Oct 23, 20235 min20) Cold Water TherapyPresent tense: October 23, 2023, Cape Town, South Africa. I am currently living at Liberty House, a sober living facility in Cape Town. I...
Oct 20, 20235 min19) Validation JunkieYes, I was a junkie. Down and out, hopelessly addicted to cocaine. I was as bad as it gets: days-long benders, horrific crashes, stealing...
Oct 10, 20234 min18) I deserve itThis idea, that I “deserve it” fueled my drug use for a very long time. In fact, this rationalization was present from the beginning. I...
Sep 26, 20233 min17) The Art of FlippingIt's all in the eyes--the eyes. That's what the sex workers used to say. They would stare men down as they walked down the...
Sep 19, 20234 min16) One Year Sober!Today is an exciting milestone for me. I am 365 days clean. 365 days of continuous sobriety. It is a tremendous achievement, as I had...
Sep 12, 20233 min15) A woman for everyoneWhen I first showed up on the streets, I mistakenly thought that jealousy would be the largest challenge among the sex workers. I thought...
Sep 4, 20233 min14) Hierarchies on the streetsThe hierarchy that existed among the sex workers was incredibly complex and took me years to unpack. Where do I begin? First of all, the...
Sep 2, 20233 min13) Smoking baseIn Ecuador I became a regular user of cocaine. But I remained a "weekend warrior," which is someone who parties hard all weekend and then...
Sep 2, 20233 min12) Back to the pimpsBack to Quito (2009-2013), the capital of Ecuador, nestled high in the Andean mountains. Back to the streets, back to my fieldwork....
Aug 31, 20235 min11) Living Life on Life's TermsIn this blog I plan to play with time and place: this particular post will reflect upon a recent day where I am currently living, in Cape...