Author: Am I Thirty?

You’re Not the Only One You Know Who’s Had a Miscarriage
Mental Health — Return to Zero: H.O.P.E.

I was recently scrolling through Instagram and came across a post about Chrissy Teigen and Megan Markle opening up about their pregnancy losses. I went down into the comments section cause I’m a masochist and always torture myself by reading social media comments. One of the commenters wrote, “Everyone seems to be having a miscarriage lately.” And she added a confused emoji at the end.

I didn’t respond to the comment, but if I did, I would have written, “Yes, a lot of people are having miscarriages, but not lately. Actually, a lot of people are having miscarriages always.”

It’s estimated that between 20-25% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact number because many women miscarriage before they even realize they’re pregnant. They simply confuse the miscarriage for their period.

Twenty-five percent is a HUGE number. Yet, it’s still viewed as a taboo, secretive subject. When Teigen and Markle decided to talk about their pregnancy loss, they received many supportive and understanding comments. But there was a lot of negative commentary as well. Many people wondered why they were talking about it so publicly. Why not? Why shouldn’t we talk more about something that happens to one out of four women?

I had a miscarriage this summer, and I felt incredibly alone while going through it. I knew that miscarriages were common, but I was still shocked to find out I was going through one. It’s a topic rarely discussed, so it was difficult not to feel alone. My miscarriage happened so early on that hardly anyone knew I was pregnant. It was a terrible loss that only my husband and I had to bear.

I spent weeks dealing with my miscarriage (I had a 7-week miscarriage, which is its own story), but I had to go about my days as if nothing was wrong. I was back at work three days a week and had to act like I wasn’t grieving. On the days when I just wanted to crawl into a ball and stay in bed, I couldn’t. I never revealed to my coworkers what I was going through because I felt it would make them uncomfortable. We’re so trained to hide our pregnancies for the first three months in case anything happens that it translates to hiding it when something does happen.

I was hiding this miscarriage as though it was a dirty secret from my family and my closest friends. Until I finally decided that I wasn’t going to hide it anymore. I was pregnant, and then I wasn’t. It happens to so many women every year, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I finally started opening up to my closest friends and family about what I was going through. And you know what, I started to feel better? Talking about it helped me to heal.

If you’ve ever dealt with a miscarriage or you’re going through one, it’s hard not to feel alone. But I want you to know that you’re not alone. I bet if you start talking about it, you’ll find out that other people who know have suffered from pregnancy loss as well. And even if you don’t know anyone in real life, you know me.

Miscarriage is a scary, confusing, sad experience to go through, and it’s worse doing it alone. If talking about it helps with the healing process, then go for it. It’s not a taboo subject. It’s an extremely common ordeal that needs to be spoken about more.

Stages of a Corona Bride

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When my fiance and I paid the remaining balance to our wedding venue, there was a lot of excitement but also some dread. It was a lot of money. This would be the biggest party we’d most likely ever throw in our lives. And there were no refunds. But why would we need a refund? We were secure in our relationship. Aside from something tragic happening to a close family member, we were gonna be partying it up on July 18th, 2020. My fiance had his suit ordered with our wedding date inscribed on the inside. I had the invitations already printed and ready to go cause as a thrifty bride I couldn’t pass up on the sale.

That’s the type of bride I described myself as: a thrifty bride. I never imagined I’d become a Corona Bride. When the year first started, that was a term no one ever heard of. Now, it’s a category every bride who was set to get married in March of 2020 or later falls into. 

At the beginning of this year, I was in full wedding planning mode. Then sometime in March, like everything else in the world, it came to a complete stop. It’s been a whirlwind. Besides dealing with a global pandemic that has set everyone on edge, I’ve also been trying to navigate the new landscape of weddings. Here’s just a small glimpse into what it has been like. 

Denial – At the beginning of March, things started to cancel, and I began to worry. But I never really let that worry manifest itself. This was serious but not THAT serious. Sure Italy was shut down, but no way could that happen here, right? Right!? 

Optimism – OK, so things did get that bad here. I was working from home. Schools were closed. Everything was canceled. But my wedding was still almost 5 months away. That’s a very long time. By then, we’ll have this under control, and people will want a reason to get out and party. Our wedding will be a post-quarantine celebration! 

