It’s been a long winter. Just when it starts to feel interminable Mother Nature gives a glimpse of the promise of spring. Those days are to be savored like the sweet gift they are in Chicago. Recently on one such gift of a day I couldn’t wait to get outside for a walk. I was called to be near water so I headed for the river and one of my favorite green spaces, Ward (A. Montgomery) Park. I love the smaller scale and the view the park affords. It wasn’t until I started writing

You may or may not have noticed that all my blog post names are song titles. Sometimes the song choice is one that has to be found within the letters and spaces of my writing. Other times the song is the story, like my last piece Assassin , an ode to the joy Mario and I found within that John Mayer song driving around LA. “Assassin” also speaks to the power of sonic memories. A memory that has nothing to do with what you were wearing or how the photo turned out. These are

Every trip deserves the perfect playlist. For me it doesn’t get better than having a travel soundtrack. It’s like having familiar friends in my pocket to keep me company amidst my adventures. As the self-proclaimed “world’s biggest U2 fan” it was a great excuse to compile my favorites for my first international solo trip. And so the tradition began with Ireland back in 2013. Not all his movies have aged well but if John Hughes did one thing spectacularly well it was marry a m