This historic Texan city is often considered to be the home of Texan liberty as it is where the Battle of the Alamo was fought. The city has grown rather a lot since it was founded in the eighteenth century, and is now the third largest city in Texas, and is among the largest cities […]
You may be stunned to read this, but after living in Germany for 4 years, I have discovered that Germans do things differently than you do in the United States and the situation with a German kitchen when you are buying or renting a house there is just one of them — but it is […]
May is yet to be upon us, but the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands already has a plethora of events on its plate. Some of these events are historically significant to the city, while others are international events that may have made its way to the annals of Netherlands. With such events coming to […]
(Pictured above: me during a far less neurotic presentation.) I am standing in front of a crowd under blinding fluorescent lights. They appear to be listening to my every word. And I am positively bombing. The room is too bright, and I can see everyone’s faces, but I am absolutely unable to read their expressions. […]
We went to Germany, and I cried. Not right away. It wasn’t until the last day that I finally did. Rand asked if I wanted to rent a car to go down to see my father’s grave. He asked me in the early hours of the morning, when jet lag had us both exhausted but […]
I was recently nominated for a James Beard Award for journalism, and statement which makes as much sense as saying “I was nominated for a Grammy for this cookie that I just ate.” The other nominees in my category are – I kid you not – The New York Times and The Atlantic. I submitted […]
Browsing through my photos of Tbilisi, Georgia, was a slightly surreal experience. Was I really in Tbilisi last summer? Did I actually spend four days in the Republic of Georgia, a tiny country located on the other side of the world? I wasn’t in Tbilisi long, but immediately, I was smitten. Georgia’s capital city is […]
I am scheduled to leave for Germany in several days. I have already told my husband that I don’t want to go, in a whining tone that stretches syllables out so far that the words they once formed are barely recognizable. As a woman nearing the aging of forty, this is how I am coping […]
I am on occasion asked for relationship advice. I often do not know how to reply. The list of things I could tell people is long and winding, may be entirely irrelevant, and varies from season to season and day to day. In summer, I learn to appreciate freckles and to not mind when the […]
Note: this post contains some content that may be upsetting for certain readers – including mention of torture and the Cambodian genocide. ————— My trip to Cambodia feels so long ago – more than five years – that I have to remind myself that I was there. I look at the photos, and see myself […]
The capital of the United Kingdom is one of the most popular visitor destinations for people from across the world, with a vibrant night life and culture and a huge wealth of historic landmarks and sites to visit. However, this city is certainly not just a tourist spot, as it is one of the economic […]
(Note: this piece does not link to any of the shooter’s video or manifesto directly, but some of the news sites that I link to may do so. A few include screencaps of his 4-chan forum discussions. Please click with caution.) 49 people died yesterday, gunned down in two mosques in coordinated attacks across New […]
With the use of modern technology, there are gadgets that you can now use that help you have a more healthy environment. I’ve talked before about air quality monitors. Today I want to tell you about water quality testers. After all, about 60% of our body is made up of water, and so it is […]
I’m still weirded out when I’m asked to do interviews. I still feel like, even after all these years, that the blog (and even my book) are sort of a small, insular thing, and when people have heard of them, I find it oddly confusing. It’s like a stranger walking up to you and talking […]
The capital of Portugal is one of the great cities of Europe for visitors, offering great cuisine, superb historical sights and a wealth of cultural activities to enjoy during your trip to the city. Whether you are someone who prefers to explore the city independently or enjoy taking a guided tour Lisbon has plenty of […]