NAVIGATION

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    • Polaroids and Planning Periods: A Tribute to My Ultimate Mentor

      As teachers, we are natural learners. It’s a sentiment I think any educator would share, but the truth is, I’ve learned far more within the four walls of my own classroom than I ever did in college.

      To survive and thrive in this profession, you have to completely own your content and your presence. But that kind of confidence doesn’t just happen overnight; it takes time, trial by fire, and an incredible amount of support.

      I still remember my very first day, standing before a fresh group of twelfth graders embarking on their senior year. There I was: straight out of college, fresh off a teaching internship, and entirely intimidated by my new colleagues. I looked around at these seasoned, quality educators and assumed they ranked far superior to me. What did I know? I just knew I wanted to do this, even if I had to work incredibly hard to figure it out.

      While my entire department was supportive, there was one colleague in particular who truly shaped the educator I see reflecting back at me in the mirror today.

      Meeting “The Badass”

      I’ll never forget the day I met Cristie Krider—whom I simply refer to as “Krider.” To be completely honest, I was terrified.

      Here was this amazing, powerhouse teacher who completely had her shit together. She knew her content backward and forward, and her connection with her students was effortless. When I realized I’d be teaching twelfth grade right alongside her, collaborating on planning, panic set in. I was so scared I wouldn’t be able to keep up, and desperately nervous she would find me incompetent or ill-prepared. Before we even sat down for our first chat, my brain was racked with insecurity, wondering how on earth I was going to rise to the occasion.

      What I didn’t expect was just how profoundly this lady would shape the person and the teacher I would become. Somewhere in my ‘basic training,’ I started evolving from a nervous new teacher with weak classroom management into a confident educator with high expectations and a graceful heart.

      From Mentor to Partner-in-Crime

      Right from the start, Krider threw me a lifeline. She graciously shared her materials, offered tips, and stepped in the moment I got stuck. Because I tend to have a million questions and a constant need for clarification, she met me with an incredible, endless supply of patience.

      The more we worked together, the more my respect for her grew—and the more I started recognizing pieces of her that I wanted to see in myself. We began realizing just how many personality similarities we shared. We just got each other. (It didn’t hurt that she loves Disney just as much as I do!)

      Before long, Krider and I became real buddies, evolving into the self-proclaimed “dynamic duo” of the English department. We spent countless hours together managing the massive undertaking of the Graduation Project—grading, planning, and doing whatever it took to get our students across the finish line. We became each other’s ultimate safety net. We covered classes, collaborated daily, and made twelfth-grade English a lasting, meaningful experience for our seniors. If we weren’t teaching, we were usually found hanging out in each other’s classrooms during planning periods, lunch, or long after the school day ended.

      I always respected her hustle. I still do. Krider is one of those people who is honestly good at everything. On top of being a master teacher, she was the Graduation Project Coordinator, Prom Coordinator, Senior Trip Coordinator, Varsity Cheer Coach, and probably three other things I’m forgetting.

      She is a pro with her content and creative as hell. The more I mirrored her, the more I found myself adopting her teaching mannerisms and patterns. Somewhere in my “basic training,” I started evolving from a nervous new teacher with weak classroom management and major imposter syndrome into a confident educator with high expectations and a graceful heart.

      We still joke that Krider brought me to the “dark side.” She took a timid, overly sweet new teacher and helped him become someone who could completely own the room, hold kids accountable, and still prove to them that they deeply mattered. She saw the potential in me, recognized that my confidence hadn’t caught up to my passion yet, and helped me find my groove.

      A Friendship Built on Trust (and Axe Throwing)

      As the years went on, our bond went far beyond school walls. I knew our friendship was the real deal when she invited me on a spring break trip to Disney World with another colleague—a trip where we even got to reconnect with some of our former students. She trusted me to house-sit for her, where I happily crashed at her place, played with her dog, Tigger, and threw axes in the backyard.

      She was also my absolute first call the morning I flipped my Jeep on the way to work. Distraught and trying to ensure my classes were covered, I called Krider. She very quickly, and very bluntly, informed me that I would not be coming to work that day. When Krider says so, you don’t say no!

