In all the years I’ve been doing what I do work-wise, this is quite possibly the busiest first week of January I’ve ever experienced. I’ve already welcomed aboard 2 new clients, started 3 new projects that were booked before the year ended, heard from folks I’ve done work for years ago that want new work, […]
Turning the Page on Another Year
I’m writing this on New Year’s Day, 2026. I’m honestly really glad to bid farewell to 2025. And for the first time in probably 10 or more years I actually did something with a few friends for New Year’s Eve. I fired up my two old Technics SL-1200 DJ turntables and played some old techno […]
A Quiet Christmas
When I was growing up, we never had huge family gatherings for holidays. I can remember maybe a handful of Christmas days where my grandparents on my dad’s side stopped by for like an hour (and they only lived like 15 minutes away). I think a couple times my uncle, also on my dad’s side, […]
The Joys of Home Ownership
Mario and I purchased our house (I’ll probably always call it “our” house) back in 2007. After looking at many different houses, this one stood out and we made an offer as soon as we saw it. Through a series of “perfect timing” type of events, we closed on the house within 30 days. I […]
Volunteering
How many of the widowed folks out there keep in contact with their spouse’s relatives? Mario’s mom passed away in 2007 and his grandparents also passed after we’d made the move up to Oregon, but he kept in touch with his aunt (his mom’s sister) and cousin who also ended up in Oregon as well […]
Points in Time
Once again, I’ve been thinking bout the past. I know everyone always says, the past is the past, and I get that, but the past has also made me what I am today. Everything I’ve ever done has led right to this moment in time. Sometimes, it’s only through looking back, that you have realizations […]
The Last Thanksgiving
(Reposting from 2023, since every Thanksgiving I can’t help but this of this last one with Mario. Actual Thanksgiving this year I just spent a few hours with my mom and had leftovers from the Friendsgiving spread I did on Wednesday.) Trigger alerts for: addiction, depression, and bitter sweet holiday memories. The last Thanksgiving that […]
249 Weeks
I’m still processing the grief of losing my cat and I’ve just been uninspired to write this week, so it’s going to be one those freeform type of posts that jump from topic to topic. First, I find myself saying, “I can’t believe how fast this …. week, month, year….” Has gone by way too […]
The Other Side of Love is Loss
My heart took another hit November 8th, 2025 having to say a final goodbye to my beloved cat, Juno. Deep down, I knew Juno’s time was short. It’s one of those tough things about being very intuitive. No “gift” like that comes without a price. I knew that whatever was going on with her was […]
Finding a Way to Grow
I had an appointment with a local acupuncturist in town. My main acupuncturist (yes, I have 2) is an hour away and I’d been meaning to schedule with the local one since we trade services occasionally. It had been awhile since I’d been to her office. When I got out of the Jeep, I almost […]
The Story of a Photo
I happened to be going through some old photos and stumbled on one from when we first moved to Oregon. It’s funny how images can act as little time travel devices sometimes, putting you right back to the moment it was taken. The year was 2007. Hard to believe that was now 18 years ago. […]
Shards of Glass
Years ago, our local area recycled glass (they stopped doing that awhile back). It was picked up in the typical, blue recycle bin on the same day trash pick up happened. Normally, we wouldn’t have produced much glass to recycle… maybe a jam or honey jar, a salad dressing bottle here and there, that sort […]