USNews says the reality of our marriage being recognized by the powers-that-be-in-denial-of-said-reality is an «inevitability»:
‘Thursday is big day that celebrates the eternal American quest for equality. On this day in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring that racial segregation was a violation of the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Today is also the anniversary of the day in 2004 when the first gay couple in the United States was legally married due to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Council’s ruling that the state could not discriminate against gay residents.
‘This week we also observe the infamous anniversary of the high court’s Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896 that validated racial segregation until the Brown decision. The 58-year gap between Plessy and Brown demonstrates how much time the march to freedom takes. Bigots can slow the march to freedom but they can’t stop it. Thomas Jefferson believed that once some people tasted freedom, everyone would push hard until they had the same rights. Women had to wait until 131 years after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution for political equality. Blacks weren’t able to enjoy the fruits of freedom until the 1960s.’
—USNews
As Theodore Parker said, and Martin Luther King paraphrased:
“Look at the facts of the world. You see a continual and progressive triumph of the right. I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.”
—Theodore Parker
Ya’ll better bend it pretty soon. We already been married 12 years, and we ain’t gettin’ any younger here. We don’t got 131 years to wait. Catch up and face reality, Amurrica!
Following on the heels of George “Goober” Lindsey comes the death of a bluegrass legend, «Doug Dillard». His music is awesome, but he’s best known as one of the Andy Griffith Show’s Darlings (the banjo player). Doug was much more than one of Briscoe Darling’s totally silent boys, though. RIP, Doug!
My favorite Dillards/Darlings song, featuring Maggie/Charlene herself, performed in 2009, is «“There is a Time.”».
I normally don’t pay attention or agree with anything from any of the patriarchs of organized religion. However, while satisfying some curiousity, thanks to Charles Dickens, about the Inns of Court system in England, I ran across a recent sermon given in the Temple Chapel of the Inner and Middle Temple Inns by no less a personage than Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury. And I definitely agree with his summation of what Joshua told his followers is their reason for living — what should be the outcome of their faith. It comes in a small paragraph during the “Sermon given by the Archbishop of Canterbury at a Service of Thanksgiving in the Presence of Her Majesty the Queen to mark the 400th Anniversary of the Grant of Letters Patent by King James I to Inner and Middle Temple.” Now there’s a mouthful.
‘The lawyer begins his questioning in a place where many lawyers, I dare say, are tempted to begin: ‘What are the limits of my duty?’ he asks. To whom do I have an obligation? And Jesus replies by saying that there is no limit to the obligation to compassion. This is not to oppose mercy to justice but rather to affirm that mercy, the passionate care for the wellbeing even of the most strange, the least attractive, the least deserving, is a universal summons.’
— Archbishop Rowan Williams
“There is no limit to the obligation to compassion.”
Yet, even though organized religion should adopt this motto and paint it above every church door, it (including his own church of 85 million souls) marches furiously in the opposite direction, away from compassion, its “universal summons.” And the archbishop himself will resign, effective in December. His church may not survive him; it inches ever closer to schism … because a significant number of those 85 million Anglicans see no obligation to compassion for gays and women.
Feargal, Fergus and Fredrik joined the world five years ago today. It’s a very rainy gray day, so they haven’t celebrated much except with long naps, but they’re looking forward to maybe a special dinner tonight.
Not sure what was on the sidewalk after the rain, but it was fabulous for beagles (apologies for the windowscreen being in the way — you shoot these things as they happen; beagles wait for no man):
Best quote of the night: From the fabulous Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Lady Mont of 1934’s «One More River», part of James Whale Night on TCM this evening:
‘Oh! I have a sharp pain right here! It’s either flatulence … or the hand of God!’
—One More River (1934)
Writing in the Texas Observer‘s Picture Show, «Josh Rosenblatt» discusses the great Patricia Neal/Paul Newman movie Hud and what Hud represents, then and now:
‘[Writer Larry] McMurtry and the film’s director, Martin Ritt, created Hud’s character not just to thrill but to warn. To them he was the embodiment of a growing malignant spirit in the country, a spirit interested only in greed and money and what can be taken. They were hoping to create a late-capitalist American devil.
…
‘McMurtry and Ritt probably figured that viewers would be appalled by such thinking and by the character behind it. But somewhere along the way, it seems the cautionary element of their movie got lost. In the decades following the movie’s release, Hud became a role model. His rapacious lust, his desire for money and success, his indifference to the lives of other people, his cruelty toward women, his sociopathic need to take, take, take regardless of consequence somehow became traits to be admired rather than abhorred. Look around Texas today and you’ll see far too many Huds, men who see making money as not just the ultimate goal but the only goal, who see women as things to be used and then tossed aside, who look at consumption as the point of life. Homer’s Texas has become Hud’s, a land where capital and commodification trump all.
‘Watching Hud now, I can’t help the feeling that somewhere along the way we missed the point—that plastics, or something far worse, has won again.’
—Josh Rosenblatt
For me, THAT is what Occupy Wall Street is all about … protesting the ever-accelerating epidemic of Hudism that infects every aspect of American life.
In a letter President Eisenhower penned to his brother, Edgar Newton Eisenhower, on 8 November 1954, he wrote:
‘Now it is true that I believe this country is following a dangerous trend when it permits too great a degree of centralization of governmental functions. I oppose this — in some instances the fight is a rather desperate one. But to attain any success it is quite clear that the Federal government cannot avoid or escape responsibilities which the mass of the people firmly believe should be undertaken by it. The political processes of our country are such that if a rule of reason is not applied in this effort, we will lose everything — even to a possible and drastic change in the Constitution. This is what I mean by my constant insistence upon “moderation” in government. Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.‘ [Emphasis mine.]
—Dwight Eisenhower
He probably had the best understanding of his own party than anyone else, before or since. Unfortunately, the “their number is negligible” part is no longer true.
From the “More Things Change” department comes this paragraph about America’s religious rightwing … in 1958.
