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What I’m Watching: Wild Wild Country

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I’ve always wished I were more eager to watch documentaries. I think they play an incredibly important role in society, and an incredibly unique one: they are part education, part entertainment and in some cases, part call-to-action. But like I said, they have never really been my cup of tea. I agreed though, to watch Netflix’s Wild Wild Country after hearing some intriguing reviews. While it was educational and entertaining at times, my overall reaction to the documentary was mixed. I will tell you why. Continue reading →

I Have Pop Culture FOMO…Or is it Fatigue?

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It’s 4:00pm on a weekday and I’ve hit a wall with my work. I want to take a break, but with what? Should I watch a DVR-ed episode of one of my shows? Should I pick up the memoir I’m reading? Should I read an article in one of the magazines filling up my shelf? Should I listen to a podcast? Should I work on one of the writing projects I’m not (yet) getting paid for? Should I just turn the TV to a random channel and scroll through Instagram on my phone? I know this may seem like a silly conundrum to some, but it is one I deal with frequently, and I often find myself ultimately unhappy with the decision I make. Continue reading →

Musings on My Friend the Ticking Clock

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I love clocks. I think they can be beautiful decorations in a home. Growing up, we had a massive clock over the mantle in the living room. It didn’t even work, but I always loved the piece. But clocks obviously do something besides hang on the wall: they keep time. And some of them tick to do so. I have a clock on my desk that ticks, and as I’ve been working from home, I’ve realized that, at least in my view, ticking clocks tend to get a bad rap. Continue reading →

Decorating with Maps

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In my 20s, the idea of purchasing “art” for my apartment has always seemed daunting. Instead, I’ve leaned on the home and design sections of stores like Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond, choosing things that could often be classified more as “signs” than as pieces of art. Over the last couple years, we’ve discovered that we’re partial to the look of prints on canvas, which is fortuitous considering the canvas pieces are often slightly less expensive than the prints or photographs. And in this apartment, we’ve added a couple more variations on a classic object that can prove to be very eye-catching: the map! Continue reading →

What I’m Reading: Hurts to Love You

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I recently expanded my reading interests into a new genre: romance. At first, this was purely because I was going on a trip, was almost finished with the novel I was reading, I’d received a couple romance novels in the mail from publishers and the books themselves are very small. So I tossed one in my bag. And I’ll admit, by the end I was hooked. So I started to do a little more research into the genre (more on why will be coming soon), and decided that my next foray should be into contemporary romance (the first one was historical). So I again went into the stash of novels I had on hand, and selected Alisha Rai’s Hurts to Love You. Continue reading →

What I’m Reading: The Lost Letter

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About two years ago, I went through a phase in which I read a bunch of historical fiction books in a row that were all very similar to one another: they all had at least one storyline that took place during the Holocaust, and another that took place in a different era, either before or after. As both narratives moved along, connections were revealed between the two stories, building to an emotional climax revealing the true power of the human spirit. If this sounds glib, I don’t mean it to; I love these books. I find them inspirational, heart-wrenching and heartwarming. And the novel with which I decided to revisit the genre, Jillian Cantor’s The Lost Letter, was no exception. Continue reading →

The Workout I Love (But Also Drives Me a Little Nuts)

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When you’re working full time, it can be tough to fit in workouts, much less ones longer than 30 minutes. Since I started working from home, I’ve definitely been working out more in general—I’ve gone from 4 days a week on average to closer to 6. And while most of my workouts, apart from when I’m teaching Zumba, tend to stay around that 30-minute mark, the exception most weeks is a DVD I have a serious love-hate relationship with: Body by Simone. Continue reading →

Booze-Inspired Home Accents

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Once you get to a certain age, a bottle of wine or alcohol becomes a go-to gift, whether as a housewarming, a congratulations or something else. A couple years ago, High West released a limited edition whiskey called A Midwinter Night’s Dram,  after the popular Shakespeare comedy. I bought a bottle for Jeff as a Christmas/Hanukkah present, and when we were finished drinking it, we couldn’t bring ourselves to get rid of the bottle. Continue reading →

What I’m Reading: In the Midst of Winter

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I picked up this book, the latest from the prolific Chilean author Isabel Allende, because I absolutely adored her last book, The Japanese Lover. It was one of the most enjoyable novels I’ve read in the last two years, and I still highly recommend it. When I first read the book jacket on In the Midst of Winter, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. To be completely honest, I purchased it because my local bookstore had signed copies, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have an Allende-signed book, so I decided to give it a read. There were aspects that I enjoyed, and some that I didn’t. Continue reading →

What I’m Reading: Still Me

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I adored Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You. When I read it, it was the first time in recent history that I actually went back and reread specific passages after I finished the book—for those of you familiar with the story, it was the “dancing” scene at the wedding. Sure, I understood why certain people thought that the outcome of the story was problematic, but I took it for what it was: an incredibly romantic, incredibly tragic, dynamically written story. Continue reading →