Trope Tuesday: Lawful Evil

If the term “villain” applies to anyone, it applies to the Lawful Evil.  Whether the evil overlord, his trusted right-hand man, or one of his devoted minions, these characters are dedicated wholeheartedly to their cause, whether they believe it will lead to a better world or not.  Taking over the world is often a major obsession,… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Lawful Evil

The gulf between the generations

I just watched a fascinating interview with a 1960s White House intern who claimed to have an eighteen month affair with President John F. Kennedy.  But the most interesting thing wasn’t the affair itself, but the way the President’s staff, the “fourth branch” of government (AKA the media), and the entire general public of 1960s… Continue reading The gulf between the generations

Story Notebook #6

Alright, it’s time to go through another story notebook.  This one covers the spring and summer of 2010, right after I graduated.  It was a weird transitional period in my life, when I didn’t really know what I was doing or where I was going, but I was determined to keep on writing anyway. I… Continue reading Story Notebook #6

What French Women Know About Love, Sex, and Other Matters of the Heart and Mind by Debra Olliver

I have a confession to make: when I was at my sister Kate’s for Christmas, I saw this book on her shelf and stole borrowed it without permission.  I finished it just yesterday, and at the risk of embarrassing myself, I’m going to review it as my second book of this year. This book presents… Continue reading What French Women Know About Love, Sex, and Other Matters of the Heart and Mind by Debra Olliver

Story Notebook #5 (part 2)

For those of you who don’t know (or can’t remember, since it’s been so long), I’ve been doing this ongoing thing where I go through my old story notebooks.  Last time, we covered my last semester of classes at BYU; this time, we’ll cover my time in Washington DC, when I was trapped in an internship from… Continue reading Story Notebook #5 (part 2)

Thoughts on the protests in Egypt

So unless you’re living under a rock, you know that there’s a revolution going on in Egypt right now. Protesters have been demonstrating 24 hours in Tahrir square in Cairo for the past seven days, demanding that President Mubarak step down from power.  With police unable to contain the protests, the army has been called… Continue reading Thoughts on the protests in Egypt

Things I learned from working in a call center

Over the summer I worked part time at a local call center.  At the time, it was just what I needed: a flexible job that helped me pay the bills while figuring out where I wanted to go next.  That said, I learned very quickly that call center work is not the sort of thing… Continue reading Things I learned from working in a call center