LONDON — My father passed away last December. In his final months, he wasn’t the dad I’d known — always terrifically absorbed in anything that came up in conversation. Regardless of whom he was talking to, he would find something genuinely engrossing, an opportunity to learn a fact or communicate one. He also lost his…
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For a cook in the 18th century, the recipe for poundcake was obvious from its name: a pound each of butter, eggs, sugar and flour, beaten together and baked until done. Golden-topped, rich and flavored with a splash of rosewater or dash of mace, it was the tight-crumbed grandparent of every butter cake we bake…
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Dr. Simone Blaser and Vincent Houzé had only been dating for two months when a New York Times photographer snapped a photo of them in mid-embrace at Storm King Art Center, an open-air museum in Mountainville, N.Y., that features one of the country’s largest collections of contemporary outdoor sculptures. Neither can remember what warranted that…
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“Destiny is a series of detours.” Those words rang loud, clear and oh-so-true to Ronald Longe, 52, and his partner, Sunil Oommen, 44, who began dating in August 2018, a year after the death of Mr. Longe’s husband. “That was an extremely painful detour for Ron, a deep loss that changed the path of his…
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Send questions about the office, money, careers and work-life balance to workfriend@nytimes.com. Include your name and location, or a request to remain anonymous. Letters may be edited. This Bridge Called My Back I work for a successful, fast-growing technology company. There are times when some corporate “crisis” requires that a number of us lean in…
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Like many, the model Naomi Shimada has been using the extra time at home during the pandemic as a chance to pause and reflect on what really matters to her. Usually traveling the world for work in a blur of hotels and suitcases, Ms. Shimada, 33, has instead been spending her days in London applying…
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He is no longer “Uncle Joe.” Joseph R. Biden Jr., now officially the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, has dabbled in various imagery over the years, including working class champion and regular guy. But the one that has always stuck, and that followed him onto the campaign trail earlier this year, was that endearing and…
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The coronavirus pandemic upended the wedding plans of Miranda Wickham and Enver Candan, as it did for so many couples, yet if it hadn’t been for the virus, Ms. Wickham might not have been there to badger her fiancé to seek the medical treatment that may have saved his life. And she definitely wouldn’t have…
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In 1994, John Tierney followed Helen Fisher around the American Museum of Natural History, hoping she could put the Manhattan singles scene into perspective for him. She came through solidly. “I’ve been quoting her since then, for decades,” he said. “Helen always has something smart and quotable to say on love.” Dr. Fisher, an author,…
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Katherine Desmond was the local in a group of engineering interns at DuPont, the chemical company in Wilmington, Del., when she and Pedro Henrique Martins met in 2014. After the two initially met at a luncheon, Ms. Desmond, who grew up in Wilmington and whose mother retired as the chief financial officer of DuPont, made…
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