The Blog - Page 15 of 17 - Christina Irene

I’m Not Rude. I Have Fibromyalgia.

4 Apr

Today was my birthday, and a gift I got myself, besides the whole being in Belgium thing, was the opera. I guess I should write a blog about how this opera love of mine came to be, but for now,...
Read more »

Bloated in Bruges

4 Apr

Every time I’m in a terrible place or moment that I’m desperate to pass, I remind myself of my self-talk driving across Nebraska one time. I had that raging churn and hellfire of diarrhea on a long drive, and Nebraska...
Read more »

Is That Swall? (Explaining the Pain of Digestive Disorders)

4 Apr

Maybe I’m getting a little carried away with my metaphors and doodling, but I’ve come up with a little spin-off of Splat. I’m calling it Swall, and it’s for people like me with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or other digestive...
Read more »

Another Documinitary! (@ Pueblo of Jemez)

3 Apr

I had so much fun making my other documinitary, I was looking for a next opportunity. What better than maybe my coolest speaking experience ever? I spoke at the Pueblo of Jemez, a sovereign nation in New Mexico, last month....
Read more »

Remember the Cycle

29 Mar

My book, Talking Splat: Communicating About Our Hidden Disabilities, has a chapter called “self-care toolbox.” this is an excerpt from that chapter, with tip #5. I really hope you’re having a good day today. If you are, I’m sure you...
Read more »

Debut Documinitary! (@ Johns Hopkins University)

11 Feb

I’ve been playing with making little movies to get ready to promote my book that’s coming out this month, and I thought it would be fun to try making mini documentaries of my adventures. Here’s my first attempt. It was...
Read more »

Chapters 1 and 2 of Talking Splat

11 Jan

Talking Splat: Communicating About Our Hidden Disabilities by Christina Irene

Chapter 1. What the Heck? Invisible disabilities – talk about ruining a totally cool word by plopping it against a word that’s utterly depressing. Invisibility has been a fabled superpower since our childhoods. It ranks in the Top 5 Most...
Read more »

6 Ways to Include Universal Design at Your Holiday Event

12 Dec

accessible space for invisible disabilities

Universal design is most widely known for inspiring ramps, curb cuts, and elevators that help people with mobility restrictions get around in our world. It means, literally, design for all. But as is often the case regarding people with disabilities,...
Read more »

a chapter from the book I’m working on

30 Aug

I can attribute a single action by my friend Phil for the end of my comedy career, my teaching career, and a marriage. It became so that when he greeted me, he’d never say “Hi”; he always just said, “I’m...
Read more »

What’s better than saying “hello”? This….

11 Dec

A Khmer woman expressing arkoun on top of Phimeanakas Temple, of the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia

I try not to be the American jerk who shows up to another country and doesn’t bother to learn a spec of their language. So when I took my most recent international birthday adventure, I had ambitious plans to brush...
Read more »