      When the time came for me to pack up and pursue my next chapter in California, leaving my “partner-in-crime” was the hardest part. I was so excited for the future, but heavy with the realization that I wouldn’t be working next to her every day. When I left the school in June of 2022, and she ended up leaving that September, I jokingly told her she just missed me too much to go on teaching there without me. (Honestly, I felt a little better knowing no one else at that school got to work with her if I couldn’t!)

      Channeling my Inner Krider

      Now, as I conclude my twelfth year in education, I still carry so much of what I learned from Krider into my everyday routine. Whenever I face a tough day, channeling my “inner Krider” helps me navigate the journey and stand firm in my place as an educator.

      Recently, I was offered the role of Humanities Department Chair because, apparently, leadership really likes what they see happening in my classroom. I just smile knowing that Krider had something to do with that.

      We don’t chat as often as we used to, but whenever I return to North Carolina, getting to visit her is a priority. Distance doesn’t change the fact that I still have one hell of a mentor, colleague, and friend in her.

      Krider helped me become a better educator simply by taking the time to know me and appreciating what I brought to the table. And for everything she has done for my life and my career—even the things she might not realize—I am overwhelmingly grateful. I can only hope that I can be that “Krider” for someone.

    • Freeze Time

      There is a specific kind of quiet that settles over you when you finally realize you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Lately, that quiet has a name. Whenever I look at Drew, I find myself wishing for the impossible: I wish I could freeze time.

      If I could pause the world, I’d use those stolen hours to claim all the space we missed out on. For so many years, we were both spectators. We stood on the periphery, watching the people around us stumble into love, experience those effortless, textbook beginnings, and find their people. We sat back, perhaps in different places but with the same quiet longing, waiting patiently for our turn to come. We watched the world celebrate all those little, ordinary milestones, wondering when—or if—the universe would finally call our names.

      I wish I could freeze time just to give us back those years. I want to live out all the moments we were denied while we were busy waiting. I wish I could give you the kind of relationship you truly deserved from the very start—one where we had the luxury of a slow, gentle sunrise. I wish we could have gotten to know each other at a normal pace, savoring a predictable, quiet courtship instead of being swept up in a fast-paced tide where everything had to happen all at once.

      But please know this: I have never once regretted the speed of us. I don’t regret a single step, a single rush, or a single choice when it comes to you.

      Before you, life felt like a heavy countdown in the humid air of North Carolina. I was carrying an invisible weight—a suffocating mix of sadness, darkness, and a persistent, quiet shame. It scares me now to admit how close I came to the edge, how many times I stood on the brink of just wanting to disappear from the world entirely, without anyone ever knowing how dark the room had gotten.

      Finding you wasn’t just a happy coincidence or a new chapter. It was the radical redirection I needed to save my life.

      But this isn’t a story about the darkness; it’s a story about the light.

      I am eternally grateful to God, to the universe, and to whatever forces finally decided it was our turn, because you do something I didn’t think was possible: you see me. Truly, deeply see me.

      You see every single contradiction of my character. You witness the dramatic highs, the low moods, the flamboyance, the loud, chaotic energy, and the downright ridiculous, messy behavior. You see the flaws I try to mask for the rest of the world, and you don’t even blink. You just stay. Through every peak, every valley, and all the beautiful, ordinary spaces in between, you are simply there.

      I know I tell you how much I love you all the time. Sometimes I worry you’ll get annoyed by the repetition, but I can’t seem to stop. I know what it feels like to sit in the dark, wondering if your absence would even leave a ripple, and because of that, it means everything to me to ensure you always know exactly how much you matter. Hearing it changes you. Saying it tethers me to you.

      If I could freeze time, I would. Not to rewrite our story, but to expand the borders of it. I’d freeze the clock so we could finally catch up on all the living, all the small hand-holds, and all the quiet waiting we did before we finally found our way home to each other.

      Until then, I’ll just keep holding onto these moments, grateful for the man who saved my life just by loving me for exactly who I am.

