This story began many years ago, with a dog named Molly, an English Pointer, so full of black and white spots that people were always trying to convince me she was secretly a Dalmatian, never mind the registration papers proving otherwise. Even though I grew up with all kinds of dogs, Molly was the first one … Continue reading Omelette Goes West (and So Do We)
I was asked recently, over a glass of Arizona red at a tasting room in downtown Cottonwood, how my wine story began. It came from a friend who spent years deep in the community college’s wine program there, the kind of question only someone who actually knows wine might think to ask. I didn’t have … Continue reading The Three Roots of a Wine Story
I did everything right. Thirteen years ago, I walked across a stage for the second time, accepted a diploma, and immediately began the long road to paying back what I owed — loans I had signed for as an eighteen-year-old. No grace period squandered, no deferment taken out of convenience. I enrolled in income-driven repayment … Continue reading The light at the end of the tunnel keeps getting further away
I guess it's time to admit that while I speak German and lived in Germany, my real beauty obsession comes from the French. I love their natural, effortless femme, I love the Breton stripes and Coco Chanel suits. I love how their hair is tossed up in a carefree knot and their skin always looks … Continue reading Très chic! Why using natural shampoos takes patience
I remember my grandma would always try to make sure I had healthy food when I went to her house. I'll never forget one specific occasion she said, "Oh Kaysha, look at those chubby little fingers!" I can't remember how old I was, but my ice cream and over-eating habits began to catch up with … Continue reading It’s okay to eat chocolate sometimes
Artists often criticize; they interpret the world within a new light; they portray a point through imagery. The Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka portrays a figure who is so obsessed with his own art and artistic interpretation, he takes it upon himself to torture his own body in order to criticize his onlookers, almost as the … Continue reading For the Love of Art, and Verfremdung
In order for humans to learn a language they must acquire basics of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and of course vocabulary. Language is a method of communication; a way of conveying wants, needs and thoughts with other people. Second language students do not need to be taught how to learn a language because they already speak … Continue reading Moving Forward Requires Balance
“Don’t let him get your goat.” What does that even mean? One theory attains that the term actually stems from horse racing. Racehorses were stabled with goats to keep them calm. If someone wanted to sabotage a horse they would steal the goat the day before the race, and the horse would become so agitated … Continue reading Idioms in cross-linguistic language acquisition
May 28th, 2013 As many of you know, the Way of Saint James is my newest adventure, starting this September 1st 2013. I’ve just finished my last year of my Master’s Degree and it's time I satisfy this Wanderlust of mine, which has returned since my journey living in Europe ended two years ago. I thought … Continue reading In order to have balance you must keep moving forward.
“The question throughout is much the same; lack of food, lack of clothing, and disease of every kind.” ~New York Times 1919 “The population has seen and felt so much of suffering that it has become calloused to hardship and to want, but the spectacle of hundreds of starving children, of women in the bitter cold … Continue reading Hindsight Verboten? Kafka’s Reflections on Food
Poesie Sans, Souci 