I have a funny relationship with the Caribbean. My family is from there. I go there for work often. I love love love the stews (goat stew, poll guisado, oxtail stew) and pina coladas are a guilty pleasure of which I’m currently partaking. But I far prefer traveling […]
The movie Up in the Air resonated with me on many levels. I travel a ton for work, I hoard my miles, and I know which security lines I can possibly sweet talk my way through to a more pleasant experience. Still, despite being a pro at this […]
Speaking of not being impressed (ahem, Mckayla the gymnast), can I get an Amen if you like getting feedback? Wow, the room got really quiet there for a second. Undoubtedly, there are people who like giving feedback–managers, supervisors, and the various people who direct others surely love doling […]
This morning, after a long travel day yesterday that was followed by pool time, I definitely had to “do” my hair: Wash, blow dry, flat iron. At the end of this modern-day self-inflicted torture ritual, I was quite happy. The weather in Curacao while hot, is a very […]
All hail the number seven, a number of great historical and cross-cultural significance. The number seven impacts you individually and has enormous consequence in your daily life. Yet nobody except Sesame Street (See #7 Rhumba) has celebrated the number in song, unless you count the White Stripe’s Seven […]
The second I landed for the first time there was no denying it: I was in love with New Orleans. It was a bit grimy, yet charming, sad but vibrant and somehow chaotic at a slow pace. The multiculturalism of the city, embodied in its food, music and […]
I had the good fortune to be a respondent for the opening plenary at the Caribbean HIV Prevention Conference at the Atlantis Resort and Casino in the Bahamas, a choice of location that seemed rather odd and extravagant given the seriousness of the event, particularly its goal of […]
In the 1980’s, the South Bronx of my childhood was the epicenter for AIDS in New York City, with one of the highest AIDS infection rates in the city, if not the country. Even during the early stages of the epidemic, the disproportionate impact on the poor, on […]
American Playwright William Saroyan once said, “A man’s [or woman’s] ethnic identity has more to do with a personal awareness than with geography”. This is doubly true with Hispanics. Unintentionally, by choosing the descriptor “Hispanic” in the title of this post, I am making a personal choice as […]
Psychology is my professional field. Politics is my hobby. I’m a political news junkie and can name obscure pundits the way most sports fans can name the entire bench of the New York Knicks. This being an election year, I can essentially mainline my addiction. Yesterday, Republican presidential […]