This fall I will be starting at a new college in Chicago. I’m very excited about this because it’s a real 4 year college, instead of the technical school I have been at since 2009 (mostly part time). I am in the process of moving to Chicago to live there full time as well. New places, new schools, and new cities offer opportunities to meet new people, discover new things, and change ou... »
I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately with regard to intake of new content – I’ve been busy with both school and various creative projects and not left a lot of time to keep up with things. But I have a pile of things – mostly articles, some comics and the like – bookmarked, that I go back and read when I need a pick-me-up or motivation boost or something else of the sort, and that I find myself oft... »
I’m preparing for finals, and finishing up major papers for the end of the semester. I know some schools are out already, but the last day for me is this coming Monday. I’m doing well this semester, but I need to rock these last 2 papers and my Monday exam to secure my grades. I’m especially worried about the final exam in my Geology class – the teacher writes weird exams a... »
Ever since I was a kid who got sent to bed far earlier than I was actually prepared to sleep, I’ve had a tendency to pick up somewhat nonstandard and ultimately not very useful skills on a whim – I taught myself to juggle one-handed (poorly), while sitting on my bed in the dark using Koosh balls (remember them?); I taught myself to write left-handed, and then in the dinosaur footprint alphabet fro... »
Being of a femme-ish presentation (more tomboy, or just ‘gamer,’ really), I am assumed to be straight by nearly all of the people I meet. This is annoying, though something I’m unfortunately quite used to. A recent internet white rabbit hunt had me reading about femme flagging using colored nail polish, and thence to the hanky code and other sartorial signals historically or currently used to co... »
When I get into conversations with friends about books, we often fall into discussion of not just our favorites, but those that have influenced our thinking the most. I can trace certain things about myself directly to novels (and legends, and sometimes movies) because of how strongly some elements affected me, and that is at once both fascinating and a bit frightening. Janny Wurts’s Wars of Ligh... »
One of the common misconceptions that religious and spiritual people sometimes have about atheists like me is the belief that we do not experience awe. I once had a dear friend ask me “How can you not believe in anything bigger than yourself?” I laughed when he said it, and said that the universe was big enough for me, thank you very much. I can understand why some religious people mig... »
It’s convention season again, and while I’m not one to go hopping through several over the course of the year (grad school schedule and budget makes that an impossibility), my one non-negotiable vacation each year is Dragon*Con. Whenever I go there, or to a Renaissance festival (not yearly, but frequent), it feels like I’m stepping into a bubble completely removed from the rest of the world, and ... »
