[promoted to the Front Page by BooMan]
I see so many familiar faces from Kos, but feel like I barely know you guys.
I’m trying to pull myself out of a funk today, and figure meeting new people would be a nice way to do it.
So, tell me a little about you.
Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do for a living? What about for fun? Got any kids? Pets?
Tell us about who you are and what you do. Please share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. I just thought maybe some introductions would be a nice way to continue our Booman Kickoff.
It’s only fair that I start, right? 😉
Call me MM for short – it’s easier.
I am from, and live in, Texas – near the Gulf Coast. I will be 30 in a matter of weeks, I have a young daughter, and I’ve been married for 9 years. I work for a financial institution and have been here for 10 years now. I’ve got 3 pets, which is like having three more children: two dogs and a cat, who thinks he’s a lion. Add in our friend that’s currently living with us, and really, I’ve got…let’s see, hubby, daughter, friend, pets….6 kids.
For fun, I like long walks on the beach…
Heh heh!
I love to read, as I’ve said elsewhere here at BT. I also love children, traveling, checking out live music when I can, warm weather, and good barbecue.
As I stated in my ‘Boy, did I feel stupid’ diary, I just became interested in politics recently – right around the time that my idiot Governor decided to try to run for President. I discovered the online world of politics about a year and a half ago or so.
My husband and I have been together since we were 17, and he’s a conservative, so that makes for interesting discussion in our house. We live in a small suburb and have been here our entire lives, and have no plans to leave. Our daughter goes and spends summers with her grandparents, so we’re already planning our own annual ‘vacation’ and what we’ll do this summer. Some trips to the water are definitely in order, I think. He’s also a lover of music, and we try to travel to see as many good shows as we can in the summers.
One of the people we love seeing:
Ladies, go just for the pictures of the man, if nothing else. I promise you will not be disappointed. 😉
Now, it’s your turn. Tell us about you.
Hi MM, great idea, I’ve been wanting to see a diary like this.
I am a grandmother, semi-retired, living in Santa Ana,Ca. sharing a house with my 24 year son and his girlfriend.
I have 5 children and 6 grandchildren who are all the lights of my life.
I love gardening and playing PC video games. I love pool playing too, but can’t too much anymore.
I have a dog named Lady who follows me everywhere just like a little kid.
And MM I just posted a new diary, “When did you know you were a Liberal”, so I look forward to your entry there.
I am feeling so loving towards this site today.
I’m a 25 year old guy, living in DC, but originally from the South Shore of MA (hence the name). I like idealism, romantacism, and the like, which also explains my love of fiction. I love to be taken into another world. My work is in the realm of online politics/campaigning. I still party alot for fun, although my body isn’t quite the same as it used to be, so I’ve been trying the whole “moderation” thing lately.
My interest in politics began about 3 years ago. Before then I had never voted, had never even thought of voting, and just didn’t give a shit in general. Then I began to see what King George was doing and realized – hey, politics DO affect me, and in fact they affect everything around me. I am active in the political sense not because of an appreciation or understanding of history and all of that, as I certainly do not know much of anything (beyond ancient history of course, being an anthropology major) in that sphere. I am involved because of my passions, and as uninformed as they may be, they are mine and I live by them.
I could probably go on for much longer, but shouldn’t, as I am STILL procrastinating on the work I was supposed to do today. But at some point soon I will be writing my next diary, in which I will share much more about myself.
Great diary idea by the way. Very fitting with what this community has so far become.
Said the Worcester, MA native…..
wicked cool indeed bruthah (or sistah)
I live in rural Pa with my husband and our 3 horses, 8 cats, and 2 birds. My online name comes from being referred to as ‘the Nag and her horse’ by my husband and it stuck. I taught school for 25 yrs, and took early retirement. I’m 51 and want to be a political cartoonist when I grow up. I’ve been over at dkos for a while but haven’t gotten up the nerve to post any cartoons, just yak. I was never too active politically until recently, but have always been a Liberal… voted for Shirley Chisolm in my first presidential election back in the 70’s and never looked back. I think I’m going to like it here at Booman Tribune. (I have a cat named Boo) Thanks, MM, for this opportunity to step out of the shadows and get to know you guys. I’m looking forward to hanging around here.
But what part of rural Pa are you in. I was born in Salisbury, Pa. in somerset, Co. and lived in Pa. until I was 17. I miss the country so much, living in Ca. The woods were my playground as a child.
I live in NE Pa, just north of Scranton. I also played in the woods as a kid… still do, actually. I’m not sure where Salisbury is. So you’re a misplaced country girl… better visit the woods often, with Bush, you never know when he might sell them off to some crony or other.
Sadly there are not the same kind of woods here that there were in Pa. Wish I could go there, but I don’t travel anymore, just want to stay put.
Do you know where Camp David is, it is maybe 30 miles or so from Salisbury. Right in the hills of the Alleghany Mts.and a maple syrup producer. Another fond memory of my childhood.
ooooo that’s by Gettysburg, right? Pretty area. We hit Gettysburg a few times a year… once did the battlefield on horseback. Hey, there’s a lot to be said for staying put.
in Thurmont, MD was always an overnight stop for us on the way back to Knoxville from NJ. For $40 a night you get a cabin in the woods and all the firewood you can burn.
Great hiking trails, and a bit of the surreal when you come upon the electrified concertina-wire fence in the woods that lets you know you’ve reached the perimeter of Camp David.
::waves at you guys from over here on the other side of PA::
Hi from Pittsburgh!
Oooh, Oooh! You live over (sort of) towards one of my favorite PA places, Ohiopyle!
Can you tell I have cabin fever and want to get outdoors?
(waves back to the western end of the state)
Ohiopyle is gorgeous. I’ve been there many times. Have several very good photos of Cucumber Falls that I took.
I know what you mean. I lived in CA years ago, and always pined for my “green grass and shady trees” back in PA. And now I’m back here to stay.
Hey CabinGirl, do you live in a cabin? Me too…
Yeah, I have a log cabin in Southeastern PA. Built in 1947 (I had to restore the exterior when I bought it).
I actually live on the same road that I lived on growing up, and ws always fascinated by the “Hansel and Gretel” cabin on down the way. So when the old man who lived there died a few years ago, I bought it. I live there with my 2 sons, 2 Australian Shepherds, my son’s Shih Tzu, and 5 chickens. I do scientific writing here in my office at home, and I’m in grad school in Philly.
Tell me about your cabin! Did you build it?
Built by a builder 16 yrs ago… if we had done it, we would have been able to see outside through the chinks! Nothing spectacular, but I dearly love it. The land makes it… we have 18 acres. Your cabin sounds wonderful… I love those older log homes, so much character. You’re a scientific writer… that’s interesting. I once thought of going into medical illustration. So instead, I ended up with everybody else’s screaming kids for 25 years. 😉
Your place sounds great too! We only have 3 acres (no horses), but we do have a greenhouse.
I keep telling my 12-year-old artist son that he should be a medical illustrator, but he is into anime cartoon-style drawing.
