tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81244808844941864872012-01-31T20:25:39.154-05:00Social Commentary with particular emphasis on style, parenting, relationships,education and smoking weedPENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.comBlogger4501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-26006239193243586722012-01-27T19:47:00.015-05:002012-01-28T10:30:44.278-05:00

There's been a disturbance in the force again.  I've screwed up the times of two appointments this week, and I've run out the apartment without my bank card two days in a row.  Everything worked out fine, of course, but when I start to fray around the edges, it usually means I'm doing too much. I've been busier at work than usual getting the student teachers situated for the spring semester and

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-19134669569614721092012-01-26T16:39:00.001-05:002012-01-28T10:35:15.243-05:00

My date with Mr. Wisdom is supposed to be tonight.  I'm assuming that nothing has changed since I haven't heard from him, and if there were a problem, he would have contacted me.  I didn't make a reservation for dinner since I haven't heard from him either.  I'm thinking he's one of those people who don't RSVP to parties either since they think the hostess already knows they're coming. I also

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-84785010691932508472012-01-23T08:21:00.009-05:002012-01-23T21:53:02.557-05:00

Jon-El Wisdom and I have a date this week.  I suggested it once I realized that he is Mr. Wisdom for sure and started feeling guilty for causing a fuss.  I don't feel guilty anymore because (1) every woman I've discussed the situation that led up to me feeling like I was a corn-fed cutie working the drive through window at the Dairy Queen concurred that I was not being unreasonable, and (2) it's

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-22471502004790698862012-01-19T08:14:00.002-05:002012-01-20T06:07:14.657-05:00

My stalwart friend and ally, Woody Konopelli, of Walled-in Pond, Worldwide Hippies and a few other blogs since he's a prolific old cuss, has been ruminating on that story about US soldiers peeing all over a bunch of dead bodies.  I forget which country they were doing this peeing in since we've got soldiers killing folks overtly or covertly in 150 countries and are involved in seven known combat

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-56442029694034422302012-01-17T22:45:00.005-05:002012-01-18T07:02:34.196-05:00

Menopausal Stoners, in solidarity my colleagues at Roundtree7.com  and our friends at The Wild Wild Left, joins the internet blackout to protest SOPA and PIPA. Wikipedia started the action:  Stop Online Piracy Act, Fight for the Future explains the necessity: Essentially, these bills protect Corporate Interests and give Homeland Security more tools to send us all to Gitmo which recently had

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-74378724679203783802012-01-16T23:44:00.012-05:002012-01-21T10:37:22.038-05:00

Jon-El Williams fell fully into the Triciasphere today. That could be a good thing because I've gained some insight into how connecting certain points on my personal time line throws me directly onto the Road to Beaumont.  Bob Hope is nowhere in sight. I'm afraid that I've insulted and/or offended Mr. Williams with something I said.  It's important to remember that in all the years I was

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-2635477442960945392012-01-15T01:16:00.006-05:002012-01-15T19:34:09.626-05:00

I'm not sure, but I think that Jon-El Williams and I are heading toward becoming Lovers.  It's disconcerting.  I've been trying to figure out the difference between Boyfriends and Lovers, and I can't come up with anything more specific than it seems like boyfriend/girlfriends see each other more regularly - in an ordinary sort of way.  For example, Velvet and Cupcake are always meeting up and

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-20259770110589350052012-01-08T21:48:00.064-05:002012-01-09T08:08:42.422-05:00

I've been having fun writing stuff across fundraising materials sent by the Obama campaign or the DNC, stuffing them in the postage paid envelopes kindly provided, and sending them straight back to the sender at their own expense.  The return address is #OWS or Occupy! I opened a solicitation today from the Obama campaign that wanted me to check a box saying I believed we were seeing changes

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-56007947658690061962012-01-03T08:02:00.008-05:002012-01-07T20:44:30.437-05:00

I'm settling in, waiting and wondering when I'll hear from Jon-El again.  While there is ample evidence to suggest that he will call sometime this week, there is also plenty of experience that suggests he'll drift off into his own shit and reject the idea of a relationship at this time.  People do that every day.  It's part of that eternal cycle of Anticipation and Disappointment which brings us

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-2627441587989841512012-01-01T12:11:00.008-05:002012-01-07T20:47:29.134-05:00

Let the record show that Jon-El Williams and I had a lovely dinner at my house last night. Since I am a practical woman, I made a dinner that could wait on the stove for an hour or so once he got here: Chicken roasted with rosemary and garlic, baked sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas and collards with lots of bacon. I had never made collards before, so I kind of went overboard with the bacon

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-26114000993592040692011-12-31T06:59:00.009-05:002012-01-07T20:54:45.521-05:00

I'm in a bit of a quandary because of Jon-El Williams.  I'm not entirely satisfied with that name, but at the moment the trouble centers on discussing him at all.  I don't know how he feels about stuff like that, and I find that I care about how he feels about stuff like that.  With The Narcissist, I didn't give a flying fuck how he felt about anything I said or did, but that was only after I was

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-53308964665788214102011-12-28T02:01:00.002-05:002011-12-28T11:45:06.995-05:00

