English
Sway my whole being like a scattering of feathers on a cosmic score
Sway my whole being like a scattering of feathers on a cosmic score In this post: I wax poetically about the way I listen to music and why the act of listening to music is both sublime and draining for me. Hint: it sways my whole being like a scattering of feathers. Beat, step,…
Read MoreMiguel de Unamuno and the Convective Self
Miguel de Unamuno and the Convective Self In this post: Impressions about a famous essay and where the truth might actually live. Hint: almost everywhere. I first read the essay ¡Adentro! by Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo in college, as part of an elective introductory course in logic. The essay starts with the phrase…
Read MoreNever, ever again.
Never, ever again. In this post: I ask my peeps from the blogosphere for help to resolve a personal dilemma. I am considering never blogging again. So what? Who cares? Blogging feels like screaming in a dark and empty cavern many times except that you are not sure if the cavern is really empty because…
Read MoreDon’t lose that idea.
Don’t lose that idea. In this post: Introspection that introduces the way I think about the place where ideas come from and what that has to do with Christmas trees. I guess a lot of people have forgotten the holidays but, as I first thought about this content while I was on vacation, I will…
Read MoreGood food, togetherness, and joy and love for 2022
Español Good food, togetherness, and joy and love for 2022 In this post: I talk about my Christmas holidays in France, about good food and drink, and how I happened to add one more New Year’s resolution to my list. Between Lens and Paris, old boxes, new boxes and memories, some things change, one lives…
Read MoreKFC and a bottle of Prosecco
Cultural identity and the ways in which we celebrate or not. Life goes fast and life goes slow, confusingly, both at the same time.
Read MoreHave we become a social media-centered society?
Have we become a social media-centered society? In this post: A very short post and several questions about modern society, the choices that we made to use the tools that we have at our disposal or become the servants of the tools we need to function in the 21st century. I have a question for…
Read MoreThe Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility and other things that I never think about
TThe Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility and other things that I never think about In this post: What is a fact without context, knowledge frameworks, and The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility. Think about something that you never or almost never think about. Something neutral, not something dramatic or two charged with negative connotations, nothing…
Read MoreUni V: The way we are talking about morality and the guy who got eaten by the bear
Uni V: The way we are talking about morality and the guy who got eaten by the bear In this post: I discuss some of the things I learned or not in the first lecture of PHIL 181. I think around the box and question the methodology of the course as failing to reflect reality…
Read MoreWhere science and art openly hang out
Where science and art openly hangout In this post: Some Scanning Electron Micrographs (SEMs) from those bygone days in which I would loose myself into the tiny world that only electrons unaided could see. Isn’t it weird to be nostalgic about metallic and semiconducting electrodes? SEM stands for Scanning Electron Microscopy which is an imaging…
Read MoreCertificate in brewing, Leonardo da Vinci, PopPhil, and the scientific journal of booze
Uni IV: Certificate in brewing, Leonardo da Vinci, PopPhil, and the scientific journal of booze In this post: Let’s talk about getting certified in brewing and the bad habits of Leonardo da Vinci, two things that are not necessarily interconnected to each other or to my interest in pop philosophy but are nonetheless fun to…
Read MoreThe streets of London under a skyline of construction cranes
Español The streets of London under a skyline of construction cranes. In this post: Our staycation exploring the streets of London under the new shopping arcades and the skyline dotted with construction cranes. Life is getting interesting; I am not going to explain the many ways in which that is happening but I am swamped…
Read MoreTypewriters, short nails, and painful fingers are never good enough for teacher
Typewriters, short nails, and painful fingers are never good enough for teacher In this post: On this Friday afternoon when nothing special is happening, the sound of the keyboard as I searched for a story brought back memories of learning to type for the first time. Today is Friday, nothing special about that. It’s a…
Read MoreOne of those days and fond memories of Alaska
One of those days and fond memories of Alaska It appears to be one of those days in which I get lost in an ocean of noise. I am alone, abandoned by all my assumptions. Who am I? What am I? What can I do with this who and that what? I urged myself to…
Read MoreA vision, an ideal, Turf Management and Science, and a conversation a day after a chemistry exam
Español A vision, an ideal, Turf Management and Science, and a conversation a day after a chemistry exam In this post: This is the third part in the series exploring cool things that I didn’t know one could get a college degree in. In the first part I talked about Koestler Parapsychology Unity in the…
Read MoreI’m so happy I spent my life climbing trees
Español Uni II: I’m so Happy I spent my life climbing trees In this post: This is the second part of a four part series covering things that I didn’t know one could get a college degree on. If you enjoyed the previous post and are tempted by a career y parapsychology then you know…
Read MoreYou majored in what?
