Poetry is not Penicillin

I don't know who said it first. I don't know who came up with the idea. I know who passed it on to me, and even from the first it disturbed me. I've fought with it since then, even as some vestige of it taints the enjoyment of my craft and plagues me with guilt.

To Change The Things I Can

There's a funny little aspect of self-hatred I noticed recently and I want to mull it over here. Most of the time, I am focused on how to deflect or negate or block out the horrible things the voice in my head shrieks. Only recently did I start to think, "But it's not entirely wrong."

Recent Media Consumed

Recent reads and watches, and a few thoughts on each.

Brain Screech and the Conversation Post Mortem

Sometimes I wonder if everyone has implicitly constructed a myth around a magical state of being called "normal" or "stable" where a person doesn't have random surges of anxiety or unpredictable plunges into depression.

Camp Food Hacks

During a recent visit to my favorite camp, I managed three food hacks with camp mealtime supplies and figured it was worth a post.

Abortion

Recently I received this question from Askfriend, "What's your opinion about abortion?"

Introducing "Askfriend"

"Askfriend? Who is Askfriend?" Well, by asking that question, you might be.

Tea Cookies

Probably Sergey's favorite cookies, but only one person in our family knows how to make them perfectly. Recently I got down on my hands and knees and begged to be taught the sacred recipe. I was granted my boon...

Caprese Toast

What started as Sergey and I downing Bucca di Beppo sized caprese salad servings morphed into us making our own, and then adjusting it into a "light meal" or "healthy snack" depending on how many you make.

The Anxious Mantra

When I talk about the track that plays in my head when I'm anxious, more people these days seem to get it. In some ways, it's comforting because I feel seen and understood. In other ways, it's horrifying. I should not be so broadly understood. That I am just means the problem is spreading.

Teriyaki Sauce

We might be on a "Yaki" kick. Teriyaki chicken. Teriyaki sauce. Yakisoba. Teriyakisoba...?

Chicken Teriyaki

What's there to say? We wanted to make our own chicken teriyaki. So we went to our favorite Japanese cook online and adjusted the recipe to suit our needs.

Thicker Than Water Tales

The story seemed like a simple tale of betrayal and revenge on the surface, but slow it down and analyze all the little details and suddenly you have a beautiful tragedy based on misunderstandings.

Blazing the Exercise Trail

I'm a homebody. A bookworm. If you give me the choice between a nature hike and going through a play-by-play pause-and-discuss watch of a good movie with my husband, call me a potato and pass the remote. Even so, I'm down fifty pounds.

Remember the Cycle

Dear future self, why do you worry so much? Why do you stress about the way you are? The sadness, the lack, and the distress always ends. The joy, creativity, and energy always comes back.