Oddly, of the five TV shows listed, Shadowhunters is the only one I would willingly watch. I’d need several martinis and something to read during all the scenes involving the ostensible main character and her boyfriend, but compared to the other options...

Considering it was adapted from a book series by a writer previously known for their Harry Potter fanfiction, I can see where you got that "I've seen these tropes before" feeling. The show was an improvement on the books, but that's not saying much.

I spent a long time with a tight budget, so my habit now that I have a bit of mad money is to have experiences. That could be a day at an art gallery with my brother, or a fabulous birthday dinner for my husband and his closest friends, or going to the theatre with my best friend. It’s not stuff, it’s life lived more…

I went out and did a social, public gathering thing (really hard and rare for me these day) by going to a trivia fundraiser with friends. Not only did I have fun, instead of anxiety, my team actually won a round! I am really glad I went.

Like the other commenters, I’m all about the to do list. I have an app that goes from desktop to phone to calendar that lets me sort to dos by project, priority, and date. Everything that pops into my head goes in there, no matter how minor. Every day, I just stick to that day’s list (play all the stuff that just…

So happy to see Frank come out of his cozy bed! (Sorry to hear you bled for his progress)

That coat was MADE for Canadian winters!

Yup, wedding night sex was not a thing. We were exhausted (me) and trashed (both) so there was some enthusiastic cuddling followed by snoring.

Bumbersnoot Cribblesnitch is right, as are you - and thank you for using the term tisane. I've taken to using it around the house because my husband is as pedantic as Bimblebum Candlepinch on the topic of tea. One of their many commonalities.

She did! It was grand drama for a couple weeks (?) and then they came home. But then there was new drama, because one of the ladies was *pregnant* and so what had she been up to in the wilds of Toronto? (Answer: hanging out eating grass. She got knocked up by the dude-capybara who they shared an enclosure with before…

My sympathies for what you’re going through. It’s a painful cycle, insomnia and anxiety. When I’m in the throws of it, I drink a lot of chamomile and verbena tea to relax. While I’m hesitant to recommend remedies online, these are super common herbal teas and so there’s information out there about them.

I hope you give them a try. I’ve found the right medication this year, after a few not so good tries, and it has made such a difference. A couple bits of advice: it takes a little while to level out, and your best indicator of things working is what other people say about your mood. If the meds are really doing their…

Miles is such a handsome fella! I imagine his purrs are very therapeutic. And Frank is very blessed to have someone giving him chin scratches until he feels secure enough to come out for a more comprehensive snuggle. Thanks for the updates!

I swear by piles of blankets or weighted blankets. I need that cocoon feeling when the anxiety is all jittery up in me. That’s why summer is the worst season. Test it out with your own blankets and towels to get an idea of how much is comfortable for you, because there are different weights, just remember to turn down…

Get that hotel room! That’s a great idea that I’m going to copy.

Wishing you a flu-free month, and a smooth surgery. My brother had bypass surgery a couple years ago and it was exhausting but made such a difference in his life. May your surgery be as successful, and life changing! All the best wishes.

That was a really interesting conversation; thank you for posting it.

Most expensive was the house. I hated throwing rent at a do-nothing landlord and I wanted a dishwasher more than anything in the world, so I bought a house with a dishwasher. Then dropped an extra $20,000 fixing it up.

Art, definitely. I save up every year for something special.

That would have been perfect. You’re going to have interesting new avenues to talk with your students. What a great opportunity.