Shipwrecked & Comatose

Every time I think I have said all I need to say about the War on Christmas, December comes around again and I will feel like society has sunk to a new low.   I find out I have so much more to say. It's funny how certain Christians in this country feel like others are waging war against them, but I am the one who feels beaten down.  I feel defeated in trying to be the Voice of Reason.  No matter how much I, and others like me, try to explain how nobody is trying to take belief away from anyone else, those voices shout louder and dig their heels in harder.   Why is Christmas, in fact all of Christian belief, a zero sum game?  Is there anyone out there among the evangelicals willing to refute this?   Do you know what it looks like to me?  It looks to me like you believe if I do not acknowledge your holiday, if I do not share your "reason for the season", if I do not want to hear your prayers or look at your religious displays in the secula...

As pandemic restrictions lift and people begin traveling again, it will be interesting to see how much travelers will feel safe on cruise ships.  Will some travelers avoid cruising because a ship contains too many passengers and carries too much risk of infection?  Will the die-hard cruise lovers consider the risks to be worth it?  Cruise lines suffered heavy losses in the pandemic and will do whatever it takes to attract passengers.  Will my readers succumb to the ploys?   I thought I would offer my own perspective on (non-pandemic) cruising.  What are some of the advantages and what are some of the harsh realities? When it comes to vacations, it seems there is no more divisive topic than cruises.  Some travelers revile them, while other vacationers don't want to travel any other way.   There is a reason for the appeal of cruises.  They hit many destinations in one trip.  Large cruise ships offer multiple entertainment and recreational ...

Five years ago I made a post about how I am becoming more conscious about what I add and remove from my wardrobe, while still staying true to myself.  I don't want to follow rules about "curation" and "capsules" but I wanted to make sure everything I owned was wearable and in good shape.  I took my entire wardrobe out of my closet and evaluated every piece for condition, fit, and and how much I loved it.  I came to the conclusion at the end of the post that I had far more items of clothing than the thirty-three remixable pieces that are supposed to comprise a capsule, but I was happy. I admit when I look at that post, I am appalled at the amount of stuff I had, even after getting rid of so much of it.  I bought so much more.  I do not acquire clothes as consciously as I like to think I do.  Even now the tendency to overbuy continues.  I put away my summer clothes for the winter this weekend.  When the seasons change I cull anything I haven't worn...

I never ceased to be amazed at how people attached to their phones as if the phone were a  limb or a vital organ. I was on jury duty this past summer. On my first day my phone was confiscated at security.  Once our juror cards were issued later that day, the court deputy retrieved all our phones.  It was only half a day with no phones and my fellow jurors were freaking out.  How could they spend a day detached from the outside world?  A week later I saw a new juror come through courthouse security on her first day.  The security guard tried to take her phone and she refused. It’s crazy.  Who does she think she is going to call in the courtroom?  The whole point of jury duty is to be kept away from the outside world.  She couldn't go a few hours without her phone?                                              ...

In today's world of minimalism and de-cluttering, the experts tell us our society is contributing to its own misery by having too many possessions.  Collecting tchotchkes, particularly ones that have no value or purpose, is considered tacky.  If one is going to collect something, it should be items that have some use, or are expected to have some monetary appreciation.   For example, my husband collects hand-carved duck decoys, a collection whose current value could probably be a down payment on a home.  He has an assortment of musical instruments, which as a musician, he plays and doesn't merely put on display.   Some people collect comic books or baseball cards.  Not only can these be put away to be sold at some future date when they become scarce, one can read the comic books, thus deriving some use from them.   Does anyone out there still collect items of questionable value as a hobby, for the mere pleasure of having them? The paragr...

Ever since this blog was on MySpace, I have stated that I am not a "Flag Waver."  It's not that I'm not patriotic.  I merely believe that displaying a flag is nothing more than an empty gesture .  It's not patriotism.  It's virtue signaling ("Look at me!  I'm displaying a flag.  I'm so patriotic.") at its best.  At its worst, it's jingoism.  It’s performative rather than active. I always believed patriotic displays are meaningless.  Our country needs real action, not symbolic displays, to survive.  Putting the Stars and Stripes on your home, your car, your person, and your pet doesn't do anything to make this country a better place.  Forcing children to say the Pledge of Allegiance every day doesn't guarantee they will grow up to be good citizens.  Forcing athletes to stand for the National Anthem will not make them believe that racism isn't a problem in this country any more than forcing an atheist to pray will make him belie...

Imagine this.  You want to become an astronaut.  You study hard and go to college and obtain a science degree.  You obtain a Master's Degree.  You train to be a pilot and log 1000 hours commanding a jet aircraft.  You go through a rigorous physical exam.  At the end of all that, maybe NASA will let you fly a rocket ship if your training and skills are sufficient and you are in good physical condition.   Imagine what it must feel like when a billionaire skips the line and buys his way into space.  The United States has one of the best space programs on the planet (the only planet humans currently occupy) and this is because NASA hires the most qualified people.  It hires the best engineers and technicians and pilots.  The astronaut program only accepts candidates who can pass its rigorous physical tests.  It's not a profession for the dilettante or the faint of heart.  One does not become an astronaut because one thinks it ...