Where is the line between keeping your community a nice place to live and invading the privacy of those who live there? The X-Files had a great episode where people in a wealthy neighborhood with an association were killed by the association president's pet monster if they didn't comply with the rules.I'm on the board… Continue reading The Art of Being Neighborly

It's been a month already: there's been a birthday (mine), a couple of job options in the family, a trip to LA to visit the 'rents with my sisters, and Fest started again. I'm exhausted, but also pretty darn happy right now.The critique for the story I submitted to Women On Writing.com came in. It… Continue reading Catch Up

SUCKS. It just sucks. I spent a few hours looking for jobs in Florida again tonight: the bottom line is I was an IDIOT to go into the career I'm currently in, becuase there are no job opportunities anywhere near where I want to live. AND, most of the skills I've learned don't transfer appropriately… Continue reading This Economy

So. According to the Star Tribune (www.startribune.com) today, the judge in an assult case has sentenced the six men convicted of beating the shit out of a father last summer (protecting his daughter at Valleyfair from their harrassment) to LESS THAN 6 MONTHS IN JAIL and EMPATHY EDUCATION.Seriously? IF you have no empathy to begin… Continue reading Empathy Classes

What if mankind is wired for war by the same primal portion of the brain that holds our earliest, genetic memories? What if myth is memory?What if there's a correlation between our inability to be a peaceful species and our penchant for belief in the supernatural?What if all the wars since before recorded time were… Continue reading Progression

This situation is becoming intolerable. Seriously. I need a change in a major way before I go window-licking mad.

It's mid-year and I'm sort of re-energized on my goals (after a little assessment and finding I'm falling behind a bit...on all of 'em).But a new BD session starts on Tuesday and I've been reading a lot of writing blogs/websites/magazines lately that keep me more inspired, so I'm trying to get disciplined about writing 15… Continue reading Focus

End of a holiday weekend. Bummer. but the job front is looking up...I've been contacted by a recruiter for a really good opportunity, all I can do now is wait and hope that I get to take the next step. It's time for a change, for sure.I realized this morning that 90% of my problem… Continue reading

My mother's side of the family is full of strong women, starting at the top my grandmother, the matriarch. Grandma, mom, all my aunts, even my cousins are all strong females...sometimes to the point I feel sorry for any weak-willed man who falls in love with one of us, because he wouldn't stand a chance.So… Continue reading Submission

So my mother in law is moving in again, this time for a long term arrangement. I'm conflicted: obviously there's NO way either of us would ever say no to her moving in, because she's truly in a place where she needs some help and we're the kids in the best position to provide it.… Continue reading Family