What is your theme for this year?

I stopped making New Year’s resolutions several years ago.  They always seemed superficial and stodgy.  While momentum was strong through January, my energy and enthusiasm always dwindled by February.

Now, I identify a theme for my year. ...

I was playing a game with my husband last night.  We love to play board games like Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride.  Our new game is called Pan Am, where the player is in control of a small start-up airline making travel routes around the world.

Every move I made my husband...

My Aunt Tomoko is 76 years old.  She lives in Tokyo, Japan. 



Last week, my Aunt asked for help translating a story from Japanese to English.  You see, she is taking English lessons.  Her assignment is to tell a story in English, speaking in front of the class.

Why would a...

This holiday season will not be like the others.  This year will be different. 

Statistics are showing that the greatest spread of the Covid-19 virus is at small, indoor gatherings with family and friends.  The type of event where there is no social distancing and no mask...

The compass was invented approximately 2000 years ago.

This was an important advancement in navigation because it allowed sailors to determine their direction even if clouds obscured astronomical points, such as the North Star.

With a compass in hand, explorers had a guarantee that even if they...

As we approach American Thanksgiving, a time of feasting, family, and football, I made a conscious and controversial decision – I hired a registered dietician.

A couple weeks ago I admitted to gaining the COVID-10, weight gain due to comfort food, cold beer on a summer day, and a lack of...

Today is election day in America. 

I’ve spoken to many people in the last week who have high anxiety.  This election season has been fraught with tension.  Emotions are running high.  It seems like a lot more is at stake this year, but historians might help put that into...

Yesterday I ventured out to a local farm to enjoy the fruits of fall.

Fall in the northeast is a magical time.  The scenery changes every day as green turns to yellow, orange and red.  Fruit trees burst with apples and vines hang heavy with juicy bunches of concord grapes.

I headed out...

Boy, 2020 just keeps throwing punches.

200,000 American souls lost to this terrible virus.  Kobe Bryant, Carl Reiner, Chadwick Boseman, Diana Rigg, and now Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  Perhaps you’ve lost someone close to you this year, and if that is so, I offer my condolences.

How do...

When I was 35, I developed a fatty tumor under my right armpit.  It gradually enlarged until I finally had to do something about it.  I asked a few colleagues where I should go and they recommended a local plastic surgeon, so I made an appointment. 

This was, hands down, the most...