Meet morning Tracy. Morning Tracy is hopeful. She is ready to conquer the day. She has plans: swim a mile, salad for lunch, Pilates class, read 100 pages of literature, bike to the grocery story, meditate, write, clean the house, cook dinner, and catch up on all open tasks at work. Now meet night Tracy.…
My First Paid Gig
I wrote an essay that was published by PBS Next Avenue a few weeks ago. You can read it here: Finally Ready for Marriage at 50. This was my first paid writing assignment and will hopefully be one of many. After years of barely blogging, a stint in stand–up comedy, and the constant pull to write…
Santa Fe 1993 and 2023
After college my best friend Graham and I moved to Crested Butte, Colorado. We made the 1800-mile road trip together, leaving from her childhood home in Richmond, VA. My car was a boxy four door Volvo, hers a Subaru - both solid choices for traversing the country. It was 1992 and cellphones were not yet…
221 Handstands
On January 1, 2022, I decided to do one handstand a day and document it, which is the official way to say I took a selfie. I had three rules: set up a self-timer, get upside down, and no retakes if I didn’t like the photo. I wasn’t sure where I was going with this…
Ode to JackJack
JackJack the black cat was named after the character from the movie, The Incredibles. He and his orange brother Dash were found on the side of the road, scrawny and scared, by some loving human. My roommate found their five-week-old faces up for adoption on Craig’s List and voila, we had two new little souls…
Operation Midnight: Bite Neophyte (PART 2)
Check out Operation Midnight: Bite Neophyte (Part 1) first! After work the following day I returned to the scene of the crime. I picked up a can of cat food along the way; a peace offering for all the trouble I was causing this potentially wrongfully convicted kitty. I went to the nearby NCSU horse…
Operation Midnight: Bite Neophyte (PART 1)
My friend and I were walking on the greenway absorbed in conversation, per the usual, when a GIANT PANTHER sprang from the tall grass onto the pavement and charged towards us. Jumping, we grabbed each other while my friend yelled. Giant panther was not deterred. Fight response kicked in. Lightening reflexes engaged. Laser focus calculated…
IRIS Sports – No Foolin’
Here are your top sports happenings this week for all you non-sports fans...No foolin'! 1) Hamburgers and Hockey - The fans of the professional hockey team, the Ottawa Senators, are throwing hamburgers onto the ice after the games. And here’s why: Andrew Hammond is a 27-year-old Canadian professional hockey player – he’s a goaltender. In…
Hump-Day Hallway High-Fives
Don't worry non-basketballers, we're almost through March. We're honing in on a Champion. But while we're waiting, may as well see what all the buzz is about. Here’s your humpday-hallway-highfive-happenings in sports this week sports. And don’t forget, when your coworker wants to know how you’re so in-the-sports-know, just tell’em… Oh, I Read It Somewhere. Welcome…
It’s All About the Bass…ketball
If you were bummed that you couldn’t watch The Mindy Project last week because a basketball game was on instead…if March Madness pertains more to your feelings than to sports…if Bracketology sounds like a fancy new tax law from Obama, you’re in the right place!! Welcome to IRIS Sports: the non-sports-fan’s sports page. Here are this…
Tracy Cate 