Amy Chua, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, New York:The Penguin Press, 2011. This book is a memoir, not a parenting guide. This was my repeated explanation as to why I–a single, childless, underemployed young attorney–was reading Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I was relieved to see […]
Nine years ago I received a letter in the mail dated February 14, 2003. The first line read something to the effect of “Congratulations! We’re happy to inform you that you have been accepted to the University of Michigan…” I didn’t think of the letter much when I received it. […]
When relaying the story of how I burned my nose, I mentioned that I was salvaging some vegetables. What I didn’t explain was that I had to come up with several recipes on the fly to salvage a whole bunch of fruit and veggies. My family had been on a […]
I have a hard time answering that quintessential road trip time passing question “If you had to give up one, what one sense could you live with out?” But I can answer a related question. The one sense I could not live with out is the sense of smell. Yes, […]
When I moved to Virginia three and a half years ago, I was shocked to see how nicely people dressed, all the time. Growing up in Michigan, it seemed as soon as the temperature dropped below 40 degrees, the automatic garb was jeans and a hoodie–and that was relatively dressed […]
When I visited Cuba three and a half years ago, I observed up close, for the first time, what a closed society looks like. Where there is no freedom of press, where all the news and billboards were nothing but propaganda. Though the United States does not always live up […]
I'm Ames. I hope you enjoy your time browsing my various thoughts, reflections, and experiences. I love receiving comments, so let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by!