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That’ll Fix ‘Em: Self-Destruction as a Form of Aggression
There’s nothing more absurd than someone who harms himself to punish others. Everyone knows a story to that effect. I know a woman who started smoking as a teenager simply to piss off her parents. 30 years later she has cancer. Was it worth it? And then there’s the guy who has a tattoo on…
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An Osprey Extra
It’s truly amazing how many interesting people you get to meet when you write a blog. Brian Kenney is a truly talented nature photographer who found me due to my first post about ospreys a while back. He’s been a font of information about osprey behavior. I’ve learned a great deal from him. This is…
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Upset that Everyone Now Has the Same Rights that You Do? Oh, Simmer Down.
Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, Fundamentalist, Atheist, anywhere in the spectrum, all Americans have to abide by the US constitution. There’s nowhere that says you have to like it. So feel free to pitch a tantrum. I just wish you’d do it in the privacy of your own home, because you are messin’ with my celebration…
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Learning your Lessons
Every one of us has certain lessons to learn throughout his or her life. Some lessons we are doomed to repeat over and over again. Other lessons impact us on such fundamental levels that it only takes one time to get the message. It doesn’t always feel very good when we get schooled, but like…
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The End
The true sign of a civilized society is its investment in the arts and education. Once it has the ability and desire to support these pursuits, it has truly arrived at a level of sophistication that forever separates it from the barbarous dregs. Unfortunately in these troubling times more and more municipalities are suffering from…
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Meeting Linda Mae
A few years ago, on a very cold winter night, I got home from work shortly after midnight and as I pulled into the driveway I saw a little old woman standing on the sidewalk in front of my house. She was barefoot, in her nightgown, standing with her feet wide apart, her arms at…
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Perfect Moments
Andy Warhol said that we’d all get 15 minutes of fame. To that I say, “Pffft, what’s the point?” If you’re the type that wants fame, having only 15 minutes of it would be cruel at best. Fortunately, fame is not nearly as important to me as experiencing perfect moments in time. Have you ever…
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Lagniappe
For those of you who have never been to New Orleans, allow me to introduce you to the world’s most delightful custom: Lagniappe. This word came to the English language via the Louisiana French by way of the Spanish Creoles from the Quechua word yapay. Whew! The fact that it managed to survive so many…
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Zzzzzzzzz….
There’s nothing more luxurious, in my opinion, than a long nap on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I revel in turning off the phone, unhooking my bra, kicking off my shoes, putting on something made of flannel, and allowing the mattress to embrace me like a long lost lover. Pure bliss. Rain is hypnotic. Ocean waves…