One of the things I had to get used to when I retired was not having a regular routine. My workday used to be pretty structured. When I retired, it took me a while to formulate a new routine. The fact that Mark had to still wake up every morning at 5:20 a.m. dictated the start of my day. I…
I go through phases where I don’t think about the movie Harold and Maude very much, and then I become obsessed with it again. It’s my favorite movie; I find the humorous bits hilarious and the philosophical bits poignant and uplifting, and whenever there’s some kind of crisis (like 9-11 or the current corona pandemic), I find myself immersed in…
This was a really good, practical book. I go through phases where I meditate regularly, and when I do, my life is much better. But I sometimes let my travel schedule distract me from the practice, and I forget to do it on the weekends, and before I realize it, I’ve let the practice of meditation fall by the wayside. …
Once upon a time, I spotted a sexy, shirtless young guy on the dance floor of the Roxy. I looked at him, and he smiled at me, but we didn’t speak to each other. Later that week, I exchanged pictures with a guy in an aol chatroom. Lo and behold, it was the guy from the dance floor! He lived…
Mittens 2005 – 2020 On Thursday night, January 16th, my dear cat Mittens lost her short battle with colon cancer, two months shy of her 15th birthday. My history with cats is long and wonderful, and this ends another touching chapter in that personal history book. Next month will mark 20 years that Mark and I have been together. When…
Last year, I had an amazing experience volunteering for Mission Rabies and participating in their vaccination drive in Goa. I blogged extensively about it (start here), allowing me to joyfully relive the experience as I went through all my photos from the trip. Traveling has always been one of my pleasures in life, and being retired has afforded me even…
I love the summer, especially in New York. During a heatwave, when temps soar above 90 degrees and everyone starts whining, I’m in my glory. Perhaps I wouldn’t feel this way if I was still working and I had to descend into the steaming, crowded pit of commuter filth (i.e. the subway) every day, but as a retiree, summer in…
I like to be busy, and my agenda is starting to look pretty full for the next few months. Tomorrow, we leave for Mexico, for five days. Puerto Vallarta. It’s my fifth time there, and Mark’s fourth time there. We’re going to be sharing an Airbnb with another couple. We’ve never really vacationed with another couple, so it’ll be interesting.…
I was hoping this book would be a nice combination of Zen philosophy and financial management, and that’s what it was, I suppose. He makes some good points about how your attitude toward money is derived from how your parents dealt with money issues, and helps you understand how money can generate thoughts of fear, stress, anxiety, and anger in…
Mark and I have decided (last night), for our December 2019 trip, to go to Kenya and Ethiopia. UPDATE: TRIP TO KENYA AND ETHIOPIA A few days in Nairobi, with a day trip to Mombassa and a few days in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a side trip to a cool place called Lalibela. All details and plans to come soon.