Writing in Life Magazine on «9-Jun-1958», Dr. Henry P. Van Dusen, president of the New York Union Seminary and chairman of the Joint Committee of the World Council of Churches and International Missionary Council notes a salient feature of America’s rightwing fundamentalist Christianity that would prove to be unchanged for the next half-century:
‘There are shortcomings in the movement. Its intellectual outlook is quite limited. For the most part, it is blithely indifferent to scientific and historical advances, including the proven results of modern inquiry into the writing of the Bible and the development of the church. Its Christian message tends to be so simple as to be incomplete. Its spirit is all too often narrow, bigoted and intolerant.’
—Life Magazine
You have to thumb through the pages to find the exact article, which is titled, “The Third Force in Christendom,” on page 113.
Also of note in the article is the tidbit that the Rapture is a relatively recent (1850-vintage) American invention. Which says a lot. But, like Dr. Van Dusen notes, historical advances and modern inquiry don’t mean anything. The Left Behind books are Jesus-inspired prophecy. Period.
And, of course, Dr. Van Dusen’s legitimacy is to be rejected as well, if you are part of the ‘Third Force.’ As I was told back in the ’70s, the World Council of Churches is actually a Satanic front; it will help usher in a false religion controlled by the Antichrist. So, you know, dude is just a shill for Lucifer.
I thought as we hit the 21st century that this sort of thing had gotten worse than it was in my childhood. Funny how it turns out to have been pretty much the same all my life. I suppose the only difference between now and then is that the ‘Third Force’ actually wields civil power, having rejected the policy of non-involvement in civil affairs it followed during my early years.
I witnessed the ‘Third Force’ up close and personal; for what it’s worth, take it from me that none of those people should ever allowed anywhere near the reins of state. Unfortunately, we’re probably already past that point.
‘Layton’s wife, Olivia Chow, and his children, Sarah and Michael Layton, issued a statement announcing his death. “We deeply regret to inform you that the Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 am today, Monday August 22. He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones,” the statement read.
‘Details about funeral arrangements will be forthcoming, it said. The family released a letter from Layton to Canadians just after noon. Layton’s death comes less than a month after he announced to the country that he was fighting a new form of cancer and was taking time off for treatment. Layton had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2009 and underwent treatment for it. He continued working throughout that time and also battled a broken hip earlier this year. Layton used a cane for much of his time on the campaign trail this spring as he led the NDP to a historic victory on May 2.’
—CBC.Ca
In a «final letter to Canadians», he wrote some words that Americans south of the Canadian border could learn from also:
‘My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.’
—CBC.Ca
His final words have been posterized by «Stuart Thursby».
«This» is American children’s future … and many education deformers, from Gates to Broad to the Waltons, are eager to embrace it. A FastCompany article on education at the top high school in Beijing contains this money quote:
‘Such complaints don’t surprise Jiang, the Yalie school administrator, who is experimenting with ways to soften the focus on the gaokao. “The best and brightest in the education system are educated in a way that doesn’t permit them to contribute to society,” he says.
‘Zhang Xiaolu, a teacher and gaokao grader in Nanjing, adds, “A lot of teachers tell students after they graduate from high school: ‘Please forget everything you have just learned.’ Because the teachers know that what they have taught is useless. A standardized test means standardized thought. I tell students, ‘It stuffs your heads so that you have no time to think about other things.’ This is the policy of keeping people in ignorance.”’
—FastCompany.com
And this is the system the corporate privatizers want for us. So VERY glad my school days are 30 years behind me!
Flags should be at half-mast today. The Times remembers a 30-year-old disaster with very long term detrimental affects on the country:
“… the impact of the Patco strike on Reagan’s fellow Republicans has long since overshadowed his own professed beliefs regarding public sector unions. Over time the rightward-shifting Republican Party has come to view Reagan’s mass firings not as a focused effort to stop one union from breaking the law — as Reagan portrayed it — but rather as a blow against public sector unionism itself.
“In the spring, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin invoked Reagan’s handling of Patco as he prepared to “change history” by stripping public employees of collective bargaining rights in a party-line vote. “I’m not negotiating,” Mr. Walker said. By then the world had seemingly forgotten that unlike Mr. Walker, Reagan had not challenged public employees’ right to bargain — only their right to strike.
“With Mr. Walker’s militant anti-union views now ascendant within the party of a onetime union leader, with workers less able to defend their interests in the workplace than at any time since the Depression, the long-term consequences continue to unfold in ways Reagan himself could not have predicted — producing outcomes for which he never advocated.”
—New York Times
One of the greatest regrets of my youth was ever voting for the Gipper.
[drumroll, please] So here are my sleep study results:
I stopped breathing 289 times during 5.5 hours of so-called sleep, giving me an average of 52.4 incidents per hour. The longest incident lasted 24.6 seconds. I didn’t even know I could hold my breath that long … but apparently I can.
Only 11.2% of my sleep was considered good (normal for most people is 20% at least). Stage R sleep is usually 25% of sleep time for normal people; I had … 0.
Worst was that my oxygen saturation was up and down during the night; there were 162 times when it dropped below normal. The lowest level it went to was 83%, which lasted for 7.5 minutes. Just for reference, even my Dad with his COPD is normally 96-98%. I averaged 94.4% all night long.
So, the diagnosis is severe chronic sleep apnea, which gets worse when I’m on my back. I check back in tonight for another study; this time, I’ll be attached to a CPAP machine like Frank’s and we’ll adjust it to find out what works best for me. Then a machine of my very own to take home. Those scenes in Alien where the little aliens attach themselves to people’s faces? Yeah, that’ll be Frank and I every night from now on.
But hopefully, it’ll do something ‘bout the exhaustion. Fingers are crossed. For now, I’m wored out from last night and just driving to and from the hop-sital. So I go take a nap now … wonder if I can break that 289 record?
