In our culture, we’re extremely forgiving of someone who is brand new to an idea. We also tend to be highly respectful to those who are experts in their craft. What we don’t handle well is any stage in between.

As an educator, I’ve seen many people unapologetically try something new. I’ve also seen many people who move forward with the confidence of an expert (whether they deserve the title or not.) Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed many, many more people who feel like they should be further along than they are, simply because they’re no longer “beginners.”

You know that famous…

You either have it or you don’t actually understand what it is

I’m always blown away when people say “Oh, I’m not creative.” To me, that’s like saying “I’m not kind,” or “I’m not hygienic.”

Being creative isn’t a gift, it’s a choice. Too often, people override natural creativity by striving for perfection — and perfection is the imagination’s natural enemy (second only to extreme republicanism.)

The biggest hurdle to a truly creative twist is the need for a thing to turn out exactly as you originally envisioned it. After all, creative breakthroughs often come from leaning into serendipity. Follow…

A movie of my own

Sleep is a wonderful thing. I love sleep and I appreciate how necessary it is for a fully functioning human. That said, I hate state changes. I absolutely abhor the transition from awake to asleep — and I detest the move from asleep to awake even more, no matter what time it is.

As a workaholic, I tend to try to squeak every last minute out of a day, even when I personally watch that day fade to black and witness the clock finish another revolution. (Not that my timepieces revolve anymore, all of my…

A good fruit bowl takes time

I made a rookie mistake.

Our mandarines had begun to wither and I, being the fantastic mother that I try to be, immediately composted them and purchased a new bag to fill their place in the bountiful fruit bowl on our table.

Unfortunately, I forgot the most important rule when replacing produce for teenagers, the rule of differentiation.

You see, if you buy a bag of fruit, it tends to all go bad about the same time. This means that when a child peels an orange and finds it to be nothing but a…

Are they a blessing or a curse?

Growing up, I wasn’t a “girly-girl” or a “tomboy.” I was just as happy wearing beautiful dresses as I was playing in mud puddles. One of my favorite costume pieces was a set of kid-sized Barbie® revolvers that came with a hat and spurs. (It was a different time, don’t judge.)

By the fifth grade, I had started to get boobs. And by “started” I mean that I was already wearing an underwire. No one made fun of me for having them, at least, no more than they made fun of me for…

Men who smoke weed are less likely to have a low sperm count

A study by Harvard University shows that pot users have higher testosterone levels, and are less likely to have low sperm counts. Unfortunately, their sperm is also highly unmotivated and tends to forget where it was going after just a couple of minutes.

In relation to the study, researchers said that it was the most fun they’ve had with an experiment since the weekend they discovered that loud music causes people to drink more alcohol in less time.

When asked his opinion on the matter, smoker Joe Camas stated, “Awwwwesome.”

We tried to locate a non-smoker for rebuttal but were unable to find one of child-bearing age.

Source: https://www.comicsands.com/new-study-marijuana-sperm-count-2628391113.html

If there is such a thing

You know that feeling when you’ve had a houseful of joyful chaos and suddenly all of the people go away for a few days and your home is left feeling silent and lonely? Yeah, I don’t get that.

Every two weeks or so, my sons, Hurricane James and Tropical Storm Jack, evacuate to their father’s house for the weekend. In their wake, a beautiful and calming void remains. I try not to fill that void when possible. Instead, I bathe in it. I float through the house — dodging the gym socks, banana peels…

It’s a daily blog…so far

It’s morning and I’m tired. So tired, in fact, that I started this installment last night so I could squeak out a couple of extra minutes of sleep before I started out on my adventure for today.

Today is going to be busy. It’s going to be the worst kind of busy — the busy where you spend all day dashing from place to place for completely unrelated meetings without any income for the trouble. It’s a day of preliminary work. Slogging. The set-up for what might one day become a paying gig. …