So, the Academy Awards were this weekend. We watched a bit of them, which sparked a thought about the day before. Sweetheart was at work and I was performing my weekly “take a lame-ass stab at bringing some order to the Landfill I Call Home” exercise in futility when the phone rang. It was R, calling to … Continue reading A walk in the park, and why there should be an Academy of Cashiering Arts and Sciences
Category: opinion
So, yesterday was Valentine’s Day. You know. Roses, chocolate, celebrating romance with your honey – assuming you have a honey. Sweetheart and I don’t really do much for Valentine’s Day. We talked it over early on in our relationship and agreed that being nice to each other on a regular basis was enough of a … Continue reading Forget the birds: This Valentine’s day it was “all about those bees”
It’s been a terrible week for the news business. Brian Williams has been handed a suspension without pay for six months, or as I’m calling it, “book leave.” Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show to have dinner with his kids. And Bob Simon, whose latest stop in a distinguished career was 60 Minutes, was … Continue reading Newsmakers make news, religious fanatics make trouble and Mom’s community hosts a Debbie Friedman event with a millennial twist
Seven years ago, I decided to go to graduate school, because I don’t ever want to qualify for food stamps again. I want them to be there for people who need them, and I am all good with my tax dollars going to do that. In fact, I’m pretty good with my tax dollars going … Continue reading American Library Association declares war on former food stamp recipient, plus a mini rant and a throwback post featuring Israel, Palestine and feral cats
Four Februarys ago, I attended two funerals in the same week. It was the first time that had happened. A month later I was in New York hanging out with my niece and nephew. My sister had decided to fly down from Edmonton during their spring break, and New York is always a great place … Continue reading Ruth Goldbas & Ernie Banks, who died old, and Baki, who died young
One of the best things about finishing grad school is getting to read for pleasure again. I recently finished one novel - “The Orphan Master’s Son” by Adam Johnson, and am currently about halfway through “All My Puny Sorrows” by Miriam Toews. My Facebook pal Chase recommended the Johnson book in the wake of the … Continue reading North Korea and Canada between covers: A pair of mini book reviews
When Debbie Friedman died four years ago, the whole Jewish world stood up and paid attention. I’d been paying attention to Debbie my whole life, because she was nine when I was born and our mothers are sisters. That first year after she died, pictures kept showing up on Facebook, synagogues were singing her songs … Continue reading Debbie Friedman, number eight of Bubby & Zaydie’s 15
So, it’s been a slightly dismal week here in Flyover Country. That bitter cold that used to live north of us and comes to visit more often is in town and I am unsuccessfully fighting off some sort of winter sinus-related pestilence. Also, my favorite clothing store is going out of business. And of course, there's France. … Continue reading Why France, journalists and the Iliad will always have a place in my kitchen
Six Decembers ago, Sweetheart & I moved. Along with our physical possessions, I was concerned about emotional baggage. Mine, not his. It was just shy of a month living here, New Year's Day in 2009, when I wrote this essay. Real Estate & Leather Sweetheart and I had just gotten the keys to our new house after … Continue reading Real Estate & Leather: A ‘Throwback Thursday’ post
Celebrity gossip and pop culture are two of my guilty pleasures, and I follow world affairs and politics the way some people follow sports. I even have an unofficial list of Celebrities and World Leaders Welcome in my Home (it's very short). Unsurprisingly, last week’s news about the alleged North Korean hack of Sony felt like an early … Continue reading What the Sony hack & the Pentagon Papers have to do with dinner at my house
the sentence factory 