Español Uni I: You majored in what? In this post: Did you go to college? Do you ever wonder if you could have picked a more interesting or glamorous discipline than the one you majored in? And if you didn’t go to college because everything sounded so boring you didn’t see what was the point,…
Read MoreThe first two mistakes I made when I started to blog
Español The first two mistakes I made when I started to blog In this post: At first it felt just like a hobby but it became almost a job though no one wants to pay me to do it. It doesn’t really matter, this blog has been a lot of fun for me and has…
Read MoreA day like any other
A day like any other Español In this post: How do you live a day in a desert country? A poetic and rather short description of a common day in my life in Qatar, where average summer temperatures can reach between 96 and 116ºF. Dead bees after the sandstorm (macro photography) I was in the…
Read MorePart IV: Farewell to the Ones I Love
Part IV: Farewell to the ones I Love In this post: In this blog post, my trek back to Qatar and how my trip became a goodbye pilgrimage in more ways than one. I debated whether I should finish this series or not; I am tired and the process is painful. I finished the text,…
Read MorePart III: Food and the Road to Memories
A Month in Puerto Rico Part III: Food and the Road to Memories In this post: The summer is almost over and so many things have happened. I don’t know if you follow the news, there had been, in my home island, pacific revolutions—I’d say big parties to effect revolutions, if such a thing is…
Read MoreA Month in Puerto Rico Part II: Land of Coffee and Beer
Terrace at “El Museo del Café” A Month in Puerto Rico Part II: Land of Coffee and Beer In this post: Coffee, beer, and shopping on the island of enchantment. My first outing while in Puerto Rico was for shopping. There is a new super Walmart in Toa Baja that is all the rage with…
Read MoreA Month in Puerto Rico Part I: Home and thereabouts
Dorado, Puerto Rico A Month in Puerto Rico Part I: Home and thereabouts In this post: I have spent about a month in Puerto Rico, mostly taking care of some family affairs like helping to take care of my mom and watching, with a lot of pride, my niece graduating from high school. In between family engagements, however,…
Read MoreRandom Thoughts and the Amazing Superpowers of Tarsiers
Random Thoughts and the Amazing Superpowers of Tarsiers In this post: Reasons for writing non-political, shallow thoughts about random mayors, and some revelations (?) about economics and the incredible super powers of tarsiers. Because politics can be exhausting but tarsiers are simply awesome! Many times, especially when things are stressful, I want to write just…
Read MoreWorking on happiness
Working on happiness In this post: I share my views on happiness, as simple as that. Everybody has her own idea of what it is and what it does and how it comes about. I do too. Here you go. People think that happiness is something that comes to you in the form of lucky…
Read MoreEverything you own, owns you
Everything you own, owns you In this post: A little over a year ago I was in Paris with my awesome husband experiencing, not romance as you would expect, but a sense of confusion. The renovation of our apartment had started a little before we had anticipated and we arrived home to find that we…
Read MoreBravery and a Heady Recklessness
Bravery and a Heady Recklessness In this post: What do driving in a construction zone, running errands, and Mission Impossible have in common? What happened last night? Nothing much. My husband called me early in the afternoon to tell me that the registration of the car was ready and that he had to go to…
Read MoreA long and convoluted dream
A long and convoluted dream In this post: Many people are obsessed with dreams but nobody really knows why we dream. One current hypothesis is that dreams are the way the brain integrates memories, or cleans mind-junk from our brains. The brain doesn’t rest during sleep, but it is active, too active, in my opinion,…
Read MoreOn hurricanes and open heart surgery
On hurricanes and open heart surgery In this post: I am a happy person, not a inherently happy person but a person who has worked hard for her happiness. Naturally, when life sucks big time I am as despondent as everybody else and I haven’t been able to catch a break since at least 2013.…
Read MorePeripheral Vision: A Short Journey in Poetic Prose
Peripheral Vision: A Short Journey in Poetic Prose In this post: Distractions, outrage, and cut flowers. Sometimes I write poetic prose. The thing with this type of writing is that it can mean a lot or nothing; it can be beautiful or just a weird string of words put together haphazardly. Meaning and beauty are created…
Read MoreEl Cazador de los Mosquitos (Mosquito Hunter)
El Cazador de los Mosquitos (Mosquito Hunter) In this post: There are things in life of which we don’t become aware until were are right in the middle of them; we cannot, for the life of us, tell when we started that road that sealed our destinies forever. On the other hand, there are times…
Read MoreA tiny Lemon Tree, Part II
A tiny Lemon Tree, Part II In this post: “There is no knowledge that is not power.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Society and Solitude” (1870). I love this quote, but this post is not about it. Another week starts, it feels as if it is suspended in time. There are so many things that are going…
Read MoreIntroducing Mustrum Augustin Picamore
