The Supreme Court rules again.

I'm so frustrated.  I really dislike the opinions of Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Kennedy.
They are creating a country in which being a religious person makes you a first class citizen.  You get to do whatever you want.  Wait - not just a 'religious' person, a Christian religious person!

I keep talking and thinking about really going through an opinion to see what the reasoning is behind some of these outrageous decisions.  It's difficult to find the time, focus, and the understanding to go through all those words.

The latest is today's ruling in a Hobby Lobby case in which private corporations want exemptions from the Affordable Health Care act.  They want to NOT provide contraception (in their mind, contraceptives cause abortions) based on their religious beliefs.

(I just heard that there are ways around this - the government will pay for the contraception access - which is the excuse used by Alito in his ruling)

Sigh.

What's happening?

These photos are from The New Republic

Yemen photographer Boushra Almutawakel series called "Mother, Daughter, Doll"

These pictures are heartbreaking.  She's very brave.

 

 

 

 

Happy Father's Day

This is my Dad in the 70's.  Quite mod - long sideburns and a checkered suit jacket.  I like his smile. 

Story of My Life - 002 - July 1959

So this isn't a story, but it's interesting, I think.  This is a note written to my mother and father to congratulate them when they got me.

"Dear
I was sure surprised to hear about your sweet little baby just about 2 days before I got the card.  Avis and I were talking and I said to her I don't think they will ever have any children and here come the card and we had a good laugh but it is so nice for you and I wish you good luck raising her.  I know she must be very sweet as I know her parents are.  Well, I am getting so many Great Grandchildren that I will have to quit writing to them as my hands is so bad my hand is asleep right now and I have to stop and wake it up.  I am not very well anymore so excuse me if I don't write very often.  I have something wrong with  my jaw, it all swelled up like I had the mumps and it sure bothers me so much to eat anything.  I am happy you have a baby now.  I know you will be very happy now.  With Love Pearl.  P.S.  Excuse all blunders I am 83 years old now.  Grandma"

I'm really taken by this letter.  She must have been born in 1876.  When she mentions her aches and pains it becomes very immediate and in this moment.  A bridge across time.

Movies I've Seen - World War Z

From IMDB:  United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself.

I don't usually watch zombie movies, but I've seen a lot of trailers for this movie and it intrigued me.  I wondered what a world war might look like in today's world.

My thought?  Nothing new to see here, move along now.  

It was fine.  I haven't watched a movie like this in a while.  There's no denying that because it's the existence of humanity on the line, we all have a stake in the outcome, right?  I'm no exception.  I don't like Zombies and I've seen plenty of movies with the same plot outline, but I still want "us" to win.

Brad Pitt was quite believable in the role and performed admirably...he's not just a pretty face.

These are all the Brad Pitt movies I remember watching:  Moneyball, The Mexican, Fight Club, Seven Years in Tibet, Twelve Monkeys, Legends of the Fall, Interview with the Vampire, A River Runs Through It, Thelma and Louise.

My two favorites in that group are Fight Club and Twelve Monkeys - loved him in Twelve Monkeys.

  

Oh what a web we weave...

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/iraq-violence-opens-old-wounds-vets-n130161

It's heartbreaking to watch the violence in Iraq, particularly the last few days when a radical Islamist group the West calls ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is taking control of many of the larger cities.  It's 'Shock and Awe' in reverse.   The Iraqi Army 'melted away' according to a Kurdish leader (CBS News, Holly Williams).

I wish the people who supported the war (Boehner, McCain and Graham et al) and who continue to heckle President Obama's decision to 'end' the war, would learn a lesson.  This was foretold when Bush and Cheney turned away from Afghanistan and invaded Iraq with the idea of creating a Democracy.  It was a horrible decision then and it would be a horrible decision today.

Time to write another e-mail to President Obama - short and sweet:
"Hello - I do NOT support any further activity in Iraq.  Please do not listen to people like Boehner, McCain, or Graham.  Thank you, Vicky"

Story of My Life - 001 - November 1980

This is the first 'story of my life' post.  You'd think it would be a really important life event because it's the first.  It's not.  I picked a piece of paper out of the memorabilia bag and this is what we're going with.  Thank Goodness I can throw this away after I'm done.

Sherry and Jerry are the father and stepmother of one of my two best friends at the time.  I would never have guessed I went to their wedding, or purchased a wedding gift for them.  Now that I've been reminded, I can just barely make out an image in my mind of Sherry and Jerry in their wedding attire.
Jerry owned a small tennis and swim club.  Because I was friends with LS, we had nearly free reign of the club in late elementary, middle, and high school.  It was such a part of our life we called it 'The Club'. 
We were really lucky and hopefully didn't take too much advantage.

Sherry and Jerry were a couple from nearly the beginning of my friendship with LS.  Although they're a continued presence in my memories of LS and those days, I don't have any stories about them specifically.   In retrospect, I can't imagine how overwhelming it would have been for Sherry to have a boyfriend with six boisterous kids.

In my perception of the time,  Sherry and Jerry were the glamorous couple who had parties and friends and money.  LS' mom was taking care of six kids while working irregular jobs.
It was a contrast that I think had an effect on my ideas of men and marriage and relationships.

Anyway - they were nice people and never made me feel bad for hanging around a lot. 

I'm glad I went to their wedding and gave them a gift.

A new mission for this blog...

Yes, it's a journal for me. 

I have a lot of memorabilia from my life.  Although I really like the memories they bring up, I don't like that memorabilia takes up space.  I'm sick of having to move it here, there, and everywhere when I hardly ever look at it except when I'm trying to figure out if I can throw it away. 

On the other hand, if I didn't have some of these things to look at I'd completely forget about people, places, events, and activities.

I had an idea several years ago that I could take pictures of things and then get rid of them.  I'd still have something to jog my memory, but I wouldn't have to take up space to keep them.

But, what about the story associated with the memory?  Can I keep that as well?
In what format?

I'm not sure if this blog will stand the test of technological time.  But, I guess I think it's in Google's best interest to have a way to archive it and make it available for a pretty long time.  So, I'm putting all my pictures and stories here.

I've just signed a one year lease at this 2 bed 2 bath apartment.  I want to live in a large studio space.  I have one year to get all this memorabilia documented and pared down so I can easily move to a space that better fits the lifestyle I'd like to have.

I'm sorry I waited until late middle age to do this.  Well, there's a reason for that, but I won't go into it now.

So, that's a new mission for the year.  I'm not sure how I'll do because when was the last time I did anything I said I would?  And even if I started, when was the last time I finished something?

I guess this blog could be a document of my good intentions.