Looking forward to seeing some of your cartoons on here (hopefully soon)!!
founded the village of Berlin, which I think is in Somerset Co.
Booman, what were their family names. I have done a genealogy chart for my family and my ancestors were all over the area, all over the state. Some of them were in Berlin also, family started coming here in 1727, to Pa. because they were German and part of the great exodus.
They were early settlers in most of the Western Counties. We could be related.
mixing them up with another branch of the family…but I think they were Altvaters, or Altenvaters.
They came from Berlin…maybe during the 1848 revolutionary period, maybe a little later.
I haven’t thought about it in years. My father could tell me. He surfs around here every once in a while. Have to behave myself 🙂
The Longman side of the family also came to Maryland in the 1760s settling just south of the Pennsylvania line.
— Dad
please please please
Since you asked so nice, I PROMISE to post here first. Maybe I’ll try one tomorrow…first I have to learn how to upload pics for posting. Thanks for asking, masshol. (great name by the way)
Please do, I love political cartoons and so wish I had the talent to do them. Can’t wait to see yours.
I always us a hosting sevice like imageshack. It’s easy, you just browse, find your image on your drive, host it, and you get copy-and-pasteable brackets and all links. Thumbnails larger stuff out of mercy for the dialup crowd, like for this baby tapir.
Where did you find that photo of me? Now everyone knows what I look like!
Thank you!! I had started to look for services, but this one looks professional. I forgot that it’s Easter this weekend and I have lots to do, so I probably won’t get to play until next week. Besides, I want to do a fresh cartoon for my first post… thanks again!
but then I’d have to shoot you… 🙂
I can say only that I am a red stater who really needs to remain anonymous… public activism would not bode well for my job…
Ya know – I’m having the hardest time with that Political Capital Card. Everybody keeps wanting to spit on the picture of Ken Blackwell on it. And the funds just keep draining out – to some outfit called Delay/Schiavo. That part doesn’t bother me though.
Me:
West coaster, born (SF) and mostly bred (some time away during formative years). Politically angry at the creeping of the right since the time of Nixon (ptewey), but inactive until this last election. Now I’m reeeally pissed, and want to kick somebody somedays. Male, single, sailor (those three usu. go together), corporate refugee, environmentalist (up yours Cheney)…yadda yadda. Loving the BooMan’s site. Glad to be here.
could you please tell me the story behind your screen name? I’ve been wanting to ask you for ages, but have been too shy. 🙂
Baba is a word for ‘small child’ in most arabic languages. But there is a connotation of concern, affection and consideration that the translation lacks. It’s kind of like ‘hijo’ in Spanish. I spent some young years in Pakistan, so I kind of liked it for a first name. Durag is a tip of the hat to the city I live in – Richmond, CA.
However, I didn’t reason all that out. I used to make up names when I posted on blog comment rolls (like Haloscan). This one came in a flash when I was posting on Gavin’s Blog about John Gray, PhD’oh. I liked it, so I kept it. The rest I rationalized later when I explained it to my girlfriend. It fits – so I wear it.
This is almost like “what did you do on your summer vacation” ; ).
I live in California, have one daughter and 3 grandchildren (I’m a young grandma, though!), one elderly mom that I take care of and a cat.
I’ve published a small international online magazine for a few years, that has gotten “critical acclaim” in the past, but doesn’t make any money, (although recently I have decided to try and change that aspect). As my personal responsibilities lessen I am finding that I have more a need and an opportunity to do what I want to do, and make that my career. I’m also working on connecting that to a national and international grassroots type organization I am working on building.
I’m not very political, although I am interested in politics and what it can enable one to do, but my main focus of interest has always been people… how they live, different cultural aspects, and so on. I think changing the debate on the ground politically and socially is vitally important, and will of course also have a political impact, as more people realize that being progressive/liberal/democrat or just plain caring about their fellow humans is not Satanic ;).
I too love to read, I have books all around the house, so that I can just grab one when I have a moment to do so.
Well, I am The Ticked Off Ohioan from… you guessed it Ohio, currently residing in Columbus. I’m a business analyst with JPMorgan Chase. And before you ask, I’ve got nothing to do with actual money.
For fun, I teach music lessons to children and young adults, salsa and tango dance, and play around on the computer. My new projects are my blog, see the sig, and fooling around with Scoop on my tester site.
No kids or pets here. Mr. Ticked Off Ohioan and I have been dating for a year, and we may as well be living together since I don’t remember the last time we spent a night apart. He’s currently off watching some March Madness game with his buds. We have basically the same politics, but we differ on religion, so there have been plenty of lively discussions.
Let’s see… that’s all for now.
Hi – another West Coaster here. I just moved up to Oregon after living in the Bay Area for about 20 years.
I don’t have any kids (they scare me). Instead I have 16 birds, 3 fish, a dog and a rat. Almost all the birds were rescued from horrible situations. As the birds are pretty much my life, I am a real estate agent so I can have a home office. This gives them more time out of their cages to fly around and get into trouble.
I was lightly politically active in high school and college. Then when Clinton, Boxer and DiFi were elected I dropped away.
I got reinvolved in 2003 because I was so pissed off I had to do something.
Mixed parentage, dual nationality (check my dKos profile) and, I like to think, a “deep thinker”.
At the moment extremely flexible since am doing free-lance stuff.
Anybody have any fabulous ideas?
SF fascinates me as does politics and history and science.
I often take the really BIG PICTURE. How will this affect the species? Or the planet? Or life on Earth…
Cheers. It’s fun getting to know one another and it is doubly fun to be present at the birth of a great new site.
I know it is going to be a great new site because we are going to make it so, right?
I was born in Chillicothe, Ohio in the house my father built. (It was made of blocks instead of logs or else I might have run for president.)
I’m 40 and married and live with 3 children and one cat. (I want a dog.)
For fun, I write horror. Bush’s policies make it difficult for fictional horrors to compete with reality. But I’ve been told by strangers my fiction is really scary and entertaining.
.
your screen name. (I followed the links.)
Thank you for the link; I read the forward and the first chapter. They are so well written, I will be back in stages to finish the rest. Your description of Lucy in the white gown reminded me of Dark Shadows which scared the hell out of me when I was little.
BTW, why do they call her the “bloofer lady”?
In the original Dracula, the newspaper clippings said the children called her the bloofer lady. Bloofer is old British slang for beautiful.
Thanks for the kind words. Hope you enjoy the rest.
I’m originally from Texas. I grew up in a very small town in Texas halfway between Amarillo and Lubbock that has the dubious distinction of being the subject of many scathing articles and a 60 minutes segment a few years ago. (Note, when looking at the first link, check out the racial breakdown at the bottom of the page.)
So, besides being an expatriate, I’m a mid-thirties single woman living in Seattle, where I’ve lived since 1992. I worked for many years in the music scene as the bartender/manager at a popular nightclub here. That’s how I was able to pull of the political fundraising exploit I detailed here the other day.
Currently, I’m working as a low-level beauracrat at the University of Washington while I save money and get ready for law school.
I’m high on cold medicine; so stringing sentences together is proving to be challenging this evening. 🙂
What a coinkeydink.
I lived in a small town in texas halfway between lubbock and abilene.
No fame, or infamy, though. It still sucked.
Which one? Happy, Kress, Canyon, Plainview or did you live in one of the towns that wasn’t on (old) Highway 87?
Snyder, though my grandpap’s family was from Fluvanna.
Dry county, you had to be a member of a private club to drink there. No liquor stores, no beer stores. One club had “ladies night” on thursday? friday? and women got in free and got free drinks from 7-9 PM. At 9, they let the men in.
That’s about what that town was like.
I’m 36, an unemployed erstwhile nature photographer in Branford, CT.
Married to a postdoctoral fellow (population genetics, Yale) with 2 cats and 1 snake. Grew up in NJ, educated in OH, lived in TN till ’03, and as of this summer moving to Wales (UK), Durham, NC or Phoenix, AZ. Atheist, avid cook, liberal, smartass and sceptic. Low tolerence for BS, poor grammar and most pop culture. Rockhound, hiker, plays guitar and sings, loves fog. Freak of nature XX male.
Devotee of FLCL, TMBG, WDVX, Black Adder, Sally’s Apizza, Cincinnati Chili and The National Park System.
I’ve been lurking in the shadows at dKos since mid ’03. Finally regestered as a New Year’s resolution, though I have yet to write a diary of my own (What? I – I want it to be special). I really liked the feel of this place, and so, here I am.
Rabid child is the title of a nifty little song by the aformentioned TMBG.
I’m a 49 yr old woman living north of SF and practicing Pagan. Married for 22 years to a wonderful man – who appreciates my whacky personality. I’m usually too serious and usually mess up punch lines to jokes. I have one adult stepchild and 2 absolutely adorable grandchildren.
Passions are reading, hanging out any place in the mountains, whitewater rafting, and politics.
I’ve been politically active for years in local politics – extremely so in state and national politics the past 18 months and going forward.
I currently live in Romania although I was born (and remain) an American. I am quite happy to be living in the heart of Transylvania…
I have lived in many, many countries throughout my life, so sometimes I feel like that old James Brown song about being a rolling stone. When I wake up in the morning, usually the first question in my mind is, “where am I today?”.
A few years ago I was unemployed and through a moderately strange series of flukes, I ended up working in law enforcement. I should mention here I’ve been a lifelong pacifist. I was “promoted” straight to the Detective Bureau and worked murders, rapes, armed robberies and child molestations.
Eventually 9/11 happened and the creation of Homeland Security and because of my skills, I ended up working with the federales for a while. I got far enough inside the alphabet soups that I knew that this was not the right career path for me. In fact, I was strongly disillusioned by the sheer lack of understanding on the part of those who should be better informed and knowledgeable.
I quit all my positions in June 2004 after wrapping up a terrorist case and finalizing the preparations for the G-8 summit in Sea Island.
I quit my job because I hated it but also because I wanted to blog full-time, for a “living”. I had a little money in savings and I had always wanted to write. I knew it was a foolhardy move but it was also my dream and I knew if I didn’t do it now I’d never do it.
I speak bits and pieces of several languages and having lived around the world, what happens outside America’s borders has always been of interest to me. When the internet became popular, I was delighted to be able to read newspapers from around the world. Later, blogs were invented and I found my way to Kos in the early days, and of course later to here 🙂
There is a huge contrast between the US and the rest of the world. The rest of the world feels connected to the rest of the world while the US is so self-centered.
The average American watches television, goes to movies, listens to music and reads newspapers and books and magazines all produced in America. Maybe an occasional British show or song slips in but the vast, vast majority is all domestic. It’s amazing.
As a result, most American media tends to focus on America and what’s going on there, which is fine. I just feel that there are other events out there which are of interest and importance and it’s my job as a writer to bring them to you. And I started my blogging career covering the revolution in Georgia and now I’m happy to see yesterday Kyrgyzstan is also free.
Think about that… there are 15 million people who live in a far-off country you might not know anything about except they look Asian and wear funny hats. But they’re human beings, the same as you or I, and they’ve had nothing but autocratic governments since 1846. And finally they are free!
Isn’t that what’s important?
Pax
Oops I realize I got loquacious on my beliefs and neglected to say much about my personal self.
I live by myself, unmarried, no kids and no pets. My American parents also live overseas, although in Central America.
I wish I could share more of my personal life with all of you online, but I can’t because of my past associations.
But it’s nice to meet all of you!
Pax
are a spooky spooky gal 😉
Some inside baseball- do you have any info at all on the former cargo airline: Baku Express?
I know those bastards were mixed up in some nefarious shit. Very nefarious.
To be honest, the Yorkshire Ranter knows a lot more about the shady airlines around the world than I do and he’s definitely the one to ask.
Which reminds me, I saw that a Moldovan cargo plane crashed in Tanzania that was headed to Khartoum. I’m tracking down its registry right now but it could be another Bout company.
Pax
Very interesting biography.
Can you give an idea as to how you wound up in Romania? I worked on an anti-trafficking project in Albania, and many of the women were from Romania and Moldova. Never got a chance to go there, but several of my staff did.
I wound up in Romania for a combination of many reasons:
Plus I love the food, the gorgeous scenery, the traditional music and dancing, and just living in Europe in general. I do not carry any weapon of any type and feel perfectly safe on the street even at night. What price can you put on that?
Pax
Do you drive a car?
I have an image of you riding around on a bike.
Actually no I neither own nor drive a car. Haven’t owned a car since 1998 and don’t have any intention of buying one anytime soon 🙂
I don’t own a bike here although I did have one in the States. What I’d really like to buy is some of those roller blades that all the kids have!
Pax
When people started using them on the streets of Victoria,
the police would come by and through the bullhorn:
“Get off the road, you are not a vehicle.” lol
What a nice idea!
The U.S. Virgin Islands has been my home since 1988 when I landed a job as a copyeditor at the V.I.Daily News. I retired in 2003 as news editor and now consider myself a recovering journalist. After retirement, I discovered the political blogs, which offset the frustration of not being able to vote for president and only having a non-voting delegate to Congress. This is not taxation w/o representation because all tax on income earned in the territory goes to V.I. gov’t. Divorced and fiercely independent except for loving ties with two sons, two DILs and 6 grandchildren. Have lived abroad (India) and travel a bit. Now writing poetry and was recently published in a literary magazine, an exciting first. Fond of poets Adrienne Rich (the personal is political) and Czeslaw Milosz (poet as witness). Think you folks are great and liberal bloggers the seed of the next revolution. Peace!
working. I’m a biology prof at a community college. I always seem to be in over my head with some project or other. Currently it’s typing all of my tattered lecture notes for my anatomy and physiology course – inserting pictures and diagrams (and circles and arrows and 8X10 glossy . . .) and getting them posted to Blackboard so that my students can download them. And rewriting a lab manual I did years ago and getting that up on Blackboard. Oh, and there’s that teaching thing, too.
