• Self Control is Good for You

    Self Control is Good for You

    Since the arrival of our children, my husband has been steadily pushing a variety of child-rearing books on me. Thoughtful, interesting books like Po Bronson’s Nurture Shock, and Brain Rules for Baby. Unfortunately, I haven’t read any of them.

  • I Want a Handsome Butler

    I Want a Handsome Butler

    I’ve been thinking very hard about my priorities, and have finally come to the conclusion that what I really, really want is a handsome butler.

  • The Long Winter of Beans

    The Long Winter of Beans

    I was preparing to write something serious and literary when I happened to weigh myself this morning. To my horror, I discovered that I had mysteriously gained several pounds overnight. I rushed out to confront my husband.

  • Why This Should Be a Cat Blog

    Why This Should Be a Cat Blog

    I had many good intentions to get some work done when I stumbled upon a blog purportedly written by a cat.

  • Childhood Books that Frightened You

    Childhood Books that Frightened You

    The other night, I was up reading a Japanese manga that was loosely based on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. I don’t know whether it was the lateness of the hour or the fact that the story seemed much more horrific rendered as a black and white graphic novel,…

  • Bacon, Mon Amour

    Bacon, Mon Amour

    I’ve been having a hard time concentrating all day because the house smells like bacon. This is nobody’s fault but my own, since between bouts of “working” at my computer, I’ve been rushing off to fry batches of bacon.

  • A Visit to My Publisher

    A Visit to My Publisher

    Last week, I was lucky enough to escape from my children and go on a brief trip to New York with my husband. It was also a chance to visit my publisher for the first time.

  • Automated Plane Food

    Automated Plane Food

    It’s been a while since I traveled on Virgin America, so I was quite excited to find out what their airline food was like. Now, strictly speaking, it seems that US domestic flights don’t “do” food anymore

  • Hot Korean Dumplings

    Hot Korean Dumplings

    Emboldened by my success in locating the secret Adult World kalbi butcher, I was curious to discover what else might be lurking around that mysterious strip of stores. It turned out that there were no less than three large Korean groceries in close proximity, which made me very happy as…

  • The Art of Eavesdropping

    The Art of Eavesdropping

    For Valentine’s day, my husband took me to a Japanese izakaya for dinner. The restaurant was so enormously popular that after waiting an hour for a table, we were finally given one in a private room which was clearly a table for 4 divided by a makeshift screen