#cat olson

Somewhere, We Are a School of Fish

For Mason I saw a man emerge from the fog as if he were born from it,and I thought, This is a peak experience, because I knew it was about to end.—Chelsea Hodson, ‘The New Love’Or was it lesseloquent than that, purely muscular,some meaningless twitch?—Stephen Dunn, ‘Zero Hour’ An infographic says: “We are a collection of moments.” And I instantly think: Glasses. I think of being in the eleventh…

Taylor Swift’s ‘All Too Well’ (10 Minute Version): a reflection on power imbalance & age gap love

I used to think the gap between us would shrink as I grew older,but it’s still as wide as it’s ever been. — Kate Elizabeth Russell, My Dark Vanessa You can’t just run stoplights and ignore me.That’s not what a relationship is. — Alison Espach, The Adults There is an opening scene from Woody Allen’s Manhattan that has stuck with me ever since I first saw it: it begins with Isaac, the film’s…

A woman gradually learns to not just look,but to squint and to peer, and then, more and more,to suffer no fools. — Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With The Wolves My sister said, “People reinvent themselves all the time.” I got my nails painted a shade of brown so dark it looked black. I told my ex I chose the color as a symbol of death and rebirth. He said, “You sound like one of the…

A woman gradually learns to not just look,but to squint and to peer, and then, more and more,to suffer no fools. — Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With The Wolves My sister said, “People reinvent themselves all the time.” I got my nails painted a shade of brown so dark it looked black. I told my ex I chose the color as a symbol of death and rebirth. He said, “You sound like one of the…

Eat, Pray, Cry: My Year of Depression and Discontent

There are times in a woman’s lifewhen she cries and cries and cries,and even though she hasthe succor and support of her loved ones,still and yet she cries. —Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With The Wolves This year they overturned Roe v. Wade and I hardly cared because I felt like I was in love. Of course I still listened to the podcasts; to the descriptions of women looking dejected…

Eat, Pray, Cry: My Year of Depression and Discontent

There are times in a woman’s lifewhen she cries and cries and cries,and even though she hasthe succor and support of her loved ones,still and yet she cries. —Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With The Wolves This year they overturned Roe v. Wade and I hardly cared because I felt like I was in love. Of course I still listened to the podcasts; to the descriptions of women looking dejected…

Notes From a Break-Up: on dating with borderline personality disorder

Albert Camus suggested that we fall in love with people because, from the outside, they look so whole, physically whole andemotionally ‘together’—when subjectively we feel dispersed and confused. —Alain de Bottom, Essays in Love I could almost hear the record scratch: one minute I was in a four year relationship, and the next I was making out with a 24 year old in a 7/11 parking lot. (He was my…

Notes From a Break-Up: on dating with borderline personality disorder

Albert Camus suggested that we fall in love with people because, from the outside, they look so whole, physically whole andemotionally ‘together’—when subjectively we feel dispersed and confused. —Alain de Bottom, Essays in Love I could almost hear the record scratch: one minute I was in a four year relationship, and the next I was making out with a 24 year old in a 7/11 parking lot. (He was my…