When I was living in Kazakhstan a few years ago, my generous friends Penny, Christina, and Catalina paid for me to join them in taking acrylics classes. The wonderful Gaukhar Iskakova was our teacher, and this was my favorite project: a portrait of my Grandma Char.
As you know, this blog is named for tasty, tasty dumplings. So to make sure it’s not false advertising, I occasionally post some dumpling recipes. Below, a recipe for barbecue-glazed pork dumplings that I recently made with friends, with pictures: Barbecue-Glazed Pork Dumplings Ingredients (makes 45): 8 oz red cabbage,…
Last fall, I co-led a biweekly reading group on race and procedural justice for my local community. Our participants included a pastor, scientist, software engineer, writer, librarian, mathematician, and startup employee—a range of Asian and Anglo middle class folks
Are you thinking about applying to library school? Wondering how to get into the field? I’m summarizing some of the advice I’ve passed along to mentees and prospective students here, with tips on places to look for more on libraryland. Start reading blogs in the field. Get a sense…
My grandfather Bob Fischer passed away today, just shy of his 81st birthday. A few years ago, I asked him to tell me about his childhood, his working life, and his family life. Our conversation is long, but I’d love to share it with you. I’m happy to pass it…
This week, Sarah Bessey sparked a twitter conversation that rapidly took flight among Christian men and women. Women continue to share painful and even surreal experiences under the #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear hashtag– some of which I’ve reflected on here. Yet the conversation has quickly taken a hopeful note, as both men and women…
I’m loving the conversation about #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear. It’s hard to hear the stories–and frustrating when people protest that “not all Christians…” or “but what about X religion?” without pausing to listen. And yet… it’s helpful to hear women express the frustration of being told that the genders are equally honored–while…
I recently spoke in my faith community about how poetry connects us to each other and out into the world. If you’re interested, you can listen via this link (starting at minute 35), or read the full text of my reflections below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Where can I go from your…
So last month, we got married! By which I mean, we eloped two days after we got engaged. For all those with questions, here are some reflections: 1. The engagement I am very utilitarian, so I tried to propose to the gentleman over Skype. But it seems proposals should be…
You’ve heard all the usual songs, with jangling bells and presents for pretty girls and angels on high. Below, a few other songs I’ve collected over the years. I’d love to hear about the songs you enjoy, as well. When you’re caught in traffic… try Driving Home for Christmas: “I’m driving…