In Bring Your Brain To Work: Using Cognitive Science to Get a Job, Do It Well, and Advance Your Career, author Art Markman explains how various psychological pitfalls play out in our work lives, and then instructs the reader on how to overcome them in order to find and keep work worth doing. I'm going … Continue reading Work Wisdom →

ONCE-- and that's important -- when I was 28 years old, I forgot to submit my biweekly time sheet on time. The university's HR guy told me plainly that I would be paid two weeks late-- a date that was well past my rent deadline. My boss, Teresa, tried and failed to persuade the temp … Continue reading Kindness →

The Gin Quarantini The juice of one half Meyer Lemon 2 slices frozen orange 1-2 oz. Bombay Sapphire Gin from Dave's house Order two pounds of Meyer lemons in mid-February. Travel to see your friend in Ohio and say yes when he offers you his unopened bottle of gin. Begin quarantine upon returning to DC … Continue reading Quarantine Cocktails →

I'm writing this while I wait for a Facebook live event to begin. My boss has been doing these virtual speaking engagements every few days since the crisis began, and I was tapped to be on standby in case she needs anything. Normally, I do not have a great attitude about last-minute calls to work … Continue reading Stolen Moments →

A friend gave me a bottle of Baileys recently. I think the only time I've had Baileys was in Dublin, as a relaxing conclusion to my lunch at The Hairy Lemon. I was traveling solo and remember the service being ideal-- prompt but not overly invasive, giving me time to write in my journal and … Continue reading Baileys →

I am an unrepentant goal-setter and self-improver, setting new year's resolutions and doing an annual birthday check-in with myself to see what I want to work on or change. I recently heard an interview with BJ Fogg, the author of Tiny Habits. His book explains how we can form the habits we want with incremental … Continue reading Life-changing times →

About three months before my Peace Corps service was going to end, I developed an eye twitch. Many of us didn't realize the cultural adaptation and strain we'd experience continually upon moving to another country for two years, but when it came time to do the reverse, my body knew it would be hard. The … Continue reading What’s a euphemism for “stress”? →

My sister and I called our aunt and uncle who live in Florida and visited for an hour. I set up my yoga mat and actually did about 6 sun salutations throughout the day. I read a book I downloaded from the DC library. I hand washed the oddball dishes that don't go in the … Continue reading All The Time You Never Had →

Sunday is my usual meal-planning and prepping day. I really look forward to seeing pictures online or in my cookbooks that might inspire my meals for the week. I am someone who aspires to being organized and methodical in all things, but who manages to achieve that in only a few-- meal planning being one … Continue reading Grocery Day →

I barely remember what work I did yesterday, but it involved a flurry of emails (some of us are not good at using subject lines for their intended purpose) and basically the constant muting and unmuting of myself on conference calls. When my 4:00 call ended, poured myself a gin and tonic (slice of Meyer … Continue reading A Long-Awaited Weekend →