I feel out place in modern society: Coping strategies for living in Muggleworld
You wouldn’t know from looking at me across the street, but I feel ill at ease in the world I inhabit.
I do my utmost to escape to other worlds, where no one has EVER ever ever heard of networking, diets, and smartphones… I lose myself to the straightforward and magical life of books, art, and food.
My problem is this: as I grow older, it is quite often not enough. I simply feel outpaced by modern society as a whole. How do you find inner peace in large quantities when muggle life keeps knocking on your front door, and moving to the wilderness is just not a option?
The unexpected way insomnia causes political tensions
We talked about political tensions causing insomnia, but it can also work the other way around, insomnia causing political tensions, and back again in a vicious circle.
At last autumn’s Psiber Dreaming Conference, a major dream researcher said that most people don’t even know that there’s a dream deprivation epidemic in this country, or that it has terrible consequences…
Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it
A reader asks Ariel: “As you write your memoir following your divorce, how do you write about it honestly while also protecting your son and (if you even want to) your ex-husband?”
A pilot’s tips for dealing with your flight anxiety
As a pilot I’ve had more than my fair share of mid-air incidents — engine failures and the like — and at the end of the day none of it has stopped me flying, because I know how the plane works.
Here’s what I consider the biggest, most important bits of information I can give to people who hate flying…
This little girl recreated photos of indomitable black women for Black History Month
My five year old daughter, Lola, is in Kindergarten. Understanding that Black History is not something that would necessarily be given much priority at that age, and knowing my daughter’s love of playing dress up, I set out to make learning black history fun for her…
Starting February 1, we recreated a photo of an inspiring, indomitable black woman, and talk about her legacy!
A scientist breaks down some useful resources to stay engaged and stay sane
I am a scientist and an Extension educator, and therefore I spend a lot of time helping people find the resources they need, and translating complex and technical information into a form that is useful to a key audience.
Here are the resources I rounded up for my mom and my friends, plus some useful things I have learned in the last few weeks. Pick and choose the resources and action items that agree with your values, and get involved.
My gender identity is confused and I’m okay with it
I should probably start by identifying my gender, but that is… complicated. I am a female, physically. What I identify as is where it gets blurry.
As a teenager, in the early nineties, I had no internet to help me figure it out. And, as a broke young adult in the new millenia, I still didn’t have the amazing resources and web connection of, “Hey, my specific gender identity has a name and I’m not alone!”
Offbeat funerals: The right funeral is like the right wedding
No disrespect to the deceased or to bereaved family members and friends, whether I love them or not, but I just don’t see the point in a funeral. Do people really find comfort in funerals and I’m the only one that sees it as creepy? Does anyone know a better way to show support for family and friends?