Freaking Out – THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO HAVE THIS UNDER CONTROL! How am I going to have a party with 100+ people in the middle of a pandemic? Not only is that ridiculous, but it’s also incredibly unsafe and irresponsible. What’s going to happen now? What about that dress I spent way too much money on? Will I ever be able to wear it? How about all the money that the venue has? Will we ever get it back? 

Downplaying – While I gave myself some time to freak out and definitely shed a few tears, I also allowed myself room for some perspective. Sure, this sucked. Really, really sucked. It’s not how my fiance and I imagined the lead up to our wedding. However, we were both employed and healthy. All the people around us were healthy. So many people were going through tremendous hardships during this pandemic. All we’re dealing with is a canceled or postponed wedding. Things could be a lot worse. 

Negotiating – Around June, we both came to terms with the fact that our July wedding wasn’t going to happen. Ideally, we just wanted our money back. We decided to cancel the entire thing and have something VERY SMALL with just immediate family when things settled down a bit. Unfortunately, our venue had other plans. (This is something that I’m sure many Corona Brides are familiar with: battling with venues and vendors.) We couldn’t cancel and get our money back because they claimed they were able to throw us a wedding within the Governor’s guidelines. Translation: they were able to set tables up 6 feet apart outdoors, no matter the weather, without a dance floor. That’s precisely how I imagined my wedding day. After a bit more back and forth, we finally gave up and moved our wedding date to September 5th of next year. 

Plan B – While the venue was holding our money hostage and we knew we couldn’t have a party anytime soon, it didn’t mean that getting married was entirely off the table. We decided that the September 2021 date would be a much-delayed reception. As long as we had a marriage license and our recently ordained friend, what stopped us from getting married?

More Freaking Out – We forgot this was 2020, and nothing goes the way you want it to. As soon as we decided to get a marriage license and have a small ceremony with our parents and siblings present, we found out that New York City had a three-month wait to obtain a license! Are you kidding me? Just when I thought the tears and freaking out was finished. 

Acceptance – Somewhere along the way, we both had to accept the fact that our wedding was not going to happen the way we originally imagined. We have a party planned for next year (fingers crossed), and eventually, we’ll be able to get a marriage license. But for now, we’re in love and have each other, and in the end, that’s what really matters. That’s what the whole wedding thing was about in the first place. Years from now, this will just be an interesting story to tell our kids. 

Unfollowing Your Racist Friends or Family Isn’t Enough

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If a friend makes a post proclaiming that the Backstreet Boys are better than Nsync, I will feel sorry that they’re so misinformed, but I won’t unfriend them. We’re all allowed to have our own opinions on things. Even when it comes to politics, we’re all going to have different views on things like taxes, education, etc. There are certain candidates that some will like more than others. Friends and families do not have to agree on everything.

However, when it comes to human rights and equality, that’s not merely a difference in opinion. Not supporting the LGBTQ community or questioning the actions of a rape victim instead of the rapist or not recognizing that black lives matter, goes beyond different views. It says so much about who you are as a person.

After the 2016 election, I unfollowed several people on FB. I didn’t enjoy the posts I was seeing, so it was my way of ensuring I didn’t see anything I found unfavorable. Out of sight, out of mind. I realize that is not enough. These actions do nothing but make my life easier. I can ignore the racism and ignorance of my friends and family if I don’t see the posts. Their views will never actually affect me in real life. By just unfollowing the posts, I’m essentially allowing the racism to continue.

Confronting someone you know about racism is never comfortable. But I also think we need to start learning how to have uncomfortable conversations. We can no longer ignore racism when we see it. We can’t click “unfollow” and pretend that it doesn’t exist. Just because you no longer see the racist posts from that guy you went to high school with doesn’t mean they no longer exist. Their racism is still there. Their racism is being embedded in the children they’re raising. Their racism is affecting the lives of people of color every day.

Force yourself to have the uncomfortable conversations. The job of educating white people shouldn’t fall on people of color. If you call yourself an ally, if you want to be more involved, don’t ignore racism when you see it. Initiate those conversations. Explain why the term “All Lives Matter” is problematic. Show examples of white privilege.

In an ideal world, these conversations will always be civil, with each party expressing their views and you coming to an agreement. I wish this were the case, but it won’t always play out like this. You may never be able to change a person’s views. But you still have to try. We all have to get in the habit of calling out racism whenever we see it. Unfollowing isn’t enough!

