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That’s Acting
How do you promote one belief system and yet espouse another?
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Let’s Talk About the Weather, Shall We?
I’m looking forward to a rare day of sunshine here in the Pacific Northwest, and the temperature is expected to rise to a delightful 65 degrees. Spring! Happy dance! Meanwhile, a dear friend in Kansas had to hunker down the other day in anticipation of 2 to 4 inches of snow. In April. This is…
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Your Ways
All my life, I’ve been told that old people are set in their ways. They’re rigid. Conservative. They don’t want to try new things. It made me dread growing old. Now that I’m getting older, though, I’m beginning to have a different perspective on this subject. First of all, I know a lot of older…
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Deadly Little Toys
Needless to say, there’s been quite a bit of debate going on about gun control in the wake of the tragedy in Las Vegas. The GOP would have us not talk about it. It’s not the appropriate time, they say. Well, when is the appropriate time? Seriously. How much blood has to run in the…
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Two Years in Seattle
On August 24, 2014 I arrived in Seattle to start my new life. I had never been to the city before, and didn’t know a soul. I remember how I felt that day: excited, and scared silly. I felt like I was in a foreign country. Sometimes I still do. In retrospect, I really think…
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Heterodoxy
According to Wikipedia, Heterodoxy in a religious sense means “any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position”. Under this definition, heterodoxy is similar to unorthodoxy, while the adjective “heterodox” could be applied to a dissident. This word has been around since at least the 1650’s. How have I managed to live…
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Self-Image is All About Perspective
Since moving to Seattle, my self-image has drastically changed. When I was in Florida, I was usually the most radically liberal, open-minded and adventurous person in the room. When I talked about the environment, people would roll their eyes. When I went out of my way to recycle something, I’d be scoffed at. When I…
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Floridation
Yes, I spelled that the way I intended to. This isn’t a rant on fluoride. (And that is a controversial topic. Fluoride is a very toxic chemical, but at the same time putting it in water has drastically reduced infant mortality rates and… I digress.) No, the topic for today is how I stick out…
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Hippie Wannabe
When I was 8 years old in 1973, I knew a teen-aged girl who desperately wanted to be considered a Hippie. She was a little young for it, and she really didn’t have any of the political or moral underpinnings to give her the credibility. Basically she was just a lazy, rebellious girl who wanted…
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I Don’t Know Graffiti, but I Know What I Like
For some time now, ugly electrical boxes in certain parts of Jacksonville, Florida were being painted by an anonymous artist who called himself Keith Haring’s Ghost. I always enjoyed coming across this delightful work. It brightened up things that were otherwise nothing but eyesores and places for people to glue advertisements. Frankly, Jacksonville suffers from…