ArcaMax

It's never good when you get the doctor on the phone to update you on the results.

This could have been a slightly chirpy column about how this millennial went for her first mammogram. But now it's another essay about the in-between -- before answers, before action.

Thanks to the state of our medical world, I'm now waiting for an unspecified ...Read more

The other day, I had a conversation that stuck with me, not because it was unique, but because it was disturbingly common. I was speaking with a gentleman about safe use sites, places where individuals struggling with addiction can use substances under medical supervision, reducing overdoses and offering pathways to treatment. He was adamantly ...Read more

I'm sitting in a hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I feel the rumbling of a low-grade cold that soaked through my house this week, sparing me until now through intense efforts of arching away from uncovered coughs, cheek kissing the husband, and washing my hands like I'm going into surgery after I deposit a pile of snotty tissues in the trash.

I'm...Read more

There's something incredibly surreal about living through a moment that feels ripped straight out of a history book. But instead of thumbing through the black and white photos, now it's captured in high-def on TikTok.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, I found myself sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, just like I had as a kid during countless ...Read more

I'm the wifely stereotype in one aspect: I'm the one in the relationship who lets their car decay and slightly hides it from their spouse for as long as they can. Just until we have to swap cars because his gets better gas mileage for a trip. That's when I have to spill the beans: My heater stopped working, the brakes have gotten squeakier, and ...Read more

I shook off the snowflakes and put the pumpkin roll in the Christmas gift bag in the passenger seat. The snow hadn't let up as I visited with a constituent whose daughter was a baker. Neither had the emails, but they were a similar sweet gift: meeting cancellations due to inclement weather.

It meant I had time to pick up the kids with my mom as...Read more

One of the most awkward aspects of running for office was the mandate that, at some point, I would need to cold call my entire friend list and ask them for money. Gross.

I had heard that my party had an established donor list to which I should have had access as a candidate, but that list never reached me. Instead, I was given the contact info ...Read more

As the calendar winds down, I reflect on the lessons learned during my first full year as a city council member. One theme stands out: my commitment to operate in good faith, even when it hasn't always been reciprocated.

Good faith is about assuming positive intentions, engaging with openness, and striving to find common ground. It's about ...Read more

It didn't ring a bell when he rolled down his window, but it did jingle with a light thump as I eased the car forward in traffic. There went one of my car antlers, not getting run over by a reindeer but instead by the tires of other commuters behind me.

This year, it felt like the candy cane to top a lackluster holiday prep season. I'm still ...Read more

At about 4:30 in the afternoon, I started to close the first windows. There was finally a chill in the air that hadn't been there all day. I had earlier stripped off my oversized sweater stolen from my husband as I ran in and out to the trash can. It was a beautiful day that turned overcast, with rays of sun piercing the yellowed leaves that ...Read more

Since I was elected, a very official letter has repeatedly landed on my desk, announcing the upcoming naturalization ceremony and requesting my company. I had put it on my calendar twice; RSVP'd and had to decline once; but this time, I held firm that I would make it at least once this year. I needed to see it again, especially now.

The last ...Read more