Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
I was watching the latest musical episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, in which one of the principal characters, Nyota Uhura, considers what her role is on the starship Enterprise. It’s a banger of a number and the actress Celia Rose Gooding kills it. It hit me right in the feels, not only because…
Lately the numbers on my Instagram reels have just tanked. And if I can be honest, it doesn’t feel great. I assume there is some algorithm shenanigans going on. Which is fine, it’s their platform — that’s how they make their money. I’m more interested in unpacking how all of this feels as an online…
One of my first leadership experiences was leading a group of a dozen college students on a trip to Tijuana, Mexico to build homes for the poor. I was in my senior year at UCLA in 1991. I was still not sure of what I wanted to do with my life, but I was convinced…
I wrote this 25 years ago. It feels as relevant as ever. ROOSEVELT ISLAND May 1995 Come to the window, the work can wait.See the craggy line where the water meetsThe shores of Roosevelt Island,Isn’t the tide higher than it was a day ago?Global warming, you say, glibly. I think of my homeland: 7,000 islandsThat…
In college at UCLA in 1990s, I knew I wanted to change the world. But I didn’t know what that meant. I sought the answer through volunteering, a lot. I spent my weekends distributing food to homeless people in West Los Angeles. I got really good at making hundreds of bologna sandwiches at a time….
“To be antiracist is to reject cultural standards and level cultural difference. Segregationalists say racial groups can not reach their superior cultural standard. Assimilationalists say racial groups can, with effort and intention, reach their superior cultural standards.” — Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist I’m reading the wonderful book How to Be an…
Director of the outstanding new film Eighth Grade Bo Burnham had some powerful things to say about what he sees on the internet. As a former YouTube celebrity, I think he knows what he’s talking about. I’ve been mulling over his words for the past couple of days. “I was interested in talking about people on the…
The other night I was was having dinner with a new friend in a dingy but comfortable Mexican restaurant in Oakland. Over veggie tacos, she was telling me about a project she was working on, one that she moved to the Bay Area specifically for. She recounted how much work had already gone into it,…
I just finished Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. A present from a good friend (Thanks, Barry!), it comes at a perfect time in my life, as I contemplate a career shift. Designing Your Life is essentially a guide to applying a design-thinking process to career planning. As someone who has done…
For my birthday this year, I decided to request my friends to send me personal stories about food. I’m so impressed with the stories that people shared! Here are some of my favorites. Mom’s Noodles Credit: CC-licensed photo by Cameron Cassan Homemade spaghetti came up a couple of times in friend's stories. My friend Jim…