Living on the Water

When Aislyn Greene and Jeannie Cruz decided to buy a home last summer in the San Francisco area, they knew the suburbs wouldn’t be right for them. But they also quickly realized that living in a city center in the kind of home they wanted was way out of their budget. “We were depressed and…

We Live in Packs

SAN FRANCISCO — Men are dogs, some more so than others. There are those, for example, who wear puppy hoods, harnesses, chain collars and tails while out and about. Sometimes they appear in packs. While hardly as mainstream as walking the red carpet with kink-adjacent accouterments, dressing up doggy style has become more visible in…

Ties: Out to Lunch

My husband’s heart condition is worsening. His diabetes goes uncontrolled, we are losing the house we have lived in for more than 30 years, and dementia prevents him from discussing any of it. I leave him with a health aide and escape for lunch. I stand in line behind a man with thick gray hair…

Durable, Adaptable Cork

BERLIN — In Berlin, the architectural firm Rundzwei recently completed a residential project called the Korkenzieher Haus, or Corkscrew House. Shaped by strict size regulations, the four-bedroom, four-bath home features a staggered spatial arrangement with a sunken lower level including the master bedroom with direct access to an outdoor lap pool. A sculptural central staircase…

Cavities? Blame Nurture, Not Nature

Environmental factors are more important than genetics in determining who gets cavities, a new study reports. Australian researchers recruited 250 twin pairs when their mothers were still pregnant. They collected health and demographic data on them at 24 and 36 months’ gestational age, at birth, and at age 18 months. When they were 6 years…