So how ‘bout that rain this week? A good chunk of the United States was hit by Hurricane Ida, causing enormous amounts of wind and water damage not just where it made landfall in Louisiana, but even over a thousand miles away in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Thousands of people, more, are picking up the …
August ended up being a lot of Brazilian jiu-jitsu for me. Schedules and events conspired to allow me to put in some extra time on the mat, and I was reminded of a couple important lessons from BJJ that are applicable not just to sparring in the gym for sport, but to fighting for your …
We’re just about at the tail end of summer here. August is nearly over, and September brings with it a shift in the air, a change of seasons. For many of us, fall means a new school year, whether for ourselves, our families, or our remembered childhoods. Although it is nearing the traditional end of …
Victim blaming is problematic. It places the burden and the blame of a crime on the person against who it was committed, and excuses the perpetrator as someone merely subject to the pull of temptation. It allows us to ignore the fact that people have choices about whether or not they do bad things to …
When I work out, I occasionally take video. It helps me see what I’m doing, document my performance, and show it to the folks who help train me and encourage my training. The downside comes when I actually watch that video myself. All I can see are the misses in my form, how much more …
All of us have some hobby, some past-time, some activity that we once really enjoyed. We liked to read, we enjoyed crafting or making things, we ran, we played sports, we rode motorcycles, we played musical instruments, we gardened, we painted, we cooked and baked. And at some point in our lives, we let them …
It’s been a week, here at On Her Own central. Several members of my communities have experienced severe accidents or have unexpectedly and suddenly died. My cat, Tuna, had surgery (she’s fine). Therapy is touching on challenging topics. There have been some minor human health issues in my house. I’ve had difficult and frustrating customer …
Afghanistan is difficult to write about. It’s the war, or perhaps more accurately the military conflict, of my generation. People like me, Americans in our late 30s and early 40s, watched our older siblings march off to Desert Storm and the Gulf War. When 9/11 happened, and the declaration of the War on Terror, I …
Retail therapy is definitely a thing. There’s a dopamine hit from shopping that more than a few of us seek out when we’re feeling stressed in one way or another. With online stores, we even have the pleasure of opening gifts to ourselves a day or a week later. The problem, of course, comes when …
Tan lines are the bane of my existence right now. I’ve been spending lots of time outside and the necessary protective gear means that my face has all sorts of light and dark areas now. It’s worse than the contrast between my pale legs and dark arms, let alone the farmer’s tan I’ve acquired otherwise. …
