Tag Archives: life lessons

A Handful of Pecans Against the Specter of Death

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Ryn PB

I am a pessimist. Just like being an optimist, being a pessimist has its pros (being prepared, less disappointment) and its cons (being overly stressed, less hopefulness), but the one thing I like most about being a pessimist is when … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, mental health | Tagged anxiety, birds, bluejays, death, hope, LGBT+, life lessons, mental health, nature, pessimism, squirrels | Leave a comment

Do You Have the Time?* : Answering Questions from My Favorite Songs

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Ryn PB

Hey, there, how goes it? (“Partners In Crime” by The Strokes) Music and musicians have done so much for me by creating art that I connect with, so I thought it would only be fair if I answer some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era | Tagged answers, anxiety, clancy, coin, depression, etymology, fall out boy, gossip, green day, health, life, life lessons, lyrics, mental health, music, next semester, psychology, q&a, questions, research, secrets, so much for stardust, songs, stress, talk too much, talking, twenty one pilots | Leave a comment

27 Books for 27 Years: Ryn’s Reading History (Part 3)

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Ryn PB

Welcome back, my friends! Though I’m uploading this a little late, I’m happy to present the last installation of my 27-year reading history! Thanks for making it this far, if you have. This last leg of the race is mostly … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, polysyllabic spree | Tagged after, anna todd, anxiety, birthday, book review, book reviews, books, history, jackson bird, james joyce, john green, LGBT+, life lessons, mental health, music, music lit, nick hornby, punk, punk rock, queer lit, reading, trans lit, ulysses, ve schwab | Leave a comment

27 Books for 27 Years: Ryn’s Reading History (Part 2)

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Ryn PB

Welcome back to this walk down memory lane! Part 2 of this list covers mainly my high school and early college reading career. I was not a particularly happy or whole person during high school, which is why many of … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, polysyllabic spree | Tagged acotar, alfred hitchcock, anxiety, books, check please, dftba, graphic novels, high school, hitchcock, john green, LGBT+, life lessons, maas, mental health, nerdfighteria, p4a, perks of being a wallflower, physics, poppy war, queer lit, reader, reading, sarah j maas, science, stephen hawking, virginia woolf, vlogbrothers, woolf | 1 Comment

27 Books for 27 Years: Ryn’s Reading History (Part 1)

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Ryn PB

Happy February, everyone! And happy birthday to me! As is the tradition I set for myself, I make a list on this blog for my birthday, and this year is no different. This is kind of a weird list. Though … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, polysyllabic spree | Tagged animal ark, birthday, biscuit, book club, books, conan doyle, early readers, grover, high school, history, holmes, jd salinger, legend, life lessons, maggie stiefvater, marie lu, marie ly, memories, memory, picture books, reading, school, secret series, sesame street, sherlock holmes, the raven boys, the raven cycle | Leave a comment

A Language, Little Known

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Ryn PB

The steps led down, down, down—far away from the sun, where no flowers should be able to grow. And yet— “She said the Third-Eyebright would be here.” The angry red scratches on Trev’s face had only gotten worse since the … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, Fiction Short Stories | Tagged amaranth, bees, betrayal, botanist, botany, bugs, contest, eyebright, floral, florist, floristry, flowers, friends, geranium, journey, LGBT+, life lessons, nyc midnight, quest, search, secret society, write, writing, yellowjackets | Leave a comment

Days Well Spent: The Building Doesn’t Fall Down

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Ryn PB

A few nights ago, as I lay in bed, waiting to fall asleep, I was hit by the vision of the building around me crumbling down. No matter what I tried to do, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, mental health, original writing | Tagged 2024, 2025, anxiety, books, day well spent, fortune, hope, hwang bo-reum, intrusive thoughts, korean lit, life, life lessons, life well lived, mental health, misfortune, miyazaki, new home, new year, new year's eve, nye, reading, shanna tan, the boy and the heron, translated lit | 1 Comment

TBR Playlist: Play It By Ear Edition

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Ryn PB

Hello, I’m back! Happy Halloween! I’m afraid this post has nothing to do with the Halloween season. Though I’ve been writing, I haven’t been writing much that I wanted to share with the Internet. I’ve mostly been writing different iterations … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, TBR Playlist | Tagged books, comedy, dropout, dropout tv, graphic novels, improv, improv comedy, jess mckenna, LGBT+, life lessons, mano agapion, mental health, music, musical, musical comedy, off book, play it by ear, queer lit, reading, writing, zach reino | Leave a comment

Big Booty Judy: A Vehicular Ode

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Ryn PB

Early last month, I replaced my and my sister’s first car, a 2007 Toyota Camry, with a newer car because the cost of the many repairs she needed done was too high. Big Booty Judy, named for her spacious trunk, … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, original writing | Tagged anxiety, car, cars, driving, emotions, high school, license, life, life lessons, memories, mental health, sedan, toyota | Leave a comment

Hooked on Books: An Oral History

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Ryn PB

Hello and welcome to my blog, Poor Unfortunate Stories! My name is Ursula, and I will be your captain on this voyage into reading. Today, however, I have some co-navigators—my arch-nemesis Terry and his grandkid LJ. Every week, we will … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, Fiction Short Stories, LGBT+ | Tagged age, ages, blog, book, book blogs, books, booktube, fish puns, generation, generation gap, generational gap, generations, grandkid, grandparents, LGBT+, librarian, library, life lessons, nemesis, nonbinary, old, oral history, podcast, puns, reading, student, the little mermaid, transcript, writing, young | Leave a comment