Beth

  • Homework

    “My therapist suggested…” should be the start of every story. I mean, think of the endless possibilities – all the genres it could easily cross. At least that’s what I think at this moment. I mean, I am the author (supreme overlord of my story), and it works for the purposes of my universe (today…

  • Wanted: Middle-Aged Dragon Riders

    Write. Right. Right. A few weeks ago (or really about five months ago), I read this great piece from a blog/blogger I enjoy where the gist of it was encouraging people to write more. I took it to heart, gave it some thought, imagined myself doing it, and then… well… there were a ton of…

  • Poking Bears: Please Tell Me What I Believe

    When it comes to topics for posts, I tend to steer away from certain subjects. Posting about work, while arguably cathartic, can also be a career-limiting opportunity. Calling people out and using their full names while on a rant can result in your Jr. High bully contacting you and asking you to stop being mean.…

  • More Orchestra Stuff

    As I’ve mentioned before, I joined an orchestra last year. Before I really get into that, I want a share a small piece of my background. I started playing in 6th grade. Now, in my city, sixth graders went to their own school because we were considered to be a bit too old for elementary…

  • Raison D’être

    I’m not much of a pacer. This doesn’t mean I’m judging my pacer friends/family who enjoy a good power walk from A to B to A to B to… (you get the idea – you all know what pacing is.) It’s just that pacing isn’t my particular go-to stress move. Personally, I prefer internalizing the…

  • Inspiration

    I know. I know. I know. I’ve been absolute garbage at writing. I could offer up many reasonably sounding excuses (just ask – I’ve been trying them out, standing in front of a mental mirror and practicing, and, I don’t mean to brag here (I totally do), but quite a few of them seem somewhat…

  • I Don’t Know, It Depends: Wisdom from an Unwise Person For Lori

    I have a Facebook page for The Big Blue Mess, which I don’t really go around advertising since it just mirrors my normal Facebook page and is mostly there to say, “Look, friends who read this thing. I made words with my hands again!” And if I’ve done my job and the FB algorithm gods…

  • Wisdom

    For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be wise. I wanted it more than I wanted to be a ballerina, a cheerleader, an architect, a mythologist (which my cousin once informed me wasn’t a job, thus dashing my pre-tween dreams – I’m looking at you, Tonya!), a star on Broadway and a…

  • Lucy!

    Fact. I live in the longest-running I Love Lucy episode. And since we’re talking about an episode(s) and it’s my episode and I’m a Beth rather than a Lucy, I’m starting with a flashback. Two and a Half Months Ago FADE IN INT. STEP-MOTHER’S BATHROOM – DAY An over-engineered pristine, porcelain, walk-in contraption resembling a…

  • 2022 in Review: Reflections from a Mess

    When I originally conceptualized this post, I toyed with the idea of reviewing the high and low points of the year – a tapestry of words that conveyed “yay, I got to do this thing” to “boo, this happened” and the more I thought about it, the more I realized it could come off as…