Who’s really in charge here? — New York City is a gigantic experiment. An island of stimuli and learned responses, one of which involves my ankles. It doesn’t matter what is moving near them. A balled-up newspaper. Or dried leaves. Or crumpled foil wrappers. Or torn caution tape. Or Chinese takeout menus. Or tear-away strips from…

Taking care of yourself is a kindness to others — It’s Halloween and I’m on the F train, dressed as Ziggy Stardust. A woman plants her phone inches from my face, the flash firing before I can protest. Her pupils are dilated and she’s dripping with mismatched tote bags, like an adjunct without an office. …

Field notes from the day Biden won the election — “Where were you when you found out Biden had won?” I was drinking coffee in my apartment, watching The Great British Bake Off. I was wearing an XXL t-shirt advertising Brooklyn Brewery’s Defender IPA (a limited edition beer made for Comic-Con) and Christmas pajama pants. I was confused. I heard…

If you’re single, abandon your standards, commit to the nearest healthy body and try these tips — Cuffing Season has come to a close, but Coronavirus Season is just getting started. Similar to Cuffing Season, Coronavirus Season is a period of time where people are quick to jump into relationships. Why? The forecast is depressing, serial dating is too germy, and the only sanitary place to hang…

Tidy, contained God is easier to worship, but crumbles in the presence of my big, nuanced problems — I’m at a festival in Allihies, Ireland. To the left of us are houses painted gumball pink, blue, yellow and green. To the right is endless sea. People spill out from steamy pubs onto the street, forming a semicircle around musicians playing classic Irish ballads like “Stairway to Heaven” and…

Thoughts on how annoying it is to have a uterus — Periods are really en vogue right now. There’s chic, absorbent underwear you bleed all over on purpose! Fancy subscription services that deliver 100% organic tampons to your front porch! Sleek phone apps that track your cycle via colorful flowcharts! It’s as if menstruation is the new It Girl and we’ve…

Don’t call it a muumuu. It’s a Summer Sack and you’re going to be begging for one come August — Normally, I don’t fall hard for fashion trends, but this summer’s proliferation of maxis influenced by low-key California Cool has produced a slew of beachy, shapeless dresses I’m ready to share my life with. Some might call them muumuus. I have chosen to lovingly refer to them as Summer Sacks. …

Some people think these identities are in conflict with each other — “What’s your take on gender roles in Christian relationships?” I choked on the whisky I had been sipping. The question was casually posed by a guy I met on Hinge. Initially, I had been looking forward to meeting him. …