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: Travel (real or imaginary)
My kind of guy.
quix·ot·ic: hopeful or romantic in a way that is not practical. Full Definition of QUIXOTIC: 1. foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action. 2. capricious, unpredictable. Merriam Webster Dictionary. As most of you know, the … Continue reading
Wednesday morning musings.
I am fighting off a cold. One indicator that I am unwell is that I am sitting in my hotel room in Manhattan in a NyQuil haze, drinking coffee, watching The Voice on my computer, rather than making a mad … Continue reading
My new bucket list.
Since I am close to finishing my art museum list, and inspired by Ken Burns’ series on the National Parks, I am creating a new list. There are fifty-eight national parks (fifty-nine if you count Pinnacles which will be one … Continue reading
If you don’t care where you are, you’re not lost
Last Tuesday, I went to Grace Cathedral to walk the labyrinth. Afterwards, I felt calm and centered, and decided to engage in a favorite activity, ignoring Google Maps and just driving around the city. Although I generally really dislike driving … Continue reading
Bits of Italy.
I just returned from ten days in Italy. Ten days was far too short: my stay there had to be fitted around someone else’s work obligations and as a result there was too little time to spend on a country … Continue reading
A tale of a city.
Venice is magic. It is seductive, charming, decadent, fun. The Piazza San Marcos glows in the late afternoon sunlight, relatively sparsely populated now that the basilica is closed and all the tour groups with the legions of Americans, Brits, Germans, … Continue reading
Lest anyone think that I am steadfastly ignoring both the commenter on the post before last and the Democratic National Convention, I am not. I am on a trip and wireless has proven spotty and energy finite. Besides, who could … Continue reading
I struggle all the time with my role in the world. Who am I? What am I doing? Does my life have a rhyme or a reason? At the Waikoloa Resort on the big island of Hawaii, you can sign … Continue reading
EchidnaQuest 2006, Part II
EchidnaQuest Part I, here. The fateful day arrived. Echidna Boy could hardly contain his excitement. We arrived relatively early at the zoo, and there were already long lines for tickets. Going to major tourist attractions during the week between Christmas … Continue reading
Echidna Quest 2006, part I
My youngest child is insanely obsessive about echidnas. They are his favorite animals. He can tell you all about them. Where they live (Australia and New Guinea), what climate they like (temperate), how they give birth (leathery eggs like reptiles, … Continue reading
I shouldn’t even have been in St. Isaac’s that morning. I was supposed to be in Paris, stretching luxuriously as I awoke in the Hotel de Nice on the Rue de Rivoli, looking forward to a leisurely breakfast of croissants … Continue reading
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