Sunday, April 30, 2023

Featured Artist: Corinne Theile #thrivingartist


"I'm not OshKosh. I'm Corinne!"

That’s what Corinne declared, at four years old, while demanding that her mother cut the OshKosh labels off her clothing. 
In hindsight, that was a pivotal moment. Her mother explained that Oshkosh was a brand (not a name), and that was when Corinne became fascinated with the world of branding + marketing. 
 
As the daughter of small business owners, Corinne discovered her aptitude for sales when she was tall enough to see over the counter at her parent's lamp shop. Her love of photography also started early. The daughter of a film major, she spent time behind and in front of the camera. 

During her teenage years, when most girls hung posters of teen heartthrobs on their walls, Corinne instead decorated her walls with torn-out advertisements from magazines and product packaging she found especially clever and fascinating.

Corinne is known for doing things her way. She loves exploration and discovery, whether through travel or when sampling the latest offering from a local restaurant. Her colleagues have called her "a visionary whose creativity is not limited by the usual constraints known to others."

So, how does Corinne herself view being an artist? "We are constantly surrounded by and interacting with art and design. There has been no other time in history when creating and sharing art has been easier. From how we decorate our homes to the clothes we wear, the words we put onto paper - and the photos we take and share on social media. We can be and are all artists!”











Tuesday, April 11, 2023

That Night Court Podcast, Ep 2: The One With Michael J. Fox #nightcourt #podcast #rewatch #michaeljfox


 https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fangirling/episodes/That-Night-Court-Podcast--Ep--2-The-One-With-Michael-J--Fox-e2267m0


Yes, it's back, That Night Court Podcast. In this episode, I review season one, episode two, "Santa Clause is Coming To Town". From Marty McFly as an angry run-away teen, to Dan being not fully formed, to Bull's innate belief, and Harry's struggle to go with his heart and believe in the unseen, or stand by the law, it's an episode worth a listen.

Thanks for your patience in getting the second episode out! Thanks for listening!

#nightcourt #podcast #rewatch #michaeljfox

Saturday, April 8, 2023

Lovelink: A Dino, A Convict, A Cam-Girl & A Bailiff #nightcourt #lovelin...


In this episode, Roz makes a new connection, catches up with Austin Russo, the poet convict, & has a somewhat frustrating convo with the Cam-Girl!

Friday, April 7, 2023

The Effects of Purity Culture #purityculture #fundamentalism #christianity



When I was a preteen, I went to Bible camps because my single dad got me a scholarship and it was free babysitting for a week each summer. At the end of every Bible camp, they would ask if anyone wanted to“give their life to the Lord.” At 13, I made this decision. My dad didn’t go to church, but my mom and my new stepdad did, so I got baptized at their church.

Fast forward through my teen years, where I was hanging out with friends older than myself and going to concerts and parties. I was 18 when I met my (now ex-) husband and we were married when I was only 19 years old. The honeymoon quickly faded revealing him to be very controlling and told me I needed to stop hanging out with my friends. He also insisted I get rid of my music, my life at the time. He was not a good person to me but I was blind to his controlling nature. He was a textbook narcissist. 

During our marriage, I was abused emotional, sexually, and religiously. He used the Bible to control me for his pleasure, condoned by the teachings of the church which states their belief that the husband is head of the household. I became increasingly more depressed through our 12 year marriage, and  developed many chronic pain and health conditions. I felt alone as I was alienated by my health added to the reality that I did not have close friends in the church to truly check on or help me.  This was a reality I was unaware of at the time but would eventually make itself apparent.

When we finally went to marriage counseling, it was suggested that I go to a counseling center out of state for my depressione. While there, I realized the spell I was under by my narcissistic husband and was slowly able to begin the process of breaking free from him, enough to kick him out of the house (that I was paying for!) not long after I came back.

Since then, I have gone to many different counselors to work through the abuse and to heal. I am still in counseling a decade later. I’m scared to go to church because everyone sided with my ex during our divorce, revealing the truth that they were never really my friends. Thus, I decided to start new in another state closer to my family. However, I still won’t attend church for many reasons, but that’s a whole other story I can explain later. I do try to date, but my health is still a hardship making it difficult to leave the house.

Yes, I do still believe in God, but my struggle is with Bible itself. Today,  I consider myself “spiritual” instead of religious. I am open to remarrying if I ever meet the right person, but I have a lot to work through first. I hope my story can help others who are trapped in an abusive marriage to consider a change.








Jess Hart is an artist, rescues cats, and enjoys punk music. She lives in West Texas.





Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Rise & Fall #holyweek #universal

 


This week, April 2, 2023 thru April, 9, 2023 is known as a Holy Week for at least two of the major World religions, that of Christianity and Judiasm, with Palm Sunday, Passover, Good Friday, and, finally, Easter.  As I was preparing the scheduled social media posts for this month's birthdays and holidays, I was reflecting on how, as an ex-fundie Christian, I would express the importance of this week, especially that of the Christian religion. It struck me that the symbolism of rising and falling, death and resurrection is one not singular to Christianity or even one spiritual path, but one that can be found across cultures and religions throughout history.  

Relevant links: 

Religion and spirituality is an attempt to make sense of life and of existence.  The ways in which spiritual walks seem to be varied and different is actually a mask for their similarities.  One of which is the narrative of death, dying to self, endings, then resurrection, born again, and new beginnings.  The reasoning for this can be discovered within the workings of humanity and nature.  For into each life a little rain must fall, but joy comes in the morning.  In every life, no matter the race, nationality, or even species, good things befall as well as hardships.  We rise up, we fall down, we rise again.  If then, spirituality is a means of attempting to make sense of the chaos of life, then the texts and teachings of the various religious and spiritual teaching are figurative explanations for finding understanding and hope.  As it is written that deities of old, such as Jesus, died and rose again, so to, we experience losses, sorrows, the deaths of life which then lead to the enriching experience of rising again with renewal.