Over my years of training, I’ve always been a traditional martial artist. Before I began training in Aikido under a master instructor who had been a live-in student of the founder, I trained in Okinawan Shorin-Ryu karate under a high-ranking … Continue reading
In a stunning essay on freedom and power, “What to an American Is the Fourth of July?”, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi writes the following: [P]ower comes before freedom, not the other way around. Power creates freedom, not the other way … Continue reading
On Twitter, someone posted about a six-year-old who, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, said “I want to be a weird person.” It dawned on me: That’s what I always wanted to be. I’ve succeeded, … Continue reading
For one thing, we didn’t elect the current president—at least not by popular vote. We brought the culture of weed to the suburbs, and now marijuana is legal in several states, and medical marijuana is legal even more places. Because … Continue reading
On social media, I regularly run across posts from talented and competent women talking about feeling that they’re not good enough at whatever they do. I see this with writers who aren’t well known and ones who have won awards. … Continue reading
I love my body. Since I live in a world that polices women’s bodies, one that tells us we are disgusting or imperfect no matter what we do, I make that statement with full feminist and political intent as well … Continue reading
On the whole, I’m not impressed by the marriage of the comic book industry to Hollywood. The worldbuilding is slapped together, the stories are mostly violent tales of war, and the only thing that makes some of the characters ring … Continue reading
In May of 1979, I went to the YMCA in Wichita Falls, Texas, and signed up for karate. The same evening I went to my first class. It changed my life. That might make you think my life at the … Continue reading
This is part of a longer blog post that originally appeared in Crimereads. A major legal renovation of the Victorian period was in the area of divorce. Until the divorce laws were renovated in 1858, marriage really was for life. … Continue reading
When I was in college, my father introduced me to a young man working with him. I’ve forgotten the man’s name, and almost everything else about him, except for one thing: he wanted to give me a piece of jewelry … Continue reading
