Yesterday, I spent over two hours injecting cancer cells into mice, looking through a glass barrier in full, identity-erasing protective gear. As I did this, I listened to a Longform interview with Wesley Yang, of "Paper Tigers" fame. When the Longform hosts introduced him, they noted how unique he is among their interviewees in his … Continue reading Immortality, lost and not quite found
I finally finished reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I also finished putting together the audio for a Bone Lab episode featuring our interview with a bioarchaeologist. Together, these things are giving me a less despairing lens with which to view this strange and tragic era. And can't we all use a little less despair right now. Last … Continue reading The universal constant
Anyone who follows me on social media will know that I love Ask Polly, the advice column written by Heather Havrilesky for NY Mag and previously for the Awl. I was struck today by her latest response, in which she basically tells the letter writer that she needs to acknowledge that her childhood was shitty … Continue reading Grieving for the lost child
Last night, I went to a vegan Filipino pop-up dinner by Chef Coco with the grad school friend I visited last year in the Philippines. So delicious! (Note: I am not vegan or even vegetarian.) Incidentally, it's about one year after my/our trip! (click on for photos and the real point of this post) After dinner, I … Continue reading Thank you Chicano Batman
I don't often feel compelled to write about the plays I see (yes, I've become one of them bougie cultured folk in my old age), but holy smokes, that was amazing and hilarious and unexpected. Between Riverside and Crazy tells the story of a wounded former NYPD cop, Walter Washington, fighting to keep his rent … Continue reading Between Riverside and Crazy: a world-class performance at ACT SF
Last month, a youngish man of Asian descent got onto Muni (the SF train system) a few stops after me. He had shoulder-length hair, square thick-rimmed glasses, and wore a bright red suit. I guessed from his trendy attire that he was an art student and went back to my podcast without giving it further thought. I … Continue reading How to build empathy: musings about police training and medicine
I know a guy who lost his mother in high school, and he is so even-keeled and unflappable and successful, I don’t understand it. Every day, I see him in lab, and I want to ask him, “How are you so normal and functional? Do you ever dream about her? How can you live without … Continue reading grief spasms