Books to Get Lost In

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It’s no secret that I love reading books. Thanks to Goodreads and their yearly challenge, I push myself to read at least 50 books a year. I like to set aside an hour a day to read. I don’t always have that much time but I do what I can. When the pandemic first got serious here and my library closed until further notice, I thought I’d get a lot of reading done. What else was I going to do? I wound up spending all of March and the majority of April barely reading a few minutes. There was too much on my mind to focus on a book. Anytime I opened my Kindle, my brain lost any ability to concentrate on the words in front of me.

As I am entering the third month of this, I have been able to get back on the reading bandwagon. And I couldn’t be happier. Reading is the ultimate escape. You truly can get lost in a book. (Barbie knows what she’s talking about.) If you’re looking for escapism (and really who isn’t at this point?), then let me suggest some books to get lost in while you’re stuck at home.

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore – This book revolves around time travel in the same way The Time Traveler’s Wife does. It’s more about the human connections and time travel is the backdrop. Oona passes out at midnight on New Year’s Eve of 1982, which also happens to be her 19th birthday, and wakes up in the year 2015 at 51-years-old. Each New Year’s after that, Oona wakes up in a different time of her life. This is the first book I really got into since the pandemic hit and I highly recommend it.

Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong – So you’re only going to enjoy this book if you enjoy Ali Wong’s humor. I suggest you check out her two comedy specials on Netflix. If you find yourself cracking up like I did, then get a hold of this book!

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert – Full disclosure, this book is a long one. I do think it could have been edited down by a couple of chapters, but that’s my only complaint. This is a great historical fiction novel based in New York City.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng – Reading this book gives you two ways to get lost. First you can get lost in the book and then the mini series on Hulu.

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager – I am normally not a fan of mysteries but this one sucked me in. It switches from Emma Davis’s current adult life in New York City to her time as a young girl at Camp Nightingale where three of her friends vanished.

The White Queen by Philappa Gregory – I recognize right away that this book will not be for everyone. It tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner who goes onto marry the King of England. It’s historical fiction very loosely based on facts. It’s highly entertaining and Gregory’s novels are my ultimate guilty pleasures. If you like this one, then there are several others in the same series.

What are some of the books you’ve used during this time to help you escape?

Finding Things to Write at a Time Like This

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If I were to create a common phrase for my blog, it would be, “Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve written a post.” It’s definitely the single most popular phrase here because WOW it has been a long time since I wrote a post! Like always, life got in the way. I was returning to my old job, moving back home, and planning a wedding. Writing took a backseat to everything else.

Then the entire world stopped, and like everyone else, I was completely numb. The thought of writing filled me with anxiety, and the last thing I needed was more anxiety. I also felt that there was no need for my blog. My blog posts usually fall into two categories: either it’s updates on what’s going on with my life, or I’m sarcastically bitching about trivial things. Well, since March, my life has been an endless stream of sameness. There’s nothing to update. And bitching about trivial things during this time is not only annoying but also incredibly tone-deaf.

A million blog posts have run through my head late at night like they always do. But by the time morning rolls around, I’ve either completely lost most of what I wanted to write or realized that it wasn’t nearly as profound as my half-awake brain thought.

But alas, here I am once again writing a post after a long ass time. I miss my blog. I miss writing. I miss you guys. And right now, there are too many things in life that I miss and have no way of getting back. At least writing is something I have control over. Something I can do safely with no fear I’ll be getting myself or someone else I love sick. So here’s to more writing!

I hope everyone is safe and doing well!

I Have an Excellent Memory Until…

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So I am known for having a good memory. I have one friend who comes to me when she can’t remember details about her own past. My memory is so good that I’ve actually pretended that I didn’t remember some very small detail so I didn’t come across as weird. Remembering that you wore a red sweater with polka dots when we went to dinner five years ago comes across as stalkerish. It’s not. I just really remember everything, until I don’t.

I was reminded of this earlier this month when I was so confused when it was 5PM and pitch black outside. Every friggen November I forget about the effects of daylight saving time and am completely shocked that it’s so dark! Where is the sun and who took it? My memory works that way sometimes. I’ll remember what I had for breakfast this time three years ago but then I forget about an event that occurs every year.

The same thing happens with these other following events. My memory suddenly goes out the window!

