Tag Archives: mental health

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

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

Boy Band Music Critic 9: When Facing the Things We Turn Away From by Luke Hemmings

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Ryn PB

Introduction Last month, Luke Hemmings—of the Australian pop rock boy band 5 Seconds of Summer—released his second album, boy, so I figured now would be a good time to get started on his solo music! When Facing the Things We … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, Boy Band Music Critic | Tagged 5 seconds of summer, 5os, 5sos, album, art, australiab, australian, ballad, book, books, boy band, boy bands, corona, covid, covid 19, critic, critique, debut, guitar, life lessons, luke hemmings, lyrics, mental health, music, musician, pandemic, pop, pop singer, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Consequences of a Con

Posted on May 16, 2024 by Ryn PB

Cornhusker Cons: Psychics, Clairvoyants, and Mystics in the Heartland. Fran had never actually read the book in which their father’s scams had been made public. An entire chapter had been dedicated to him and his two partners. “Just put that … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, Fiction Short Stories | Tagged anxiety, barn, blog, book, books, bookstore, camera, cat, cats, cemetery, clairvoyant, con, crime, family, fiction, ghost, graveyard, ice cream, illegal, jail, LGBT+, life lessons, mental health, photography, psychic, seance, spirit, spirits, statue, stories, supernatural, writing | Leave a comment

Dead Birds and Pharmacies

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Ryn PB

CW: Big Pharma, dead animals, mental illness I’m still half asleep. I just dragged myself away from my cat, who inevitably started acting cute right as I grabbed my keys, and now I’m preparing my customer service brain for work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Another New Era, mental health | Tagged anxiety, apology, bad omen, big pharma, dead bird, hadestown, LGBT+, life lessons, meds, mental health, mental illness, omen, pharmacies, sorry, writing | Leave a comment