    • The Grace in the Shadows: Lessons from Papa Don and Mawmaw

      The journey from the Pacific coast to the rolling hills of North Carolina is a long one, but not too long ago, the miles felt heavier than usual. I wasn’t just traveling across time zones; I was traveling toward a version of my world that had been fundamentally altered. My grandfather—Donald VanSteen, the man I called my “Papa Don”—has passed away.

      When the news reached me, I felt my heart shatter in three distinct directions:

      • For myself: To lose the patriarch of our family and a man I viewed as the gold standard of what it means to be a human being.
      • For my Mother: To witness her lose a father she wasn’t ready to let go of.
      • For my Grandmother, “Mawmaw”: To watch the woman who built the foundation of our family lose her other half—the man whose blood runs through my veins and whose life was inextricably woven into hers.

      A Legacy of Devotion

      Papa Don was the genuine definition of a man. His reputation wasn’t built on loud declarations, but on the quiet, steady rhythm of his character. He was respected by the community and cherished by his family. But perhaps his most profound sermon was the way he loved my grandmother, Polly.

      He was selflessly and dutifully devoted to her, attending to her every need without a moment’s hesitation. Seeing that kind of love up close sets a high bar; it teaches you that true strength isn’t found in what you take from the world, but in how much of yourself you give to the person you love.

      Light in the Pitch Black

      Tuesday, we gathered at the funeral home for the first viewing. Standing beside Mawmaw in that quiet, heavy room, I expected to witness a grief that demanded answers from the heavens. I expected the “why?” that usually accompanies such a devastating loss.

      Instead, I witnessed a masterclass in faith.

      As Mawmaw stood before her soulmate, the words that left her lips were not questions, but gratitude. In the midst of a pitch-black night of uncertainty, she chose to find the light:

      1. She thanked God for giving him to us in the first place.
      2. She thanked God for his mercy in ending Papa Don’s suffering.
      3. She thanked God for the blessings he bestowed upon our family through him.

      Watching her, I saw God’s sweet, enveloping grace take form. While the rest of us were drowning in the “loss,” Mawmaw was swimming in the “legacy.” She reminded me that even in our darkest moments, there is a grace that sustains us—a grace that ensures God won’t lead us to a place He hasn’t already prepared us to handle.

      A Final Reflection

      To my Mawmaw: I hope you know the depth of the respect and gratitude I have for you. You have taught me many lessons over the years, but none more poignant than the one you taught me today over Papa Don’s casket. You showed me that even when your heart is broken, your spirit can remain whole through thankfulness.

      Papa Don may be gone, but the foundation he and Mawmaw built is unshakable. I carry his blood, but I hope to carry her perspective—finding the “thank you” even through the tears.

      “God shows grace in many ways, and He won’t lead us to a place in our lives that He hasn’t already prepared us for.” -Mitchell

    • Bravo Lessons: How the Housewives Schooled Me in Being Unapologetic

      Villains taught me how to survive. Call it scandalous, but the women Bravo pins as “trouble” taught me how to be loud about my needs, to armor up in sequins when the world feels cold, and to market my messiness as a kind of genius. For years, I felt like I had to dim my light to keep the peace, but then I saw these women turning “too much” into a tax bracket.

      I don’t watch to judge—I watch to take notes:

      I keep mental tabs when a scene lands—little flags that tell me this is more than drama, it’s a lesson. What follows isn’t gossip or piling on; it’s a translation exercise: reading these women as grammars for living loudly, imperfectly, and without apology. So let’s stop theorizing and start reading—one lesson per diva.

      This blog is my translation handbook—a place where so-called villains provide the grammar for living loudly, messily, and unapologetically. If you’re here to “cancel” someone, bring popcorn. If you’re here to learn how to own your power, stay a while.

      Lesson from Lisa Rinna: Say it Loud (and Own the Wig)

      Lisa Rinna is essentially a foghorn in a silk robe, and I mean that with the utmost respect. She weaponizes “the truth” like a tactical nuke, but she does it with a wink and a signature shag. Watching her in Amsterdam, where a single glass of wine and an inquiry about “the husband” sent the table into orbit, was a religious experience for me. It wasn’t just about the drama; it was about the refusal to back down when the room got uncomfortable.

