A boat the size of a small town? Nah. Cheeky and/or cheesy entertainment? Nope. Formal attire night? Gag! So no, when I vowed to eschew the cruise for the rest of my days, I wasn’t kidding. I’d stick with the small group hiking/ walking trips which typically numbered between 10 and 20 companions. My favorite …
Author: Andi Brown
I was born in 1951 and raised in Providence, RI. I retired in early 2022 from a long and successful career in fund development, helping nonprofit organizations secure the resources they need to fulfill their missions.
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in July of 2021. I am attempting to box and dance the disease into submission despite being horribly uncoordinated. I'm a graduate of Colgate University and live in Brookline, MA, not too far from my adult son and daughter. When not “moving and shaking” I can frequently be found writing fiction, or with knitting needles in hand, eating chocolate.
Paris: Parkinson’s miracle or mystery
When I left for Paris eight days ago I was experiencing tremendous stress, and a good number of Parkinson’s symptoms, by which I mean muscle stiffness, extreme aching from my waist to my ankles, and twitching in my left foot. All of these symptoms were painful and lasted, cumulatively but not consecutively, about 2-4 hours …
Mrs. Brown paints the town!
But what color does she paint it? I’m having a delightful time in Paris with no loneliness, though I did see a friend a couple of days ago. Few words in this post, mostly pictures. Green at Restaurant Anne. Tres yummy were turbot on bed of puréed potatoes, snail balls ( the green things) with …
A funny story about
depression. Okay, gotcha, it’s not really funny but it might make you feel a little better about your own down-in-the-dumps moments in a misery-loves-company sort of way. We Parkinsonians tend to look for patterns in both our bodies and our minds. We may establish that the late morning “off” time (those painful/disgusting/ yucky sensations) occur …
Cheese, Cheese, Cheese
Fromage! To die for (or maybe from) Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese Cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese A haiku for you, appearing as a pinned tweet on Twitter What the French have perfected Fromage Where I'm going next week France What my sister gave me for my birthday. …
Decisions in the time of Covid
Newly renovated La Samaritaine department store. Should I go? I am scheduled to begin my visit to my favorite city on lucky September 13. Hint: the home of Victor Hugo; seller of baguettes and cheese to die for; a place that has elevated people-watching to a fine art. After an absence of - can it …
Singing and Dancing Away My Parkinson’s
Exercise is not just recommended for people with Parkinson’s – it’s prescribed. If you want to slow the progression of the disease, you must move. A lot. And your motions should be large. Singing is recommended for people with Parkinson’s who experience diminishing vocal power. So, despite the fact that I’m a terrible dancer and …
Guest blogger Emma ( the fabulous) Stubbs
Good morning! And welcome to my summer break #2. I didn’t want to ditch my readers entirely so I’m sending you something even better than me. And that would be my co-blogger and co-Parkinson’s sufferer Emma Stubbs, a Scottish lass who handles her situation with aplomb and great humor. I encourage you to roam around …
To reveal or not to reveal
I wasn’t sure about this post. “Should I publish it or or not?” I asked a couple of dear and very astute friends who often serve as my brain trust when I’m a little uncertain about something I’ve written. Which of course leads me to ponder: Why the blog? Its initial purpose was my personal …
Andi in Paris
I hit the enter key for the dozenth time. “Nothing available on that date. Try again,” says Electronic Madame Ticket Agent. What’s really frustrating is that I already have a free ticket to Paris, non-stop no less, purchased three days earlier with frequent flier miles. And now, I’m attempting to reduce my stay in Paris …
Moving and Shaking 