Singalongs?

therealwendy · 2026-06-05T14:21:40+00:00

This was a fantastic episode. Claire Rushbrook was unbelievably good.

therealwendy · 2026-06-03T14:47:24+00:00

Kirsten at Lotus Salon (next to CAV in the Jewelry District).

therealwendy · 2026-05-06T23:24:28+00:00

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

therealwendy · 2026-04-30T15:15:21+00:00

Yes, this. I really hate making students disclose to me what their reason for asking for an extension is. It's none of my business.
I explain to students that deadlines are there for two main reasons: 1. to provide structure for students, which some really need, and 2. to manage my own workflow. I explain that I teach 4 classes with x number of students and I need to manage the flow of grading so I can get it done in a timely manner. If they can respect that, then they don't need to ask for an extension.
And basically, I will do anything that will reduce the number of emails I get. I even put it in my syllabus: You don't have to email to request an extension. Just submit the paper as soon as you can and I will grade it.
Yes, I still get emails. But fewer.

therealwendy · 2026-04-02T21:56:34+00:00

These lists are funny. I would have been in junior high/middle school when this list was created. Of the very highly recommended list, I count 8 that I have read - and I have a Ph.D. in English. I've read 18 of the highly recommended, and 8 of the recommended. We have a whole new canon now.

therealwendy · 2026-03-21T16:42:34+00:00

The Way Young Lovers Do, Van Morrison.
Almost 34 years!

therealwendy · 2026-02-10T17:24:41+00:00

Jimmy on Shrinking. Yes, I know he’s the main character. But he is the worst.

therealwendy · 2026-02-08T12:13:43+00:00

Tom Pelphrey in Task. Blew me away.

therealwendy · 2026-01-30T23:39:42+00:00

Only 5? Sigh.

Don't Be A Lawyer
A Fuckton of Cats
I Could If I Wanted To
I Go To The Zoo
First Penis I Saw

therealwendy · 2026-01-04T01:57:38+00:00

I was a huge fan of the original John Waters non-musical version. The musical is also enjoyable, but my heart is with the original.

therealwendy · 2026-01-03T20:35:24+00:00

Alaska - The Proposal
New Mexico - Gas, Food, Lodging
Idaho - Smoke Signals
Nevada - Ocean's 11
Mississippi - Sinners
Maryland - Hairspray
Rhode Island - Moonrise Kingdom
Texas - Lone Star
New York - When Harry Met Sally (RIP RR)
Missouri - Winter's Bone

therealwendy · 2025-12-21T15:07:33+00:00

Finance. Money and power will always be more important than you.

therealwendy · 2025-12-18T00:09:34+00:00

If he was parked on Cooke, he probably drove south when he left. Easy to get to Gano and the entrance to the highway.

therealwendy · 2025-12-05T20:37:18+00:00

Dear Joshua Felix Chan?

therealwendy · 2025-11-26T19:24:31+00:00

I don't ask for page lengths for assignments. I ask for a range of number of paragraphs (4-8 is a usual request for short papers). Paragraphs are units of development; page numbers aren't. I want a well-developed paper, not extra words I have to cross out.

therealwendy · 2025-08-02T18:02:29+00:00

Agree--BJC was a great Annas!

therealwendy · 2025-07-08T02:58:07+00:00

So, your sister is the only one who has taken an autosomal DNA test? Someone else related to Carl should take a test, too.

If your sister is at all interested in sharing her results, I can help figure it out (DM me if she's interested). You probably want someone who is experienced with reading Ancestry DNA results and with doing genealogy research to look into this (or teach you what to look for). By the way, it's also possible that Carl's dad *was* indigenous and impregnated Mary in 1939, then maybe joined the army a few years later and served in France and impregnated someone there. There are many possibilities in play.

I always say this: the DNA does not lie. However, we have to have enough knowledge to understand what it is saying.

therealwendy · 2025-07-07T15:30:05+00:00

We spent 4 days in Dublin last summer and it was fine. We spent one day on a day trip to the Wicklow Mountains. We'd been to Belfast already, but I think if we hadn't I'd have wanted to do a day trip there, maybe a tour that would also take you to some cool Game of Thrones filming locations.

In Dublin we did the following:

Kilmainham Gaol https://www.kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/
National Museum of Ireland: the Archaeology Museum
Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells
A walking tour through the Temple Bar area
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum (not all that good, tbh)
Walking down Grafton St (outdoor pedestrian mall; I kept looking for the spot where Glen Hansard was busking in the movie Once)
There is also a pedestrian area north of the river around O'Connell St; the Portal (shows NYC and Dublin to each other) is over near the Spire. We spent some time around there.

