à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Dilemma
Can I Find My Own Rhythm in Uber’s Algorithm?
In the last few days I have been Uber-ing around thanks to car trouble. It’s a stopgap measure until I decide what to do. To keep my travel expenses in check, I have tried out Uber’s most economical option, the Express Pool. A rider can choose to walk a few minutes to be picked up … Continue reading
#MeToo: Thoughts on Vulnerability, Victimhood, Secrets and Privacy
During my freshman orientation at Bryn Mawr College, the resident advisor invited us into her dorm room to sit on the floor in a circle and get know each other. To break the ice and build connection, she wanted each of us to share something we were either bad at or nervous about (so I … Continue reading
Convoluted Kaddish for a Complicated Relation
[note: this post is 2-3 times longer than usual] “Oy, es iz shver tsu zayn a Yid!” — Oy, it’s hard to be a Jew The world changed in large and subtle ways in early November. The day before the U.S. election I received a short e-mail from a distant cousin in Munich. She told me that her … Continue reading
Have I Been Hiding? No, Just Writing Elsewhere
“Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.” ― D.W. Winnicott For readers who receive my blog posts via e-mail or WordPress, perhaps you’ve wondered where I’ve been. Typically I publish weekly, and occasionally less frequently, but it’s been a whopping three weeks since I last wrote something on my … Continue reading
Couched in a Dilemma
Would you part with a favorite object if someone wanted to buy it? I’m in the midst of a ruthless purge and have advertised some furniture on Craigslist. Among other items, I wish to bid farewell to a wood bench I’ve had nearly 15 years. Purchased to fit up a curving staircase and through a narrow doorway, I’ve … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
Recent comments