I only found out yesterday that GQ came out with an article about Anthony Bourdain, compiled of snippets from the people that really knew him. I knew I had to read it immediately and in private the words just resonated with me, especially this quote from Lydia Tenaglia and Chris Collins, his colleagues from Zero Point Zero Productions, and who he’d been working with his whole television career. People were detailing how they found out and this is what they said: Tenaglia: I don’t think it was a shock that one day we would get a call. It was like, “Okay. Maybe we should prepare ourselves that one day Tony’s either…

I plan. I make lists and dream about the future, growing up for me was a scary, but amazing concept of independence and free choice. One of the things I have always thought about, was a space of my own. You see, growing up, our nondescript address always had people lost, deliveries delayed, and people scared. The neighborhood itself was okay, but the surrounding areas you had to go through to get to it, difficult. Growing up as well, going to friend’s houses, I noticed all the good, the bad and the ugly, and the things that I wanted growing up, I have found, I still want. So let’s keep…

I went to my uncle’s funeral yesterday. He was 85 and lived a full life. Married, had children, made mistakes, made some more, fixed those mistakes, and made amends with others. He was definitely not a saint but he wasn’t all at fault for all that’s gone wrong or right in his life either. I will always remember him as this man who was always cheerful, impeccably dressed, and loved watching wrestling. Yes the WWE. The last time we visited him at home, he actually had it on the TV and was excitedly talking to my brother about it. He may be the oldest fan of the franchise that I know. I’ve…

So I’m not officially a Christmas elf anymore, since I moved companies early this year. That doesn’t make me less of an elf however, as Christmas still makes me giddy, even with all the stress that comes with it. I love the weather. It’s a little bit colder than usual, cold enough to use a pajamas at night, a sweater if you’re spending some time outside. People are generally more generous towards each other, with Christmas bonuses, gift giving, parties and all. There is a festive mood, even if people try to deny it and complain about the inevitable horrid traffic getting there and going home, when they get to…

So I found myself in the UK last month. It still seems like something out of the Twilight Zone , me actually getting there(Millenials, see here). After two weeks of preparation, I found myself in the freezing early winter in the UK for a week and a half. I never feel like I’m fully prepared for a trip. I never pack the right amount of clothes, either it’s too much or too little. This trip fully left me with a sense of panic. This was evident as I was waiting for my aunt to pick me up at the train station in Newcastle, wearing layers entirely too thick for the…