I really would've done this book a disservice not discussing its conversation in the context of our lives. Time is owed to no one, and ultimately we are the arbiters of our lives, choices, and their outcomes. It remains to be seen whether that is what happens, but I'm hoping for something meaningful from me for me by me. And I'm hoping you find something similar after you listen to this bonus episode.

It would be an understatement to say I related to the conversation around time at its objectivity to our everyday experiences, especially concerning its lack of perspective on us in general.But it's that fixation that drives me to consider my relationship to time as we embrace another New Year, and seem to affix ourselves to the implicit experience of something new when it remains to be misunderstood that another is waiting. What makes it New? And what do we do with that? Happy New Year and Happy New Episode!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all an [eventual] New Year! Scrooge is facing his final trial and let's just say the judge isn't saying much. But who would need to when everybody seems delighted that you aren't here. Strike that. People are AMBIVALENT about your death. Definitely worse. But lest Scrooge and we forget, he's still alive and that's worth something more. I hope you find the reminder comforting on this day, and more to come, with this final reading. MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY HOLIDAY!

Sometimes, we forget that time has passed us by and we are no longer where we used to be. To recognize that for myself and experience Scrooge's epiphany in tandem was enlightening to say the least for what has transpired; change. As a command or experience, it follows the same trajectory of knowledge, understanding, and willingness to embrace something new and uncomfortable. Hopefully, we get some for out of it. Please enjoy the new view on the present and what's to come from it all.

To relive the past is to hopefully understand where we are and what's coming soon. Whether from Glinda and Elphaba's story, or Ebenezer's, time is a tricky thing. Details get fuzzy and what is most important gets lost along the way. Listen to Scrooge's past and the initial steps that led us to the man we've come to know.

All things need a preface, our lives included. Dickens said this story was meant to pleasantly haunt us for time to come after it had been read, and it already had me going down a rabbit hole; probably more lyrical, I didn't find any talking caterpillars or aloof cats. Just Jacob Marley and my own thoughts on growing, but most importantly, what I shouldn't hold on to anymore. I hope you enjoy my candor in today's newest reading of a Christmas classic.

I'm encouraging everybody to be their own version of the Grinch this year. The rent is high, family members lose their common sense, and not everybody deserves a gift. If you can't indulge in dessert, the sweet, sweet treat of revenge is a nice substitute; just leave out the egg, I'm allergic. From overindulgence to getting a little older, tune in to this episode's reading of a Christmas classic on who we all should be a little of this year.

I didn't realize I loved Christmas so much, and that I would be storytelling so much. But it is the holidays and everyone deserves a nice story remembering what being a kid was like, and how special these moments are as we get to live them. Tune in to a train ride to see Santa, and hopefully remember that we saw him in the first place!

In a world made up of so many places, cultures, and foundational histories guiding us through time, Jemisin has opened up a conversation on the legitimacy of cities as ecosystems that seek to maintain and protect itself in a complex world of cause and effect amidst consequences of pollution, disinformation, and weaponized victimhood. Tune in to a new episode where you can see the sci-fi nerd jump out of me. Maybe I'll become the new Avatar!

In what I would like to call a nearly spoiler-free review, "Wicked: Part 1" was a feast for the ears, the eyes, and the ears alone. The sounds made were gorgeous, characterization on lock, and I really do want a tailored version of Elphaba's entire wardrobe. Tune in to this tragically wicked bonus episode of a "fool's journey" into the unknown.