People look at me questioningly upon realizing that I live with my parents at the age of 22. Moving out is often considered a rite of passage. People expect me to do the same, even though many young adults enjoy living at home with their families. I don’t know what…
Ever since Ella’s mom, Lindsay, had an amputation of her lower right leg, I have been in charge of the household. Months later, Lindsay had her left knee replaced. My household duties continued, in addition to my full-time job teaching. Last…
The SMA News Today Forums heard it first, but I’d like to introduce you to my brand new Permobil F3 wheelchair. Her name is Rizzo, and yes, I am one of those crazy people who assign genders and names to their vehicles,…
I’ve been on hiatus from writing about my SMA. Truth be told, I’ve needed to break away from the constant reminder that SMA rules my life. When it wants to, SMA tosses banana peels into any gleaming trajectory I’m traveling. It kicks the sturdy platform from beneath my…
My first experience with the death of someone close to me came shortly after my 16th birthday. A good friend since elementary school, Candy had moved to another state with her parents and younger sister during high school. They returned to Fort Worth, Texas, in early June for…
Life has settled down in the Casten household. We are still mourning the loss of Potter, one of our dogs. Needless to say, we are showering our other dog, Ginny, with affection. Ginny misses her big brother and tends to mope around the house a bit.
On Super Bowl Sunday in 2013, I attended my first meeting at NC State’s student newspaper, Technician. I went on a whim with zero journalism experience. My only hope was to maybe write a few movie reviews for the publication. Little did I…
A few months ago, I shared a story about a family trip to a pumpkin patch and some of the challenges that I face during the colder times of the year. At the time, I was trying to soak up the last of the warm days…
Our family loves animals. Ella has two baskets full of stuffed animals and she continues to get more. Three and a half years ago, our vizsla, Sasa, died of old age. A month before she died, we bought a new puppy we named Potter. Sasa…
Ever since I was a kid, some of my favorite actors have been those who weren’t always in front of the screen. Given my love of animation and motion capture technology, the way that people like Andy Serkis, James Earl Jones, and the late Robin Williams created so…
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