A cautionary travel tale and an example of true friendship — Whether you’re taking a long journey or a short getaway, traveling is good for you. It opens your eyes to other cultures and ways of living, shakes up your daily routine, and expands your world. As beneficial as traveling is, it’s also good at teaching us what not to do. …

I had to find Dave — I hit the road as the morning was starting to break. Using the brake lights in front of me as a guide I made my way through the fog that enveloped me. The fog gave an otherworldly feel to the day as it morphed from fog to whisps of gray…

I wish I’d realized the truth earlier — “The sun, which the government controls, was shining in my eye,” my mother says, “and I couldn’t see what the neighbor’s toy-boy was doing.” I don’t point out that neither the sun, the rain, or any weather system is government controlled or that the term is boy toy. She’ll lash…

Some trauma, drama, and enough laughter to balance it out — TW: Suicide, abuse, trauma Chapter One: Welcome to the world, baby Christine. Michaelmas daisies bloom for my birthday. Chapter Two: Ladies who lunch get an art show. Full diaper. Use poo to paint. Chapter Three: First memory. Mom falls through glass table unscathed. Chapter Four: I meet death. Death pays a visit. Grandfather dead. Chapter Five: Cats comfort me.

Not your mother’s Tupperware party — There’s nothing about Phranc, performer, visual artist, and gender-stereotype-busting lesbian icon that screams Tupperware lady, and yet, she was one of their top sellers. Phranc shattered the conventional idea of what a Tupperware party lady was supposed to be. I was lucky enough to hold a Tupperware party with Phranc…

Once I saw the evil behind his kind eyes, I couldn’t unsee it — T.W: Sexual abuse, grooming, sexual harassment Before he exposed himself as a pedophile, I loved Joel. He was like an uncle to me — a super chill uncle who always seemed to have a blissed-out look on his face as if he was on some really good drugs. …

Music can be the thing that binds you — One of my earliest memories is arguing with my brother, Fritz, about how The Monkees were better than The Beatles. Don’t get me wrong; I still think The Monkees were a vastly underrated band, and I’ll listen to their music until I die. But come on, the Beatles were an…

Some of us don’t want to grow up to be like our mothers — I love those commercials of Dr. Rick, the Parental Life Coach, where he advises clients how not to turn into their parents. For some people, becoming copies of their parents is inevitable. However, for me, being my mother’s mini-me was the last thing I wanted to be. Starting from a…

You go, Girl! — I was 10 years old when I bought Cher’s Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves album. I felt so grown up because this LP wasn’t bubble-gum rock or by a teen idol like David Cassidy. This album was legit, and everything about it signaled that it was for a mature audience. The…