Planning on leaving this amazing city has made me feel so appreciative of all it has to offer. It's made me linger on the lakefront watching the sunset for a few extra minutes. It's made me check out the restaurants and bars I've walked by dozens of times but never gone into. It's made me revisit places like the zoo, galleries, and gardens that I hadn't been to in ages. And it's made me think... Think about all the things I've taken for granted, missed out on, or underuti

I swear, my characters decide the way my books are written, not me. My characters take on aspects of personality that I don't intend, they irritate me and make me laugh, they insist upon certain occurances... and it all seems out of my hands. Not joking, I plot and plan my writing. I make story arcs. I write out scenes-- and then those scenes never happen. Why? Well, because somehow, as I'm writing, things just kind of unfold and develop out of my control. I read a quot

I recently started playing ultimate frisbee on a league here in Chicago. It's so much fun! But for me, it's also absolutely terrifying. Having social anxiety means that even though the people are nice, are friendly, and are willing to patiently teach me the rules, I'm still mind-numbingly anxious for the hours leading up to each game and even for a while into the first game. But, by the second game, I'm usually happy and settled in. My stomach has calmed, my mind has stoppe

It's Pride Month! It's a time to appreciate freedoms and change, to honor the preserverence of those who faced prejudice and persecution because of their sexuality, and to celebrate the accomplishments of a community. It's a time to be happy to be alive and free. Not everyone is. And not everyone will get to be. A heartbreaking reality on one hand, a reason to be grateful and celebrate that YOU are, on the other. And that... that is the root of my great love and respec

Humor and sorrow go hand in hand. We laugh when we see someone trip and fall. We laugh when we ourselves have fallen. We laugh through tears. We laugh when something feels too painful, too crazy, too troubling to process. We protect ourselves with humor. And we heal from humor. Making a joke at our own expense is a way to ease embarrassment. Making a joke about a taboo subject is a way to ease awkwardness. And making a joke about something that is sad is a way to get co