Family Matters, Movie Music, and Spring Break

Last week was one of those weeks when I have a clear sense of the meaning of “sandwich generation.” That is not a bad thing, just a busy one. On Tuesday, I drove 150 miles south, to my mother’s house. She had a medical procedure the next day that I was to take her to.Continue reading “Family Matters, Movie Music, and Spring Break”

Another Sexist Troll

Just when I thought it was safe to go back on Facebook…. Some guy told me this week that men are better than women at art, cooking, engineering, architecture, and sports. But he says it’s good for women to have “their own space” where they can dabble in such interests without getting in the wayContinue reading “Another Sexist Troll”

Postcards From the World, Siriusly

It’s time to share another Postcrossing card. This one came to me from what is, in Postcrossing terms, practically next door. The sender, Cindy, lives in here in Virginia, in a rural area about 75 miles from me. Postcrossing is work-related for Cindy; she is a rural mail carrier. But she says she is closeContinue reading “Postcards From the World, Siriusly”

The Relentless Moon: A Book Review

The Relentless Moon, the latest book in Mary Robinette Kowal’s “Lady Astronaut” series, is a page-turner, the kind of novel that makes you say, “just one more chapter” over and over again, until you look up and realize it’s 4:00 a.m. In this alternate history, set in the 1960s, Earth is dying. An asteroid strikeContinue reading “The Relentless Moon: A Book Review”

Still the Brightest Witch of Her Age

My favorite Harry Potter character, Hermione Granger, has a birthday today. Hermione was born on September 19, 1979, which would have made her one of the oldest students in her class at Hogwarts. (Harry, born June 31, was one of the youngest.) So Hermione is now 43 years old!!! I am still trying to getContinue reading “Still the Brightest Witch of Her Age”

A Vividly Imagined Post-Apocalyptic World

Today I finished reading Catherynne Valente’s book, The Past Is Red. In the future, Earth’s landmasses have been inundated by flooding, and Tetley lives in Garbagetown, built on and from a mass of the floating detritus of our civilization. It’s a grim life, but Tetley takes it in stride and even believes she is luckyContinue reading “A Vividly Imagined Post-Apocalyptic World”

SCOTUS Fails Us

“The moment of betrayal is the worst, the moment when you know beyond any doubt that you’ve been betrayed: that some other human being has wished you that much evil.” -The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood The Supreme Court this morning issued the decision overturning Roe v. Wade. We’ve known it was coming when theContinue reading “SCOTUS Fails Us”