I love the holidays. I love the sight of a newly decorated Christmas tree, its branches bearing the history of holidays past, I love the smells of molasses and ginger cookies which I bake only at this time of the year, and I love the music which, in our house, I'm not allowed to play … Continue reading The Gift of the Year*
What’s in a Number?
Lady Gaga's crowd at Stad du France, 2012 I suck at math. Ask anyone who’s known me for more than a few days and they’ll universally agree, that I just don’t do numbers. Which is why it’s nearly impossible for me to wrap my head around anything like algebra, compound interest, angstroms and estimating crowd size. What … Continue reading What’s in a Number?
Yawning into the Divide: How Facebook became boring
Is it just me, or have the non-stop memes, the incessant ads and the fact that I only see the same twenty people post (thanks algorithm) made Facebook—gasp—BORING?!? In an informal poll of three other friends, we’ve all come to the same conclusion. Mind you, I’m not one of those who have always derided Facebook. … Continue reading Yawning into the Divide: How Facebook became boring
Election 2020 Workout Plan*
The 2020 Election is a few days shy of a year from now. If you’re super okay with Trump as president, McConnell as Senate Majority Leader, Barr as AG and a number of Republican down-ballot candidates winning , as well as some truly odious state ballot measures passing, do nothing more than vote. There’s really … Continue reading Election 2020 Workout Plan*
Facebook Broke My Brain
Remember those 80's brain on drugs ads? Can it be fixed? I have a lot of beefs against Facebook these days. The privacy violations, breaking democracy, and the mounting evidence that Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t give a shit about anything but making as much money as possible. But a concern that hits closer to home is … Continue reading Facebook Broke My Brain
Metropolitan Life
When I was ten the only thing I wanted from Santa was a can of Vienna sausages. That probably tells you a lot about me, including that I’m weird, but you already knew that. The point of sharing this here is to show that it’s pretty easy to make me happy (at least I think … Continue reading Metropolitan Life
The First Step is Forgiveness.
You may have suffered a staggering loss, or come home with a new family member. It may be recovering from an illness, or accident. Or as it was in my case, a cross- country move that involved downsizing, two massive road trips and a golden retriever with separation anxiety; but no matter the reason, life … Continue reading The First Step is Forgiveness.
What’s in my room?
A number of years ago, I went to my friend Kris' piano recital. I had known her for years, but till then, had never seen play. We were the kind of friends who went on trips, celebrated Thanksgiving and had each other on speed dial. After I saw her perform I said to her, “it … Continue reading What’s in my room?
Our Final Story?
What do an uninhabitable planet, decision making and storytelling have in common? Everything, if you read The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells, The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis and The Storyteller’s Secret by Carmine Callo in quick succession. Unless you’ve been living under a rock—of which there may only be a few left after the … Continue reading Our Final Story?
Have We Reached Peak Greed? A Review of Dark Money, by Jane Mayer
TLDR: Humans and animals on this planet are doomed if we don’t understand the impact of Dark Money on our political systems. The 80’s are back, or maybe they never went away, at least in regards to greed. Gordon Gekko may have said “greed is good” in the movie Wall Street, but were we supposed … Continue reading Have We Reached Peak Greed? A Review of Dark Money, by Jane Mayer
Pedestrian 