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I don’t want to be at war with my body
I’ve had a stressful few weeks with annual physicals. When I was younger it was a much simpler process. Annual exam at the obgyn, blood work, and that was it. Now that I’m 45 I also have the joy of a mammogram. Which found a lump – likely a cyst, but it will need follow up tests in six months. And last year I developed nodules on my thyroid, which, while benign, need to be monitored closely. So the annual trip to the doctor has turned into 2 months of tests and stress. Which has now been compounded because the nodule grew, and so I needed another biopsy of it,…
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Olga of Kiev: Brutal Saint and Revenge-Seeker
I recently finished listening to an audiobook version of Lars Brownworth’s The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings. Ever since I fell in love with Uhtred of Bebbanburg (to the point where I made a pilgrimage to Bamburgh in Northumberland, which is the inspiration for Bebbanburg) I’ve wanted to learn more about the Viking age. Lars Brownworth has some great medieval-era podcasts, and when I saw the book pop on up Scribd, I suspected it would be a good short history. And it didn’t disappoint. One of the characters I learned about, though, was Olga of Kiev (890-969). This woman showed that brutality during this period wasn’t just a…
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That time I ran on the beach with the Beautiful Marbella People
A couple of weeks ago we were staying in Marbella because Kiddo was going to rugby camp. It’s about an hour and 15 minute drive, and her days were going to be really long, so we decided to rent an airbnb on the beach, and make a holiday of sorts out of it. This is where we stayed: So the thing about Marbella is that it’s the playground in Spain for the Glamorous People. Or, the people who want to be glamorous, and who want to be in an atmosphere that plays to that sense of privilege and glamor. I’ve spent a fair amount of time around *actual* really magical…
