I’ve moved through life assuming that giving birth was always a possibility. And now, at nearly 43, I have to sever that option or cling on to it.
Severing would mean better physical health, the resolution of medical issues, and a life liberated from menstruation. Now that I spend more time menstruating than not, I can’t [...]
Archive for the ‘Conflict’ category
Bye bye baby
Stranger behavior III
Another year, another batch of observations to build on this an this.
Stella settles in to her seat on a flight to the West Coast for work. Her boss is in the row in front. She turns her attention to the younger gentleman in the seat beside her. He’s visiting from Holland. His chin is pierced [...]
So this is Christmas
I’m sure you’re all well aware of the news: President Obama orders 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
It seems so clear to me that this is a case of a Democratic official buckling to the not-wanting-to-appear-weak-on-defense pressure, but I was hoping that you all could give me some other reason for Obama’s decision, so I might [...]
Warmest welcomes
You might have seen this when it went viral last week, but in case not, here’s the most incredibly touching welcome home I’ve ever seen:
It turns out that there are a spate of such “welcome home” videos, showing soldiers returning from the Middle East to rapturous receptions from their kids…
… and their dogs:
We could probably [...]
Why?
In the old days, and also now, mechanics could bamboozle their clients with jargon and technicalities. That’s why the Car Talk guys are so popular. Now, we are all beholden to the tech guy.
The tech guy where I work is sort of a slob. He has no process. He has no system. Requests have to [...]
Damn Yankees
In a scene in Annie Hall, Alvy Singer, played by Woody Allen, awkwardly and defensively plies his girlfriend Annie, played by Diane Keaton, when she accuses him of not loving her. “Love is too weak a word for what I feel,” he claims. “I *lurve* you, you know, I *loave* you, I *loff* you.”
Similarly, hate [...]
Judgement Day
I just finished my jury duty service for the year. For most people, this is something that they hope to avoid as much as possible, and I am no different. If you Google “jury duty Los Angeles” you’ll find as many pages on how to get out of serving as you will on [...]
Born in the USA?
Where was Barack Obama born? Was it in Hawaii, as his official “short form” birth “certification” states? Or was he actually born in Kenya, and therefore ineligible to be President?
The “birthers” conspiracy theory has been gaining a lot of traction these days, though it has been around since before the election — since, in fact, [...]
Cookie jar
Over the last few months an entertaining but depressing scandal has been erupting in British politics. It turns out that, in spite of the British sense of fair play, our politicians are just as corrupt and disappointing as everyone else’s.
Members of Parliament are entitled to claim expenses from the taxpayer for maintaining second homes, based [...]
