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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Category Archives: Culture (popular and otherwise)
First world problem.
I am done with Angry Birds. I don’t like the game well enough to pay for it, so I play the free version. I don’t mind the ads; it’s a free game, after all. I understand that Rovio has to … Continue reading
I am not adventurous. But tonight I am in the audience for an NPR show I have never heard of, Ask Me Another. It sounds like fun, but what sold me? Jonathon Coulton heads the house band, and Adam Savage … Continue reading
I have been looking around for sources of amusement online, because really, how many Cracked.com articles can a single person read? (I’m not sure, but I think I am getting close to the limit. And I do not even dare … Continue reading
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Note to self: in the future, do not EVER go see a movie in IMAX 3-D which contains huge freaking spiders. Curling up in a ball whimpering is really undignified.
I love “The Sing-Off,” I really do. But there are certain songs that should never be adapted for a Capella groups. “My Generation” is one of them.
More thoughts on my Voice obsession
Last night’s show (the top 8 performances) was terrific. This group seems to be more talent deep than last season. There were no performances that were bad, although there were a couple that were less than stellar. I’m sorry, but … Continue reading
How can you not love a band like that?
I have written about my fanaticism for The Voice, the NBC singing talent show. My favorites — James Wolpert, the uber-geeky former Apple Store employee and TessAnne Chin, the former backup singer for Jimmy Cliff — are still on the … Continue reading
Criminally Minded.
I’m watching 48 Hours, a show I almost never watch. I am usually quite skeptical of shows dissecting unpopular acquittals in criminal cases. Often such shows are simplistic and sensationalistic. The television producers take a single case, present as much … Continue reading
In these pages, I have often spoken of my love of the work of Stephen Sondheim. I always knew I was not alone, and now I have proof: “22 Signs You Were Raised by Stephen Sondheim.” Guilty. At least half … Continue reading
More random thoughts about The Voice’s first live performances.
I’ve been rewatching the live performances on YouTube. Some thoughts: Watching James Wolpert’s “A Case of You,” by far the best performance by any artist in the live round (and completely surprising given that his previous songs were all uptempo … Continue reading
Tom Cruise is an idiot. Recently, Cruise equated acting to being a soldier in Afghanistan. His comment was in the context of a deposition against media outlets. He was commenting upon his inability to see his daughter Suri while shooting. … Continue reading
The Voice.
[Note: I was writing this while the selections in the first live round were being announced, so that’s why there are asides about the selections.] I have gotten hooked on The Voice. For people unfamiliar with the show, it is … Continue reading
Art isn’t easy. Especially when it was stolen.
It seems that story of the art found last year in the Munich flat is not going to be straightforward. This art trove, consisting of painting designated “degenerate” by the Nazis, contained pieces by giants of twentieth century art such … Continue reading
We are what we watch.
Yesterday, I saw a fascinating documentary on Netflix called These Amazing Shadows, about the Library of Congress National Film Registry. I would highly recommend it to anyone. The Registry is not the AFI list of best films. Thankfully. Yes, there … Continue reading
Before on this blog, I have commented how troubling I found the lyrics that Stephen Sondheim wrote to “America” for the stage version of West Side Story. I was reminded of this when I was watching the his birthday concert … Continue reading
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