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Category Archives: The Journey

The Journey

Happy Monday! Here, have some metaphors.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

When I was a teenager, we used to play the Blanket Game at parties. It goes like this: 1. Throw a blanket over someone. 2. Tell them to take off something they don’t need and hand it over to you. 3. Keep accepting socks, watches, hats, and clothing from them until they take off the […]

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My Cinematic Year, Part 6: The romantic epiphany.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Let’s recap: online dating made me miserable. If I logged on to slog through my messages, that only made things worse—the “Now Online!” flag on my profile would send another deluge of messages from every godforsaken corner of humanity, including some along the rather creepy lines of I KNOW YOU’RE THERE. I didn’t feel excited […]

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My Cinematic Year, Part 4: In which the single, cynical protagonist takes a chance … at romance.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

When I decided to return to my hometown for a year to build a roller-derby league, I only really had one social rule: Absolutely No Dating. I had good reason to avoid the dating scene; I had big plans to move to the West Coast once I had gotten rid of almost everything I owned, […]

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My Cinematic Year: The end.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

It all happens so fast. When my derby league is nine months old, I realize my season here is almost over. They’ve grown up now; they can do this themselves. They look to me for reassurance once in a while, but their dependence on me is mostly in their heads. I realize I’m not doing […]

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Just don’t call me a tramp. It confuses my mother.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The day I bought that car, I knew what I was going to do with it: I was going to fit my entire life into it, and I was going to drive it a very long way, all by myself. Right after I let my mom talk me into a variety of cheesy poses, of […]

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Top Ten Signs You Might Be Dating an Ex-Wife

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

1. She’s flat-out terrified. 2. She has no game whatsoever. This girl not only fails to remember to wear hot underwear, but she will also strike up a conversation while perched on your toilet (just to PEE, of course—she’s still a lady). She may also discuss her cycles with you, regardless of whether you happen […]

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In transit.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

After I saw it a few months ago, just floating there in the sky, everything started to change. I spent almost the entire year before that in relative unhappiness. I had nuked my entire life flat and moved to California with a guy I had known for four weeks. I did this because I didn’t […]

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The Divorce Tourniquet: First Aid for the Freshly Wounded

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

I’ve written about divorce — oh, have I! — and a heartbreakingly common message I get in my inbox is something along the lines of, “You don’t know me, but my life is falling apart right now. Thanks for writing about your experiences and making me feel like someday I’m going to be okay.” And […]

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The Poverty Perspective, Part 2: I want to be more.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

To celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday, I surprised him with boarding passes to a bedroom on a train. Once we had explored our little room and giggled and marveled, I made him wait in the coffin-sized bathroom while I unfurled an entire soiree from my suitcase. I strung white lanterns, draped fancy fabric over the seats, […]

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The Poverty Perspective, Part 1: Growing Up Ghetto

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

I kind of grew up in the hood. Sometimes people think I’m exaggerating when I say this, but it’s true. It wasn’t the worst neighborhood in town (that honor went to a place called, appropriately enough, The Bottoms), but some houses didn’t have, you know, front doors. I always thought this was the creepiest house, […]

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