After a couple of days with my family, I've noticed a subtle shift. Up until this year, I've always thought of my mother as The Mother with my sister and I being Daughters.  My brother and sister have always been siblings - and all of us and our spouses, as they were added to the family group, have been the Children.  When my sister and I started having children, it was pretty much as if we had

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-1928712363421207322011-12-24T09:40:00.129-05:002011-12-25T08:30:07.001-05:00

I can see why people hate the holidays.  So many people hate the holidays that, at the moment, I can't think of anyone who really loves the holidays.  I say "holidays" instead of Christmas since Thanksgiving and New Years are included.  Most likely, major holidays for every nationality, race and religion can be included since the trouble centers around being alone and feeling unloved.  If feeling

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-21617644869127815052011-12-23T09:03:00.011-05:002011-12-23T23:16:24.605-05:00

On the subway yesterday I heard a man telling his neighbor that his girlfriend had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer when his dad had a stroke.  He was on the way to the hospital.  That puts my own situation in perspective - although I have to say that I think that poor man's family is a fairly accurate metaphor for the socio-political/economic situation in this county.  I still can't even

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-52590229027561707572011-12-17T09:12:00.034-05:002012-01-07T17:54:54.260-05:00

Christmas vacation, or holiday break as you prefer, started yesterday at about 2:30. The parents association arranged a luncheon for the staff. It was lovely, but I had to get out of there because I had a date with Jonelle. I wanted to get my hair done. He was just coming over to my place for a glass of wine because he was the parent on duty last night. He wound up being able to stay out 11:

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-14982576079796783282011-12-13T20:06:00.001-05:002011-12-13T20:07:05.341-05:00

When I look out my window and the sun is coming up or going down, it hits those white marble gravestones and reminds me of a song: from Enjoy Yourself, Guy Lombardo You work and work for years and years, you're always on the go You never take a minute off, too busy makin' dough Someday, you say, you'll have your fun, when you're a millionaire Imagine all the fun you'll have in your old

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-29008916491779397702011-12-09T08:12:00.003-05:002011-12-09T20:39:03.053-05:00

I have not been my usual charming self lately, most likely because of The Surgery. I have known for a months and months that the shoulder needed a biopsy to conclusively determine WTF is happening to my bones in that region.  I would have had it done over the summer, but the shoulder surgeons I saw in the spring were assholes, and I would not, therefore, let them touch me.  In fairness to the

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-64660746369406041572011-11-28T07:41:00.002-05:002011-11-28T17:55:15.205-05:00

According to the headlines, retailers have cause to celebrate the holiday shopping season.  Apparently, shoppers flocked to stores, both in meat space and online, and whipped out their credit cards.  I have heard that the level of Black Friday mayhem has become an economic indicator in the USA.  Some analysts somewhere count the number of violent incidents and injuries to make projections about

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-70354526464145165452011-11-21T14:58:00.004-05:002011-11-21T17:19:28.773-05:00

When I was a kid, and people across the nation were demonstrating for peace and social justice, folks used to say, "Keep the Faith."  The trouble is that you've got to have faith before you can keep it. Faith and Trust go hand in hand - or at least they do in my happy little world.  That little world wasn't altogether happy last week on account of I shot off my mouth on a friend's Facebook

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-35001522554104679092011-11-17T07:56:00.006-05:002011-11-18T06:08:58.624-05:00

Some friends are bitching that the Occupation is holding up traffic.  They say that the demonstration today inconveniences the wrong people - if the 99% can't get to work on time and their pay is be docked, who does that help? I can see that revolution often disrupts a person's commute. And I know that stock brokers don't take the subway to work. But one woman I know continues to say the

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-34035877120586103962011-11-09T16:46:00.003-05:002011-11-09T19:14:57.066-05:00

Cupcake is coming to Houston with Velvet and me over Christmas vacation. Here they are at the prom in 2009: Somebody at my parents' house will surely take their picture together while we're there, unless the whole experience of meeting the potential in-laws sends Cupcake to her room.  My sister's husband the physicist took to his bed a lot the first few holidays he spent with our side of the

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-57870178242746805762011-11-05T09:19:00.002-04:002011-11-05T09:41:28.136-04:00

All kind of folks are getting inspired by the revolutionary spirit of Occupy Wall Street.   The fellow who recorded this song and slide show is the husband of my dear bloggy buddy Gail, from Know Your Its. This video goes to show you that there are all kinds of ways to use your individual talents and creativity to show solidarity and support for The Resistance. It's like Chris Hedges said in 

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-75833580072424019092011-11-02T20:26:00.014-04:002011-11-03T18:01:23.503-04:00

The Punk Patriot has returned to Maine for the moment.  He'll be back for Occupy Central Park on 11.11.11.  Although it's billed as a one day event, rumor has it that there'll be three days of music and fun.  It reminds me a bit of a Happening or Be-In like the hippies used to have back in the day. These days, I'm thinking that the demonstrators at OWS are definitely reminiscent of  hippies and

