life, travel, stories – Join the journey, Love Raven
Dear Reader, Boston’s Green Line doesn’t have a great reputation. As the city’s oldest subway line, the Green Line cars are squeaky, slow, and not very efficient. Specifically, many (but not all) of the cars make godawful screeching noises when they barrel into the stations. Traveling west of Boston, some of the Green Line stops... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, More often than not, I don’t have all of the right ingredients to follow a cake recipe. For this reason, I have come to rely on substitutions (with mixed results). Recently, I found a Blood Orange Cake recipe on the New York Times website and knew just by looking at the ingredients list... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Happy spring! …or is it really? If you live in a place like Boston, the transition to spring is noticeable. At the end of March, the evenings become longer, the days become warmer, and pollen is in the air. While many of these changes are gradual, they can build up and infuse one... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Is it better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all? I guess it would depend on how badly you failed. I’m in graduate school at the moment and, boy, is it one long struggle bus. At times, it has been stressful (more here) and at other times almost... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Can you believe that we have muddled through a full calendar year under the oppression of COVID-19? Last month, I looked back on how quickly the coronavirus situation surged in the U.S. by revisiting some of my March 2020 blog posts (more here). Today, I would like to continue and conclude this reminiscence... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Not all cheesecakes are created equal. The first time I went to Russia, I excitedly ordered cheesecake from the menu. I greatly anticipated the sweet creamy concoction I know and love from back home. However, when the dish was set in front of me, I thought I had been lost in translation.... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, A curious thing about the human experience is that something that is commonplace to one individual may never, ever be experienced by another. While this sentiment can be applied to a variety of situations — privilege, prejudice, etc. — I’m specifically, thinking about pain. More, specifically, I’m thinking about my own personal plight... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, It has been about a year since COVID-19 became a formidable threat in the U.S., and, boy, has this past year been exhausting. In this post, I would like to revisit winter/ spring 2020 to see just how quickly everything unfolded a year ago. Luckily, because I was a daily blogger back then,... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Do you have a favorite word? Might it be something beautiful like “cerulean,” something esoteric like “troglodyte,” or maybe just something amusing such as “kerfuffle”? One word that I particularly enjoy is “unfortunately.” This is an odd choice; I know. The reason that I find this word oh-so pleasing is not for its... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Do your homemade cakes come straight from the box? If so, that’s perfectly fine! Who doesn’t love a good Pillsbury cake mix (Funfetti anyone??)? If you’d like to step up your baking game, but don’t have the time to bake a cake from scratch, do read on…. The best cakes are moooooooist cakes... Continue Reading →
Curious Words Blog 