Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Viva.
Pain is a reminder of limitations
I want to cry or scream. The pain is bad. I'm breathing heavy and trying to deal with it, hoping it won't be here too long. What else can I do? I've got Tylenol, coffee, and my cigarettes. That's all I've got besides my strength and tolerance for pain. It hurts just like that image above. It hurts less when I stay seated. It hurts more when I stand or walk. I feel like the Tylenol had no effect - like the pain is so much bigger than the Extra Strength Tylenol. I try to accept that. I tell myself it will pass, and pain is temporary, like happiness. But the mood is different than my strength. The mood gets angry and depressed. The mood thinks about death. The mood makes jokes about how Death is the Messiah and eliminates all suffering. I think gruesome, dark thoughts - like how I've seen people get killed, and how some of their deaths were so quick and seemed painless. That's what pain does to me. It reminds me of the blessing of mortality and death. It makes me grateful that we don't live forever. I can only hope that my death will occur when I'm in great pain so that I can be grateful to both death and pain.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Viva
Sarah Pochin: The Six-Vote Revolution That Shook British Politics
Introduction Sarah Pochin has quickly become one of the most intriguing figures in British politics. After winning her seat in Parliament by just six votes, she achieved something historic — becoming Reform UK’s first female MP and rewriting the conversation around grassroots victories in modern democracy.
By Shazzed Hossain Shajal3 months ago in Viva
Does Perception Come with Consquences?
Are you looking at the sketch above and thinking "She can't draw" or "That body is offensive because it doesn't look like Barbie" or "Why did this writer just post a nude sketch?" ? If it's the last question, I can reply and explain that the nude sketch is an appropriate artwork for the topic of objectification, which is commonly discussed in feminist writing and also a topic of irritation between the sexes due to our human hypocrisies and contradictions.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Viva
Men Understand Consent. They Just Pretend Not To When It Benefits Them. Content Warning.
Recently, I came across yet another post that made my stomach twist. A woman wrote, “When you ask him to stop and tell him it hurts, but he says, ‘It’s okay, I’ll be done in a minute,’ and speeds up.”
By No One’s Daughter3 months ago in Viva
🌸 Lily Allen’s Triumphant Return: “West End Girl” and the Power of Honest Reinvention
Lily Allen is back — and she’s braver than ever. After years away from the music spotlight, the English singer and songwriter makes a stunning comeback with her brand-new album, West End Girl. It’s not just another pop record — it’s a reflection of her transformation, her pain, and her rediscovery of self. This is Lily Allen stripped of glitter and glamour, offering something even more precious — truth.
By Shazzed Hossain Shajal3 months ago in Viva
Stop Harassing Women who Smoke. Top Story - October 2025.
I could have smoked three cigarettes for how long it took me to find the right image to put with this article. I'm sure the AI generators don't struggle like I do trying to force an image into the pixel spot wanting a specific mood/look but not getting the number of pixels correct. Ugh. Ok, now that I've vented, what was I wanting to talk about today? Oh yeah, women who smoke. I did not light a cigarette while I wrote this venting prelude paragraph. I just wanted you to know that because as I move on to the next paragraph, I'm going to refill my coffee cup and then light a cigarette.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Viva
Applying Piaget to Women Reinventing themselves
Have you ever heard of your favorite star (actress, singer, or something else) talk about how they got to a point in their lives where they had to "reinvent themselves"? I read articles (starstruck long ago) about some of my idols mentioning that phase or stage of their lives. I think it's very Piaget in thought or psychological consideration. Stages. Certain time periods of our lives. The childhood is different from the teenage years. The young adult life is different from the new mom and dad years. The empty nest or divorce years are different from the married grandma and grandpa years... Etcetera. For me personally, the past eight years have been challenging me in the harshest aspects of aging to "reinvent myself" --- and let me tell you --- for a stubborn 50-something woman like me who finds change uncomfortable, this "stage" or "phase" of my life and aging process has been utter drudgery.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Viva
50-something women get hobbies
I love decorating - always have. The women of my family were good at many things especially cooking, shopping, and decorating. When we were little kids, we just had to go to school and we got to free-load and enjoy all the delicious meals and holiday magic that our mothers created all throughout the year. Year after year, until that horrible day: Graduation. Oh no! Now I'm officially an adult and I'm expected to know everything these amazing Divas know. Huh? Me? So I embarked on the quest of the job and apartment. I had a few good moments in my 20s. My little studio apartment in Hyde Park was thrifto-cute. My townhouse in North Tampa with my roommate Tammy was stylish and welcoming enough for visitors. My tiny pad in Keansburg, New Jersey was more affordable than glamourous, but definitely qualified the word "efficiency". Yet in all my 50 plus years of living here or there or anywhere, I've never really had a "home" that I could say was decorated to perfection.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Viva
Finding your groove in the 50s
How come we don't have a show on television called 50-somethings? There are plenty of shows with the kiddies as stars, or the teens as stars, or the 20 and 30-somethings as stars. They even have movies and shows for the silver haired folks in their 60s and up club. What about the 50-somethings? Where's our movie or show? When I was younger I had all kinds of guidance. The Breakfast Club helped me through high school. Sex in the City helped me through my 20s. Comic books and movies helped me through the 30s and 40s. Now what? Whose representing the 50-somethings journey and pathways? I feel like I have no guidance. In a way, I like that. I'm too old to be listening to a drill sergeant or condescended to as if I haven't been around the block. Yet, there's still a piece of me that is uneasy and insecure about navigating on this new territory commonly called "over the hill" or "after the change". Big changes, big accomplishments, yet not much art or literature for guidance or reference as if the 50-somethings are in unfamiliar living situations. I trust my own instincts and judgements most of the time, but I do feel a discomfort of not having more movies and books to use as a reference for this phase/chapter of my aging experience.
By Shanon Angermeyer Norman3 months ago in Viva
