Aside from the fact that Lucca’s Jewish maternal grandma is a vegan animal rights activist (which is a whole cultural group in it’s own), “bubbe’s” chicken soup has been trumped by avó’s (Grandma in Portuguese, for Lucca’s paternal grandma) Brazilian cha (tea), simply because it works better to fend off the common cold, or flu,…
DetailsI love to talk about how to adapt when moving from one culture to the other in terms of international cultures/countries. But lunch yesterday with a colleague moving to Chicago, cold turkey, on her own, this weekend, (she is an amazing, dynamic woman—follow her journey here) had me thinking about the top 10 things that…
DetailsThe back of my business card says “Is your message getting lost in translation from English to English?” Sometimes that can mean cultural differences but more often it has to do with areas of expertise or your industry…as in “I speak Engineer.” In this case I was co-writing a blog post with a client who…
DetailsThis is a true story…President Obama is going to trek through the Alaskan wilderness with survival expert Bear Grylls for a special edition of his Reality TV show Running Wild. After a moment’s gut reaction of ‘can he do that?’ (He’s the President…he can do anything), I realize it’s a brilliant way to talk about…
Details“Simple Rules during an argument: If you are losing, begin to correct the Portuguese errors of the other person.” Remember as a kid if you knew you were losing a fight and were grasping at straws for something to say, and came up with “Well, your mom dresses you funny too!” Now, as an adult…
DetailsI find when I start to write about something else, it often comes home to me being the hero of the story. For example, this is really a piece about how nice it would be for everyone to adapt the “Family First” sentiment that is part of Hispanic culture to the United States. But, as…
DetailsPhoto Credit: Spencer Stone in The Telegraph I vaguely heard about the three American’s who thwarted a gun attack on a high-speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris as it unfolded on Sunday. The radio was on, but so was the blender, but I heard enough to send me on a fantasy of tripping gunmen,…
DetailsRunning errands this morning I heard about the looming baguette shortage in France and it reminded me that sometimes it’s okay to grow up and turn into your mother. Wait…there were a few steps in between. 1. The looming baguette shortage, led to 2.) thinking about all of the baguette I ate traipsing around Paris…
DetailsI’m travelling in Paris with my mom this week for her 80th birthday. And, for her birthday, it’s not just accompanying her on her dream to see Paris and making sure she doesn’t trip on the brick sidewalk and break a hip, it’s about accepting her fully and joyfully with her full regalia of predilections…
Details(This post originally appeared 9/2013.) A review of recent photos from road trips with my son Lucca has yielded a certain theme. Let me give you a sampling: World’s Largest Toilet, Columbus, IN, August, 2013 Shit Fountain, Chicago, IL Special Birthday Outing, April 2013 Crapo Park, Burlington, IA March 2013 Aside from me clearly being…
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