Introducing Mustrum Augustin Picamore In this post: Before there was roxannalopez.com, there was this little known, little visited, and not at all successful blog rantinella.com which was not more than an expensive hobby that didn’t even pay for itself. I have since pulled the plug on it but memories remain and, except for the utter…
Read MoreCorona-Cat
Corona-Cat In this post: Not much, just a photo and a short paragraph but you know how they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. We were still living in Qatar at that time; the gilded cage that got even more gilded and more cagey in the middle of the pandemic. This is…
Read MoreCelebrating five ten
Celebrating Five Ten In this post: Another oldie but goodie from my former blog. RantInElla.com celebrates five and ten! Five months, ten posts of short essays containing stuff that nobody cares about! And we are proud of it. To mark this occasion, RantInElla.com’s Executive Director, Stick Person, and our Creative Team Lead, The-Voices-in-Your-Head discuss the…
Read MoreMoon Born, Teaser
Moon Born Teaser In this post: I bet you didn’t know that I wrote a book; it’s called Lizard-Monkeys and Other Stories and it is NOT for children. People asked me what is it about and I had a hard time trying to define it because it is about many things, mostly about identity and gentle…
Read MoreUncertainty and Change
Uncertainty and Change In this post: A book critique and a collection of seriously impractical advice for the fluffy-minded. A few months ago, I went back to read “Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change” by Pema Chödrön. Such a small book, such a long time to read. I bought this book last year in one…
Read MoreA Bonfire in the Desert
A Bonfire in the Desert In this post: Scorpions, snakes, fire, desert glory, sand, and secretive creatures. Also, I might have had MERS in 2018. A long time ago, somebody I knew told me that she only liked to go to places where she could be comfortable. We were talking about camping on the beach,…
Read MoreUs vs Cat
Us vs Cat In this post: He is aptly named Maj, his majesty the cat, and he owns his name as much as he owns his new humans and everything else that he wants around the house. I have mentioned before this stray cat that would visit us from times to times and consent to…
Read MoreLife and sticky things that will gross you out
Life and sticky things that will gross you out In this post: This post was originally published in 2017 and originally titled “Writing and the kitchen sink” and let’s just say that I have learned a lot since then—about titles and about stuff that lives in the sink. Last year I bought this thin, funny…
Read MorePanthera Leo
Panthera Leo In this post: In the African savannah survival favors the lucky. A new flash fiction long enough to be more than a meme and short enough to fit right in with the limited attention span of modern society. Hoof prints, fresh droppings, trampled grass and a bovine scent; the herd cannot be too…
Read MoreRoxanna Reads a Book About Astronomy
Roxanna Reads a Book About Astronomy In this post: I tell you a little bit about my ordeal and failure in the quest to hire a voice actor, and where that effort led me. Additionally, I’ll treat you to the sound of my mellifluous voice and my exotic Puerto Rican accent, while I read aloud…
Read MoreA Particle in a Box
A Particle in a Box In this post: This post occurs between a special set of boundary conditions, and on the intersection of science, art, and speculative language. You can think of it as one of my love poems to electrochemistry. Lately, I have been thinking on and off about electrons. Not all electrons of…
Read MoreThe Stuff of Nightmares
Español The Stuff of Nightmares: Shoebill Storks and Dinosaurs In this post: Rumination about crankiness, lack of high-quality sleep, nightmares, dinosaurs, and shoebill storks. Happy beginning of the week and may we all sleep well tonight! What happens when people don’t sleep well? I don’t know about other people but when I don’t get enough…
Read MoreDust of Flying Saucers, Insider’s Secrets Revealed
Español Dust of Flying Saucers, Insider’s Secrets Revealed In this post: A picture and a question. Believing is seeing and the truth is still out there. But why is that so? Because imagination is one of the most powerful and generalized natural phenomena of the world. At least, I propose it so be so. During…
Read MoreEl Palito de Limón (A Tiny Lemon Tree)
El Palito de Limón (A Tiny Lemon Tree) In this post: A tiny story about a relentless survivor. With a little help from an unlikely friend, a small lemon tree embodies the definition of resilience. Sitting in our garden like the survivor of an unknown cataclysm, el palito de limón barely clings to life. Under…
Read MoreNoam Chomsky and the Inevitable end of the World
Noam Chomsky and the inevitable end of the world In this post: Every time I read anything from Noam Chomsky I end up repelled by this guy that I want so much to admire. Not because I disagree with him, but because of the effect that his words have on my psyche. The guy is…
Read MoreMr. Pistachio-Head
Mr. Pistachio-Head In this post: Sometimes I think about silly little things that don’t make much sense. Very often, this silly little things take the form of silly little stories. I don’t know if they mean anything or are good for something, but let’s think of them as my brain cleaning itself, reorganizing itself to…
Read MoreWhat’s up?
Español What’s up? In this post I want to give my readers an update of what has been going on with me and with my website. I’ve been gone for a while. Gone from a particular place and gone from my blog and there are good reasons for that and several other things. You might…
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