Author Archives: Pat Greene

An important five-year anniversary passed last June, and I failed to mark it.  June 24 was the fifth year since the Supreme Court decided Kelo v. City of New London  545 U.S. 468 (2005).  It’s odd to think it’s been five … Continue reading →

I rarely give reviews of any sort, but these people deserve it….If you are ever in Baltimore, and you love beer, and you love burgers, you have got to go to Alewife. It has forty beers on draft (plus a … Continue reading →

Last Saturday, The Red Headed Menace and I had an adventure. It started out as a simple trip to the beach.  A cold gray morning had turned into one of those magnificent autumn/winter Northern California afternoons, where the sky is … Continue reading →

Steven D. Levitt can  bite my ass. In his book, Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt, the “rogue economist,” includes a piece called “Why Vote?” from November 6, 2005.  In it he argues that any given vote does not really matter, since … Continue reading →

I’ve always wanted to be a top Google hit.  For something.  Silly, I know, but it’s nice to have goals in life. This blog has a top Google hit.  It turns out that if you Google the phrase “children ardent … Continue reading →

“This is Lego being a corporate bitch.”  The Red Headed Menace.* *He and Railfan are massively invested in Lego Bionicles.  (Yes, I know that they’re teenagers.  I don’t get it either.)  They buy sets for the sole purpose of re-using … Continue reading →

 It was a cool (out of respect for my friends with snow I will refrain from saying “cold”), wet day yesterday here in my neck of the woods.  There was football on television and melancholy in the air. Lately, I … Continue reading →

I missed an important anniversary yesterday.  On the other hand, at least one source says it is today.  In any case… On either January 16th or 17th, 1605, the novel Don Quixote was published  (or at least the first half). … Continue reading →

A few minutes ago, while driving home, I saw a dog off-leash crossing the road. In the crosswalk. He waited for a break in traffic, then trotted across, staying between the lines the whole time.   I stopped, of course, because in … Continue reading →

Lately, it occurred to me that no one in my family outside my husband and occasionally one of my kids had ever read my writing.  My mom never uses a computer, neither do my sisters or eldest brother, and while … Continue reading →

I am seriously considering giving up my Facebook account. It’s not that I don’t love all my friends — I do.  It’s just that I find that I rarely post anything of substance, merely repost interesting links I find.  I … Continue reading →

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars ,but in ourselves, that we are underlings… William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar I’m sure you’ve seen the news: because of shifts in the earth’s rotation, the old zodiac no longer applies.  There is … Continue reading →

The universe, in the form of other people, might be trying to tell me something. In the past month, I have had someone tell  me that I am beautiful, fascinating and complex.* (They also said something completely flattering about my … Continue reading →

Regarding the last post:  I think it’s great.  Of course, I’m his mother, so I am a rather biased.  (I particularly like the “not wanting antagonism impaired” line:  I think it shows a good understanding of human nature.)

“Phobia” AquaphobiaAerophobiaScared of the clouds of rain that go to yaThere are no gathering stormsThere are no people above the normJust phobia. TerraphobiaThermophobiaScared of the earth that builds loveSlaughtering people foreign landsLetting innocent blood flow in the drifting sandsIt is … Continue reading →