No More Fallujahs
Peace Camp
Unauthorized Protest 10/29/06
Parliament Square, London
(pictures borrowed from http://www.indymedia.org.uk/)


Around 100 people participated in this overnight demonstration.


In addition to placards, protesters used their tents to make a peaceful statement.


My hat's off to those who were brave enough to protest in Parliament Square today. You made a bold, powerful statement without the use of violence. You were willing to compromise your personal civil liberties for the greater good. This is community. The world is still inherently good.
Here is an update on the event.

It's time to vote, folks

Supporters in Houston take it to the streets! They claim to get 10 "thumbs up" for every other finger sent their way.
(Click on the picture above for the Kinky site. )

Early voting has begun!
See you at the polls!

Superficial Coloring Girl

Is the hair too dark this time? I only ask because I'm insecure... I really am trying to get back to my roots before it's too late.
One time, when I taught 7th grade, I had a kid ask if I changed my hair color with each holiday. I laughed (instead of being completely mortified that they, goofball 7th graders, noticed how often I dyed my hair) and said, "Yeah. Get ready for Easter!" The kids cheered...literally...for like half an hour, totally consumed by visions of pink, purple and green... I was their hero for a while... until the next question. Then I thought that I shouldn't have said that about the whole Easter thing. This holiday, after all, is a religious one. Making reference to it would probably get me fired... Stay tuned for the many reasons why one should and should not teach 7th grade and the consequences of doing or not doing so. NaBloPoMo! (Ahhh. How poetic!)

Take the NaBloPoMo challenge

The lovely and talented Lisa W. has challenged me to be a blogerrific member of society. I think I'll unofficially try NaBloPoMo just to see if I can commit to writing 30 entries in 30 days. I have tons of goofy, ridiculous, and otherwise irrelevant information to share with you all, so get ready...to blame Lisa. (grin) Let's see what happens.

Tell Me Baby

Since I'm on a music kick, I'll add this video too. I love it because it is the Chili Peppers and also because I want to be at this really weird, sing at the top of your lungs, dance like a moron audition. I think I would certainly fit in... except for maybe with Flea... but he can play the hell out of a bass guitar, so we forgive him (what's the head-butt thing about? (taking lessons from Zidane?). Also, I love to watch Anthony Kiedis dance. He's almost as good as Bono with the sweet moves!

This song has been trapped in my brain for a week now. (I'll blame it on John F since I saw him for the first time in many moons last week. Mary, John and I went to The Smashing Pumpkins concert when they were still a baby band.) They didn't actually play this particular song since it made its debut on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness which came out a few years later. The Pumpkins, in any song, still remind me of one of the first times music held me, and I've been a live music junkie ever since. I catch as many shows as I can afford to see and have even been known to take students occasionally (with parent permission of course!) Anyway, enjoy it!

smashing pumpkins 1979

Dorothy P. Whispers to Bono, who yells at Calamity

I have been discussing the idea of democracy with my British friend, Mark, as he is currently working with many different activist groups in London on drafting a new, living constitution for England from the ground up. Mostly, I ask questions and need clarifications so that I can actually have some sort of understanding of this drafting, in an effort to support him and his movement. In the process of this dialogue, I often question my own political ideology and our current US democracy (which I will not bore you with right now); the point being that I do not want to be passive to my politic. This week we are discussing "the enemy"of democracy. In the context of this dicussion, I remembered a story that I read in a book called Bono in Conversation. I shared it with him and I want to share it with you since I think it apt, especially in regards to real people and how one particular movement, civil rights, was initially successful. Enjoy:

I'll start by quoting Bono in an interview book called Bono In Conversation (because I am a true and loyal Bonophile), quoting Harry Belafonte about Bobby Kennedy in regards to Martin Luther King:

"Harry Belafonte is one of my great heroes. He's an old-school leftist and holds to certain principles like others hold onto their life. He told me this story about Bobby Kennedy, which changed my life, indeed, pointed me in the direction I am going now politically. Harry remembered a meeting with Martin Luther King when the civil rights movement had hit a wall in the early sixties: (impersonating croaky voice of Belafonte) 'I'll tell you it was a depressing moment when Bobby Kennedy was made attorney general. It was a very bad day for the civil rights movement.' And I said, 'Why was that?' He said, 'Oh you see, you forget. Bobby Kennedy was Irish. Those Irish were real racists; they didn't like the black man. They were just one step above the black man on a social ladder, and they made us feel it. They were the police, they were the people who broke our balls on a regular basis. Bobby at the time was famously not interested in the civil rights movement. We knew we were in deep trouble. We were crestfallen, in despair, talking to Martin, moaning and groaning about the turn of events, when Dr. King slammed his hand down and ordered us to stop the bitchin': 'Enough of this,' he said. 'Is there nobody here who's got something good to say about Bobby Kennedy?' We said, 'Martin, that's what we're telling ya! There is no one. There is nothing good to say about him. The guy's an Irish Catholic conservative badass, he's bad news.' To which Martin replied: 'Well then, let's call this meeting to a close. We will re-adjourn when somebody has found one thing redeeming to say about Bobby Kennedy, because that, my friends, is the door through which our movement will pass.' ... Harry became emotional at the end of this tale: 'When Bobby Kennedy lay dead on a Los Angeles pavement, there was no greater friend to the civil rights movement. There was no one we owed more of our progress to than that man.' ... which was a great lesson for me, because what Dr. King was saying was: Don't respond to a caricature - the Left, the Right, the Progressives, the Reactionary. Don't take people on rumor. Find the light in them, because that will further your cause"(86).

