Whatever happened to Alternative Ann?

Compliant me, defiant me I have a friend who used to call me “Alternative Ann” back when we were in high school. I’m actually not sure why, because I’ve always seen myself as a compliant, wallflower sorta gal. Yet I’ve become aware over the last year or so that I actually possess a (frustrating and often ridiculous) contrary streak. I hate hype, celebrities and the … Continue reading Whatever happened to Alternative Ann?

Under (or over) the influence

The difference between a celebrity and an influencer I’m not sure when we stopped using the word celebrity in favour of the word influencer, but I feel like it happened around the time Instagram took off. It seems that once you have several thousand followers, you’re an influencer. Which means you’re kind of a celebrity. Which means you’re famous. Which means … what exactly? For … Continue reading Under (or over) the influence

Brutality and humanity: a book you won’t want to, but should, read

Early inspiration I suppose that every writer, whether professional or amateur, has work from their past that they’re seriously embarrassed to have brought into the world. One example in particular comes to mind. I wrote stories all through my childhood and adolescence and am generally proud of what I penned, but I did have woeful phase in Year 10 where I mimicked the style and … Continue reading Brutality and humanity: a book you won’t want to, but should, read

To tweet or not to tweet?

Sometimes I wish I was good at Twitter. It would be proof that I’m not just intelligent but super witty and have something to say about the state of the universe. There may be no “I” in team, but there is definitely “wit” in Twitter.

If I was a tweeter, here’s what I would tweet

Here are a few things that have crossed my mind to tweet but never made it to the Twittersphere … Continue reading To tweet or not to tweet?

Pinch yourself and hit send

One my favourite simple pleasures in life is rediscovering songs from the 90s – and in particular, the one-hit wonders. My most recent nostalgia hit is Pinch Me by the Barenaked Ladies. Remember them? Yeah!

Ten years ago to the day, I posted this brief status update to Facebook (in the third person – I guess that’s how we did it back in the olden days).

Intriguing! So … what was my youth all about again? Continue reading Pinch yourself and hit send