I Don’t Know What Happened In Costa Rica

Here it is. I don’t know what happened in Costa Rica. A lot of my readers are friends with me, so already have the context to this. Halfway through my trip last week, I lost my debit card. Misplaced, stolen – I don’t know. I didn’t notice until I was in Monteverde, a mountainous region…

Brave

“Melissa…” my Mom’s voice trails off. I see her hands tighten around the steering wheel, an action typically triggered by careless drivers on the thruway. But today, it’s inspired by what I’ve just explained to her. After a few days of chattering about my trip up to Maine, one phrase hooked her. A phrase that she…

Turquoise Walls | Travel Essays

It’s early evening in Wildwood. I just spent the day exploring Cape May, one of the more affluent and hoity toity beach towns in Southern New Jersey, mother, aunt, cousin and father in tow. At one point, my parents and I went wine-tasting, a joyous yet disappointing activity where my mother and I made similarly…

It was a movie review, now it’s a complaint.

Tina Fey never ceases to amaze me on how vulnerable she’s willing to be. In 30 Rock, she was the lovable but sometimes, unlikeable crumugeon. Her character went through seasons of being under appreciated in her career, exhausted, and kind of unhinged, resulting hilarious, yet slightly neurotic behavior. In Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, she played a similar character;…

The Car Stereo

I wonder if my car stereo is a fan of post-apocalyptic science fiction. It has no mouth and it feels that it must scream. Is it in existential pain? Or does it simply hate me as Frankenstein’s monster hated it’s creator? Is this why it screams in hateful denial every time it is awoken? All…

Fuck Mediocrity

Today is my last week at Method Savvy. For weeks, this departure hasn’t really felt real. I was too busy trying to make plans. As I wrote previously, there are so many things I could do now. The pressure of that, despite my humor about it, has been immense. Having the idea to (metaphorically) skydive is terrifying,…

Thanks, 2014.

Last night, I came home after drinks out with friends, to find my co-worker, roommate and first work friend Grace, lying in her bed with her puggle, Coco. Without saying anything, I climbed in with her, she switched on Girls. I already know, it’s going to be one of my favorite Christmas memories. Have you…

Jim Carrey & I Share The Secret Sauce

I’ve told and retold the story of Melissa’s 100…. well, about a hundred times. But I’ll do it one more time, in the interest of this post. I made a list of things to do while my ex was deployed, some more impressive than others. I worked my way through it, and by the end…

#7. Learn French & #43. Make my own candles

I made my own candles (with the help of Lane and our friend Jessica) and also learned some french thanks to Lane’s friend Abby. Let me just say, candle making is much more difficult than you think. Heather and I agreed that our beer making was much easier. To make candles, you need time, patience…