Women, we are one another’s worst enemies and one another’s best friends. We back each other, and we bash each other. The extreme dichotomy between these opposing positions seems to show up in all areas of our lives. And lest you think this post is for women only, it’s not. So keep reading, lads and lasses. Misogyny, I’m sensitive to this. Defined as the hatred of women, misogyny, I’m noticing a lot of it lately. Not that ...
Walking down the street, wearing your favorite green high-tops and a black and white striped sweater over slim jeans (you could be a guy or a gal), you pass a homeless person, a few small birds pecking at some seeds on the sidewalk, and a rosebush pushing against a fence, pale pink buds threatening to burst open. You see none of this. Vaguely aware that you did pass the homeless person (he asked you for spare change), but you couldn’t pick ...
Yesterday I awoke with a start, the mid-morning light streaming through the tall windows of my bedroom and the dull buzz of a Kir Royale headache echoing in my brain. Stretching my legs under the comfort of my warm duvet, I negotiated getting vertical from horizontal. So far, so good. The delightful aroma of chocolate and butter, two of the most amazing elements on the planet, filled my apartment making my stomach grumble as I slipped into the kitchen to start a pot ...
The New Year is upon us and that means so, too, is the spate of posts about resolutions. How to make them, why you should make them (or not), and how to stick to the ones you make. For the more linear thinkers, the ubiquitous Excel spreadsheet planners are offered by generous souls all over the web. For creative types, planners exist for you (me), too. Many resources are free. Check out the ones offered by Charlie Gilkey or Susannah ...
Disconnect. Disengage. Remove. Extricate. Disentangle. Liberate. Unshackle. Unplug-from-the-digital-crackpipe-that-governs-your-life. Yes, exactly. Luxuriate in the shadowy solstice; revel in this shortest day and longest night, this dark, cold first day of winter’s eve when the fallow time slowly begins to return us to creative fecundity with the promise of spring. Take this day and night, finish your good work, and switch off. Stow your electronic drug of choice in its full upright position and step away from device. Yes, I just mixed metaphors. The solstice allows for this kind of messy. Things to ...
Be Realistic! How many times have you heard someone say that? Oh come on, be realistic, you know that isn’t possible/practical/logical/appropriate/safe or some similar admonition. How often do you hear this? How often do you say be realistic to the people you work with, your friends, family, or yourself (in that funny little inner voice of yours, you know, the critical, high-pitched, shrill one)? In my experience, this entreaty to be realistic is often used when someone expresses a dream or a non-conventional goal such as when someone shares the ...
Shop until you drop (further into debt). shanna trenholm That joyful season is upon us again; the one that seems to come around every year about this time. The season, where rampant consumerism disguised as a time to show others how we feel about them through a transactional exchange of material goods, otherwise known as Christmas. Now I'm not going to get all preachy about the real reason for the season, because if I did I’d tell you about the early Roman and Pagan origins ...
I recently returned from Portland, OR where I spent a heady weekend at an event called the World Domination Summit. WDS, the progeny of my friend Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Non-Conformity, was a convening of more than 500 nonconformists, entrepreneurs, bloggers, creatives, visionaries, and other cool folks. And, although I did not have the opportunity to commune with all 500+ fab and friendly souls, those with whom I did renewed my faith in humankind. Yes, ...