I always forget how much alcohol is enough. My alcohol limit has been tested so many times in my adult life. How much wine is too much wine? Well I suddenly can’t remember. Maybe another glass will help jog my memory.

I always forget that I am going to want the snacks tomorrow. Every time I go food shopping, I just buy rabbit food. I don’t even walk down the snacks aisle cause I’m totally gonna be healthy for the entire week. I forget that every single time I go shopping I regret that I didn’t get any snacks. Then I just wind up going out and eating junk food and spending more money. Just buy the damn box of Oreo’s when you’re at the store.

I always forget just how tired I am in the morning. I love putting things off until the morning. I don’t need to make lunch now; I can do it tomorrow. The shower will still be there in the morning and it’ll help wake me up. HA! I tell myself this at night, forgetting just how tired I am when my alarm goes off. Twenty snoozes later and I’m dirty with no lunch.

I always forget just how lazy I can be. I always make elaborate plans for myself while at work. I’m gonna come home and cook dinner and go for a walk and read and maybe start that yoga video I’ve been eyeing on Amazon. Then I get home and do nothing! Excuse me, it’s not nothing. I do watch a lot of TV but never a yoga video. Work me forgets how lazy after-work me can be.

I always forget how friggen cold the winter gets. I have lived in New York my entire life. That’s 33 winters. It’s cold. It’s always cold. But for some reason the first time the temperature drops below 20, I am shocked. And freezing. I never know where my gloves or hats are because I forgot that winter comes every single year.

I always forget how out of shape I am. If someone asks me if I like hiking, I would answer “yes.” If I was still on a dating site, I’d most likely list hiking as a hobby. I genuinely do like hiking. When you reach the top of a mountain, it’s so incredibly rewarding. But going up the mountain, is the absolute worst! I am so out of shape. I always forget how strenuous climbing up a mountain can be. And while I’m doing it, I usually want to turn back 57 times.

There’s Nothing Wrong with Wanting a Wedding

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There should be a second part to that title which should be: As Long as It’s for the Right Reasons. However, that was way too long of a title. But in actuality the blog post you’re about to read is titled: There’s Nothing Wrong with Wanting a Wedding as Long as It’s for the Right Reasons.

As you all know, I got engaged this year. After we got engaged, the fiance and I sat down to talk about what we want as far as a wedding goes. There was a big part of us that didn’t want to have a wedding at all. Weddings are insanely expensive. Even if you try to budget and DIY, it can still really add up. After much debate and discussion, we ultimately decided that a wedding was something we wanted to have. The thought of having all our family members and close friends together for a big party swayed us.

As soon as we came to an agreement that we were having a wedding, the planning began. Of course, I turned to the Internet cause where else would I start my journey? As I was reading article after article about wedding tips, tricks, trends, etc., I also read the comments because I am a glutton for punishment. (I have learned time and time again that Internet comments are filled with the most miserable human beings but I can never seem to avoid reading them.) Some of the comments were helpful – newlyweds talking about what they did to bring their wedding together. Then there were a bunch of comments from people who appear to hate weddings yet feel the need to not only read articles about weddings, but also comment on them.

So many of the comments went like this. “Why would you have a wedding?” “Weddings are a complete waste of money!” “Save your money and spend it on literally anything else.”

A part of me can get the sentiment. I do believe that some people go overboard with weddings. If you have to take out a loan for your wedding, then there’s seriously something wrong and you should scale back a bit. But the comments, and even some of the articles, read as though anyone who even considers having a wedding is an idiot. And I say, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a wedding. And I am not just saying that as someone who will be having a wedding next year.

Just make sure that you are having a wedding for the right reason. It’s fine to want a big poofy dress or a raw bar overflowing with shrimp and oysters. Get those frilly chair covers and splurge on a photo booth. But remember that the main point of the day is to marry your forever partner. It’s to make a commitment with someone in front of all your nearest and dearest. The party is only one day. After all the guests have gone home, the food has been eaten, and your dress has been put away, you’re left with a marriage. If that’s not the most important thing on the day of your wedding, then you’re doing it wrong and getting married for the wrong reasons.

Have a wedding. Have the kind of wedding you’ve dreamed about forever. Just remember the wedding is about you and your partner, and not just about your dream Pinterest board.

When Did I Get So Old?

