Our daughter turns 17 tomorrow. She has requested tiramisù for her birthday cake, and I’m excited for the challenge. However, if I’m going to do it right, I need ladyfingers. And according to my Italian teammate, the ladyfingers have to be good. I asked him if I need to make the ladyfingers, or if I … Continue reading Wake and bake
A running theme through everything I learn about happiness and well-being is that we as humans need other humans in our lives. In nearly every study I’ve heard about, the happiest and healthiest people are also the people who interact with others socially. They have all three types of social connections: the person or people … Continue reading IRL social connections
I’m sitting in Bollo’s, the coziest coffee shop in Blacksburg. It’s small and cramped, and filled with sounds of clattering crockery, hissing steam, and the barista asking, “Your regular?” to half the people who walk up to the counter. Bollo’s is where writers come to write, students come to study, and friends come to chat … Continue reading Rainy day
I ache all over. My hands and feet feel arthritic and sore, and I am hobbling like an old lady. But! I got through the first pile of mulch yesterday, and I started work on the second one. I need to get the rest of it spread before rain comes in tomorrow. Now I just … Continue reading First pile of mulch is done
Portraits are my favorite photographs. I don’t mean posed studio portraits, I mean portraits that capture the essence of the person(s) in them. Annie Liebovitz is my idol for portrait photography. Typically, I am very bad at photographing people, and so I tend not to do it. My family also happen to be camera-averse. As … Continue reading Favorite photo I’ve ever taken
With this post, I will have published blog posts seven days in a row. I went through a dry spell where I barely published at all, and now, I’ve published every day for a week. I’m not sure what happened. Actually, that’s not true. I know what happened. I stopped caring about whether what I … Continue reading 7-day streak
Butterfly Mind 