Antiheroine

This won't be easy to read. Not because it's complicated, but possibly strange. Uncomfortable. I'm not who most people want to root for. Rooting for the antihero(ine) is different than rooting for an underdog. Underdogs are the most adorable versions of most people. Antiheroines are complicated because you don't relate to us. We're an Other. In movie terms, Luke Skywalker is the underdog while Han Solo is an antihero.

That Northern Star: Toronto

96 miles. 

2 hours, 8 minutes. 

Time has this odd ability to shift pace. I sometimes wonder if time is an actual person, maneuvering years for his/her agenda. I'd like to consider myself someone who never took time for granted but that wouldn't be true. Too often I wished days away when plans didn't work out, or looked too forward to specific events, ignoring the current day.

I once learned through a trip to Sedona, AZ that everyone has 'power locations,' places, and people whose energies match yours, providing opportunities and a like-minded tribe. These regions boost productivity and energy that vibe with industry opportunities, climate, health, etc. 

Written by: Alycia Ripley
These are my actual shoes from 1980. I was two, but they felt exciting. My feet were small but I was going somewhere. I hate letting go of things from earlier in life—I'm absurdly attached to my past. The toys, the music, the time period, my school and teachers, and this safe feeling that if you worked hard and believed in yourself, you'd make dreams happen. I have at least six unicorn bookmarks from the 80s promising this exact thing so it must be true. I'm part of Gen Y, the less angsty sibling of Gen X but similar in nostalgic attachments and creativity—we were the 'You don't have to grow up to be a grownup' generation. And believe me, I've proven it. It was special to be an 80s kid and 90s teen.

Written by: Alycia Ripley
Walk up to a female former 80's teenager and ask who Jake Ryan is. She'll probably disclose her still-valid fantasy of leaving a wedding and finding him out there waiting, leaning against a red Corvette, the sounds of Thompson Twins' 'If You Were Here' coming from a soundtrack only she can hear.