Fish Wednesday, Fish Hugger Goes to Tampa Edition

It probably would have gone better for them if I’d called first. Then, I’d have had a date with the education coordinator and the two desk people and the nice guy who feeds the fish wouldn’t have been put on the spot like that. But since I hadn’t called, it was more of a spot …


…read more.

Fish Wednesday: Badgering the Server Edition

From where I sit, there are only a handful of walkable restaurants – the Waffle House, a PF Changs, something called Maggiano’s, a fancy-ish place called the Palms, a Chipotle, something else called Via! and a Mitchell’s Fish Market. I was hungry, we’re in Tampa, it’s coastal. We went with Mitchell’s. No surprises there. Mitchell’s …


…read more.

Wheelie Suitcase Blues

I’ve been doing a bit of jetting about lately, and not the most fun kind, where you suffer through the trials of coach because you’re going to spend the next two weeks – three months traveling elsewhere. Nope, this is the stuff where you’re wedged into a seat that is too small for the average …


…read more.

We Love Lucy: Field Trip to the Pacific Science Center

Lucy is 3.2 million years old. She’s tiny, a little over 3 feet tall. She’s spent most of her modern life in a secure vault in Ethiopia but she’s been let out to see the world – or to let the world see her. Which is what we did on Sunday on the first ever …


…read more.

On the Death of Joerg Haider

It’s not easy to be an American Jewish expat in Austria and if, like me, the gods that determine your fate put you in a small town, an additional layer of complication descends on your life abroad. Understanding Austrian politics is difficult if you happen to share color, religion, or basic values with your neighbors, but if you don’t, Austria becomes even more frustrating and inscrutable. I was reminded of this last night while reading of the death of Austria’s popular – and populist – Joerg Haider, a politician known for his remarks that sounded like Nazi sympathy, his willful stance against minority communities, and his good looks, among other things. Haider was drunk and going too fast on one of those windy alpine roads and now, he is no more.


…read more.