The test wasn’t bad. Lots of wires hooked up and gook in your hair, but I got to sleep quickly. I got up for potty visit at 4:30 and then went back to sleep for another two hours. He woke me up at 6, unhooked me, and now I’ll have a shower to get the gook out, and go have breakfast.
Will get the results when I see the doctor at 8:45. Sometimes, if you stop breathing 30 times or more an hour, they will stop the test and fit your for a CPAP during the night. They didn’t wake me up, so I’m assuming I probably have apnea, just not at the high level. Frank is at 16 and I’m probably somewhere in that neighborhood.
At any rate, if it results in better sleep and feeling better in the mornings, this was well, well worth the time and effort. And even the $134 in cash out of pocket for our contribution to the extortion er, insurance company.
Been a quick process; after my regular doctor suggested that this was the next step in my seven-years-long medical odyssey, he made an appointment for me. I met with a sleep doctor this morning, they had an opening for a study for tonight, and he’ll see me and give me results first thing in the morning. That’s pretty amazingly fast.
Doc thinks it’ll turn out to be “fairly severe” apnea, but we’ll see. So very NOT looking forward to having an alien clamped to my face every night, but living like I’ve been living in my waking hours needs to come to an end.
The adrenal drama, after seven years, came to a close yesterday with an agreement that my adrenals are in stasis with existing drug treatment, that surgery will be indicated only if they go out of control again, and that imaging them every year or so and doing monthly obeisance to the pharmaceuticals for a couple of ‘scripts and we’re done. Seven years. Expenses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in three states. Hospitalizations. ER visits. And on and on and on and now we’re down to this. I’m more exhausted than when we started, so the apnea is, as I said, our next step in the process. So is losing 40 pounds, but that’s another story for another day.
Now the trick: Getting to sleep on a Tempurpedic away from home, four hours before my usual bedtime, without having one to three heavy beagles sleeping on me and without my nightly two-hour soak in the tub. Sigh.
Woke up to huge spinal pain this morning and had to wait for tramadol to kick in and get going. Then it started pouring rain, so I guess that’s what’s going on.
Glad to be in Tennessee, though, rather than that place I used to live in two states to the west. It’s 108 degrees there (and has been for days and days), and dry, dry, dry. Just the thought of it makes me shudder.
In the mid-70s, my dad wanted to raise pigs, so he built pens on the back of our acre of ground and went to town. We spent lots of time chasing them around, since they were escape artists (not as good as beagles, but pretty good).
This pic is me as a sixth grader in 1976 doing some pig wrangling of some young piglets. Wish I were that skinny again!
Poor piggie. We both ended up fat, but he’s the one got eaten.
A slice of American life from the early ’60s. More on the school «here».
For context, the DDR began laying putting up what would become the Berlin Wall a month later. More on the crucial year of 1961 in Friedrich Kempe’s very excellent «Berlin 1961».
Love those lines, “Ideal for the boy who is loafing around all summer” and “two days of anti-communist instruction and communist tactics.” Ah, the Sixties.
“When the Declaration of Independence was read, with all its flaming radical language, from the town hall balcony in Boston, it was read by Thomas Crafts, a member of the Loyal Nine group, conservatives who had opposed militant action against the British.
“Four days after the reading, the Boston Committee of Correspondence ordered the townsmen to show up on the Common for a military draft. The rich, it turned out, could avoid the draft by paying for substitutes; the poor had to serve. This led to rioting, and shouting: ‘Tyranny is Tyranny let it come from whom it may.’”
— Howard Zinn
We never stray far from our violent, avaricious roots. Happy birthday, America!
It’s the 50th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s death, and Larry Harnisch over at the Daily Mirror has «all the juicy details»:
“The [anniversary] has prompted a variety of articles, including an op-ed piece in the New York Times by A.E. Hotchner, who portrays the famous novelist as being obsessed about FBI surveillance. He told Hotchner: ‘It’s the worst hell. The goddamnedest hell. They’ve bugged everything. That’s why we’re using Duke’s car. Mine’s bugged. Everything’s bugged. Can’t use the phone. Mail intercepted.’
“Hotchner describes getting Hemingway’s FBI file under the Freedom of Information Act: “Decades later, in response to a Freedom of Information petition, the F.B.I. released its Hemingway file. It revealed that beginning in the 1940s J. Edgar Hoover had placed Ernest under surveillance because he was suspicious of Ernest’s activities in Cuba. Over the following years, agents filed reports on him and tapped his phones. The surveillance continued all through his confinement at St. Mary’s Hospital. It is likely that the phone outside his room was tapped after all.
“‘In the years since, I have tried to reconcile Ernest’s fear of the F.B.I., which I regretfully misjudged, with the reality of the F.B.I. file. I now believe he truly sensed the surveillance, and that it substantially contributed to his anguish and his suicide.’” — The New York Times
The report includes original documents as well. A fascinating read.
Four years ago this afternoon, we lost our beloved Bayley Murphey Beagle. It still hurts and I cried. We miss him loads still; even though the three beagle brothers do fill up the space, there will probably always remain an empty hole in our lives that used to be occupied by Bayley. He does continue to fill our hearts, so that’s at least something.
I was the first registered Republican in my family. I cast my first vote in a presidential election for Ronald Reagan, the second for George H.W. Bush. I listened to Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, thought I was a Dittohead, and was one of the few who watched and liked his television show. I actually cried when George Sr. and Barbara left the White House to Bill and Hilary in January 1993.
And then the Republicans lurched to the fringe, became immoderate, aggressive, in-your-face, and triumphal, became harnessed to extremist religious philosophy. They attacked anytime President Clinton breathed. Limbaugh yelled (in 1992) that he was happy to be in the opposition; it’s more fun, you can snipe and bitch and moan and not have to actually do anything. The Republicans launched their Contract on America (er, I mean for).
