2023 - shm notes & posts

Poems

Dearest right triangle: a poem in two dimensions

21 October 202321 October 2023

In which one triangle bids a sad farewell to her once complementary partner. Open for geometric innuendos and a high school throwback.

Once upon a time, a young lady sat in her Honors Geometry class blasting Ke$ha on her iPod and imagined a world in which two congruent right-triangles started dating. Naturally, all things must come to an end. It was presumably this thought that led me to write a break-up poem/letter from one triangle to another at 8AM in class. Now this poem sees the light of the internet, complete with comics I completed this month. Dearest Right Triangle We are a match made in textbooksCongruent in every wayBut that doesn’t change the factI have something to say The way I feel...

Travel

Safari & sites through southern Africa

20 September 202320 September 2023

In which I talk about my trip to southern Africa (including Botswana and Zimbabwe.) Open for animals, sights, and exhilarating experiences.

Johannesburg pt. 1 My first day in Joburg came after 26 hours of travel and consisted solely of the Apartheid Museum and meeting my tour group. Ideally, I would've gone to the museum when I was better rested, but since it's closed on Mon/Tues, it was now or never. All of the thoughts the museum evoked were far too lengthy for this post, but can be read here. After fueling my mind and my stomach at the museum, I made my way back to the hotel to meet my trip mates and guides. Staying at the Holiday Inn was an...

Reflections Travel

Apartheid Museum perusings and musings

17 September 202317 September 2023

In which I reflect on the Apartheid Museum. Open for reflections evoked by Mandela, Tutu, and what put them on the global stage.

The only regret I have about the Apartheid Museum was going after 26 hours of exhausting travel. I wish I was fully alert and rested so I could have read and processed everything more. It would be easy to spend an entire day at the museum, especially since there’s a cafe/restaurant there to refuel if needed. . The enlightenment This was the best museum I’ve ever been to, filled with information that was infuriating, enlightening, and somehow hopeful. I didn’t fully understand the atrocities that occurred during the Apartheid before I entered, and the care with which the museum displayed...

Travel

Falling in love with leaf peeping in the northeast USA

16 August 202316 August 2023

In which I drive up the Northeast USA and discuss how I did it. Open for surprising autumnal delights.

Though I moved to Boston in the dead of winter, everyone I spoke to talked up autumn in the northeast. I grew up with four seasons, so I thought I knew fall—but I was wrong. Fall in the midwest meant the turning of leaves from green to orange and brown, but the northeast had a cornucopia of colors! I saw red leaves en masse for the first time! It was like a fall-colored rainbow, even in mid-October. This trip was a bit spontaneous, but I did some research beforehand. . Planning sights and accommodation A friend who used to live...

Poems

Drops in a Storm [a two-part series]

19 July 202319 July 2023

In which I present a pair of poems focused on life’s clouds. Open to storm through some unavoidable experiences.

Journaling this summer brought me to write two poems, two months apart. I suppose I’ve been feeling my judgement is cloudy, because they have the same stormy imagery. I wasn’t sure which should go first, but I think that they can be read in either order. . Storm Far from home and the safety we’ve known In a vast landscape with a different life It’s good to get out of your comfort zone No matter the path, problems will be rife Many patterns exist but are new to us Clouds can just be a wonder to behold Rather than signal...

Health

Questions to ask yourself while searching for a therapist

23 May 202323 May 2023

In which I outline a few questions to ask yourself when evaluating a therapist. Open for years of therapy searching distilled into one post.

As May is mental health month, there is no better time to talk about the noble and sometimes arduous quest for therapy. But first, a couple notes: It often takes a couple of sessions to accurately assess your therapist. A therapist is not a replacement for community or societal change Over the last decade, I’ve had eight therapists. Most of my switches were because of external factors (moves, job changes), but I’ve also had therapists that just weren’t a good fit. My trials gave me quite a bit of insight on what to look for in a therapist. Everyone is...

Health

Sustainable steps to a smaller footprint

22 April 202323 April 2023

In which I detail some of the ways I try to be more sustainable. Open for inspiration on how to celebrate Earth year round!

This Earth Day, I wanted to take the time to talk about sustainable swaps for a reduced carbon footprint — but first, a note: Individual action is not enough to reduce climate disruption, and in fact addressing climate disruption is almost entirely a top-down matter. There is no ethical consumption, but some options are greener than others. Consumption is impossible to avoid at this point, but we can always be better. Becoming more aware of your carbon footprint is beneficial in so many ways. You can feel a tad better about yourself, reduce your spending, and increase your creativity! As...

Reflections

The role of control in our personal perceptions

16 April 202316 April 2023

In which I present another lens for self-analysis. Open for new insight into old characteristics.

The entire spectrum of human experience is impossible to put into words, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. “Name it to tame it” has been instrumental in, well, taming my mental health. In particular, specificity has helped immensely in my reflections and understanding of myself and the world. Generally, people assume they’re in control of their life, actions, and thoughts. The jury is definitely out on all of those. In addressing my depression and its role in my life, I had to be honest with myself and my limitations. Now (mostly) on the other side, it’s interesting to see...

Career Reflections

Handling a negative performance review, healthily

13 February 202313 February 2023

In which I outline a step-by-step plan for processing a negative performance review. Open for tips on dealing with work grief.

Now that we’ve fully exited the holiday season, it’s that time of year again: performance reviews. Now I’ve gotten a range of performance reviews, and I remember my first negative one and the grief that I had to work through. Years of therapy and other experiences have perfectly poised me to write about the best way to work through a negative performance review. Alternatively, you can picture your reviewers face on a punching bag and have at it. This is a bit more productive though. . 1. Realize that part of a negative review is almost always the fault of...

Hills

Countries should have a population cap of 100 million people

24 January 202324 January 2023

In which I layout the case for countries having a population cap. Open for musings on geopolitics and sociology that no one asked for.

Lately I’ve been pondering the limits of democracy, particularly it’s scalability. Democracy and implicit obligations of governmental institutions lead me to believe that countries should be capped at 100 million people. When this threshold is reached, countries would split into multiple countries along appropriate geographic and cultural lines. This process would be beneficial for a number of reasons. We know that companies that are too big are dangerous, so why not countries? There are a number of legitimate arguments for and against it, so let’s get into it! . As populations grow, representation becomes more difficult and less accurate Cultural...

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