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-45364081068826990542011-10-28T16:52:00.000-04:002011-10-28T16:52:26.000-04:00

I'm filling in for Gwendolyn Holden Barry this Saturday on Here Be Monsters.  Once again, Woody Konopeli has agreeed to help me out since I can't talk to myself for a whole hour, and he can talk longer than that as long as someone is there to say, "uh huh." Just follow the link:   http://www.blogtalkradio.com/here-be-monsters/2011/10/29/here-be-monsters--occupy-usa-wall-st-solidarity As grateful

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-91167971577143925172011-10-24T16:33:00.005-04:002011-10-24T23:11:58.732-04:00

From the Church of Earthalujah, Reverend Billy Talen and The Stop Shopping Choir. Everybody knows I love Rev Billy. I love most everything about Occupy Wall Street, too.  I became troubled, though, after I recently joined a Facebook group called Parents for Occupy Wall Street. First, let me say that the people in the group seem well-intentioned, earnest, dedicated and willing to work hard.

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-57137618120234392252011-10-18T16:51:00.001-04:002011-10-18T16:59:05.056-04:00

I had to share this clip Woody Konopelli had up on his Facebook wall from Cult of Dusty There's a post of mine up over at Roundtree7.com called In Defense of Barbie. I have been pondering the relationship between Barbie, cognitive capabilities and masturbation for a while, but thought I'd put it all in the blender and give it a whirl for the Menopausal Stoners Guide to Parenting. One of

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-22818555317681237012011-10-12T21:39:00.006-04:002011-10-13T07:20:28.117-04:00

Since there's little chance that the man who took me out for drinks Saturday will ever find the blog, I feel I can safely say that he reminded me of a garden gnome.  I went out with him in the first place because I was impressed when he told me on the phone that back in the early 1980's, Townes Van Zandt convinced him to move to Austin years ago to try his hand in the music business.  He lived in

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-16915555481641006092011-10-10T08:26:00.006-04:002011-10-12T07:16:13.594-04:00

I'm off to Occupy Wall Street in a little while.  After physical therapy.  I'm pretty sure this appointment will be my last at this location.  The therapist is perfectly fine, but I believe my situation has moved beyond his skill, and since my benefits ran out and I'm paying for this treatment out of my own pocket - I believe my treatment needs to include more massage. There's a guy down at OWS

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-28296529493829738522011-10-04T06:41:00.008-04:002011-10-04T15:43:59.212-04:00

The Mainstream Media continues to say that the Occupation has no clear message.  As the propaganda arm of this Fascist Corporate government, the media is part of the problem.  Last night on Countdown, Michael Moore told Keith Olbermann that the people saying there is no clear message are just like the people who first saw The Beatles and said that music was noise.  During the Vietnam War

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-56755079776415675022011-10-02T18:01:00.005-04:002011-10-03T19:24:51.405-04:00

By now, everyone should know about the 700 demonstrators who were arrested yesterday on the Brooklyn Bridge in an entrapment situation by a police force that reportedly received 4.6 million dollars from JPMorgan as a donation to offset overtime costs associated with Occupy Wall Street (Daily Kos)  Transparent Fascism: coming soon to a town near you.  I have to say, though, that as inspiring as I

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-62724267987231594162011-10-01T20:42:00.002-04:002011-10-02T04:33:15.456-04:00

I'm over at Roundtree7 today talking about The 99%, Apartheid and these overfed motherfuckers. A Rumor Running Around Miriam Mekeba too Miriam Makeba - A Piece of Ground Vidéo Fenyx93 sélectionnée dans Musique

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-88525945198886868202011-09-30T08:01:00.001-04:002011-09-30T08:05:21.662-04:00

My compatriots over at RoundTree7 have initiated a "drum roll" in support and solidarity with Occupy Wall Street (occupywallst.org). Gwendolyn Holden Barry expanded the regular show she does with Jack Jodell - Here Be Monsters - so that they're broadcasting everyday during the occupation of Wall Street and the occupation of Freedom Plaza next week in Washington DC.   It's a call-in format so no

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-11078568668471422982011-09-29T07:23:00.004-04:002011-09-29T07:40:01.331-04:00

I'm not nearly as excited about the Yoga Master as I was a few days ago.  Now I'm skeptical.  It's still a few days until we're supposed to have lunch - assuming that will actually happen.  He's dropped out of sight.  On the phone the other night, he told me that he was in the middle of some Zen thing involving ten days of meditation and wheatgrass juice.  This spiritual and physical cleansing

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-16124689141968985922011-09-23T08:11:00.008-04:002011-09-23T23:32:45.187-04:00

I am excited about a man again. I've been momentarily excited about this one before, but he disappeared about the time my dad got here to help me move.  He found me on Match dot com - or maybe I found him back when I was still enthusiastic about Match dot com and could search through the profiles without blowing my stack. Since then, as you may recall, I got totally bent and wrote the feminist

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-34860581110808465202011-09-19T22:23:00.002-04:002011-09-19T22:40:42.538-04:00

