This seems like an appropriate place to share that, as a kid, I was pretty extraordinary. I didn’t realize it at the time, though. Back then, I was healthy, quiet, well-behaved, made good grades, and stayed so far below the radar in all aspects of life that I felt terminally ordinary and completely unremarkable. I … More Master of “The Secret” From the Git
Warning: this post contains graphic descriptions of heavy metal and violent images that may not be appropriate for young children and vegetarians. To say that I dislike the music of Metallica would not be wholly accurate. I can respect their talent and abilities, but when I hear them, I can feel myself begin to change … More A Medal for Mysterious, Music-Induced Moods
One of the buzzkills of breast cancer is that I’m supposed to go see my surgeon once a year for the rest of my life. It would make more sense for the oncologist—whom I’m not scheduled to ever see again—to do these follow-ups rather than the surgeon, but then again, I realized long ago that … More The Naked Truth Award
This is probably TMI, so you may want to avert your eyes now and move onto some more appropriate, impersonal, less cancery corner of the internet while you have the chance. This is the sort of thing I should be writing about in the top secret Book of Doom (our nickname for the black leather … More Rockstar of Radiology
I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I have made and kept life resolutions at random points in time unrelated to the calendar. In these final hours of 2015, as part of a promise I made to myself last spring to focus on the positive and to celebrate the small wins, I … More New Year, Same Old Wins
I tend to think of myself as an easygoing, carefree type of person. Do you know why I think that? It’s because, clearly, the version of myself that exists inside my head has never met my actual self. In reality, I am often anxious, self-critical, obsessively analytical. I am frequently tense without even being consciously aware … More The Yoga Apologist, or How to Conquer the Raw, Rough-around-the-Edges Days
Among the most impressive items shining proudly in my Winning at Life trophy case is my Mobile Peace Prize. I earned it not for brokering peace among warring nations or disarming a volatile dictatorship (that’s a Nobel Peace Prize, but I can see where you might confuse the two), but for something almost as difficult: … More The Mobile Peace Prize
Growing up, my parents tried to get us to eat fairly healthily. Most forms of junk food were allowed only in moderation—on holidays or when purchased with our own personal money. I invested my entire childhood allowance on candy and doughnuts. Not necessarily a wise fiscal strategy, but at the time, I thought the return … More I am a Cereal Winner
For the tenth time in as many months, a medical professional has deemed me a Good Patient. I’ve earned this title of honor–first and foremost–by having an unusual number of health problems for a person of my age. The typos in my genetic code, coupled with my accident-proneness and plain old-fashioned bad luck, make me … More The Good Patient
After my mastectomy and reconstruction last March, my mom came to stay with us to help out during my recovery. I decided–after a few long, dull days of writhing in pain and wallowing in Netflix, at a point in time when both of my JP drains had been removed and I was feeling thin, having … More Dressing Room Wrestler
Maria Linn 