I'm a connoisseur of coffee shops. I've issues myself a challenge to write at a new coffee shop every week until I've tried every single cafe in the valley. If I attempted this challenge 10 years ago, I would be done in a month. But, Coffee has become surprisingly popular in this Mormon stronghold. Now, … Continue reading Writing Buzz: Living the Writing Life
Ever read something that resonated with you so much that you wish you could erase the whole thing from your mind so you can experience it for the first time again? That's how I feel about the webcomic Edith by SwanGarden. Maybe I just found it at the right time of my life to relate … Continue reading Edith: The Coming of Age WebToon for your mid-20s
I remember my past like scenes in a movie. As if it all happened to someone else, in a different reality, separate from the one I currently reside in. I say "I" and "me" when recounting the sordid tales, but feels like a lie. Despite all evidence and witnesses that confirm their truth, I cannot … Continue reading What’s In the Past
We need Quiet Time. As a society, we hate silence. We play music in the background of coffee shops and grocery stores. We fill "awkward silences" with small talk and mindless chatter. We even go so far as to say that quiet people "have no personality", or regard them with suspicion because "it's always the … Continue reading Silence Is the Gift of Being: Learning to Love the Quiet
It's a book-shop kind of Sunday. Quiet chatter, and whirling grinders tickle my ears. The smell of coffee and books float through the air with each long, slow breathe. I camp out at a small table with a hot tea latte, a muffin, and my little laptop. The window to my right displays a cool … Continue reading Bookshop Sundays
When I was 19 I went on a date. It was clear early to me early on that I wasn't interested in him romantically, and I made that clear. He said he understood and that he was okay with being friends. For the last 9 years he's been an occasional brunch buddy, conversation partner, and … Continue reading Persistence Isn’t the Key to My Heart: ending the friendzone to lover trope
"If" can be a dangerous word. When we use it looking forward, it's about risks, possibilities, and potential. We may wonder what life would look like if we moved to the city, or if we take that trip, or if we ask out that person. Thinking about what could be is how we make the … Continue reading The Power of “If”: Why Do We Have Regrets?
Am I demiromantic, or just afraid of love? This is a fair question that I spend several therapy sessions mulling over. It's true that I have a lot of trauma surrounding love and relationships. Those traumas come both from watching my mother's abusive marriage in childhood, and from my own toxic relationships in my teen … Continue reading Dating As a Demiromantic part 6: Am I Afraid of Love?
My annual bout of Seasonal Affective disorder has melded into regular depression. Usually, as the weather warms so does my mind. This year, it hasn't. It's officially summer now, but both my energy levels and happiness levels have remained stubbornly low. Despite all my best efforts and usual tricks: taking long walks, getting some sun, … Continue reading Struggling through Spring, Surviving the Summer
Despite the popularity of the industry, I never imagined myself in a tech field. Like many people, I assumed that you had to be some sort of tech genius to work in the industry; and tech genius I am not. In fact, until a few years ago I considered myself an analog gal. Imagine my … Continue reading Accidentally Technical: How I ended up in tech.
Bringing Mae Flowers 