I bore all of my friends because I talk politics all the time. But they love me anyway, which is one – of many – reasons why I love them.
If I’m not working, I’m hanging out here or at dKos – more here, lately. But I am trying to develop other interests. My current enthusiasm is my new vegetable garden. Cukes are up, and beans are trying.
Single. 56. One daughter (an amazing human being), in college. Two dogs, a large main dog and a small auxiliary dog, as Dave Barry used to say. Three cats – one a polydactyl with seven toes on each foot.
in this diary about the Austin Peace March. (Scroll down – yellow t-shirt.) And I guess reading the diary would tell you a little more about me.
What a great idea, especially while the site is still small enough for this to be workable. (Can you imagine on dKos?!?)
My name’s Alan, I’m 35, married, with an awesomely inquisitive 5 year old son and an adorable daughter who soon will have her second birthday.
I was born in Kenya to two American parents who were grad students in anthropology and sociology at the time. I’ve lived a number of different places, but if you only count those where I spent at least five years it comes down to Chapel Hill, NC, Duluth, MN, and (currently) Kirksville, MO.
I speak French nearly fluently and am constantly striving to learn it better and teach it to my kids (which has worked amazingly well, better than I ever hoped). I play tennis every chance I get, and I’m a music freak and film buff.
Nice to meet all of you!
Alan
Maverick Leftist
the whole “occupation” thing. I worked with mentally retarded, mentally ill “consumers” for a few years, but I burnt out on that (the low pay didn’t help), and I’m now back in school working toward a B.A. in math (which I should finish by spring of ’06, knock on wood). I plan to teach high school math, and hopefully history as well if I get the chance.
I once was on a trip to Quebec and asked for a 14ft. fishing whore in French. The guy laughed so hard he cried… we finished the conversation in English.
That doesn’t look like “bateau” in writing, but I can see how the pronunciation could be fairly close. <g> Or was it some other word?
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I live in Seattle, WA with my partner Ron. My entire immediate family (and much of my extended family) lives in Washington state as well. I was born in Cheney, WA – a small town in the rural, eastern, 4-seasons and generally conservative part of the state. I have also lived in Washington, DC, Olympia, WA and worked for extended periods in Montreal, QB, LA, and Guadalajara, Jalisco.
My favorite places to travel have been Mexico City, DF, Madrid, New York, Vancouver, BC and Rome. I would like to travel to Chile, Japan and South Africa. Other things that I enjoy doing are: hiking, reading and writing poetry, reading about cognitive sciences, attending conferences, all things political, visual arts and design and being with my friends.
I have taught preschool, owned a children’s book and toy store, run a tutoring center, worked for the state Senate and worked as a marketing and learning systems consultant (my current job).
I have been a radical leftist since I was 19. I have worked with ACT UP, day laborer rights, public housing issues, the movement to end poverty and (currently) pro-peace work. My organizing skills center on media, marketing and messaging. I currenlty provide formal consulting for a pro-peace organization, a labor rights organization and a child care issues organization. I hope to work with a total of five organizations in a formal way, and to teach workshops and provide materials for a wider audience as well.
I am moving to Vancouver, BC as soon as Ron finds a job he likes there.
My sister lives there and teaches high school. I also have good friends in Olympia, another really cool place. And my in-laws live on the “East Side” of the Seattle metro, over in Sammamish, so we usually spend a month or two there every year. (Yeah, I know: the exurbs suck, but at least they are a good jumping-off point for the area.)
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Me – 40-something (I still find that weird), living in Venice CA, San Diego native. Currently entertainment industry bureaucrat (research mostly), writer (I like writing novels), had for many years a rock band (singer/bassist/songwriter). Lived in China for a while when younger, an experience which finally drove me to start studying Chinese a couple of years ago, so when China ascends to global hegemony, I’ll be in a higher servant class, thank you very much. Favorite and most extensive political experience was working for Brown on his presidential campaign of 1992. I live in an old cottage about a half mile from the beach with a frightening number of books, a DVD collection of old Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and four cats. I rant about these and other topics at my blog (blatant plug: http://papertigertail.blogspot.com). I am not a Kossack (I lurked there a lot) and was invited here by the inimitable SusanHu…and it’s very nice to meet all of you.
I used to live on Lake Street near the Cafe 50’s.
My daughter lived in Venice CA on Sunset and the sun did set at the end of her ‘walk’ street.
Right now I have a granddaughter learning Mandarin. She can say “I love you.”
I have been political since my dad taught me to read with his newspaper. He especially warned me about propaganda and used to show me examples of it.
Reading blogs is something I do between artwork, photography and tweaking my daughter’s eponomous website. She has another one for her school:
http://www.vancouverislandschoolart.com
Aiyeee! On the east side of Lincoln? Okay, so you know Allen’s Aquarium, the pet store, on the West side? I can’t quite see the neon sign from my house, but pretty damn close.
I’m 53 and ravishing. At least I tell myself that frequently. I survived breast cancer and have been healthy and cancer free for eight years. So no matter what, I’m ravishing to me. Married for 28 years (this month). No children, not because we didn’t try. No pets because my husband is allergic.
I taught high school sculpture, ceramics and design before attending graduate school in the late `70s, after which I’ve held several jobs. At one point I taught art to severely mentally disturbed adolescents. I hate to say it, but I felt right at home with them. They taught me more about the human spirit than I taught them about art. I worked in arts administration and taught art to groups of all ages. I am now a professional contemporary artist. Actually I have been one for thirty years, it’s just that recently I decided I no longer needed to be a teacher, slash, artist. I’m just an artist.
When I was a child, my mother worked for the state legislature as a proofreader for the Ways and Means Committee. No computers to do the work in those days. Anyway, I was from a lower middle class family and there were limited funds for childcare so I often went to work with my mother and wandered around the capital building on my own for hours. I’d sit in the Senate gallery for a while and then mosey on over to the House gallery. I didn’t know what was going on down there but it all looked important. That was my initiation into politics.
I volunteered with our local Democratic Party throughout this last election cycle but now I’m taking a break and regrouping emotionally.
Oh, and no real hobbies. When you do what you want for a living, I suppose you don’t need any.
who is responsible for that flashing fish ad. I hope it isn’t too annoying and distracting while you’re reading. If so, please let me know and next time we’ll slow it down or make a non-flashing ad.
We’re located in the Santa Cruz (California) mountains (near the coast) and we’ve been fighting the religious right (with humor) since the early 90s.
We’re animal lovers and currently we live with 3 cats. Our house is filled with cat furniture and cat toys. Just outside a picture window we have several bird and squirrel feeders (we call it kitty TV). The cats are allowed out in the backyard only. We have netting on the top of the fence so they can enjoy the outdoors but they can’t roam or catch birds. Each spring baby red tail hawks hatch in a tree nearby and we love to watch the youngsters learn to fly.
My maternal grandparents were Mennonites and I have some very conservative relatives on that side of the family. On the other side, we’re all Democrats.
