Do you have a keen new grad student in your life? Is someone gearing up to start a masters degree or PhD this fall and you want to find the perfect gift that will help them rock this next phase of life? As someone who has already spent 5 years in grad school, this is … More Back to [grad] school: Gift ideas
I have been a coffee devotee for years. I had considered dedicating my masters thesis to the Khalid, the legendary goat herder, who had discovered the plant hundreds of years ago. (Did I bring this up just to have an excuse to look up goat gifs? Possibly). Suffice to say, I am a fan … More Coffee coffee coffee: Guatemala
My besties Lisa & Andrew are currently on a grand traveling adventure (Instagram: AL’s big adventure). When I found out they would be in Guatemala over Christmas and that they booked a cottage on a lake, I immediately started to make plans to be the ultimate third wheel on their romantic vacation. Because I am … More Antigua, Guatemala
Welcome to Australia! We arrived late at night in Melbourne and our friendly Uber driver shuttled us along the (distinctly North American-style) highways and streets to get Gemma and I to our lovely South Yarra Airbnb home for the week. Most of our time was spent at the conference , but we did have some … More Sipping the delicious Melbourne, Australia
Budapest is really a marbelous place. Feast your eyes on incredible architecture Budapest is a city with a varied and fascinating past, and that is reflected in the buildings. While architectural buffs could tell you much more about all the incredible places you could discover, my favourite was this little gem peeking out of the … More Best bits of Budapest
I have spend a lot of time at the office this week. For most of the week, I have had code running on two computers while trying to write a book chapter on a third computer. As you might expect, I have done a lot of internet wandering during the week and I thought I … More 5 little things I liked this week
Once I arrived in Newhaven, I was on the evening ferry to Dieppe. I passed the very pleasant 3-hour ferry ride swapping tales of adventure with two other cycle tourists I had met (shout out to John & Karen!). When we landed in Dieppe, it was around 11pm. My plan was to cycle for 10k … More Biking from Dieppe to Paris!
Neuschwanstein Castle It is practically required to head up to see the Disney-inspiring castle when you are in Bavaria.Not only is its physical structure articist, and beautiful, striking in contrast to the harsh rock cliffs, its name is musical – meaning “New Swan Stone” which was taken from one of Wagner’s operas. Built by King Ludwig … More Fairytale castles and magical mornings
As a kid, I was blessed with having the first summer birthday in my class. This meant that mine was the first opportunity to run through sprinklers, have water balloon fights, eat hot dogs, and roast marshmallows. These were some of the best times. More recently, notable birthday moments included trying to slurp up a … More Bday in Bavaria: The big 3-0!
Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, with only a hint of ominous clouds in the distance. Caley is part of the Cowley Road Condors Cycling Club, and she told me they had a “superfun 75ish k ride through the Cotswolds.” “It says it is not going to be hilly” she reassured me. Lies, all lies. … More 80 miles in the Cotswolds: Slow, sweaty, smiling (while sometimes silently swearing)
Lovely Outliers 