I love a good loin-girding! But I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I hope your first solo venture proves to be happy and healing 🙏 I’ll check out that post, although to be honest, I could happily go 5 days without talking to a soul 😅
Enjoy your retreat! And I am in complete agreement about Only Murders (Selena Gomez is wooden) and Death and Other Details (so much glamorous promise, squandered).
Adding D&OD to the short list of shows that I’ve watched a full season of and then given up on. (Usually I don’t get more than 2 episodes in to something I don’t like.) Coincidentally, OMitB is one of those as well! And don’t even get me started on Killing Eve… 🤬
Wait - I want to hear your thoughts on Killing Eve! Do get started! I loved the first 2(?) seasons but things went really off the rails at the end and I didn't finish the last season...
We watched the entire show EXCEPT FOR THE FINALE. We were so angry at how absolutely ridiculously bad it had gotten (granted, it set a very high bar in seasons 1-2, but still) that we literally could not bring ourselves to waste ONE MORE HOUR finding out how it all turned out. It was so thoroughly stupid and ruined early in the last season anyway, we bailed.
Have a great time travelling solo. I have not done any travelling since my husband died, but I am ‘girding my loins’ in preparation (using a much under appreciate phrase). You might like the article by @WhyisthisInteresting about the power of talking to strangers.
I seem to have inadvertently replied to myself instead of to you on this, and only noticed now that I’m back online! What I said was this:
“I love a good loin-girding! But I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I hope your first solo venture proves to be happy and healing 🙏 I’ll check out that post, although to be honest, I could happily go 5 days without talking to a soul 😅”
And now a PS since I’m back from the trip—I pretty much only talked to the waitstaff, but I did see one woman reading All Fours by the pool and couldn’t resist a quick word about how CHAOTIC it is; I complimented one man on his tattoo of two cats in a box and briefly chatted about New Orleans to a different guy who was wearing a French Quarter Festival t-shirt; and I had a short conversation with two women who I correctly suspected were Dominican (based on their accents), and because I was tipsy, I wanted to trot out my Spanish and talk about the D.R. with them 🤪
And then in the Smallest of Worlds Department: I ran into an old friend and neighbor (from 2015!) in the elevator and it turned out he and his wife were doing a one-night staycation, so I met them for a drink at the bar that evening. It may not count as talking to “strangers,” but it was a fun interlude in my otherwise solo excursion!
I have also replied to myself on Substack, so I glad to see someone else doing it! Perhaps it is an illustration of the kind of people we are - happy to be in our own company. I loved your summary of the people you spoke to; to my mind you got the balance right. I hope the rest of the trip went well.
I went away by myself for the first time ever 15 years ago. Spent a week at a resort on the beach. No agenda, except the everyday endless beach walks and swims. Gathering sharks teeth and beach glass. Ate when I wanted to and I never minded eating alone. Honestly, short of my fly fishing trips out west probably my all time favorite vacation. Enjoy that well deserved time away and avoid phones and electronic lagniappe.
Have you ever tried the “Extra Toasty” ones? Normally I am all about the original flavor (see: Nacho Cheese Doritos, never Cool Ranch), but the toasted Cheez-its are gooooood 😋
I hope everything went well with the colonoscopy and the gum graft isn't too tough on your husband. I love the independence of solo travel – it suits my single lifestyle. I get to make all the calls on where to go and what to do, which usually means one planned thing a day like hitting up a museum, gallery or tour. The rest of the time? I'm all about wandering, people-watching, and just enjoying the vibe of a new place. It's taken me to 17 countries and counting. Enjoy your solo break!
Ah, so perhaps less of a Fun Fact and more of a Half-Baked Rumor? 😂 Patten is credited online with the song performance (must be from the musical version) and she looks so much like that actress, I conveniently didn’t think about the fact that she can’t possibly be old enough to have starred in the original movie in 1989! I’ll have to issue a correction in the next NFGN…
I love a good loin-girding! But I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I hope your first solo venture proves to be happy and healing 🙏 I’ll check out that post, although to be honest, I could happily go 5 days without talking to a soul 😅
Enjoy your retreat! And I am in complete agreement about Only Murders (Selena Gomez is wooden) and Death and Other Details (so much glamorous promise, squandered).
Adding D&OD to the short list of shows that I’ve watched a full season of and then given up on. (Usually I don’t get more than 2 episodes in to something I don’t like.) Coincidentally, OMitB is one of those as well! And don’t even get me started on Killing Eve… 🤬
Wait - I want to hear your thoughts on Killing Eve! Do get started! I loved the first 2(?) seasons but things went really off the rails at the end and I didn't finish the last season...
