Dec 24, 2021If I’m Not the Runner I Was, Who Am I?I’ve been a runner my whole life. Until a year ago, I’d injured myself only once, while sliding, drunk, across a recently mopped floor. I never stretched growing up. Now, I have to do hula hoop circles to get to the bathroom in the morning. On the Nature Channel, flowers…Age4 min read
Aug 2, 2021Writing Class Ruined Me for Social ReentryOn Thursday, just after noon, I bike to Bagel Emporium. My kids are at home in their rooms, Zooming into class. Sebastian, who’s 12, may be playing Minecraft. Tashi, 17, is probably flipping through TikTok. On my way into Bagel Emporium, I bump into three moms I know from when…Mwc Reentry4 min read
Published in The Haven·Jun 18, 2021I Offer You Love, Light, and Blatherskite During this Trying TimeThank you for joining me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Clubhouse, Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, my podcast, my vlog, and in the cosmos for Love, Light, and Blatherskite. Clever, right? Did you hear the rhyme? I am not a yoga teacher, but I’ve taken an Intensive…Yoga4 min read
Jan 15, 2021Fatphobia is Real: I’m Trying to Unlearn It-One Bite at a Time | NextTribeBefore Christmas, a box came in the mail with no return address. My wife said, “This could be anthrax.” I thought: Nah, anthrax isn’t trending, and opened the box. It was baklava. Right away, I knew the real poison-sugar. I shouldn’t have eaten the baklava. I’d already had a piece…Fat4 min read
Nov 2, 2020This is how I hurt my kids by helping themBy Andrea Askowitz @andreaaskowitz Since March, since we’ve been locked down with our kids, every other Saturday is cleaning day. Our nanny hasn’t been able to come to work, so I thought I’d use this moment to teach my kids self-reliance. …Snowplowparenting6 min read
Oct 4, 2020I’ve Tried Social Media, Exercise, Weed, and Sex and Nothing’s WorkingI used to feel like I could make a difference in the world. I used to march in the streets. When I was a kid, my mom took my brother and me to March on Washington three times. For fifteen years after college, I worked full-time to help homeless people…Social Media4 min read
Oct 28, 2019№49 Bragging about books — The Writer (Published in The Writer)Someone tweeted, “Which books do you brag about reading?” I retweeted with a comment, “Every time I read a book I brag about it.” I’m not a voracious reader. I can’t believe I just wrote that. I hate the term “voracious reader.” As cliché as it is, that’s how every…Writing4 min read
Aug 9, 2019I’m 51, and I’ve Never Looked BetterEvery time I see my mom, she tells me, “Dye your hair. You look like an aging hippie.” I’m 51, and while I fear I’m aging out of a lot of things — the ability to run miles and miles without getting injured, for one — I’m not aging out…Aging5 min read
May 31, 2019№50 Year in ReviewA year ago, I turned 50. A few days before that, I saw a quote on Twitter attributed to Ray Bradbury, the author of Fahrenheit 451. He said, “Write a short story every week for a year. It’s not possible to write 52 bad stories in a row.” I didn’t…Writing5 min read
May 17, 2019№48 There Are No Permanent ConditionsLuck My mom has cancer now. I say “now” because six months ago my brother had cancer. He was lucky. He had thyroid cancer, which everyone says is the good cancer. They cut out his thyroid and some lymph nodes. Then three days of solitary confinement after swallowing radioactive iodine and…Health8 min read