And then, in 1994, came Harry and Louise. Corporate money flooded in, and the Republicans steamrollered and destroyed health care reform, dooming hundreds of thousands, if not millions, to premature death over the next 16 years. The militias and ti-foilists, precursors to the Tea-baggers, came out. And all that culminated in terrorist Timothy McVeigh’s murder of 168 people in my own backyard in the service of a right-wing political philosophy.
I mourned the loss of health care, as well as the Murrah Building, and ranted and railed against my party. In 1996, I registered as a Democrat, voted for Bill Clinton and then watched the Republicans continue to make war, year after year, against the middle class, and especially against gay and lesbian Americans like me.
I’ve been trying to remember exactly what the turning point for me was. And I’m almost 100% certain it was health care reform. When the Republicans attacked and destroyed the possibility of a saner, more humane health care payment system, they also attacked and destroyed me. I returned to the Democratic fold where my family had originally been for the better part of a century.
I didn’t turn on the Republicans, as the saying goes; they turned on me.
Their behavior right now, as we wait for the final House vote, is beyond disgusting. No lie too big or too outrageous to read into the Congressional record or give to the cameras at CNN.
But to me, it doesn’t matter what happens in November; I realize the Democrats will probably pay a price. And I don’t care. It takes courage to do the right thing, they’ve finally grown a bit of a pair, it’s the right start. And if they lose control, fine. The resulting nastiness will, once again, prove to Americans who too easily forget history, that the right does not have our best interests at heart, only those of corporate boards and religious charlatans.
Will watch the final vote and the president’s statement following. And be finally relieved that 100 years of obstruction of a basic fundamental human right has finally ended.
From the right-wing side of the aisle comes this absolutely fabulous quote (wonder how long his staff worked on this gem?). It’s off-the-charts hyperbole, infinitely untrue, but a classic, nonetheless. Is this really what you Republicans are reduced to?
“You’ll be getting your pre-natal care from TurboTax!!”
Feargal, Fergus and Fredrik turned three years old today. Pics and video of the day’s celebrations (which included beagle baths) are now up at «their website». Enjoy!
Latest Blog Post: Bending Towards Reality http://t.co/1S9nJKhD| 20:37 on 17-May-2012
Latest Blog Post: And Now We've Lost Doug Dillard http://t.co/Fb63JM83| 20:17 on 17-May-2012
Wow. Go camping/off grid 2 days & return to find out someone's evolved. Thanks for finally recognizing the reality of my marriage, Mr. O.! | 14:17 on 10-May-2012
Latest Blog Post: So Long, Goober! http://t.co/4bXGm0OJ| 16:05 on 06-May-2012
No Limits to Compassion http://t.co/caHEjVEO| 22:40 on 22-Mar-2012
Latest Blog Post: Happy Birthday Number Five Beagles! http://t.co/SNGnRUco| 17:29 on 08-Mar-2012
Yet again, the obvious is stated: We cannot be denied equal protection/marriage. Thank you, Bush-appointed, Republican activist judge! | 19:20 on 22-Feb-2012
"refusing to recognize her lawful marriage to prevent provision of health insurance coverage to her spouse." | 19:19 on 22-Feb-2012
"under the Fifth Amendment to the ... Constitution by, without substantial justification or rational basis, ... | 19:19 on 22-Feb-2012
"In this matter, the Court finds that DOMA, as applied to Ms. Golinski, violates her right to equal protection of the law ... | 19:18 on 22-Feb-2012
Latest Blog Post: Post-Rain Beagle Ecstasy http://t.co/EILEXpTR| 15:51 on 01-Feb-2012
Latest Blog Post: Fabulous. http://t.co/AVd9l9AN| 21:21 on 27-Jan-2012
Latest Blog Post: Home http://t.co/Ubzv9cu0| 17:55 on 27-Jan-2012
Almost time for another semi-annual burst of tweets: We're heading to #alamidwinter on Friday in Dallas! | 19:37 on 18-Jan-2012
It's [Past] Time! It's Time. http://t.co/gBP2snYi#marriageequlaity| 21:31 on 25-Nov-2011
Just finished Thunderstruck by Erik Larson. Nicely done! http://t.co/0BPnNYW4#Kindle| 19:43 on 12-Nov-2011
Just finished Descartes' Bones by Russell Shorto while waiting dental surgery. Excellent read! http://t.co/mNPv8VP6#Kindle| 09:50 on 09-Nov-2011
Latest Blog Post: Occupying Hud's Spirit http://t.co/0me9ZBBh#OccupyWallStreet| 01:45 on 26-Oct-2011
Latest Blog Post: Dear Brother http://t.co/aXcWyEYf| 01:33 on 26-Oct-2011
Needs no comment from me; except "God bless Charles Dickens!!!" http://t.co/CjFu0cBj#Kindle| 17:36 on 24-Sep-2011
The heritage of the "Land of the free ..." http://t.co/udMOef9n#Kindle| 17:33 on 24-Sep-2011
"Crude at the surface, rotten at the core." That's US all right. http://t.co/cvcso8ou#Kindle| 16:37 on 24-Sep-2011
Our heritage. http://t.co/BwC47HNr#Kindle| 16:27 on 24-Sep-2011
Smartly summed up, Mr. Dickens! http://t.co/YvZS1078#Kindle| 16:24 on 24-Sep-2011
Today: Iran released the 2 American hikers wrongfully accused of capital crime; the US murdered a man wrongfully accused of capital crime. ? | 21:38 on 21-Sep-2011
