computer workspace

Today the best internet articles come to you from a terrace. Overlooking Lake Como. In Italy.

If you’ve been following along during our regularly scheduled programming, you know that we’ve packed up our London digs, I’ve taken a leave of absence from work, and we’re on the road for a few months, exploring those corners of Europe and America that we’ve missed. If this is new news to you, take a look here and here for the back story.

Despite our more picturesque surroundings, our work online continues. By the way, the Internet speed in Italy can best be described as glacial. We have a new YouTube video that took a full 24 hours to upload. You should check it out.

During our downtime, I’ve been keeping busy as I always do, reading stuff online and elsewhere. And the internet has been blowing up as usual, so let’s get down to business. Side note: today I watched an adorable video of goats balancing on the backs of rhinos. Isn’t the Internet fabulous?


Flowers frozen in ice. Especially pertinent because I’ve been sweating for a week.

So happy I learned to cook. Chicken + Kool-Aid? Never good.

Also on the food front, if I had a little thing called patience.

These are a little more approachable and remind me of our recent trip to the US South. Delish!

Engagement chicken is not a thing.

Finally, the ultimate food list: famous last meal requests.

Outside of the kitchen, here’s a profile on a London squad of law enforcement that never forgets a face.

What happens to athletes post-Olympics?

On a personal note, my cousin is competing this week in the Rio Paralympic Games. In swimming!

How common is your birthday? Mine ranks 147th.

So many of my favorite US towns (including my hometown) are on this list. Hippie towns, unite.

In my freshman dorm room, I had a huge poster of a baby monkey. And lots of milk crates.

From the same era, Britney Spears, her 20-year fame, and her hair.

We are more likely to cry on planes. Chalk it to being at 40,000 feet with just me, myself and I.

Once upon a time I thought it was pronounced: lu-LU-le-MON.

So many people reach their career pinnacle in their 60s. Here’s to not rushing it, and also the gentle reminder not to link an aging appearance to capability.

I’m obsessed with comedian Mike Birbiglia. His take on making it small in Hollywood.

Vacations feel longer when you don’t plan them out too much. Trying to stay in the moment on this trip. A first for me.

Ok, that’s enough Internet for today. We’re off to explore the towns around Lake Como, and work on our Italian. But let’s be real: gelato flavors are all I need to know to survive in this world.

Next week we will begin rolling out articles on Italy, starting with the villages of Piemonte, and all about Barolo wine. And the top-5-in-a-lifetime experience that we had yesterday.

Have a fantastic weekend. Ciao!

P.S. If you missed it, check out how we did with our London Summer Bucket List, our obsession with a specific NYC hotel, and what to eat these days in the East Village of New York City. Spoiler alert: cheeseburger tacos.

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  • September 9, 2016

    My sister and I did an off-season 10 days Canadian west coast road trip with minimal planning, using HotelTonight and deciding on where to stay based on the weather and how long to stay based on if there was more we wanted to do – it broke my super TypeA mold and was one of the best trips we’d ever done.

    Crying on planes, ummmm, all the time.

    Coincidentally, my grandma’s birthday is the #1 most popular. She’s very excited by this.
    allison recently posted…friday, i’m in loveMy Profile

    • September 11, 2016
      Julie

      My sister’s birthday (yesterday) was second most popular. She’s also psyched. And your HotelTonight strategy sounds so fun…and terrifying! I have the app and look at it frequently, but usually have already booked something. Maybe during this European trip, we’ll break the mold one day just to try it out!

  • September 9, 2016

    I love these links. That facial recognition squad, I guess I sort of thought police were supposed to be able to that anyway; my family seems to recognize faces well, so maybe that’s why. I took the test to see I what I felt was true . . . it was. So cool. Although, I think multiracial tests are needed to test true ability.

    The birthday chart was cool. My date is very common, as is my birth month (which two of my siblings also share); I guess that is why I share a birthday with a famous poet.

    • September 11, 2016
      Julie

      Livie – Totally agree on the facial recognition. It got me thinking about how some people are just really attuned to faces, while others never forget a name, etc. Across cultures, it must be SO much more difficult. Would love to see that test 🙂