Dear Maggi,
If you end up getting banned, I’m definitely going to miss you.
I don’t remember the first time I ate you, but I carry fond memories of how my working mother used to hurriedly prepare you for my sister and me before leaving for work.
During my growing up years, my mother tells me, you were a constant succour for her – she knew that in case she was late from work and unable to prepare something "good", you, dear Maggi, were always there.
Although you won’t be cooked in two minutes, as they sang in the ads, yet we all had full faith in your ability to satisfy our bellies.
I remember debates on whether you tasted best soupy or dry, with cheese or butter, with eggs or vegetables. Those were the times when your variants like "atta" hadn’t arrived on the scene –...
Lifestyle
Dear Community Food Co-ops of North America:
Maybe you’ve noticed. Adult-Onset Hunting™ (AOH) is spreading.
In the five months since my initial warning, additional reports have come in. In February, Monica Eng of The Chicago Tribune wrote about her first steps in becoming an “ethical carnivore.” Her symptoms are classic AOH. In April, Yes! magazine sent intern Alyssa Johnson into the field. Then came the news from Palo Alto: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg may be afflicted.
What, you ask, does this have to do with community food co-ops? A lot, I think.
Consider Monica Eng’s words, for instance.
She cares about “sustainable food” and ecology, and isn’t keen on “giant toxic manure lagoons” polluting rivers and streams. She obviously cares about animal welfare, too, since she...
2,682
Dear February,
Don’t let the door… Listen I tried to like you. I tried to make it work. You just wouldn’t give us a chance. You were relentless and you didn’t seem to care. You were inconsistent and many times, you were just downright ugly.
And I never met anyone who could be as cold as you. And I know you won’t go quietly. I am fully prepared for your last little dig before you head out the door. But when you do, just know I won’t miss you for a single minute. And if you think about showing up again in a year or so, you better have had a little attitude adjustment, or I’ll be counting the minutes until I can kick you out again.
And by the way, it’s not me…it’s you.
Love,
Lou
7,644
Dear Mr. Barkley:
I write you out of love. I write you out of profound pain. I write you out of deep concern. I hope you accept this letter in the spirit that I write.
Mr. Barkley, I understand that you said, in so many words, that slavery was not so bad and that you were tired of people bringing up slavery. I was shocked by both statements. Then I was mad. Then I was terribly disappointed. Finally, I was just in deep hurt and great pain. Now, I am trying to help you and all those who may think like you.
Mr. Barkley, allow me to tell you why slavery was not "not so bad," but very, very bad.
First, African people were snatched from their families, their villages, their communities, their tribes, their continent, their freedom. They were made to walk hundreds of miles in chains...
2,160
Dear Animal Owner,
I don't like your dog. You see, I've never liked dogs. When I was young, I was riding my bicycle down the sidewalk when a white dog came running after me and nipped at my feet on the pedals. I was frightened, I got nervous in my young age and fell off my bicycle like Bono on the streets of New York City. It hurt, I cried and vowed I would never in my life get a dog.
My husband's family, my family, my friends all have dogs. I don't like them. They bark, they poop and pee everywhere and they are always in the way. Have I mentioned they lick you and slobber all over? Gross. Dogs are not my thing. No way, no how.
Don't get me wrong, I'll play nice. I've seen a cute one from time to time, but your dog is not special to me. Your dog is not my friend. Your dog is your...
2,589
Dear sweet Sequoia family,
As many of you know already, my 18-year-old child Sasha was seriously burned on Monday afternoon. Sasha woke from a nap on the 57 bus to find that, apparently, another passenger -- accidentally or on purpose -- had lit Sasha's skirt on fire. Sasha is now in stable condition and being very well cared for in a terrific burn center in San Francisco. We
have every reason to believe that Sasha will eventually be able to return to life as usual, although the recovery process will take some time.
I wanted to take this time to send thanks to everyone who has offered words of support and love. And many even contributed to the online fundraising site set up by Sasha's cousin Josh. I can't tell you how moved we have all been by the outpouring of loving kindness, and...
2,789
Dear Almighty Weather Gods,
I know it's February. I know it's supposed to be cold and snow is to be expected in the winter and all of that. But enough is enough.
I am tired of being cold. I'm tired of digging my car out of the snow, and wearing rain boots every day, and planning out my layers every morning. I don't want my hair to freeze anymore, and I'm sick of having chapped lips. I want to eat things other than soup, and wear a cute outfit that won't be covered with several layers of jackets, and be able to walk to class without wanting to die the entire time.
And normally a big snow storm would at least give me a few canceled classes and an excuse to stay in bed all day. I mean, with the first one, you definitely tried. I won't blame you there — that was certainly snow...
2,187
Dear Kansas weather,
I am sorry, but the time has come for us to have a very serious talk. I can no longer accept the way you've been treating me. One day everything is great, and the next you're an unpredictable mouth of hell which threatens to destroy me and everything I care about. I want to believe, on days like Saturday, that every day could be like that … and then on Sunday you decide that it is almost winter again. Without warning, and in defiance of all expecations.
Now, that said, I also have to admit I take issue with other people who know you and yet freak out a week before a predicted storm. This has been happening recently. People who know you and should know better than to freak out about storms in general, because they LIVE IN KANSAS, hear a prediction a week ahead of...
2,593
Dear Weather,
It is March 20th. According to science, it is the first day of spring. Yet, as I gaze out my bedroom window, instead of seeing light jackets and sunshine and daffodils, I see slate grey skies and snowflakes. I understand that humans have fucked up the earth irreparably. I listen to NPR occasionally and know enough about some things to understand that climate change is real. But listen — this isn’t cute. We’ve had a long winter. Yes, it was like, almost 60 degrees on December 25th. That was a nice present. It felt fun and also very wrong to stand outside on Christmas morning clad only in a fall coat, not realizing the real shit was just around the corner.
It’s been a really weird winter. Sometimes it was warm when I thought it would be cold. For the entire month of...
2,216
Dear World,
On July 1st I will be turning 37, no biggie I know, millions of people live to that age every year. But what you may not realize is that it is the first birthday of mine that I have wanted to truly celebrate in a very long time. I would not have even mentioned the date in years past. I never thought that my life was worth celebrating, although years continued to pass they felt increasingly empty. I also never felt worthy of the affection of those who said they cared about me, I felt I was doing them a disservice, letting them care for someone as disgusting as me. I was ashamed to exist but at the same time knew that I couldn't stop being me. My problem? I was terrified that y'all would find out I was transsexual. But I found my way through my fear and came out. On the other...
2,508