On Mother’s Day Week. My sister, my daughters, and I were eating lunch at Harry’s on Alki. Across the room from us, a group of eight or nine women were eating at a long table--a group of old friends maybe or fellow bird watchers or bridge players. As we were eating,...
Low Tides
During my youngest daughter’s weeklong visit, she made it known that she wanted to spend some time near the water. Now Maryland where she lives has its own ocean, but perhaps she was interested in water connected to the Pacific Ocean since she spent her first eighteen...
Stagflation. Is That What Happened to Us in the ’70s?
at the airport--leaving home, heading for Manila Everything was fine. Eugene and I were living in my hometown. We had two little girls, and I was pregnant with a third. He had a good job at Skagit Corporation, the largest employer in town. Then, out of the blue, a...
Now Is the Right Time to Watch Conclave.
Conclave is the kind of movie you need to watch at the right time. If you wait a year or two, you won’t be interested anymore. It’s like Barbie. If you wanted to watch it but I put it off, the urge is probably gone by now. In fact, Concave is probably more time...
Hubris in Greek Myths and Today
Icarus and his father Hubris isn’t just pride; it’s not just arrogance. It’s also “a dangerous character flaw capable of provoking the gods” according to the Miriam-Webster dictionary. And the ancient Greeks from whom we got the word had lots of stories to illustrate...
Resting after the “Hands Off” March
Green grass, a whispering creek, a spring breeze. After a noisy, enthusiastic rally and march, I appreciate the quiet beauty of nature. The march my sister and I joined was in Edmonds, WA. We were two among what has been estimated to be over five million people...
Move Fast and Break Things
A Not-so-techie Grandma Reads Kara Swisher I’m old enough to have taken a typing class in high school. Old enough that our first computer was an Apple knockoff when we lived in Manila. An Orange? Or did they call it a Banana? We played tetris on it. That was in the...
When You’re Just One Person in a Crowd
When you’re just a drop in the ocean, just small change in a billionaire’s pocket, only a pittance, a trifle, what can you do? You can’t do anything. Can you? You’ve probably heard this poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller. It begins like this: First they came for the...