There's something weird about how straight male doctors and medical technicians move my hair when they are examining my neck and/or shoulders.  It's not a bit like Max the psychic life coach and hairdresser touches it.  Max is totally professional, efficient and matter-of-fact.  The technician who managed the X-rays of my shoulder today lingered just a bit too long. I probably shouldn't have

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-12023524655788448892011-09-17T21:14:00.001-04:002011-09-17T23:13:46.782-04:00

Comrade Kevin is visiting. We've been hanging out talking politics this evening.  Earlier today I was making him go with me to see what was going on at the Occupation of Wall Street, but there was a police situation on the subway and we had to get off the train.  We went out for barbecue and to the Met instead. He's got pictures up at his blog. Comrade Kevin's Chrestomathy

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-4688371585610995742011-09-12T17:07:00.004-04:002011-09-12T17:31:57.854-04:00

For the last two years, when it's been time to get Velvet situated for school, the phrase "Into the Woods," sprang to mind.  The associations have consistently been pleasant, suggesting the stuff of fairy tale, which inevitably led to Sondheim since it seems something is always reminding me of a song. This year, I was fixing to sigh with relief since it looked like Velvet was finally out of the

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-2744700554280211342011-09-04T08:10:00.002-04:002011-09-04T08:18:08.412-04:00

When I saw on my blogger dashboard that this Menopausal Stoners installment would make 420 posts, all the little things that typically swirl around in my head on their way to becoming blog fodder froze in an instant.  420 is an important stoner number. When you consider that 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of Life, The Universe and Everything, as every good student of The Hitchhiker's

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-7170674819918193722011-08-28T13:27:00.000-04:002011-08-28T13:27:46.072-04:00

Things are calm here at my parents' house in Houston.  We could have used the rain that came with that little hurricane Irene since there's a pitiful drought and it's something like 107 degrees outside, which is extreme even for Houston.  Mother has a cartoon she found over at Juanita Jean's The World's Most Dangerous Beauty Salon hung up on the refrigerator with a magnet. I have to say that

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-85006675421968223002011-08-18T14:57:00.004-04:002011-08-18T15:12:19.157-04:00

The shoulder with the arthritis and inflammation has shown dramatic improvement since I started the detox diet.  The thing is, though, that I was already out of weed when I started the diet, and I couldn't get any weed for two weeks after I was fully on the program.  It takes a couple of weeks without caffein, gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, alcohol, sugar, etc. for the detox diet to start working.  

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-765649296762688982011-08-10T09:07:00.006-04:002011-08-10T18:52:13.084-04:00

I'm still not sure exactly how I'm going to manage October 6th, but every time I watch one of the videos from Dennis Trainor, Jr about the occupation of Freedom Plaza, I become more convinced that as many people as possible need to be there. It's tricky for lots of people because of family responsibilities, health issues, travel expenses and stuff like that, so it's important for those of us

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-7797069323440176182011-08-04T13:03:00.003-04:002011-08-05T05:26:54.675-04:00

My ass is dragging today.  I'm pretty sure it's all because of the inflammation detox diet I started last weekend, under the guidance of my nutritionist, to help with my arthritis.  I do think it's helping even though I've been fatigued, foggy and somewhat fragile in the afternoons, but my mother says the afternoon piece is the result of no caffeine. I felt pretty good yesterday, though, and was

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-46188012459396822882011-08-01T10:26:00.009-04:002011-08-02T07:11:51.197-04:00

Velvet has been readmitted to Tree Hugger.  The letter from the dean was delayed due to the address change - but it's here, reminding him that he needs a 2.0 to stay off academic probation.  I'm confident that it will be a successful semester for Velvet, largely because I've insisted that he arranges a cake walk for himself.  The whole focus must be on removing a couple of the Fs from his

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-91168132669900779052011-07-24T21:25:00.007-04:002011-07-24T21:41:22.667-04:00

This is a video of a woman I'd known for years, from the periphery. Our circle of friends intersected occasionally - usually at Drunken! Careening! Writers! a humor series at KGB Bar curated by the friend we had in common, Kathleen. The video was shown yesterday at Cheryl's memorial service.  She was 38 years old when she died last month from Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  I didn't know Cheryl well.  

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-66230763652943991362011-07-23T11:29:00.001-04:002011-07-23T11:32:24.038-04:00

Apparently America has been stuck under a heat dome.  I'm not sure because I haven't watched the news at all. Haven't turned on the TV, in fact, in several days.  I don't need some weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing, or not. I'm just sitting here wondering if there's going to be another black out.  I doubt it would be as peaceful as the Black Out of 2003.  That made me wonder

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-57294172802636470412011-07-22T18:47:00.008-04:002011-07-23T10:21:00.221-04:00

I'm still bumming out about Abilene Steve.  I liked him; I really did.  And he looked so good on paper that I liked him even more.  He's behaved like a gentleman in all this folderol so I'm not mad or anything.  He just can't get his head around the idea of somebody like me in his life.  Given that he's read all about the black man and the gay porn stars, I can see how that might happen.   He

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-35826403494143169362011-07-17T09:51:00.005-04:002011-07-19T11:50:11.235-04:00