We watched the entire show EXCEPT FOR THE FINALE. We were so angry at how absolutely ridiculously bad it had gotten (granted, it set a very high bar in seasons 1-2, but still) that we literally could not bring ourselves to waste ONE MORE HOUR finding out how it all turned out. It was so thoroughly stupid and ruined early in the last season anyway, we bailed.
I cosign this opinion without reservations.
That elephant fact has made me happy on an otherwise miserable day, so thank you! Hope you're having a lovely time on your trip 🧘🏻♀️
It is the best! (I mean the elephant story, not the trip, although that is pretty good too so far 😉🐘)
Have a great time travelling solo. I have not done any travelling since my husband died, but I am ‘girding my loins’ in preparation (using a much under appreciate phrase). You might like the article by @WhyisthisInteresting about the power of talking to strangers.
https://whyisthisinteresting.substack.com/p/the-stranger-edition?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
I seem to have inadvertently replied to myself instead of to you on this, and only noticed now that I’m back online! What I said was this:
“I love a good loin-girding! But I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I hope your first solo venture proves to be happy and healing 🙏 I’ll check out that post, although to be honest, I could happily go 5 days without talking to a soul 😅”
And now a PS since I’m back from the trip—I pretty much only talked to the waitstaff, but I did see one woman reading All Fours by the pool and couldn’t resist a quick word about how CHAOTIC it is; I complimented one man on his tattoo of two cats in a box and briefly chatted about New Orleans to a different guy who was wearing a French Quarter Festival t-shirt; and I had a short conversation with two women who I correctly suspected were Dominican (based on their accents), and because I was tipsy, I wanted to trot out my Spanish and talk about the D.R. with them 🤪
And then in the Smallest of Worlds Department: I ran into an old friend and neighbor (from 2015!) in the elevator and it turned out he and his wife were doing a one-night staycation, so I met them for a drink at the bar that evening. It may not count as talking to “strangers,” but it was a fun interlude in my otherwise solo excursion!
I have also replied to myself on Substack, so I glad to see someone else doing it! Perhaps it is an illustration of the kind of people we are - happy to be in our own company. I loved your summary of the people you spoke to; to my mind you got the balance right. I hope the rest of the trip went well.
I went away by myself for the first time ever 15 years ago. Spent a week at a resort on the beach. No agenda, except the everyday endless beach walks and swims. Gathering sharks teeth and beach glass. Ate when I wanted to and I never minded eating alone. Honestly, short of my fly fishing trips out west probably my all time favorite vacation. Enjoy that well deserved time away and avoid phones and electronic lagniappe.
Thank you—and I love seeing someone use “lagniappe” in casual conversation!
I’ve traveled solo several times and loved it. Hope you have a great time in the Rockaways. Also, to be fair, Cheez-Its ARE manna from heaven.
Totally agree, buy the large box and enjoy. Get the large box of the originals and guaranteed to enhance your get away experience.
Have you ever tried the “Extra Toasty” ones? Normally I am all about the original flavor (see: Nacho Cheese Doritos, never Cool Ranch), but the toasted Cheez-its are gooooood 😋
Or your stay-at-home-and-watch-a-bunch-of-crap-TV experience. But yes, always the Family Size box.
Exactly! I do the same thing.
I hope everything went well with the colonoscopy and the gum graft isn't too tough on your husband. I love the independence of solo travel – it suits my single lifestyle. I get to make all the calls on where to go and what to do, which usually means one planned thing a day like hitting up a museum, gallery or tour. The rest of the time? I'm all about wandering, people-watching, and just enjoying the vibe of a new place. It's taken me to 17 countries and counting. Enjoy your solo break!
Thank you! Now I’m inspired to tally my number of countries visited…I suspect you’ve got me beat 😉
Had a colonoscopy the other year and my first meal AFTERWARDS was sublime to my senses. Hope it goes well! Enjoy the Rockaways ❤️
They gave me Cheez-its at the clinic and they were like manna from heaven!
❤️❤️❤️
Ah, so perhaps less of a Fun Fact and more of a Half-Baked Rumor? 😂 Patten is credited online with the song performance (must be from the musical version) and she looks so much like that actress, I conveniently didn’t think about the fact that she can’t possibly be old enough to have starred in the original movie in 1989! I’ll have to issue a correction in the next NFGN…