I am so proud of my daughter, Riva, I can burst. — I am so proud of my daughter, Riva, I can burst. Riva was always an easy-going kid, more worried about others than herself. When she was 12 years old and thought about being an orthodontist, her father and I thought, “Naturally, this makes sense. Take care of people’s teeth.” Now…

How do you reconcile Charles Dickens, one of the greatest writers ever, with the fact that he was a virulent anti-Semite? I struggle with… — How do you reconcile Charles Dickens, one of the greatest writers ever, with the fact that he was a virulent anti-Semite? I struggle with this concept every day, because near my computer there are two books by Charles Dickens: David Copperfield and Bleak House. …

I believe that snobbery has its place. In some ways, I, too, am a snob. Some people are just my intellectual inferiors, I’ll just say it… — I believe that snobbery has its place. In some ways, I, too, am a snob. Some people are just my intellectual inferiors, I’ll just say it to their faces. Bitch, please, life is too short to spend it in the company of stupid people. Some chocolate, anything under 60% dark…

It’s funny to think about, but if I knew that if I could go back in time and change absolutely nothing but solve a tiny personal mystery… — It’s funny to think about, but if I knew that if I could go back in time and change absolutely nothing but solve a tiny personal mystery, there is one puzzling thing I’d like to clear up. I was in high school, at the time of this memory. I was…

By now, we can all agree on one thing — the language we use matters. Precision of the language we use matters. And for fuck’s sake, let’s… — By now, we can all agree on one thing — the language we use matters. Precision of the language we use matters. And for fuck’s sake, let’s us stop being so hypocritical! Recently, the rock band Foo Fighters’ drummer, Taylor Hawkins, died of a (probably accidental) drug overdose. It was…

I have a friend who is a vegetarian. She readily admits that she became one in college, but kicking and screaming all the way, and purely… — I have a friend who is a vegetarian. She readily admits that she became one in college, but kicking and screaming all the way, and purely for health reasons. After many years, for her, continuing to eat a vegetarian diet is a combination of both health and ethical reasons. The…

I’m feeling the effect of stress in living in this world. I feel like a vibrating tuning fork, on the edge of a precipice. One more… — I’m feeling the effect of stress in living in this world. I feel like a vibrating tuning fork, on the edge of a precipice. One more seismic shift, and I’ll fall of into the abyss. And no one knows what’s in the abyss, the name alone is terrifying in its…

Today, my sister-in-law, Amy had to say good-bye to one of her beautiful, sweet, good little dogs, Molly. Molly was a miniature greyhound… — Today, my sister-in-law, Amy had to say good-bye to one of her beautiful, sweet, good little dogs, Molly. Molly was a miniature greyhound mix, a rescue, who when Amy got her, was scared of the wind because she had never felt it before — had never been out for walks…

Sometimes you go along in life, and everything is the same old, same old. And then, BAM!, you find something different about someone you… — Sometimes you go along in life, and everything is the same old, same old. And then, BAM!, you find something different about someone you thought you knew everything about, and the earth tilts a little bit off its axis for a moment. I was minding my own business today, when…