The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Do I Need A Kettle? Probably Not…

This picture – from a quasi-recent A Day In My Life post – prompted some reader concerns and questions.

Yes that is a small pot of water. Yes it is used to boil water. Yes…

Food, Habits, Home
Jul, 15, 2024
44 Comments

When I Don’t Know What To Say

A huge thank you to everyone for your lovely comments, texts, and e-mails over the last few days. I generally respond to each and every note left on my site, but needed to take…

Hard Things, Life
Jul, 14, 2024

Processing + A Bunch of Great Days

Mr. Money Mustache (of FIRE fame) once wrote that “the key to a great life is simply having a bunch of great days. So you can think about it one day at a time.”

I…

Hard Things, Joy, Life
Jul, 13, 2024
18 Comments

Demerits and Gold Stars: June 2024

For the first time since I started this little accountability exercise several years ago on the blog, I didn’t deliberately track demerits or gold stars. In fact, I thought I might just skip demerits…

We’re On Lake Time This Week

We’re visiting my parents, which means we’re in Summer at the Lake Mode. So far it has been relatively blissful. While J isn’t officially on holiday, the majority of Europe shuts down in July,…