      I used to be the guy who swallowed his words to keep the dinner party pleasant. Now? When I’m being minimized, I channel a little Rinna energy. She taught me that performative honesty is a valid shield. Whether she’s tossing a drink or “owning it” on a reunion couch, she proved that timing is everything and that taking up space is a non-negotiable right. If you’re going to call out the elephant in the room, you might as well do it while looking fabulous and holding a plush bunny.

      Lesson from Erika Jayne: Reinvent Like Your Life Depends on It

      Erika Jayne lives in the intersection of sequins and strategic mystery. She didn’t just join a show; she created a pop-era persona as a defensive perimeter. I’ll never forget the moment she snapped at Teddi Mellencamp for suggesting she had “pretend amnesia”—that snarl was the sound of a woman who had spent years building a fortress and wasn’t about to let a “moral compass” kick down the door. It was cold, it was calculated, and it was deeply relatable to anyone who has ever had to “harden up” to protect their peace.

      I relate to the “Expensive” lifestyle—not necessarily the $40k-a-month glam budget, but the cost of protecting your inner self. I’ve stolen her lesson about crafting an exterior that acts as armor. Sometimes, you have to put on the latex and the persona just to survive the day. She taught me that reinvention isn’t about being fake; it’s about high-performance survival. If the world is going to scrutinize you anyway, you might as well give them a show they have to pay for.

      Lesson from Ramona Singer: Make Messy Your Survival Tactic

      Ramona is chaos dressed in pearls and a bridge-player’s scowl. She is the only person I know who can insult your entire lineage, tell you your skin looks “dehydrated,” and then ask where you got your shoes in the same breath. But beneath the “Ramona-coaster” is a woman who simply refuses to be flattened. I think back to her walking the runway with those “crazy eyes”—it was hilarious, sure, but it was also a woman completely unbothered by how she was “supposed” to look.

      When my own life feels like a dumpster fire, I think of Ramona bouncing back from a public divorce by hosting a “New Beginnings” party and declaring herself “the new Ramona” for the fourteenth time. She showed me that you don’t have to be “composed” to be resilient. You can be a total disaster, trip over your own ego, and still be the main character. Her messiness is a declaration: “I am still here, and I am still loud.”

      Lesson from Bethenny Frankel: Hustle Your Way into Healing

      Bethenny turned bluntness into a billion-dollar brand. She mastered the alchemy of turning pain into product, proving that you can be “homeless” (in a high-end, Hamptons-adjacent way) and still build an empire. I still get chills watching her frantically gift-wrap Skinnygirl margarita bottles in a grocery store during Season 1. She didn’t wait for permission; she bullied her way into the market.

      She taught me that vulnerability doesn’t have to be soft—it can be sharp and efficient. I’ve adopted her “B-Strong” energy in my own career, learning to slice through “performative drama” with her brand of rescue-room pragmatism. I relate to the impulse to monetize hard-won lessons so they become both a lifeline for me and a shield for others. If you’re going to go through hell, you might as well document it, fix it, and sell the solution.

      Lesson from Dorit Kemsley: Let Vulnerability be Glamorous

      Dorit is couture with a confession booth. She is unapologetically weird—the shifting accents, the “coke in the bathroom” allegations, and the tendency to spend forty minutes talking about a glass of champagne. But there is something so charming about her willingness to be “extra” even when she’s falling apart. Remember when she turned a simple dinner into a fashion show, only to end up in tears about her home invasion? She didn’t take off the labels to be “relatable”; she stayed in the outfit.

      She taught me that being “too much” is actually just the right amount. When I’m feeling fragile, I don’t hide in complicity anymore; I speak my truth. Dorit showed me that you can collapse into a confession and still look like you walked off a runway in Paris. Vulnerability doesn’t have to look small or shameful; it can be loud, accessorized, and deeply stylish.

      Lesson from Teresa Giudice: Love Loud and Fiercely

      Teresa is a fiery cannonball of loyalty. We all remember “The Table Flip”—it’s the Big Bang of the Bravo universe. But look past the broken china and you see a woman whose spontaneity and explosive energy are rooted in a primal need to protect her “dorters” and her bloodline. She storms through rooms but also stitches them back together with homemade sauce and a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.

