I don't know if it's the inner misogynist in me or if I just had difficulties with emotions when I was younger, but I wasn't much of a crier growing up. I had seen many a movie, played many games, and listened to many songs. The only media I remember crying during was Toy Story 3 , Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness , and Hachi. Even then, my cries were like a single manly tear, barely shed and shed in silence. I felt tough. Fast-forward 15 years and now I feel li

For those who don't know, I write opinion articles for my university's newspaper, The Spectrum. I've been doing this for the last 2 years. It's a good gig. I get to write about issues that are important to me and the community and get paid for it. There are limits to what I can write about. I have to suggest my ideas to my editor and they have to approve, usually making sure I'm not covering the same topic someone else is in the same edition. However, I have noticed lately t

Spiritual Gifts In my early adulthood, I wanted to know what my spiritual gift(s) was. Spiritual gifts, according to their mythology when I grew up, were traits a Christian was born again with that could be used to bless God, others, and themselves. The Bible lists several examples in Corinthians and Romans: healing (1 Corinthians 12:9) prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:10) speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10) interpreting tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10) administration (1 Corinth

I originally created this blog in 2024 with my ideas to share with my community, family, friends, and colleagues. Around the same time, I started writing for the NDSU Spectrum opinions section. I'm a creator and a writer. Teaching and scholarship is often not enough for me. That's why I found new outlets to share my voice through. Fall 2025 was particularly rough on me. I had a severe infection in August and a surgery that followed while I prepared to teach a new online co

A recent conversation with one of my fellow pokémon fans and friend brought up some interesting concerns about how well I know the only franchise that matters to me: Pokémon. I went through a timed quiz for each of the 9 generations where I try to name as many as I can within a given time limit. Pokémon Z-A Generation I: Kanto This quiz gave me 15 minutes to name 151 pokémon. I ended with 102 pokémon, or 68%. The quiz suggests the average score for this generation is 67%. I p

I like to incorporate class check-in surveys, especially when I teach a new class. This semester marks my first time teaching an...

no-show after no-show for research appointments Y'all already know I love doing empirical research. Interviews, observations, surveys,...

Another week in America has been rocked by violence on school campuses. The first week of the fall semester was already marked by...

With the chaos of fall semester starting this week, I wanted to do something fun for my blog post. As you probably know, I love Pokémon....

trigger warning: descriptions of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse Amazon's new season of Shiny Happy People focuses on Teen Mania ,...

Mafruha and I in matching co-designed bucket hats In January 2023, I started my internship at the NDSU Center for Writers along with a...

Gaeric, from Pokémon Legends: Arceus As an artist, I have a few pet peeves about gender performance through art. Today, I'll be going...

After my prospectus was approved in May, I moved forward with my dissertation research as best as I could. I've also been preparing for...

What is a Privilege Walk? In my teaching credential program in 2017, one of my classes had me and my classmates perform a privilege walk...

I have the disability IBS (you can learn more about it on this blogpost ). What most people don't understand about chronic illnesses like...

As I prepare to go on the academic job market, I have a lot of concerns. What is probably my largest concern after needing accommodations...

This blog post is about my time as a crip killjoy in Cleveland this last week. For those who don't know what a crip killjoy is, Scholar...

This is the last blog post in which I'm focusing on our senses and how they can be disabling. Each one will focus on one of the five...

This is one of the blog posts in which I'm focusing on our senses and how they can be disabling. Each one will focus on one of the five...

This is one of the blog posts in which I'm focusing on our senses and how they can be disabling. Each one will focus on one of the five...