The Musings of Moxley Bugg

Things Women In Literature Have Died From, Mallory Ortberg

Stopped important programs like the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act that provided needed assistance to African Americans.

Ruined house illustration from Jane Eyre, wood engraving, Fritz Eichenberg. A novel by Charlotte Brontë, originally published on 16 October 1847.

Edinburgh, Scotland (by Desire Wu)

“I was diagnosed with leukemia during my early teens. It was a full year being out of school. And when I came back it felt like everyone had moved on without me. I had to repeat ninth grade. My social circles had changed and I was desperate to make new friends. I started trying way too hard to impress people. I’d make stuff up about myself. I remember pretending that I could read palms. Anything to get close to people who were cooler than me. But the worst part is that I started to avoid people who weren’t ‘cool.’ There was one girl I absolutely loved, but she had a weight problem and kids were mean to her. So I started ducking into classrooms if I saw her coming down the hall. Or I’d sit at the other end of the cafeteria. It was the opposite of who I’d always been. I’d always been the one making sure everyone was included. I was always the first one to introduce myself to new kids. I wanted everyone to feel important. But for awhile I became the opposite of that. I became a social climber.“

Exclusive photos of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry in Aquaman (2019) ©

“I’m from a small country in Africa called Benin. I won the visa lottery to come here. I didn’t even know I was eligible. My brother entered my name and didn’t even tell me. I was studying to be a psychiatrist at the time. I assumed that I’d be able to continue with medical school. But when I arrived here, I found out that none of my credits would transfer. I had a choice: either go home and become a doctor, or start from the bottom. I didn’t speak any English. I didn’t have any money. But I knew if I could somehow make it here, my degree would be much more valuable. So I made the choice to stay. I began practicing English with my young nieces. The first thing I learned was: ‘I’m going to kick you.’ I got a job with a catering company and learned how to say ‘I’m here to deliver your food.’ I studied as many YouTube videos as I could during my free time. It’s been three years now. I’m almost finished with my bachelor’s degree. Just two classes left. At nights I work as a behavioral specialist in a mental health facility. I’m going to take the MCAT in September. My friends back home have all become doctors already, but I try not to think about them. I don’t want to lose my focus. I haven’t made it yet, but I’m making it.”

Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (via janeeyrequotes)

Original: Seeing Off by Jiwoon Pak

Vassar graduation daisy chain, June 1908.

esmé squalor, a fashion icon

Hello lovely readers! (who are probably just our moms at this point but we love our moms so that’s fine) Welcome to our shiny new blog where two strong feelers discuss all the things we feel strongly about. But first let’s travel back to the day when two complete strangers became forever friends aka the day Moreso & Mox met aka the best day ever! I (Mox) had fallen asleep ridiculously early (read before 7 pm) on Saturday and woke up in the middle of the night to a group Facebook message from a dear friend asking if anyone would be interested in using her extra ticket & taking her new roommate to the Braves game on Sunday. I’m not a fan of baseball but Needtobreathe was performing after the game and the ticket was free so I was definitely interested. But, it had been hours since my friend had shared that message and it was still the middle of the night so I figured there was no way the ticket hadn’t been claimed. I sent a message letting my friend know I was interested if the ticket was still available, knowing no one would see the message until the morning. Almost immediately the roommate replied that the ticket was available and we made plans to meet the next day. Even though spending the day with a stranger and having to drive her around is so far out of my introvert comfort zone it may as well be Pluto, I was committed because I needed an adventure. I am so glad I committed. Moreso and I hit it off right away. Since neither of us are baseball fans, we spent the entire game talking about all the things we loved and learning all we have in common, which is a whole lot. The game was actually good - the Braves won. The concert was better. And we got along so well that we ran errands together after the game. A week later, we were housemates and by the time I moved out 6 weeks later, we were the best of friends. Now, we’ve had a number of adventures together and are planning more. What are some of the things we mutually love and bond over? Well, there’s Jesus, strong tea, proper biscuits, New Girl, The Originals, all the Halloween things, our dear friends who just got married, our dear friends who are about to get married, full body pajamas that look like mystical animals, Harry Potter, Hamilton … to name a few. Then there’s our deep love and passionate feelings for the U.K. and Ireland, which deserves it’s own paragraph. Greetings and salutations, dear reader! Moreso here, coming at you from the entryway of the Providence Rhode Island Airport. Initially I was excited to have a near 10 hour layover here on my way to Dublin but apparently Providence totally shuts down on Sundays, so no PV Donuts for me. (Boo hoo) Instead, I get to write to you all while I wait for the Norwegian Air check-in desk to open for me in a short four hours! (You have no idea how much I’m anticipating stuffing my face with something that isn’t bread or burnt coffee.) Okay, so to bounce off -as well as say ‘yes’ and ‘amen!’ to- all of what Mox has already said, this friendship is one for the books- or the blogs I guess you could say. I did a lot of praying for solid friendships with people who really truly got me as I transitioned into a brand new city last year and man, straight out of the gate with this one! We get on like tea and biscuits, chicken and waffles, jam and clotted cream (you get the picture). Anyway, Mox and I have already had some grand adventures locally. We narrowly escaped a murderer seconds before he broke into the cabin we were trapped in to kill us all! Okay, so it was an escape room that was made from the cabin Hopper and Eleven lived in in Stranger Things S2, but it was intense! We have gone to see The Nightmare Before Christmas accompanied by the symphony orchestra, put on our own three-man-production of Hamilton the Musical (and we KILLED it, might I add!), fallen in love with The Greatest Showman and Black Panther at movie theaters that cost $10 and have unlimited candy, popcorn and soda, been stranded on the highway mere feet from our exit with a AAA driver who just couldn’t find us, wandered Conyers in search of Original vampires and discovering delicious food at small Irish pubs instead. But now, I believe, comes our greatest adventure yet! Ireland and the UK… (Mox again) My love for the U.K. started when I was small. Blame it on Disney’s the Sword on the Stone and my voracious love for reading. My degree in English Literature only fueled the fire. I travelled to England for the first time in April 2013. It was everything I dreamed and I left wanting more. Within a year, I had a clear calling to return to England as a missionary.  My second trip to England was in November 2016 to build connections with a church outside of Manchester city. It was a magical three weeks and I got to know many amazing and kind people (so many kiddos with British accents! My heart!). I left with a heart full of love and hope. Now God is calling me back to the UK for the third time! Moreso has already left and I will follow behind her on the 15th. (Ah! That’s so soon!) We’ll start off with her friends in Northern Ireland but from there things get foggy. I hope to reconnect with my church family outside of Manchester and I feel like God is calling me to Scotland but as of right now, I don’t know what that looks like. All I know for sure is I’m flying back to the States Memorial Day weekend. This has truly been a leap of faith for me. I’ll get into all the details of this spiritual adventure in a later post but God has promised that He wants to use this trip to show me how much He loves me and to show me missional opportunities and that it will be full of wonder. It’s scary and overwhelming and super exciting! And I get to share it with one of my favorite people!

Been in a short road trip with some friends, here are the ruins of Rodna Fortress in Transylvania.

But you’ve never been my brother. And now? Now you’re nothing to me. (4.20 TVD || 3.21 TO)