I’m no longer communicating with some of my conservative relatives who were emailing pro-Bush propaganda to me before the election. At some point I couldn’t take it any more. First I started sending them anti-Bush propaganda and when they didn’t take the hint, I told them to stop sending me stuff about the crooks and liars.
Sorry to go on….
Hi Y’all.
I’m a temporarily single (getting married in june) lady in her early-ish 40s. We live in Pittsburgh, PA, and I absolutely love and adore it here. It’s seriously my favorite place in the whole world. No, I’m not kidding or being sarcastic. Ok, stop laughing, it’s not funny. Really, it’s not.
…
Anyway I have two grown daughters, one who is 19 and a full time college student at Geneva College, majoring in Youth Ministry (which is a hoot for reasons I’ll come to later) and the other who is 21 and a successful hairstylist.
We also have two Welsh Corgis, Dylan and Miss Lily, and three cats, Quincy, Turtleface, and Biscuit.
My fiance, Bob (bob quixote over on Kos) and I have been living together since 2002. We bought a house last June. We met through Mensa, that bunch of elitist intellectual snobs, and hit it off immediately. We’re both active with the local Mensa group; I’ve been coordinating the regional gathering, and Bob’s the webmaster.
We’re involved, slightly, with Corgi Rescue, and have fostered dogs and done rescue transport. We both love music, and I play drums and flute. Bob plays keyboard.
Politically, I’ve been a liberal my whole life. I don’t see that changing, ever, even though one of my uncles (the rich one, of course) says anyone who is still a democrat when they hit 50 is deluded. His siblings also disagree with him, but he’s the rich one.
I work in State Civil Service, so the politics I can do are very limited. As a welfare caseworker, I encourage people to become self-sufficient and establish and maintain their eligibility for assorted federal and state programs. I’m one of two alternate shop stewards for our Union shop.
That’s more than you ever needed to know.
because I never “got to it later”.
I’ve been a pagan for about 10 years, and that’s why my kids’ involvement in various youth ministry (both of them are youth leaders) is pretty ironic or funny. They were pretty much raised pagan from pre-teens on.
While I was raising my daughter, we practiced yoga and meditation and attended meetings at the Self Realization Fellowship and Integral Yoga Institute in Los Angeles but in her teens my daughter became a born-again Christian. While she was in this state of temporary insanity, she married one of them and he made her quit college.
Now she’s divorced and has a degree in engineering and she’s back to practicing yoga and meditation, belongs to a coven and is a well-rounded person.
Whew.
So there’s hope, then?
owned corgis from the time I was about 7-8 years old until I went to college. Great dogs.
I spent a fair bit of time there a few years ago (it was my regular stopping point for the night when I travelled regularly between NYC and Missouri). I didn’t expect much from the city (it doesn’t have the most spectacular reputation, as you alluded to), but I was very impressed with the funky cultural amenities there. It’s not just some steelworker, football town! During that period of time, I was also road-tripping to a lot of other areas in the country, and stopped to check out many different cities, but Pittsburgh really stood out.
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I’m white, female, 57 years old, and live in Roswell, north of Atlanta, GA, with my husband and cat. I have two children and two grandchildren. My son and the grandchildren live in Alexandria, VA. My daughter lives in Atlanta. Thru my husband, I have three step-children and eight grandchildren. Yep, Grandma and Grandpa usually cook up a Thanksgiving feast for 20+ when all the spouses and friends get added in. We both love cooking.
My husband is a computer wizard and works for an international IT services provider. His current contract with a telecommunications giant expires in May and he is hoping to transfer to another contract in Virginia. We’re an odd couple: He was a Marine (always a Marine) and a Vietnam Vet while I was a hippie war protester. I like to say we both fought the Vietnam war… he was in the jungles and I was in the streets. We discovered each other thru matchmaker.com five years ago which proves you’re never to old to fall in love.
Until recently, I was employed part-time by a mail order catalog that sells doll house kits and accessories. I did the photography for the catalog as well as creating projects and designing kits. I’m still free-lancing with them until we, hopefully, move to Virginia. Before that, I had a 8 year period during which I didn’t work for anyone because I was disabled by multiple diseases that still afflict me. I lived in public housing and prospered on $480/mo in SS-DI payments.
Before that I was in advertising as a copy writer, marketing consultant, graphic designer and print production manager over 30 years. On the side, I have written three books: one on Qabala and two on the theory and practice of Witchcraft. I have also studied and practiced organic gardening and our current fantasy is getting some land in Virginia and starting a market garden to sustain us in our old age or the collapse of the American Empire, whichever comes first.
I participated in my first political act of civil disobedience at age eleven. During my teenage years, I was tear-gassed, water-hosed, and billy-clubbed fighting for civil rights and against the Vietnam war. When Richard Nixon was re-elected, I fearfully withdrew from street protesting into more legal forms of activism and was the spokesperson for an environmental group. I remained active in City of Atlanta politics and worked on Andrew Young’s first campaign.
In 1984, when Reagan was re-elected, I got so fed up with the stupidity of American voters, I left the country and traveled around the UK and Europe for a couple of years. When I came back to Atlanta, I joined the Libertarian Party of Georgia and produced a lot of newsletters, magazines and brochures for them. As my health and business failed during the passing years, I lapsed into being apolitical.
I started to pay attention again when Bush stole the presidency in 2000…
This has gotten too, too long and, hell, I left out the night I spent with Jim Morrison and the time I dropped acid with the Grateful Dead…
You might be my doppleganger. Where in Va you goin to light?
I want to talk about ME!!! </snark>
If you did enough digging on my posts at dKos, you could figure most of this out. But I’ll save you the trouble.
As I posted above in reply to Ed, I’m orignally from Worcester, MA – the Heart of New England. It’s an amusing place, as it’s always trying to overcome a massive inferiority complex vis a vis Boston.
The screen name tells you that I graduated from Georgetown University in 1990. I came to the DC area for school and never left. I had the privilege of interning for John Kerry during my college years. I’ve also spent a lot of time working with the military. Nearly 20 years of exposure to the Beltway culture has left me cynical about politics, but no less passionate.
I’m married with two kids (5&7). No pets. I’m very involved with my kids’ activities, to the point that I work part time to make room for it all. Fortunately, my wife has a very successful career that allows us to afford that.
So that’s the quick sketch.
I’m 53, single, four children, one grandson, no pets, (yet, I’m looking for the right K-9) and my preference is to call them “companions”
Born hillbilly, raised in the south, Fl, and currently own an environmental business, consulting, and remediation technology.
Work from home, and on the road a lot these days. I actually spend much time on pre-construction site approval between builders, and the Army Corps of Engineers, and the DEP. A majority of that time is spent keeping the big corps from pushing out the individual property owners, in relation to, the corporations can do it, but the little guy can’t. I’m a real pain in the ass for the big money developers, LOL..and love every minute of it.
Just bought some land here in N. Florida, tucked back in a wildlife refuge, and god is it great. The only thing you hear out there, are the sounds of mother nature. It’s on a chain of spring fed lakes, white sand bottoms, and crystal clear spring water, that feed the main lakes. Building a small cabin, and outdoor cookhouse. It takes about 8 miles of dirt road to get to me, and about 10 miles from a very small town.
