Death Tag

Dear Club Member, I’ve been where you are before, but you’re there now and that’s what matters.  We are members of a club that does not discriminate, but no one wants to be included.  I remember telling you I was part of this club only to have you look at me with compassion and forgiving eyes, but telling you I hope you don’t have to join for a million lifetimes.  But you’re here, with me by your side, wishing we were anywhere but here. We stand side-by-side because one parentRead More

The holiday season is here, and, for many of us, that means going home to the places and the people that have been watching us grow up. Returning home means running into everyone I never wanted to see again at one of the five bars in my hometown and having to relearn how to drive a car after months of walking and taking the subway. It means getting to eat my mom’s bombass breakfasts and snuggle with my cat whenever he lets me. It means spending every second with myRead More

I first met my former roommate’s pet parakeet when I came home late from work one night. I entered my apartment sometime around midnight to the sound of birds chirping like I was in a goddamn rain forest, a fully-lit kitchen/living room area, and a tiny blue and yellow avian fella perched in a cage placed atop a table. He was chirping and staring at me, blinking expectantly. My roommate had already gone to bed, so I was unsure of how to proceed re: introducing myself to the newest additionRead More

What is to be said about a man so heavily spoken for? Whether his family, friends or famous reputation; anywhere you go the mention of George Boisson, also known as King, leads to conversations and stories of an impressive legacy. It was the kind of impressive legacy that leads one to believe that perhaps King was not just a nickname but some form of actual royalty. What can be said about a man so widely respected? The greatest people are always the hardest to honor. Not much can be saidRead More

I write. I give speeches. I have no fear in speaking in public, and that it because of one speech that I had to deliver at the worst time of my life. Let me explain: When I graduated from high school in 2009, my mother asked me to join a Toastmasters club with her. Toastmasters is a club for people who want to learn and improve on leadership and public speaking skills. I was 18, barely eligible to join, and learned quite a bit while there. Also that year, myRead More

On September 4th, 2014 at 1:17 pm EST, a comic legend died.  Joan Rivers was 81 when she peacefully passed away from throat surgery complications.  Just a few nights prior, she was doing stand-up for fans at a Q&A event.  Until the day she died, she flew from NYC to LA every week, hosting the popular E! show, Fashion Police.  She coined the widely popular phrase, “Who are you wearing?”  and was unforgettably influential in the entertainment industry.  Joan Rivers was incredibly unique from the inside out.  Love her or hate her,Read More

It’s our anniversary but I’m experiencing it without you. August 18th marks the day we parted ways; you for a destination that people consider to be a “better place,” and me to a place that I have not found yet. I hope your taste buds are delighting in a huge bowl of ice cream right now because that was our sacred ritual. Honestly, ice cream makes everything better; if only we could be savoring each bite with one another the way we used to do. Our separation was one ofRead More

It’s been a rough week. Not the roughest I’ve ever had, and lord knows there will probably, unfortunately be rougher ones in the future, but it has been a difficult week nonetheless. There are times in life when we are harshly reminded of the fragility, the absolute ephemerality of this existence we so often take for granted, and we are jolted into the recognizance of our own mortality. It’s jarring really. It’s never expected, it’s impossible to prepare for, it’s never easier no matter how many times it happens: whenRead More