We are historically illiterate. We will have to relearn some lessons over again, to our pain & cost. http://t.co/nWiaDvB#Kindle| 18:32 on 06-Sep-2011
Dickens had Cairo's number from the beginning. http://t.co/ts54oqS#Kindle| 18:08 on 03-Sep-2011
Yup, same old Amurrica, same old nonsense. http://t.co/WSgDYvf#Kindle| 16:10 on 03-Sep-2011
Dickens notes the antecedents of Americans' "fixin' to go to thhe Wal-Mart." http://t.co/epEOsto#Kindle| 10:35 on 01-Sep-2011
Nothing has changed. http://t.co/LVvWBXt#Kindle| 07:13 on 01-Sep-2011
Dickens on looney "Mormonists:" http://t.co/c9sO1zm#Kindle| 17:49 on 31-Aug-2011
Or any other church, for that matter. http://t.co/MVaVf4p#Kindle| 14:56 on 28-Aug-2011
How some things never change! http://t.co/e3RHOM1#Kindle| 18:52 on 27-Aug-2011
Latest Blog Post: The Third Force: 1958 and Now http://t.co/irsELyX| 18:36 on 26-Aug-2011
Latest Blog Post: R.I.P. Jack Layton http://t.co/AX2Cb6D| 17:09 on 22-Aug-2011
'This is the Policy of Keeping ... http://t.co/3PSmx4H| 22:47 on 18-Aug-2011
A 30th Anniversary: A Day of Mourning http://tinyurl.com/3u73d3z#PATCO| 15:19 on 10-Aug-2011
Enjoying editing Charles Dickens' long-forgotten journals (see: http://t.co/rFzHq5p). Want to join in? Go to http://t.co/8FO95Hg to help! | 23:50 on 06-Aug-2011
Best summing up I've ever seen. http://t.co/fHlgMGl| 19:00 on 05-Aug-2011
Loving http://t.co/r6JLh31 ... reminds me so much of what happened when my HS friends found me on Facebook ... | 18:37 on 05-Aug-2011
... http://tinyurl.com/3moop8r| 20:59 on 28-Jul-2011
Face Sucking Time http://tinyurl.com/3tu3qaw| 20:24 on 28-Jul-2011
Latest Blog Post: A Good Sleep http://tinyurl.com/3kdzx87| 06:39 on 28-Jul-2011
The Apnea ... http://tinyurl.com/3n4d3tq| 21:04 on 27-Jul-2011
Latest Blog Post: http://tinyurl.com/3uf8asr| 15:16 on 25-Jul-2011
Watching: English Without Tears http://t.co/uFdgVtH (1944) with the always fabulous Margaret Rutherford. Awesome satire there ... | 18:43 on 14-Jul-2011
Just finished In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson. Sad and excellent story. http://amzn.to/ipZrNh#Kindle| 21:57 on 08-Jul-2011
Bill Dodd knew in 1933 what we fail to grasp today. http://amzn.com/k/2M34SOTCFZ2SH#Kindle| 07:29 on 08-Jul-2011
Latest Blog Post: Lovely Rain in the Bones http://tinyurl.com/3pekr9f| 14:50 on 07-Jul-2011
New Orleans, Day Four http://tinyurl.com/3ttjd4g| 17:13 on 06-Jul-2011
Latest Blog Post: Fave Photos Department: The Pig Farmer http://tinyurl.com/3h7yp4o| 00:26 on 06-Jul-2011
Sudden gullywasher downpour in Nashville. Should help cool things down for the evening. Lovely. | 18:36 on 05-Jul-2011
Latest Blog Post: Summer of '61 http://tinyurl.com/429g4ew| 18:02 on 05-Jul-2011
Latest Blog Post: Fourth of July, 1852 http://tinyurl.com/3zu8b65| 15:13 on 04-Jul-2011
Latest Blog Post: Happy Independence Day http://tinyurl.com/3fnsmmx| 03:32 on 04-Jul-2011
New Blog Post: Papa's Spy Past http://tinyurl.com/3qm4kfn| 03:21 on 04-Jul-2011
"Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? I miss it both night & day. ... This feeling's gettin' stronger, the longer, I stay away." | 02:04 on 04-Jul-2011
Correction: Fergus and Fred aren't bothered. Feargal is beginning to refuse to go outside because of the poppers. Poor big dog! | 23:58 on 03-Jul-2011
Lots of pops-booms-bangs outside, but so far the boys don't seem to be all that bothered by it. | 21:23 on 03-Jul-2011
In the Jeepy on our way home after an okay flight. Happy to be back! | 14:41 on 28-Jun-2011
Just landed at home. Yay! | 14:22 on 28-Jun-2011
Sittng on board WN702 headed for Nashville to see our puppy dogs who we've missed VERY much! Yay! | 12:31 on 28-Jun-2011
Now boarding WN702 to go home to see the puppies! #ALA11 was wonderful!! | 12:22 on 28-Jun-2011
Southwest line at KMSY is seriously the suck. Just 3 agents to work the whole line?! | 11:12 on 28-Jun-2011
VERY sad to be in a cab airport bound. Farewell New Orleans!!! | 10:45 on 28-Jun-2011
@eonline We gay boys demand that #RossMathews get his own show. NOW! Marriage Equality and Ross Equality NOW! | 01:06 on 28-Jun-2011
Watching clips of a Streetcar Named Desire while sitting on Elysian Fields just a couple of blocks from the Kowalski/Duboise House. Perfect! | 01:03 on 28-Jun-2011
It was a gay old time at the Clover Grill, with patrons singing along to Cher and Whitney Houston. Then the walk back to one last whirlpool. | 22:38 on 27-Jun-2011
Just had our last dinner in NOLA, at the Clover Grill on Bourbon Street. Had a bacon cheeseburger. YUM! | 22:37 on 27-Jun-2011
After the great lunch, rode the bus back to the hotel for another soak in that wonderful whirlpool tub. Ahhhhhh. | 22:36 on 27-Jun-2011
After the downpour, excellent quesadillas at Felipe's Taqueria at St. Louis and N. Peters. Yum. | 22:35 on 27-Jun-2011
Wonderful Beckham's Bookstore was my kinda place! Now getting soaked in sudden downpour ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. | 15:52 on 27-Jun-2011
Feeding frenzy over; exhibits closed; librarians ejected looking like pack animals with free schwag! #ALA11| 14:09 on 27-Jun-2011
Mad librarian feeding frenzy! Books free as exhibits close! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! #ALA11| 14:00 on 27-Jun-2011
Heavenly beignet bliss coma!! | 11:57 on 27-Jun-2011