I live very simple, have no debt, no credit cards, and very few of the material things, no need. Just a canoe, small aluminum boat, my truck for work, and my jeep for pleasure.
Main loves: Photography, fishing, cruising the back roads, and enjoying the old Americana.
Military: Marine Corps, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Central America.
Politics: Independent,
Personality: Back Woods boy, love my coffee, and a damned good cigar. ; )
Heritage: Cherokee, English.
Outside of that, pretty boring.. LOL
Very glad to learn a little about the people here, and really hope for a brighter future for us, and our children, afterall, we own nothing, for we are only the caretakers.
Said you were born hillbilly. Where was that? I was born in the Ozarks – I think we own the hillbilly franchise.
West-Bi-God-Virginia…an they ain’t nutt’n Beverly bout it…cept’n maybe muh cuz’n Bev….heheheheh. ; )
where men are men, and sheep are skeerrt..uh huh
our bush cars, are in da yard,,wit bush’s grown up thru dem..(and a couple of dawgs liv’n in dem)an speak’n of da bush’s, there are plenty of good ol’ boys there that would like to take that ol’ boy a hunt’n.. ; )
Just kidding, it is a beautiful state in many area’s.
There is a lot of proud heritage in that state. I have family there, and here in Florida as well.
46, married to my (socialist) soulmate for 24 years, and living under the reign of our beloved cat in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities. I kick-started my political activism at the age of 9, when I spent an afternoon leafletting for DFL candidate George Perpich in Hibbing, MN. I became reactivated in politics as a result of the current administration.
I’m a reflective introvert, avid reader, and passionate music lover. (Combining those traits, I’d be happy spending large chunks of time analyzing the lyrics of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen). I’m a loyal friend, an idealist and a good listener.
During my toddler years, I developed a strong independent streak and a cynical distaste for authority. I’m outspoken when I witness injustice, and I migrate toward like-minded individuals. I have a low tolerance level for drama, chaos and narcissism.
I enjoy this community immensely, and appreciate the efforts of each member in creating such a pleasant sanctuary of support and knowledge sharing. In line with that, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing MM on the front page, when less than a week ago she detailed her fears of writing diaries elsewhere. And like so many other things at this site, it made me smile.
(Congratulations MM!)
Forgot to mention that I cook gourmet meals every day, and I’d be interested in discussions on the subject.
I would post some recipes, but then you might think I was calling you a troll…
I’ll take the chance. (But if I’m in a really crabby mood I’ll use my newly acquired super powers as a TU in an irresponsible manner and mega troll ya to oblivion.)
I just finished roasting a beautiful, fragrant red pepper that’s on it’s way toward a batch of chicken tortilla soup. . .
I don’t know if I can claim that my cooking is “gourmet”, but I do like to cook and try new recipes regularly–and the stuff I make always contains only pure, unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients (preferably organic).
Have you ever been to the restaurant at the Cordon Bleu cooking school at Brown College in Mendota Heights? I discovered it from the City Pages’ “Best of the Cities” issue. Their lunch is only ten bucks, and they really prepare un repas extraordinaire.
Alan
Maverick Leftist
I appreciate the tip, Alan. Now that I’m self-employed and working from home I very rarely eat at restaurants. But I’ll definitely look into that one for my next trip out to Mendota Heights!
I thoroughly enjoy reading cookbooks, researching the Net for interesting recipes, and spending hours on end experimenting in the kitchen. (Nothing makes me happier than my husband swooning over a newly invented entree.)
Yesterday we watched the movie “Super Size Me”, and I paused the film on the beautiful meal prepared by the vegan-chef girlfriend. It was truly a work of art, and I was astounded that he’d walk away from her cooking for a monthlong trip into McDonalds land – no matter what the merits of his findings.
Et tu?
I’m no vegan (I eat animal products, including meat, from humanely treated, free range animals). But my wife has been a vegetarian for nearly twenty years (though in the last few months, she has tried eating fish a few times), and she has flirted with veganism. She has an excellent cookbook called “How it all Vegan”. Very funky and colourful, and most importantly the recipes are delicious. It’s a great “bridge” between vegans and people who have never heard the word, in my opinion, as the recipes are not at all “rabbit food-y” (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Alan,
Here you will find good recipes in french:
Marmiton
Enjoy!
Je les jouirai–merci!
I am sure we can set aside a section of this site for foodies that won’t be just the troll-rated threads. Perhaps a Thursday Night Food Special diary or something.
What kind of stuff do you cook? Clearly you are an inventive cook. Do you improvise entirely or play with recipes? What cuisines have had the most effect on you?
I am an unabashed carnivore who would like to get better at vegetarian dishes, especially ones that don’t leave me pining for protein.
I’d like to pursue that idea – nothing like a good mix of politics and food to get a smile on my face!
If I’m new to an ingredient, I research the appropriate cooking times – mostly so I won’t poison myself by undercooking. Or to learn things like the correct proportion of liquid to rice. Aside from that I run wild and free. The only thing that holds me back is my husband’s pre-conceived notion of what he likes and doesn’t like. I’ve gotten around that by waiting until after the fact to tell him what he’s eaten. Or many times I just cook separate meals for each of us, which isn’t a problem because I find cooking so therapeutic. My favorite cuisine is Mediterranean, and nothing beats Le Fasce olive oil (from Williams Sonoma).
You have so many available options for protein, aside from the standard meat, fish, poultry and eggs. Nuts, whole grains, beans, cereal to name a few. As a caveat, I have a difficult time sharing recipes, and I frequently annoy others, because I’m not one to measure ingredients.
Thanks for asking. How about yourself?
Here is a gift for you:
Marmiton
If you don’t read french, ask Alan…
yeeehaawww, and if’n you cain’t read that fur-en stuff, I gots some swamp recy-p’s fur ya….there round here sum whares….hmmmm, damn gator musta got’m…
Oh well,,,I’ll scrath’m on the back of a turtle, and point him north…BTW,,you gotta include the turtle in da recy-p.. suuthern-al-ey-cart ; )
I’ll duck tape some yaller corn meal on it’s back too, gotta have sum fried corn bread..
Hi folks,
I’m 25, white, male, currently living in Cambridge MA. Ijust moved here from Berkeley, where I got my PhD; I’m a biologist, and I’m now doing a postdoc at MIT. (I’m trying to do Science Fridays here at the booman tribune, and the latest one just went up:
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2005/3/25/8486/80347 ) I’m originally from Kentucky, and I like to cook, play tennis, and play bridge in my spare time.
Now that the weather’s improving, I would really like to find someone to play tennis with here (Cambridge)… anyone interested?
just realized that a bit about political background might be useful too. Although my parents are moderate and liberal, I initially (high school) was kind of conservative due mostly to the environment at my northern Kentucky high school. During my time as an undergrad at the University of Kentucky, though, I came around, at first to centrism, and then gradually to liberalism, particularly after I realized what a bunch of liars the Republicans can be (this went to completion after Bush II took office, which was just after I moved to Berkeley).
