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The Importance of Being Clothed
On October 13, 2021 by ElyseWhile it’s important to be earnest, we all know what happened when the emperor ordered new clothes. Priorities, people. On a scale of embarrassment, getting caught with your pants down is right up there with failing gym class, wearing a hat in Parliament and getting your hair stuck in flypaper. What’s even worse, however, is
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Madame Palatine’s Burn Book, Part 3
On September 29, 2021 by ElyseWelcome! If you haven’t yet read Part 1 and Part 2, click there and then come back to fully appreciate Liselotte’s salacious gossip. Don’t be fooled: Madame Palatine, aka Liselotte, may look like a sweet, doting grandmother, but her dirt is as vicious as Regina George’s, as scandalous as Gossip Girl’s and as dangerous as
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Madame Palatine’s Burn Book, Part 2
On September 15, 2021 by ElyseBonjour! If you haven’t yet read Part 1, start there for the full scoop on Liselotte and her clique. Last time, we patiently listened, er, read as Madame Palatine, aka Liselotte, vented in her 18th-century correspondence about her daddy issues, disobedient son and cringeworthy views on women in power. With all those grudges, how did
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Madame Palatine’s Burn Book, Part 1
On September 1, 2021 by ElyseShe is a wicked devil; treacherous in every way, and of a very dangerous temper. Upon the whole, she is not good for much. – Elizabeth-Charlotte, Duchesse d’Orléans, Memoirs of the Court of Louis XIV and of the Regency, 1899 If you enjoyed the movie “Mean Girls” as much as teenage me did, allow me
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Planes, Feigns and Automobiles
On August 18, 2021 by ElyseIt’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s. . . me in the pilot seat! Well, close enough. A few weeks ago, I checked off a bucket list item and took a flying lesson. I wasn’t flying quite like Superman, but I sure felt like a superhero when I successfully turned the ignition key in the
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Meandering around Milwaukee
On August 4, 2021 by ElyseIn my [censored] years on this earth, I’ve been fortunate enough to crisscross continents and fly across oceans. Yet somehow, I’ve never visited Milwaukee, a city practically in my own backyard—until now. As you read this, I’m on my way there and intend to eat however much cheese it takes to become a certified cheesehead.
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Americans Abroad
On July 21, 2021 by ElyseNow that the world is opening up to tourists, I’m spinning a globe, scrolling through TripAdvisor and planning my next jaunt. Rotterdam? Switzerland? Seattle? The possibilities are endless. I’m surely not the only one. However, after more than a year of sitting at home, some of my compatriots might benefit from a refresher on how
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Elephants Gone Wild, Part 2
On July 7, 2021 by ElyseWhat makes an elephant turn to a life of crime? Nature? Nurture? Second Glance History’s guide to pickpocketing? We may never be sure, but what we do know is there are enough incidents of mammoth misconduct for a full season of “CSI: Ele-felony.” Last time, elephant bad boys Peanut and Basil impersonated a sea serpent
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Elephants Gone Wild, Part 1
On June 23, 2021 by ElyseYou may have heard of—or even be having—a hot vax summer, but what about a hot trunk summer? In the summer of ’69, er, 1904, one elephant cut loose and shook his booty off the coast of Coney Island. His hijinks aren’t available on pay-per-view, but we have the next best thing: detailed newspaper accounts.