As a former Catholic, I’m not into biblical quotes. I prefer my inspirational quotes from sources other than scripture.
I happen to like “This Too Shall Pass.” Apparently, it is of Persian origin (the Sufi poets) and Abraham Lincoln once used it in a speech.
It’s especially useful when you’re lying in the dentist’s chair or having any type of medical procedure. I think all dentists should have it painted on their ceilings.
I like the build-up to Christmas. The lights, the presents, the anticipation. Also, the music, of course. I like listening to it and I love singing it.
My choir: Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace)
Yes, I have been camping. And not just regular camping, but hike-up-a-mountain-with-everything-on-your back-and-sleep-in-a-tent-in-the-rain camping.
In addition, I have taken young children camping—also in the rain.
Anyone can camp in good weather. The misery of hiking, cooking and sleeping outside in the rain requires fortitude.
WordPress, I demand an A+ on this assignment!
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I feel productive when I finish a nonfiction book. Not a memoir mind you, but a real nonfiction book about history or ideas. I’m a fan of novels, so reading nonfiction feels a bit like school—a completed assignment.
Recently, I finished The Persuaders—a NYT bestseller by the American journalist Anand Giridharadas. It’s been on my list for a long time due to recommendations from friends who are more serious activists than me. I wouldn’t say I loved it, but it gave me some things to think about.
In 2022, I read a nonfiction book by the American journalist Mark Leibovich, who now writes for The Atlantic. Leibo is actually an old friend of mine from my post-college party years so I tend to read his stuff. I think he’s hysterical. I enjoyed every single word of his bestseller Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump’s Washington and the Price of Submission. Highly recommend. It was an amazing poolside read. Even better with wine.
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What are your favorite emojis?
GenX are not digital natives and I don’t think we use emojis correctly a lot of the time, but personally, I like them. So could we please have a dictionary of their intended meanings? (Nevermind the hidden meanings)
My son played lacrosse for years, so it was exciting when they finally came out with 🥍 (no dictionary required)
But like what the heck is this supposed to be 🧫 ?
And what does this mean 🫡 ?
And why is there still no real marijuana emoji?? (Broccoli 🥦 is stupid.)
Also, our aging eyes are getting bad so it’s hard to actually make them out without very strong readers.
But my main complaint is the lack of a dictionary that goes with them. I want to be able to hold my finger on one and have words or a voice tell me what I’m looking at and what it’s supposed to mean.
So yeah, I’m clearly old.
👵
I like talking about the zeitgeist—current events and popular culture (especially movies and TV). I also love talking about books with my book group and music with my choir peeps. I enjoy hearing about people’s travels (to a point). I’m not a big sports fan, but if a Boston team is in the playoffs, I like to know what’s happening with that. Go Celtics ☘️! (and Bruins, I guess)
And as anyone who follows my blog knows, I despise Trump with a deep, burning, crimson hatred I’ve never felt for any other public figure in my lifetime, so I’m always up for any conversation which involves trashing him.
Am I the only one with a sign like this on display in my kitchen for the past 8 years?
When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?
I quit my job last November. So far, it’s working out well, but my husband is still working part-time, so we haven’t really hit the “fixed income” phase, which I think of as true retirement.
And people, I have extremely exciting news! My retirement is about to get a whole lot better. My beautiful daughter has informed me (via coffee mug) that I will be receiving THE BEST PROMOTION EVER in 2024!
She did an adorable gender reveal on Easter. There were yellow peeps in three Easter eggs. The fourth (mine!) had the big news.
💗
I’ve had my moments, but as of today, I do not regret getting married nearly 31 years ago.
We’ve all heard the statistics that almost half of marriages in the United States end in divorce or separation. It’s a big risk to walk down the aisle and pledge your unending love and support to another person. Given that divorce is so expensive and emotionally taxing, it’s kind of amazing that so many people still give marriage a shot.
At my age, I know happy single people, happy married people, and one or two unhappy single people (they wish they were not alone and are still looking). I no longer know many unhappy married people, because they mostly already got their divorces and are happy again.
At this point, the widows and widowers seem to have it the hardest. When you’ve been with another person for decades and you lose them, the grief and loneliness is profound. It’s the other big risk of marriage—the one you don’t really worry about at the start.
I’m not typically someone to not say something. I will speak-up when needed. I trust my instincts.
For example, when an ambulance (with no siren or lights in use) nearly ran over a woman in a Boston crosswalk, I made a mental note of the name of the ambulance company (which was from a different part of the state), called the main office, and got the driver in trouble. Another time a FedEx driver (a complete stranger) beckoned my young son to his truck when he was walking by himself and asked him to carry a package up the driveway. I got that guy in trouble too.
Being a native-born Masshole who participated in the hellish Boston commute for decades, I’ve also been involved in my fair share of road rage flare-ups. I’m quick to flip the bird to the deserving. I’ve been involved in one or two shouting matches with other drivers while sitting at traffic lights.
One time two young men with a Harvard window sticker cut me off dramatically on a winding thoroughfare, only to end-up at the exact same ATM as me minutes later. I went up to them and said, “Did they teach you to drive like that at Harvard?”
The only times I remember regretting not saying something are when I couldn’t think of a comeback fast enough. I hate that.
Click here to watch the best comeback in the film.
How on earth is a disgraced, twice-impeached, 4X-indicted, racist, gun culture-supporting, coup d’état-attempting grifter and rapist the GOP’s choice for President of the United States in the next election?
And worst of all, he’s directly responsible for this.
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