NOT CULTY: My Scientology Story
How I joined Scientology, escaped Scientology, rebuilt my life — and became a WAY better human in the process
Actual photo of me on the couch with a blanket around my head after watching the Friends reunion. Well, it could be. I watched the Friends reunion special on Thursday. And I cried through the whole thing. But not for the reasons you may think. I've probably seen every episode of Friends at least three … Continue reading Why I was a HOT MESS after watching the “Friends” Reunion
Yep. This is exactly how I feel today. Usually I can get angry and move through it pretty quickly. Not today. I've been angry for a good 24 hours, and I can't get past it. So I'm writing about it. That usually helps. It's been brewing for a few days now. The more I rewrite … Continue reading I’m Angry.
Bear with me while I peel off some more... As I write this, I'm listening to Kenny Loggins. I'm loving me some vintage Kenny these days. Right now, I'm rotating between "I Believe in Love", "I'm Free", and "I'm Alright." On the last one, I usually do a bit of this kind of wiggling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLHh6aiSHGE … Continue reading It comes off in layers.
Honestly, I'm getting so tired of looking at photos like this. But as Yoda would say, "Confront it, I must." (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) I've been wanting to write this post since about 6:00 pm on January 6th. But I held back, so I could sit with it a bit longer and gather my thoughts. … Continue reading My thoughts about this week’s events in the USA
Awww... look at this chunky li'l hamster saying "Thank You". Or maybe he's just eating... or cleaning himself. Whatever he's doing, he's totes adorbs! So here it is, 2021. Based on everything I'm reading on the interwebs, it's time to write one of two types of posts: Looking back and reviewing the year and what … Continue reading Thanks, Scientology (no, really!)
NOTE: Up to now in this blog, I've changed the names of many people. I no longer choose to do that, so these are their real names. “Here we go. I think we’ve got it nailed this time.” I sure sounded confident when talking to my design team about our latest submission—such a good faker. … Continue reading The Slap That Changed Everything
What does it mean to be strong? I’ve been working it over—a lot. Am I strong because I survived a 20-year cult experience? Because I left with nothing and rebuilt my life from scratch? Because I continue to believe in the goodness of people despite the horrors I observed? Maybe. I was talking to my … Continue reading STRONG
When I was a Linguistics and French major in college, I read a lot of Camus: L'Etranger (The Stranger), La Peste (The Plague), and of course, Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus). Poor old Sisyphus. Doomed to push the same rock up a mountain every day, only to see it fall to the … Continue reading Surviving Trauma: Oh, the Burdens we Carry.
The other day I saw an ad for a show called “Life After Lockup.” I wanted to find out what it was about. My curiosity took me down a rabbit hole to “Love After Lockup,” the first show in the series. Where have these shows been all my life??? If only I had spare time … Continue reading “Life After Lockup” Scientology-style!
Hi Y'all! I'm currently sitting at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport waiting for my flight to San Francisco, so I figured I'd take this time to drink a mimosa and share this blog post that I wrote on the flight from Tampa. It's all about my adventures on "Clearance Lines". Enjoy! There I was, whisked away … Continue reading Int Clearances: What an “Adventure?”