Sitting in the du Monde air conditioning. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! | 11:34 on 27-Jun-2011
Day three begins with New Orleans de rigeur: Beignets at Cafe du Monde!!! YUM! | 10:58 on 27-Jun-2011
That nap turned into a six-hour sleep. Dinner was at Marigny Brasserie ... turkey club sandwich, mighty good. Now for whirlpool bath! | 23:14 on 26-Jun-2011
Done being a turista for now, back to the hotel for a nap!! | 14:36 on 26-Jun-2011
Walking around the Vieux Carre taking tons of pics. And going in to this leather store which has a giant cock in it. | 14:22 on 26-Jun-2011
Pride was short and sweet and tourist-frightening, btw. & Not a shirtless boy in sight. Huh?! | 13:23 on 26-Jun-2011
Just spent a thoroughly orgasmic moment in William Faulkner's house, now bookstore. Words fail. | 13:21 on 26-Jun-2011
Before I ogle the boys, we need lunch, so we're at the Hard Rock Cafe. I kid you not. Long story. | 12:05 on 26-Jun-2011
Next up: NOLA Pride Parade 11 on Rue du Bourbon!!! Bring on the boys, oh yeah!!! #NOLAPride| 11:25 on 26-Jun-2011
Done with exhibits, scored 6 books & other schwag. Very nice! #ALA11| 11:22 on 26-Jun-2011
Been in exhibits hall 10 minutes and already have a backpack full of free schwag!! #ALA11| 09:44 on 26-Jun-2011
Morial Convention Center is huge, long-ass walk.Not there yet. #ALA11| 09:15 on 26-Jun-2011
Breakfast buffet at Harrah's, 'cause it's convenient. Feels like Vegas. Next: #ALA11 Exhibit hall!! | 08:29 on 26-Jun-2011
Waking up for day two of #ALA11 and NOLA Pride! Move over librarians, teacher in your house! | 07:30 on 26-Jun-2011
Tea was a Hyacinth Bucket (it's Boo-kay) total hoot & the tea & goodies were excellent! Now for dinner with the boss #ALA11| 19:09 on 25-Jun-2011
The Jacuzzi was beyond wonderful!!! Now it's off to the butterfly tea at Le Salon! Dinner tonight with the boss and other librarians! #ALA11| 16:01 on 25-Jun-2011
Next up: What I've been eagerly anticipating for two months - the Jacuzzi bathtub!!!! AH RELIEF!! | 14:19 on 25-Jun-2011
Having a wonderful meatball wrap at Louisiana Pizza Kitchen. Yum! #ALA11| 13:02 on 25-Jun-2011
In the best B&B ever! ELysian Fields Inn. AWESOME! #ALA11| 12:21 on 25-Jun-2011
Waiting for bags at the scruffy KMSY; flight delay due to t-storms at KBNA, but very nice. Ready to get on with #ALA11 ! | 10:57 on 25-Jun-2011
Just landed at MSY! | 10:44 on 25-Jun-2011
Now on board WN3713 headed to the Big Sleazy for #ALA11 !! | 08:48 on 25-Jun-2011
WN 737-700 just arrived from MCO; we will board for MSY and #ALA11 in 15 or so!! | 08:31 on 25-Jun-2011
Sitting at BNA; both of us forced to do the TSA's backscatter porn machine. So ready for MSY!! #ALA11| 08:07 on 25-Jun-2011
We are now awake and eager to get up and into the air to New Orleans!! #ALA11http://amzn.com/k/3O9WRQ5WKZ0Y7#Kindle| 05:56 on 25-Jun-2011
Our Legal-in-New-York status is a grand excuse for a very happy pride weekend celebration in N'Awlins. A very happy day! #ALA11#NY4M| 21:39 on 24-Jun-2011
We are now legal in New York state. Big ol' smiles here. Suck it, Tennessee. #NY4M| 21:31 on 24-Jun-2011
Pres. Obama: MLK's arc "bends because each of us in our own ways put our hand on that arc & we bend it in the direction of justice." #NY4M| 19:39 on 24-Jun-2011
Take me ... To the city beneath the sea ... #ala11| 09:58 on 24-Jun-2011
24 hours from now: the Big Sleazy for #ala11! Can't wait ... | 09:21 on 24-Jun-2011
Just finished Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie. http://amzn.to/fp7ybr#Kindle| 09:06 on 14-Jun-2011
As I`ve always said ... http://amzn.com/k/IGNYORC8U9B5#Kindle| 09:11 on 13-Jun-2011
Just finished Berlin 1961 Amplified (Enhanced Edition) by Frederick Kempe. Excellent! http://amzn.to/irY3vZ#Kindle| 09:00 on 13-Jun-2011
The kind of education the corporatists would have us return to ... soulless regurgitation. http://amzn.com/k/29VAFNYW3ZJ2K#Kindle| 07:46 on 25-May-2011
In other words, the injustice that is Prop 8 will not stand. "But let justice flow like a river ..." http://amzn.com/k/1TD6AEX5S3YYQ#Kindle| 20:22 on 12-Jan-2011
Celebrating my birthday with the arrival last night of handsome great-nephew Logan David Lovett, 8 lbs, 12 ozs. That's #5 of the next gen.!! | 08:52 on 14-Dec-2010
I apparently slept through a tornado this morning while the better half was in the basement of the library with the staff. I AM an Okie! | 15:33 on 26-Oct-2010
The better 1/2 had problems getting to work this a.m. Reason: T. Swift debuting new disc at Tootsie's downtown. That's living in Music City! | 18:30 on 25-Oct-2010
Best, most amazing game of Footy I've seen in over 20 years of watching! Awesome! And we get to do it again next week! Yay! #aflgf| 02:56 on 25-Sep-2010
Hot. But gonna grill this evening anyway. | 16:21 on 07-Aug-2010
"When [judged] solely on test scores schools...push out [low-scorers], narrow the curriculum...& narrow teaching to rote memorization .." | 15:45 on 07-Aug-2010
Prop H8 FAIL!!! "Prop H8 is unconstitutional under both the Due Process & Equal Protection Clauses" thank god! #prop8#prop8overturned#lgbt| 18:51 on 04-Aug-2010
The time has come. Time to pack for the Okiehoma Extravaganza. Flight is early Friday morning! | 23:45 on 28-Jul-2010
Hot. Lord, it's hot. | 00:53 on 10-Jul-2010
