Funny story: in the run-up to our wedding, about three of the combined five adult children along with some of their children, were all over at the house one evening. It was busy, chaotic, and everyone was more than a little distracted. There may have been some merry-making in the form of cocktails. But with …
Category: politics
Unsuited for the Job
Brett Kavanaugh had an opportunity last Friday, September 28, 2018: he had an opportunity to show the United States, and particularly American Women, that he was a suitable choice for a seat on the highest court in the country. Brett Kavanaugh blew it, proving only how deeply unsuited for the job he is. Now, this …
School Shootings: It’s Not the Schools, It’s The Guns
During my time supporting three Assistant Principals and an Associate Principal, I saw all the Discipline on a 5A, highly diverse High school campus. Most is petty and routine: dress code violations, excessive tardiness, insubordination; a subset of chronic cases who had more serious offenses on their records; and maybe a dozen of the truly …
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POTUS & Archie Bunker’s Toilet
It was a more innocent time, my childhood, when Jane Russell could only display the Platex Cross Your Heart Bra on a mannequin; it was a big deal that we heard the flush of the Bunker's toilet; when a married couple must be shown to each have one foot on the floor in the marital …
Who Are You?
From my mother, I grew up with very specific ideas about who I am genetically. We were Irish, "Descended from Jonathan Kelly, who stowed away aboard the Mayflower to get here and practice his Catholic faith in freedom from the English swine who stole our language and religion." My mother had opinions on the English. …
Radical Hospitality
I've been hearing the term Radical Hospitality in Christian circles for some years now. It seems to vaguely mean Inclusion, Tolerance, and Support for the individual on his or her faith journey, as well as a method of bringing newcomers to the faith. It has meant different things to the various different people and congregations …
Feminists & Goats
How much might such women have accomplished if they had rights? Birth control? Equality?
Six Degrees of Immigration
The year I don't know, but in the early days of the 20th Century a young man from a small village outside Kiev boarded a ship in Frankfort, Germany, crossed the Atlantic and, passing through Ellis Island, an anonymous agent recorded him under the Anglicized name, Bernard Gross. He married a fellow immigrant, a girl from the old …
Weekend Coffee Share: Rolling up the Sleeves edition
I've been in a funk since the election. It didn't go my way. The Wednesday after, I allowed myself to wallow, neither listening to nor watching any news. It would all still be there when I was ready to hear it. Instead, I Netflixed the day away on the couch in my sweats, with my …
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(Un)Safe
It was 4:45 a.m., and the door from my bedroom to the back yard was open just far enough to let Blanca and Ivan go in and out. As I lay in bed listening to crickets and the odd cicada humming, I was warm, comfortable, and safe, enjoying the peace of not-quite morning. After these last few …
Southern Fried Californian 