You never know when you might need to write a Victim Impact Statement. I wish this on no one. But if you do, here’s what I learned while preparing my statement for the Joseph DeAngelo sentencing hearing. I hope you find this helpful. Important Note podcast For some darn reason, Minnie Mouse decided to enter… More How to Prepare a Victim Impact Statement
The full moon in July is referred to as the “Full Buck Moon” because this is the time of year buck’s antlers are in full growth mode. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the July full moon is also sometimes called the Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, or Wort Moon. July 7th UPDATE: The ceremony was great! Thank you to those of you who joined me live. There… More It’s Time to Let Go – Full Moon Renewal Ceremony
It’s fall and we have a new house in Sacramento! I won’t be living there full time but at least I can come up and hang-out now – for at least as long as the kiddo can handle me. It’s just a bus ride away from court so I’m ready baby. Bring it on! Ever… More Joseph DeAngelo is Dead | What If?
Epstein is dead. I did not see that coming. Sometimes I am so naïve. I think good things happen to people who are good. I think the bad guy gets caught. I might as well add unicorns and fairies to my list because I’m clearly delusional. I heard one Epstein victim anger crying this morning… More Justice Fatigue: It’s a Thing and it Happens to Many of Us
The El Paso shooting has just happened and I am heartsick. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn I’m anti-gun – particularly when it comes to using them to kill one another – but I even feel like it’s not a fair fight when hunting. I don’t mind hunting, but use some skills darn it.… More I Used to Hate Him, But Now I Just Resent Joseph DeAngelo
When I found out the series of southern California murders were connected to the rapes in northern California, what I fantasized was one day I would meet the amazing rape survivors and somehow find common cause among them. While I wasn’t raped, the monster that had attacked them had raped my stepmom and killed both… More The Unbearable Burden of Owning Your Truth | An Open Letter to Jeffrey Epstein’s Victims
I have a lot to say about Paige St John’s podcast. All of it good. But let’s start where she left off. In the final episode, Resurrection, she talks about the therapist Phyllis and Kris are seeing and she speaks briefly about the therapeutic technique. For those of you interested, I thought I’d provide more… More Deep Dive: “Man in the Window” and the Therapeutic Technique Many of Us are Using
Today I got my hands dirty planting some tomatoes and strawberries with the hope they will flourish. I used to be a great gardener, but the teen years and work pushed my avocation to the side. Well baby, I’m back. I read a beautiful quote from Virginia Woolf this morning (and good lord no, I… More Post-Court Gathering | Golden State Killer Survivors and HBO
I have this fantasy of buying one of those sheds from Home Depot and having a friend sheet rock the thing, add some electricity and then make it the most girly place possible (that’s my taste, romantic, soft, flowery). There’d be a super big comfy chair, a laptop desk and it would smell like spring… More So Now What? Kavanaugh, Trauma, Healing and Moving Forward
Yesterday Sacramento was able to announce the arrest of another monster. Terrorist. Piece of human excrement. The NorCal Rapist was identified via DNA and he’s in custody. Not to completely freak you out, but he worked at UC Berkeley – surrounded by women who clearly had no idea there was a predator in their midst.… More My Life Has Been Incredibly Different Since the Arrest of Joseph DeAngelo
Ever wonder what the heck therapy should do for you? Here’s a summary of what it’s done for me. … More Here’s How Therapy Can Help (From a Non-Therapist)
I’m one of those people who doesn’t remember a lot of my childhood. There are good reasons why. While some memories are pure magic – picnics in my gramma front yard in Carmichael, friends who were always by my side, doing well in school and incredible teachers who saw me for who I was –… More Writing a Book About the Murders: I Can’t Do It and Here’s Why
It has been a really tough week. Not so much practically, but emotionally. I realized this morning, in a private moment, that I feel like a rock in a tumbler. My body hasn’t been working right (leg not working right for the third straight month so walking and standing has been challenging), I’m not in… More When Someone Else’s Trauma Triggers Yours
My parents divorced in 1972. It was a bit of a long time coming. My mom was a stay at home mom at that point and my dad had been seeing Charlene for a while (mom discovered credit card receipts – honestly, practically a cliche – she paid the bills, of course he knew she’d… More In Search of Lyman Smith’s Mystery Woman
I didn’t know who Michelle McNamara was until I heard Patton talking about her on Conan shortly after she died. I had never heard from her nor read any of her work. That was little more than a year ago. I Googled and discovered her LA Magazine article and then read more about her death… More I’ll Be Gone in the Dark – Telling Other People’s Stories – Barnes and Noble Part 2