Author Archives: mathdreads
Let’s Go Barbie!
Full disclosure: I hadn’t planned to see the Barbie movie, but with so much denouncement from the political right, and word-of-mouth from friends, I made it the highlight of my weekend. Besides, since I usually go from working at home to working out, I used the occasion to dress up, fondly recalling the days that … Continue reading
Lending a Helping Hand
As much as I love to relax on the weekends and fully enjoy my unstructured time, I volunteered nearly three hours to help someone I care about with the manifestation of a crisis that she’s been surviving for over 32 years. It all began when she birthed a special needs child. Not that her son’s … Continue reading
Not All Chairs Are Created Equal
When I moved in with my parents, I set up things in stages. I had a week and a half to unpack the essentials, prioritizing my home office. After cleaning out all the things my parents had stored in the downstairs room, I rearranged the room, using the pre-existing furniture. Eventually, I replaced the desk, … Continue reading
Alternative Housing
As a family, we’d kicked the housing can down the road until we’d just about reached the end. We’d been blessed with general good health until the complications of age and reduced mobility brought us to research and strategize alternative housing. My parents bought their current house in 1979 when they were still physically vibrant, … Continue reading
2023 Strange Family Reunion
This year marked our 82nd continuous Strange Family Reunion and the first time we were back in person after three years of virtually meeting during the pandemic. We essentially had two themes for this family reunion: “Back Down Memory Lane” and “Celebrating Our Second Generation Legacies.” What we meant by “second generation” was second freeborn … Continue reading
2023 Independence Day
A year ago, I was living a very different life in Austin, TX. Although I had a decent full-time job with benefits, where I was paid every other week, I considered one paycheck mostly for rent and the other for all the other things I needed/wanted. In other words, I was in my least favorite … Continue reading
Celebrating Our 2nd Freeborn Generation
For the 82nd continuous Strange family reunion, we celebrated our second freeborn generation. Our theme was “Back Down Memory Lane.” With help from extended family, I created a presentation with pictures, facts, and anecdotes about each honoree. The 12 Honorees https://1drv.ms/p/s!AgxqBwvGu4qmgRGU0E_u15k6anfd Click on the link above, then click on “Download.” Click on the downloaded powerpoint … Continue reading
Father’s Day in Rehab
Making the best of a challenging situation, we revived our usual Sunday dinner at the rehab facility where Dad continued to convalesce. Mom made mac and cheese, greens, and deviled eggs. My sister picked up fried chicken and bought plates, utensils, cups and lemonade. For my part, I made naturally-dyed red velvet cupcakes, using a … Continue reading
Upside Down Exercises
At some point in my pole fitness journey, I want to invert, which makes the difference between my current level and advancing to the next one, level 4. It’s a pretty daunting task to invert while on the pole. The fight against gravity is pretty gnarly when hanging on right-side up. What I’ve learned in … Continue reading
Myrtle Beach Revisited
My parents have had their timeshare since the early 80s, but I hadn’t joined them on their beach vacation for years. Although the residence was showing its age, they’d recently done some renovations to modernize the place. The most notable was the zigzag ramp, which greatly helped shuffle our belongings from the car to the … Continue reading