Category Archives: Personal Essays

Childbirth is not an abstraction. Why do I even need to point this out?

This refers to an interview I gave earlier – one that, I hope, won’t be published, because it was all kinds of whack. Let’s just say that it was for a Scandinavian publication that bills itself as women-oriented. The person who interviewed me is welcome to respond in the commenting section, but something tells meContinue reading “Childbirth is not an abstraction. Why do I even need to point this out?”

What hath mommyhood wrought?

Nowadays, a modern person has to be careful about implying that there is anything “unique” about motherhood. After all, you don’t want to imply that someone who is not a mother, or else not a mother in the traditional sense, has somehow been deprived of a unique experience. The physiological aspects of traditional motherhood –Continue reading “What hath mommyhood wrought?”

Beautiful people: pretty pictures of women I’m related to, a.k.a. hipsters back in the USSR

I’ve been digging around my family history – the sad chapters of it, mostly. When you’re trying to understand some things about the present, the past can be a helpful place to start. Then Yuri Nifatov, a family friend, contacted me and let me have a look at his archive. It features a lot ofContinue reading “Beautiful people: pretty pictures of women I’m related to, a.k.a. hipsters back in the USSR”

Lisa Taddeo, cheating, power and sexy ladies!*

* – I mostly just threw in that last bit for the hysterical Google search terms that will show up in my stats. Maybe. I have no idea who Lisa Taddeo is, first of all. The fact that I’m even blogging about her just shows you how derivative the Internet is. A friend sends aContinue reading “Lisa Taddeo, cheating, power and sexy ladies!*”