Amanda Knox

March 28th, 2013 → 6:02 am

    “In the course of justice, none of us
    Should see salvation.” – Merchant of Venice

In all honesty I did not really follow the Kercher murder case in Italy, where American Amanda Knox was convicted of murdering her roommate.  And then, acquitted of murdering her roommate.  Now, it seems, she’s being re-tried for murdering her roommate.  For god’s sake, shouldn’t all this be over with already?

Filed under: Blog & Other

Spring Storm

March 25th, 2013 → 6:01 am

“I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness.” King Lear

I’ve been at a conference the last few days and yesterday, Sunday, I was supposed to fly home.  Then came this crazy winter storm and I got stranded in the Chicago airport when my flight was cancelled.  I thought about getting a hotel and waiting it out, like I was supposed to do, but I missed my son so much.  I was dying to kiss and hold him after days without his adorable cuddle so instead I rented a car, drove through the storm, passed at least 50 cars stranded or skidded off the side of the road, and made it to my baby at 11pm last night.  This morning I woke with the cold realization of how stupid I was, but what the hell is it doing snowing like this at the end of March?!?!?

Filed under: Blog & Other & Self/My Life

Mideast Apology

March 23rd, 2013 → 6:06 am

“After-hours gives leisure to repent.” – Richard III

Apparently the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, apologized yesterday to the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, over the botched flotilla raid of 2010.  I was surprised (and impressed) to hear of it.  Now if only everyone in the Middle East would apologize to everyone else in the Middle East for all the myriad of offenses everyone has done to everyone else since 10,000 B.C., we might be on our way to real peace in the region!

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians

Cyprus Deposit Tax

March 20th, 2013 → 6:03 am

    “Commit
    The oldest sins the newest kind of ways.” – Henry IV, Part II

I don’t know how the EU is going to fix its currency and banking mess, but suddenly and indiscriminately reaching into citizen accounts and taking money from people’s hard earned savings seems more like theft than public policy to me.  There has got to be a better way.

Filed under: Blog & Economics/Money

Not Enough Time

March 17th, 2013 → 6:18 am

    “Time’s the king of men;
    he’s both their parent, and he is their grave,
    and gives them what he will, not what they crave.” – Pericles

I never seem to have enough time.  Enough said.

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

Popes & Republicans

March 15th, 2013 → 5:55 am

“These tedious old fools.” – Hamlet

I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed the new pope is another conservative, old white male.  I also can’t believe what I’m hearing out of CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference), that the GOP lost the last election not because of the message they were preaching, but because they just didn’t quite have the right messenger.  No women’s rights, no gay rights, no equality and support for all – nothing needs to change there!  Aren’t these tedious old fools ever going to wake up?  And realize that the world around them is changing?

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People

Mistaken Identity

March 13th, 2013 → 5:17 am

    “The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne
    Burned on the water; the poop was beaten gold.” – Antony and Cleopatra

A former student came to see me in my office yesterday.  Within five minutes she was crying, spilling the story of her breakup with her boyfriend, segueing into the heartache of the death of her father…  I started to wonder why she’d come to see me of all people, when she suddenly explained that when her life was a mess, she liked to seek out people who had their shit together.  This time, she thought of me and coming to hang out with me.  It was a huge complement, of course, though rather surprising.  My seat is not a burnished throne, and my poop most certainly is not gold.  But if I can talk to someone for forty-five minutes and make them feel even a little bit better about life, well, that’s an awesome thing.

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

A Cowardly End

March 11th, 2013 → 8:33 am

    “Every bondman in his own hand bears
    The power to cancel his captivity.” – Julius Caesar

Apparently one of the assailants in the India gang-rape case has committed suicide in jail.  A cowardly end; I would have preferred he faced justice and the long, long years of a desolate existence in jail.

Filed under: Blog & Stupid/Evil People

Restraint

March 9th, 2013 → 6:16 am

    “‘Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,
    Another thing to fall.” – Measure for Measure

Ways in which I am tempted:  junk food, extra sleep, denigrating idiots, spoiling my baby, blaming my husband, ignoring the laundry, hating my enemies

Ways in which I fall:  junk food (often), extra sleep (rarely), denigrating idiots (sometimes), spoilig my baby (all the time), blaming my husband (now and again), ignoring the laundry (not enough), hating my enemies (too obsessively)

That’s not the worst track record, is it?

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

Kim Jong-un

March 7th, 2013 → 6:32 am

    “If I chance to talk a little wild, forgive me;
    I had it from my father.” – Henry VIII

I woke this morning to news that North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, has threatened the U.S. with a nuclear attack.  What?!?!  I guess the kid is upset at proposed U.N. sanctions in response to their latest nuclear test.  All I know is that a hyperactive, testosterone-filled, 29 year old child should not be leading an entire country with nuclear weapons at its disposal.  Crazy dictator.

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians & Stupid/Evil People