What do you think?

Fun Night With El Paso Friends

The girls: Ellie, Annie, Amy, and me

Rich, John, and me

Rich and me


John and Neal read a bedtime story to Ellie, Aiden, and Grady

I am so glad that I got to see my good friends Annie and John, their children, and Amy and Neal and their kiddo (twice within a month's time!). Times like these make me realize that I am a lucky, lucky person to have such wonderful, genuine people in my life. It doesn't matter that we haven't seen each other in several years. Friends like these (ones who've known you for this long) completely know you and love you regardless of how your life has changed. There is comfort and familiarity here. My only regret is that I didn't have more time to reconnect. Also, I felt a bit incomplete without the rest of the gang (you know who you are). Sometime we'll all have to meet in the same place for longer than an evening. Let's have our own high school reunion...soon!!!

31 Rocks!

31 Rocks!

Gimme Some Truth at the Flying Saucer, John!

Go! Stars!

No Frills for a no frills, Texas Hold'em, snake bite drinkin' girl.

Bono says in his new book, U2 By U2,"In your teens you feel like you can drive that car as fast as you can and you won't come off at the bend. In your twenties, you have some near-misses. In your thirties you realise you are in danger. And in your forties, I think you're just really glad if you wake up in the morning" (299). This is possibly (probably, Bono) a little over-dramatized, but I made it through the first year of my thirties relatively unscathed, though yes, I do feel a bit in danger of something. That isn't to say that I am having another quarter-life crisis or anything; I'm simply reflective. For example, "Am I on the right career path for retirement purposes?" " Why do my dreams seem less attainable now that I am comfortably suburbanized?" "I wonder if my HMO will cover___________." Oooh. and the all important, "Is my biological clock really ticking or is it counting down to zero like the New Years ball dropping at Times Square? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy Not Able to Safely Deliver Babies Day!!!!" Yes, that is definitely over-dramatic!
Anyway, as it was my birthday week-end, I pushed aside all of my looming, quarter-life reflections and focused on the celebration at hand.
Friday night was Salon Night at the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. We had excellent discussions on two topics: 1. What shapes American life most: the written word, the spoken word or visual images and 2. How "virtual" can and should a society be? We had dinner in Dallas afterwards and had some additional in depth conversation with friends Jamie and Christine on topics such as 1. Should David Beckman move to the states and be in more milk ads? (an overwhelming yes, is my vote) and 2. Why do Texas Longhorn fans act like morons in public? When I got home a surprise from my Mom was waiting for me on the door-step: a really cool train station clock! Thank you Mom!
Saturday, Rich presented me with my birthday present which was a year subscription to The New Yorker(!). That afternoon we had a late lunch at No Frills where we tried to ignore the OU v. Texas game and instead played some NTN Texas Hold'em. That night we headed into Dallas again for more festivities. Rich took me to a Stars game since I love, love, love hockey! The Stars beat the New Jersey Devils 3 to 1!! It was the home opener for the season and was wicked awesome!
Sunday, we headed to Ft. Worth and hung out at the Flying Saucer. Then Rich took me to Barnes and Nobles where we picked up the U2 by U2 book. (I know, I'm super spoiled.)
Today, we went to the Farmers Market in Dallas and caught a little bit of fall (though it has not come to the metroplex yet, according to my nose).
All in all I have had a wonderful week-end! I'm certainly a lucky girl!
Thanks to Jen and Lisa for the birthday wishes and the embarrassing junior high PHOTOS!!! At least we know it wasn't an awkward phase! It was an awkward girl! :-) I love you guys!

Thank you to Rich, for everything you've done for me this week-end, this month, and this year. It's been a tough one, or rather I've been a tough one. Thank you! I love you!

Cheers to our 30's!

The Affairs of a Sarcastic Bag Lady

I have recently been reading tons of sarcastic, hilarious, remarkably insightful pieces of modern literature. It amazes me that there are folks out there with such a talent that they can choose the exact right word for the exact right effect in their writing. I do not have that skill and am constantly throwing myself into the thesaurus to see if a different word "feels" right (this, in my brain, is what separates the amateurs(me) from the professionals (not me and damn!)). Anyway, I am shamelessly flirting with two writers right now, even in front of poor, patient Rich. This is sad to the point that I actually physically hug and kiss the books in public. People have pulled their children away from me in airports, coffee houses, doctor's offices (name any venue; I take my books with me wherever I go) etc. as I tend to sob, turn the page and laugh out loud, then close the book and kiss the cover. Yeah. Pretty silly and really me. If only I lived with cats to make that pathetic image of me as the crazy bag lady perfect........ Oh.

Right. So, I am having emotional affairs with two authors, one ironically introduced to me by Rich (and MPR). The first is David Sedaris who moulds the most common, and sometimes saddest circumstances into brilliant moments of laughter. He takes a "well, this is life, and sometimes it's shitty so we may as well laugh at ourselves" approach to existence which is how I actively try to experience mine. The other is a poet named Jeffrey McDaniel, introduced to me by the LitMaggers. The images he creates are often metaphysical conceits. In other words, he uses unexpected, interesting metaphors to create unique and sometimes unusual images that make complete sense. Maybe they'll be tomorrow's cliches. Sometimes I'm so comfortable with the comparisons that I can't believe no one else thought of them.
Anyway, I've linked them both (dirty). Enjoy and try to control yourselves!