I've been up since daybreak working on The Resistance with Worldwide Hippies. This week, I'm talking about Greenpeace going to some music festival in Bridgeport with their BioDiesel truck The Rolling Sunlight. The truck carries a full load of solar panels and can power all kinds of stuff.  In a very literal way, these folks are spreading the light. I was doing a bit of reading last night

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-62256977770695241352011-07-14T20:52:00.002-04:002011-07-14T21:02:25.697-04:00

Since I moved in - one month ago today - I've divided my time between unpacking and arranging stuff and laying up in the bed looking out the window. Here's the view to the west The graveyard straight across the roof tops keeps it real on an existential level: There's a church to the east You can see a building peeking out between the roof and the trees. And there's New Jersey - near the

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-80130994099649387032011-07-14T09:49:00.003-04:002011-07-14T14:03:17.770-04:00

Looks like it's time for me to abandon the Match dot com project again.  Last time I hit the wall with Match, I wound up deleting 1200 profiles of men who were within 10 miles of my zip code who wouldn't date women their own age (976 Removed Profiles and a Shape Shifting Goat, Stonerdate 01.27.09). This time, I've gotten an attitude about Old Farts who only want to date Slender and/or Athletic &

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-10933311375196131502011-07-12T22:17:00.005-04:002011-07-12T23:00:52.944-04:00

This song has been stuck in my head for a couple of weeks. No brain surgery needed to figure out why. Another man with nice boots is corresponding with me on Match. I know about his boots because he posted a picture of his feet kicked back in red dirt somewhere out west. Listening to the song, it's easy to understand why people in my demographic often want to avoid relationships.  Having

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-3570304243163218062011-07-11T22:26:00.012-04:002011-07-12T15:37:29.879-04:00

Dang it - USAISC Headquarters showed up in the stats again.  I guess Homeland Security is perusing the blog which is kind of cool. I haven't noticed any particular military activity for a while, and the first time USAISC appeared, they came from a yahoo email link so I swore my ex-boyfriend that blogstalking narcissist turned me in on account of Assholes Great and Small.  I guess he's still

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-28092519538850291642011-07-11T08:35:00.006-04:002011-07-11T15:55:41.385-04:00

This friend of mine from Worldwide Hippies, Sherry who writes After the Bridge, posted a video today and I offer it now as an alternative to Grandpa in the Sky.  It's a shame that so many folks insist that God wanders around the clouds scowling and muttering to himself kind of like John McCain wandered around the stage during a debate with Barack O'Bummer - who I refuse to discuss at the moment

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-48745392991591499352011-07-07T18:28:00.001-04:002011-07-07T22:50:34.702-04:00

I've written a Dispatch from Menopausal Stoners for Worldwide Hippies wherein I used the Hippie Dippy Quaker Camp as an illustration of how we don't have to buy into the American celebration of the Individual at the expense of the Community (Dispatch from Menopausal Stoners: Interdependence) At the Hippie Dippy Quaker Camp, they did not celebrate independence day.  They had INTERdependence day

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-91915278893689605332011-07-04T07:14:00.000-04:002011-07-04T07:14:03.985-04:00

Simple Gifts Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gain'd, To bow and bend we shan't be asham'd, To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come 'round right. Joseph Bracket, 1848

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-43487487484087405112011-07-03T08:27:00.030-04:002011-07-03T16:37:44.822-04:00

The other day I was hungry for guacamole and stopped in at Fairway at 74th Street to get some avocados and lemons.  I was in a hurry and didn't bother with a basket and was holding four small avocados and three large lemons when I ran into a woman I had been “best friends” with some years ago.  I’m pretty sure I never really liked her.  For years, most everyone I hung out with regularly knew her

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-51426669512350996282011-07-01T12:50:00.012-04:002011-07-01T18:44:09.900-04:00

I watched Abilene Steve walking down the street towards his car from my window this morning, drying my tears and pondering Attachment.  I deal with attachment and separation all the time in my classroom, and it's been clear to me for years that one of the reasons I'm a very good preschool teacher is that I'm really just a giant Three year-old with a decent expressive vocabulary and the ability to

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-1058715370814677032011-06-29T08:27:00.008-04:002011-06-29T09:24:09.063-04:00

I have a million things to do but not directly because of the move.  I have a million things to do because I want the house to look nice for company.  If it were just me, I'd probably get high and putter around the place - inside and outside in the neighborhood.  In my view, that's time well spent because of all the insight I gain from the process - although some of those insights/observations

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-30538972645822862972011-06-24T09:36:00.010-04:002011-06-24T15:15:01.890-04:00

Velvet is heading off to work in a little while.  He admits that although he is a young man yearning to be out on his own, he likes it when his mother makes him a very berry smoothie and toast with a schmear of salmon cream cheese for breakfast.  He likes asking me to make his lunch for him as he walks off down the hall to the den to watch the new TV.   He didn't mention the yearning to be on his

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-43190213440329431982011-06-11T23:35:00.003-04:002011-06-25T09:52:11.056-04:00

I've got my sorting hat on It's a pretend hat, but the attitude is the same.  Into which pile should I place this object? I just chucked a cut glass candy dish off the terrace.  It could have been an ashtray; I used it for loose change.  The Narcissist gave it to me when he came back from a business trip.  Some "leave behind" from a conference.  If I'm remembering correctly it had been filled

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-70945399563371823352011-06-11T17:29:00.006-04:002011-06-11T20:26:53.908-04:00

I've made a diagram of the new apartment on graph paper. The furniture is made from scraps of paper from a lavender gift bag that I got yesterday from one of the kids. There used to be a jar of chocolate chip cookies in the bag from Sarah Beth's Kitchen. There are a few cookies left, and the jar itself is great for cotton balls or something - so that was a great little present for the teacher.

