. My favorite moment was when Wolpe talked about the WHY ME question (with which I’m all too familiar, especially when it comes to not finding a mate). Wolpe is puzzled that people ask why me, only when times are hard. And he should know about hard. He has survived non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a brain tumor. So what about when life is abundant? “I live in the richest country in the world, and never have to go to bed hungry,” Wolpe wonders. Isn’t that when we should also ask, why me?

Image from The Red Book by C.G. Jung.

A Good Mandarin is Hard to Find

It was my first pedicure in ages and I grabbed my usual shade of browny-beige. Sophisticated, but boring. The manicurist was all set to polish, when suddenly it hit me. It’s SPRING, I’m going to Rome in 20 days, and it’s high time for a little color. I scanned the shelves of metallics, greens, purples and golds, and my gut told me, ORANGE!  The color is perfect, and so is the name.

Do You Get Lost In Parking Lots?

I have a lousy sense of direction. It doesn’t take much for me to get spacially disoriented, and though I joke about having trouble navigating my way out of a closet, it’s no laughing matter. With large parking structures, I’m practically phobic. Even when I carefully note the floor and zone, and try to remember visual cues, one wrong turn out of the elevator, and I’m lost. At the San Francisco Airport, after a tearful sendoff to a German guy I’d been sleeping with, I headed to the garage, only to realize I had NO IDEA where I was parked. Grief stricken (in that special bi-continental love affair kind of way) I wandered from floor to floor. After 45 anxious minutes, I begged a security attendant for help. But now, there’s Auto Finder, a device that will wirelessly track your car within a ½ mile range. Long distance romance, bring it on! On second thought….