Syracuse wins lacrosse title, makes front page of NYT, and makes me realize that I forgot that sport still existed.

The other night at karaoke - yes, karaoke - a new friend expressed surprise that I had dated a football player in college. I was talking about sports, I think it was about playing dodgeball - yes, dodgeball - and said I thought that the only people who had fond memories of gym class were [...]

Remembrance of Things Past - for Memorial Day

Proust, as a writer, rambled. In his six-volume opus, he took pages and pages to describe a room or an outdoor scene. He got his timelines mixed up, and often had someone talking to his main character in book four that had died in book two. He was clearly an insufferable snob. But, he is [...]

Does Spoiling Your Kids Heal Your Own Childhood Scars?

Now that I’m in my 30s, most of my friends have at least one child. Most have more than one. I, however, remain on the fence with my biological clock ready to push me firmly into either camp. I remain decidedly undecided about the prospect of having my own, for several reasons.
When I was younger, [...]

Returning to, and Blogging from, Hong Kong

In a few weeks, I’ll be heading off to Hong Kong.
For 3 years, I lived there, and going back will be a crazy experience. First, I never thought I would. Second, I’m finally with the person I wanted to be with back when I lived there. Third, I’m finally getting to do some on-the-ground scouting [...]

Hooray! Someone else hates the so-called “Millennial” Generation, too!

OK, Radar magazine. You had me at one glance. I, most definitely, am not a Millennial. Thank GOD, or else everything in this blog would either be misspelled, ungrammatical, or punctuated with ‘like’.
Sign me up for the X revolution!
This is important enough to post in full:
Generation Slap
They’re naive, self-important, and perpetually plugged in. This is [...]

You Heard it Here First - a Prediction about Obama as President

I like Obama. Not as much as Hilary, but there you go. I also like John McCain.
I am, however, sick of hearing about “change”.
I’m even more sick of hearing about “hope”.
These are, for the most part, empty rhetorical devices, bandied about by people who want to get elected into the hot seat that is the [...]

Fat Bottomed Girls you make the rocking world go round . . .

From a park in China.

Sex Sells, Part 2: Mariah Carey’s Vibe Magazine Pics

Um, this is probably photoshopped, but still. I am the same age as this woman. We were born on the same day (same year), and I don’t think I look this good.

Look at how cute she is. I’m glad she got over the crazy. Or, at least partially over the crazy.

This one is kind of [...]

China and Congress - Not Exactly a Love Affair

So, clearly I’m not anti-China. In fact, I’m very wary of painting China as the next, big, bogeyman. I don’t believe in simple solutions regarding trade, balance of power issues, or human rights. And, I think that it’s ridiculous to become locked in an “us” against “them” mentality.
This is a blog. Which means that I [...]

Thanks for ruining it for the rest of us, Tibet protesters.

I was scheduled to go to Kunming, China, in July as part of a thousands strong annual international academic conference. My panel’s topic? The cultural politics of disease prevention.  Specifically, I was scheduled to talk about bird flu, the sharing of samples, and all the politics that get involved in the implementation of health policies.
This [...]