Finding Courage During Challenging Times
globe

Check out my op-ed “Finding Courage During Challenging Times” published by PRsay and pasted below.

In a blog post published last month, PRSA’s Los Angeles Chapter President Marisol Barrios Perez, APR, wrote, “I urge our PR community to do what we do best: Raise our voices. Because when we speak together — with purpose, with clarity and with courage — we shape the narrative. And we stand on the right side of history.”

Indeed, these are unprecedented times that call for unprecedented measures. Just a glimpse at the last six months in Los Angeles, where I live, is telling. January started with the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in the state’s history. In early June, the president sent the National Guard and Marines to our streets, exchanging insults and accusations with California Gov. Newsom in the process. With a softening job market, an uncertain economy and a fragile geopolitical climate, it’s enough to make you want to hide under the covers and wait for calmer days.

And yet, as Barrios Perez reminds us, we are the truth tellers. From standing up to reverse the climate crisis to speaking out against authoritarian regimes, now’s the time for us to act courageously.

But what does “courage” even entail, and how can we invoke it within ourselves and each other? Here are a few ideas I find helpful when trying to act courageously.

Courage is within you — and eager to be unleashed.

(more…)

#ceasefireforgazanow and forever 🍉🍉🍉
@cabotcove.bg STOP BOMBING GAZA STOP OCCUPATION Picture of a woman wearing a red hijab with her right fist in the air.

If the US president thinks we have $105 billion to fuel another forever war, then we can find at least 105 billion ways to stop it. Here are some resources for being part of the movements calling for a #ceasefireforgazanow and to #freepalestine.

Last updated Dec. 3, 2023

Contact every day all these lost politicos who aren’t listening

So annoying that they’re not listening, but make emailing them part of your daily routine, like brushing your teeth. Unfortunately, you have to give your name, address, phone number and email, and oddly your “prefix,” but on many of the sites remember it for the following day.

If you’re undocumented or part of a targeted group and don’t want to give the government all of your deets, then call instead of emailing. Don’t be surprised if they don’t pick up or voicemails are full or non-functioning. So we have $ for war but not to staff offices?

Follow the Palestinian Feminist Collective

Download the All Out for Palestine Digital Toolkit and share it with your networks online and in real life.

Remembering Karl Friedrich Schmid
Picture of Karl Schmid

November 11, 1937 – May 8, 2023

Karl is my uncle, married to my mother’s oldest sister, Anne, who many call “BB” and I call “Beeb.” These are just a few memories I carry of him.   

A staunch New Yorker, Karl was eager to share his love of the city. The son of German immigrants, he grew up in Queens. After an army career that kept him and his family on the move, and a stint in Ithica, he lived in Manhattan and welcomed everyone to join in on the fun. He spent the final years of his life in Los Angeles.

To know Karl, was to know New York City (NYC). To love Karl, you didn’t have to love NYC, but if you didn’t, you better not be very vocal about it. And if anyone could change your mind, it was him.

(more…)

Carrot Tops Are Not Orange

But they are edible! Who knew?

I only found out because they were in my farm box from Cal Poly Pomona, which you can buy online here. I figured if they hadn’t cut off the tops then maybe they were like beet tops, which are as yummy as Swiss chard.

So thanks to some inspiration from this recipe from The Guardian, I made a pesto sauce from the carrot tops! SO easy and delish.

Make sure to use organic as the tops get the bulk of the pesticides.

(more…)

Fresh Produce Changes Everything
14.5 pounds of fresh veggies and citrus

I feel like it’s really dramatic–and privileged–of me to say that. And yet, it’s true. Since I started picking up a box of locally-grown produce from Cal Poly Pomona, about five weeks ago, everything’s changed.

Up until now, I haven’t been part of the “eat local” movement because I live in a part of L.A. that isn’t trendy enough to access it. I was going to get Farm Fresh to You based on a friend’s recommendation but they only deliver during the night and anything left on my doorstep would be stolen before dawn.

So when Cal Poly Pomona announced it had started a “Farm Box” program that allows you to pick up CPP-grown produce for just $26–and that every purchase supports student success–I thought I’d try it out. I had no idea how much it would impact my life.

(more…)

This is not a food blog
Picture of the author laying on the couch with her dog lying on top of her. The author smiles at the camera and is wearing an apron.
Molly snuggles up on me for a post-cooking and eating nap. My mom sewed the apron I’m wearing as a Christmas gift for my honey years ago. Little did we know I would be the one using it!

I’ve spent most of the last year in my house due to COVID-19. I didn’t expect to become part of the trend of folks learning to cook during the pandemic, but eventually I got sick of the same old plates and eating takeout all the time was not an option. (more…)