Excited to unlock this move last week!
What to Expect at a Virtual Quaker Meeting
I’ve been attending a virtual Quaker Meeting for Worship (what we call our services) for about a year. For those interested in experiencing this unique form of religious gathering, there is no better time, with hundreds of them happening each week. My home church, the Brooklyn Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, holds…
A Skater’s Review of the Pivo AI-motion Tracker
As a newbie quad skater, I love capturing video of my progress as I learn new moves and tricks. And I’m not alone. A lot of the resurgence of interest in quad skating has come from the thousands of skaters posting videos of themselves on Tik-Tok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. So one big issue with…
Baking with Powdered Crickets for Fun and Food Sustainability
I’ve eaten my share of bugs in my life. I’ve had mopane worm in South Africa (do not recommend), fried grasshoppers in Southern Mexico (so delicious), and roasted mealworm (like cheetos!). I’ve been around enough to know that insects are a part of many local diets, even if Western culture considers them “gross.” But overall…
On Dance Instruction as Creating a Safe Space for Dance
I’ve started casually teaching folks how to do some basic dance moves on skates. It just happened organically. I spend so much time on my own working on different tricks and steps, and then talking to other people about what they are working on. Soon two or three us are practicing Crazy Legs or spins…
Best Steel Cut Oatmeal Recipe (according to Me)
Everyone has their own feelings about steel cut oatmeal. I’ve read a ton of different recipes and discussion about technique. Personally, I favor a thicker, more nutty textured oatmeal, and this is how I achieve it. The key question to successfully make steel cut oatmeal is the ratio of water to oats. Many recipes call…
Rhythm Skating and Lindy Hop: Popularizing Black Art While Minimizing Black Artists
I’ve seen articles that have said roller skating was irrelevant since the ’70s. OK, so what have I been doing for the last 20 years? No, it hasn’t been irrelevant. Roller skating has continued to survive because of the African-American community and our ability to open up the culture to others who want to learn…
Why We Dance in Circles
Why is it so pleasurable to move rhythmically in a circle? As a toddler, one of your earliest pleasurable experiences is probably spinning yourself around and around as many times and as fast as you can. Inevitably you fall down, laughing, before getting up to do it again. Or you and a friend hold hands…
Choking Down a Dessert I Didn’t Want
One of the skills that I learned from my parents is how to put myself last. I have a strong memory of being in a fancy European restaurant with my family. I was maybe 12. The main course was over, and the server urged me to order the “bread pudding.” I had no idea what…
Breathe App on the Apple Watch: A Simple but Effective Meditation Tool
I’ve been meditation daily for much of my life, and wearing an Apple Watch for many years. Only recently have I started using the Breathe app. It’s pretty great in its simplicity. Just set a time (4 minutes in my case), let it prompt you to slow down your breathing, and then sink into meditation….