I heart New York
Continuing the tour of my bookshelves, we’ve reached the grey shelf, and one of the standouts for me here is a huge, gorgeous coffee table book called New York: Portrait of a City by Reuel Golden, which chronicles the history of NYC from its very beginnings to just after September 11, 2001. The photos are nothing short of incredible, and when Rodger brought it home for me over a decade ago, it made me fall even more deeply in love with the city that at that point, I had never seen in person.
Books, part 2: the Power of Personality
Although most of the books I read these days are audiobooks, certain types of information are just better consumed visually; obviously graphic novels and art books, but also astrology. My collection of astrology books dates back to the first one I ever bought at the age of 12, which was Linda Goodman's Love Signs.
Book tour, part 1: Nostalgia
Anyone who knows me, or listens to the Starzology podcast, knows I read a lot of books. These days, it's mostly audiobooks from the library (shout out the Libby app!) so I can listen to them while I'm doing other things... skating, biking, shopping, working out or trying to fall asleep.
How I became a roller girl
Like many kids who grew up in the '80s, I learned to roller skate around the age of 10. My first pair of skates were several sizes too big for me, purchased at a yard sale in Sedona, Arizona. They were stiff white leather like figure skates, with no stoppers, and hard wheels that made a sound like gravel being pulverized, but I loved them.
Iara, Brazil's mythical enchantresses
In Brazilian folklore, Iara, also known as Uiara or Yara, is a captivating and enchanting figure associated with water, particularly rivers and streams. She is often depicted as a beautiful, seductive mermaid or water nymph with long, flowing hair and enchanting eyes.
Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt
Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt, twin sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus and Leto. She rules the moon and childbirth, motherhood and virginity, wild animals and hunters. She is best known for her association with the wilderness.
History's hotties: an irreverent list
Beauty has a powerful effect on the human nervous system. Although beauty neither shelters nor nourishes us in any literal sense, the primitive human desire to seek it out, possess it and create it is undeniable, among the most deeply ingrained of psychological drives.
Blodeuwedd, Welsh goddess of Spring
Blodeuwedd is the Welsh goddess of Spring, created by the sorcerer Gwydion and his brother Math. Her name means "flower face," reflecting her origin and nature. She was crafted from the blossoms of wild flowers oak, broom, and meadowsweet and brought to life to serve as the wife of Lleu, Gwydion's nephew, circumventing his mother's curse that he would never marry a mortal woman.
So you think you're special...
I just started reading Jean M. Twenge's book Generations and it's bringing back a flood of associations and memories from my Generation X childhood. This might be one of my most disjointed and naval-gazing (yet lighthearted) posts to date, but as we'll see, that's pretty appropriate, given the topic at hand...
Long live the '90s
Oh, the '90s... Is it even possible to feel nostalgic about a decade that has never really gone away? People of every generation are still watching Friends and wearing Nirvana t-shirts. On April 5, it will be 30 years since Kurt Cobain died, and yet somehow the '90s feel more present now than the '60s or even the '70s ever did in the '90s.
Kali, the total eclipse of Badass Goddesses
Kali, in Hindu mythology, is the powerful and fearsome goddess associated with time, change, and the destructive forces that precede creation and regeneration. Revered as a manifestation of the Divine Mother, she is depicted with a necklace of severed heads. Kali's name itself is derived from the Sanskrit word "kāla," meaning time, reflecting her cosmic role in the cycles of existence.
Marzanna, Goddess of Spring and Sorcery
Marzanna is a Baltic/Slavic nature goddess associated with sorcery, dreams, agriculture and the seasonal cycle of death and rebirth. Her worship is closely linked to the cycles of the agricultural year and the rites performed to ensure fertility and protection.
Charlene
My best friend committed suicide nine years ago today. A few weeks later, I dreamed I was sitting with her in a crowded restaurant, talking and laughing like we had so many times before. She stood up to go and I realized she was never coming back. I reached out to grab her hands, crying and begging her not to leave. When I told a mutual friend about my dream, he said, "We will always be in that restaurant, crying and begging her not to leave us."
Blind dining at Dark Table
Rose appears in the doorway, a tiny girl with a big stage presence. Her straight brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail and she's wearing black pants and a black short-sleeved shirt. She speaks with animated gestures, like an improv artist, but this is the first and last chance I'll get to observe them. She shakes our hands and repeats our names. Then she says, "My name is Rose. If you need anything at all, I don't want you to be polite. I want you to call my name like you're Jack and the Titanic is sinking! Rose!! Is this your first time here? Cool! Are you nervous?! Are you excited? I'm excited! Put your hands on my shoulders and follow me!"
Badass Goddesses: the book
I recently embarked on a journey of self-publishing, much of which I owe to my friend and fellow podcaster Alison Price at Starzology, who encouraged me and recommended a platform (Kindle Direct self-publishing).
The art and science of emotions, part one
I've been reading about the newest controversy in "emotion science," the branch of psychology devoted to the study and analysis of how human emotions are revealed through facial expressions.
Amaterasu, Shinto Sun goddess
Amaterasu is the Shinto Sun goddess of Japan, whose name means "Shining in Heaven" or "Heaven's Illuminating Force." She is one of the most important and revered kami (deities) in the Shinto pantheon. She was born from a tear in the creator Izanagi's left eye, while her brother, Tsukiyomi, the Moon God, was born from his right. Her youngest sibling, Susanoo, was born from his nose, and was sent to rule the sea plain as the storm god.
Zombies: American apocalypse
I had a minor epiphany during a disaster movie marathon undertaken between seasons of “The Walking Dead.” I was watching “The Tower,” a big budget South Korean remake of the 1974 classic “Towering Inferno,” when I realized that, with few exceptions, disaster movies are about economic inequality.
Battle in Barbie Land
I really wanted to like the Barbie movie. As a gen-x girly grrl, I had to campaign hard for my hippie mother to even let me play with Barbies. She thought they were a bad influence, for all the reasons you might expect... body image, sexualization, superficiality, appearance-obsession, consumerism, the fashion industry racket, etc. In other words, none of the issues the Barbie movie is concerned with.
Maman Brigitte, Vodou death spirit
Maman Brigitte is a Vodou death spirit, brought to Haiti and Louisiana by Irish indentured servants. She and her husband Baron Samedi guard cemeteries and protect graves marked with crosses. They are irreverent tricksters, mocking authority and carousing, dancing, swearing and drinking hot pepper-infused rum.