In closing

If someone ever asks you to write for a blog about the things you love, do it. Do it even if writing is already your work and you feel like a failure at it. Do it even if you worry that your opinions will be judged — that you’ll be deemed too nerdy or not … Continue reading

Surviving the crash

Last Sunday’s episode of Mad Men, “The Crash,” was packed with break ups, break ins, and breakdowns. Framed by the volatile relationship between the ad company and the Chevy account, the episode examines how things fall apart, both in and out of the office, through the tropes of collision, danger, safety and care. Herky-jerky and … Continue reading

(Half) Marathon woman

I’ve never been an athlete. The only marathons I’ve ever been interested in are the kinds about special victim units, crime scene investigations, or drag queen reality shows. In elementary school, I hid behind the giant shady tree to avoid my turn at bat on the baseball diamond. In soccer, I’d run around and try … Continue reading

My favorite mamas

We all know Claire Huxtable and Roseanne Conner are pretty fantastic big mamas of the small screen, but who will make my list of dream moms? Linda Belcher of Bob’s Burgers If I could only pick one TV mama to be my very own, it would have to be Linda Belcher. With big flippy hair, … Continue reading

A souvenir

I’m from Las Cruces, New Mexico, a city populated by around 99,000 people where you can somehow still run into everyone you know at the Super Walmart on Valley Drive and Avenida de Mesilla. It’s the kind of place where high school sports rivalries are king, where teenagers huddle down into a dusty ditch bank … Continue reading

Leslie getting married

I’ve written before about how much I love Parks and Recreation — the characters, the writing — but I haven’t been too happy with this season’s trajectory. Though I am pleased with the progression of Chris Traeger’s character and the manner in which his obsessive traits have been seriously examined, the current portrayal of Leslie … Continue reading

Nick Offerman: American ham

Many of us know Nick Offerman as the straightforward, bacon-eating, curmudgeon, Ron Swanson, of NBC’s Parks and Recreation. He’s made quite a name for himself there playing the role of a strictly anti-government parks worker to deadpan perfection. Reaching the heights of pop cultural iconography, his Swansonisms sprawl across the internets and he’s won the … Continue reading

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

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

PopHeart’s Xmas wishlist

Twas some weeks until Xmas and all through my brain Sweet visions of presents are keeping me sane… Lacoste bathrobe On sale $69.99 at macys.com This gal don’t wear kerchiefs, long nightgowns or caps, I wander in robes and in them I nap. Ron Swanson mug $14 nbcuniversalstore.com And when I arise, my head needs … Continue reading