intolerance breeds intolerance breeds…

I remember a story a friend once told me about her boyfriend. When they’d drive by homes with republican political signs in the front yard, or come upon vehicles bearing similar bumper stickers, he would scoff. His immediate reaction was to dismiss those dwelling inside as human beings because they were republicans, “closed-minded conservatives.”
I’ve experienced [...]

personal safety

It should not be the norm to be constantly concerned about one’s personal safety. To breathe a sigh of relief because you made it through the night without a break-in or got to work in one piece. And, looking at my neighborhood, you wouldn’t think any of that. But Memphis just has this vibe. And [...]

size 14

I was listening to one of the local (hick) country stations on the way to work this morning. The morning-show hosts were discussing some study that supposedly correlated a woman’s size with her happiness. Apparently, according to their findings, a size-14 woman is the happiest, being most satisfied with her job, life status, mate, etc. [...]

running for office at the office

Office politics are so inane. Long story short, I’m getting an office tomorrow! It’s been a long time coming, so I’m very excited about it. And as soon as the dust settles and all the furniture’s been moved, maybe I can stop worrying about being the center of attention. First it was asking if we [...]

what kind of world

Maybe I’m just naive or out of touch with reality, but I find the crime statistics of our society baffling. I know there’s more and more poverty out there, more people forced to “do without” every day. But at what point do people start thinking it’s OK to harm others and/or steal their possessions? How [...]

joy by association?

For some reason, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my little basement apartment in Holt. In so many ways, I didn’t like that place (landlady with gun, tiny dogs on my bed, gurgling register in the bathroom – just to name a few), but in a few, I really did. And I think it’s [...]

laid out flat

I am absolutely wiped today. I didn’t get enough sleep last night, had one of the most stressful work days of my adult life and could barely manage to drive home and flop down on my bed. I had grand plans of grilling chicken and going to the gym, since my church involvement is going [...]

the list

I’ve always heard it’s a bad idea to have a laundry list of qualities for your ideal mate. It’s self sabotaging, they say, because you risk ignoring advances from suitors who don’t fit your criteria. However, as an unadvanced-upon female, this does not concern me! Looking around at all the men at Hope this morning [...]

realistic fantasy

I’m pretty sure I hate television. And movies. And anything else that is meant to be entertaining but instead elevates my levels of paranoia. I miss the lighthearted sitcoms and animated shorts of my youth. And while my mind should be strong enough to resist the frightening images that pelt me today, I guess it [...]

who needs sleep? I do!

I have now managed to get eight hours of sleep four nights in a row. I am utterly baffled by my success, and while I am still feeling somewhat downtrodden by sickness and malaise, I am feeling much less sick and much less fatigued than I think I would with the six hours a night [...]