The three days of this year’s Orycon in Portland went by astonishingly fast. This was my fourth time at this particular sci-fi/fantasy conference, and my first year as a panelist. I was assigned to an apparently ambitious number of events?eleven panels, plus a twelfth I was invited to join?and by some miracle I made it…
James Foley. Steven Sotloff. These are not the first journalists to be tortured or executed for their profession, or for their nationality. Not even close. When I read the news this morning of Sotloff?s death, my heart sank and my stomach churned. I clenched my jaw and my fingers. In those moments there were no…
Since I was asked today for my black-eyed peas recipe, I figured I’d share it here as well. I normally make a big pot on New Year’s Eve?to be eaten the next day for good luck. I also took this dish to a potluck recently, and it was a big hit. I don’t have exact…
Sundown tonight marks the beginning of Passover. And today, from sunrise until sundown, is the traditional Fast of the First-Born. I’m a first-born, but as on every other fasting day, I’m having to skip it because of dysautonomia. I’ve tried fasting on these holy days before, and to say that it’s extremely difficult is an…
Last night, Mike described a productivity exercise that he’d suggested to his work group: Taking a few days or even a week away from the daily grind to blast through the ever-mounting to-do lists, tackle the streamlining they’ve been wanting to put into place (but haven’t had time to do), and essentially clear out the…
We?ve had several power outages in the neighborhood over the past several weeks. One was due to heavy snow and ice, but the other two have been the result of high winds. It?s been interesting, because the lights flicker quite a bit before they go out. Last Tuesday, I was sitting in the neighborhood caf?…
I’ve been coming up against my physical limitations a lot lately, and it’s been a humbling and aggravating experience. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has chronic illness, and in those moments I am simply amazed by all the wonderful things other people are doing. I watch the Olympics and other sporting events in awe….
