Creative Project Announcement (And a call for help)!

It's been a while since I posted anything. Fortunately, that long silence should be ending soon. I finished my master's thesis and presented it two weeks ago. After, I had heavy reading assignment loads to deal with. Now that I'm on spring break, my goal is to work hard to get ahead in my reading …

Almost Through the Semester (A Note on the Long Pause)

Hi all! Long time no see (it's been longer for me than for you, because I scheduled a few posts in advance that went live during my semester). I'm working my way through another grad school semester. I recently presented my research at a poster show on campus, am working on finishing my location-aware mixed …

A Response to Two Video Game Related Sunshine Blogger Challenges Part 2

Recently, I had the honor of being tagged by two bloggers, Meghan Plays Games and Kelly, author of Why We Play Games for the Sunshine Blogger Award Challenge. I felt like responding to two challenges at once was a bit too long for one post, so I split my replies in two! Last time, I answered Meghan's questions. Today, I'll answer Kelly's questions and pose questions of my own.

Symbolism Saturday: Mother’s Broom in Kiki’s Delivery Service

Welcome to Symbolism Saturday! For anyone new to Symbolism Saturday, this is a bi-monthly Saturday special that I originally started sharing on Instagram and Twitter. In these posts, I highlight an example of symbolism in pop culture in a bite-sized exploration. Today, we're taking a look at a symbol from the anime movie Kiki's Delivery Service. 

Symbolism Saturday: The Half-Life Crowbar

Welcome to Symbolism Saturday! For anyone new to Symbolism Saturday, this is a bi-monthly Saturday special that I originally started sharing on Instagram and Twitter. In these posts, I highlight an example of symbolism in pop culture in a bite-sized exploration. Today, we're taking a look at a symbol from the game Half-Life.

Pop Culture Media’s Role in Helping Fans Cope

I’ve been thinking about the many ways that people cope with their life circumstances, and how infrequently we talk about our coping mechanisms with others. When my husband’s mother first passed away, sleep was a difficult time for him. He frequently woke up in the middle of the night in a panic, or in tears following nightmares related to his mother’s death. He’d have vivid nightmares...

An Update on the Most Recent Dramatic Pause

Hey! I just wanted to check in and say that I haven't bailed on this blog yet! I'm constantly thinking about what topic I want to write on next, and I have tons of ideas that I'm excited to get started on. Right now, my primary focus is on preparing my thesis for graduation, and …

The Magic of Hands-on Learning [OWLS July Blog Tour: Mentor]

Not every mentor is spectacular, but sometimes we come across one that is out of this world. Today, I'm writing about an out-of-this-world teacher from pop culture who never fails the kids she's in charge of educating: Ms. Frizzle of The Magic School Bus...

100 Followers Special: Tell Me About Your Blog (Etc.)

I'm celebrating 100 followers. Do you have a great blog, Instagram, Google+ page, DeviantArt, or other internet space that you're proud of and want to show off? Do you have a favorite internet content creator who you'd like to brag about? Come share it in the comments! You can share a specific work from your site, or just leave us the link to the main page and let us discover pages ourselves...

Envisioning Worlds Without Hate [OWLS June Blog Tour: Pride]

Pop culture acts a platform for self-expression and provides a space for the LGBTQ+ community to find visibility. There are a number of pop culture works that include and revolve around LGBTQ+ characters. A number of these works focus on overcoming hate and discrimination, raising awareness for what individuals in the community experience in the …