Life Blog

If you get a penny for your thoughts, than I must have thousands of pennies. Read my thoughts about life, writing, and more.

  • Where is Winter?

    Where is Winter?

    This month has been unseasonably warm. Usually by mid-December we’ve had a few snowfalls. Frost coats the car windshields each morning and temperatures drop below freezing until the end of March. But we’ve been enjoying lovely September weather this Christmas. I didn’t have much experience with the cold growing up. Living in the Texas coastal

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  • Worrying Less

    Worrying Less

    I could worry less. I feel that’s the case for most people right now. Even people without pre-existing anxiety disorders are gripped by constant stress and concern: “How is the economy doing?” “Is AI going to take my job?” “What if I get laid off?” “Is the United States still a safe place for me

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  • Lifesaving Companionship: Why Pets Save Lives

    I adopted my pet when I was 24. We always had family pets growing up, but Aspasia is the first pet I can truly call mine. She came into my life when I was at my lowest, when my depression was evolving into a mixed-manic episode that would push me past the edge of sanity.

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  • Generations of History

    Generations of History

    For the last 25 years, we have experienced non-stop “historical events”. We had short period of hope from 2010 – 2015, when it looked like things might get better. The economy finally appeared to be recovering, and the LGBTQ community finally got the rights they deserved, but the election of 2016 brought that crashing down.

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  • Dreams, Perspective, and Life

    Dreams, Perspective, and Life

    There are ancient ruins across the street. I can see Porta Nigra from my room. As I write this, I am sitting in the open window, sipping a cup of coffee while my laundry dries in the open air. Tourists walk under the gray stone arches onto a bustling street. A scene so different from

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  • The Death of Empathy: How Apathy is Killing Humanity, and How to Stop it.

    I struggled, so no one else should. This shouldn’t be a controversial statement. I know how it feels to struggle physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. Because I’ve experienced that pain, I don’t want anyone else to experience it. I don’t feel this way because I’m some sort of angel or saint– I’m far from it.

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  • Security and Adventure: Why It’s Not an Either/Or Question

    I’ve found that there are two types of people who take risks. The first is the person who has nothing left to lose. They have no money and no way to earn it. They have no real support and nowhere and nothing to call their own. They aren’t seeking fulfillment or experiences, but survival. But,

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  • Authoritatively Ignorant: Paradoxes of Understanding

    I know enough about many topics to know I’m not any expert on any. Isn’t that what the Dunning-Kruger effect is about; knowing enough to know your limitations. It’s this paradox of understanding that leaves the most ignorant among us to be the most confident in their speech, while the most educated speak in uncertainties.

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  • AI, Confidence, and Creativity: How Using AI at Work Ruined My Writing Ability

    Writing for work was sapping my confidence and creativity. I work in the travel industry, and genuinely enjoy my job. I get to work with innkeepers and campgrounds from all around the country (and Canada), and learn about the hidden gems in cities and towns of all sizes. In many ways, it’s a dream job.

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  • Dating as a Demiromantic Part 7: Love and Marriage

    I thought I would never get married. I’ve always been slow to trust and even slower to love, and I didn’t think I could find someone willing to wait for me to develop feelings. And I was okay with that. I was happy being single. I was never lonely, as I had (and still have)

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