Monthly Archives: August 2015

Goodbye, Tree.

Mimosas are not only drinks. Mimosas are trees with delicate fern-like leaves and fluffy pink flowers. My elementary school had a huge mimosa in front, with a low trunk that encouraged climbing, at least after hours when there was no … Continue reading

Posted in My life and times | Tagged , | 2 Comments

My cat needs a playlist.

We live close by our vet, and it doesn’t take long to drive there, so I had never really noticed this phenomenon until now. I was taking the lovely Penwiper (Connie Willis fans may recognize the name) to the vet … Continue reading

Posted in Music | Tagged | 2 Comments

F*** you, too, Brownie.

[Warning: as can be guessed by the title, this post contains strong language.] Ten years ago, I was telling my friends that people in the Gulf Coast were using “the C-word”: Camille. Growing up in Florida, the refrain you always … Continue reading

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To my foremothers

The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. The Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, adopted August … Continue reading

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This birthright citizenship, who needs it anyway?

A recurring motif of the race for the Republican presidential nomination has been that immigration needs to be curbed, and that birthright citizenship — citizenship obtained by birth on American soil — should be ended. (Carly Fiorna, to her credit, … Continue reading

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Look what I made!

I am what I like to call a “process knitter.” My inability to keep track of intricate patterns means that I end up knitting things that are straight and pretty boring. In addition, I have not knitted anything since The … Continue reading

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We’ll miss you, “Comrade.”

As writers from Chaucer to Shakespeare to George Orwell and beyond can attest, words change meaning with sad regularity. Usually they change gradually over the years, but sometimes the new meaning explodes out of nowhere. And sometimes those changes come … Continue reading

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Oh, well.

I saw John Scalzi in conversation with Tad Williams tonight. Scalzi was funny, and charming, and gave one of the better explanations of the Puppies phenomenon I’ve heard or read (namely, jealously, but it’s a lot more than that) and … Continue reading

Posted in Culture (popular and otherwise), Feminism, Who I am | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Over fifty years after the fact, Pinellas County rejects Brown v. Board of Education.

Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments….it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to cultural values, in preparing him for later professional training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his … Continue reading

Posted in Justice, Politics, Social Issues | 2 Comments

You know you’re getting old when 1) your coworkers have to explain what a “Jager bomb”*  is and 2) when you get home your children lecture you about how dangerous it is mix alcohol and stimulants. *Red Bull and Jagermeister. … Continue reading

Posted in Kids in all their glory, My life and times | Tagged | Leave a comment

WWMD.

But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might … Continue reading

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A probably underappreciated act of courage.

James Holmes, who shot up an Aurora, Colorado movie theater a couple of years ago, escaped the death penalty this week. The jury could not unanimously agree that he should be executed. The jury hung because of one juror. One … Continue reading

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Thank you, Jon Stewart.

Because I really do want to remember this: Bullshit is everywhere. There is very little you will encounter in life that has not been, in some way, infused with bullshit — not all of it bad. General day-t0-day organic free-range … Continue reading

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Consistency, people.

I heard a msnbc commentator this evening say “Everyone is rightfully upset — and should be — by the fetal tissue sale, but Republicans should not shut down the government to defund Planned Parenthood.” My first reaction was “Yeah, those … Continue reading

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