At moments of restriction, fantasy alone can lift people above dreariness. Fantasy is a flower that does not flourish on passivity. -Elsa Schiaparelli ("Impossible Conversations") It's strange to think that only a few weeks ago I was in New York City. The weekend there--the first full weekend in July--passed by in a blur of activity;…
Remember that you're doing this for yourself. It was helpful for me to think of my dissertation in these terms: I'm never going to climb Everest, or run a marathon. But the dissertation is an adventure and a feat of endurance that provides a sense of accomplishment proportional to the struggle that it requires.…
Only one place attracted her attention: a small Korean grocery with fruits and vegetables set outside on plywood stands--colorful piles of oranges, tomatoes, and cucumbers, almost unnaturally clean and bright. Nina read the sign on the box of tomatoes: SUNRIPE. She was still learning English, and every new expression seemed exciting and full of great…
The world that fiction comes from is fragile. It melts into insignificance against the universe of what is clear and visible and known. It persists because it is based on the power of cadence and rhythm in language and these are mysterious and hard to defeat and keep in their place. The difference between fact…
On the meeting point of two worlds, the ornament of the Turkish homeland, the treasure of Turkish history, the city cherished by the Turkish nation, Istanbul, has its place in the hearts of all citizens. -Mustafa Kemal AtaturkExactly one week ago I was still firmly caught in the peaceful embrace of that beautiful creature, Vacationland.…
Writing this post, my last about my trip to Greece, I'm sitting in an air-conditioned apartment in New York City; while the past few days have been wonderful, my legs are more than a tad sore and I'm two shades short of exhausted. There's a part of me that longs for home (oh, to cook…
Two years ago today, on a foggy California day, I put on a nice dress and headed to a Mediterranean restaurant to meet a guy. That guy, as it would turn out, was the Greek. Our first meeting was pleasant, but, looking back now, kind of strange. You see, I had just returned from the…
Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of artsand eloquence. - John Milton There is much that is overwhelming about Athens. Before ever even having stepped foot in the Greek capital, I had heard that it was dirty, unsafe, sprawling and as hot as an inferno. And while I can't say that my two and a half…
Dining with Dostoevsky 