Columbus Day and Election Day: Which is Worse?
It seems only fitting that one of our most fucked-up days as a nation (the second 2016 presidential debate) directly proceeded one of our other most…
Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the Language of Massacre
On December 28, 1890, the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment intercepted a group of Lakota Native Americans en route to South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Agency and escorted…
Why The Jungle Book is “Better than the Circus”
The thing about kids is that they require constant vigilance. You have to be forever one step ahead of them, and you have to assess all…
Don’t Like Guns? Well, just go to a Private School!
Okay, let’s take a quick break from weddings and talk about something that’s, you know, actually important. This time last week, as I was a driving…
Rosaries and Ovaries: Standing for Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia
Well, that did not go according plan. I was sitting in Planned Parenthood, waiting for my annual exam and even though I had a great new…
The Pope-Pocalypse
It’s almost here: the arrival of Pope Francis in the City the Brotherly Love. And in case you forget, I-95 is just brimming with billboards to…
Discovering Poisonwood, with a little help from my future MIL
Sometimes, when I read a good book, I find myself seriously freaking out. It’s like, “How have I lived this long without having read this book…
The Big, White (Guilt) Wedding
Okay, I’ll be honest with you. Yesterday’s weekend wedding planning index left off one rather important figure… Number of times I started crying, even though I…
My Beautifully Kondo-ified Closet
For those of you (to quote my mother) “who live in the Stone Age and don’t know what Kondo-ing is,” I’m referring to the “Japanese art…
The Plague of Stuff: We Buy, Who Pays?
Towards the end of every semester, I ask my anthropology students to conduct an inventory of their closets. It is both a nod to In Small…
Homo Bridezilla: Some Thoughts on the Origin of a Species
Last Wednesday, I asked all of you to share your thoughts on the modern American wedding and why so many of us lose our minds the…
Fieldwork in Stilettos 