Follow the buttered sourdough breadcrumb trail…
I know. How many days has it been since my last blog confession?
Too many.
Where have I been?
Well, in this particular order: Croatia, the Galapagos Islands, Greece, Tanzania, Borneo and Bali, Patagonia (Chile) and paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland with some hot spots in between to dab out the deep freeze of February (insert St. Maarten, Barbados and Bonaire here).
Why the writing crickets?
I haven’t stopped writing—it’s actually my full-time gig these days at Wild Women Expeditions! I’ve also published two more books with Pottersfield Press (Been There, Ate That: A Candy-coated Childhood and The Wisdom Found in Hen’s Teeth).
Not be all braggy blowhard, but I have another book dropping this fall called Trips That Went South: From Point A to Beware. So, dear reader, I have not been lounging about in a leisure suits with an IV of mint juleps.
Just before the shiny new year, when all ambitious things happen in regards to changing lifestyle habits and resolutions, I was inspired to join the latest and greatest writerly platform. All the cool kids are doing it. Substack is like the blog, 2.0 version. Rona Maynard (Ms. Chatelaine herself, at Amazement Seeker) and Patti Smith (yes, THAT Patti Smith) can be found on this site in the company of hundreds of clever and accomplished writers. The Substack concept allows readers to subscribe to “newsletters.”
Some newsletter subscriptions are free (like mine) while others may have a paywall which requests a donation for a monthly or yearly subscription. Much like a magazine, the format is even more appealing because you can choose your own content! I find my Saturday mornings have dramatically improved on the reading front because I have a personally curated list of subscriptions of writers whose voices and stories I love. They land right in my inbox in a purely random mix. From folk-pop singer Brenley’s Airstream Chronicles to European street art neighbourhood guides (by Guilia at Beyond the Walls) to Cafe Anne’s examination of $1 pizza slices and Dunkin’ Donut history in NYC, it’s a fun and informative way to spend the duration of two cups of coffee.
My handle is Jules is Out of Office because, well, if I’m not out to lunch, my natural default setting is out of office. As always, I still write about the best things in life: birds, burgers, beer, books and beaches. In no particular order. I can confidently guarantee that you won’t find another site where you can read about taxidermy mice, maple syrup, sleep paralysis, Hemingway, a fox’s wedding, the Camino Portuguese and wild boar soup tureens ALL in the same convenient place.
I have to snicker a little here. This weekend I revisited some of my elementary school archives–it was an unexpected transition from filing my taxes away. I found my grade four book report on How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (an all-time fave). A small recap for those who are unfamiliar: Billy has agreed to eat 15 worms in 15 days for $50. Toppings can include anything from peanut butter to horseradish. That’s all you really have to know.
My grade four take-away lesson was this: “Never bet on something stupid. Don’t brag on something that you can’t do. Eating worms can cause you to be sick and teased.”
I still stand by the bet I posed above. You won’t find another site with content like mine. And, just like How to Eat Fried Worms, my grade four and current self would recommend Out of Office for “medium readers.” I’m not sure what that was supposed to mean but I’ll expand that recommendation to include medium and rare readers like you.
Thank you for continuing to follow me all over the place, I appreciate it. Do say hello over on Jules it Out of Office on Substack! There’s good stuff coming up about hiking in the Scottish Highlands and the weirdest pizzas I’ve eaten around the world. From crocodile pizza in Uganda to hoisin duck + wonton pizza in Shanghai, you won’t want to miss a bite.