December 31, 2020 Because the night: Punk, jokes and a little frightened girl Note: this is one of those late Gen Xer’s lamentations of growing up in the pre-Internet days. I beg thee, dear reader, forgive the…
December 30, 2020 Pet peeves A list of pet peeves in no particular order: And a pet peeve of Bette Middler’s that led to good.
December 29, 2020 2020: a story in song View this post on Instagram A post shared by VA (@vene_la_green_eyez) A story compiled from the life I lived this year and the lessons…
December 29, 2020 Instagram highlights: 2020 I began documenting my life in a new way this year. Lots of people use Instagram. But this is how I use it: Tucson…
December 29, 2020 What’s the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom? Lipstick. I’m known at this point for wearing lipstick. It’s like a calling card. Before Covid, I wore liquid lipstick and regular lipstick but…
December 28, 2020 Hillary/Hilaria: what’s in a name? I grew up a white-appearing girl in American border town with an American mother of Mexican ancestry and a Mexican father who’d immigrated to…
December 27, 2020 If you make sure you’re connected, the writing’s on the wall Tl; dr: I went to a fun party. But this isn’t about the party. It’s about how I interact with the world. I’m never…
December 25, 2020 Thoughts about James Burke while watching You’ve Got Mail I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jeff Bezos is the uberfurher of the current age. He made his bones off of discounting books….
December 25, 2020 Take it slow: how to make real friends when you’re autistic I am impatient in new friendships because I don’t know if the person is of their word yet or if they are like most…
December 23, 2020 But all I can see is red, red, red…(pt. 2) Part one here. I have a disability. And it is so fundamental that it expresses itself in a myriad of ways. I say autism…
December 22, 2020 2020: an Earth odyssey 2020 is the year of the caretaker. Anyone who works in the direct service of others. Doctors and nurses and medical staff yeah, but…
December 22, 2020 Baby, you can drive my car So sue me, I’m on a Beatles kick. Three times I went to the Hertz rental car place off of Eastern Parkway this year….
December 22, 2020 Rose and Valerie, screaming from the gallery: Christi Smythe and Martin Shekreli and the world of conformity Ew. She fell for a negging beta male. Another reporter went on a Tinder date with him just to write about it. He liked…
December 20, 2020 I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose* *The irony of discussing autism and mental illness with a song featuring Sia is not lost on me. She’s persona non grata in the…
December 18, 2020 Snowflake: Odyssey storytelling Phil Gordon reached out to me to invite me to tell a story for The Odyssey in Tucson for December’s Snowflake show. I didn’t…
December 18, 2020 Strong is only part of the title Some songs just come when they’re needed. Never before had I heard this song until today but it was what I needed to hear….
December 18, 2020 You’ve gotta open up your eyes to see Snakes shed skin when they outgrow it. But the process of shedding also helps to remove harmful parasites. I have shed my exterior many…
December 18, 2020 Where have all the cowboys gone? I haven’t unpacked this yet, but I can’t stand a whiny man. Yes, everyone gets to be vulnerable. Everyone gets to fall down. But…
December 17, 2020 Here to face the fortune and the bile City life told in the contents of a purse: The purse I stole from my sister Andrea in 1996. It has mother of pearl…
December 16, 2020 Maneater Yesterday was not a day. It was a day and a half packed into 24 hours. Too much to retell in full, so I’ll…
December 14, 2020 He’s been pretty much yellow and I’ve been pretty much blue (pt. 1) Thanks to Fiona Apple who gives me words when I don’t have them or the courage to say the ones I really do feel….
December 13, 2020 So many allies, so many allies How you love them in the evening, when they hold your hand in crosswalks. When you both start talking at the same time because…
December 11, 2020 Si a una vez me olvido In the moment, I saythis hurts;this nick at the corner of my mouththat cracked open some day recentlyin the past. It will not healand…
December 10, 2020 Tetraptych: sketches done in ball-point pen PART ONE:I can take care of myself but I don’t know if I could do that if I had a job. I’m proud of…
December 7, 2020 Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older There is a condominium complex in the beachfront town of San Carlos. The exteriors are white stucco with rod iron stairs leading to the…
December 6, 2020 Now John at the bar is a friend of mine There was this kid I grew up from middle school with who was whip crack smart. He was popular and a jock and nothing…
December 5, 2020 Friends in low places I remember when ice sculptures were a sign of class. Before they became luges for sickly sweet drinks drunk by Pi Phis and Thetas….
December 4, 2020 That’s my daughter Between fourth and fifth grade my parents took us to Orlando to go to Disney World. I had caught bronchitis immediately before this in…
December 2, 2020 Viva la vida Can you sense your destiny? I think for most people this isn’t a question they ponder. I think for some people, delusion plays a…
December 2, 2020 What’s my age again? Neurodiversity, executive functioning and time management In typical Vene fashion, I confused the dates. The talk is tomorrow. Now I wish I realized that before I woke up at 8…