Née Marisa [Muh-rEE-suh], only her family calls her that. You can call her Marisa [Muh-rih-suh]. Just like Tomei. Confused? Don't ask. Just accept.

Copy editor, writer, self-taught photographer, book artist, calligrapher, masters swimmer, working vacationist, slow travel advocate, wannabe polyglot, Franco-, Italo-, and overall Europhile, bona fide California girl,  Berkeley born and raised, UCLA alum, absolutely Oaklandish, Nikon faithful, Lensbaby Composer pro, a sucker for sweets and even moreso for cats, not a dog person, but thinks corgies, pugs, and pomeranians are the cat's pajamas, can still laugh aloud at Seinfeld reruns she’s seen a gazillion times and counting and loves Larry David, but not like that, believes Indian cuisine to be the best available, is routinely mistaken for ethnicities she’s not and actively encourages a kama’aina myth when in Hawaii for the lovely local discounts, dreams of seeing the Seychelles, taking a year to explore Italy and another to tour the many outposts of the once mighty Republic of Venice before teleporting to Ancient Egypt for a spell to meet Queen Hatshepsut and Egypt’s long list of other legendary grande dames.

My first and last cute passport photo.