Nu Asian

"Over the past 18 years, an entire generation of Asian Americans has come of age. And while the world that they've inherited has been radically transformed, the dialogue we're engaged in around what it means to be Asian American has remained frozen in place -- obsessed with issues and ideas that aren't just out of sync with the next generation's interests and priorities, but completely out of touch with their reality.My generation bristled at any...

Penance St. Croix

A "twixter" is someone who is trapped between adolescence and adulthood. A "boomerang baby" is a young adult, usually a recent college graduate, who returns home to their parents. Somewhat similar to that, a boomerang baby in Japan is called a "parasite single," but they use the term to indicate single men and women who live with their parents so that they can enjoy a comfortable and carefree life. Plus housing in Japan is just scarce.Isn't it...

The Warrior

When Paul Pierce's career is over, will his number rise to the rafters in-between Larry Bird's #33 and Reggie Lewis' #35? Even if the Celtics never win a championship during his career, Pierce has proved himself to be one of the best players of his generation.Because the Celtics have been bad for so long, it's easy to dismiss Pierce as a franchise guy who couldn't quite carry a team. Look at his career accomplishments so far though. In ten years,...

Stuff I've Been Reading 6

BOOKS READ:Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom - Cory DoctorowLullaby - Chuck PalahniukWriting Down the Bones - Natalie GoldbergHow To Be Alone - Jonathan FranzenThe Fifties - David HalberstamSelf-Editing for Fiction Writers - Browne/KingThe Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt - ed. Ruth Andrew EllensonDo you read for entertainment or for edification? Most people mix it up between the two, and for the most part, reading a book should give you some food for thought, regardless of how trashy it might be. The problem is, as always, what to do with...

Lucy, I'm Home!

"The great strength of the Lucy show... was the mirror it held up to every married couple in America: 'Not a regular mirror that reflects the truth, nor a magic mirror that portrays fantasy. But a Coney Island kind of mirror that distorts, exaggerates and makes vastly amusing every little incident, foible, and idiosyncrasy of married life.'"-David Halberstam, The Fifti...

Let's Hear It For The Boy(s)

I feel the need to write a running diary on the crucial Game 5 between the Celtics and the Cavaliers. Larry Bird once said that Game 5 was the most important game of the series. I believe him.Before you read further, make sure you check out Bill Simmon's column on how terrible Doc Rivers is. He pretty much captures exactly what I've been feeling as I watch this Celtic team try to win a championship by losing every away game they play. It's riveting...

The Beat Generation

"They were the first to protect what they considered to be the blandness, conformity, and lack of serious social and cultural purpose in middle-class life in America. If much of the rest of the nation was enthusiastically joining the great migration to the suburbs, they consciously rejected this new life of middle-class affluence and were creating a new, alternative life-style; they were the pioneers of what would eventually become the counterculture.If other young people of their generation gloried in getting married, having children ,owning...

That's What Friends Are For

For a long time we've talked about this concept of friend's "stocks." Something happens and we make a head nod and say, "Yup, her stock is definitely at an all time high." Or "he's such a loser, I can't believe he did that. Stock way down." I know you do the same thing with your friends. Just admit it. It's similar to the concept of Whuffie from Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom I was talking about a few weeks ago.The other day, fueled by my...

If You Don't Know, Now You Know

You know when you're driving along on the freeway and you're a little tired and you think you can get away with a nano-nap because nobody's around and you're going straight for awhile anyway? Ten seconds later, you feel the thump thump of those little lane dividers that signal "Stop swerving and wake up (to avoid killing yourself)!" What are those little things called?If you knew that the answer was [highlight and/or click for the answer] Botts'...

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Curse of the Jon-bino

I've been religiously watching the NBA playoffs this season. Normally, I'll catch a few games on if I'm around but usually any excuse to get away from a TV will take me away from the game on-screen. Part of the reason is that the dominant teams of the past few years have been so boring to watch. The Spurs, Pistons, Mavericks, and just about every other contender outside of Phoenix seemed incredibly boring. Well, this year it's been a different...

Iron Man (2008)

On the short list of perfect marriages between actor and superhero, it's hard to say that Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man wouldn't top the list. Hugh Jackman is Wolverine, albeit a really tall one, and technically speaking, Downey is probably shorter than Tony Stark, but height doesn't matter in movies. Screen presence does. Downey is amazing as Stark, it's that simple, but we knew he would be. More surprising was how fun Gwyneth Paltrow is as...