[DISCLAIMER] While listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Amëriko Nunez, I heard him spin the track “What You Said” by Maddow, featuring vocals by Manela, from the album Back in the Club (2021). On the song, Manela disempoweringly states: What you said Is all over my head What you said Is all over my head Is all over my head Don’t make me sad What you said What you said Is all over my head For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines

[DISCLAIMER] Magic and Magick At an early age, I learned of magic. I’m not talking about magic (illusion) as “a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means.” Rather, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines magic as: [A] system of practices in which humans attempt to manipulate natural or supernatural forces through such means as rituals, incantations, and spells. Magic

[DISCLAIMER] I view many events through the proverbial lens of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Herein, I’ll provide a psychoeducational lesson that involves thinking and believing which is rational (in accordance with both logic and reason), or not (i.e., irrational), as it regards REBT. Here, “logic” is the interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, and “reason” is a statement offered in explanation or justification. Fo

[DISCLAIMER] In spring 2025, I saw a social media post that addressed The Modern Day Knight Project (MDK). Of this matter, one source states, “Men who say they struggle with self-esteem issues can pay $18,000 for a three-day course of water hosing, truck pulls and hand-to-hand combat.” Regarding MDK and similar hyper-masculine endeavors, I stated in LARPing as Military Personnel, “Given my subjective view, it’s personally distasteful when people live action role-play (LAR

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, fair use Defining Terms When listening to the latest electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Roksana—who’s not yet produced a mix that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed—I heard her spin the hard techno/Schranz song “Domination” (2025), by Holy Priest and REKKT. It damn near melted my face off /s! For context, in common parlance, domination is defined as supremacy or preeminence over another, exercise of mastery or ruling power, and exercise of prepo

[DISCLAIMER] Photo credit, property of New Line Cinema, fair use I recall when the hip hop comedy film House Party (1990) was released. As I was a fan of duo Kid ‘n Play (lyricists Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin), I laughed quite a bit at their comedic antics. Among my peers, recitation of House Party lines was common. This included one scene in which members of R&B group Full Force confronted singer George Clinton (of music collective Parliament-Fun

[DISCLAIMER] Water Underwear – Why so beeg? As summertime is in full effect, I’m reminded of a conversation that I once had with friend X about bikinis (two-piece bathing suits worn by women, which do not cover the midriff). She laughed when I referred to these popular swimwear items as “water underwear.” Somehow, people are supposed to abandon thoughts (the process of thinking, an idea, image, opinion, or other product of thinking, and attention or consideration given

[DISCLAIMER] A Real-Life Scenario “Whoa, it’s your stop sign,” I said aloud when having taken my turn to proceed through an all-way stop intersection after having completed my weekly grocery store run this morning. A vehicle to which I signaled with my hand slowed down, rather than stopping, at a stop sign. Fortunately, the driver of the vehicle then stopped midway through the intersection, allowing me to proceed with my right-of-way direction of travel. As I stopped at

[DISCLAIMER] I recall that in childhood, when cleaning our house, my mom would play the album I Feel for You (1984), the fifth solo studio release by R&B and funk singer Chaka Khan. I liked the song “I Feel for You”, which featured rapper Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Fusing R&B, funk, and hip hop, the track was a fitting selection for breakdancing at outdoor urban settings, as well as within clubs—regarding which I was too young to attend. In any e

[DISCLAIMER] When providing psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I teach people about the ABC model of self-disturbance (how people upset themselves through use of irrational beliefs). Now, I’ll address a finer point of this psychotherapeutic model of wellness. For context, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate how when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, n

[DISCLAIMER] When involved in the last intimate partner relationship that I care to entertain, the woman to whom I referred as “my girlfriend” (“Marisela”) taught me a lesson on ownership (the state, relation, or fact of being an owner—a person who owns [to have or hold as property] something). “I don’t belong to you,” Marisela frankly told me. “Suppose we one day marry,” I retorted, “would you then be my wife, my partner, or not mine at all?” Marisela responded, “We’d be

[DISCLAIMER] Civil Libertarianism Having been raised under the tenets of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, even as I now identify as religiously agnostic, I was taught to remain politically neutral. Thus, I don’t vote. Nevertheless, I currently identify with aspects of civil libertarianism, about which one source states: Civil libertarianism is a strain of political thought that supports civil liberties and rights, or which emphasizes the supremacy of individual rights and

[DISCLAIMER] In 2019, rapper Kevin Gates released his second studio album I’m Him (His Imperial Majesty) that featured the track “Have You Ever”. Noting that “wasn’t” represents the word “weren’t,” I’m choosing to state the rapper’s lines in his intended manner of delivery, as the chorus states: Have you ever been treated like you wasn’t shit? (Wasn’t shit) Backstabbed by the niggas you was fuckin’ with (Fuckin’ with) Laughed at by the niggas you was runnin’ with (Runnin’

[DISCLAIMER] When enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, while stationed aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (2001-2003), I fulfilled the role of a non-commissioned officer (NCO). For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) thusly defines the term role: [A] coherent set of behaviors expected of an individual in a specific position within a group or social setting. Since the term is derived from the dramaturgical concept of role (the dialogue and act

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus, who stated, “In short, you must remember this—that if you hold anything dear outside of your own reasoned choice, you will have destroyed you

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who stated, “If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods o