I cleaned out my office for the first time in *mumble mumble*, the final act in a string of procrastinations masquerading as chores. With the help of a friend, I hung a painting which spent the last two years lying propped up against the wall of the guest bedroom. I dusted the baseboards, and then […]
I’ve just gotten my second vaccine (the technical term: a full vaxxiccino) and have been reading the CDC’s recommendations for safe summer activities for the fully vaccinated. I’m two weeks ahead of my husband, something I hold over his head because he has better abs than me and is just a better person all around, […]
I got my second vaccination shot this past weekend, spent the day after nursing a sore arm and watching television, in the throes of something not quite like a hangover. The internet told me to expect the worst, as the internet usually does. I anticipated being laid out for 48 hours. Instead I had a […]
Russia, Armenia, and Georgia might not be at the top of your average list of the best spas in the world, however all three countries offer visitors the chance to decompress amid beautiful natural environments. Visit https://visaexpress.com/russian-invitation-letter/ to get a Russian invitation for a Russian visa application. Tyumen The hot springs are located 11 km […]
Look, I am going to confess something, and as I do, please, please, please do not hurl anything heavy, because odds are, due to the pandemic and the ubiquity of the internet, we will not be in the same room, and it will not hit me. You’re just going to destroy your own computer or […]
I got my first vaccine shot on Easter Sunday, prompting all sorts of blasphemous jokes about being resurrected from lockdown, though it’ll be another five weeks (three to my next shot, and another two after that) before all those little antibodies build up. I felt fine in the aftermath, and still do now, though this […]
I’m not quite sure how to start this. it’s been a while — and by a while, I mean a year. Honestly, I’ve been putting off writing this post. I wanted to write something eloquent and touching, to summarize COVID and BLM and what it’s like to live through these times. But every time I […]
CW: This post contains mentions of death/rape threats, some graphic language, descriptions of online abuse, screen caps of verbal abuse, transphobic and hateful comments. If you need a mental palate cleanser after just thinking about that, here’s a pic of Rand cooking. So, last week, or maybe two weeks ago, or three months (does it […]
I hear a lot of people saying – as we approach the year anniversary of this pandemic and lockdown, a year of not knowing what it means to hug those close to us or see people we love, or do any of those previously forgettable but now utterly unimaginable everyday things like sitting at a […]
TW: This post makes brief, passing mention to accounts of rape and assault in some of the books I read. I decided to spend 2020 reading only women authors. It shouldn’t have been a revolutionary act, but somehow, by the end, it started to feel like one. There’s a clear gender bias in publishing (male […]
It’s February. This was the month that Seattle started to shut down, a year ago. It’s the last month that I ate inside a restaurant. We were scheduled to go to Italy that March, just as Covid was starting to take hold there. Those few weeks before we were set to leave were fraught – […]
Madrid is the capital city in Spain and is known for its stunning architecture, historical significance, and vibrant culture. If you’re planning a trip to this beautiful part of the world, using Next Vacay can help you save on flights. Learn more about preparing for your next Madrid trip and what Next Vacay can offer […]
Have you ever thought that the future might include transporter travel by data beam, like in Star Trek? While technology hasn’t evolved to this extent, with instantaneous travel from one spot to another, there are some plans for the near future that will change how we move around the world. While a lot of the […]
It is December 31st, the last day of 2020 a year that has been supersaturated with so much shit and grief that it’s almost bordered comedy. I have been to a Zoom wedding and a Zoom baby shower and a Zoom funeral, experiencing the spectrum of human existence in halting pixilation. I try to remember […]
(Above – every holiday with my family ends with people dancing in the kitchen. I don’t know why. This was a few years ago. Yes, there is box wine. And yes, my mother, at left, is a knock-out.) It’s Christmas Eve, and I am at home. I can’t remember the last time this has […]