Published in ILLUMINATION·1 day agoMember-onlyThe 4 Best Black Feminist Commentary Channels For AlliesPrepare to be informed, entertained, and challenged — I watch a lot of YouTube videos and I’ll be the first to admit, it can be a real waste of time. However, I occasionally go down a rabbit hole into someplace really special. That’s what happened when I discovered Black feminist commentary channels about five years ago. Suddenly a…Black History Month4 min readBlack History Month4 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jan 31Member-onlyOn Boundaries — Too Little Stress Is Just As Bad As Too MuchSaying “no” may not be as freeing as we think — Once again, I’m way too early for my flight. They tell you to get to the airport two hours in advance, but post-pandemic, it seems fewer people are traveling — at least in the off-season. I’ve spent so much time at airports on my last few trips I can almost…Stress5 min readStress5 min read
Published in Fresh Files·Jan 21Member-onlyI Found a Viable Alternative to AirbnbThat actually contributes to local economies — There’s no shortage of negative press about Airbnb these days. The company that started out as a genius idea has had numerous detrimental impacts on cities around the world, and the people that live there. Between that and new fees being introduced to guests, many travelers are hesitating to use…Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
Published in Globetrotters·Jan 17Member-onlyIs A Female Solo Traveler Really That Suspicious?Customs agents seem to think so — I’ve been solo traveling on and off for about 10 years. It has its cons but I appreciate being able to visit places that may not be on my friends’ agendas. In my 20s I meekly went with others to places I was only mildly interested in. …Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
Published in Crow’s Feet·Jan 10Member-onlyIf You Could Find Out How You’re Going To Die, Would You Do It?I had the rare opportunity to find out if I will follow in my family’s footsteps — Many years ago, I was invited to participate in a groundbreaking research study. It wasn’t because I had any particular skills, but because I may have special genes. Not the good kind of special. My family’s medical history is clean in some respects. There’s little presence of breast cancer, diabetes…Health4 min readHealth4 min read
Published in Globetrotters·Jan 4Member-onlyThat Day Two Sets of People Showed Me Grace And Mercy In BelizeThe sublime adventures of travel — Say what you will about Facebook, but I very much appreciate the Your Memories feature, especially in January. Back in the halcyon pre-COVID days, I used to work remotely the first month of the year. …Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
Dec 29, 2022Member-onlyA Power Reader’s Plea To Medium’s CuratorsI want more variety in my recommended posts — A few months ago, Tony Stubblebine announced some changes to Medium’s distribution system. Specifically, although distribution would be maintained, writers would no longer be notified if their story was chosen for distribution. And also, that human curation was back. Human curators read stories published here on Medium and choose a…Tony Stubblebine4 min readTony Stubblebine4 min read
Published in Everything Fun·Dec 20, 2022Member-onlySun, Sand, & Santa: My Christmas Working at Club MedIncluding setting the nativity scene on fire — Fresh out of university, I applied to work at Club Med. I’d always wanted to work at a hotel and Club Med was, at the time, the premium brand in hospitality. …Christmas4 min readChristmas4 min read
Published in Everything Fun·Dec 15, 2022Member-onlyThe Definitive Ranking Of All 9 ‘Love Actually’ SubplotsNo, Jamie and Aurelia aren’t number one! — One of the best conversational tips is to ask specific questions. So if you’re at a holiday party and the chatter is thinner than the egg nog, don’t go in with: “and where are you spending Christmas?” Snore. Instead, try one of my favorite seasonal icebreakers: “So, what’s your favorite…Film6 min readFilm6 min read
Published in Fresh Files·Dec 10, 2022Member-onlyWhat If Christmas, She Thought, Doesn’t Come From A Store…What if advent calendars, perhaps, mean a little bit more? — Have you seen these advent calendars targeted at adults? They started with a few retailers about 10 years ago and have since become ubiquitous. Macy’s has a 25 Days of Beauty calendar where behind each little window is a sample from a premium beauty brand. Jo Malone has one filled…Christmas5 min readChristmas5 min read