Did you make it to TU status last night, froggy?
yup, thanks in no small part to you.
This is a tough crowd, if I can pull in a “3” for sharing bio information. Um, okay, I guess I’ll try again.
I’m a single, 27 year old male with four children, two dogs and a fish. I live in Florida, where I enjoy scuba diving, partying with really loud people, and participating in right wing politics.
Or, if need be, I can be a retired rabbi living on an island in the South Pacific, creating chaos for those around me. Or maybe a former NBA player who spends his spare time gardening and fishing, while simultaneously teaching basketweaving to Canadians.
If that’s what it takes to get a “4” around here on a personal bio, it’s not beneath me. 🙂
Sorry about that 3 — I didn’t even see the error in my haste. It was supposed to be a 4 — so here’s another try.
I’d call it a senior moment, but I don’t admit to having them.
Your bio is fine; your bio is great; your bio is 4 all the way!!!!
Thanks – I was just about to change my screen name and move out of state. But hey – could be worse. Last night I accidentally handed out a “3” to the site proprietor.
to cooking:
Celery Soup, Calabrese style, with Italian sausage, parmesan cheese and hard-boiled egg over crusty bread.
It might not be safer (knives involved), but the brain cells need nourishment.
51 year old male
lifelong Chicagoland resident
agnostic, with mainline protestant upbringing
work for a niche market print/electronic publisher
somewhat progressive democrat, evolving from collegiate socialist
ex cabdriver
rabid Cubs/Bears/Bulls/Illini fan
absolutely single (with 1 regret)
way too involved in reading blogs and sharing my two cents … still miss mediawhoresonline … their message board was the 1st place i began to share political thought online … reformed exBartCop fan … love Bob Sommerby’s work …
fishing, not golf
ask me to play bridge
not much of a book reader, rarely crack a work of fiction
cigars … scotch or vodka or cognac or tequila … burgundy, bordeaux or napa is fine, thanks …
Chicago Tribune, NY Times (sigh …)
that, and a whole lot more … hoy hoy hoy
I’m a native Ozarker — glad to see nona above — 56, look like Janet Strange (long, gray hair), living on a bluff overlooking the White River in Arkansas three bends below the Missouri line. The name of my town is Cotter (“Trout Capital USA”).
My job is really easy right now. I live with and help my mom, who is 85 and has memory loss. She is a sweet lady, and we have been friends a long time, so it is a mostly happy time for me. At night, when her memory loss is worsened by “sundowning,” I get a glimpse of what it might be like in the future. With two memory meds, I’m trying to prolong further decline as far as possible.
I came here from St. Louis, where I worked for 20 years at a Catholic medical school. I was night editor for a nearby local daily paper for a couple of years. Gannett. ugh!
My primary issues are getting the church out of politics and alternative energy. Those are just the most urgent to me right now. It’s clear we won’t have any action on alternative energy under the current regime, but I’m hoping for an entrepreneur with a few billion dollars to save the planet. I do tend to wear these rose-colored lenses, but sometimes I do peek out from behind them. I may take to calling myself an “alternative Christian,” as my faith is quite important to me, but totally unlike that of wingnuts who call themselves “Christian.” I have no indication they read the New Testament at all. Jesus said to render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s, and that’s about as much Bible thumping as I ever do. I’m ecumenical to the degree that a spiritual perspective focuses on love.
Because of my “job,” I have a lot of time to read blogs and otherwise goof off, but I just found my way to this site. Looks like interesting conversation! My MO is to comment occasionally and give a lot of 4s, but someday I may have the courage to post a diary.
Thanks, Booman, for the site and Mindmouth of the question. I loved reading the answers!
I grew up in Shannon County, Missouri just 30 miles north of the Arkansas state line. We lived near the Current River, practically neighbors!
Well, howdy, neighbor! Sounds like you found a beautiful spot in California. We’re getting some transplants from there, mostly because of the cost of living, I think. No ocean here, of course!
Nice to meet you.
I was born in Lyon, France, a beautiful city which used to look like this and now looks more like this. You must know that Lyon is the real capital of France: Lyon was the capital of the Gaul during the Roman Empire and gave two emperors to Rome: Claudius (10 BC-54 AD) and Caracalla (188 -217), it was the capital of the French resistance during WWII, and Lyon is still the capital of French cuisine… Besides, in a few weeks, Lyon will be France’s soccer champion for the fourth year in a row…
I am 51, male (most of the time), living in sin with an extraordinary woman and I have to gifted daughters (11 and 13). Thanks to them, for me the sun shines everyday.
I’ve lived part of my childhood in Morocco, and as an adult in Algeria, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Emirates and Ireland… and I live in Lyon.
I worked for 15 years in the industry, starting as a mechanic, became an engineer in oil and mining equipments, turned to be a trainer, then a consultant in human resources development, went back to the university while working and graduated in Business Administration and Management Science.
I am now working at European level as an expert on industrial change and social dialogue development. I am currently organising a world forum on globalisation which will take place in Lyon in October 2006.
I’ve been “de gauche” before I was conceived: my parents were part of the French resistance during WWII, then they fought for decolonisation (including help to the Algerian national resistance) and for Europe. I took up the torch in May 1968… and I still believe we’ve got no choice but to try to change the world.
I love talking endlessly with friends and others (provided there is good wine!), I love talking to people I don’t know, I love learning, I love reading novels, I love walking in the mountains, in the desert and in the cities at night, I love good cuisine, I love music…
To make it short: I love life and I love love!
…and I love being here!
je suis un francophile. 🙂 J’aime bien pratiquer parler (et ecouter, ecrire, lire) francais, donc si vous voulez, envoyez-moi un email!
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Lyon is the real capital of France
and has the best food in the world!
and I’m enjoying it every day!
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
Having been born in the poorest county in Missouri (Shannon County – just 30 miles from the Arkansas state line) I grew up hearing about my ancestors who had come from the Shenandoah valley of West Virginia and they said the hills there are much like the ones in the Ozarks. I suspect that the culture is similar too.
The first thing I learned about politics from my daddy was that the Democrats are “for the little guy” and the Republicans are for the “big guy”. You can always trust the Republicans to help the rich but you can’t always trust the Democrats to do right by the poor.
My dad had only a 4th grade education but he knew politics and I still agree with his assessment. My relatives who still live back there in the Ozarks still vote straight Democrat tickets.
Let’s see…
Just celebrated the 12th rerun of my 43rd birthday (I started this system when the movie Groundhog Day came out in 1993);
Currently work in international development, primarily democracy and governance projects, lawyer by training, former police officer, Vietnam combat veteran – worked quite a bit on veteran issues since 1972 – same year I voted for George McGovern in my first presidential election;
Divorced, three grown kids – a police officer, a special ed teacher, and a sports maniac;
Love travel and living abroad – have visited/lived in about 40 countries;
Grew up in NY, but now live with my Aussie partner, in a village of 1500 folks on a teeny, tiny little (4 miles X 6 miles) speck in the middle of the Mediterranean called Gozo. Very quiet and perfect for respite between contracts.
