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
This is me, patting myself on the back.
[This is my exercise in self-esteem. Please feel free to ignore.] My job coach told me to take time to appreciate myself. In that spirit, I decided to reread my last two weeks of posts as though they were written … Continue reading
Beautiful, again.
After my post the other night, “Pretty and Beautiful,” I have been trying to tease out what I find beautiful. Uniqueness. The late great Amy Winehouse was beautiful in spite of all of her issues because she always came across … Continue reading
No. Just no. And don’t call me "sugar," either.
Dear barista: I am not your “dear.” I only see you on those rare occasions that your work schedule and my visits to this particular Starbucks (which is neither of my usual ones) coincide. It’s bad enough that you ask … Continue reading
What do you mean, this isn’t a federal holiday?
Happy “50% off all chocolate in red heart-shaped boxes” Day.**No, this joke is not original to me. I first heard it years ago on LiveJournal. I’ve never claimed to be all that original.
I have not watched the Grammys in years. By some odd chance I ended up watching on Sunday night, and it made me regret that I had gotten out of the habit. I ended up listening to the nominees and … Continue reading
PETA does it again.
I can’t tell whether to be amused or infuriated by PETA’s latest legal manuever: they have filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Diego claiming that the orcas at Sea World are being held in violation of the 13th … Continue reading
Not to mention attracting wildlife.
Red Headed Menace: It was a really interesting exhibit on water usage. Did you know some large percentage of water in this county goes for landscaping? When people could set up systems using captured rains…Me: Wait, what??!?!?!RHM: What’s wrong?Me: Oh, … Continue reading
What is so very very wrong with this picture?
Chris Brown performed at the Grammys tonight. The local newscast reported that it was the first time he had been at the Grammys since he dropped out of the 2009 show. Funny. They did not mention why he had dropped … Continue reading
Pretty and beautiful.
Taylor Swift is pretty. Very pretty. Very pretty in a traditional Hollywood way. And she sings very well. She is fresh, and pretty, and her music — the admittedly small amount I’ve heard of it — is full of energy. … Continue reading
Hey, want to impress your loved ones — or your loved one’s coworkers — this Valentine’s Day? Don’t buy chocolate truffles, make them. This Martha Stewart recipe is a good starting point.* (There are more difficult recipes out there — … Continue reading
At some point, did they stop teaching civics in schools?
So, Rick Santorum wants to overturn any decision the Supreme Court makes declaring bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Mr. Santorum, you can’t do that. The Supreme Court gets to decide what’s constitutional, you do not. Now, you can drag your … Continue reading
What’s next? Chutes and Ladders? Twister?
During the Superbowl, NBC showed an ad for the upcoming Battleship movie. This led to a discussion in my Facebook* about what board game might next be adapted for the screen. I was proud of my suggestion of “Candyland,” deeming … Continue reading
Knock-Knock. Who’s there? Go away.
Yesterday, I spent the day running around looking for items for a party we were throwing at the house for the Resident Shrink’s birthday, and driving to Casa da Fruta to get the specific type of glazed apricots covered in … Continue reading
Mother God
In her blog, Rachel Held Evans reports on a call by John Piper, evangelical pastor, to preserve “masculine Christianity.” …God has given Christianity a masculine feel. And being God, a God of love, He has done that for our maximum … Continue reading
Visioning music.
There is no day so bad that Aaron Copeland’s “Appalachian Spring” will not make it better. I close my eyes, and I am back east, in the Smokies. I can see the light leaves on the maples and birches budding … Continue reading
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