charlene prince birkeland

My grandmother lived with us. She was from El Salvador and taught me how to make pupusas, tamales, and quesadilla (the bread, not the torilla with cheese). She was a talented seamstress. She loved watching novellas. And she had the softest hands. While those shared moments with her and of are some of my favorite…

Certain meditations or self-hypnosis sessions prompt one to think about the place in time that brings them the most peace, joy, contentment, all the good vibes. Words that essentially mean when you reflect, you take a full breath and exhale with a soft, warm smile. Here’s the thing: if my alternate universe were a magic…

The French Laundry, 2019, for a party of four, including my then-teenage sons. A five-hour experience culminating in a parade of desserts arriving on our table. Unreal, unexpected, and an experience embedded in my brain. The final tab exceeded $3K. Absolutely worth it.

I was a CNN intern in the San Francisco bureau in the mid 90s. It was my job to scour the dailies and look for interesting local stories that could peek national interest. The best stories were always seemingly uninteresting. You just have to be curious. I don’t scour the news anymore—not even for a…