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Archive for the 'Family' Category

Papa don’t preach

( Family and Politics and Religion )

More interesting than whether or not little Bristol Palin is pregnant or whether or not she is in fact baby Trig’s mother is the question of whether or not the Palin family’s “private” affairs should be on or off limits in the nation’s ongoing presidential debate. I say that the private lives of the [...]

Average distractions

I am sitting at a dining room table in a “vintage” house in suburban Chicago. It is not a big house but it is sturdy and tidy and has a huge elm tree in the front yard. It represents the middle of middle class living in the middle of Middle America.  We may have a [...]

Crack House Diary Entry 03: Squatting in Someone’s Home

( Class and Conversations and Family and Geography and Life and Whatever )

There are no ‘abandoned’ houses in South Central. If a house or building is left unoccupied long enough someone will eventually make unofficial use of the structure. HUD foreclosed houses are no exception even though HUD officers visit them a couple of times each week looking for evidence of occupation. [...]

My first Republican National Convention

( Family and Politics )

My deepest immersion in Republican politics was a crucial step in my becoming a left-winger.
I turned 18 years old in February of 1992 as a senior in high school. It was an election year, and as a confirmed political junkie I was following George H.W. Bush’s reelection campaign and the challenge by Bill Clinton, a [...]

Party favors: punch, poems, pic

( Family and Food and Future )

Pomegranate Cocktail
Cover and chill:
5 cups pomegranate juice
2 1/2 cups vodka
1/3 cup orange-flavored liqueur
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
Add when cold:
2 1/2 cups chilled ginger ale
The wedding at Casa West went swimmingly — thanks for your suggestions a few posts ago. I ended up talking about how, when you meet the right person, your questions quiet down [...]