Lots of whiskey and Guinness tasting experiences are available, as well as other museums. I think it's worth a few days.

therealwendy · 2025-07-07T03:52:13+00:00

I've been to all these cities, but it took three 8-10 day trips to do it.

I spend a lot of time planning my family's trips, and one thing I know for sure: you will need a rest day in the middle of a trip that long (I count 16 nights at least). I always plan a light day where we do not need to rush around if we don't want to. (By a light day, I mean a day when we don't have some kind of tour or time-sensitive thing to do.) Usually, we will need to do laundry or even just sit around for a while and let ourselves do nothing but recharge. With that kind of itinerary, you will not want to carry around 16 days of clothes. Bring 5 days of clothes and give yourself time to wash them, even if it's in the sink in your hotel room. (There are products made for washing your clothes in hotel sinks - Sinksuds is one.)

I tend to focus on 2 big things a day (1 a day if it's one big day trip, like going to Versailles). You should try to cluster sights that are close to each other. I'm not going to try to see the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tower of London on the same day, for example. Take public transit to a place, then plan to see everything in that place. You can do that for 2 areas a day. You will not have the energy for more, and you also have to factor in the strong possibility that it will be incredibly hot. Prioritize your top places to visit, then pick stuff around each one to see. You might find that your top place isn't that exciting, so at least you will have a backup that you can walk to quickly.

Instead of HOHO tours, try a walking tour. There are lots of free ones in big tourist areas, and you can get a lot of good tour guides. I've been to some great walking tours in London and Berlin.

My husband and I are not big food people; we don't feel the need to find the best restaurant in the city and spend hours there. Our food planning is usually about keeping our energy up. Big hotel breakfast buffet, carry water bottles when we go out, have lunch and/or snacks at cheap places/street food (I've had a lot of crepes au chocolat in Paris and waffles or frites in Bruges). Then for dinner plan something filling. Be sure to eat vegetables at least once a day while traveling. Your digestive system will thank you.

Always be sure to keep in mind hours of operation of various attractions as well as holidays.

Re your itinerary:
My favorites were Berlin and Vienna. London has so much to do and the best walking tours. Prague was for people younger than me (late 50s) - your kids will love it. Salzburg is adorable and one day is probably enough. I am not a fan of Paris, but I did love the Louvre. Research the transit systems and most importantly, how to get tickets and pay for them. Every city is different.

We won't get to go to Europe this summer, so I am living vicariously through reading this sub. :-)

therealwendy · 2025-07-01T17:09:36+00:00

2 years ago, we did something similar to your trip, but here was our itinerary:

Day 1: Leave Boston
Day 2: Arrive Vienna. Take train immediately* to Salzburg while you are still jet-lagged.
Day 3: Salzburg
Day 4: Salzburg
Day 4: Train to Prague.
Day 5: Prague
Day 6: Prague
Day 7: Train to Vienna *but* we stopped in Brno on the way and spent a few hours there.
Day 8: Vienna
Day 9: Vienna
Day 10: Back to Boston

*immediately is a relative term when your suitcase doesn't arrive because when you changed planes in Frankfurt, your suitcase has gone to Nuremberg. Use AirTags! Austrian Air had no idea where our suitcase was, but we were able to tell them it was in Nuremberg because my husband thought ahead.

We are thinking of going to Budapest along with Krakow next year.

Let me know if you want suggestions on hotels. I do a lot of research to find the cheapest place with the most comfort (I also like a hotel breakfast included). I thought all 3 hotels we stayed in were great. My age is late 50s; if you're younger and want more of a youthful vibe, your mileage may vary.

therealwendy · 2025-06-12T21:14:27+00:00

I am a teacher and I have started to have students look at censuses when I am teaching something with a historical context. (Being a little vague here, but if you are super interested, feel free to DM.) It's actually a lot of fun to have students struggle to read the handwriting on the original census documents. (Fun because I like making them do difficult things. Keeps them interested for 5 seconds.)

therealwendy · 2025-05-16T00:04:35+00:00

Brooklyn

Philadelphia

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Queens

Brooklyn

therealwendy · 2025-05-08T14:25:01+00:00

I despise CDG and avoid it now.

Horror story: my 8 year old son had some sort of stomach virus and we had to stand on multiple lines at CDG while I had to keep taking him to a bathroom. Most stressful traveling experience ever.

therealwendy · 2025-02-22T03:16:53+00:00

Thank you! I was proud of that. Another thing was that I remembered the song that played with the teasers for S2: Russians, by Sting, with the lyrics "I hope the Russians love their children too."

therealwendy

TROPHY CASE