      I connect to that chaotic tenderness. In a world that tells women to be “composed” and “ladylike” even when their lives are being torn apart by legal battles and family feuds, Teresa reminds me that being loud about your needs is a form of care. Sticking through the drama isn’t a weakness; it’s a fierce, stubborn kind of grace. She taught me that you can go to “camp,” come back, and still be the Queen of the castle—as long as you never stop flipping tables for the people you love.

      After the Confetti:

      Maybe I’m sentimental, but I read the Housewives like a language—one made of sequins, shouting, and holiday-level devotion. The tabloids see villains; I see women who refuse to be ignored. They remind me that life is full of contradiction, elbow grease, and the small, sparkly kindness of just trying. Lisa Rinna taught me how to weaponize honesty without apology, Erika Jayne showed me the seductive power of reinvention, Ramona proved that noisy reinvention can be an act of stubborn survival, Dorit made me believe vulnerability can be glamorous, Teresa reminded me that loud devotion can also be fierce kindness, and Bethenny turned hustle into a form of therapy and revenue.

      So yes, call them villains if you want—I’ll be over here translating their lessons into my own main-character energy.

    • How to Meet Lisa Rinna Like a Normal Person (Except You’re Not).

      I scored a ticket to meet Lisa Rinna, and now I’m spiraling—should I be the calm, bookshelf‑respecting fan or abandon decorum and go full Rinna—statement jacket, bigger personality, and the kind of clap that clears a room?

      Getting Bravo-Ready:
      I’m in full pre-meet panic mode—over the next couple weeks, I’ll be pacing between my closet and the mirror, testing outfits like a contestant on a very anxious runway.

      My brain keeps cycling between “wear something classy and ironically understated so she thinks I’m chic” and “wear a T-shirt that says “My advice to you: Don’t hustle the hustler” or “I don’t have to buy it, ’cause I already own it” with a Rinna meme and iconic smirk because authenticity is the hill I will die on.

      Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be rehearsing opening lines in front of the mirror, likely hate all of them, and toss them because Lisa and I share a delightful talent for refusing to stick to the script—Bravo applause optional, Traitors’ poker face guaranteed.

      A Rinna‑Sized Closet Debate:
      I’m torn; seriously, I’m likely the most indecisive person when it comes to committing confidently to an ensemble. Here’s what I’ve got… thus far:

      Option A: I opt for a classy look — black Louboutins, a sleek jacket, and the kind of polished energy that shows I respect her time, the bookstore, and the sanctity of hardcover books (which I totally do).

      Option B: I procure myself a Lisa Rinna tee featuring one of her patented eyebrow raises and a caption like “Why Am I Here? I’m More Fabulous Than This.” 

      Option C: Or the chaotic combo — a graphic tee (likely a Rinna meme) under a sharp jacket, slim dark denim, and the kind of aggressively affectionate energy that says I can’t decide between suave and ready to hug someone I just met.

      All these say different things about me, and I suspect Lisa would appreciate the indecision.

      Bravo Binge:
      Preparing like I’m the one on WWHL, I’ve been binge-rewatching classic Rinna moments: that perfectly timed clap on Housewives, the “shocked but not surprised” face, and her Traitors poker-face reveals. I’ve bookmarked soundbites, practiced my laugh, and even rehearsed a few compliments that sound less like a high school essay and more like an emotionally precise slay. My playlist for the drive is queued: Rinna-era bravado mixed with Bravo theme music, because mood matters. I’ve got mental timestamps ready to drop—“remember when you did the…?”—so if there’s a tiny lull, I can lob a shared TV memory and hope we both sparkle.

      Say It Loud, Regret It Later:
      If I get thirty seconds, do I go for the bold vulnerable move—“you taught me to own my dramatic moments”—or the safe compliment—“I loved your chapter about…”? Do I ask the thing that will make her laugh or the thing that will make her stop mid-chew? And what if she hugs me, or worse, gives me the classic Rinna eyebrow and walks on? I’ve rehearsed escape routes, emergency tiny talk, and a plan to hand her the book with zero small talk if words desert me. Also plotting a one-liner in case she says, “Who are you?”—“A devoted fan who treats your clips like sermon and has memorized your arsenal of clapbacks for a later date”.

