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
And that, children, is why I went to law school.
It started with a road, and a neighborhood. I’ve been interested in historic preservation for most of my adult life. It’s a passion, really, arising out of my experience growing up in an area that was in the process of trashing … Continue reading
Ah, yes, the hallowed halls of Academe.
I am currently taking classes at a local community college, for reasons I don’t really want to go into right now, perhaps stupidly taking a full courseload (12 units for this semester). I am (re)discovering several things about myself: My … Continue reading
The music of the waves.
See the line where the sky meets the sea It calls me And no one knows How far I’ll go… “How Far I’ll Go,” from Moana, lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda Long ago in a galaxy far, far… well, no, it … Continue reading
I cannot write about the election. This hurts. The anger, the grief, the fear all cycle in and around, swirling into each other. I have privilege. I can pass for whatever the reactionaries want me to be: a late-middle aged … Continue reading
Summertime Blues.
By all objective standards, it’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Not by mine. The sky is hazy, perhaps with smoke blowing up from the Soberanes fire near Big Sur. But the temperature is moderate — 72 degrees with clear skies. It’s … Continue reading
Sheesh. Another anti-vaccination horror story.
This time it’s chickenpox. A mom in Texas was reported to Child Protective Services for holding chickenpox-exposure parties. She was turned in by a pro-vaccination group overseas. Hopefully this will stop these idiots. Apparently this mom thinks “natural immunization” is … Continue reading
Florida.
I went to Florida last week. It was partly to keep The Rocket Scientist company at a conference, and partly to celebrate my birthday.¹ We started with Orlando where RS had his conference. Orlando seems to have more theme parks per … Continue reading
A rant. With footnotes.
I spent a lot of mental energy for a couple of days this week composing a rant. The rant isn’t aimed at many of my friends who support Bernie Sanders, but at quite a number of people I’ve had interactions … Continue reading
A world of Hermiones.
Scene: early 70s classroom. Actors: Mr. Lindsay, my beloved seventh grade civics teacher, the first person to take me seriously; me. Mr. Lindsay: Okay, when we’re discussing mountains, Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. Me, raising hand: … Continue reading
Dear Universe: You don’t owe me anything. You don’t owe anyone anything, but especially me. I know that, all things considered, I have a pretty good life. I have a home, even if right now it needs some paint and for the grass … Continue reading
“You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
David Bowie died. Although I recognized his importance to a great many people, I had never been particularly a fan of his music. I recognized his genius, but but my sadness at his passing felt muted. Alan Rickman died. That … Continue reading
My, how the time has flown.
I am I, Don Quixote, the Lord of La Mancha My destiny calls and I go And the wild winds of fortune will carry me onward Whithersoever they blow “Man of La Mancha,” from Man of La Mancha, lyrics by … Continue reading
Gone but never forgotten.
New Year’s Eve the Rocket Scientist and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, Iberia, in Menlo Park, California, for the last time. We have been to Iberia dozens of times over the years, but this time we were there … Continue reading
Tradeoffs.
As I mentioned in June, I had a bout of “post-viral” encephalitis that affected my memory and cognition. It’s been a long slog back, and it seems like the better I get the longer it seems I have to go. … Continue reading
First random post of 2016.
One of the advantages of being more mature older is that it’s easier to resist the temptation to drink to excess on New Year’s Eve. Besides, the champagne wasn’t that good. Far too dry for my tastes. The half-bottle of Shiraz I … Continue reading
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