As a teenager, I attended a self-defense class.  Our group was made up of Mormon girls between the ages of 12 and 18.  The instructor, also a Mormon, chose to end the presentation by telling us “The greater the number of earrings in your ear, the… Read full post »

Coffee is my favorite part of the morning - hot, fragrant, and flavorful, a warm cup puts me in the right mood for the rest of my day.  Over the years, I have developed a few key principles that allow me to consistently brew good coffee using my trusty French press. … Read full post »

        I grew up in the country and live in a city.  Growing up, we had blueberry, raspberry, and elderberry bushes, along with four gnarled old apple trees.  Moving to a large city, what I missed most about home was all of the green - the trees, the flowers,… Read full post »

“Marriage just makes things easier.” 

Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15^th, 1820, 165 years before I was born.  I have always had a deep admiration for Susan B. Anthony, one that goes beyond the simple coincidence of sharing a birthday.  Even as a stubborn pre-adolescent girl with tangled hair, I understood the huge debt/… Read full post »

          In high school, I met with a college admissions counselor, who asked me about my extracurricular activities and academic performance. For sports, I had done ballet and track and cross country. I had won an art competition, performed in the school musical, and playe… Read full post »

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          A couple weeks, I watched a Bollywood movie called 3 Idiots.  The plot centered on the adventures of three friends who are attending a top-ranked engineering college in India.&nbs… Read full post »

          When I came home from my first semester of college, my sister-in-law asked me about college and if I liked the people at church. I looked at her, puzzled, until I realized she didn’t know. “I haven’t attended church in over a year.” I t… Read full post »

         I met an old friend this weekend.  This girl is my Mormon counterpart, the “what-if” version of a life spent inside Mormonism, rather than outside.  Our parents are long-time friends; we grew up in the same ward and attended the same school.&nbs… Read full post »

"I for one am neither surprised nor the slightest bit dismayed by my political antithesis's re-election. We know what leads to the final 'passing of the torch' and this just hastens the day and solidifies the resolve and preparation of those who are already well entrenched." 

"It i… Read full post »

           The night of Election Day, 2008, I found myself in the library writing a paper.  Genetics lab – and the fly report – is infamous at Cornell, the bane of many aspiring biologists.  As luck would have it, this report was due the day after E… Read full post »

          We live in an era that is becoming more and more partisan by the day.  I am still young - perhaps this has always been the case.  All I know is that since I have reached adulthood, I have been watching this country slide into an… Read full post »

          The American dream – or at least, my interpretation of the American dream – is that if a person works hard enough, then that work will lead them to a better life. And by that standard, Mormonism is intrinsically American.  I grew up with the idea… Read full post »

It is said that –

Enlightenment appears dark

The progressive way appears retrograde

The smooth way appears jagged

The highest peak of revelation appears empty like a valley

The cleanest appears to be soiled

The greatest abundance appears to be insufficient

The most enduring… Read full post »

                I lost my faith when I was sixteen.  I lived in secret for a full year, afraid of the consequences of leaving.  When I did muster the courage to leave Mormonism, the fall-out was even worse than I feared.  The activities and… Read full post »

             When I was nine years old, I had a friend named Laura.  Laura was a year older than I was; her parents were friends with mine.   Between church and ward activities, Laura and I were thrown together a lot.  I worshiped Laura; she… Read full post »

                I have never considered politics as a serious career option.  In theory, given my diverse background, I’ve always thought that I could add something to the public sphere.  As an agnostic with a Mormon family and Hindu in-law… Read full post »

“I’m used to people saying something that’s not always true but just keep on repeating it and ultimately hoping I’ll believe it” 

Mitt Romney, 1^st Presidential Debate 

                During th… Read full post »

                A couple weeks ago, I reported on the pending excommunication of David Twede, managing editor of the website MormonThink.  I am happy to say that his excommunication hearing for September 30^th was postponed, although authorities&n… Read full post »