Maria Shimizu Christensen
Bio
Writer living my dreams by day and dreaming up new ones by night
Also, History Major, Senior Accountant, Geek, Fan of cocktails and camping
Stories (102)
Filter by community
Our Values Are in Our Exceptions
Very few things in human existence are explained by absolutes. We live in a multi-hued world defined by nearly infinite shades of grey, yet when things get scary or hard, we frantically search for easy, black-and-white explanations and answers to our problems. We want things to be right or wrong. When we can’t fix those problems, unshaded absolutes make it easy to blame someone else — someone on the opposite side of our side. And they make it easy to believe that simple solutions are the answers to complex problems, or that one reason alone is the cause of a problem.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Lifehack
Why I Never, Ever Answer the Phone
The ringer on my phone is off. I don’t even have it set to vibrate. I won’t know if you’ve called until I bother to check the phone, and that will be on my time. Like, whenever I feel like it, because that’s how I roll. My family and friends know this about me, and that’s the only thing that’s important.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Lifehack
5 Tough Love Quotes From Mr. Spock to Humanity
From miniskirts to civil rights, the 1960s was a period of cultural unrest and changing social mores. Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek series addressed a lot of the issues of the day – sometimes slyly, sometimes overtly – and changed the landscape of television. Briefly. The original series only ran for three seasons, from 1966 to 1969.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Futurism
All the Jobs I’ve Ever Had
Loyalty means nothing any more, and my resume couldn’t be happier. I have a long history of job hopping and changing careers and that very rarely matters any more. The days of working at one company your entire career and retiring with a nice pension are long gone and I no longer worry about sitting in an interview trying to spin all the reasons I had for leaving boring, soul-sucking jobs with terrible managers. Corporations are not loyal to employees and employees should not feel loyal to companies that will lay them off at any time for any reason.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Journal
What Kind of Writer Do You Want to Be?. Top Story - May 2021.
Confession time: I’m a hack writer. An online content hack writer, specifically. It’s not the only writing I do, but it’s usually what pays the majority of the bills. I used to be a little ashamed of it, but these days I’m feeling defiantly proud.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Journal
8 Income Sources for Writers
General advice for writers often sucks because writers aren’t a monolithic bloc of people. We don’t all write the same things in the same style in the same genre. I can’t promise this advice won’t suck as well, but it’s geared toward writers nearer the beginning of their careers and is meant to highlight some of the options writers have for practicing their craft and earning a living.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Journal
Vegan Iced Lemon Blueberry Scones
When I was 14 years old my mother entered the kitchen to find me doubled over in pain, clutching my abdomen, and crying. Cramps, she thought as she rubbed my back. Well yes, but I wasn’t having my period. I had just come from soccer practice, sweaty, thirsty and tired, and was drinking my second big glass of cold, creamy milk. So satisfying. That is, until it felt like my intestines were trying to escape from my body.
By Maria Shimizu Christensen5 years ago in Feast
