Jet Lag

The world is too big

Hello friends!

I am finally home from one of my more epic vacations. I had two of the most fun and profound weeks of my life and then I had a 21 hour trip home to reflect on it. You know your flight is long when you can have a full Wickathon and still have time for a viewing of Grease. But it was absolutely worth it to finally go to Athens, a city I have wanted to visit my entire life. I have a deep connection to Athena and Artemis and being in a city where Athena is absolutely everywhere was remarkable. I still can’t believe I actually saw the Acropolis and the real actual Caryatids, with whom I am almost as obsessed as the Vestal Virgins.

I was also so impressed with the creative culture in Athens. In most cities, the touristy areas are filled with the same exact magnet made in China and you really have to hunt for the local artisans. Not so in Athens! Even the most touristy areas were packed with incredibly unique goods made by local artists. I have also never been to a country that has done such a remarkable job of merging the art and patterns with modern products. Whether it’s busts of gods and goddesses in bright neon colors, brightly colored scarves with traditional Greek patterns, or modern versions of ancient pottery, I bought it all! From higher end goods from local designers Zeus + Dione and Thalassa (I now own a silk scarf with Trojan horses on it!!) to adorable little keychains and bracelets made by the artists or family members of artists running little shops, I have truly never been to a city with so much local art.

I also cannot recommend Virgin Voyages enough. I have gone from a person who cannot imagine going on a cruise to a person who is already planning her next one. But only on VV, by all accounts they are by far the best and honestly I can’t imagine any other cruise line being able to match them. Also, if you go to Mykonos, go with a member of Soho House. Easily my favorite Soho in the world, having easily displaced Soho Istanbul which was previously my favorite.

As great as it was, I am so happy to be home and, after I recover from my jet lag, I will be excited to get back to work. We’re halfway through the year, we have a lot of work to do, and I just read three books on vacation so I am rested and ready to go.

Choose the Bear

This week’s CTB features my dear friend Kenyora Johnson, CEO of End Rape on Campus, and truly a powerful and remarkably kind woman. We talk about how to keep women safe on campus, how parents are changing their priorities, and what universities should be doing.

Also, last week featured the amazing Abby Reyes whose book Truth Demands really blew me away. Abby is a person we should all be learning from in this moment, her lifetime of resilience and activism are exactly what should be inspiring us right now.

This is already long enough and I haven’t watched tv in two weeks so listen to these two episodes this week and next week we will be back to our regularly scheduled me telling you what to do with yourself.

Kat