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.
- Follow The Wild Winds of Fortune on WordPress.com
Wild Winds of Fortune Feed
Search this blog
Archives
December 2025 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 
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.
- Art Beadwork Blogging Books Culture (popular and otherwise) Family Feminism Food God faith and theology Health History Justice KIds Kids in all their glory Miscellany Music My life and times nothing special Personal Relationships Politics Science SCOTUS Social Issues Sports The Internet and its perils The World Travel (real or imaginary) Who I am Work! Writing
Tags
- abortion
- Antarctica
- anti-vaxxers
- architecture
- Art
- baseball
- blogging
- Books
- Broadway!
- Capital punishment
- chinchilla races
- computer
- elections
- Everybody talks about the weather
- Feminism
- first
- first-world problems
- Florida
- football
- Gamergate
- Geeks! Geeks! Geeks!
- Get your red hot links here!
- GMOs
- God faith and theology
- Gratitude
- guns
- hehehe
- hehehehe
- History
- LGBT rights and issues
- life
- life sucks sometimes
- Look what I made!
- mental health
- Mindfulness
- Mom
- Moooom!!!!!
- movies
- Music
- My friends are the coolest people
- NASA
- neil-gaiman
- news
- notes to self
- People worth listening to
- poetry
- Politics
- privacy
- Profundities
- Railfan
- really cool things
- recipes
- Reprehensible people
- Space
- technology
- television
- The Interminable Job Search
- The Not-So-Little Drummer Boy
- The NSLDB
- The Red-Headed Menace strikes again
- The Rocket Scientist. the field season
- the search for truth
- The Voice
- The wonderful Penwiper
- things I believe
- torture
- Tragedy
- Trivia
- Unions
- Voting
- What did I do now?
- What I like
- writing
- you have *got* to be freaking kidding me
-
Join 303 other subscribers
Contact info:
Email me at wwf@lithic.net
Category Archives: Who I am
Done!
November is National Novel Writing Month. Individuals pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days. Election (yes, I know it’s not a new title but you can’t copyright a title) is about a woman who talks … Continue reading
Look what I made!
I am what I like to call a “process knitter.” My inability to keep track of intricate patterns means that I end up knitting things that are straight and pretty boring. In addition, I have not knitted anything since The … Continue reading
Oh, well.
I saw John Scalzi in conversation with Tad Williams tonight. Scalzi was funny, and charming, and gave one of the better explanations of the Puppies phenomenon I’ve heard or read (namely, jealously, but it’s a lot more than that) and … Continue reading
Fifty things…
It’s been a while since I did one of these things. I am thankful for: 1. Starbucks Venti Decaf No Whip Mocha made with Coconut Milk and Sugar-Free Hazelnut Syrup. 2. That I have a couple of weeks free. 3. … Continue reading
“Social Justice Warrior” has a really lovely ring to it.
I’ve been meaning to write a GamerGate post. Everyone else has, pretty much. I’m busy with other things (such as deciding if I have enough of an idea to try NaNoWriMo this year — I may need to settle for … Continue reading
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
Yay! Trivia!
I have found a new place to play trivia: The Freewheel Brewing Company in Redwood City, California. They have a trivia game every Monday night, hosted by a very lovely British woman whose name I can’t remember right now. Unlike … Continue reading
One of my stories.
“We were somewhere outside of Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.” This is the opening line of Hunter S. Thompson’s Gonzo journalism epic, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. What is the … Continue reading
On this day, I give thanks for… [50 things, in no particular order]
Starbucks Venti Nonfat No Whip Decaf Salted Carmel Mochas. That I do not have to worry about having a roof over my head. That I have enough food to eat on a regular basis. Turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry … Continue reading
Down from the attic.
There really is no other way to begin this post than… Hello, my name is Pat. I have bipolar disorder. I am not alone in this: an estimated one to five per cent of people in the United States are … Continue reading
The “I have done nothing of note with my life” virus is running strong through my veins this evening. It is a weird combination of green-eyed envy, deep sadness, great shame, and and a surprising amount of guilt. The combination … Continue reading
Not to whine (or at least, not to whine overmuch), but I have had a rough couple of years. Things are better, but you can see the marks of time in the wrinkles around my eyes that seem to have … Continue reading
Closet Christmas.
It’s after Halloween. Openly, I nod seriously when people complain about all the Christmas things being set out in stores, stores that, because it is November, decide that it is not too early to start playing Christmas songs. (And God … Continue reading
A Case of You.
You’re in my blood like holy wine You’re so bitter and so sweet I could drink a case of you, darling And would still be on my feet I would still be on my feet “A Case of You,” Joni … Continue reading
I have so much to write about. At this point I have 16 browser tabs open, not including this one, and a mess (that’s a term of art) of links stored in my Safari reading list. Topics range from Jenny … Continue reading
The Wild Winds of Fortune 