11 Mar 2024

Full Tilt Puccini

Q. If you like opera – or, you know, watch cartoons, TV shows, or movies – you’ve likely heard arias from the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). You might have heard Kiri Te Kanawa singing ‘O mio babbino caro’ – from Puccini’s ‘Gianni Schicchi’ – in  ‘A Room with a

28 Feb 2024

Breathe In That Vanilla

Q. To what degree are the smells we like – and deeply dislike! – culturally unique? . A. It’s a question that interested a 2022 research team from Oxford University and Karolinska Institute. Their approach? Ask 235 people from a global sample – one that included ‘four hunter-gatherer groups and

06 Feb 2024

A Lifetime Of Tripping

Q. For we the excitable klutz kin, tripping is a weekly (daily?) occurrence. Left foot, right foot, a labradoodle puppy!.. splat. What kind of global lore swirls around the act of tripping? . A. We’ll get the bad vibes out of the way… i. If, when exiting the house, you

16 Jan 2024

Brilliantly Bored

Q. I’m bored. What can I stream, skim, play, text, plan? With the magic of our omni-phones, we can instantly distract ourselves from quiet tedium and empty slog. But, could we benefit by just sinking into the boredom now and then? . A. Researchers, such as University of Central Lancashire’s

01 Jan 2024

Hawthorn, Roses + Bearded Crepis for 2024

Q. Happy 2024! All hopes for a healthy, peaceful, prosperous, joy-filled New Year 🙏🏼. As we consider celebratory bouquets for friends, family, or ourselves: which flowers might be considered auspicious for this new beginning? . A. When it comes to assigning meaning to flowers, the Victorians get the bay wreath.

30 Dec 2023

A Trip To The Library

Q. ‘Let me tell you You’ve never seen anything like that library So many books, so much marble, so quiet..’ So say lyrics from the brilliant musical ‘She Loves Me’, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock, and a book by Joe Masteroff. Perhaps you, too, have new

17 Dec 2023

The Curious Life Of The Unwanted Gift

Q. They come in with such hope – nestled in tissue, boxed with festive flourish, topped with an oversized bow. ‘How much are they going to love me?! Imagine the pride of place I’ll have in their lives.’ 5, 4, rip, 2 … ‘Wait, what was that micro-expression – a

17 Nov 2023

But Did You Bring Cloves?

Q. The wasps – ugh – were at peak annoying this summer. ‘I’m sorry, did you think we would just let you sit outside?’ Were those giant monsters murder hornets, or just garden variety villains fat from all the sugar water they were stealing from the hummingbirds? To combat this

31 Oct 2023

Wednesday Addams

Q. Chances are we’ll see plenty of Wednesday Addams out and about this Halloween. She’s an iconic character and a fantastic last minute costume choice for those of us with longish dark hair and access to a white-collared shirt. When and how did this bebraided character get her start? . A. Google

23 Oct 2023

Buddy Wants His Treat Now

Q. We’ve been seeing a lot more pet clothes out and about the street this year – sweaters, coats, booties, bowties, tiaras. Halloween will surely up the ante. What can we expect dogs, cats, bunnies and our other fancy furry friends to be wearing October 31st? . A. The National