Blog Posts

A week in which I once again became a veterinary technician. The promised update on last week’s vomiting extravaganza is a good news/bad news one: my ten-pound titan has completely recovered from cholangitis (the nasty liver/gallbladder/bile duct infection that necessitated hospitalization and a temporary feeding tube) and now has pancreatitis. Which may or may not be (probably is) due to my exuberance, despite my inexperience, as a canine chef (a perfect example of the Dunn

A week in which I transformed into an iguana: paralyzed by the arctic blast. I’m the first to cheer when the temperatures drop into the sixties, and even the fifties (nothing like a vigorous walk without having to shower off again ), but wind chills in the twenties are a bit more than I bargained for. Especially now that, after eleven years, my blood has officially thinned. While I’m not falling out of trees or being rescued from the middle of the road, I am spending lots of

A week in which I hit a wall. I’ve been in or near tears daily, my privilege feels repellent, and it all seems so crushing. My anger is close to the surface and I’m beginning to fuel my refusal to give up with spite rather than optimism. And I’m doubling down on that refusal. Ways I Found Joy This Week Hosting a girls’ movie night Joining PEN America in the fight against book banning (you can, too: Don't Censor America - PEN America ) Receiving a copy of the latest book by o

A week in which I doubled down on my resolve to resist by shining a light on joy. It is always darkest before the dawn, and I am convinced dawn is around the corner. After which we’ll have lots of work to do, so let’s pace ourselves. Ways I Found Joy This Week Making two more great library hauls Enjoying a fabulous deep tissue massage Laughing out loud at a comedy special Switching my BlueSky feed from “Following” to “Discover”, and counterbalancing the grim realities of o

It’s been a while since I wrote about books that moved me or made me think (or both). Given my tendencies to read voraciously (sometimes to the detriment of getting other stuff done) and to immediately forget details, it takes a rare book to break through and leave its imprint on me. Here are the most recent ones to do so. My Friends, by Frederik Backman. I love the author’s trademark quirky characters, and this book did not disappoint. A fun, poignant examination of the p

A while back, I discussed my desire to work toward change through understanding and education . As part of that effort, I decided that I...

The intentional part of the reboot was an incredible ten-day meander through Europe (three cities, three nights each). The trip not only...

I’m writing this on Monday, hunkering down at my desk, the cold wind and steady rain outside adding to my sense of sadness and...

It’s been five years since I shared a list of books that I found singular in their wisdom and their ability to stimulate thought on what...