shm notes & posts -

fragments

fyi fragment I: work-life balance, healthy conflict & other fun finds

27 October 202427 October 2024

Most of the time when I write something for my site, I make sure to flesh it out pretty well. I want my posts to...

Most of the time when I write something for my site, I make sure to flesh it out pretty well. I want my posts to more substantive and less tangential—but truth be told, that's not how I think. I have a lot of tangents that aren't robust enough for a post but are still ideas that I want to put out into the world. So now I've decided that I'll start doing that, in batches of two to three. If I can't have twitter I guess I'll make my own

. the meaning of work-life balance (WLB) At some...

Hills

Manifestations of class and capital warfare

23 September 202423 September 2024

In which I discuss how capital evolved how we fight but not what we fight over. Open for connections between capitalism and everything we know, hate, and love.

This post will sit somewhere between reflection and analysis. It’s also half-baked because the path was more the result of a stream of consciousness rather than written around a central theme. Provoked by the tweet below, I want people to know that most undue prejudices are simply markers for class in one way or another. Even most positive biases are markers for class. Class is truly the last divider of us all, and it has to be in the system that we live in. Capitalism needs people to value money above all else, and it enforces this pedestal by putting...

Travel

One man’s return to Greece after half a century

20 July 202420 July 2024

In which I recount taking my dad to his alma mater in Greece after 52 years. Open for a chronicle of the best father-daughter trip you’ve ever seen.

A fun fact about my dad is that his Doctor title comes from studying veterinary medicine in Greece. He graduated in 1972 (during the junta) and hasn’t been back since, until this year. For his 75th birthday, I decided to treat him to a trip to Greece, primarily in Thessaloniki (where he went to school) and Lesvos. . Choosing the island Anyone doing research on Greece knows there are many, many options to choose from when visiting the Greek islands. Knowing that my father likes beaches, olive oil, and ouzo, I decided on Lesvos. I got a few weird looks...

Travel

Completing my mission in Casablanca

29 June 202429 June 2024

In which I spill the tea on Casablanca. Open for reflections and gratitude on a mediocre trip.

One of few concrete personal goals I have is to visit 30 countries and all seven continents before I turn 30. This May I’m officially 50% of the way there after visiting my 30th country: Morocco, by way of Casablanca. This little gem on the Atlantic coast came to my attention mostly because it was the cheapest flight to Africa from Portugal, and I did not want a European country to be #30 for me. It also seemed to be a low commitment in that I wouldn’t feel cheated if I only did a weekend trip, and I was correct....

Finance Health

Freezing my very own Easter eggs in Portugal

31 March 202431 March 2024

In which I talk about my very own internal and more affordable egg hunt. Open for 90% of all the thoughts I’ve ever had about my ovaries.

The only eggs I hunted for Easter this season were in me all along. Nearly 30 years together, but alas all things must end. Cold-take: freezing eggs in the United States is way too expensive. Being an aunt is an absolute delight, but I'm still on the fence about becoming a parent myself. Freezing my eggs was something that I've been mulling over for years, and then once I heard the price in Portugal I figured it was now or never. Plus, I like that I can ignore the tick-tock of my biological clock in the background as I navigate...

Poems

Lessons from the streets: dating in the modern age

14 February 202414 February 2024

In which I poemize my lessons from years of dating. Open for a rhyming reflection on the pursuit of love.

After a recent extended break (and breakup) from online dating, I got to thinking about my extensive dating history. Dates have always been a sort of mini sociological experiment for me. Sure, love is also a pursuit, but she is tough to find and it is so much more fun to observe the ways in which people pursue connection. People watching is great, but the best experiments introduce some variability. As the dependent variable on my dates, the independent variables have been….enlightening. I don't have a slideshow with my Dating Wrapped, but I DID write a poem. Some might say...

Travel

What’s in my bag: travel essentials from a road warrior

29 January 202429 January 2024

In which I breakdown some essentials for my travel—beyond the basics like clothes and soap. Open to take a look inside my ever-moving bag.

As someone who travels like it’s her job, I have packing down to a pseudo-science. My suitcase isn’t packed exactly the same every time, but I definitely have some core necessities. Below you’ll find some of the things in my suitcase, complete with links. . Travel closet After trying and failing for years to like packing cubes, I found a travel solution that works amazingly for me: the travel closet. There are a couple of suitcases that have these built in, but I’m a bigger fan of the portable ones that can be put into my carry-on OR checked bag....

Poems

Dearest right triangle: a poem in two dimensions

21 October 202321 October 2023

In which one triangle bids a sad farewell to her once complementary partner. Open for geometric innuendos and a high school throwback.

Once upon a time, a young lady sat in her Honors Geometry class blasting Ke$ha on her iPod and imagined a world in which two congruent right-triangles started dating. Naturally, all things must come to an end. It was presumably this thought that led me to write a break-up poem/letter from one triangle to another at 8AM in class. Now this poem sees the light of the internet, complete with comics I completed this month. Dearest Right Triangle We are a match made in textbooksCongruent in every wayBut that doesn’t change the factI have something to say The way I feel...

Travel

Safari & sites through southern Africa

20 September 202320 September 2023

In which I talk about my trip to southern Africa (including Botswana and Zimbabwe.) Open for animals, sights, and exhilarating experiences.

Johannesburg pt. 1 My first day in Joburg came after 26 hours of travel and consisted solely of the Apartheid Museum and meeting my tour group. Ideally, I would've gone to the museum when I was better rested, but since it's closed on Mon/Tues, it was now or never. All of the thoughts the museum evoked were far too lengthy for this post, but can be read here. After fueling my mind and my stomach at the museum, I made my way back to the hotel to meet my trip mates and guides. Staying at the Holiday Inn was an...

Reflections Travel

Apartheid Museum perusings and musings

17 September 202317 September 2023

In which I reflect on the Apartheid Museum. Open for reflections evoked by Mandela, Tutu, and what put them on the global stage.

The only regret I have about the Apartheid Museum was going after 26 hours of exhausting travel. I wish I was fully alert and rested so I could have read and processed everything more. It would be easy to spend an entire day at the museum, especially since there’s a cafe/restaurant there to refuel if needed. . The enlightenment This was the best museum I’ve ever been to, filled with information that was infuriating, enlightening, and somehow hopeful. I didn’t fully understand the atrocities that occurred during the Apartheid before I entered, and the care with which the museum displayed...

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