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My life as a writer is inundated constantly by mental snapshots, a slideshow of potential genius that slowly morphs into something like a PowerPoint of existential dread. The words I usually dodge, unfortunately, are the juiciest bits, the recurring nightmares that gnaw at my soul every morning. The echoes of my unfulfilled past life make…
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I must confess, I’ve made—and broken—the solemn vow to do something creative every day more times than I care to count. “I’ll write a little bit each day,” I say to myself. Yet, like clockwork, after a solid week of productivity, I’ll hit that inevitable wall. It’s not for lack of time, either. Some days,…
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I’ve been thinking a lot about the word underrated lately. It’s one of those terms people love to throw around when they’re talking about their favorite obscure band or that indie movie nobody knows about. It’s what hipsters say to basically mean, “I’m special because I like things no one else appreciates.” But what does…
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In the not-so-distant past, I was a digital marketer. That’s a title that might sound glamorous if you’re into buzzwords and the thrill of chasing after the ever-elusive SEO trends. Indeed, for over a decade, I fancied myself as a blogger extraordinaire, tirelessly diving headfirst into the murky waters of long-tail keywords and emerging search…
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Do you ever get the sense that life is one big, elaborate sitcom? Are you just waiting for the laugh track to kick in so that you know at least someone else is in on this joke we call life? If you’re like me, you might find yourself pondering the absurdity of existence at 3…
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When we think of qualifications, we should not think of pieces of paper. It’s not that these certificates, Diplomas, awards, and whatnot are bad. They are affirmations that represent the completion of particular tasks or goals. They are useful symbols but in my experience they can be greatly overrated. Like with anything else, not every…
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I’ve been labeled a “genius” by various well-meaning folks over the years. Some of them even dared to slap on the more flattering “creative genius” tag. I suppose I should be flattered, but honestly, I’ve always found it a bit bewildering. Maybe it’s my tragic flaw, but I just don’t see it. Sure, I’ve got…
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As Charles Schulz once said, “Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.” This brilliant observation sums up so much of the human condition. We’re all equipped with potential, yet most of us coast along, our metaphorical legs doing the bare minimum while we let life roll downhill. Of…
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When I was knee-deep in the digital marketing swamp, I thought I could keep up with it all—knowledge, trends, my inbox, you name it. My goal was to become some kind of 21st-century renaissance woman who would become one of the expected heroes of the information age. Yeah, I was dead wrong about that. It…
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Recently, Emily Slatin and her friends Luke and Lucas from the YouTube channel Luke Explores checked out the now long-abandoned I-86 Diner in Parksville, New York. It’s a relic of the grand tradition of American dining—one of many across the nation buried beneath the weight of greasy takeout bags and UberEats orders. Thanks to what…