17. Dried wedding bouquet Christmas tree/holiday keepsake ornaments

What happens to the big bouquet after your wedding? We may wonder because the bouquet connects us with special memories, and that bouquet may not have been inexpensive. But perhaps you don’t want to keep it propped up in a vase in bouquet-form indefinitely. Without fancy preservation (for example, this service), it will necessarily dry…

13. The Christmas Foster Kitty

It was Friday evening just before 5:30, and we were preparing dinner and planning for the weekend. But then our next-door neighbor messaged both of us, asking what to do about a very sweet tortoiseshell cat that had wandered into her house. She posted on Nextdoor at our suggestion, but with a very excitable dog…

12. A viral long-hauler’s timeline, almost certainly COVID: March 2020 and onward

Self-identified COVID long-hauler here. March 2020 was life-changing for me, in that I believe it directly affected my health and well-being, and not in good ways. My illness wasn’t confirmed COVID, but I think the timing was just too suspicious. Around March 13, 2020, I went from about thirty years old and generally healthy to…

10. Writing to Apple Inc.: Disappointment in lack of 32-bit software compatibility in MacOS Big Sur

March 29, 2021 Dear Apple Inc., I saw an article published by Inc. the other day, claiming that Apple’s most valuable product isn’t the iPhone, but instead intangible consumer trust. But right now I’m feeling betrayed on that front. Recently I feel like Apple could have signaled that it values its relationships with companies like…

5. Writing to The LEGO Group: Diversity in generic minifigure skin tones

LEGO minifigures have always had a special place in my heart. They’re lovable, cute, and interchangeable, but well…mostly yellow. I’d love to see the generic minifigures better represent people with darker skin tones. My understanding is that actual flesh tones are reserved for specific characters (like from Star Wars). But as far as standard-issue, generic…