Archive for the 'personal well-being' Category
“I Got it From Agnes”: the Theme Song for Earned Sick Time
Here in Philadelphia, there’s an ongoing campaign to ensure that all workers get earned sick time: that is, paid days off sick.
To someone like me, who’s had paid sick days for years, it’s a no-brainer. If you’re sick, or your kid is sick, you get a paid day off. But in Philly, 41% of [...]
Product Review: Suavecito Pomade, Lucky Tiger Bay Rum, Club Man
As most of y’all know, I like to put pomade in my hair: I’ve written before about my love for Murray’s Superior and its competitors.
In the linked article, I singled out the bizarre color and offensive odor of Murray’s water-based competitor Layrite, while at the same time highlighting its incredible hold.
Last month at Viva Las [...]
Extorting Sick People
This piece, via Susie really hit home for me.
Over the weekend, we Tarts learned the shocking news that one of our most loyal backbloggers and friends, Melissa Mia Hall, aka MMH, had died suddenly and somewhat mysteriously.
[...]
And then we learned the truth which turned out to be far worse, far more humbling, than our conjecture. [...]
PSA: Income-Based Repayment
If you’re like me, and I hope for your sake you’re not, your student loan payment is dreadful. i have been unable to afford mine for years, but every time I put it in forebearance, the interest accrues and accrues, and the new payment reflects that, usually by an additional $100. It’s a vicious cycle, [...]
Read More..>>Deep Thought
At my friend’s bookstore this afternoon, a guy overheard me mention my birthday.
“Congrats,” he said. “My son just turned 14. Do you remember what it was like to be 14?”
“Actually, I do,” I replied. “in fact, I’m as angry now as I was then, if not angrier. And i’m angry about the same things.”
It’s [...]
Read More..>>6:20 Wake-Up Call
AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGHHHHH OHGODOHGODOHGOD GET OUTTA MY HEAD, GET OUTTA MY HEAD.
“Oh Jesus-fucking-Christ,” I said, bolting upright in bed. It was 6:20 this morning, and the neighbor’s grandson was pitching one of his legendary psychotic fits. The banging on the wall suggested he was trying to dislodge whatever was in his skull through sheer force [...]
That’s a LOT of Venereal Disease
Living in the city, you learn so much about stuff you’d rather not know about, but need to.
For example, my zip code has some of the highest rates of syphilis, and THE highest rate of chlamydia in the whole city (warning, pdf). 55 cases of syphilis. 1,434 cases of chlamydia. between the two, southwest Philadelphia [...]
Desperately Needed Happy Post
I’m going to give us a tiny little break from the Apocalypse in the Gulf, because by the time I post the next series of photos of oil-coated animals, I’m concerned that without something uplifting my readers are going to tear their eyeballs out.
It’s spring in Philadelphia, and my walk to work gets more pleasant [...]
Meditation
Ordinarily, I’m not one for meditation. While I persoanlly subscribe to Taoist philosophy, I’m way too fidgety to sit still for any length of time, and while I don’t have ADD, it’s difficult for me to concentrate on abstract concepts for very long. What’s the sound of one hand clapping? How the fuck should i [...]
Read More..>>Ch-ch-changes
It was a big weekend, and I got a lot of work done around the house, played a bunch of music, and drank a bunch of beer.
There’s a lot of stuff going on right now, enough so that I’m posting Bowie videos, and I’m not in the talkative mood today.
