The Purplepaw Blog

I write poetry about once every two years. Sometimes a word, a phrase, will tumble out of my pen and connect with others, but it

Ask anybody — would you like to be happy? With the exception of one chemistry professor I knew (who was rumored to have said she “didn’

In the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Flower Drum Song” lies a campy little ditty entitled “I Enjoy Being a Girl.” Laying aside the questionable social

I turned 53 years old recently. The event was met with few accolades — at least from me. I try my best not to be celebrated

Although I came to adulthood in the 1980s, I grew up as a child in the 1970s, with all its attendant oddities and idiosyncrasies. As

Boxing — as a sport — consistently fails to capture my attention. I don’t want to watch people get punched in the face; I don’t

There are two realizations I made this week. First, I am not a woman. Second, I am not a father, and — by extension — not a

Humans ascribe a level of agency to our behavior misaligned to our role on Earth. The truth is Nature is unconcerned with our grandiose thoughts

When I published “How Fuzzy is Sex?” earlier this week, it hadn’t occurred to me I was opening a three-part series. This is

Last week, I reviewed several conversations I had in the past four months. Although reviewing past work helps me plan future work, its greater value

In the movie “The Invisible Man,” Claude Rains plays chemist Dr. Jack Griffin, who must wear full body wrap — hat, goggles, bandages, gloves, coat, boots

In the movie “Full Metal Jacket,” Gunnery Sergeant Hartman unleashes a fusillade of profanity, metaphor, insult, and nicknames upon a squad of Marine recruits with

When the Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headset was released to market in 2020, I was sorely tempted to buy one. Recently, two very good

In the movie “Shrek,” Princess Fiona is cursed to change from human to ogre form when the sun sets. She lives in constant fear that

In myths of the Fae — also known as Sidhe, Tylwyth Teg, or Ælfe — faeries commonly take advantage of humans by twisting a turn of phrase

I came out as a transgender woman in August, 2022 — six weeks after I had begun gender-affirming hormone therapy. It took several days to

A recent conversation spurred me to consider my childhood and how it informed my current transgender experience. Like many transgender women, I was diagnosed with

Being children, Jason and I expected the laws of physics to be defined by scientists, not revealed by observing Nature. This convenient loophole made ignorance

It was Summer. The house where I grew up needed the sewer rooted out, and my father did it himself. I remember standing by the

In a previous article, I discussed the Ayurvedic definition of health as “being established in oneself.” Health is not focused simply on the body. Health