Thanksgiving, much like the dreaded Valentines Day, is a day when the retail industry seems to prey on our overly-consumerist brains. We spend tons of cash on food, to say the very least, and Black Friday...well, let's not even go there. People tend to rag on Valentines Day quite a bit for being a consumer … Continue reading On taking stock of life….

I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Winter is, without question, the worst time of year for me. This is not surprising or new information for anyone who knows me. I survive the first half of winter through the knowledge that Christmas is coming which means baking and parties and music and general excitement are well … Continue reading On being SAD….

I have recently discovered there is nothing my dogs won't eat.When my husband and I first adopted them nearly 3 years ago, they came to us with instructions to feed them only the highest quality (and most expensive) organic dog food imaginable.Then we learned that they'd been eating bacon double cheeseburgers while in foster care. … Continue reading On preparing for parenthood….

I was recently required to write a poem that had to do with something "work" related, but also had to be something entirely different. For the assignment, I needed to find the etymology of the topic I chose (baking, which should come as no surprise) and various words related to the topic. Here is what … Continue reading On cooking up a human…

I just looked at my desk calendar and realized that 2010 is much closer to ending than I thought. Frankly, I'm looking forward to it ending. The universe can have this year back, for all I care.2010 has been a year of unimaginable pain, heartache, stress, and general disappointment. It's also been a year of … Continue reading On wishing away the time….

At some point in every life, there is a moment of inferiority. Whether it's real or not is beside the point. Every person, at one time or another (or multiple times for some), will feel inferior to someone or something.I struggle with my own inferiority complex on a fairly regular basis. We're talking nearly daily. … Continue reading On not being the best….

I have yet to meet someone who doesn't have a fear of at least one thing. Most people seem to have fear of heights or spiders or snakes or something like that. My list of fears is pretty strange, to say the least. I'm afraid of wet paper, depths, and mushrooms. Wet paper makes my … Continue reading On coming to terms with fear….

Ever have those days when you feel like you've been hit by a MacTruck? I'm sure most of us can think of a day when we'd had too much to drink or stayed out too late the night before. Going to work and sitting behind a computer for 8+ hours seems like pure torture. I … Continue reading On being beaten up….

My educational pursuits have been many. I just completed a pseudo-documentary on my college experience for one of my classes so it's something that's been on my mind for a while. And, not long ago, my husband posted his own blog about his life as a student. He dared the rest of us to bare … Continue reading On getting from there to here….

Japan took me by surprise. The possibility of something, anything being as old as the things I saw there never even crossed my mind. My brother, Daniel, while living and teaching in Kyoto, had done some research into the sites he would take Todd (my husband) and me to during our visit to this mysterious … Continue reading On finding inner peace….