The Very Hungry Entourage

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…

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…

“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”,…