Should you check your bag?

My travel advice used to be to pack using a carry-on size bag, but then check it so you don’t have to deal with it at the airport or have to worry about space in the overhead bins on the plane. I’ve had to fine-tune this advice.

Athens, Greece — November 2022

In November I headed to Athens, Greece, for client meetings. The meetings were shortened after I’d already bought my plane ticket, so I made plans to spend that extra time in central Athens as a tourist.

London — October 2022

For my first international trip since the Covid shutdown, I was heading to the Netherlands for a few days of meetings. I decided to extend the trip a bit by taking a two-day detour on the way to visit my daughter, Laura, in London.

Airport gate greetings, actually

Back in the olden days, the NYC skyline featured the two towers and 9/11 was simply an obnoxious fraction and not the source of so much fear and dismay. Many things in our world changed as a result of 9/11, and one of them was the erasure of airport gate greetings.

Boston, Massachusetts — August 2022

My first time back on a plane since the coronavirus travel hiatus was my November 2021 trip to a St. Louis trade show. However, it is this trip to Boston that marks my true return to the business-travel way of life.

Post-travel Covid safety measures

We have always lived in a world in which being around other people involves risk of catching something: a cold, the flu. But now that Covid is in the world, the chances of catching something are higher and the ramifications are potentially worse.

Covid and the Brain

Covid can result in cognitive declines, and it’s not known how long these impacts last. Add to that the potential tripling of the risk for Alzheimer’s and more, and what we have here is a very strong argument for saying NO (or Not Yet) to “going back to normal.”

Some Were, and Some Are

It was through my appreciation of Philip Glass well into my adulthood that I was exposed to the music of David Bowie. A few of Bowie’s iconic works formed the inspiration of some of my favorite Glass pieces. …

The Black Lotus Magic Card Coaster

There is a card game called Magic the Gathering that’s been around for many years. I’m sure an actual player could describe it better than I, but I think of it as a variation on D&D with cards dictating what abilities you have, the circumstances you face, and the outcomes of your encounters.

Eating with a spoon

For years, when I was presented with my bowl of veggies and handed a spoon, I would quietly trade the spoon for a fork. I mean, I’m an adult: I eat with a fork! Ah, the power of subliminal programming!

The Unreliable Brain and Fake News

The other day I told my husband that the canned chicken ingredient list includes tuna. Did I really remember seeing tuna in the ingredient list? Or had I imagined it? What if I was wrong? And why does it matter, anyway?

Part 6: Wetland delineation report

After 5 months owning the lot, we have finally completed the first of the many “lot prep” steps that must be made be made before building can begin.

Lessons from the un-blanket

Several years ago—at least four, if not more—I decided to knit a large double-knit blanket. Partly I’m only writing up this blog post so I have a place to commemorate this work. But also, I’m sure there’s a moral to this story somewhere.

Merry Xmas, Happy Lothersday!

Christmas? Hanukkah? Xmas? I say the holiday season in December is whatever you want to make it. So why not make it something for everyone? For me, it’s Lothersday!