I will confess to not being terribly distressed to slam the door on 2015. Between the job layoff, sending my best non-human friend Tuki to the Rabbit Field in the Sky and my mother on a slow cruise to Dementia Island, it’s been – and continues to be – interesting times. Still, there have been … Continue reading New Business, Writer’s Block and Preventing Newborn Ignorance, One Baby at a Time
Category: personal history
The first time I heard the term “Cultural Intelligence” was in a church basement. The topic under discussion was an update on the redesign of Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health division; the person updating us was describing an all-too-familiar and depressing reality: The group doing the redesign work is comprised of mostly white, upper middle class, suburban people … Continue reading The Art of Knowing What You Don’t Know: Cultural Intelligence, Tamir Rice and Hope for a More Enlightened 2016
Donald J. Trump is a man his supporters would avoid like gay pride parades if he were saying the things he says while unshaven and pushing all his worldly possessions in a shopping cart. But he wears bespoke suits and lives and works in buildings with his name on them. So instead of being called … Continue reading Up from the grave to denounce a naked emperor
Dear Muslims who are terrified of being collateral damage because of yesterday and white men who are terrified of being collateral damage because of all the shootings and massacres. I do not think all of you are terrorists. Sincerely: Amy PS I still think all the legislators who are worshipping at the feet of Wayne LaPierre … Continue reading Dear Non-terrorist Muslims & White Men; Dear Impending Grandson: A pair of open letters
I’m writing this with a view. Tuki is lying with her head on my outstretched leg. In two hours, she will be gone and I will be bereft. I’ve never had to put a dog down before. In between writing, I put my hand on her head and stroke the space from just above her … Continue reading Goodbye, Tuki, and thank you for 15 amazing years.
Welcome to the first of several postings about the most amazing reunion in the history of reunions. Given that it involved the event itself (a two-parter that included an afternoon and evening/dinner segment), a 1,500 mile sister road trip in which no eyeballs were scratched out, and many stops along the way (about which more … Continue reading Exporting the ‘Revolution’ reunion (1): Remarkable cluelessness and how to be in two places at once
Saturday night, Sweetheart and I got ready to settle down on the couch for a night of hard-core TV watching. We’d done the grocery shopping, mom-visiting and dog-walking earlier in the day, because a snowstorm was in the weather forecast. Mushroom pie was in the oven, kale salad and a berry pie were in the fridge. … Continue reading Forget the Patriots & Seahawks. Around here, winning means a working furnace and no pogroms
the sentence factory 