Be kind, unwind
When I was in graduate coursework for my English degree it was “normal” to stay up reading and taking notes until 3 a.m., to shun social contact until all the work was done, to finish one book, take a “break” to cram a sandwich in my face and then crack open the next brain-bending text. … Continue reading
Pseudonyms
I believe names hold power. They connect us to our family and our culture. Many cultures believe each name has a meaning and therefore names must be picked carefully to suit the bearer. They are one of the first things we ask when we meet someone and forgetting someone’s name can be an insult. People … Continue reading
Better by half
It’s been almost seventeen years since I came out, not yet half my life, but edging closer to it year after year. Even way back then, I felt like I was coming into myself late, twenty-one years old and in my last year of college. Today, I read about out LGBT teenagers in high school … Continue reading
Changing clothes
I’ve been thinking a lot about clothes lately. I mean, I think about clothes constantly — I love fashion — but recently I’ve been aching for a new look, the right look. This happens every once in awhile. Years go by and I begin to notice that the wardrobe in my closet doesn’t match me … Continue reading
Reading resolutions
I have a few book related New Year’s resolutions for 2013: Read more. This seems like an easy catch all, but with the baby and the lure of the television I haven’t been doing a lot of reading lately. I have one book upstairs in the nursery that I read while Joe naps (for exactly … Continue reading
From last to first
It’s amazing how much we want to see ourselves reflected in the animal kingdom. From horoscopic astrological signs to Disney’s The Lion King, we seem to desperately want to understand humans by terms of bestial natures and vice versa. We ascribe personalities to all manner of animals — from those snooty giraffes at the zoo … Continue reading
In detail
I have a question to pose today, when does enough research to make story details believable turn into an overload of useless facts? I’m currently reading Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse and while I love Clancy, the facts sometimes get in the way. Early in the novel John Kelly is pulling his boat from its slip … Continue reading