Sounds like an interesting place to live–I’m sure the weather’s fantastic. What brought you there, out of curiosity? What country does Gozo belong to?
Alan
Maverick Leftist
Gozo is the smaller of two inhabited islands making up the Republic of Malta, which was a British protectorate up through the 60s. Total population is about 500,000, of which only 25-30,000 live on Gozo.
Came here in 2002 to visit a friend who had set up residence, fell in love with it, came back three months later to acquire an apartment. My work takes me mostly to Central Asia and the Balkans, so the location is ideal.
Haven’t figured out how to embed a photo, but this is my backyard:
http://client.webshots.com/photo/281407109/287548572Wduixa
I was away from the PC this weekend, and come back on Monday morning to see all kinds of responses, not to mention a front page promotion! Thanks, Booman!
I’m so glad to read all of the interesting things here about all of you. Gozo, Lyon, the Virgin Islands…our members are checking in from some fantastic places. We’ve got some great diversity going on here, and some wonderful, intriguing people, it sounds like.
Thank you all for your posts, and thank you, Anomalous!
58 goin on 19 (okay, 59) in May
wife – 12/19/85 but we’ve been together since 9/21/74
4 cats — all rescued
170 children — well, that’s what I have in my classes right now
— none biologically ours
— various nieces and nephews and now two grandnieces
grew up suburban NY
have attended something like 11 post secondary institutions, picking up a Bachelors (Haverford) at almost age 27, two masters, and dropping out of two other masters programs and two doctoral programs (most recently with dissertation proposal almost complete — my spouse woudl liek to kill me for that)
family growing up was Rockefellar Republican. Forf what it’s worth, mom was Rocky appointee as an asst AG. Also, they had been in OPA and had some vague knowledge of Nixon from that time and could not stand him. While mom was vice chair of town (Mamaroneck) Republican Committee, I was active in teen dems
active participation in Civil Rights, beginning in 1963, and marched against Vietnam War in 1964, although I later enlisted in the Marines (it’s a long story)
lots of religious wanderings, raised Reform Jewish, bar mitvah on 13th b;day; baptised ikn late 20’s as Epicopalian, spent 14 years in E Orthodox Church including hodling electie and appointive oofice up to national level of Orthodox Church In America; got 1t master from a Catholic smineary (but never was Catholic), returned to Judaism first at an Orthodox sysngogue (Holy Joe sat about 5 feet away on Saturdays) then an egalitarian Conservative synagogue in Alexandria. Had dropped in and out of Quaker Meeting over more than 30 years, including while an active duty marine in mid 60’s (now, that was a trip), finally officially joining in 2003
my screen name defines who I am — got involved with blogging through BFA. While on a trip to NH for Dedan over T’Giving weekend in 2003 was introduced to kos, and within a few weeks was lurking regularly. I think my first diary was in January of ’04. Finally established my own blog about a year ago, but it had gone dormant for a while, although I now post at least several times a week
expect to be involved in yearlykos, having volunteered to do something about an education thread .. we’ll see. I might not be able to do as much as I want if they place it too early in the year, because I really don’t like to miss the end of the school year except for really important things (I’ve only done it once, for a terrific weeklong seminar for which i was getting a free ride).
My politics are quite frankly eclectic. I participated in Charlie Peters Neoliberal Conference in 1983 in Reston. I believe in fiscal responsibility by governments, which is why I was supporting Fritz Hollings back then, and is partly why I supported Dean. I believe government has a role to play, and do not believe that markets can work ‘efficiently’ as Adam Smith theorized because of the lack of perfect information and the uneqaual distribution of economic and political power.
It has taken me a long time, but I now refuse to hate. It’s like a disruptive student in my classroom — if he can get me yelling, he’s got the control. I refuse to let someone despicable get that kind of control over me.
I try to find the positive in people — heck, it is essential in reachign the adolescents I teach. Thus when my wife took me to Coolfont for my 50th birthday and Cheif Justice Rehnquist was checking in at the same time, I spoke with him but not on the court or politics — he has been a dedciated patron and supporter of Arlington County Public Library, whose circulation system I first computerized in a different pre-teaching incarnation (I spent 20 years in computers), so I thanked him for speaking at the dedication of the the rebuilt main library. His face lit up with a huge smile, and he told me he was so glad to have been asked to do it.
I never know what effec my teaching and presence in a classroom will have. Similarly, I never know who willbe touched or reached by the words I send into the blogosphere, or in those letters and op eds I ahve been able to get published in an around DC. When I was working on my abandoned doctorate in educational administration and policy studies, part of the justification was to be able to influence the policy debate on education. Jay Mathews of the Washington Post pointed out to me that I might have far greater impact by writing not for scholarly publications, but rather for general readers, including for newspapers. he encouraged my first op ed, which ran in a now defunct chain of suburban papers, and he will periodically quote me in his stories, as I believe he will be doing tomorrow.
So now I blog — about education, about life, about politics, about spirituality — actually, it’s all about learning, which should be an ongoing process for all of us.
And this is now far too long. I wonder if anyone will ever read it, seeing how far down the thread it is?
peace, all
Age 47, four kids — only one still at home (age 15).
Live in Santa Barbara, California. Freelance editor.
Married to (believe it or not — I don’t) a lifelong Republican, who just got named to the Republican Central Committee in our county.
That’s about it.
Married to (believe it or not — I don’t) a lifelong Republican, who just got named to the Republican Central Committee in our county.
You’re right: I don’t believe it! What’s his take on the Gannon/Guckert saga (for which I take this opportunity to add my humble, amazed thanks)?
I’m a little late to this thread, but here we go anyway…
I am 24 years old. I was born in Traverse City, MI and grew up in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, MI – an extremely conservative Christian area. I escaped to go to school at Emerson College in Boston, which I loved.
Now I have been living in Los Angeles (in the Valley) for 2 and a half years. I am not married, but I am about to move into a new apartment with my boyfriend – we get the keys to the new place today! We will be sharing the place with my cat Stevie, who is possibly the most people-loving cat ever.
I work in TV as a freelance camera operator and chyron(graphics) operator for sports and reality tv shows.
And that’s me in a nutshell!
I live in Santa ana, Ca. in Orange County, are you having winds today, we are here, very strong winds.
It doesn’t seem to be windy at all here today (at least when I’ve been outside), but the past couple of days, I definitely noticed the winds.
i am chinese,
i like computer,music,
my english is so poor.
welcome to my homepage.
大海免费电影
i am chinese,
i like computer,music,
my english is so poor.
welcome to my homepage.
波波安幽默笑话
大海免费电影
I just posted a new diary on Tell us about you, here is the link,
http://www.boomantribune.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2005/5/24/92333/7960
please post comment on that diary, as this is very old diary and not many members will see this comment. I am sure others will want to welcome you as well.
hello every
anybody here??
音乐在线试听
免费论文
波波安幽默笑话