à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Obsession
Why I’m Obsessed with the Ronell Case
There is no reason other than prurience that I should be obsessed with the case of Avital Ronell. She’s a comparative literature professor at NYU who has been suspended for a year for sexually harassing one of her graduate students, a man, who filed a complaint under Title IX. Granted, the tale has many bizarre … Continue reading
Repeat After Me: Introversion is Not a Communicable Disease
Imagine a world without the contributions of Emma Watson, J.K.Rowling, Audrey Hepburn, Rosa Parks, Meryl Streep, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein and Mahatma Gandhi, to name but a few introverts. Imagine, too, if the recently deceased Maryam Mirzhakani had been urged to emulate the American extroverted ideal by being an outgoing team player. Would she have become … Continue reading
Awareness of Feldenkrais Through…Spelling?!
Readers of this blog can spell Feldenkrais. As of last Thursday night, when it was one of two winning words in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, perhaps millions more can, too. Many of you know that I often write about it; crafting articles helps deepen my understanding, allows me share this unique modality with others and … Continue reading
When the Shoe Fits (a Man and is Vetoed by a Woman)
After finding a pair of Merrell lace ups for $20 in the clearance section of a quality shoe store, I periodically drop in to see if I might get lucky again. While those Merrells fit nicely, they are too flimsy for longer walks. The other evening I returned to look for something more substantial for my sensitive feet, which recently expanded half a size, making my already … Continue reading
Of this Daughter and “Son of Saul”
I am beginning to conclude that the past is always present. On January 11th I received a Facebook message from the mother of the Hungarian family that hosted me as a college student. “If possible,” she wrote in Hungarian, “go see ‘Son of Saul’. It just won a Golden Globe.” I Googled it. Learning that the film takes place at Auschwitz, … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
Recent comments