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-33149608655440744532011-06-03T20:19:00.002-04:002011-06-06T06:28:19.716-04:00

James McMurtry strikes again. Found this at Worldwide Hippies, of course.

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-89670521060923348912011-05-31T21:27:00.004-04:002011-05-31T22:11:03.263-04:00

Tomorrow morning Velvet and I are going out apartment hunting with the real estate agent.  Note that I have called my child "Velvet" again.  After a brief consultation he said, "I don't care what you call me on your blog, but I like Velvet." Ergo:  he remains Velvet.  Maybe Buster Velvet, but Velvet nevertheless.  For the uninitiated, he is named Velvet after this character: It's good to have

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-55630993097868682972011-05-24T20:08:00.013-04:002011-06-25T09:49:15.403-04:00

I have a moving date:  June the 14th which happens to be the anniversary of my first date with Buzz Kill in New York City in 1986 or 1987.  I'm pleased to say that the work on the terrace is finished so that Buster and I will be able to use the terrace gratefully between now and then.  So pleased that I've just scheduled another Gemini party with my dear friend, the lovely and talented Kathleen.

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-26985325143324876832011-05-24T07:10:00.001-04:002011-05-24T07:17:29.886-04:00

I hate dating. I try to keep an open mind, but really, I hate dating. Drinks with the salacious flirt on Saturday was pleasant. Pleasant enough so that I'm surprised he's apparently fallen into a black hole never to be seen again. I sent him a brief Thank You email. He responded politely and zip, nothing, nada. He told me over drinks that his business partner was arriving the next day, and they

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-69155737576964367632011-05-21T17:46:00.004-04:002011-05-21T22:55:55.298-04:00

I'm glad that my first real date in some time is on Rapture Day.   I got high as hell this morning and walked down to a local lingerie shop that's been in the neighborhood for decades.  They have a sign in their window saying they are "Sweat Shop Free."  I stopped at Zabars cafe and got a zaberry frozen yoghurt cone.  When I told the women in line around me that I was having ice cream for

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-17687380708501646542011-05-17T07:26:00.136-04:002011-05-18T08:06:57.816-04:00

Here's Worldwide Hippies News & Stuff for this week. I'm on at about 4:00 talking about the march OnMay12 Joe had some fun with Bill Clinton as asshole of the week, but then I love cartoons. I tend to examine my interactions with men through the lens of Cartoons.  I'd probably compare women to cartoon characters, too, except there weren't enough female cartoon characters back when I was a kid

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-48881918924645269252011-05-14T06:40:00.138-04:002011-05-14T20:25:12.076-04:00

It has just occurred to me that fracking and fucking are metaphorically similar.  People often that say a sexual episode was just a little harmless fucking, and often such an episode does pass without lasting consequences. But sometimes an episode can lead to trouble. The whole issue described by a catchy little tune: AC_FL_RunContent('codebase','http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-31194965824077003742011-05-10T08:08:00.002-04:002011-05-11T07:13:11.977-04:00

Now that the mystery of my shoulder is well on its way to being solved - at least until the next round of tests - and one of my dear friends has recommended an excellent real estate agent who can expedite the search for Menopausal Stoners Temporary Headquarters in the 'Hood, I'm working on the Revolution again. I'm still having fun with Worldwide Hippies and spread the love this week with a

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-78543237861760544482011-05-07T09:21:00.003-04:002011-05-07T22:59:02.219-04:00

Match dot com seems to provide an affordable venue to pursue my pet project, Tits & The Progressive Agenda. I have just posted a provocative profile firmly stating my political position. If you go on Match, my profile is SummerRain212. Also, a song popped into my head last night, signaling a profound shift in the soundtrack. I figure that if we are swirling around in the toilet of life as

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-72302976908206591582011-05-02T19:35:00.001-04:002011-05-02T19:41:39.593-04:00

It's me on Worldwide Hippies again, with a name of my own, PENolan - but Joe still calls me Trish.  Works for me.  He's becoming proficient at graphics, and I think he's pretty insightful. I'm jazzed about the rally on Wall Street organized by On May 12.   I've never been to a demonstration before, that I can remember anyway. I'm going to get a flip cam with my tax return so I can do my

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-1747589396222542062011-05-02T06:40:00.002-04:002011-05-02T14:49:56.496-04:00

