Published in March 2024

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Here is a roundup of my articles that published in March. I hope you find something to enjoy.

Earth911

Going, Going, Gone: Endangered Species Lost in 2023

Killer Beauty: The Hidden Dangers of Personal Care Products

Taking the Train for Sustainable Travel

A Day for Zero Waste

Hurricanes 101: Preparing For The Power Of Extreme Weather

Reprints

The Complicated Choices in a Cup of Coffee

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ParentMap

Super Seattle-Area Spring Break Camps

The Community Connectors: Ubuntu Nerudo

Reprints

Practical Ways to Get Closer to a Zero-Waste Household

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Seattle Times

Seattle dance group launches new international exchange program

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Reading Down a Crooked Road

I finished 13 books in March, including rereading several volumes of one my favorite manga series, Library Wars, in which the Japanese library system militarizes to protect itself from federal censorship. I also continued with the The Witcher series and Jeannie Lin’s incredibly well-researched Pingkang Li Mystery series set in Tang Dynasty Chang’an. But it wasn’t all series – I also read a volume of translated poetry by Zhang Er, the librettist for the excellent opera Tacoma Method. And I finally got around to reading something by Michael Ondaatje – Warlight. And as much as I love my genre fiction, was reminded that there really is a higher bar for literary fiction. I didn’t make it to any new bookstores in March, but next time I do, I’ll be keeping an eye out for Ondaatje’s backlist.

It was a good month for reading subtitles, too. I watched the K-drama Castaway Diva, which did a wonderful job making a ridiculous premise feel down-to-earth. I came away from it thinking about the very real social issues it addressed and kind of forgetting about the wilder aspects of the story.

And my daughter is taking a Bollywood class at UW. I’ve already seen most of the films on the syllabus, but I’m following along to refresh my memory so we can talk about them. In March I rewatched Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. I saw it when it was new, but in the decades since, it merged in my memory with another movie where Amitabh Bachchan plays the problematic adoptive father of one of the three Khans of the 90s, so it was a helpful refresher. Plus, I had forgotten that this was the movie that introduced me to Hrithik Roshan.

And that’s March in the books.