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A few months ago I went to a concert. This was a standing room only show, no assigned seats. The standing for a couple of hours at a time doesn’t bother me about these types of shows. What does bother me is the jostling around with a bunch of other people. I hate having too many people in my personal space at one time. This show stood out in particular due to one girl standing in front of me. She spent the majority of the show flailing around like a wacky waving inflatable tube man and turning around to make googly eyes at her friend who was standing behind me. I spent half of the show enjoying the act performing and the other half throwing elbows to defend my feet from being trampled by this 20-year-old dancing maniac.

While we never actually said anything to each other, we were aware of one another. I noticed her constant 2-stepping, she was well aware of my flagrant elbows. I’m sure she heard me proclaim to my fiance over 100 hundred times about personal space and rude people. And I certainly caught what she said to her friend, “I came here to have fun not sit stand around like this.” That’s when she crossed her arms and made a face that you would most likely make when imitating the line, “Get off my lawn!”

I like to think that even in my late teens and early 20s I was aware of personal space and wouldn’t have acted the way this girl did. However, I probably wouldn’t have been as annoyed with that behavior back in the day either. I would have most likely been drinking and dancing along to the music as well. Now, I just wanted to enjoy some music and get home with enough time to get my eight hours of sleep.

That concert made me realize that I am getting old. I understand that in the grand scheme of life I am not old. Statistically speaking, I have more than half of my life left to live. If I were to die, it would still be a tragedy and people would question how it happened. Old age and sleep wouldn’t be the culprit. But I do feel like I’ve said goodbye to my youth.

We all get older. We all know that one day we’re going to get older and older. But as a teen, it’s so far in the distance that it’s a fact that might as well be made up. When I was 17, turning 30 seemed like a lifetime away. But then I turned 30, and then all of a sudden I turned 33 and I was easing into my mid-thirties. It all happens so fast.

Every young person is going to one day look up and realize that the years are passing by a lot faster than they used to. We’re always told “time flies” but don’t realize it until we’re in the midst of it. It’s why Buzzfeed has at least one article a day marveling at things that came out 10, 15, 20 years ago. We can’t fathom that the shows we grew up with are turning two decades old. Sometimes a quarter of a century. (All That premiered in 1994!!!) We’re constantly left asking, “How did this happen? And how do I make it stop?”

I’m not sure how I got to be 33-years-old and I know that there’s no way to slow down this train as much as I want to. I am just going to have to accept that this is my new normal. The years are going to continue to fly by so I have to remember to savor each day.

Some of Us Have to Work for Happiness

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I am not a chill person. I am not laid back. I do not let inconveniences, whether big or small, simply slide away, easily forgotten. All my life, I have wanted to be this person. I wanted to be the cool chick. The one who didn’t stress about minor things. After 33-years, I have accepted the fact that I will never be the cool chick. I am too anxious for that to ever be me.

My anxiety and my inability to let things go tend to have a negative affect on my happiness. My default reaction is to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” When things are going bad or someone upsets me, I will immediately think about all the other things in my life that need improvement.

Happiness is something that I have to work on. I hate to admit this but it doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m not saying I’m always miserable. I have a lot of things in life to be happy about and a ton of things that bring me joy. I just need to spend more time reminding myself of these things than other people do.

While there are plenty of people out there who are genuinely upbeat and always look on the bright side of things, I doubt that I am alone in my battle for happiness. If you’re like me and have to work a little bit harder to be happy, I hope that the following tips can help when you need to remind yourself that things aren’t always so bad.

Remind yourself of all the good things in your life and all that you have to be grateful for. It’s so easy to dwell on the bad stuff. When your car didn’t start and you spilled coffee all over yourself and it’s Monday, it’s hard to think, “Well at least I’m breathing and have a roof over my head.” But you are breathing and do have a roof over your head.* Those are things to be really fucking thankful for. 

Remind yourself daily of the things that do make you happy. Make a list if you need to because I know how hard it is to think of those things when you all you want to do is have a breakdown. Read the list everyday. Read it multiple times a day if you need to.

Don’t ever forget that list of happiness but also allow yourself to feel sad. It’s a normal human emotion and you’re not less of a person for feeling blue from time to time. Just don’t dwell on it for too long and don’t let one bad thing spill over in to so many other aspects of your life.

Don’t beat yourself up if your default reaction to life isn’t calm coolness. That’s just another thing to stress about. Instead, focus your energy on happiness.

