Bless this mess that is the physical manifestation of my inner world. The piles and temporary designated areas of significance. The loosely outlined sections on the floor for this and that. My fuzzy idea that I'll be able to find THIS under or on top of THAT.

The story of Loulou Edie Reed is filled with suspense, drama, and lots of love. A Yorkshire terrier with a full name and mysterious background, she waltzed into my (our) life when the last thing on my mind was adopting a new dog. But like most of the pets my family has acquired, we don’t pick the time for a dog- the dog picks us.

When I was a kid I LOVED ice cream sandwiches. I'm not a huge ice cream person, but I still have a soft spot for the ice cream sandwich. The other day, as I was snacking on this tasty treat at Thinkspace Gallery, it reminded me of this mischievous story from my childhood.

"What are you doing this weekend? Want to attend a protest against the abortion clinic?" 

I can't say these were the exact words of the plucky, intelligent and deeply caring junior high friend who asked me to join her and the group organizing this protest, but that was the impression it left me. And I can't recall my exact words back to her, but I likely stuttered and declined – not challenging her desire to protest abortion and now exploring my ideas about her and why it felt wrong to attend.

America's a hot mess that talks a big game but can never seem to really get their shit together. I need to set boundaries with America, or else they will suck me dry of any spirit or joy. An emotional vampire, toxic environment, straight-up infuriating devil I know. So, yeah, America – we have issues, and I don't want you to think that my eating BBQ, watching colorful explosives, and enjoying my federal holiday off of work is because we're friends.

No – I'm celebrating in the name of Americana.

We've all been pissed before. We've all wished something bad on someone else. But in the age of the internet things escalate quickly, and it seems that people forget another human in on the other end of the venomous toxic message that is being sent out over the interweb. There is definitely a dehumanization occurring in society, a disintegration of civility, and maybe it's because we interact with a screen more than actual people - but let's bring back the humanity in our threats!