There was a shooting today. At an elementary school. A shooting at an elementary school. It's jarring on first sight, but then it starts to sink in, like hydrofluoric acid burning its way through glass. Those are children. Helpless. Defenseless. Children. I don't know nearly enough about gun control laws to say that they're the problem … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Technology “for” Women
As some of you might know, I'm an occasional contributor at Mamiverse. My most recent article with them, "Crazy Tech Gadgets for Women," was assigned in a rather open-ended way with the goal of sharing tech gadgets specifically for women. So I searched. And I searched. And I searched some more and I found what I listed there, but in my search, I … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Womanhood
A few weeks ago, I read an article about Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Leymah Gbowee, in which she asked "Where are the angry American women?" She was referring to the politicization of reproductive rights and contraceptive access, and as I read the article, my mind was all over the place. First, I will be clear and straight-forward with you. I'm a … [Read more...]
The Airing of Grievances, 2011 Edition
It's that time of year again. The season of giving and spirit and spending and super cheesy jewelry commercials that make even the greatest of guys look like total jerks. This also means that Festivus is upon us. Festivus means the airing of grievances. And boy did 2011 give me some serious grievances to air. 10. Angry comediennes kvetching about … [Read more...]
Rebel Parenting: The Controversy of Cosleeping
Recently, the city of Milwaukee launched a campaign to reduce infant mortality, targeting cosleeping by displaying photos of babies sleeping next to tucked in butcher's knives. The article I read on the matter read like an anti-cosleeping PSA. Note the complete lack of facts on crib mortality and co-sleeping safety statistics. Also note the … [Read more...]
The Christmas Conspiracy
It's November 12th. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Fall has descended on the Northern Hemisphere and the air is filled with the spirit of.. Christmas? WHAT!? Oh yeah. Christmas season started early this year - the day after Halloween, in fact. The commercials, the trees in the malls, the decorations in stores.. People are even posting … [Read more...]
Spelling Bee Protests: When Anti-Intellectualism Has Gone Too Far
Years and years ago, I did a bunch of spelling bees. In fact, I was in the spelling bee every year from fourth through eighth grade. I get twitchy when people misspell common words in their blogs, tweets or Facebook posts. Yes, I know, I'm a little bit obsessive, but it's a conveyance of language and the record of who we are and for what we stand. … [Read more...]
Orange County is NOT the Los Angeles Area
Living in Orange County is awesome. The weather is beautiful pretty much 11 months out of the year, and those 30 days of bad weather are scattered throughout fall and winter. We're the home of Disneyland, Surf City USA, some of the most beautiful and beautifully preserved missions and the Pageant of the Masters. If none of that revs your engine, we … [Read more...]