given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you want as a dinner guest?

In my family, the parental dynamics were subverted. My mother had a two-hour commute by train and often worked overtime. The generous paychecks from her prestigious architecture firm made her the breadwinner of the house, a status that she later came to regret for how it impacted her relationships with her children. In contrast, my father’s work was... (read more)

if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?

A few burning questions come to mind immediately. What would my life be like if I hadn’t gotten hospitalized when I was younger? Aside from a speech impediment in early childhood, I had a fairly normal life until a week from my eighth birthday. At my annual physical check-up, the nurse found something funny about my blood pressure. She called a doctor... (read more)

what is your most terrible memory?

I had a dream of a flute. It was a shitty tune, worse than my sister’s recorder rendition of Hot Cross Buns, and I turned to yell at whatever dingus was piping on that flute. I couldn’t see anyone in the darkness, but then I realized my eyes were closed. I opened my eyes to a yellow room. There were faint swirls of smoke curling around me. My eyes traced their... (read more)