Loneliness is more exhausting than you might realize—and there are small steps you can take to overcome it — While sitting in a coffee shop where the small (or ‘tall’ if you fancy) macchiatos cost $4, I witnessed a brief, yet significant, gesture. This woman stood up to leave. Before leaving, she casually told her friend, “Love you, babe.” Her friend replied, “Love you too,” and then returned to…

Every obstacle presents an opportunity. — I sat up on the bed, drenched in sweat, and attempted to stand up to find my underwear. Even though I wasn’t the one that had been folded up and pounded, I had Bambi legs. I nearly fell on this woman’s floor. She noticed it was more than just a…

It’s not the same as aging. — In order to create an email account, you need to have a phone. For most people, this knowledge is inconsequential. However, it can be a barrier when teaching computer literacy to people who have recently been released from incarceration. A younger comrade of mine ran into this issue recently when…

The gulf between fantasy and reality — A few years ago, around summertime, I was mentally preparing for my first threesome. I bought snacks (popcorn and chocolate, naturally), cleaned my room, and put out a couple of board games. I was trying to harness all of my aphrodisiacs. I attempted to have a threesome a few times…

These tips are GUARANTEED to (short)change your life. — You may be feeling overwhelmed, unsettled, and even numbed by the speed with which the world is opening back up and rushing back to “normal”. No worries. I have just the thing for those little existential crises. It’s important to keep yourself busy when you’re too exhausted to be social…

How Letting Go of Toxic Masculinity Improved My Sex Life — My primary sources on sex in my early life were BET Uncut, internet porn, and adolescent boys who drew from the same well of knowledge. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was very limited sex education. Not only were these inaccurate depictions of how sex works, but…

Rejection is normal and informative. — For someone who doesn’t like people, I get a surprising amount of crushes. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes my fancy just be tickled. Some of these crushes have developed into successful (well, non-traumatic) relationships, be they platonic or romantic. As in most areas of life, though, it…

Writing’s hard y’all — A little while ago, I was watching David Letterman’s latest interview with Jay-Z on Netflix. Jokingly, Letterman explained to Jay-Z that they had a lot in common, including having a paper route. “But you… also sold crack…,” Letterman added. “That was my paper route,” Jay-Z responded without hesitation. Jay went…

Learning how to quit has helped save me from a life of misery. The first example of this that comes to mind is from college. First semester freshman year was tough for a litany of reasons. Not least of which, a challenging Calculus class I thought I needed for the…