life-with-ink

  • Happy Mother’s Day

    I feel like celebrating…that’s progress. This day has been hard for the last few years. I’m happy to report this year feels different. Lighter. But because I am otherwise occupied this beautiful Sunday, this semester’s term paper will do double duty here on the blog. The culmination of my ethical education is below. Is Privacy

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  • Due process

    Let’s talk about hunting witches Recently, I’ve been thinking about the innocent women jailed and then murdered in Salem, Massachusetts. I couldn’t tell you why. That’s sarcasm of course, I can tell you exactly why. What must it be like to be living your life when all of the sudden some man comes out of

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  • The case for empathy

    Why we should feel sorry for Rumpelstiltskin. Back when I was in design school, one of the most painful critiques was “The idea is there, but…” That feedback meant I see what you‘re going for, but you’ve ruined it with your choices. Recently, I listened to a BroPod where two influential men discussed a two

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  • I have a vagina

    What’s it to you? I’m around the halfway point in Ethics this semester and it’s time to start making decisions about registering for any Fall courses. Honestly, I’m considering giving up. It’s been a discouraging week for me as a vagina owner. In class on Monday, we covered the Ethics of Care. It is widely

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  • The state of the union Every Monday and Wednesday I drive the short distance to my community college to study Ethics. Its a diverse group of students, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from a variety of perspectives. As a class, we discuss right, wrong, and in-between. The course is a highlight of

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  • Nourishment

    What‘s all this growth for anyway? For a few years now “learn how to garden” has been about two-thirds of the way down my to-do list. I’m not specifically interested in gardening, but my anxious hallucinations have me believing it’s a skill I might need in the future. It feels responsible to be prepared. Unfortunately,

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  • Secrets

    once you pop, you can’t stop Yesterday my kids and I watched Frozen as a low-effort celebration of the solstice. The movie has a special place in my daughter’s heart. The solstice has a special place in mine. We made it to the darkest day of the year. The sun is on her way. Frozen

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  • Main character energy

    what is ordinary forgetting? Lately I’ve been ruminating on memory. It’s the holidays, I guess. I used to be ashamed of my disinterest in the holiday season. The consumerist slant and emphasis on time spent with extended family left me feeling alienated. I’d put on a show for everyone else and keep my disdain for

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  • guilt

    what is it good for? Recently I chose myself. Choosing myself felt a lot like something I am not allowed to do. But after I realized exactly who I wanted to be, I didn’t care whether I was allowed. I was going to be it because it felt wrong to be anything else. That meant

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  • What’s going on with men? Walking out of the hardware store a few weeks ago, I faced an older, bald man wearing shorts and a baggy t-shirt on his way in. I made a move to walk around him when he stopped dead in his tracks. “Did you forget your smile in there?” I don’t

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