The other night I friended the first boy who ever kissed me. Five minutes later my sister’s high school boyfriend friended me. In real life, I’m a staid 51-year-old who spends my days mostly alone, writing at my computer. But ever since social networking became my favorite form of procrastination, I’ve felt as flighty and distracted as a 14-year-old.... Read more

There's a well-worn joke that summarizes Jewish holidays in nine words: "They tried to kill us. We survived. Let's eat." It's sort of true. On Chanukah we memorialize the Maccabees' triumphant revolt against the forces of Emperor Antiochus by eating potato latkes. On Purim we celebrate the lifting of a death decree against Jews in Persia with triangular poppy-seed pastries. Passover has a slightly different spin, commemorating the Israelite slaves' deliverance from Pharaoh's pursuing charioteers with an elaborate ceremonial meal — and an eight-day regime of special dietary restrictions.... Read more

I always assumed that I would die in Burlington. Sometimes during idle moments I’d find myself daydreaming about my own funeral, running through a roster of possible guests: friends and neighbors, synagogue members, political allies and adversaries, colleagues from my work and my husband’s. I wasn’t so much being morbid — well, OK, maybe there was that, too — as I was expressing satisfaction at being so deeply rooted in this community; acknowledging how assuredly this place has become my home.... Read more

Five female friends are gathered in a Burlington apartment on a weeknight evening. At one end of the living room, a table holds bottles of soda, bowls of salsa and chips, and a platter of veggies. But the real focus of attention is a display of tubes and jars. They might be confused with ordinary moisturizers and cosmetics if it weren't for their labels: Fresh & Frisky, Tingling Tootsies, Lickety Lube. This is a "Passion Party," part of a growing trend: women selling one another sex toys, Tupperware-style, at parties in private homes.... Read more

Lunchtime is an important ingredient in Kiki Pritchard's work, even though her job has nothing to do with food. As administrator of the University of Vermont's philosophy department, she sits at a desk in the former living room of the old house the department calls home - and homey it is. Every day "at 12 on the dot," Pritchard says, the faculty settles into comfy chairs around her desk. "Lunch is a huge part of this department's congeniality." It's a ritual not to be rushed. The meal "lasts generally an hour and a half," she adds.... Read more

Barre children's author Katherine Paterson has been busy. The big-screen version of her 1977 Newbery Award-winning novel Bridge to Terabithia opens at 3100 theaters on Friday. A pre-screening publicity tour has taken her to Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City.... Read more

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The same maxim holds true for women. How else to explain the Valentine's Day rush for restaurant reservations? Seven Days' online dining guide, 7 Nights, offers insights into dining options around the area. We culled the roster for some of the area's most romantic dining destinations, and asked the chefs to recommend dishes for a special date. Everyone agreed that sharing just about anything edible is guaranteed to increase intimacy. Eating it raw is another erotic option.... Read more

How do you get your bearings with a menu that includes brie and caramelized onion quesadilla, ratatouille risotto, Southwest chicken Caesar salad and spicy tuna sushi? At Tilley's Café, newly opened at the former Coyote's Café site in downtown Burlington, the food is all over the map. Co-owners Newcomb Munt and Suzanne Johnson call it "Uncharted Cuisine."
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MUSIC (01.24.07)

Talk about organ donation. When the instrument that made Sunday mornings musical at Burlington's Universalist Unitarian Society for 50-plus years was approaching its last stop, church officials passed the plate. At a single Sunday morning service in November 2005, they raised more than $400,000 - enough to install what U.U. organist Jack Austin calls "the best developed American Classic design organ in Vermont, surely, and possibly in New England."... Read more

Stuff that happens in your personal life you can't keep out of your work," says Stephen Goldberg. The gritty Burlington playwright - who played jazz trumpet in New York City for 25 years before turning to the theater in Vermont - has staged more than 20 original plays. He's known for his difficult, down-and-out characters and his un-sanitized take on the human condition.... Read more