Et·som·ni·a (/etˈsämnēə/), noun, 1. a sleep disorder caused by obsessive Etsy browsing. 2. The surprising arrival of weird handmade merchandise ordered when one is only half conscious. (True story.) 3. An excuse for me to be an obnoxious, snarky New Yorker once per week.

With the exception of penguins, I was never really much into birds. And after a terrible experience with cryptococcos, a disease which comes from a bird-borne fungus, I was positively repelled by the things. But once we fell in love with our little house near the wildlife refuge and started kayaking among the water birds, all that changed. Mind you, I still find myself holding my breath around pigeons, but I’ve mostly forgiven the rest for trying to kill me. In fact, I now find myself enchanted by the creatures. And Etsy, with its usual wild mix of very, very good and very, very bad, is right there with me!

For more Etsy fun, check out all my weekly Etsomnia™ posts!