Osama Bin Laden is everywhere this morning, but from the announcement Obama made last night, I don't think the troops will be going anywhere any time soon.  We're fighting Terrorism after all, not a single Terrorist.  And besides, Michael Chertoff (former head of Homeland Security) is still trying to make some dough off those naked scanners.  We can't have everyone relaxing now that special ops

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-12609785359422563772011-04-29T07:29:00.002-04:002011-04-29T07:38:08.888-04:00

I miss my baby. Two weeks from this very moment, he'll be sleeping in his own bed.  I'm betting Cupcake will be with him which is cool.  The truth is that even though I believe it would not be in either his or Cupcake's best interests to be married with a baby right now, I would kind of like it.  I'm not going to think about it much, however, because the last thing we need right now is for the

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-40705197710936766742011-04-25T20:42:00.002-04:002011-04-26T07:39:11.903-04:00

Here's Worldwide Hippies News & Stuff. I'm on just after 4:20 talking about Peaceful Uprising and Power Shift 2011. I sound kind of goofy because I talk funny in the first place and apparently when I'm slowing myself down, I talk even funnier. But, it's coming along. Joe is pretty bent about Charles Schumer and the Drones in Syracuse. I'm still contemplating my name especially now that we

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-31743069039465431412011-04-24T07:12:00.003-04:002011-04-24T23:04:34.372-04:00

  I'm working on my piece for Worldwide Hippies News & Stuff.  Making little videos is harder than it looks, but I think I've finally learned how long two minutes is. I am consciously refraining from making any comments regarding what I learned about Two Minutes from Buzz Kill since it would be a cheap shot on Easter morning, but the fact is that from being with Buzz Kill, I got the idea that two

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-23011985332518091782011-04-20T08:08:00.000-04:002011-04-20T08:08:58.766-04:00

Spring is unfolding differently this year than in the past, for me anyway.  I'm happy to say that I got to experience two spring times due to visiting Texas for bluebonnet season, and now the trees are finally starting to bloom here in the city.  Something inside me feels distinctly different.  A shift in the personal paradigm, perhaps, that goes along with maturity. There's no escaping the fact

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-32885506444832403942011-04-17T08:20:00.005-04:002011-04-17T11:15:48.016-04:00

I'm back to letting the mystery be again. It's all part of allowing things to unfold in their own time. I still think it's important to Witness - like the folks around the Gulf of Mexico will be witnessing this week on the anniversary of the Deepwater Disaster. Every now and then, we get an accurate glimpse at of just exactly how fucked up things are in America - or any place else in the world

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-30794120495735163122011-04-16T11:13:00.004-04:002011-04-16T12:00:56.992-04:00

Political campaigns are not unlike dating. Since all genders run for office and all genders vote, we could say that all politicians are, metaphorically, bisexual sluts since they don't care who votes for them as long as they get the votes, no disrespect to bisexual sluts.  The similarity between campaigning and dating is that the candidate will often say whatever s/he needs to say to get elected

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-18186362669195699122011-04-15T07:40:00.004-04:002011-04-15T18:32:35.495-04:00

I suspect a lot of folks confused Barack Obama with Martin Luther King, Jr.  There were times when Barack himself encouraged that perception especially at his inauguration.  At the time, ABC News reported: To mark Martin Luther King Day, Obama released a statement linking King's "I Have a Dream" speech on the Washington Mall 45 years ago and his own ascension to the nation's top job, saying, "

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-51051732316655390962011-04-11T08:07:00.002-04:002011-04-16T10:51:06.306-04:00

Since watching Cornel West in this video last January - at Martin Luther King's Birthday - I've been pondering President Barack Obama. I'm pretty sure that I made the mistake of thinking, as Dr West says so many of us did, that Barack Obama was THE fulfilment of MLK's dream as opposed to A fulfillment of that dream, although that certainly wasn't my perception from the moment Barack appeared

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-46557066913282477382011-04-06T22:33:00.002-04:002011-04-06T23:09:52.765-04:00

It's Velvet's birthday. He's somewhere in Utah, out of contact with "The World." The last time I talked to him, he was saying that after talking to friends and family here in The World - he didn't feel like coming back to civilization at all. I can't blame him. He'll be back in about six weeks, though, whether he likes it or not, and I'll be glad to see him.  I'm betting Cupcake will be happy

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-87018925393035725902011-03-31T06:09:00.002-04:002011-03-31T06:16:23.773-04:00

Velvet called yesterday afternoon.  He's been on the Green River in Utah.  Now he's in Green River, UT for a couple of days for Resupply.  Then they're off to Grand Gulch to do Canyons. Velvet liked canoeing in white water, but he says his back hurts from sleeping on the ground.  I expect he'll be glad to be in his own bed again when he gets home in May, but he wants to go straight up to Hookah

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-80627361232264098222011-03-29T10:40:00.002-04:002011-03-29T11:00:07.565-04:00

I wrote an article for Worldwide Hippies last week, Fascism Dances with the Stars and Stripes.   I like the picture.   The article was hard to write because I'm completely uncomfortable using the term Fascism.  I can read a definition as well as anyone, but applying the concept to America is tricky - especially when you're trying to limit yourself to 1,000 words.  But Joe and Woody are convinced

