Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
The Cakewalk is one of the lesser known “grandparents” of Lindy Hop, alongside the Charleston, Black Bottom, the Breakaway and others. The cakewalk, however, was more than just a dance, it was also a subtle but powerful means of Black resistance to white supremacy. The history of the cakewalk goes all the way back to…
“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…
This is my dad in 1968 with his mom, about to get on his first plane ride in his life from his home in Manila to Phoenix, Arizona, USA, a place he knows nothing about. When I think about doing something scary, I want to remember what this must have felt like for him to…
“The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s 11:30.” Lorne Michaels, Executive Producer, “Saturday Night Live” As quoted by Tina Fey in her book Bossypants (2011).
I’ve done a bunch of variations of roast chicken over the years. This version I’ve found to be my favorite. Spatchcocking makes the bird cook faster, crisp up more, and break down easier when it’s done. And it’s kind of fun to do, once you get the hang of it. Ingredients 3 ½ to 4-pound…
For no specific reason, I set a goal for myself to successfully run a 10K. It’s certainly not the first 10K I’ve ever run. And I didn’t plan on setting a personal best time. I just wanted to run a distance of 10 kilometers without stopping. Luckily, I live right next to a perfect place…
My Uncle Danny just sent to me a bunch of pictures from a trip to Disneyland we took back in 1976. That would make me seven years old at the time, so one of my first trips to the theme park. Apparently my Uncle Danny and Auntie Susan had just moved to the States from…
So I woke up yesterday to a video message in my in-box from Joonas Suotamo, the Finnish actor who for the past five Star Wars films has been playing the iconic character Chewbacca! This was a very special thank you message from my good friend Barry Joseph. Sadly, Barry’s father recently passed away, and I…
Among the many things I geek out on, Disney theme parks is toward the top of the list. From as early as I can remember, I have had a fascination with Disneyland in Anaheim. Here’s me with my mom and sister there when I was around ten years old. That fascination with Disneyland, and later…
I have a hate/love relationship with running. For the most part, I hate it. I have terrible lungs, so I feel like I’m fighting for breath for a lot of my run. But running has undeniable benefits. It’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to get into your target heart rate and put in…