September 9th, 2021 There can be an odd guilt with grief that, if understood, can actually be a good thing. I often talk about all these tools I’ve learned as an adult, sober person, but I usually refer to them in the abstract. One of the specific tools I have to take out of theContinue reading “It Should (Not) Have Been Me”
Tag Archives: Family
What Are You Trying To Say?
September 1st, 2021 Let’s talk about words. Specifically, the kind we use to describe people or things we think are dumb or just plain weird. You know the words. We were talking yesterday about a situation that’s all too familar: what do you do when somebody says something that’s uncomfortable for you without seeming likeContinue reading “What Are You Trying To Say?”
CODA Review
August 30th, 2021 It is common to look at art and, no matter how different it is from you, find something in common. It is rare to find art that is made for the very specific life that you’ve lived. I do not need a new streaming service, but I’d been eyeing Apple TV+ forContinue reading “CODA Review”
Crocodile Fears
August 22nd, 2021 There was this game we used to play with a plastic crocodile when I was a kid. I’m not sure if our role was as dentist or some sadistic torturer (I mean, why would any animal need ALL its teeth removed?), but to take a turn would require you to choose andContinue reading “Crocodile Fears”
The Universe Is Bigger Than God
August 16th, 2021 I get asked regularly about why I don’t believe in a capital-G God, mostly by people who are genuinely curious or just want a different point of view on things. I realize that there may be value in putting these words out into the world, to validate them and maybe other peopleContinue reading “The Universe Is Bigger Than God”
More Than I Deserve
August 10th, 2021 I’ve mostly learned the ways to curb, deal with or soothe those devastating feelings of crushing loneliness I get when I think about my mom. Mostly. Sometimes something said will stick in my ribs, or hurt like chewed tinfoil in my head. With those, too, I can usually use my tools toContinue reading “More Than I Deserve”
Five
August 1st, 2021 Happy 5th birthday to my baby girl, Marvel. It is stupid to say a dog is my rock, but here we are. She helps me get through things that have been really hard for me, like sobriety and the death of my mom; she sits on my lap when I’m drawing charactersContinue reading “Five”
Brushfire Cover Reveal!
July 25th, 2021 My squirrels! I am beyond excited to finally reveal the cover for my upcoming all-ages (yes, this one is for everybody!) graphic novel, Brushfire. I’ve been working on this story for a long time (and as you can see, it’s titled Wave 1, which means that it’s just the beginning of aContinue reading “Brushfire Cover Reveal!”
Heartbreak Weather
July 15th, 2021 I’m still on the Old Chicago email list. For more than a few months, when I’d open one, I would feel heartbreak for what I lost. After a while, though, I would start to feel a new kind of heartbreak; I’d think of all the things I would have never experienced ifContinue reading “Heartbreak Weather”
Visible At Night
July 5th, 2021 Whenever I felt invisible, my mom used to remind me I wasn’t. That sounds stupid to say, but it’s true, and now on days when I feel invisible sometimes I worry I won’t be found by anybody. It is very easy to look up at the sky and be impressed by aContinue reading “Visible At Night”
The Den 