Is looking forward to our DC weekend! | 06:26 on 23-Jun-2010
A week from now, we'll be in DC. Woot! | 20:37 on 18-Jun-2010
@sarahevans5 Welcome to Tennessee! Stay cool, have fun ... shower and a/c here in Nashville if you need it ... | 20:23 on 11-Jun-2010
Looks like my Twitter account was hacked yesterday. A***&&^&$#(@*(P$@#! | 18:29 on 04-Jun-2010
Twitter is for people who have a life. Hence, the long time between my updates ... | 21:18 on 21-May-2010
Thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods ... this weekend has it all! | 22:06 on 01-May-2010
Three weeks of outdoors projects winding down. Thank god. | 00:46 on 29-Apr-2010
Walked the beagles out in the wonderful weather today. Beautiful! | 17:10 on 10-Apr-2010
We skipped spring and went straight to summer. 84 in Nashville! | 16:02 on 04-Apr-2010
84 in Nashville. Thank god. It's about time you got here, Spring! | 13:10 on 02-Apr-2010
Newsflash: "Ricky Martin grasps obvious." Congrats. Welcome to the family. | 15:42 on 29-Mar-2010
@sarahevans5 OK lege tries to ban hate crimes protections for GLBT people, instead accidentally erases protections for race & religion. HA! | 13:48 on 29-Mar-2010
"...an America where the state of a family’s health will never again depend on the amount of a family’s wealth" might actually be in sight? | 21:56 on 21-Mar-2010
IRS just knocked on the door, wantin' to know where grandma is hidin'. Seriously: Congrats. #hcr| 21:48 on 21-Mar-2010
will apply for one of those socialist IRS jobs so he can beat down doors and kill Jesus-lovin' babies and grandmas. Utopia! #hcr| 20:27 on 21-Mar-2010
will apply for one of those socialist IRS jobs so he can beat down doors and kill Jesus-lovin' babies and grandmas. Utopia! $hcr | 20:24 on 21-Mar-2010
Finally. Been waiting for this for 16 years. Get on with it. Pass #hcr. It's at least a start. | 16:14 on 21-Mar-2010
It's time for everyone to count-Queer the Census! Sign the petition, get the sticker: http://bit.ly/fUyIj| 19:22 on 16-Mar-2010
Finishing up the Blu-Ray of "The Third Man." Very nice print, sound is tweaked too loud, but it's an excellent disc of an excellent film. | 18:17 on 13-Mar-2010
It's snowing in Nashville. Spring is how many days away?? Sigh. Go 'way winter ... | 16:12 on 03-Mar-2010
posted new beagle video at http://bit.ly/a2vB3T I'm calling it "The Howling." And I cannot TELL you how wonderful it is to be Facebook-free! | 14:38 on 25-Feb-2010
I deleted my Facebook account today. It takes two weeks for them to do it, during which they beg and plead for you to come back. NOPE! | 01:29 on 21-Feb-2010#Facebook: A major, major failure. On security, accessiblity, navigation, design, communication. #Facebook fail. #Facebook fail. | 22:21 on 16-Feb-2010
Beagles escaping a wind-opened gate at 9 p.m. on a 23-deg. dark night: BAD! Luckily, they're such weenies about cold, they returned quickly. | 23:55 on 09-Feb-2010
Idle curiosity: Does Facebook ever test with people in the outside world? Have they ever taken a basic usability class? Yeah, I thought not. | 19:20 on 08-Feb-2010
It just started snowing in Nashville. Have they cancelled school yet? | 19:09 on 08-Feb-2010
Who dat who turned it around and were so awesome? The World Champion #Saints. 'Grats! | 20:51 on 07-Feb-2010
Who dat say dey can win dis game playin' like dat? Sigh. C'mon boys! | 18:02 on 07-Feb-2010
Facebook: As ignorant, useless, and nonsensical as that Focus on the Family Bigotry Saint Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad. | 17:46 on 07-Feb-2010
A note to Hollywood and Broadway on the occasion of the death today of J.D. Salinger: http://bit.ly/7FqVDw RIP, Mr. Salinger. | 14:06 on 28-Jan-2010
How many 'straight' couples would put up with denial of marriage equality costing them $10 grand? Yeah, I thought so. http://bit.ly/5aoVy9| 23:59 on 20-Jan-2010
Christ on how to tell sheep from goats: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these...you did for me." Help ease the suffering in Haiti. | 16:14 on 14-Jan-2010
TN rushing through a deal by 5 p.m. to make my future salary dependent on how a 6-year-old fills out a corporate test. Shame on all of you. | 16:06 on 13-Jan-2010
will miss the freak show that was Lane Kiffin's one-year "era" at Tennessee. Now he'll have to pay attention to [ugh] USC to get a fix. | 23:50 on 12-Jan-2010
Bliss is closed schools, light snow outside, snoring beagles & North by Northwest on Blu-Ray. January might not be so horrible after all. | 15:04 on 07-Jan-2010
admits that, as much as he hates cold and snow, he does NOT miss California nonsense like this: http://bit.ly/8GhWxs| 14:06 on 07-Jan-2010
the California boys are enjoying their first real look at snow, however southern and light it may be. http://tweetphoto.com/8221008| 13:48 on 07-Jan-2010
sees that three Tennessee counties have canceled school tomorrow ... because it might snow 1-3 inches ... and shakes his head in disbelief. | 20:24 on 06-Jan-2010
sees that 2-6 inches of snow is planned for tomorrow night ... can I catch a flight to St. Maarten before it hits? Sigh ... | 00:30 on 06-Jan-2010
says GO Sally Kern! Rip into those heteros destroying traditional family values via divorce. Yeah! Preach it, sister! http://bit.ly/6uD9OX| 15:04 on 05-Jan-2010
