The Pack "I woke up one morning thinking about wolves and realized that wolf packs function as families. Everyone has a role, and if you act within the parameters of your role, the whole pack succeeds, and when that falls apart, so does the pack." - Jodi Picoult (Lone Wolf) I am wired all the time here. I'd asked Iris as we pushed Jakov's stroller past tiki bars in Opatija whether Croatians drink alcohol or coffee in the afternoon. "Coffee," she'd responded, wi...

The Pack "I woke up one morning thinking about wolves and realized that wolf packs function as families. Everyone has a role, and if you act within the parameters of your role, the whole pack succeeds, and when that falls apart, so does the pack." - Jodi Picoult (Lone Wolf) I am wired all the time here. I'd asked Iris as we pushed Jakov's stroller past tiki bars in Opatija whether Croatians drink alcohol or coffee in the afternoon. "Coffee," she'd responded, wi...

Lungomare "When I was tiny, the county fair came through town. Our parents took us, and got tickets for the rides, even though I was scared to death of all of them. Edward was the one who convinced me to go on the merry-go-round.... Even when I started to get dizzy or thought I might throw up, the circle would come around again and there he was. After a while, I stopped thinking about the horse being magic, or even how terrified I was, and instead, I made a game...

Like in 'Treasure' "Though we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one." - Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) To visit Croatia is to travel back in time, and not just because of the shepherds and stone-walled green mountains dotted with castle ruins. The Croatian language itself is a relic. It contains phonemes which no longer exist in English. This, along with the fact that written letters corres...

Hvala "Compare where you are to where you wanna be and you'll get nowhere." - Sara Bareilles Would you pay $511 for an invaluable life lesson and peace of mind? I beseech you, for the sake of my dignity, try to consider what I am about to tell you from this perspective. Everyone worries. Obsessing over things you can't control is a prerequisite to our status as human beings. For me though, it has been a life-long, chronic affliction to the point of being debil...