I just watched the season 5 premiere of Black-ish and I’m mad. First things first: I still love the show. It’s entertaining, sharp, and funny. But this episode was disappointing. Bow and Dre are a team like the old days, without a single callback to their marital troubles that dominated the second half of season …
Author: Pia
Middle finger
On the platform at the Harvard T station, a man was singing and strumming a jaunty version of “Hotel California.” He had a harmonica strapped to his face, and was pumping his feet to beat a drum and make a small dog puppet move back and forth as he played. A woman with straggly gray …
Micellar water
Beauty enthusiasts love micellar water. It’s supposed to be good for cleansing and makeup removal. What is micellar water? Why is it any different than regular water? Is micellar even a word or did some cosmetics company make it up? Micelles and polymers Merriam-Webster defines “micelle” as “a unit of structure built up from polymeric …
Louis Sachar
Today I went down a little Internet rabbit hole and learned about Louis Sachar. It started when a friend said, which made sense in context, “Fine, then he can look at a monkey.” I said, “Wasn’t there somebody in the Wayside School books who yelled something like, ‘TOUCH A MONKEY’?” She didn’t know. A little …
Snow White
I tried to tell Young Kid the story of Snow White. But I was missing some key plot points: 1.Why does Snow White fall asleep instead of dying? 2. How long does she stay asleep? 3. Doesn’t a prince kiss her awake? But then where do the dwarves come in? 4. How does it end? …
Wanting to know
Today someone told me about a story in which the main character had a mind-reading superpower. I have always thought that reading other people’s minds is a bad idea. What you’re thinking at any given moment is not necessarily reflective of how you actually feel, or what you care about, or what you will end …
Evening pages
Julia Cameron says to write morning pages. I take morning walks. So I will write evening pages. I think she also says never to read your morning pages, and she definitely says not to type them, but I am publishing this, so there. I have no plan for what to write. I will just spend …
Things to write
Things I actually need to write: An email to my kid who is away for the week A letter from a fictional person who lives in a tree to a real person A summary of recent privacy laws Other things I have thought about writing: A profile of an artist I met recently who told …
Updates
It’s been a while since I’ve written. Here are some things that are going on. First, I found my sandals! They have been missing since our trip to the Grand Canyon. They are very ugly but my terrible feet need them. My feet were hurting so I’m happy they are back. Second, there are too …
10-year law school reunion
Scattered thoughts on my 10-year Harvard Law School reunion this weekend. First, some (paraphrased) observations made by classmates. “The 30-year reunion alums look relaxed and wealthy.” I like that glimpse into the future. “I’m disturbed by the amount of privilege in this room.” True. (Said by someone who has dedicated her career to public service.) …