I couldn't be more excited to share that you can now pre-order Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy, a YA anthology of essays, artwork, poetry and other ephemera, to be published on August 18, 2020. Along with pieces from bestselling YA authors like Nic Stone (Dear Martin) & Julie Murphy (Dumplin'), this book will also include an essay by yours truly - all about starting sixth grade in a back brace.

The book's cover isn't yet available, so in its absence I leave you with. a photo of me, taken the summer between sixth & seventh grade, with a back brace not-so-hidden beneath my baggy ensemble. On a billion-degree day. At Disney World. I couldn't be more excited to share this essay with you, & I hope you'll consider ordering a copy. Pre-order the book now.

In 2020, I Will...

I did a pretty good job of my 2019 goals, but I ended the year feeling pretty overwhelmed. I'm setting some loose & ambiguous but extremely important goals for the new year. Here's what's on deck.

Look for & hopefully buy a house

Slowly but surely, Mike & I have begun the house hunt, & though I, for one, would be happy to stay in our Tremont apartment for  half a decade more, I'm still enthusiastic about the prospect of finding a forever home. We're focusing on a few areas on the west side (best side!) of Cleveland, & we're looking at a bunch of different options, timing-wise, so we could end the year in our apartment or be out by early spring. We'll see!

The Best Things I Ate in Cleveland in 2019

Since I started writing dining reviews for Cleveland Magazine in the spring, I've been lucky enough to eat some of Cleveland's best & most delicious foods. Add that to Mike's & my existing penchant for exploring the city's food scene, & you've got... well, a lot of really damn good meals.

It's a nearly impossible task to think, in retrospect, about what I liked best (I'll start keeping an ongoing list in 2020!), but to the best of my memory, here are the dishes that stand out most.

Yes, it's a long list. Just trust me, OK?

The Best Books I Read in 2019

Whew, what a year. I set a goal of reading 80 books, but in the end, I only ("only"!) hit 64. As I looked back through what I read in 2019, though, I was surprised to find that there weren't a lot of books on my list that I really loved.

How disappointing is that?! I mean, I re-read the Harry Potter, & I certainly love all of those - but I can't count them on a list like this! In the end, I've pulled five books (two fiction & three nonfiction) that were the best of the year. Don't get me wrong, these five were really great - but I hope I hit the mark a bit more often than this in 2020.

Without further ado, my best reads of 2019 - & I'd love to hear what you read & loved this year so that I can add it to my to-read list in the year to come.

What I Read in December

OK, OK, so it wasn't exactly the grand reading finale I'd hoped for, but I finished 64 books this year, & I feel pretty good about it. Sure, I was aiming for 80 - but hey, 64 feels pretty darn good. The average person reads, like, four books a year, right? So I'm doin' all right.

Here are the five books that rounded out my 2019. How about you?

Year in Review: OK, 2019, That Was a Lot

It feels like a looooot of work to put together a decade-end recap and a year-end recap at the same time, but I've done a year-in-review post every year since 2011, so I guess this can't be the year I don't.

I've already told you what I'm most proud of this year & how I did on this year's goals/resolutions, & there will understandably be some overlap in this post. So let's jump right into it, shall we? Here are some of the highlights of 2019.

From 2010 to 2019: Looking Back on the Decade

I rang in 2010 yelling, "Happy anniversary of Y2K!" which has since become my favorite way to ring in every new year, though it seems particularly perfect on nice, round anniversaries. I look forward to doing the same as we welcome in 2020 next week.

To be honest, 2010 doesn't feel like all that long ago - which is, I suppose, a hallmark of growing older. After reading Stephany's recap of the last decade, I thought it would be fun (if not extremely time-consuming) to put together one of my own.

Recapping My 2019 Goals: Here's How I Did

I'm not great at new year's resolutions or goals or intentions or whatever it is that you want to call them. Usually, I forget what I've committed to... yet, I make new ones every year. Here's what I committed to at the beginning of 2019 - & how I did.

1. Go back to therapy. 
A year ago, this was my top priority of 2019 - which makes sense because a year ago, I was struggling with depression again. It seemed to abate on its own in early 2019, & then I put therapy back on the back burner. Honestly, I don't feel like I need a therapist at this point - but it's always better to have one before you need one, so maybe I should add this back onto the list for 2020!

All I Want for Christmas (and/or Hanukkah) Is...

Too late in the game to share a holiday wishlist? Yes. Gonna share it anyway? This is my blog, I do what I want - & besides, there are still six more nights of Hanukkah to go!

1. Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil
II have no idea if this stuff, like, does anything, but I sure do love putting it on my face before I go to bed at night. The first time I got it, it came in a FabFitFun box; turns out it's actually really expensive, so I will likely never own it again.

2. Harness Cycle gift card
Yes, I'm still riding, though I've unfortunately slacked since my big work conference & right afterward, when I came home sicker than a dog. But I'm ready to get back to it, & every little bit helps - both when it comes to exercise & to finances.

What I'm Most Proud Of This Year

What are your biggest accomplishments of the year? As I've seen friends' responses pop up all over social media, I've been trying to think of my own, flipping back through my mental Rolodex of 2019. Here's what I've come up with - & I'd love to hear your answers, too!

1. Rode my 100th spinning class
This milestone was originally set to happen in January, but right after the first of the year, I took a nasty fall on black ice & destroyed my right knee. That pushed this goal back a few months... which made it that much sweeter when, in mid-March, I hit 100 rides at Harness Cycle! Four friends came out to ride with me, & the instructor made a playlist of all my faves.