Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones is treated by the media crit community as this virtually satirical character who’s been touted as unrealistic by viewers, particularly younger viewers coming across the show for the first time. But as my forties loom closer, I find her MORE realistic and relatable than ever before. — I distinctly recall this conversation I had with this guy I slept with after a punk show in 2010.

If you or someone you love is considering this procedure for sterilization purposes, this is my firsthand experience in finding a doctor and the recovery process! — In July 2022, I finally got my tubes yeeted as a form of permanent birth control. I was discharged from the hospital on my 37th birthday. Now before I dive into the whole experience, I need to state upfront that I had some unexpected complications.

There are widespread cultural and structural impacts that affect everyone when children are seen as pets and commodities, not developing human beings. — As America continues its descent into autocracy, people all over the political spectrum question how we got here. I’m going to repeat what child abuse survivors have been saying for years: while there’s numerous forces that led to the crumbling of this shambles of democracy, a major underpinning is that…

Only Yesterday is a lesser-known Studio Ghibli movie geared towards adult women that deserves more attention, and it beautifully highlights the way that our happy and horrible childhood experiences shape us as adults. — A few months before the writing and publishing of this essay, there was this tweet that went viral about Studio Ghibli movies. …

In bringing you that hard-hitting varanid journalism, one picks up some unexpected morsels of life in interacting with big lizards. There’s even more facets to reptile husbandry beyond the care and stewardship of monitor lizards, endangered Komodo dragons, geckos, snakes, and then their amphibious counterparts like frogs, toads, and newts…

Self-work and inner reflection are important. But they are not a fix to systemic problems, particularly in dating culture. — The “toxic positivity” cult on Instagram wants to sell mindfulness workshops and meditation retreats while we’re being eaten alive by record gas prices, groceries cost as much as takeout, and measly stock portfolios are falling like dominoes if you even have enough disposable income to invest.

Stasis gets confused for boredom, but women aren’t allowed to express discontent in their lives without getting backlash for it. — As I gear up to take my game in development out of hiatus after prioritizing other projects and clients, one of the cornerstones of its narrative is that the main character is depressed because she’s in stasis. It’s up to the player to determine how she’s going to combat this…

It doesn’t matter what your reason is for needing an abortion. You deserve access to one, and your abortion story doesn’t have to be about horrific assault or medical trauma to be valid. — So this is something I’ve been thinking and saying for a while, but it really came to surface when I saw this article by Jon Pavlovitz for The Good Men Project. Now, look. I’m not going to come down on the guy for addressing this issue of trying to meet…

I took a 2-week bucket list trip to Ireland with no makeup and a bunch of athleisure with absolutely no prerogative to meet men. Here’s what went down! — As a single woman in my late thirties with a bunch of airline cards and a consulting career that was travel-heavy prior to COVID, I’m a pro at planning epic vacations by myself. Having just done a massive voyage that kicked off with a hilariously bad time at the most…