I just got news that a rather big happening which was going to change life as my husband and I know it is probably no longer happening. It was all probably not but maybe happening… then definitely happening… and now… probably not happening once again?! Life, man. It’s a real thing. Before that ambivalent-yet-leaning-towards-bad news, […]
Tag: scotland
Escape With Me: A Budget Weekend in Paris
Sometimes it’s healthy to reflect on memories, especially when the present feels overwhelming. A mental staycation of sorts. So I’m reflecting on the single weekend my husband and I spent in Paris for my 30th birthday. The reason we were able to do something so seemingly extravagant is because we were already living in Europe. […]
SYSTEM ALERT: Is What Happened to My Mom Going To Happen To Meeeeeeeeee?
Why have a blog if you can’t use it to openly discuss the potential manifestation of your absolute worst fear? 😺 Yeah. This is the blog post I really avoided writing and here it is. In this post I’ve tried to bedazzle my worst fear and all my fretting and freaking out with pictures and […]
An American’s Entitled Perspective on Scotland 2007-2010 😂
When most of the world announced that they would not be allowing Americans to travel to their countries due to our really poor handling of the coronavirus, I imagine a cheer rose from the crowd in at least a couple Scottish pubs. I’m sure there were more cheers in more pubs but I can only […]
Genetics: Gene, Gene, Gene, Gene… GOOSE!
Pour a glass of something strong because I’m inviting you to embark upon a potentially life-changing genetic adventure with me. Or don’t read this and drink your whiskey in peace. Either way, my GP referred me to a genetic counselor last winter after I received somewhat dodgy mammogram results but the geneticists never returned any […]
Mice and Men and the Rest of Us
Today in Quarantine Life and the Search for Meaning, Purpose and Income, I’m reflecting on my tragic history with fish as pets and it’s impeding me from buying another one. Now that Wisconsin is again “open,” despite the state setting consecutive daily records on the number of new coronavirus cases, I’m again considering buying a […]
Looking for a Good time? Me Too.
Wellity. Got my MRI results. Ugh… lots of white matter lesions 😬 BUT there aren’t any more lesions than there were in 2015, when I had my last brain scan. Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo… I received the nicest call from my new neurologist’s nurse who I speak to almost daily and… well, it’s comforting that we don’t know […]
Wasps Are Mean and “Argh”
Today is the calendar reminder of how my mom died on this day three years ago. I also realized I hadn’t made a blog post for three days soooooooooo… I am also realizing that I’m not especially communicative or creative when focusing on staying cheery and achieving the regular goals during weeks I feel are […]
Coping: a Frustrating Revolutionary Reality
Yesterday, my husband David received a NEGATIVE! result for the free coronavirus test we took last Friday. So that’s great. However, since we took our tests at the same time at the same place… it felt weird I did not receive my test result when he did. First my sense of humor and #1 coping […]
The Edinburgh Fringe, Tourists, Darkness and My Disdain
I grew up in a somewhat tourist-y area. Baraboo, Wisconsin is naturally gorgeous and features a lake which was formed by glaciers. It’s named “Devil’s Lake” and thus throughout the surrounding area many of the roads and activities are titled “Devil’s This” and “Devil’s That” and, as a kid, I just thought it was all […]
Remembering Nice Interactions in Scottish Society After Poor Interactions in Wisconsin Society
Usually, if I’m feeling bright and cheery, I try to gather it all up to summon the nerve and will to go out and talk to people. I’m remembering this because I had some pretty upsetting interactions with humans recently as, due to a family emergency, I found myself in a small town in Wisconsin […]
“Is the American Health System That Bad?” Asked my Scottish/Not Scottish Friends. “Well, It Depends Who You Are.”
My husband David and I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland 2007-2010. Since his mom is 100% Scottish (though she resides in America but not in this photo because she came to visit us when we lived in Scotland), her family still lived there and we were therefore able to spend time with them. One time we […]
Same Rant, Now With Castle View
Rough day yesterday. 911. Emergency room. Parking lots. In any case, a reminder to not allow meaningless, small stuff to dominate time because our time is short. And this reminds me of feeling the same way in Scotland: tired. One day, while living in Edinburgh and feeling overwhelmed by deadlines and recent deaths and academia, […]
Thinking About Other Things Like the Scottish Ferris Wheel From Hell
We lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for three years as I was awarded three years of research funding by the University of Edinburgh. La-dee-dah, I hear you. For the record, Edinburgh is the most visually stunning city I’ve ever seen. When we first got off the double decker bus on South Bridge and looked around it […]
Brain Wars!!! 