For Acculturated: A Dystopian Movie with a Surprisingly Pro-Family Message

Friday nights are best spent watching movies with friends. Especially when the movie is worth writing about! I so enjoyed Netflix's new original dystopian movie What Happened to Monday. If you haven't seen it, you really should watch it, if only because then my latest article for Acculturated will make more sense. But mostly, because the acting is amazing! I hope you enjoy!

For Acculturated: What Jane Austen Teaches Us about Texting

As many of my posts imply, I love Jane Austen and any excuse to write about her! Check out my latest article for Acculturated about how our twenty-first century writing culture is more akin to her nineteenth century culture than we might think.

Christians, Check Your Patriotism

I am proud to be an American. My heart warms when I see flags flying, or hear our national anthem playing before a ball game, and especially at the Olympics. I tear up every time American Soldier comes on the radio, and I turn up the volume every time I hear Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.
 I do believe there is something special about America and Americans, about our history and about our future.

Yet despite my immense patriotism, I fully support the NFL protesters. As a Catholic, I must.

For Acculturated: Why Lifetime's 'Bad Girls' are Bad for Women

One step forward, two steps back. Although Lifetime won my heart with Project Runway, their other programming still has very far to go in changing how the world views women. Check out my latest article for Acculturated here.

Seventy times Seven

One of my fondest childhood memories is riding in my uncle's jeep with my cousins, singing the VeggieTales theme song at the top of our lungs. My family takes VeggieTales very seriously. I'm talking marathons, seriously. We own the first fourteen videos on VHS and numerous other newer releases on DVD. But those fourteen, I know them like the back of my hand. They made Bible lessons fun and exciting. Plus, Silly Songs with Larry taught me water buffaloes were a thing and that cucumbers don't need hairbrushes. Very valuable lessons. But, back to the Bible. From 'love your neighbor' to 'have a happy heart', VeggieTales was one of my first and most formative interactions with the Christian moral ethic. Its lessons, given in the guise of chatty vegetables, continue to inspire, challenge, and transform me, most lately with my understanding of forgiveness.

For Acculturated: 'Project Runway' Goes Plus-Size

Throughout middle and high school, I was an avid Project Runway fan. Like, I even bought a shirt that said "I'm so LA" because Andre wore them on the show. That's how avid I'm talking. My Dad and I would stay up late one night a week to watch the show together, critiquing and admiring what the designer-contestants sent down the runway. I lost steam for the show sometime during college, when I was too busy (and too cool?) for reality TV. Yet, here I am, after a six year hiatus, addicted again, as if I never had a break. Why the sudden renewal of my viewership? Quite simple: models size two to twenty-two. Project Runway is taking the body positivity movement by storm this season, and I am so excited about it. Check out my latest article for Acculturated about why Project Runway's campaign is fresh, meaningful, and successful.

History is Not Always History

I am a Storyteller for Historic Philadelphia, Inc. For the summer, this entails standing at a semi-circular bench and telling stories to young and old who come to the Independence Visitor Center. Before every story, I ring a bell and proclaim "free stories!" to attract any last minute listeners. At first, ringing this bell made me feel terribly uncomfortable. Many people walk by giggling, or looking awkwardly away as if the sound of my bell will compel them into some Ponzi scheme. Sometimes it's easy to get swept into the energy of those passersby, and think of my job as silly or superfluous or saccharine.

Today, however, my bell tolled a sobering reminder of how worthwhile my work is. A woman approached me, asking if I would tell a story to the group of refugees she had with her. "They might not understand much," she said, "but I think it would be nice." I, of course, obliged, and began telling the story of Ona Judge. I chose this story because I use exaggerated gestures and tones of voice that I thought might be amusing despite any language barrier. Yet, as I got deeper into the story, looking at their faces, I began to choke up. Unintentionally, I was telling them their own story.