      Favorite Rinna Moments to Drop:
      There are moments I’m ready to lean into for maximum shared delight: her perfectly timed claps that say “I see you, and I judge you gently”. I want to tell her how her poker‑face moments on Traitors taught me that a look can say so much more than a paragraph, the reveal when she held that poker face like a national treasure, or the time she turned a shady comment into a full‑on theatrical monologue and made it couture. Those beats are shorthand for “we both watch Bravo, and we both know how to make an entrance.” I’ve watched Lisa turn a single eyebrow or sigh into a whole mood, and her Traitor’s poker face taught me that a look can say more than a paragraph.

      Permission Slip to Be Loud:
      Lisa continues to make me laugh out loud with those perfectly timed zingers and theatrical hand flourishes, and she’s taught me—by example—how to own my loud, blunt, unapologetic self. That permission to show up big and unashamed. That’s a real lesson I carry with me, and honestly, the clapbacks run my highlight reel, because that blunt honesty is exactly the kind of permission slip I need in my life.

      This is the main‑chapter‑me energy meets fanboy energy, the version of me that delights in theatricality and also cries at a really thoughtful gesture. Rinna gives me permission to be loud—she reminds me that volume can be a kind of honesty, that dramatic flourishes are sometimes the only way to say what’s true. I want to show up as someone who gets her, who understands why her boldness feels like a permission slip for the rest of us to stop apologizing for being ourselves.

      The Rinna Edit: Choosing a Look That Says “I’m Owning It”:
      So tell me—what should I say, ask, or do if I get thirty seconds (or more) with Lisa? I want to be respectful, but also channel my Rinna energy (her lips were made for talking and that’s exactly what they’ll do), and honestly, the title of her book practically dared me to speak up. Also, low‑key praying Erika Jayne shows up so I can lose my mind in person — after all, they’re my top Housewives duo. Vote on my line to use, and I’ll report back with receipts (and a possibly shaky selfie).

    • Taylor Taught Me To Say My Name Louder.

      “Taylor taught me how to say my name louder.”

      Kindergarten me thought school was a magic trick; grown‑up me thought teaching was the same trick reversed. Somewhere between those two pictures I found Taylor Swift on a mixtape and then on a baby blue CD and then on every playlist that kept me from dissolving the night I told my family I was gay. Her songs showed up like a friend who knew exactly what to say—wordy, precise, dramatic, and somehow kind—so I learned to use her language when my own felt too small.

      Lyrics As Maps:
      Taylor’s lines give you directions when the path feels invisible. Her songwriting reads like a mapmaker’s notebook, giving you street names for feeling—“the story of us,” “cardigan,” “the lakes”—so when I was fumbling through coming out and career shifts, I could point to a lyric and know I wasn’t inventing my experience. That specificity matters. In “You Need to Calm Down” she names the target and then folds the chorus into a collective who‑we‑are, and in quieter songs like “Illicit Affairs” or “Exile” she renders the ache in a way that makes it possible to name yours. When you don’t have a vocabulary for what’s happening to you, a Taylor line will hand it to you in full, dramatic sentences.

      Community and Visibility:
      Swifties are a messy, loving newsroom. Being a Swiftie isn’t just stan culture, it’s crowd therapy. The fan base has been one of the safest rooms I’ve ever entered—people sharing stories about coming out at concerts, sending fans art that reads like confessions, and turning lyrics into little queer anthems. Taylor’s public moves—calling out homophobia, supporting the Equality Act, and making “You Need to Calm Down” a literal call for visibility—gave the fandom permission to be loud. That visibility matters in real life: when I saw trans and gay fans at shows holding signs that said, “We make it to the bridge together,” it was less about celebrity and more about being counted.

