Fantastic international surprise

One of my dearest friends, who I haven’t seen in years, surprised me with a visit this afternoon! It was most unexpected, since she now lives in Toronto, Canada. We used to live on opposite sides of Lake Merritt in Oakland, and we’d hang out all the time. That seems like a different lifetime ago,…

Smooth infusion day

It was about as smooth of a day as I could have hoped, given that I was receiving my 11th chemo infusion treatment for Crohn’s Disease. Thanks to a combo of jet lag and nerves, I woke up early enough to take a seated shower without rushing, and then get back in bed to recover…

Traveling help

Wednesday was a long day for us. Mama and Paisley and I woke up in Venice, Italy, and flew to Chicago and then San Francisco. We couldn’t have done it without the help of at least a dozen people along the way. Many thanks to our dear friend Anna, who met us at our apartment…

A rainy rest day with some laughs

Having walked our feet off all over Venice, plus the islands of Burano and Murano in the last few days, Mama and I didn’t mind that it poured rain all day today. We knew we’d need a day of rest; I even went to the grocery store yesterday in preparation. Mama spent the day working on another…

Small bites packed with flavor Venetian style

Mama and I were so exhausted from the last few days, we procrastinated leaving our Venetian apartment today, until it was nearly too late. We were drawn from rest by the memory of these incredible small bites packed with flavor. Friends we met on our trip five years ago introduced us to this gem. Cantine…

Celebrating 1,000 good things

When I started writing about one good thing each day on January 1st, 2016, I had no idea what it would become. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep it up for the entire year, and the idea of a public failure was daunting. But I was in a dark place and knew…

Water bus passes and new friends

It’s more fun to take the bus in Venice, because it’s actually a boat (called the Vaporetto). Since they’re used by locals and tourists, it can be very crowded (and therefore not always so fun, or even safe for those with mobility issues). But today we got on our first Vaporetto of this trip, and…