Misc.

Ponytail Up is now on Substack

/ Kim Nelson

Hi there! I’m late in posting this here, but this blog has moved over to Substack. You can subscribe for free at ponytailup.substack.com and receive all future posts straight to your inbox. Catch up on any posts you may have missed in the archive. And don’t worry—you will never be charged for any future paid content unless you opt in.

On average, I send 1-2 newsletters out per month. When I have a particularly interesting story to tell, I may write more installments but it will never be more frequent than a post per week, usually in time for your Friday morning coffee because aren’t we all just working for the weekend? If you enjoy this newsletter, please show support by sharing it with a friend, or hitting that heart button, or reaching out in the comments section. I always love to hear about what you want to read more of!

Girls of Rock ‘n Roll

/ Kim Nelson / Leave a comment

Growing up, my siblings, cousins, and I were mildly obsessed with the movie Chipmunk Adventure.  The plot involved the Chipmunks and Chipettes in a race around the world via hot air balloon, leaving doll replicas of themselves behind as they unknowingly smuggled diamonds and cash for the criminals funding their trip. In the end they foiled the bad guys and got to see the world.

While in Vegas this past April with my mom and sisters, we came across Chipmunk and Chipette Beanie Babies in a hotel gift shop. I could not resist purchasing Brittany, since I always played that character when we would reenact scenes from the movie.  It’s time for her to jump back in her traveling hot air balloon.

Call Me Maybe

/ Kim Nelson / Leave a comment

It started when I traveled to Baltimore last fall for work. While packing, I thought that it would kind of funny if I changed my iPhone ringtone to the theme song from The Wire. Now, nerd that I am, when I travel I have to update my ringtone as an homage to that new locale:

Upcoming Trips:

Fear of Flying

/ Kim Nelson / Leave a comment

Confession: I am a nervous flier. I know that statistically speaking, flying is safer than driving, but when you’re in a metal tube shooting through the air at 36,000 feet at 500 mph, I’d much rather be in my car with four wheels on the ground.

I thought that if I understood how planes actually fly, I might feel more confident in the air, so I asked my boyfriend, an engineer, if he could explain it to me. After hearing his description involving terms like mass flow, pressure regions, and lift, I realized I felt much better when I just thought it was magic. Basically, if he had said, “The pilots lift up a wand and say Wingardium Leviosa!” I would be happy.

This Saturday, I will be in the air for 6 hours total (with a 2-hour layover in Miami breaking it up) and I know that I will be my usual anxious, sweaty, paranoid self every time I feel the slightest turbulence or hear the mechanics of the plane shift below me. I’ll close my eyes, lean back, and try to think of it all as magic.