Hardcore punk rock was challenging itself to find heavier paths when Sleep’s Volume One was released in 1991. The lightly distorted guitars and heavily didactic vocals, were making way for more poetic, feelings-driven messaging. There was a stress hangover from the heady, violence-fueled days of the early punk era, and the music reflects that claustrophobic … Continue reading The Heaviest Albums I’ve Heard
Toxic waste is often the result of technology that improves our lives. Consumers want products that are strong and durable. Nobody wants muddy, stained shoes. We are not fans of eggs sticking to our pans. If we cry during a film, we do not want to leave the theater looking like a raccoon. We want … Continue reading Persistent Drift: Minimizing PFAS Ecological Impact
J.K. Rowling famously wrote, “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” Unfortunately for many people, growing up to be transgender is seen as an existential threat to society. It is impossible to enjoy television comedy, movies, and the many genres of fiction without finding trans women being used as … Continue reading Transphobia Decoded: Civil Rights and Modern Feminist Literature
April 12th, 1963 was Good Friday, a day for Christians to commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion at Calvary. The symbolism of that day was not lost on Martin Luther King or the other people fighting for the end of racist Jim Crow laws. Dr. King was well known at this time. He had international support. … Continue reading Calling All Good Souls: The Rhetorical Appeals of MLK
Stopping the Next Public Health Crisis Sugar is the ultimate comfort food. We celebrate with it in our cake and when we are sick, we spoon out cough syrup with enough sugar to make it one of the top ingredients. Tom Zoellner says in his book tracing sugar’s history that “No correlation exists between sugar … Continue reading Sugar Overload:
This is the presentation I wrote for the Spring/Summer 2022 collection, "Save Our Souls" by Vivienne Westwood. Full presentation after jump. Press link below. v.westwood-spring-2022-2Download This is the Product Development Presentation I made in the fall of 202 for a hypothetical clothing brand called "Stix Style." The presentation required demographic and psychographic research as well … Continue reading Fashion 122 2021
My home was very loud, but school was even worse. The entire world seemed to be a scary, chaotic mess. Even though I might have been precociously young, I was still desperate for a little peace. I would soon find my first safe place to inhabit. The year was nineteen-eighty. My sanctuary was the public … Continue reading Snappy Answers for Aspiring Writers
Skull with Flower Covering 6 1/2 inches wide x 5 3/4 inches tall Pink Moon 6/2 inches wide x 5 3/4 inches tall 6 3/4 inches wide x 5 3/4 inches tall Flint Hills 7 3/4 inches wide x 5 3/4 inches tall
I’ve decided to add my stories to help people understand the situation with right wing terrorism and the way it applies to someone as innocuous-seeming as myself. I hope it helps you to understand me and my PTSD. Healing from trauma is ongoing, so if your friend displays signs of trauma, and that isn’t something … Continue reading Fascism In The American Midwest
The older I get, the more apocryphal this list seems. I saw a lot of bands, but I don't remember seeing some of the bands on this very dumb list I made for MySpace. I look back at making this list, and I think about what I was doing with my first real experience being … Continue reading Two Lists
Playing cover songs not only teaches you how to play different styles of a song, it puts you inside the music in a way that listening alone can never achieve. Music has shaped my life in so many ways, but I never feel as connected to a song as when I'm playing it. The folk … Continue reading I Like Playing Other People’s Songs
Mystery Doll 