About Beauty Standards

Nothing makes me chuckle in quite the same way as the ongoing discussion around beauty standards. No one can seem to figure out who sets the standards and is thus in charge of our perpetual inability to meet them.  It used to be the magazines. When I was growing up, the magazines were the way you found out who was beautiful and what the beautiful people were doing.  No one knew about Photoshop then. The most we had heard was that some photos of beautiful people in magazines could have been edited. But, this wasn’t…

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I’m So Glad Julie Andrews Swears

Some of the best news the rest of us plebeians could have ever received has been leaking this fall as Julie Andrews makes the publicity rounds for her new book Home Work. Maybe you haven’t been paying attention so here it is: Julie Andrews swears. A lot. I would hardly believe it either if I hadn’t heard it myself, but I can report that I have personally heard Julie Andrews swear in the flesh. I heard her say damn and I heard her say ass. Yes, yes, we’re all thinking the same thing: what a…

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My Sister’s Watermelon Salad

A few years ago my sister found a recipe for watermelon salad that sounds almost unappetizing but is surprisingly refreshing. Its simplicity and charm make it a delightful addition to any summer party.  I’m no food blogger so I’ll put the recipe right at the top: To make it, you simply need to cube the meat of a watermelon and mix that with crumbled feta, finely chopped red onions and fresh mint. My sister takes the presentation a step further by scooping the watermelon with a cookie dough dropper so it comes out in perfectly…

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My Casual Trip to the North Korean Border

They didn't let us take photos. No video either. "Yesterday," said our guide, "someone tried to sketch a drawing of what they saw." So during my turn to see North Korea with my own eyes, they made another rule -- no notebooks. "If you get caught with a camera," said our guide, "I don't know you." Discreetly I slid both my phones, which I had been harboring in my pocket, back into my bag. I left the bag on the bus. Korea has been divided at the 38th parallel since 1953 and we all know…

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What the Winter Olympics have been like so far

Already two separate Koreans have complimented me on my chopstick skills. If the rest of the trip winds up a bust I have this much to hold on to, which might not seem like a lot but wait until it happens to you. When a Asian in Asia compliments you on how you use chopsticks it turns your day around, let me tell you that. As a whole, the Koreans are just about the most friendly people you might encounter. They at least give Canadians a strong run for their money in the friendliness department.…

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Oops I Cut My Hair Quite Short

Getting a haircut before a big event is always risky, but I decided this year to tempt fate. It was four days before my birthday and I needed a trim. This would seem like an inconsequential haircut to many but is known to long-haired girls everywhere as a white-knuckled adventure because, as I’ve come to confirm, when some hairdressers hear the word trim what they’re really envisioning is a chance to sculpt their masterpiece. Twenty-nine years worth of carefully supervised trims, where I didn’t let my vigilance in the barber’s chair slip for a second,…

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You Should Check Me Out In USA Today!

I am in USA Today. Yes, yes, me! I wrote a thing and USA Today picked it up and you should read that thing. It is about the date that James Corden set me up on — a video which you can watch (if you haven't already) on the USA Today article. At first I thought I would never get a date again — but plenty of men have been messaging me after this article appeared so I'm feeling much better about my chances now. Check it out.... you can read it here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2017/05/09/james-corden-fixed-me-up-on-a-date/314570001/ More updates…

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