Category Archives: In the Rail blog

At the end of winter 2019, Nick and I were walking home. It was cold, dark and rainy and I had had enough of it. Channeling my inner toddler, I let loose an epic whine about how I was sick of being cold or wet all the time. I had a nice warm winter coat,Continue reading “Preparing for Winter”

When people ask how Nick and I are doing in quarantine, I like to joke, “It’s all quantity time now!” I mean, there’s no denying it has been a lot of one-on-one together time since March 6, 2020 when our offices closed, sending us to work from home. At the same time restaurants, the gym,Continue reading “My quaranteam”

I put on my workout clothes, moved things aside in the living room and made room for my yoga mat and some weights. I positioned my laptop so I could watch the Zoom workout class I was tuning in for. I watched as my colleagues signed in and waved to one another. Then we startedContinue reading “Intuitively moving”

I never thought of my cat as a role model for wellness before quarantine. But as we spend our fifth month together at home, I realize that cats are the masters of self-care and that I could learn a thing or two. My cat, Gatito, is a 13-year-old American shorthair. I took him in whenContinue reading “Cats, the self-care masters”

Seattle in July is more like April in other parts of the country, so I put on a pair of jeans to work from home. After work, I sat on the living room floor, as I do several times a day, to brush the cat. When I stood up, I noticed my jeans had ripped.Continue reading “Ending Fast Fashion”

I don’t say I love you very freely. I say it to Nick and my immediate family. My nieces and nephews hear it. Though maybe I should be more specific with them and say, “I am obsessed with you and love to hear what’s going on in your head. I remember when you couldn’t liftContinue reading “Saying I love you”

Can you imagine leaving your house for a run or a walk around the neighborhood and getting stopped by the police and roughed up – or worse? Can you imagine being terrified to send your teenage children to school or on an errand because they might get stopped by the police and roughed up –Continue reading “I condemn Racism”

Move over, banana bread and sourdough. I think walks should be the hot trend of 2020. It seems like everyone I talk to is enjoying neighborhood walks (with the exception of my friends in New York who are still reporting anxiety on the crowded sidewalks). Here in Seattle, my friends are happily noticing birds andContinue reading “The healing power of a nice long walk”

What are you wearing? No that’s not a come-on. I’m genuinely curious. If you’re half my readers, that makes you my dad (Hi, Dad!). You’re wearing jeans with a blue polo shirt. But what about the rest of you? I’ve been switching between about 5 outfits since this all began. One is a comfy stripedContinue reading “Getting dressed”

It’s usually my stomach that wakes me up and a Saturday morning in physical distancing was no different. I really didn’t feel like making eggs. I wanted carbs and sugar but not toast. When I spotted a bag with a fudgy cookie leftover from the previous night, I felt giddy. That’s exactly what I wasContinue reading “The best diet”