*I recognize wholeheartedly my privilege in writing this. I have the luxury of being sad and dwelling on trivial things because I don’y have to worry about the heavy stuff like where I’m going to sleep at night.

Things Are a Lot Different in a Small Town

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As you all know, I recently moved away from New York City and it’s not going well. I never considered myself that much a of a city girl. Sure, I was taking the train alone by the age of 10 but I also owned a car and drove it regularly. I lived in the most suburban part of NYC for the last 18 years of my life so I thought I could handle a small town.

I didn’t think there would be that much of a difference. Boy was I wrong!

If you actually live in a small town, you’re probably going to roll your eyes at a lot of what I’m going to say. Considering that my town has a population of 11,000 I am not exactly sure how small it’s considered. But for me, this shit is very small. Every day something new happens that makes me think, “Holy shit, I am living in the boondocks!”

This has been quite the learning experience for me. Below are just some of the many thoughts I’ve had since moving to the boondocks.

What is up with volunteer firefighters? Coming from a city where firefighters are revered, I just cannot get behind the idea of volunteer firefighters! Any child here who dreams about growing up to be a firefighter one day, needs to be put in their place. “Sorry sweetie, fighting fires is just a hobby. You’ll need a real job.” Cause apparently risking your life to save people from fire is not worthy of a paycheck. Since this is a small town, and the surrounding areas are even smaller, I can understand not needing a HUGE staff. Maybe have some people who want to volunteer if there is a big issue. But to not have any paid staff members is absurd to me.

If I get sick or hurt here, I am going to die. As a hypochondriac, doctors are very important to me. I had reliable doctors back in Staten Island and I even had 1-2 urgent cares that I trusted for same day issues. Now I have to start all over again and at a place where the doctors do not have the best reputation. I turned to my coworkers for references when I first moved here but practically all of them do not have a primary care physician. These are grown ass adults so this boggles my mind. I finally settled on a doctor that had decent reviews. However, I couldn’t get in for 2 months and the office is 45 minutes away from my home. I need to drive almost two hours just to see a mediocre doctor. There’s also no hospital in my town so if I fell down the stairs I’d have to drag my ass to the next town over, 20 minutes away!

I question the whole cost of living theory. When I was moving up north from NYC, so many people commented on how my cost of living is going to be much cheaper. When it came to rent, they were absolutely right. In NYC, I would be living in a studio basement paying what I pay for my 2-bedroom apartment up here. But plenty of other things are either just as expensive or even more expensive than the city. I have never spent more money grocery shopping than I have here. It’s unreal. I’ll go in for just some fruits and veggies for the week and spend over $60.

Maybe taxes aren’t so bad. This is one that I NEVER thought I’d say. Every 2 weeks getting paid in NYC, I would die a little inside. “Why does half my paycheck get taken away?” Then I moved to a place with volunteer firefighters and it all made sense. NYC may take a bit too much taxes but a lot of those taxes do go to good use. I’ll take some out of my paycheck to make sure those putting out fires are compensated. I’m also willing to pay out of my paycheck to make recycling easy cause recycling is a real bitch here. In NYC you could leave a three-piece bedroom set outside and sanitation would easily take it. Here, it’s like they don’t want you to recycle. Since I’m renting I don’t have to pay for garbage pickup. However, the garbage pickup does not recycle. So if I want to do my part for this world that’s wasting away, I have to lug all my recyclables to a dumpster down the road. Now, I get this is a first world problem complaint. However, not a lot of people can be bothered with going that extra step. Where I live, my neighbors don’t recycle. They just put all their giant Amazon boxes with all the other garbage. This world is falling apart, towns should be doing everything they can to make recycling as easy and accessible as possible.

Who comes up with these business hours? My current library is off a main street. And when I say main street that’s the actually name of the street. I am convinced that only small towns have a main street. And they are usually incredibly quaint and cute. My main street is no exception. However, the hours of the shops and restaurants are bizarre. My sisters came to visit on a Monday and decided to walk around main street while I was working. They came back to complain that only TWO stores were open. There are some shops that are open for three hours a day, two days a week.

I miss rats and cockroaches. Now this is a statement I really never thought I’d say. I’m not suddenly a fan of rats and cockroaches but I’d take them over ticks, bears, and rattlesnakes. The wild creatures living in this neck of the woods freak me out on a daily basis.

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