I'd never been part of a political demonstration that felt more historically significant, politically urgent or personally important. I marched from Union Park on Chicago's westside into downtown with no ambivalence at all, no vacillation about the issues and no doubt...
Monday's forecast for Chicago:Rain showers early, becoming a steady, soaking rain later in the day with a few rumbles of thunder possible. High 62F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.Evening: Showers and thundershowers likely. Low near 55F. Winds SSE at 10...
I'm a Bad Mexican, Part One is here. Even though I’ve attained a certain sense of peace about the position I occupy as the English-dominant, more-American-than-Mexican granddaughter of immigrants, I’m aware of the complications of my position regarding the planned...
My whole life I’ve felt like a bad Mexican. My parents raised my sister and me in the white suburbs of California. I didn’t know how to speak Spanish until I took it in high school. I dressed white, spoke white, had white friends and when I started dating, I went out...
Maybe this is appropriate with Mother's Day coming up. Here's yet another reason (among several) that it's good I never reproduced. From the April 24, 2006 Newsweek article Not Always 'the Happiest Time':Pregnancy probably doesn't cause depression, per se, but just...
The new restaurant is straightening out problems, training cooks, stocking up on tableware and supplies, and having "mock dinners" (we invite a sympathetic and patient audience and practice serving and feeding them. They give us feedback and we give them a free meal)....
How is it possible that I've gained eight pounds since the fall, but when I measure myself I'm still the same size? Is it possible that I could be gaining weight in a way that doesn't show on the outside? Maybe I'm increasing my muscle mass. Or increasing the density...
It's SO GOOD to no longer be at a job I really didn't want! Isn't it, Joel? How are things going with you, Joel? I had a glorious day yesterday of sleeping in, doing a nice, long workout and having dinner with my BOYFRIEND (yes, my BOYFRIEND, it's still a startling...
My favorite sex columnist and yours, Dan Savage of Savage Love, has started a website devoted to spreading the slogan "ITMFA." It stands for "Impeach the Motherf@#$er Already" and it's clearly time. Savage's site sells ITMFA buttons and lapel pins, but...
I'm stealing Joel's recent blog post title since I, too am counting the days until I leave my current job. Training for the new restaurant started last week and it's great. I am learning so much about Indian food, geography, culture. This week we concentrate on spices...
Oh, hell - I haven't done my taxes yet.
Modigli quit. Joel quit. And I quit.I quit!I recently interviewed at a soon-to-open restaurant that felt like such a good fit, I suspected my job search was over. Well, on Sunday I got a call and they offered me the job! I accepted and Wednesday I went to the first...
So... -- after all my hardened bitterness from too many lonely, manless years and -- after all the advice I’ve received that suggested that I’d find a man if I weren’t so bitter and -- after all my dating jadedness and anger because it felt like the world had cheated...
I said, “Do you always have to have this many lights on?”He said “Yeah, I like a lot of light.”I said, “Well, I hadn’t turned any lights on because I like it dark.”He said, “Okay.”I said, “So we’re pretty much going to be, like, you’ll be walking into rooms and...
Okay, my part-time job search is now a full-time job search. I've had it. I do not belong in this restaurant. It's just not for me and I don't want to be there. I'm throwing myself into seeking and applying to restaurants that want full-time servers, whether they're...