Dear Reader, If you’ve been following along with my blog, you will know that I am writing to you in isolation as I have recently tested positive for COVID-19 (more here and here). While I was lucky to have my health (no more symptoms!), isolation in the two-room, ground-floor apartment in Bavaria, Germany was not... Continue Reading →
COVID-19 Isolation in Germany — Part 2
Dear Reader, I tested positive for COVID-19 in Germany (more here). Now I am in isolation. Like many who are testing positive in this new of wave of illness, I genuinely did not know — let alone suspect — that I had COVID. I had cold symptoms (more here), no dry cough, no loss of smell or... Continue Reading →
COVID-19 Isolation in Germany – Part 1
Dear Reader, I tested positive for COVID-19 in Germany — let the nightmare begin. The phone rings. Me: Hello? Hotel Reception: We just received your rapid antigen test and you have received a positive result. Please stay in your room. We will send up someone shortly to conduct a PCR test. Yikes. We all know... Continue Reading →
Self-Love in the Time of the Coronavirus
Dear Reader, They say it’s important to spice things up every once in a while, to keep a long-term relationship alive. Well, news flash, the longest-term relationship you will ever be a part of is the one with yourself. So, today I will ask you, how are you and yourself getting along? As a couple... Continue Reading →
Pandemics Make the Heart Grow Fonder
Dear Reader, Do you come from a big family? If you are an American, statistically speaking, probably not. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the average family consisted of 3.14 persons in 2019, which is tiny, considering the size of the average household in 1850 was around 5.5. I was thinking about these numbers recently... Continue Reading →
One Way or the Other
Dear Reader, Perspective is everything. Currently, I am reading the memoir Educated by Tara Westover, about a woman who grew up on a farm in Idaho without a formal education. Tara’s family members are devout Mormons whose patriarch believes that the government is run by the Illuminati and that any reliance on the establishment, even... Continue Reading →
On The Same Side
Dear Reader, How long have you been self-isolating? I have been limiting my movement to essential trips (only two to the grocery store) and exercise outside. At the time of this writing, most U.S. states are under shelter-in-place orders (meaning that all non-essential businesses are closed) and stay-at-home orders (meaning that people are advised to... Continue Reading →
Don’t Bin It, Bake It!
Dear Reader, In a black and white world of leaders and followers, in the kitchen, I am a follower. Many of us, like myself, take joy in following recipes to bake something delicious, however, far fewer of us are the ones out there writing our own cookbooks. While I have zero aspirations to make baking... Continue Reading →
Box of Joy
Dear Reader, “They say that you don’t need alcohol to have fun. This pandemic proves that you don’t need fun to have alcohol.” – meme circulating on Facebook Are you spending all of your time at home during the pandemic? I am in my third week of a loose self-quarantine (more here) and at times,... Continue Reading →