A butterfly trapped in a spider’s web

One of my co-workers died the night before Thanksgiving. That would have been sad enough. But what pushes this news into the tragic is that she wasn't some wizened old librarian. She wasn't someone who had been lucky enough to accumulate many decades. She wasn't someone who was at the end of a good, long…

My pin-up moment; or, why social media is awesome

Social media gets a bad rap. Yes, it has its unpleasant sides; the misinformation that spreads like wildfire, the bullying that can go on (although I think this happens more with the younger set, yes?), the plummeting sense of self-worth when you follow people who are seem to be far cooler than you (don't deny it,…

Two halves of the same coin

I'm not saying this to elicit sympathy or anything - it's a simple statement of fact - but I don't have many friends. I never have. I'll probably elaborate more on this in the future, but for now it's sufficient for you to know that my social circle is small and has been for as…

Book review: Love Style Life by Garance Dore

One thing to know about me: I love fashion. Loooooove it. I have for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I had subscriptions to Teen and Seventeen magazines, and as I got older those turned into Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. I would spend hours pouring over them, studying them, in awe of…