The first time I visited Aruba was on a cruise. The ship docked and a bunch of unwitting tourists milled about for approximately four hours. My second visit was suspiciously… Read more

Moi is a creature of habit. If I find something I like, it quickly goes into my arsenal and stays there for … well, ever. Now, I get it—everything is… Read more

I started writing this blog at 8:23 p.m. on a Sunday night. For me, that’s revolutionary. In fact, the last time I did such a thing was the 12th of… Read more

Photo credit: Nikki Moreno-Whipple Years ago, I learned a shockingly good piece of writing advice. “People love lists,” a middling proofreader once told me. “Doesn’t matter what the headline is—if… Read more

In March of 2022, I found myself at a crossroads. I was gainfully unemployed and contemplating my next move. I dutifully sought the advice of career counselors, psychics, and colleagues… Read more

I like to think of myself as hair aware—which sounds infinitely better than, uh, shallow or vain. But when it comes to the mop of hair follicles on top of… Read more

When the fine folks at Visit Lake Charles called me in December about visiting their fair parish, I thought I’d won the travel writer lottery. Not only have I never… Read more

One time my physician flatly told me, “Mackie, it didn’t take you twelve weeks to gain sixty pounds, you’re not going to lose it in three months.” I looked at… Read more

I didn’t come out until my late 20s. A gay trailblazer, I most certainly was not. But I pretty much knew I had a potential preference for dudes in my… Read more

Don’t ask me how/when/why it happened, but I have this innate ability to sense when something is going sideways in my friends’ lives. I’m not sure if it’s a sixth… Read more