As a beloved former colleague and mentor put it in a recent LinkedIn message, I'm "building an 'otherwise' world and collecting compatriots to join."

I'm not expecting the remaining months of 2025 to settle down any more than the year has so far, but I do feel well ballasted to meet what they bring.

I’m That Girl who really loves the multisensory experience of reading physical books when I have the choice. For this year’s reading retreat, I picked up my reserved library haul and toted them up to the cabin where I would proceed to get through 15 of them in my three weeks at the lake.