Estrella

Watching the Tony Awards last night, my heart sank when Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 only snagged a couple of the awards of the ten or so categories for which it was nominated. I just knew Josh Groban was going to win for best actor in a musical, but behold - Ben Platt and the cast of Dear Evan Hansen won the night! I remember exiting the Imperial Theater on a cold March night in New York earlier this year, full of soaring energy after watching the cast of The Great Comet. Yet, over the bustle of taxis and exiting theater-goers, I heard roars from the crowd down the street, who were waiting for the main star (a.k.a. Ben Platt) of a musical I didn't know. I had never heard of Dear Evan Hansen before that March night, so I looked it up on the bus back to DC, seeing it was about teen anxiety, suicide & depression and finding where one belongs in a community. I remembered the musical of my era about youth struggles - Spring Awakening. It covered the range of ...

Reflections from My Time in Italy As I write this memento on my trip back to the States, I don’t leave Italy with any regrets because I lived. No, I didn’t visit every small town on the weekends or travel to Brussels or Geneva for fun, but I can say I became integrated into the local thread of Bologna. I entered Italy knowing zero Italian to speaking Italian every day with my italiana roommate. And I could understand between 60 to 70 percent depending on the context and accent. I had an Italian boyfriend and became exposed to the culture of love. We visited the palazzi , danced in the streets and drank classic red wine in Eataly and local bars on Saturday nights. There is no better life than the one the Italians live. Yes, it was hard adjusting to European culture those first two months. I didn’t know the language, I had to commute via cycling (which was frightening among the taxis, motorinos , and other cyclists), and I broke my foot. And let’s not even mention the devast...

Christmastime is the time to be extremely happy, right? We all try to hold onto that giddiness and magic we had as children when we become adults, but sometimes life wears us down. This year's Christmas in the U.S. after three months in Italy added some culture shock to my experience. Jet lag mixed with a highly commercial culture and fast food economy was making me nauseous the first few days back home in Missouri. My saving grace was my family and the time I could spend with them away from mainstream society. But Christmas wasn’t easy. Meeting my sister’s boyfriend had its bumps, and watching how my grandfather struggled with his dementia broke my heart. Wasn’t Christmas supposed to be all bliss like the good old days? But then I remembered how Christmas happened those 2,000 years ago, and it was anything but bliss. It was a hot, dirty, messy, depressing and tyrannically violent world for the Jews in the Roman Empire, so happiness was far and fleeting. A people ...

Merry Christmas , World ! Instead of waging war,  we just need to have  more furry friends! Airedale Terrier Akita   American English Coonhound American Pitbull Meets Great Dane American Pitbull Terrier American Pitbull Terrier Barbet Barbet Bernese Mountain Dog Bichon Frise Bichon Frise Black German Shepherd Black Terrier Cross Mix Border Collie Mix Boxer Boxer Chihuahua   Chihuahua Chihuahua Chihuahua Mix Chinese Shar-Pei Cocker Spaniel English Bulldog English Toy Spaniel English Toy Spaniel English White Terrier   Flat-Coated Retriever French Bulldog French Bulldog French Bulldog ***(personal favorite!) German Shepherd German Shepherd Lab Mix German Short-Haired Percentage Golden Retriever Great Dane Jack Russell Terrier Long-Haired Dachshund Maltese Poodle ...