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: My life and times
Tuna Jerky: Yuck. Tuna Jerky Souffle: Yum.
Elizabeth Falkner is a very nice woman who makes really kick-ass souffles. I have just returned from spending the evening at Orson, her restaurant (which right now is only being used as an event space), where she was hosting a … Continue reading
Because you never know when you’ll meet a knight with a white horse.
I was in the downtown Starbucks, which I like because it has long tables which allow me to work without feeling that I am hogging a table all to myself which other people would want. (Said tables all have power … Continue reading
Time like a river, and filled with rapids.
Saturday, it will be the fifteenthanniversary of my father’s death. Sunday will mark my eldest son’stwenty-first birthday. Both of those are painful, though fordifferent reasons. The first hurts because there is somuch I left unsaid (and unasked) to my dad. … Continue reading
My life did not flash before my eyes. I was too busy closing them.
In my post “One is a wanderer,” I mentioned New Zealand. Don’t get me wrong, anything in this post notwithstanding, I love New Zealand. It is the most beautiful country on the face of the earth. My sole reason for … Continue reading
Thank you, Mr. Jobs.
It is the day for Steve Jobs stories, and I have mine. Years ago, 2002 or 2003 I think it was, I was organizing the VIP Readers Day for the school my kids went to. I had done it for … Continue reading
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
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
Today’s mantra…
Be Here Now. Be present in the moment, and do not fear about the future. Do not ruminate about the past. Find what is good in your life and concentrate on that. I have had a bad afternoon, and a … Continue reading
I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call and may not be denied John Masefield, “Sea Fever” Sometimes, there is a story which hits so close … Continue reading
Twenty [More] Statements about me. Plus one.
I’ve done this before, but what the heck, I’m bored. More things you should know about me (or not, as the case may be): 1. I don’t eat fish. My father fished a great deal when I was growing up … Continue reading
I have been thinking a lot lately about the Jeremiah Wright controversy. Aside from the double standard — what about all of the conservative politicians over the years who have embraced right-wing religious figures that condemned the United States for … Continue reading
Art Wars
Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away… Oops. Wrong opening. Once upon a time, er, in Palo Alto, California, there was an arts non-profit organization. It was, although flawed, a good and exciting place. It had potential. … Continue reading
Hi ho, hi ho…
After several years away from the paid job market, I’m working for money again. It’s the first time I’ve worked in an office in over a decade (my last paid job was freelance — I only went to the office … Continue reading
Birth Days.
I am 46 today. I celebrated by meeting with the head of Career Services at Stanford Law School. It had been a long, long time since I had been on the SLS campus. I have even avoided driving anywhere on … Continue reading
Notes from art class
I am taking a drawing class. Oh boy. I earned this class by virtue of volunteering at a local arts organization for 100 hours — answering the phones and staffing the reception desk, mainly. “No, sir, the pastel portrait class … Continue reading
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