Who I am…
I am a lawyer, former mother of teenagers, and a quixotic seeker after and champion of factual truth.
I make the best damn brownies you have ever had that are not regulated by the federal government.
I love movies, Broadway, and intelligent conversation.
I think in song lyrics and movie and television quotes.
I believe in the use of proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar even in text messages. I am willing to debate the use of the Oxford comma, if you know what the Oxford comma is. It also makes me very happy if people use the subjunctive mood when appropriate.
I have been told I intimidate people. I am really just a fluffy-centered teddy bear. Really.
- It's all my fault. No, really. The views expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone and in no way whatsoever represent the views of anyone else, including any past, present, or future employer.
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Words to live by ….
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.
“Pray for the dead, fight like hell for the living.” Mary Harris (“Mother Jones”).
“Don’t boo. Vote.” Barack Obama.
“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” Reinhold Niebuhr.
“No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We’re always one of Us. It’s Them that do the bad things.” Sir Terry Pratchett.
“Damning facts are still facts.” Steven C. Holtzman.
“If you don’t stick to your values when they’re tested, they’re not values — they’re hobbies.” Jon Stewart.
“Darkness never sustains, even though it sometimes seems it will.” Doctor Who.
“Writing is a form of mischief.” Stephen Sondheim.
“An idea is not responsible for the people who believe it.” Don Marquis.
“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.” Joseph Campbell.
“Truth is our strongest ally, our biggest weapon, and our best defense.” Me.
“Reality has a well-known liberal bias.” Stephen Colbert.
“The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation.” Jonathan Larson.
“We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger.
We rise and fall, and light from dying embers
Remembrances that hope and love last longer.
And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love;
Cannot be killed or swept aside.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda.“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Emma Goldman.
“No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett.
“I believe that the God who made (among other things) light, and space, and number, and time, and the spiral curve of Fibonacci numbers, must be acknowledged to understand more than I do about why there’s pain in the world.” Teresa Neilsen Hayden.
“No, it’s not fair. You’re in the wrong universe for fair.” John Scalzi.
“Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, ‘Liberal,’ as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won’t work, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor.” Lawrence O’Donnell
“So keep fightin’ for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t you forget to have fun doin’ it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin’ ass and celebratin’ the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.” Molly Ivins.
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Author Archives: Pat Greene
Who you gonna call?
I may be going to hell for linking to this….. My one hope in life is that whatever God there may be has a sense of humor, or I am totally screwed.
The wonders of Photoshop
(Sound not necessary, video absolutely)
Small Graces.
I allowed myself a day to mope. Not to grieve: I suspect that will be a much longer process. I did what I often do when my heart is troubled: I drove. I drove one of my usual haunts in … Continue reading
When is a child an adult?
We have certain standards for when children become adults in this country. We believe youngsters incapable of making the commitment to marry (or have consensual sex) without parental consent, in most states until sixteen, in others eighteen. We state that … Continue reading
The gift was ours to borrow*…
The job ended Friday. My efforts in support of representational democracy are done. I knew it was temporary when I took the job. I just never expected to find it so meaningful. Or to have such wonderful coworkers. I never … Continue reading
Congratulations…
To my LGTB friends — may you have the chance to marry before the opponents of same-sex marriage can get a higher court to agree with them. I have yet to read the District Court’s opinion, so I can’t talk … Continue reading
More Conversation…
Echidna Boy: So, Mom, what do you think the weaknesses of the Census databases are? Me: a) I don’t know, and b) if I did, I certainly would not tell you. In the subsequent conversation, I learned, among other enlightening … Continue reading
Laughing hard, I am.
wcg at Live Journal pointed me to the wonder that is #wookieleaks. My favorites, other than the ones listed in the article? “Plans to drain Degoba swamps to build planet sized WalMart meets resistance from green party. ” (@jjd241) and … Continue reading
Assessing my social media
I have … (in order of adoption) a Live Journal (actually, I have four LJs, in one of which I never wrote anything and two of which are moribund) a Blogger blog (this one) a Twitter account* a Face Book … Continue reading
Enquiring minds want to know….
If someone has simply mentioned FaceBook in passing, not telling where or what name their FaceBook account is under, is okay to try and search them out anyway? Or is it simply too stalkerish? This in no way applies to … Continue reading
Perspective
Tonight, Echidna Boy and I were playing (what else?) MarioKart. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll choose the exact same Kart as you, so we’ll be identical.” “Oh, so you can say ‘we were exactly alike and I still pwned you?’,” … Continue reading
Odds and Ends
The mood, she is good today. I am on an even keel. Pain is relatively low. Hurrah. My current assignment is not to wait for the other shoe to drop, but enjoy the moment. I have given the kids an … Continue reading
I don’t feel like discussing context, at least not yet, but I wanted to post the following, if for no other reason than to look at it in moments of self-doubt: Damn, I’m good.
To other people, I am the human equivalent of sensible shoes. Comfortable, supportive, almost invisible. I’ve never been anything else, really. Maybe sensible shoes getting really worn around the edges and falling apart, now. I’ve come to terms with this … Continue reading
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