Author Archives: Pat Greene

For anyone confused about the religious and social dynamic that caused me to think of killing myself in the incident recounted in this post, read John Shore’s “Pastor to Rape Victim: He should have killed you. At least you’d have … Continue reading

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Tradition

We live in a multi-cultural household.  This year Christmas falls in the middle of Hanukkah. The Resident Shrink’s menorah sits on the entertainment center next to the decorated Christmas tree. Two nights ago, she made latkes for us, as she … Continue reading

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Note to self

Pat, dear: It is always possible to add more ground chipotle pepper to the stuffing if you want to later.  It is  much harder to recover from accidentally doubling the chipotle in the first place. The rum added to the … Continue reading

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Peace on earth, good will toward men

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and … Continue reading

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Alternative holiday decorations

Tonight the entire household – including a friend that the Not-So-Little Drummer boy brought home from college with him — did our annual tour of Christmas lights. We were heading down streets in the Willow Glen area of San Jose, … Continue reading

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Protect the Internet

I’m tired tonight, but this is important. If you don’t know what the Stop Online Piracy Act (in the House of Representatives) is, or the Protect ID Act (in the Senate), read this article from the Stanford Law Review.  I … Continue reading

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It’s break. You’re bored. You’ve had too much eggnog…

You need a diversion.  Check out the “History of English in Ten Minutes.”  It will take closer to fifteen to work your way through it, given buffering and everything, but it’s well worth the time. And, more generally, check out … Continue reading

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Dear Josh Groban…

I love your Christmas music.  Your voice seems tailored to fit well with traditional religious carols.  However, when you changed the words to “What Child Is This?” you not only lost the theological meaning, you lost much of the human … Continue reading

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Not fair.

I got my flu shot yesterday when I went into the doctor to get the results of my foot x-ray.  They gave me a paper with the list of possible side effects, but the nurse said I was unlikely to … Continue reading

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Establishing a demilitarized zone

My room has been traditionally Penwiper’s stalking ground, metaphorically speaking, especially my bed. (She likes to watch television.)  Either cat is allowed in here, though, and Pandora hides in my closet a lot. (It has lots of semi-open boxes for … Continue reading

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Oh, come on. Where’s your aesthetic sensibility?

Me: That’s a lovely shade of purple.The Red-Headed Menace: Not on a human foot, Mom.* *I broke my little toe.  It swelled, and the top of my foot turned this really lovely patchwork of purple, lilac and magenta. I have … Continue reading

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I know correlation is not causation.  I know that. However , it seems clear to me that a Vermont fraternity being suspended over a survey question which asked “who would you rape?” stems from the same societal forces that result … Continue reading

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Aftermath

Writing the last post was an intensely emotional experience.  Although tempted to do otherwise, I wrote it stone-cold sober, more or less stream-of-consciousness, in the form you read it.  I made a few changes to correct small grammatical errors, but … Continue reading

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What about the girls, Mr. President?

[Warning: rape/suicide triggers.] “As the father of two daughters,” Obama said. “I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine.” There was this girl.  … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Social Issues, Who I am | 2 Comments

I am pretty sure that I am preaching to the choir.  At least, I hope that I am. Another teenager, this time in Tennessee, killed himself in response to being bullied. It sounds terrible, but I am not particularly surprised. … Continue reading

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