sustainable systems & storytelling
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” --Jean-Paul Sartre What if we could wrestle down life’s big questions using the scientific method? What if we could systematically improve human thoughts, actions, and environments... Continue Reading →
Have you ever gone to the supermarket or farmer's market, loaded up your basket, only to discover the produce has spoiled before you had the chance to use them? It's a waste of food and waste of money, which none of us want. Below are some tips and tricks I've discovered to keep various grocery... Continue Reading →
In 1999, my sewing teacher invited her students to participate in an international relief effort. At ten years old, I spent much of my summer sewing up quilts for Kosovo. They were simple quilts, with a sheet of batting sandwiched between two coordinating sheets of cotton fabric, secured with yarn knots at regular intervals. The... Continue Reading →
My journal ran out of blank pages this week, so I sent my boyfriend to retrieve some things from the condo. He donned the P3 respirator and goggles, and went inside. When he emerged, he was not carrying any of the items I had requested. He found the blank moleskin notebooks I collect each Christmas,... Continue Reading →
Wow, this week has been a wild ride. How is it already August? Can you believe it? A dear friend moved 1,200 miles away this over the weekend. All but one of my friend has left Phoenix in the last two years, due to catapulting rental rates. It seems the only people who can afford... Continue Reading →
In my junior year of high school, while learning about World War II, I proudly told my AP History teacher that my grandfather had worked on the Manhattan Project. Alongside Fermi and numerous other brilliant chemical engineers, he helped develop plutonium-239 in the metallurgical laboratory underneath the University of Chicago stadium. On the day the... Continue Reading →
On the day we met, I knew that my boyfriend was the man I would spend my life with. As tried and cliched as the line is, I still feel that way nearly nine years later. We would love to be married and start a family, and would have taken that step years ago but,... Continue Reading →
Hello, there! How are you? My life currently feels like a extended layover. I've left my home and am not yet to my destination, yet there is no rush. I'm watching the wide-eyed children point at toy planes lifted by some invisible hand. I'm taking in the sights, content and unaffected. Phoenix is currently in... Continue Reading →
This week, we learned that we will likely be losing our home. Well, it's not quite that simple. Our HOA sent a third-party mold tester to our home last week. We sent him inside to do his thing and waited patiently outside in the 118° heat. He drilled dozens of holes in the drywall, took... Continue Reading →
My best friend immigrated to America nine years ago. She left a poor region of a communist Asian country to pursue an education in London, and then a new life in America. She is feisty, opinionated, and far from the submissive type. She came to America in pursuit life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.... Continue Reading →
I was one of the millions of Americans affected by the 2014 Office of Personnel Management data breach. This morning, I was invited to participate in class action settlement against the federal entity. While all the effort and paperwork is not worth a few bucks to me, I figure this is as good a time... Continue Reading →
We're almost halfway through the year. Can you believe it? I sure can. At least for me, it has been a bumpy few months. My health and my hopes have been doing somersaults in the pinball machine of life. I'm ready for some steadiness. I can hardly keep my head on straight, let alone sit... Continue Reading →
My partner won a seat on the board of the HOA. The president from hell, after over ten years of dictatorship over the community, was not re-elected. Our home is still uninhabitable due to mold which, without our numerous HEPA filters, is now visibly growing on the furniture. The smell of the home is so... Continue Reading →
Goodness, it's been awhile! Two months later, little has changed and, yet, simultaneously, so much has. Three months ago, our home was deemed unsafe due to high levels of biotoxins. We moved in with my in-laws and have alternating continually between gratitude and ripping our hair out. You know how that goes. The HOA and... Continue Reading →
Three weeks ago, I had to leave my home due to a terrible mold infestation and worsening symptoms. A lot has happened in that time and I have access to a computer for just a bit, so I'm eager to jot it down. In January, our doctor and two third-party environmental testing companies informed us... Continue Reading →
Today, we're leaving our home. And we may not return. We're taking a week's worth of clothing, my work laptop, and basic toiletries. Nothing else. Including the computer on which I am writing. Everything is overwhelming and in flux right now. It feels like I'm trapped in a nightmare, but too drugged up to realize... Continue Reading →
existential ergonomics 
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