NYC!

 

Prize Winner

 On the Job Training

They ask, "Do you work?"

I just mumble and hum.

And wait for the look

That invariably comes.

It's hard to explain

How I got in this state.

My energy's drained.

My mind wanders of late.

I've developed a squint.

My posture is stooped.

I'm like an old hen,

Kept too long in a coop.

But I won't leave my desk!

Prospects couldn't be brighter.

They say, "Oh, you're a typist."

I say, no.

I'm a writer.

 

 

The Latest

       A woman struggles to adjust to a solitary life as she packs her husband's belongings. 

New Production Announced!

 

3 Count 'em 3

 

3rd place -- Creature Feature.

1st place -- Horror Feature.

1st place -- Sci-Fi Feature.

Like We Already Didn't Have Enough Bad News

 Some spoil sport who wants to destroy the 4th of July, summertime and childhood announced on CNN that every hot dog a person eats takes 36 minutes off their life.

Couldn't I make some of the time back if say, I drank kombucha with the dog or is it just like the wind?

2016

Pity poor 2016. It's being blamed for all that happened within its confines.

Between dead celebrities, violence and the election that shocked the socks off everyone, that is a lot of responsibility to heft.

OTOH, 2016 wasn't all bad.

I had epiphanies that improved my writing and successes unaccomplished until now. Hurray for hanging in there.

We had a wedding. It was perfect. Thank-you Montana for the beautiful weather.

I went places I'd never been. Yo, Vermont. What is with those moose signs?

So, put those socks back on and stop blaming 2016.

People die.

Politics are unpredictable.

Time is a constant and we're the variable.

Make of it what you will.

Sexism in the Bath

Bathrooms have been in the news lately. Who's going where to do what gets lots of ink, animosity and agita.

Sexism and gender bias in la toilette is not confined to transgender issues or former Olympic athletes.

Bolted to the back of the stall door in the Ladies Room at the local sushi restaurant, the following ad.

Isn't it bad enough, a person can't get a moment's peace out and about without being bombarded by advertising, musak, or greetings by chummy clerks?

Now, even a private crap is invaded with intrusive, sexist advertising.

I prefer the good old days of vandalism graffiti.

Billy Bob loves Betty Sue

for a gud time call 406-1234

Betty Sue don't live there no more

At least it made no assumptions.

Does the gas company think it has my attention showing a cheap knockoff purse picture?

Gentlemen, please.

The Kindness of Strangers

Another terrorist attack on a civilian target has left populations stunned, citizens dead and a country on lockdown.

Brussels, Belgium is a city of beauty and history and one I remember for the kindness of its people.

A volcanic eruption in Iceland had stranded us in Amsterdam while we were on our way to see our daughter in England. With all flights canceled for the foreseeable future, we took a college student’s advice to take the train to Brussels then the Eurostar to England.

All travel guidebooks say to never wander looking lost. Proceed with confidence or make yourself a target for thieves and opportunists.

Unfortunately, my resting countenance seems to be either awestruck or befuddled. When we emerged from the train in Brussels, my husband and I did a slow circle trying to decide, now what? We clutched the address page our Dutch concierge had printed out for us, and peered around for an EXIT sign.

An older woman approached and asked, in English, “Do you need help?”

Gratefully, we handed over the paper with the address and explained. She turned to the gentleman she was with and together they tried to decipher Dutch directions in rapid fire French. She called her companion, Papa, but we discovered he was her husband.

After a discussion flurry of pointing, headshakes and murmurs, I realized marriage looks the same the world over. Directions deciphered, they led us out of the train station and pointed the way to our hotel.

We thanked them and we each went on our way. The next day we were in England with our daughter.

This morning, Brussels is in shock from three bombings. Once more, we watch innocents suffer and a country struggle to recover. But I’m reminded of the beauty of two Belgians who took time from their day to extend help and compassion to tourists.

In the face of those who seek to destroy, we should remember the world is also made up of people who reach out with kindness and grace.

I hope the lady and her Papa and their family are safe and that beautiful Brussels recovers quickly from this assault.

Vive la France !

Je suis Paris

Update on Fenton the Free Spirit

Here

Turkey Day

This year's turkey was beautiful! We drank a toast to our absent loved ones and ate ourselves into a tryptophan coma.

Current Events

Somebody needs to bitch-slap the Media.

How the Meda Embarasses Itself.

Attention Bigots.

Afterward.

Another Follow-up.

And Finally.

Watch and Weep

Watch the Night Sky

Watched the International Space Station streak by last night.

There's something primal about staring into the sky.

Head tipped back, far as possible.

Watching.

Seeing.

Wondering.

Story is here.

To Go Boldly, Where No One Has Gone Before

“In this tightly cropped image, the NASA space shuttle Atlantis is seen in silhouette during solar transit, Tuesday, May 12, 2009, from Florida.

You know the rest.

Breaking News

They have Neanderthals in Chicago.

And they are resisting Historic Preservation.

“The fact is, Chicago could not exist without its landmark ordinance,” said Jonathan Fine, the executive director of Preservation Chicago, a nonprofit group. “It’s the line that holds us back from the Neanderthals.”

Story is here.

Freedom and Choice

This weekend, the Catholic Faithful were enjoined from the pulpit to help defeat the Freedom of Choice Act. Of course, they didn't call it by name, only initials. FOCA. Because the words, FREEDOM and CHOICE, are so very threatening. A poster displayed the list of horrific consequences should the liberals hold sway. Most parishes offered preprinted, addressed postcards so each person can lobby their Senator to defeat the bill.

I expect egregious misinformation from the usual vocal opponents of Pro-Choice. I didn't expect printed material delivered in church, dispensed by the diocese, to be full of inflammatory misrepresentations.

Silly me.

Shame on them.

Here is a link to the actual text of the bill. Freedom of Choice Act. In previous sessions of Congress, it has been submitted twice and died, twice, in committee. Even though one of President Obama's campaign promises was to pass and sign the Freedom of Choice Act, the Senate is still, by small margin, Pro-Life.

Here is the treacherous villainy some in Congress would foist on the American public.

"A woman's decision to commence, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy is one of the most intimate decisions an individual ever faces. As such, reproductive health decisions are best made by the woman, in consultation with her medical provider or loved ones, without governmental interference."

govtrack.us is a site that tracks the progress of bills through Congress. This link shows the progress of the bill in the 110th Session. I hope the 111th does better, even with an onslaught from the Catholic Mislead.

News 2 Lose

Speculation looms that President-elect Obama is considering Senator Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. I was reading a news article about this and snorted coffee through my nose when I got to this quote.

"Clinton, 61, has extensive foreign policy experience, having travelled widely when her husband was president from 1993 to 2001...."

Well, I've watched my husband make thousands of car repairs, maybe I can get a job at Ford.