Lifestyle

Dear André Gide: You once presided in Paris at an international writer’s congress gathered for the defense of culture, where the question of the freedom of thought in the USSR was brought up only insofar as it concerns me and, it seems, against the will of the majority of those at the congress. I have learned that at that time you attempted several steps to save some of my manuscripts that were being held by the censor in Moscow. They are still there, along with all my personal papers, all my keepsakes, all the works I’d begun, all that one gathers of precious papers during a lifetime... I thank you for all that you have done for me, as well as the impartiality you have shown towards the friends who defend me and who have been refused the right to speak. If my case interests you, you...

Dear Tim Duncan, Imagine an alternate universe in which you you signed with the Magic back in 2000. You used to conserve your efforts on offense with brilliant but fundamentally boring moves that maximized your potential on defense. Well no more of that! When you aired your decision to move to Orlando by eating an orange in front of Bryant Gumbel on live TV, Grant Hill set his AOL IM status to "Dunk City, baby". You were now dunking so flamboyantly that defense was a mere afterthought. And this made the Magic's defense laughable, but who cares? Dunks and highlight reels bring in dollars and they came pouring in. In 2001 Nike made a poster the size of a building across from the Magic's Amway Arena. It was a picture of you with your arms in the air as if you were Jesus Christ himself...

Dear Sir: You are the latest in a list of accomplished and energetic principals we have had over the course of this decade. As you know, we've had 5 principals in 9 years. The nomadic ebb and flow of our administration has taken its toll as green principals are let go for not knowing what to do and veteran leaders are lured to the higher rungs of the district office before follow through of their vision had been implemented. I want this to be your forever school. I want this to be the place that you settle into. Not because I know you so well or know what you bring to the table, but because we have all seen what the culture of temporary leadership looks like and the damage that it can do to our educational goals. We are ready to make a commitment to helping you help us. So here...

Hey Sis, Have I ever called you that before? I think somewhere along the lines of calling you annoying and bossy I never remembered to call you “Sis,” but you are—and always have been—the best sister a girl could’ve grown up with. I was reading an online article titled “An open letter to my little sister” and realized of all the open letters I’ve seen, I’ve never seen one addressed to someone like you—a big sister. And quite frankly, I think I know why: little sisters—like me—often forget how important big sisters—like you—are. If it weren’t for you, who knows how long I would’ve went without wearing the “right shade of lipstick for my undertones.” But really, of all the things you’ve taught and told me, I don’t think I ever did thank you. When I started struggling with mean...