Autobiography
Too Experienced to Land a New Contract
After many years of working as a contractor, I have reached an unexpected conclusion. Finding contract work is no longer primarily about experience, skills or achievements. It is about convincing a recruitment agent that your CV/résumé matches a list of keywords. That may sound cynical, but it reflects the reality many experienced contractors face today.
By Alan Spencerabout 11 hours ago in Chapters
Do Not Fear Your Inner Hippy: Ecstatic Dancing
My previous attempt at ecstatic dancing was foiled by my disorganization. It was before the pandemic. It was a dreary Sunday afternoon before the pandemic. I’d managed to get to the Odd Fellows’ Hall for the last hour. I could hear DJ BRIZE doing his thing while I took my socks and shoes off, I saw my friends on the dance floor and went in for hugs. And then, the music stopped. I had gotten the time wrong and missed it all. That attempt to try ecstatic dancing does not count.
By Kate Baggott5 days ago in Chapters
Infrared Lights & Yellow Lights of Caution
Is an experience still new if it ends up exactly where you knew it would? This week, I tried infrared light therapy. It’s one of those new technologies that is “backed by science.” Being under the lights is supposed to improve collagen production, improve skin conditions, speed recovery after exercise and a million other claims we’ve all seen on social media ads for treatments and devices.
By Kate Baggott10 days ago in Chapters
Episode 3: "Who Are the 'Tsogo' People?"
Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of "The African Latino." On the previous episode, I explained the history of the 'Ateke' people and how they survived through hardships. Today's episode will be about the 'Tsogo' people.
By Michael Reynoso13 days ago in Chapters
Episode 2: “Who Are The ‘Ateke’ People?”
Greetings, everyone. Welcome to “The African Latino.” In today’s episode, I will share with you in-depth information about the ‘Ateke’ peoples: who they are, their meaning, what they did during their daily lives, migration, survival, and staying true to their traditions.
By Michael Reynoso19 days ago in Chapters
The African Latino: A Journey Back to Our Roots
Greetings, everyone, and welcome to "The African Latino." Every family has stories to pass on. Grandparents are the source of certain stories. Others reside in historical photos, family names, customs, languages, and locations that seem far apart from our daily existence. And occasionally, bits of our past are just waiting to be discovered via DNA, genealogy, and the tales passed down from earlier generations.
By Michael Reynoso22 days ago in Chapters
Taming Wild Uncertainty
We are all, always, trudging forth into wild uncertainty. Will I still have a job next month? Do I understand this emerging technology well enough (i.e. are my decisions about using AI for some menial tasks but not creative ones correct)? Will I be able to keep both my kids in university this year? My uncertainties are not yours, but I know you have them too. Regardless of the unique nature of uncertainties, my best life solution -- when I am not tempted by that space where worry meets self-pity -- is to dive into my most creative tendencies and write my way through. So, I am regulating that impulse and committing to doing one new thing every week for a year. It's a big deal for middle aged folks, believe me. We love our comfort zones, but I haven't found a new show to stream since the end of Riot Women and The Other Bennett Sister, so now it the time to break out. Last night, my friend Rose invited me to see Mimi Oz with Silver Reeds at LaRev . New to me bands, a new to me venue and a new kind of hang out for one of my Camp Neekaunis friends and I. It's a good place to start, I think. In my experience, the emotional response to doing new things is at worst, a "well, that was OK, but I don't need to do it again," to absolute euphoria that lasts for days. This is how doing new things 1/52 worked out:
By Kate Baggott26 days ago in Chapters
Where I've Been..
It's been a heck of a long minute since I updated you guys on where I've been and how our new life in Cudahy is going. First, I'd like to start by saying I got a kitten at the beginning of May, he's grown about "yay big" since we met in the Long Beach shelter that faithful Saturday. Got to pick him up on Tuesday following that Saturday. I couldn't decide on a name right away, he came with one: Kai, which means from the Ocean, very sweet but kind of scary given everything I had went through mentally, we wanted to give him the best name possible so we chose Bandit - and it stuck for about a week before we gave him the name Gizmo. One of my middles thought of the Fuggler creatures from that Furby movie, 'The Gremlins'. But one of my littles thought of 'The Little Mermaid' so it stuck - for about a month.
By Parsley Rose 30 days ago in Chapters