      Activism and Donation:
      When the pop star becomes a literal ally… It’s one thing to sing about inclusion and another to write checks and sign letters. Swift’s donations to organizations like GLAAD and the Trevor Project, plus her vocal support for legal protections, moves her beyond symbolic solidarity. For people who didn’t have a big community safety net, those actions were tangible. They meant resources, hotlines, and a megaphone pointed at systems that make life harder for queer people. For me, knowing a major artist used her platform that way lowered the background noise of shame and isolation just a few decibels, which in a dark season felt like life support.

      Why this Matters to Me:
      Taylor’s songs were scaffolding while I rebuilt myself… as I continue to. They help me narrate who I am during shifts big and small—leaving a job, rewriting a family story, or finally saying the word out loud. Beyond the celebrity gloss, her work gives me language to call out cruelty and a chorus to sing back when I feel unseen. That’s why I can be sentimental but still roll my eyes at her industry theatrics—she’s given me something more useful than a headline. She’s handed me a way to speak.

      Sing Loudly and Bring Someone with You:
      If a line struck you the way it struck me, post it. Make a playlist for someone who’s having a hard week. If you’re a Swiftie, share a moment where a song got you through something—tag it #BlankSpacesAndPolaroids or just send it to one person who needs to hear it. If you’re new to her music, try a deep cut on a slow afternoon and see what names it gives you. 

      Either way, don’t keep the good lines to yourself—pass them on.

    • The Kid Who Loved School Became The One Who Stayed

      I have two “first day” pictures of school saved on my phone—one with a teal backpack and a forever‑wide nervous smile, the other with a stack of essays and the same crooked grin.

      Left: me, Kindergarten, 1991, proud owner of a teal backpack and socks that did not match the shoes. Right: me on my first day teaching twelfth‑grade English at North Brunswick High, same smile, upgraded existential crisis.

      I remember Miss Pamela Jackson’s classroom like it was lit from within—posters, crayon dust, the hum of chatter that made everything feel important. I was five, convinced a backpack could contain my whole future, and absolutely certain that school was where I belonged. Fast forward to North Brunswick, and the fluorescent lights hum a different song. My lesson plans were neat, my shirt probably wrinkled, and I rehearsed the opening line to my seniors like it was an incantation: “We are going to read, laugh, cry, argue, and maybe change one small thing about how you see the world.” I felt the same delicious, terrifying ache of possibility.

      Why School Stuck With We:
      There was something about the ritual—bell, backpack, lineup—that made life feel ordered in a good way. In Miss Jackson’s room, I learned that language could be a map to other people. That early feeling of being held by school is why I kept circling back to it, even when life tried to pull me elsewhere. Teaching felt less like a job and more like continuing a conversation that started when someone handed me a pencil and said, “Listen.”

      The Messy Bits:
      Of course, it wasn’t all perfect. The teal backpack didn’t save me from awkwardness, and my first year teaching didn’t spare me from the slow burn of mistakes—late nights grading, emails where my tone landed like a paper airplane, and the hit to my confidence when I realized my “big ideas” sometimes landed like homework nobody handed in. There were moments I wanted to quit, to stop being the person who cared so much that it hurt. But those messy, human moments are part of the story too—proof that loving something doesn’t mean you love it without scars.

      What Teaching Gave Back:
      In return, teaching returned a million small miracles—students who read a line and lit up, the exact wrong joke that made a whole class relax, the rare note from a grad years later saying, “You mattered.” It taught me patience with my own growth and the ability to hold contradictions: fierce optimism right next to bone‑deep tiredness. Also, it gave me an appreciation for shoes that can survive a classroom and still look like you tried.

      Let us talk about the socks situation in the kindergarten photo. A bold choice. That teal backpack had more confidence than I did, accessorizing like it owned the playground. And grown‑up me in the teacher selfie? Same smile, slightly more resigned, pinch of coffee, and definitely fewer mismatched socks, but the same unstoppable optimism. If Miss Jackson could see me now, she’d probably smile, hand me a sticker, and then ask if I’ve read anything good lately.

      Standing across those two images, what feels wild is how steady the center of me is—the part that loves stories, that wants to make space for curiosity, that thinks a well‑placed sentence can do something gentle and dangerous at once. First days are secret rituals of possibility, whether you’re five with a backpack or thirty‑something with a stack of essays. I still show up with that same wide, nervous smile, ready to be surprised.

