Building an independent daily spiritual practice
For me, my daily spiritual practice is a pretty personal, private thing. It makes me a little squeamish to share what I’m doing, but I’ve invested a lot of time into developing my personal spiritual practice this year, and so maybe sharing what I’m doing will be interesting to other folks on their own solo spiritual journeys…
How to plan a dinner party (that won’t end in a surprise fire)
Christmas, Easter, Mother’s day, someone’s birthday. The occasions to have a party are numerous. But someone has to organize and host the bash. How about you?
I don’t want to say #metoo, but here’s why I will
“I wish we didn’t have to rip our pasts open & show you everything & let you ogle our pain for you to believe us about predation and trauma.” – Lindy West. The sad fact is, though, that the #metoo phenomenon of sharing seems to be the only way to make any headway in chipping away at the bedrock that allows people with any modicum of power to exploit the vulnerabilities of those who have been raised to be silent and self-blaming. Victims are forced to either take on the system themselves or join together to raise a tiny flag to create larger flag aiming for change.
Consensual robo sex? The evolution of sex scenes in Blade Runner
In Blade Runner 2049, there’s a spacey three-way between humans and replicants that was fascinating and compelling. We could debate the finer points of whether or not replicants can actually consent, but I’m going to instead compare it to its predecessor, the original Blade Runner from 1982. There was one particular scene that still sticks with me as highly controversial…
Why you actually DON’T need to forgive and forget
I hate, hate, hate how our culture mis-attributed the concept of forgiveness. There’s this idea that anger is toxic, and you have to forgive everyone.
Hidden Blessings: Dispatches from the midlife trenches
This weekend I am doing one of the most cliche things I’ve ever done: I am going to a midlife crisis workshop. Let me pull back and say it even bigger: I am a white divorced 42-year-old mom, and I am going to a midlife crisis workshop. I built a literal empire on offbeatness, but the current reality is pretty fucking stereotypical: just a confused midlife white lady going through a midlife crisis, here! NICE TO MEET YOU.
Fun makeup brushes for all kinds of gorgeous unicorns
Gone are the days of boring makeup brushes — we now have more cute/geeky/fun/pretty/offbeat cosmetic brush options than ever! Here are a few unique styles for you to drool over, all available on Amazon.
Bonus: they’re all vegan makeup brushes! No animal bristles here, thank you. Check ’em out…
How to respond positively to weight loss without shaming other bodies
Does anyone have any advice/thoughts on how to respond when someone talks about losing weight and is seeking validation for it? Previously I would have felt like “You look great!” is an appropriate response and validation for their hard work. But now I feel like that is saying that something was wrong with how they previously looked and shaming fat/bigger bodies, or pre-shaming in the future if they gain the weight back. Is there a good way to respond positively to weight loss?