I enjoy bellying up to a cozy bar, husband within arm’s reach and a good cocktail even closer by. This is not always easy to do in the mountains of New Hampshire, so on a recent trip to Boston we did an awful lot of bar hopping. We drank spicy and aromatic concoctions and managed to…
Author: Iris and The Very Hungry Entourage
Even though I have a fantastic sense of direction, my life tends to follow a very convoluted path. I continue down this twisty road, making many stops along the way.
I travel, and these days it is often with various members of the Very Hungry Entourage. You can find information and stories at www.veryhungryentourage.com.
Professionally I work as a veterinarian, but lately I (happily) find myself spending much more time as a college professor. I love photography and hope to be good at it some day. I am a wife, a dog mom, a good friend, and a pretty funky Auntie. I tend to be a very, very talented eater. I sometimes think of myself as a homebody because being in the kitchen and in the garden are two activities that truly soothe my hyperactive mind. I have dreamt of becoming an artist, chef, musician, and athlete though attempts at any of these have lead to some pretty embarrassing moments. But I don't give up easily....
There’s a Starman Waiting in the Sky…
I looked out at the students sitting in front of me, ready to continue the discussion and anxiously awaiting their responses to the question I had just posed. Instead, I was the recipient of blank stares. I could practically hear the crickets in the background. This scenario probably doesn’t sound all that unusual to other college…
Cup of Coffee Sparks Childfree Thoughts
My friend and I sat across from each other at a small café, lattes within arm’s reach. Our conversation was a hushed and emotional one. She had just confessed her overwhelming fear that she would never have children. Her worry stemmed from the fact that she started dating later in life, and had only recently…
The Importance of Being Earnestly Uncomfortable
I have always run from the awkward and painful. Historically my preference is to be enveloped in coziness… quite literally. I vividly remember crawling under the oversized and worn cushions on the living room couch as a child, hiding undercover, surrounded by softness and gentle darkness for hours at a time. I’ve spent so much of my…
Dear Ireland
Dear Ireland: Let me start by saying that I miss you. A lot. It has been too long, and a return visit is long overdue. I am writing on this St. Patrick’s Day because I owe you an apology. Before I get there, though, let me first say how lucky I was to spend five…
The Third Wheel in Mexico
On a lazy, hazy Mexican afternoon I sipped my drink, perched in a shaded chair at the beach near my husband, watching the birds bounce around the crooked branches above my head. It was a quiet day, and the only noise was the chirping coming from above and the crashing of waves on the beach. Suddenly…
Praising My “Useless” Degree in a Time of Political Insanity
“What the hell are you studying?” The manager at the deli where I had a part-time job was looking over my shoulder, squinting his eyes. I was reading during my lunch break, and I suspect his confusion came from seeing the title of the book in my hands. It was called “Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion”. Or maybe it was…
A Very Hungry Veterinarian’s Vocabulary
The group of people who inspired The Very Hungry Entourage blog are all, in some way, connected to the practice of veterinary medicine. Together (often hugging, gorging on cheese products, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, or screaming bloody murder) we have supported each other through the strange, frustrating, hilarious, and heartbreaking moments that are involved with the…
Hawaiian Wedding Leads to Scary Feet
We got married. Then we went out for Mai Tais. It was an easy day. During the ceremony we stool hand-in-hand on a rock that jutted out over the water. The ocean in front of us was a perfect blue, and in the background we could hear the waves crashing below us. A man who strongly resembled…
“Do You… Scuba?”
I am a very wimpy scuba diver. When I get to the bottom of the ocean I either start flailing my arms like a crazy person, or I suction-cup myself to a skilled divemaster who watches my every move, making sure that I don’t magically inflate my BC, float up to the surface, and bob around…
Guilt on a Tropical Island
I walked to the beach hoping to find my husband and two drinks waiting for me under a palm tree, but I couldn’t locate him anywhere. Suddenly I heard his voice, and off in the distance I saw him – surrounded by two women, with a very concerned look on his face. He beckoned me forward,…
An Ode to a Rural Backyard
My husband and I recently shared our home with two boys from the Bronx as part of the Fresh Air program. We ran through sprinklers, kicked soccer balls around the park, jumped into lakes and ate s’mores over a campfire. It felt like a real summer. It was pretty awesome. The boys were surprised, however, by…
A Grown-up On Cape Cod
During most of my young life, my mother struggled to get me to eat fish. She was convinced that lack of fish could somehow lead a child down the dangerous path of stunted development. When she was young in East Germany, she was taught that oily fish was the key to health, and she was…
The Inquisition
“Do you have kids?” The beach bar at our little hotel was offering a happy hour and a result, of course, the cozy bar was very, very full. My neighbor to the left leaned in closer, eyes squinty from an hour or so of two-for-one margaritas, and repeated the question. “So, do you have kids?” “No”,…
The Very Hungry Entourage 