“I’ve always liked to do nice things for strangers. I worked in the mail room at my college dorm, and whenever I emailed a package notification, I’d always add a little something extra. Like an awesome shark pic. Or a link to Japanese jazz. Lately I’ve been doing this thing where I buy really weird antique post cards, write poems on them, and mail them to random people I find in the white pages. The first time I sent one, I added a full-page disclaimer because I was worried some old person would think it was from ISIS and call the cops. I basically wrote: ‘Don’t worry. It’s art. Everything’s cool. You won’t be hearing from me again.’”

I used to know someone who did just that.

Every day, I wonder what it would be like to live in that Glass House.

Every morning, there is a detour to my old neighborhood as I drop L., bundled up into his snowsuit, at his daycare.

I miss it too much.

Some mornings come with moments of precious and perfect stillness

I’ve noticed how so many people on this site are struggling financially (and despite everything I say on this blog, I really do not).

Reading about what it meant for the author of one of my favorite blogs, @sagansense, was truly heartbreaking.

I just wanted to put this reminder here for them – this country still does have a safety net – pretty crappy and undeserving of a wealthy country like this one, but it does exist.
For some reason, there is a stigma associated with it, but when my family came here as refugees many years ago, it was instrumental in initially getting us on our feet, to the point where we no longer qualified though it is really hard (especially for someone who doesn’t speak good English) to figure out.

Anyway, I just read about Benefitkitchen.com – and it seems like it would plug this very big hole (except of course it works only in NY and CA, for now, and is only available in English).

It’s suddenly gray and is it’s trying to snow. And it’s so cold that it’s ok for nice strangers to start talking to you about the weather on the train.