I keep a journal. It’s a physical one, usually just a spiral notebook, that I scribble in with a pen. Most of the entries are snippets from books. The journal is where I collect ideas or turns of phrase that I want to revisit. I also sporadically use it to record details from my nighttime […]

Here is one of my favorite memories of one of my favorite people. And, yes, it involves Halloween. I went to college at Harvard. Freshman year, a girl who lived across the hall from me woke up on Halloween, got dressed up as a scarecrow like it was the most natural thing in the world, […]

I saw a poem in a New York Times opinion piece. It was typeset as prose, in-line. But it is most definitely a poem, so I took some liberties with the design to present it to you here: Every day, women across the country consider the risks. That is our day job and our night […]

Yesterday a dear friend told me that I am scary. Or maybe I should say she reminded me of that. She offered that reminder when I was venting about a campus committee meeting. In the esteemed group of faculty and administrators at the meeting, I found myself to be the only person who could make […]

An article in a recent issue of the American Economic Review has a big title: Gender Differences in Accepting and Receiving Requests for Tasks with Low Promotability. In our research we find that, relative to men, women are more likely to volunteer, more likely to be asked to volunteer, and more likely to accept direct […]

  Days Become Weeks Become Months Become Years

Warning: this post is about a medical issue. It might be TMI for some of you. I went to the dermatologist last fall to have her look at a spot on my arm. That spot was fine. As a thorough professional though, she took out her magnifying specs and scrutinized my skin from head to […]