      If you’ve got a first‑day photo that’s been hiding in your camera roll, send it my way or drop a line about a teacher who changed you—I’ll read every single one.

    • The Paper Towels of Memory

      “I take pictures to stop feelings from slipping away.”

      I know, I know—it sounds a bit dramatic, maybe even a little “main character syndrome.” But there’s a gritty truth to it: photos are the paper towels for memory when life gets messy. When the days start to bleed together, and the details get fuzzy, a single square of film can pull an entire afternoon back into focus.

      It’s not just about the “who” or the “where.” It’s the exact pitch of a laugh, that specific sideways look that says everything without a word, and the way the light hits the dashboard at dusk, turning a mundane Tuesday into a scene from a movie.

      The Architecture of the Small Stuff

      This is why I don’t usually aim for the “perfect” shot. In fact, I’m hunting for the small, stubborn things:

      • The crooked smiles that happen between the poses.

      • Hands on steering wheels, white-knuckled or relaxed, heading nowhere in particular.

      • Lamps in dark rooms that look like they’re holding their own tiny, private suns.

      Those are the anchors. They end up carrying the weight of everything else.

      Photography as a Rescue Mission

      For me, photography is less about “composition” and more about rescue. I’m a writer, but even I lose words sometimes. I might not remember the exact sentences we traded over dinner six months ago, but if I have a photo of your hand hovering over the menu? I can feel the humidity of the restaurant again. I can hear the clinking of silverware.

      If I have a photo of a crumpled ticket stub, I can hear the opener’s guitar and smell the sticky scent of spilled cola on a venue floor. These objects aren’t just things; they are time machines. A 3×3 frame becomes a door to a feeling I didn’t even know was waiting for me.

      Translating the Evidence

      That’s where the writing comes in. A caption is a polite nod, but an essay is the room where I try to name why that moment mattered.

      My process is usually this: I’ll show you the photo (the evidence), and then I’ll tell you what the evidence felt like. I’m not here to confess my deepest secrets, just to translate what a picture remembers into words that might make you think of something you want to hold onto, too.

      I live for the nostalgic things—the stories that are slightly faded at the edges. I love writing that gets a little sentimental and then winks at itself for being so earnest.

      The Comments are Your “Blank Space”

      If you have a photo that does this for you—a blurry candid, a picture of a keychain, or a shot of a sunset that feels like it belongs only to you—tell me about it. Post a description or share the story in the comments. I promise to read it like it’s the only thing that matters.

    • Welcome to “Blank Space & Polaroids”: My Love Letter to Tiny Memories

      “I make pictures so I don’t forget.”

      It’s a simple mission statement, but in a world that moves at 120 frames per second, I find myself constantly reaching for the “Pause” button. That’s what Blank Space & Polaroids is: a collection of pauses.

      If you’re looking for a Taylor Swift or Bravo reference, you found it. But much like a Polaroid, this blog is about the magic that happens in the waiting—the slow development of a story until the colors finally start to make sense.

      The Art of the Stubborn Moment

      I don’t always go for the big, staged milestones. I’m here for the stubborn moments that refuse to leave my head:

      • The crooked smiles that only happen when someone thinks the camera is off.

      • Hands on steering wheels at dusk, caught in that blue-hour light that feels like a secret.

      • Ticket stubs tucked so deep into a wallet they’ve started to fray.

      I’ve always felt that a picture is just a sentence waiting for a little context—and maybe a punchline. Sometimes my photos are evidence that a day actually happened; other times, they are just an excuse to sit down and write until the feeling is captured.

      This blog is where the image and the word meet halfway… with periodic pop-culture detours; after all, some things (like reality TV queens and Taylor Swift albums) are worth defending out loud.

      I believe in being honest without being unkind. To keep things sacred, I err on the side of discretion—names might become initials and places might blur, but I promise the feeling will always stay true.

      Thanks for stopping by my “Blank Space.” I hope you find something here that resonates, or at least something that looks good in a white border.