Days spent at home have moved even the most muddled people to organize. The spice rack now displays alphabetically ordered bottles in neat rows. The closet has sections for formal and informal wear, subdivided by season. Pots and pans are arranged by type, the silverware drawer is a model of organizational excellence. But the garage…
Having trouble sleeping lately? Racing thoughts? Agita? Perhaps you are looking to ease the emotional hangover from that nail-biter of a presidential election. Utterly apolitical podcasts are just the ticket. These shows are not current events- or pop culture-based. They are not trying to teach you anything. They do not seek to challenge you, or…
Take a deep breath. Hold it for five seconds. Exhale. Breathe in for three seconds. Repeat. How does that feel? A little better? Good. We’re living in stressful times, and any moment of calm is welcome. Video games don’t have a reputation for offering tranquility. People tend to think of them as more likely to…
It’s 3 a.m. and you’ve been struggling for hours to fall asleep. Morning draws nearer and your anxiety about being exhausted the next day intensifies — yet again. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Among the many disruptions of 2020, insomnia may rank high on the list. Data on how the pandemic has affected…
Many Americans won’t be visiting relatives for Thanksgiving this year in light of the pandemic. With this puzzle you can still experience the thrill of travel, minus the crowds. Fill in each Thanksgiving-related phrase on the departure board using airport codes from the boarding passes. Each boarding pass contains the answer for a line on…
Ghost stories aren’t necessarily meant to frighten — often, they’re ways to explain to ourselves the living’s unresolved matters of the heart: old ambitions, old loves, old hatreds. T’s Nov. 15 Travel issue is dedicated to such tales, and includes three short stories inspired by place and written exclusively for the magazine. Below is “The…
Joanna Harcourt-Smith was a 26-year-old European socialite in Switzerland in 1972 when she met Timothy Leary, the psychedelic Pied Piper to the flower children of the 1960s. He was 52 and a fugitive from justice, having escaped from prison in California where he was serving a 10-year sentence on drug charges. Ms. Harcourt-Smith was instantly…
With the prospect that a coronavirus vaccine will become available for emergency use as soon as next month, states and cities are warning that distributing the shots to an anxious public could be hindered by inadequate technology, severe funding shortfalls and a lack of trained personnel. While the Trump administration has showered billions of dollars…
When Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called to congratulate Joseph R. Biden Jr. on winning the election last Saturday, she was wearing what women everywhere in the United States seem to be wearing during the pandemic: leggings. Leggings have been a staple of workouts, errands and lounging at home for well over a decade now, but…
“Nobody’s sorry to see someone say something nice,” said Savannah Guthrie, the 48-year-old co-host of the “Today” show. “But I also see people say things that aren’t nice. I try not to let any of it in. It’s not reality.” This was a week after Ms. Guthrie moderated a hastily scheduled Oct. 15 conversation with…