A Book-of-the-Month Club to Cure Your Existential Dread, Or: The Best Books I Read in 2018

At the end of 2017, I realized I was often falling asleep with a terrible sense of anxiety as I worried about the devastating, soon-to-be-felt effects of climate change, the uncertain future of women’s and minorites’ rights in Trump’s America, and why only 20-some people had liked my latest Instagram post even though it’d been up for half a day. It’s a terrible time to be alive.

Reducing screen time seemed like the only reasonable course of action, so I made a goal to read at least one new book a month in 2018. Turns out I’m still a nerd, and I ended up easily burning through at least two books a month. Here’s what’s been sitting on the nightstand (or coffee table, or toilet tank).

Read More

What (Lazy) Vegans Eat: Why Being Vegan Is Easier Than You Think

Today I'm going to debunk the common misconceptions that eating vegan is:

  • Expensive. We are Broke-Ass Millennials™ and we are happy to report that our grocery bill is comparable to our bill pre-veganism. (And we actually eat out significantly less, resulting in savings!)

  • Difficult. I am both inept in the kitchen and incredibly lazy and therefore would have reverted back to turkey 'n' sammiches in a week if I lacked for easy, animal-free ways to feed myself. 

  • Joyless. Life would not be worth living if I was eating only spinach or some shit all day. Luckily, I still look forward to most of my meals, because they are tasty. 

Read More

A Tale of Two Tattoos

The volume of traffic in Hanoi can't compete with New York or San Francisco, but what it lacks in numbers it makes up for in terrifying driving. Humid and sticky, I cling to Krista for dear life. I can barely drive myself around Lincoln, Nebraska without causing a wreck, so her ability to maneuver the rented motor scooter in the haphazard flow of foreign traffic amazes me. I'm half certain that this is how we die, but in less than 20 (heart-pounding, life-affirming) minutes, we've arrived.

Read More

FAQ: The Vegan Edition

There's always a set of stock questions people have ready to roll during the holiday season to make small talk. When you're little, it's "What do you want for Christmas?" When you grow up and get serious with another human, it's "How many Thanksgivings do you have to go to?" 

This year, for me, it's "Isn't this time of year kind of a challenge?" Not because someone died or because Christmas music makes me spiral into a murderous rage, but because I've been vegan  for nearly four months, and by now most of my friends and coworkers know. Of course, I've gotten a lot of other questions about my "alternative lifestyle"—which I'm happy to answer.

Read More