Yes, I intentionally chose a potentially controversial title for this week’s post. This subject is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately, & there is probably no way to discuss it that won’t be controversial, so I figured why not just dive in whole-heartedly rather than tip toeing around the issue? So, with that out of the way, yes, I’m going to discuss the elephant in the room: the glorification of mental illness. Now this post would be incomplete- & in fact quite tone deaf- if I didn’t acknowledge that we’ve come a long way when it comes to the subject of mental illness. We’re ..read more

“I’m weird & I love it.” Now sing that to the tune of LMFAO’s Sexy & I Know It which was all the rage back in 2011. It works, right? Right. Ok, onto more serious stuff… If you know me, you know I love rock music. Well, a week ago today a band called Beartooth released their latest album The Surface. One of the more recent singles off the album is entitled Might Love Myself (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83rcK9Xne5A) & it perfectly encapsulates the positive self-love anthem of the record. If you know anything about Beartooth, you know this is a MASSIVE change for them. Frontman &a ..read more

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post entitled Dear John about one of my favorite rock stars who I found out had done something truly terrible. At the time, he & the band had not yet addressed it, so I hadn’t heard his side of the story, but the facts of the case were pretty damning nonetheless. But because I hadn’t heard his side & because he hadn’t publicly addressed it at the time, I didn’t name him or his band. However, now he HAS addressed the issue, as has his band, & thus I now feel like I need to either revise my original post or write a new one, because this “case” has now ..read more

Jason Aldean’s latest song Try That in a Small Town is causing a bit of a ruckus these days (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY). Now I have very mixed feelings about country music- as you may know if you’ve been following this blog for a while. On the one hand I think it’s one of the best art forms in the world, but on the other hand I think it is often full of terrible cliches & too often makes excuses for backward, closed-minded thinking. But there are far too many great country songs for me to close the door on the genre altogether. That would actually be quite close ..read more

I think everyone knows what a “Dear John” letter is. Well, this post will be my version of one. But it’s very different from the usual definition of such a letter. In fact it’s not really that sort of letter at all. And yet, it’s a fitting title just the same… You see, this Sunday I found a post on social media that totally rocked my world. I found out that one of my favorite singers, whose music has meant so much to me over the years, has been accused of serious violence. No official statements have been released from him, the band, or the record label. It’s all “he said, she said” at this po ..read more

I’m not sure exactly when I started meal prepping regularly (i.e. every weekend) but I think it was about 2 years ago now, maybe longer. I never imagined I’d be one of those “boring” women who enjoys cooking & shares recipes regularly, but here we are. Ha! Actually, it’s important to me to note that what I’ve discovered is something that perhaps should have been obvious- just because you love cooking doesn’t mean you have to turn into your stereotypical grandmother. You can still enjoy all of your previous, more “exotic” interests- in my case rock/metal. Which I frequently listen to while ..read more

I recently came across a series of videos on Revolver’s YouTube channel called “Songs for Black Days.” These videos feature short interviews with various musicians discussing their choices of “songs for black days-” in other words music that has helped them get through hard times in their lives. I found this series of videos while searching for Bad Omens interviews, by the way, as Noah Sebastian was featured in one of them. I didn’t recognize any of the songs he chose but his insights on why they were helpful to him were- as you would guess if you know anything at all about Noah- very compelli ..read more

I think it’s safe to say that Patrick Mahomes is America’s darling. At only 27 years of age he has already won the Superbowl twice, & to top it off he’s generally known as a really nice, decent human being. He is what a lot of older folks might call “clean-cut” were it not for his hair. Actually, he’s so nice & so talented that even the more racist white people might forgive him his “wild hair.” (I for one love his hair.) Basically, he’s impossible not to like, though if he turns into the next Tom Brady, which seems quite likely, it will be very interesting to see if American turns on ..read more

I am the proverbial good girl. I grew up going to church three times a week. I have no tattoos & no piercings (aside from basic earrings of course). I married the first man I ever dated (& we’re still married 11.5 years later). I’m a nurse- the career voted the most trusted profession countless times. I live in a safe suburban type neighborhood. I’ve voted in every major election since I turned 18- & most of the minor ones too. I’ve had one speeding ticket & one other minor traffic ticket in my whole life, & that’s the extent of my “criminal” record. I’ve never smoked a cig ..read more

Ahh, Flowers by Miley Cyrus (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7KNmW9a75Y). It’s all the rage these days, filling up my social media timeline & sparking new memes galore. And for once I’m actually in the know about a pop song! Shocking, I know. Usually I am either blissfully unaware of pop music or I intentionally ignore it like the plague. In fact I told my therapist the other week that I almost pathologically ignore anything that is overly popular in society, whether that’s movies, music, TV shows, or books. It’s something that may or may not be healthy. Anyway, THIS time my curiosity go ..read more