A Year of Firsts

Rediscovering magic in the everyday.

pop culture

  • Full Circle with Black Violin

    Happy Black History Month. Before February ends, I wanted to share with you some Black History in the making that I got to witness.  This weekend, I had the opportunity to see a concert for a band I knew very little about, Black Violin. This duo from Florida met in their orchestra class in high… Read more

  • Mr. Good Bunny

    About a year ago, I wrote an essay about Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show and it’s been my most viewed post since I started this (after all, the people don’t want grief, they want television). So in celebration of that post, I give you Mr. Good Bunny. Anyways, this halftime show was, once again, a rapid… Read more

  • Halfway there

    Today begins the ancient Gaelic holiday of Imbolc – the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. And according to many of the witches of the internet, it’s the more nature based celebration of the new year. It celebrates the return of the sun as days get longer, it’s a time to… Read more

  • Wrapped

    Over the past week, my Instagram was flooded with my friends’ Spotify Wrapped images and videos. Do you get those?  Up until recently, I haven’t been a Spotify user, so I don’t get a “wrapped.” There certainly is something about December that makes you want to count up all of your goods and bads, successes… Read more

  • Seis Siete

    I started this draft about a week before “6-7” was named word of the year by Dictionary.com. It’s not technically a word, but dictionary.com says it can mean “so-so” or “it’s complicated” but is basically one brain-rotty, meaningless inside joke.  So, given the recent newsworthiness, I am going to assume you have heard about this kind… Read more

  • Apathy is (not) hot

    I have not been able to help myself from looking at the endless internet discourse on Taylor Swift since the release of her new album. My Lord. People have some VERY serious opinions about these 12 pop songs. Some people think it is her worst album ever. Others are scanning her yearbook to figure out… Read more

  • Laughs

    I have always loved to laugh. And make people laugh, when I can. It (almost) never hurts to laugh more. Stand up comedy was one of my Dad’s favorites, and I can remember him retelling his favorite jokes, or rewatching comedy specials and still laughing on the third or fourth viewing.  He was a fan of… Read more

  • “The Point” of K-Pop Demon Hunters

    If you don’t have young kids who watch TV in your life, then it’s possible that you haven’t heard of K-Pop Demon Hunters this summer. However, if you do have a child in middle school or below, and they watch Netflix, chances are this funny little movie has provided your summer soundtrack.  The movie came… Read more

  • Influencer

    I hope you had a beautiful weekend. The last weekend of July is usually a big one. There’s lots of festivals, happenings, and get-togethers. This past weekend we celebrated my mother-in-law Martha’s life and art with family and friends at the Ruth Wells Center for the Arts, where Martha used to teach and live in… Read more

  • Tangibles and Intangibles

    This week, my husband pointed out that our kousa dogwood had its first ever blossoms. Several years ago my mother-in-law, knowing that I really wanted one, came to visit and presented me with a long stick with a root ball that she had placed in her trunk. When I asked her what it was, she… Read more