I started my blog Small Dog Syndrome when I was still in university, back when everyone and their uncle had a site. Like so many ramblers, I used it to (as the pretentious types say) “hone my craft” and “develop my voice.” It was a fantastic vehicle for both and over the years I enjoyed building a small but enthusiastic readership.
The project was called “Small Dog Syndrome” because it was based on the notion of being “bigger on the inside” in the immortal words of Dr. Who. Napoleon complex. Being frustrated by being physically small and mentally big. At the time I was a barely-minted adult staring down the barrel of the 2008 collapse as I was graduating from university, a practicing Mormon only beginning to grapple with the realities of misalignment with my community, with an outsized personality in a small frame. It worked.
But a lot’s changed in nearly 15 years and increasingly I found it difficult to identify with the name of my site or even what it’s purpose was.
At time of writing at least, I’ve been married to my husband for almost 13 years. I’ve found and settled into a career path that I find fulfilling. We’ve been American expats living in London for nearly a decade now. We left Mormonism behind years ago, but are still unpacking its affects in our lives. I’m another elder millennial living through my second “world-changing economic event” in a lifetime (so far…) in the midst of a global pandemic, with a hilariously low net-worth but a great wardrobe and excellent taste in lipstick.
In essence, I don’t feel as “small” or generally beset by Imposter Syndrome as I once did.
So here we are. De.Cadence. What the hell is this project?
Is it a chic pun on French indicating, “of Cadence?”
Is it a rejection of the beats and rythmns that used to structure our lives?
Is it the holding of low/incorrect standards that are contributing to the slow collapse of society in general.
Yes. Sure. All of it, and probably some other shenanigans as well. Hopefully it’s still a place of entertainment for those of you who read for the curated round ups of journalism and pop culture, but under a new banner, here’s hoping I can also use this space to try some new things and explore new topics.
So, hi! Hello! Welcome to de.cadence. A place for the off-beat, out of step, or shamelessly self-indulgent, all lovingly curated by your favorite millennial internet aunt.
