Your typical late-December internal monologue 

Lizard Brain: “The body feels bad, why? A cookie will probably help.”  Thinking Brain: “That bad feeling is menstrual cramps, not hunger. Take some ibuprofen. Cookies taste good at first but end up making us feel crappy and sad later.” Lizard Brain: “Oh yeah, ibuprofen. Cool. But also probably a cookie.” Thinking Brain: “How aboutContinue reading “Your typical late-December internal monologue “

The fear of a bad Christmas; or, not another “the real gift isn’t under the tree” post

Around this time of year I tend to catch myself acting weird, and realize in astonishment (every year!) that I’m feeling some low-level anxiety about Christmas. Consistently and inexplicably, I worry that The Kids Will Not Have A Good Christmas. Where does this come from? Why does it not collapse under the weight of itsContinue reading “The fear of a bad Christmas; or, not another “the real gift isn’t under the tree” post”

Embracing inclusion by fighting your brain

Recently I’ve been talking with community organizers about how we can both organize inclusive events and also do that organizing in an inclusive manner. WordPress is an open source project, and because open source depends on a large active contributor base, we have to constantly think about how to make the project welcoming and inclusive.Continue reading “Embracing inclusion by fighting your brain”

Building community as an act of love

Editorial warning: this is a messy, stream of consciousness kind of post. 🙂 I was listening to a podcast called Becoming Wise today, in which a scientist who is also a Jesuit priest recounted a memory: When I was a little kid, about nine years old, I remember a rainy Sunday afternoon, and you couldn’tContinue reading “Building community as an act of love”