by AnnSheybani | Dec 22, 2025 | Reading, recommendations, Writing
Let’s just say I had an awful lot of time on my hands while on vacation several years ago. That’s what happens when you deliberately leave your computer at home; AND you’ve got nowhere to go, save the local airstrip or the hotel compound; AND your helicopter can’t...
by AnnSheybani | Dec 13, 2025 | Life, Reading, Writing
At my 60th birthday party a couple of years back, something interesting happened. A number of my friends started talking about retirement—counting down the days, making plans to “slow down,” fantasizing about endless yoga retreats in Mexico and Netflix...
by AnnSheybani | Nov 27, 2025 | promotion, publishing, Writing
Most evenings after work, my father would be outside running the lawn mower, spraying the grass with a garden hose, or spreading Scott’s seed, dandelion killer, or lime by the 50-lb bagful. Come fall, he’d attack the leaves with a rake for hours on end and...
by AnnSheybani | Nov 24, 2025 | Writing
I thought I’d bring this post back because it’s even more relevant than ever, thanks to cultural fatigue.You know what I’m talking about, that sense that doing ANYTHING seems so…utterly pointless. Add in the holidays, and who feels like doing...
by AnnSheybani | Nov 17, 2025 | Reading, Writing
“This is the hardest thing you will ever do.” That’s what Gordo, the instructor of our Intro to Scuba Diving class, told us while he scrawled his name on the blackboard. Gordo was a big guy, nearly 300 pounds of flesh that couldn’t have been...
by AnnSheybani | Nov 10, 2025 | Life, Writing
My friend and I were seated together at a conference. I could practically feel the sparks coming off her, so consumed was she by the desire to be plucked from the crowd and brought onstage for an exercise. Leaning forward, she gripped the chair-back in front of her,...
