Do one thing every day that scares you... Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own... Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

For some Chicago expats, food is the medicine that blunts the pain of separation.

When you're thinking, "Why do I have to eat Aunt Sue's casserole with potato chips crumbled on top again?" change that thought to "A couple of bites won't kill me."

The Hunger Games' isn't for everybody. But neither is 'Anna Karenina.

The first gay person I ever met was surely not the first gay person I ever met.

Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.