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…
books
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….
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?…
What’s in a Name? Defining people in the Handmaid’s Tale and Yoga
Defining new words is eminently satisfying: a new shared set of ideas and connotations is lodged in our brains. Defining scientific equations is likewise illuminating, providing a solid new stepping stone to understanding how the world works. Defining living creatures, however, that’s a bit more complex. Looking at my cat as…
The Finite’s Guide to Coping with the Infinite, Part 1: Understanding It All (in Sphinx Pose)
Cats crawl into boxes and kids make cardboard forts, but we older human folk have truly perfected the art of the self-made sanctuary. Ours may or may not be figurative but are certainly no less fanciful. Fandoms of course, theater, sports, philosophies, religions, even relationships can make up the walls and ceilings of a mini-world…
Telekenetics of Fandom Flow!
To geeks, who often feel powerless in this intimidating world, what could be more satisfying than the development of powers to move things with the mind – a superhuman strength that doesn’t involve humiliating time spent in gym class?!
It’s About Time: Wheel(ish) Pose
“Time is the fire in which we burn.” – Bad guy, Star Trek Generations “It’s linear!” -Captain Sisko, Star Trek DS9 “It’s not linear.” – Captain Sisko, Star Trek DS9 “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint – it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly… time-y wimey… stuff.” –…
Cow Face Pose: When You’re Open to the Weird and the Wondrous
Today, during pigeon pose in yoga class, my mat split into four different transparent levels, stacked on top of each other. When I swayed slightly, they swayed too. The tiny dots in the pattern of the mat gaped open a little farther, almost seemingly like they were singing. What could have been underneath, if I…
Zen-er Things: The Upside Down in Forearm Stand
A family member captured by a nefarious, mysterious force. A journey required to save them that requires bending the laws of physics as we know them. A showdown that harnesses the powers of love and sacrifice. A celebration of friendship and family; a condemnation of intellect without heart. So goes Stranger Things, the horror/mystery/80s homage…