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ANNA'S CURIO CABINET
A growing collection of writing, nature, animals, science, art, geography, and other fun curiosities.

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Listicle Aug. 23, 2025
Late summer shenanigans. Fave video: please enjoy this clip of Maple the pony enjoying Oreos during a ride in New Jersey last weekend. It...
aobriendvm
2 days ago2 min read
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Listicle July 31, 2025
All bikes. All the time. RAGBRAI . Stands for Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. 20,000 of your closest friends gather at the...
aobriendvm
Jul 311 min read
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Listicle July 13, 2025
Fave local bike route: Tour de Bullfrog. You've heard of the Tour de France and there's an actual local bike ride called the Tour de...
aobriendvm
Jul 132 min read
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Listicle June 29, 2025
Peak summer here in Maryland, folks. Summer Anna is very happy, indeed. Here are a few samplings of why. Fave wildflowers: the colors...
aobriendvm
Jun 292 min read
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Listicle June 10, 2025
Honeybee on a blackberry bloom Credit: A O'Brien Fave feast: the smells of summer! Late spring and the air in central Maryland is filled...
aobriendvm
Jun 101 min read
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Listicle May 5, 2025
Ponies, Pine Barrens, and Petunias. Here are 5 things to put in the Curio Cabinet this week. Endurance. In all senses, but in this...
aobriendvm
May 52 min read
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Listicle April 17, 2025
Outdoors, outdoors, outdoors. The neighbor's magnolia all dressed up. Credit A O'Brien Fave time of year: now. Spring in all her finest,...
aobriendvm
Apr 172 min read
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Listicle March 25, 2025
Time is expanding then contracting and doing all sorts of weird things, so here's a mid-month listicle a bit later than mid-month....
aobriendvm
Mar 251 min read
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Listicle March 1, 2025
The mighty mares Credit: A. O'Brien Damn you, February, with your number of days divisible by four! But you're over and now there are...
aobriendvm
Mar 11 min read
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Listicle Feb. 15, 2025
I'm a sucker for latte art. Credit: A. O'Brien Still winter? Peeks outside. Yep. Right. Just checking. Here are five things that kept me...
aobriendvm
Feb 152 min read
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Solid Openers
Penny, queen of winter weather. This girl does not feel the cold. Credit: A O'Brien Here's to the end of a month that's felt like a year....
aobriendvm
Jan 302 min read
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Let's Do This
Trying out a new format in 2025. Opening new drawers in the ol' cabinet, if you will. Some writers I enjoy often employ a solid listicle...
aobriendvm
Jan 152 min read
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40 Reads from 2024
2024 Reads (credit: A O'Brien) 366 days come and gone, 40 books consumed. Here's my 2024 list of books read in chronological order....
aobriendvm
Jan 12 min read
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You May Often. . . or The 2 pm Blues
Sunset on the winter solstice. This is one of my favorite color palettes. (Credit: Anna O'Brien) My most despised time of day is 2 pm....
aobriendvm
Dec 25, 20242 min read
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In the Spirit of Fear and Loathing
What I wouldn't give for Hunter S. Thompson to be alive right now. He's always on my to-read list but recent events have pushed one of...
aobriendvm
Nov 14, 20241 min read
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Every New Cycle
Although I've mentally been in the #fallvibes since August, the autumnal equinox passed last Sunday without my noticing. I am aware of is...
aobriendvm
Sep 27, 20242 min read
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A Photo Essay
I've been thinking a lot about wrestling lately. Most of it has to do with watching The Iron Claw . But also: cats are great wrestlers....
aobriendvm
Aug 27, 20241 min read
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Summer Vibes
I will admit a love/hate relationship with the word "vibes." It feels overused and therefore trite and there's probably more than a bit...
aobriendvm
Jul 8, 20241 min read
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Publication News!
After quite a drought, I am very pleased to announce the publication of one of my sci-fi short stories! "Hatch, Beast, Flew Away" has...
aobriendvm
Jun 5, 20241 min read
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What Numbers Do You Hold?
In school occasionally we had to memorize stuff and it was dumb. Equations for math, monologues for English -- I'm talking rote...
aobriendvm
May 30, 20242 min read
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