“Bongu,” I called out in Maltese to my temporary new neighbor passing by our Airbnb apartment door in Malta. To my surprise, she brushed past me with a scowl on her face. “Wow,” I said to my husband, as I walked inside. “The people in Malta don’t seem very friendly.” But it turns out, her …
How Short-Term Vacation Rentals Destroyed Our Community Read More »
I adored my photography class junior and senior years of high school. What made the experience so incredible? Perhaps it was my quintessentially cool teacher, Mr. Colombe (insert high school girl crush here). Perhaps it was the hours of darkroom freedom I was granted to experiment with this art form. Regardless of the reasons, it …
LASIK corrective eye surgery is a common elective surgery to correct myopia (nearsightedness). Millions of people go under the proverbial knife (or laser, in this case) annually. The procedure amazingly takes only a few minutes for both eyes. In simple terms, successful surgery looks like this: The laser (or blade) cuts a small flap on …
Laser Vision Correction: What I Wished My Doctor Told Me Read More »
As I look down at the skin discoloration and new freckles on my sun-damaged arms and hands, I silently berate myself for not having stayed out of the sun or, at the very least, worn some serious sunscreen when I was younger. The harsh reality is, once you cross over that proverbial middle-aged number (I …
I received two troubling private messages on social media within a week from one another. One was penned from a previous lover. It was brief and read exactly like this: “I can’t believe the girl I loved back in TX has drifted so far to the Left. If I didn’t have so many fond memories …
Political Carnage. Where Do We Go From Here? Monday Musings Read More »
I remember when I was younger and my mom would be saddened because a movie star died. It is not that she ever knew them or they were friends or anything, but yet she always had a brief sadness at their passing. “Sexy Rock Hudson died. I cannot believe he was gay.” “Ginger Rogers and …
I recently returned to my home in Costa Rica from an extended 3 month “epic” road trip. When you live a traveling lifestyle and keep multiple homes in foreign countries, you have to be organized and detail oriented. Otherwise you might forget to shut off one SIM card while it continues to suck money from …
Several years ago I was thrilled to check off a place on my bucket list I have always wished to see: Kenya! On this trip I not only experienced luxury tented safaris, I was also able to spend some time in a couple of local Masai Mara villages. The Masai Mara National Reserve is …
: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 06:06:16 -0600 To My Family and Friends, I have just returned back to Cape Town from a trip on the Garden Route. As I had mentioned in a previous newsletter, the drive takes you across the southern part of the country/continent along the Indian Ocean. I was expecting amazing views and pristine beaches. …
Garden Route, South Africa & Farewell, Katsjourney Around the World: 26 January, 2003 Read More »
Subject: Mauritius, Mauritius! Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 01:14:34 -0600 Mark Twain wrote that first God created Mauritius and then he created Heaven modeled after the island paradise. I just arrived in Perth, Australia at 2am this morning, but I will be sharing with you today my experiences about the third world island paradise known as Mauritius. I …
Mauritius, Mauritius! Katsjourney Around the World: 11 February, 2003 Read More »