Even back in June, I saw people posting on social media about October 13. These fans of October, Autumn, and Halloween were excited that October this year “features” a “Friday the 13th.” Sure, there are the realists out there who would insist that “a day is just a day,” no matter what it’s called or […]
Browsing Posts in Fantastic Friday
This summer, I taught an online class about the archetypal journey and personality archetypes and how they can be used to help make narrative writing stronger. In doing so, I found dozens of online “quizzes” to help users get to know themselves better. While there are many, some are decidedly more reliable than others, and […]
Last year, I read an article in National Geographic magazine about Emily Briere, an aerospace engineering student who started a student-run project to send a small time capsule to Mars. Her goal in orchestrating the project is for future generations of humans who live on Mars to see what we are like here on Earth, […]
As the end of summer draws near, I wanted to share one of my favorite news stories from the season. It seems that hatred is so contagious, and the media seems to ignite the worst feelings we have. For several days this summer, I avoided social media: after the violence in Virginia in August, it […]
This post comes when some parents will be glad that school is back in session–and teachers will remember just how hard their jobs are. Earlier this year, I attended a writing workshop, and we were asked to respond to several prompts in a compressed amount of time—around five minutes. One of the prompts was a […]
Since I teach Shakespeare as part of the AP Literature curriculum, I’ve read several plays multiple times, and often lines pop into my head at relevant—or irreverent—times. Recently, Shakespeare and Toddler has been merging in my brain, so I thought I’d share some of the more entertaining bits. Take the scene (I, v) from Hamlet […]
I had my daughter in January 2016. So it’s no surprise that I didn’t get to that month’s issue of National Geographic. Cleaning the house, I found it tucked away with a few other unread magazines. The article on page 70, “Bloody Good,” features the benefits of vultures in our world, and the positivity made […]
We’ve all heard the cliché: don’t judge a book by its cover. I love when perception and stereotypes are contradicted. Earlier this summer, as I was walking through a shopping center, my husband and I were approached by an old man who practically ran out of his car, saying, “You want to see something neat?” […]
Earlier this year, Cheerios made headlines by giving out millions of seed packets (though not without controversy) in an effort to help people plant more flowers, thus providing more pollen for the bees. As you’ve likely heard, bees are essential to Earth’s ecosystem and responsible for much of our food supply. Yet in recent years, […]
Ray Bradbury’s story “The Visit” tells of a woman who travels around, visiting the recipients of her son’s organs after he passed away. In the story, the characters experience something haunting, unreal, awkward, and yet very touching as they interact, referring to the gift of life (or sight) that the woman’s son has afforded the […]
