My (mis)adventures with tattoos. Tattoos and Bullshit The first tattoo I can remember seeing was a thin, black rose, its ink fading to blue and gray on the aggressively tanned forearm of a classmate’s mom. I think I was four. I loved it. I couldn’t say why I loved it…

A student asked me what made Captain Marvel compelling beyond its “SJW” (social justice warrior*) message, and I was first inclined to try to provide an answer. There is, of course, an implied accusation in that question. I don’t think it was asked in malice, but I do think it…

In October I was diagnosed with ADD and anxiety. Having the diagnosis and a greater understanding of how my brain works has been really helpful and enlightening. Being medicated has transformed my ability to work. The first time I was on my prescription, it was as if the world fell…

In the beginning of the movie Friday Night Lights, two star high school football players encounter a former player. He’s now a dad and high school is well behind him, but he proudly shows them his state championship ring and warns them, “Don’t sleep. Don’t waste a second of it…

When we consider rape culture, football programs (and athletics generally) and student parties are often lightning rods for our scrutiny. Within school walls, advocates for change seek to update dress codes and sexual health education. All this is vital, but I am an English teacher, and I feel compelled to…

The film High Fidelity opens with a close-up of a very melancholy Rob Gordon who poses the question, “What came first, the music or the misery?[…] Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?” A similar question could…