by Stephanie Block Where were you on 9/11? I know where I was- on a secret trip to NYC. It didn’t stay secret very long… Crack, crack. Boom, boom. The pyrotechnic canons exploding to Slash’s guitar solo at the 30th Anniversary Michael Jackson concert at Madison Square Gardens? Actually, sadly, the onomatopoetic explanation detailed, to…
by Stephanie Block It’s that time of year again, to say good-bye to good, old 5764 and welcome 5765. It’s the Jewish New Year! The Jewish calendar is a little bit at odds with the Gregorians of the world- it leans lunar, so each year we have to chase down our dates and match them…
by Stephanie Block I was wide awake at five a.m., but my body felt like lead. I’d been like that song, tossing and turning all night. In quiet desperation, I called United Airlines to see if I could get on a later flight. The noon non-stop to Philadelphia was wide open, they said, and I…
Everyone says, “You lived in Japan? Well did you see that movie, Lost in Translation??” People look at me expectantly, waiting for me to confirm real life against their movie version of what living in Japan must be like. And I admit, there are some similarities. Like Charlotte, I, too, followed my love to Tokyo….
by Stephanie Block Hanukkah, Hanukah, Chanukah… what are you? Are you more than just a Christmas consolation prize? The Jews must really be G-d’s Chosen People if they get eight whole days of presents, am I right? The origins of Hanukah date back to those warring days of yore, when the Middle East was a…
It was a bold idea to tempt fate and risk the mixture—New Years and a clean slate on the one hand, and my ex-fiancé on the other. Wouldn’t it have been safer to stay in San Francisco with my friends for New Years? Gone to the same old places? Seen the same old faces? Why…
by Stephanie Block I wouldn’t have met him if it weren’t for my Jimmy Choos. They were my first pair, and the first time I ever dared to wear them was at Jimmy’z nightclub in Monte Carlo. They were black, they were high, and they were christened with delicate, silver disco balls across the toe…