and Frank and the Beagle Boys wish everyone a very happy new 2010! And please, 2009, don't let the door hit you on the butt on the way out. | 21:51 on 31-Dec-2009
thanks his OU Sooners for not missing one last opportunity in 2009 to suck up the place. You're tied with STANFORD??!! Lord. | 13:51 on 31-Dec-2009
open your hearts and wallets! Rick Warren needs almost a $1 mil by tomorrow or...Jesus takes him home ? (I may have made that last part up.) | 02:03 on 31-Dec-2009
loves his new Blu-Ray player and loves even more Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex, from the creators of my all-time fave, Der Untergang. Awesome! | 23:32 on 30-Dec-2009
thinks, since the next chance to see a blue moon on New Year's Eve won't be 'til 2028, he shall be outside that night. http://bit.ly/6l8qse| 18:23 on 29-Dec-2009
hears that beagles have woken up from turkey-induced comas and are driving Unca Frankie mad. Time to play mean daddy? | 00:46 on 27-Dec-2009
hopes that all these truckers get home safely http://bit.ly/6d4iKM and that someone in Tulsa goes to jail for this http://bit.ly/7gOare. | 23:18 on 25-Dec-2009
is watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" at midnight, Christmas morning. Aaaaahhhhhh. Merry Christmas from Steve, Frank and the Beagle Boys! | 00:41 on 25-Dec-2009
in the highly unlikely event it snows in Nashville, TDOT will use ... beet juice ... on slick roads. I'm rooting for snow just to see that. | 15:57 on 24-Dec-2009
is relieved that the sign has been found http://bit.ly/6cgC0S, but outraged that it was cut into three pieces. Again ... disgusting! | 08:40 on 21-Dec-2009
is enjoying the flakes of snow now falling in Nashville ... | 21:50 on 19-Dec-2009
is disgusted beyond words. People suck. http://bit.ly/7BU2Zy| 13:00 on 18-Dec-2009
thanks his better half for a lovely dinner in an empty restaurant. Which was bliss until the office Christmas party moved in at the end ... | 22:33 on 14-Dec-2009
thanks everyone for all the kind and wonderful birthday wishes and asks ... why does 46 sound impossibly old, but I still feel like I'm 18? | 15:43 on 14-Dec-2009
Dexter just seriously kicked me in the stomach. Bastards. It's just a tv show, it's just a tv show, it's just a tv show, it's just a tv show | 22:52 on 13-Dec-2009
is happy that Houston finally has one redeeming quality ... it elected Annise Parker in spite of ugly, vicious hatred and temper-tantrums. | 23:26 on 12-Dec-2009
Not fun: Changing the house Christmas lights, in the rain, on a ladder, in the dark. I'm too old for this ... | 21:41 on 12-Dec-2009
Somebody rawlphed again today. Fortunately, it was during art class and I was on my break ... | 19:23 on 09-Dec-2009
Friday: kindergarteners throwing up. Today: 1st graders pooping. 1st time ever had a principal come in to spray the room with air freshener! | 18:31 on 08-Dec-2009
sees civil war in our house: Frank's Stanford Cardinal vs. my OU Sooners on Dec. 31 in El Paso in the Sun Bowl. (Probably be a 0-0 tie.) | 17:55 on 06-Dec-2009
Go Cornshuckers or Hucksters or whatever you call yourselves...St. Tebow got his, now time for Puppy or Horsey Whoever McCoy to get his. | 18:49 on 05-Dec-2009
had a wonderful time with the autistic kids Friday. So sweet. Well, except for 1 telling me I have gray hair every 10 minutes for 6 hours. | 15:57 on 23-Nov-2009
is impressed and thankful for the courage of Will Phillips; personally, I refuse to say the pledge in the classroom for the same reasons. | 14:40 on 16-Nov-2009
was highly amused at Publix by checker's stories of how empty or crowded the store is depending on how the Titans are doing. | 16:40 on 15-Nov-2009
is glad beagles were good at the vet; but they're not happy that they must go on diets 'cause they're fat beagles. | 21:36 on 13-Nov-2009
got a hug from one of the first graders this afternoon, so I must have been okay. They were sweet and awesome. Art classes all day tomorrow! | 22:08 on 12-Nov-2009
gets to spend tomorrow afternoon with first graders. Coloring, reading stories, Legos, tying shoes, recess ... ahhhh. Right up my alley. | 21:51 on 11-Nov-2009
Dolly Parton on Nashville: "It's got every dream that anybody could ever want to see come true." My dream: Avoid CMA madness here tomorrow. | 21:22 on 10-Nov-2009
Dolly Parton on Nashville: "It's got every dream that anybody could ever want to see come true " My dream: Avoid CMA madness here tomorrow. | 21:21 on 10-Nov-2009
is wondering ... will today's fourth graders be nice to an old, worn-out dude? | 10:09 on 10-Nov-2009
had a great 1st day back at teaching in six months Friday and a great leafy day with hubby and beagles Saturday. Elementary art class rocks! | 00:35 on 08-Nov-2009
sees that hard times have hit the Grand Ole Opry ... for 24 hours, tickets to Opry at the Ryman are buy one get one free ... yikes. | 00:28 on 05-Nov-2009
is holding to: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it curves toward justice." - MLK. We're on the curve & justice is within sight. | 16:36 on 04-Nov-2009
knows that the tide of history is against bigotry & discrimination & for marriage equality, & so is not daunted by today's vote in Maine. | 01:33 on 04-Nov-2009
