When I lived in the city, I’d often go to the library to work. Unlike at a café, where I would inevitably eat more pastries than necessary and be distracted by neighbors’ conversations, I could sit in one place for hours at the library.

What are you seeking in the new year?

For me, it will be pleasure.

The most fun I’ve had in the past couple of months? Placing third at a local puzzle tournament.

I mean…

Almost five years of small-town living, after spending my adulthood solely in the city, and I’m still figuring out who and what I am in my life now.

bare feet

iced drinks

outdoor concerts and evening picnics

When I was a teenager studying abroad in Paris, I did the requisite backpacking/railpassing and visited Switzerland, Germany, Prague and Italy. I ate like a local in Greece and danced in public squares and private clubs in Spain.

A couple years ago, Andrew was going deep into AI and all that it meant to our future: how kids learned in school, what impact it had on our and other industries, the ethics of using it for content—most personally, what it meant to us as writers.

Having a widowed mom, I’ve discovered this past year, is a different experience than having a married mom.