“Joie de vivre” is such a funny, fascinating little phrase. The not-quite-so-fancy English translation is “joy of living.” But in any language, how strange it is to think of being joyful solely for living – not for lattes or tacos or sleeping late. How especially strange it is to be joyful when life can often…
Wings of Fire Yoga Flow
Am I, a mature adult and mother, embarrassed to admit that I am a big fan of a dragon book series aimed at middle schoolers? Heck no, I am not. In fact, kids’ books are often the most free to play with weird ideas and spin them out as far as they can go. I…
Inspiring Writers in Fandom
Heroes don’t just save the day by punching bad guys. In both real life and fantasy, heroes save the day ultimately through art, through putting together ideas in a way that connects us all, that builds bridges of all kinds. My favorite medium is writing – so here’s an ode to my favorite writers in…
Fandoms and Real Life Resistance
Fandoms can be silly but they can also be powerful tools for helping us understand and act on important ideas – the most important, in some cases. Just look at the number of signs at the Women’s March using lyrics from Hamilton (including my own which said “Tell Your Sister That She’s Got to Rise…
The Bad Ass Moms of Fandom
Why is it the word “motherhood” conjures up milquetoast, flowery, frilly images? It’s bonnets and aprons and saccharine adages. In reality, I find motherhood to be exactly the opposite. Sure, there’s joy and love, but in such terrifying concentrations that you can hardly conceive of them – they are awe-inspiring and fearful in their intensity….
A Handmaid’s Tale Flow
In honor of the infinitely powerful book and terrifyingly topical Hulu series… and the ever-amazing Elizabeth Moss! Nolite te bastardes carborundum!
Anna, Anne & Annie: Spunky, Red-Headed, Orphaned Grace
What is up with all the Anne’s? Spunky, red-headed, saved orphaned girls named Anne/ie/a seem uniquely suited to capture our hearts. Anne of Green Gables, little orphan Annie, and lately Anna of Frozen, have a seemingly endless power to make us love them (and pay to watch them and read them). Can we analyze this?…
Lunging from a Holmesian Fallacy to a Doctor’s Insight
It’s so rare one needs to disagree with Sherlock Holmes. Or Spock. And yet somehow I find myself doing both simultaneously. In the story “The Sign of the Four,” Holmes famously said “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?” Later…
Fandom Parapraxis – The Oddity of Freudian Slips
A parapraxis, or a Freudian slip, is a fascinating bit of human behavior. In it your words betray you – your inner core, your muchness, somehow bypasses your mental/vocal filters. Out comes what you really think or feel – which you may not even know yourself. How strange all this occurs with tissue and electricity…
If Yoga were an ice cream flavor, it would be…
I’ve always been an Extreme Candy BLAST kind of person. Upon surveying the vast frozen food section, I’ve always looked askance at anything else. Why, I’ve wondered, would you willingly purchase any ice cream that hasn’t been packed with chocolate chunks, a molten core of caramel, and at least two kinds of broken up pastry?…