I mentioned recently how a drop of water told me to change my attitude, so now instead of despairing about not being as good as everyone else is at everything, I feel relieved that so many sophisticated people are working on life’s problems, thinking about how to make things better and sharing their knowledge. Think of the possibilities! Maybe humanity is not completely screwed after… Read More »
This motivational poster told me that changing my attitude would change my world. Or something. I don’t remember the exact words. It was a close-up of a drop of water. Or maybe a sunset? Regardless, the motivational poster was right. Outlook is everything. I used to despair when I would do research on an article and notice how many other people have… Read More »
The first two weeks in April, I hung out in Manhattan cat-sitting for several friends. Astute readers know that I’m a big fan of random projects, so I’m pretty thrilled to announce that I absolutely SLAYED the one I undertook during that period. I called it “Operation Enjoy N-Y-C. Yeah, You Know Me.” It involved me going out… Read More »
Human beings are relative creatures. To appreciate and enjoy the world, you have to think comparatively. To that end, I have several items on my Life Bucket List that I hoped would give me some empathy on what other people go through and perhaps it would help me despise my “real” working life a bit less. I’ve… Read More »
I’m a little bit hesitant to publish this article because I don’t actually want these travel programs to become popular. The more people who join, the less valuable it is for me personally. But I only have a handful of readers and those readers, yes I’m talking about you specifically, are so marvelous that I felt… Read More »
One of my favorite and most successful Operations of all time (and my favorite post) was Operation Enjoy the Crap Out of Sydney. I spent the last six months of my time in that part of the world making plans to do something every single day and stumbled over the secret to making friends. Ask people to… Read More »
Let me get the uncomfortable part (for me) out of the way first. I read Judge Judy’s memoir recently and this passage spoke to me. Being fearless means standing up for yourself. Timidity does not make you happy. Women are notoriously bad self-promoters. I always understood this about myself, so I let other people toot my… Read More »
There is no way to protect yourself 100%, especially when you’re in a foreign country wandering. I think you can still take some basic precautions. Here are my sacred rules when I travel. Tip 1: Don’t engage with people who approach you. When I’m out exploring a city or sightseeing, especially at classic tourist destinations, I never engage… Read More »
In case it isn’t clear from my mutterings, I love to travel. I spent about six months as a flight attendant crossing off Life Bucket List Item #23 (Have a job I really enjoy) and I’m forever trying to cross off Life Bucket List Item #1 (See the world). I know hostels, 5 star hotels, airbnb,… Read More »
Happy 2016! Have you made your plan for the new year yet? I’ve dubbed this year “Operation 2016: The year of the productive, ambitious and only a little bit lackadaisical Thriftygal!” Here are some habits I hope to cultivate in Operation 2016 along with my plan of attack using specific and measurable goals. 1.Be a writer. (Write 2 hours… Read More »