I Read : Make Your Bed

Make Your Bed : The Little Things that Can Change Your Life... And Maybe the World, by William H. McRaven. This is a very short little book, just 102 pages of new material plus another 28 pages of the speech given by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy Retired) at UT Austin. I'm clearly deep into…

The Definitive Student Visa Renewal Dossier*

*For my specific préfecture in my specific situation in June/July of 2017. This always bears repeating, but any list of required documents you find on the internet regarding your visa situation even if you find it on the government's website is just a list on the internet. I recommend always, always going in person to your préfecture…

Mornings at the Préfecture

This is a lot harder to do when I actually have a job. Two years ago, I had time to waste an entire day sitting in various chairs, waiting for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn.  This year, I'm writing this post from outside the préfecture, where I've been waiting for about an hour. Let…

Train Travel : A Step-By-Step Guide

Let's be real, I'm holding my own hand here. I am reminding myself that I write for me, not for other people, but it still ought to be said that I am no expert at train travel in France. I take trains outside of Paris about 5-7 times per year, largely to go on vacation,…

Perfect vs Good in Practice

"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Whether it was Confucius or Voltaire, it's good advice and I'm trying to live it this week. I was on the train this morning, jammed into the car and 10 minutes late, and I truly felt like a mess. My hair was flatter than normal…

Little Changes : ‘Wellness’

Resisting the concept of wellness and all of its marketing, yet feeling like I'm workin' on my wellness at the same time. I'm not a paragon of wellness. I go to bed late sometimes, I'd eat nothing but eggs or cereal or veggie purée for every meal of the day, I don't work out nearly enough…

Why Point It Out?

On rude behaviour and finally learning my mother's lessons. I generally like talking to people. It takes me a minute to warm up sometimes, but I find that the experience of speaking to other humans is a good one. This morning, I was going about my business at my internship, collecting data, talking with clients. I…

Knowing Your Audience

I don't know what I thought would happen, but I feel like I should have prepared for this! Last week, I submitted a Money Diary to Refinery29, and promptly forgot about it. I didn't mention it here, and I assumed it wouldn't be published. I enjoyed the exercise of tracking my spending with a narrative, instead…