I’m a weirdo. This is not a shock to me or anyone who knows me. I have been a weirdo all my life, but I didn’t realize it until I was…well, that’s a complicated answer. Here’s the thing. I never felt like I fit in, but I just thought it was because–well, I wasn’t sure.… Continue Reading
I’m Taiwanese American, but way more American than Taiwanese. I was born and raised in Minnesota, which is about as middle America as you can get. I grew up in an extremely white suburb at a time when the motto for immigrants was the dreaded melting pot–as in, you damn well better melt into the… Continue Reading
Six months ago was the worst night of my life. One that will be etched in my brain forever, even though I was unconscious when it happened, I’ll never forget the retelling of it by my brother. Nor the moment when I opened my eyes, angry, confused, and afraid. I was ready to fight whatever… Continue Reading
My brother was over yesterday helping me with my new compy. I ordered Thai to thank him for his help. We were eating yellow curry (chicken and potato–outstanding!) when he said, “I thought about what you said a few weeks ago.” I looked at him expectantly because I didn’t remember what we talked about a… Continue Reading
One thing about my medical experience is that it really separated the wheat from the chaff. What I mean is that many of the things I was anxious about in the Before (hospital) Times, simply do not matter any longer. It’s hard to talk about it without seeming condescending or as if I’m glossing over… Continue Reading
I talked in my last post about two letters I’d read in Care & Feeding (Slate), one right after the other. They had to do with highly sensitive people and how parents/grandparents reacted to them. The third and fourth letters were about gender identity and closely related. The third letter is from a mom grieving… Continue Reading
I like to read advice columns and my favorite is Ask A Manager because I really like Alison, the woman who writes the column. She’s pragmatic, but also compassionate. And she’s a rabble-rouser who used to go to protests naked to protest animal abuse. She thinks unions are great, especially now when employees have more… Continue Reading
I’ve learned several things from my medical trauma, much of it positive. I learned to enjoy every moment I have because you really don’t know when it might be your last. That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned, honestly. You can die at any second. I mean, of course I knew that intellectually, but most people… Continue Reading
I’m the keeper of bad familial memories, which is not a pleasant role. My brother and mother both tend to forget the bad times. My brother said someone was asking him about his bad realtor experiences and he couldn’t name any. My mom will flat-out deny the negative things she’s said to me in the… Continue Reading
One thing that I have difficulty with is accepting that both everything has changed and nothing has changed at the same time. When I recite what happened to me, a sense of surrealness comes over me. How could that have happened and I’m still standing to talk about it? Once again, walking (non-COVID-related) pneumonia, leading… Continue Reading