Giving thanks in a very unusual year

November 22, 2020

Katie McDowell I have no idea how it happened, but with Thanksgiving a mere five days away, it seems it’s time for me to make my annual list of things for which I’m thankful.So I suppose I’ll get right to it. One: My health. In previous years, I’ve always avoided listing health as one of my grateful-fors. It just seemed to me a bit trite — one of those things that goes without saying. Or that people say, but don’t really mean, because they take their own good health for granted and therefore don’t actively feel thankful for it at all. It just is. Obviously, this ...

AMAZON PRIME DAY: SHOPPING GUIDES

October 14, 2020

It’s Amazon Prime Day! Hooray! Today I have shopping guides just for you – whether you’re styling your home, looking to try new snacks, or simply need to find some new reads I have goodies for you. Tomorrow I will be sharing a gift guide because it’s never too early to start your ...

Please say this, too, shall pass

July 13, 2020

There are certain trendy phrases that I can’t stand. “Throw shade.” “Spill the tea.” “Self-care.” “Real talk.” I don’t know whether I dislike these buzzwords more because they’re so overused, or because of the type of social media conversations where they tend to crop up. Lately, it’s “the new normal.” Which, absolutely, is irritating for its ubiquitousness. But also because there are so many things being normalized right now that shouldn’t be. And no, I don’t mean having to socially and physically distance from loved ones. I don’t ...

Movement in motion: Walk, listen, learn

June 29, 2020

Since this pandemic started, walks have been my salvation. Even during the past few weeks, as restaurants, shops and markets have reopened, I’ve opted to keep close to home. As we’re witnessing across the country — and in our state — the virus is far from gone, and I still believe it best to avoid public places as much as possible. Not only for my own safety, but for others’, as well. But the walls of my house, brightly painted though they may be, do tend to close in after awhile, and even a hermit like myself can feel a bit cramped. So I wander. I stroll through ...

Please stop with the excuses: Racism is real

June 14, 2020

White privilege is absurd. That the color of one’s skin should influence his or her advantage in life is ridiculous. That does not, however, mean white privilege isn’t real. It is. I know it, you know it, and your racist uncle knows it, whether he’s willing to admit it or not. Non-white people sure as hell have no doubt. What I don’t get is some white people’s desperation to deny it. As though to acknowledge it takes something away from them. As though to simply say, “Yes, you are right, I do not understand your struggle, because I have not walked even a ...

New coworkers make home office even stranger

April 12, 2020

Like many of you, I have been working from home for the past few weeks. And while the whole pajama-pants-as-uniform thing is nice, there are other aspects I enjoy much less. This tiny laptop screen is just one of them. (I really shouldn’t have procrastinated on that eye exam.) I also admit to appreciating the break from having to fix my bangs every morning, instead allowing my coif to do whatever the H it wants to every day. That part’s pretty good. The exponential increase in emails to answer, due to no more face-to-face contact: Not so good. But perhaps one of the ...