I travel alone. A lot. It's super fun. It's never lonely. You're free to do whatever you want without worrying about other people's fears or physical limitations.

People say it must be "empowering" to travel alone as a woman. But, honestly, I've always found it way more empowering to backpack alone with my dog.

Image: @TheHappyTalent on Instagram

Last night, I debuted my first-ever original Christmas song -- and, a few mistakes notwithstanding, it went pretty well! 

Which is funny, because when I decided to write a Christmas song, I thought there was about a 1% chance I'd create something that wasn't embarrassingly awful and cheesy. 

​So how did I do it?

Simple. 

​I tied a hand behind my back.

I mean, if I can skate to a party in a dress and heels at an age I'm not willing to admit, can't your kids propel their own skateboards? 

I have a somewhat untested hypothesis to share:

If you want to catch more Dungeness crabs this crabbing season, don't use bait that's been in your freezer for a year. But fresh(er) bait.

​(And if you need a step-by-step guide to help you get started crabbing, click here.)

From: Candytopia on Facebook

A "critic" who writes for the New York Times was recently paid to attend several (five?) ​Instagramable  museums, factories and mansions. In her own words, "They nearly broke me."

And that made my heart break a little... for her.

October is the best month. It's a time to get excited about pumpkin spice lattes, leggings, leaves... and, of course, scary movies! (If you're not stoked about those things, I feel bad for you.)

So today, I wanted to share some cool facts about Wes Craven's 1984 classic horror film, Nightmare on Elm Street.

Guys. While driving around Palo Alto this week, I saw FOURTEEN naked ladies!

It was glorious.

Super fun fact that I learned last weekend: you don't need $1,000 a day to rent a boat in the Tahoe/Truckee area. 

Truckee Wake & Ski is a wakeboard, water ski and wakesurf school/club that offers locally-priced lessons, sessions, summer camps, and more.

Sometimes, something is said -- and without validation, it just becomes widely accepted as fact. For example, variations of, "Money can't buy happiness." Or, "Beyond [arbitrary number of dollars], money doesn't increase happiness." Or, for the truly wedged, "Kids who live on dirt floors and have nothing are just so happy.​" (If you really think that, you are wrong, and seriously need to check your privilege.)

I was never a fan of "motivational speakers" -- I have plenty of motivation, and when I listen to someone talk, it's because I want to laugh or learn.

But I stumbled upon an inspirational talk by author Brené Brown a few years ago, and it made me laugh and learn so much that I've listened to it at least once per year since.

​Listen to it -- I guarantee you'll at least crack a smile.