“To praise despair is to condemn delight”

"The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can't lick 'em, join…

Life skill: giving yourself a goddamn break

It's really hard times for a lot of folks, and my family is no exception. So it was really great to speak to two different family members yesterday and hear a theme I really, really like: leveling up on taking care of yourself. Most specifically? Giving yourself a goddamn break. We were talking about grief,…

About blogging

A friend wants to get started and write a blog, and so asked me for advice. I wrote a clear, straightforward version of my advice over on MidnightDBA.com. I think I'll annotate it here with additional thoughts.

Hubris and medicines

This is your Internet Mom, telling you not to take pills that aren't meant for you. Geez, guys.

Learning skincare with Hyram

[Old person voice] In my day, we didn't have these interwebs and yoo-toobs. If we wanted to learn about skincare, we talked to the older girls at school. You know, the girls with four inch bangs and 15 ounces of hairspray on them at all times. Of course, we also had all those vague, confusing,…

Emotions and their “solution”: Bingo

I don't like feeling unhappy. That's excruciatingly obvious, but what I mean is that there are times when my unhappiness isn't something I can sit with quietly...

Kindergarten lessons for today: respect bodies

A few more Very Important Rules, for general usage: Respect other people's bodies.Yes, everyone's.That means no touching without consent. Yes, not even their cool hair.That means no asking bizarre personal questions (or personal statements!) Special note: Think about this in terms of meeting folks with bodies that don't work the same way yours does bodies…

Vaccine Finder (USA)

I've managed to get vaccines scheduled for my (eligible) immediate family and myself, and VaccineFinder.org was a big help. You'll input your info and get information back about availability, then schedule via the particular store's website. Some website are buggy and difficult (I'm looking at you, CVS); some are trying their hardest (e.g. WalMart). Just…

Bullet Journal: moving from March to April 2021

A bullet journal is a "mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system". If you don't know the basics, watch this short video by the inventor. I've got an entire conference session's worth of reasons why bullet journaling is my lifeline, my exobrain. Today, I want to write about the cycle I go through at the end…

You can’t do it wrong

I've been giving training and advice recently about Bullet Journaling, as it relates to mental health and professional development. One piece of advice: you can't do it wrong, so let that worry go. This is my personal blog, and I'm going to try the same advice here. I can't do this wrong, so let the…