• Alcohol and Sobriety,  Family Dynamics,  This is Me

    I Would Change My Name

    I was starting to realize I always notice smells. This room smelled of bureaucratic dust and the yeasty, lingeringly angry odor of people standing in line all day, exactly how I imagined the county recorder’s office to smell. We stood right up front, because we made sure to get here just as the building opened. Warned of the epic wait times in Los Angeles municipal buildings, a lifetime of lengthy DMV lines and once, a four-hour wait to apply for SNAP benefits, had prepared us. I had taken the morning off work and met my future husband here, this beige hub of government business. Paperwork must be filed, names must be changed, and this…

  • Damn the Man,  Depression is a Bitch,  This is Me

    A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Work Today

    A funny thing happened on the way to work this morning. And by “on the way to work,” of course I mean walking the twelve steps from the coffee maker to my desk still clad in my pajamas. Let me set the scene for you: Late Wednesday I lost a copywriting contract that was important to me. It was steady, well-paying work that I enjoyed doing – the first time in my entire life I did something at which I excel in exchange for monetary compensation. I didn’t do anything wrong, it was just one of those downsizing things that have become an integral part of this post-apocalyptic economy. I’m no…

  • Magazines
    Damn the Man,  The Sacred Arts,  This is Me

    Speaking of Fashion Magazines…

    As a recovering perfectionist, in the past I’ve held myself up to very high standards. In fact, my standards were too high. I discovered this last year, when I injured myself by over-exercising. Since then, I’ve made gradual shifts to be more kind to myself, not holding myself to an impossible idea of perfection. This includes how I view my body. Last year I committed to stopping the hate-talk about my appearance, taking care of my body, and learning to see it as beautiful in its own right, without feeling the need to wish it was different. Fully inhabiting my body, with its excessive curves and strong muscles. When I started Operation…

  • Women's Lib
    Damn the Man

    “F” is for…

    Today, I’m going to discuss an issue that can be divisive. Please don’t leave, though! This will be fun AND informative! Hooray for learning! See, I think feminism has gotten a bad rap over the past few decades, and I’d like to address the misinformation floating around out there (I’m looking at you, Fox News!). People of a certain stripe with a fun little agenda have gloried in blaming it for societal woes that really have very little to do with the movement itself, and very much to do with the need for a scapegoat and a way to put women back “in their place” – because ALL WOMEN are…

  • Fiction/Poetry

    The Salon

    It was impossible. No woman, much less a lady of nobility, should be exposed to such filth, though it masqueraded as art. Monsieur le Beau had already fought with the others to keep the painting out of the Salon, although really it was no contest. None of the other members of the Académie would have dared accept such a piece anyway. But now this Salon de Refusés attracted so much attention, all because of Monsieur Manet’s painting! Monsieur le Beau set down his fountain pen and sealed the envelope, hoping his influence and entreaties would prevent the Vicomte’s daughter from entrance to the exhibit. The Vicomte’s friendship and patronage over the years ensured…

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