Catherine Gigante-Brown

The Daily News quoted one painted lady as saying, “People come up to us sometimes and say what we do is disgusting,” she said. “But what is disgusting about the female body? They shield their kids sometimes, and I think, ‘Kids come from the female body.’”

You learn a lot about people when you live in their home. The Taylors seemed to lead a joyless, Spartan existence.

TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) has been around for at least five centuries –– there’s got to be something to it.

At first, I felt like an abandoned ten-year-old, dropped off at a remote summer camp—with the extra added attraction of no cell phone reception or Wi-Fi. I thought the hardest part of the weekend was going to be picking out a robe. Boy, was I wrong!

The Ultimate Counter Culture Diva

To the tattoo artist, I was a flesh canvas that she could transform into something beautiful.

I try. I really do. But whenever I attempt to embrace my husband Peter’s Cuban culture, I always screw up.

I sat obediently in her chair atop four ancient copies of the Yellow Pages. Crossing my fingers, I prayed Catholic schoolgirl prayers.

I thought cancer was behind me. Until I had a weird pain near my left ovary which lasted for several days. It felt a lot like ovulation...Only, at 56, that train had left the station a long time ago.

I realized my father was from a generation that never said those three little words. He was saying he loved me without them. But I didn't realize it then.