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-66025673122132143022011-03-28T06:08:00.005-04:002011-03-28T10:06:14.967-04:00

I was supposed to stay in Austin another day or two, but I felt like coming back to my parents' house yesterday.  I'm still not sure why I felt like it.  I never felt like ditching Austin before - especially not to go to Houston since I thoroughly dislike Houston.  I like my parents' house, though. I like it at MeanJean and JimBob's house out in the hills west of Austin, too, but I think I may

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-57025636455994629562011-03-22T05:55:00.000-04:002011-03-22T05:55:22.449-04:00

I'm dashing out the door to the airport in a minute Taking all the paperwork with me that I meant to do over the last month and Didn't Like my taxes. The instant I get there, I promised Joe over at Worldwide Hippies that I'd write something about GE, your friendly, neighborhood weapons manufacturer, and their nuclear reactor in Japan.  I'm learning how to Follow the Money because I'm going to be

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-56276108932127800592011-03-15T22:55:00.005-04:002011-03-16T08:08:18.949-04:00

I have a fantasy where Velvet and I go live in a biosphere on Greenpeace Island. He would be like Wesley on Star Trek The Next Generation.  If it were TV, I would be a random botanist.  In real life in real life they would have to need an early childhood educator but I could play with the kids and develop environmental curriculum for nursery and elementary schools. We could sell it to school

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-63380024062968015902011-03-15T20:05:00.002-04:002011-03-15T20:06:38.113-04:00

I'm supposed to be feverishly writing a story to read on Thursday night in Drunken! Careening! Writers!, a humor series at KGB Bar.  Details here:  http://kgbbar.com/calendar/events/drunken_careening_writers23/ If you're in NYC and out and about on St. Patrick's Day, come on by. If my apartment has sold by then, I'll buy a round of drinks.Actually, we're in negotiations with a couple from

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-62978145094526590612011-03-12T23:58:00.006-05:002011-03-13T00:26:21.955-05:00

I took these photos earlier in the week. It's my apartment. You'll notice how nice and smooth the white walls look. It's a lot of white. The living room was always white, but there were shelves built in along the wall with the TV. There was also a big wicker chair. This green recliner is Buzz Kill's. The divorce decree stipulates that that chair remain in the living room until he moves it

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-26813966033364560992011-03-10T17:51:00.006-05:002011-03-10T22:26:20.754-05:00

I'm not sure exactly where Velvet is.  I think he's somewhere in the Southwest corner of Wyoming, at Three Peaks Ranch.   But he might be in some canyon in Utah.  I don't think he's doing Rivers until later in the semester That's not him in the photo - but it's what they do - unless they are hiking in which case they do this: I lifted these pictures from the school's website.  Sooner or later

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-132992984093224782011-03-07T07:33:00.000-05:002011-03-07T07:33:16.540-05:00

Jake Shimabukuro plays Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody Thanks to Jen at Realia, one of the most beautiful friends in Blogland.  Actually, I'm going to declare this video to be Number 05-101 of the Hundred and One things of beauty I'm noticing.  It's beautiful in and of itself, of course, but what makes it a Thing of Beauty for me is that a friend shared it on a dreary Monday morning.

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-20123864826588296342011-03-04T15:55:00.006-05:002011-03-04T18:30:05.686-05:00

We've jettisoned decades of memorabilia in preparation for the open house on Sunday and my ultimate move to WhoKnowsWhere.  Yesterday, I jettisoned The Man from San Antone.  It made me cry, of course.  I've been crying a lot lately - especially Tuesday even though for the most part Buzz Kill has actually been stellar.   In fact, he's been a better partner during this final stage of separation

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-56429648854151361012011-02-28T07:26:00.004-05:002011-02-28T07:47:45.259-05:00

My apartment looks like it got a lobotomy.  The walls in my room and my bathroom used to be dark blue - almost the color of bluebonnets.  The foyer was bright yellow.  Everything is sparkling white right now.  So white that the real estate broker told us to leave the paintings down so that all a prospective buyer will see is clean, fresh white.  Makes sense.  If I were going to buy a new place,

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-91311926696470586122011-02-25T15:32:00.000-05:002011-02-25T15:32:30.118-05:00

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-21710042851609264182011-02-21T09:45:00.004-05:002011-02-21T18:44:00.001-05:00

Now that my treasures are secure, I have turned my attention to throwing out bags and bags of old bills and bank statements - all of which were in my married name.  Mentioning my married name in public violates the terms of my divorce decree, so I won't do it.  I was never attached to that name anyway especially since people had a tendency to call me "Pat" when my legal name was Patricia P.

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-78324465555526382812011-02-19T23:29:00.001-05:002011-02-19T23:32:52.810-05:00

I'm sorting through stuff tonight, packing up a few precious things, jettisoning lots of paperbacks.  When I was married and Velvet was little, I must have read everything Anthony Trollope ever wrote.  Great Expectations, too.  Those paperbacks are going to some makeshift bookstand on Broadway.  Songs don't take up any room, though.  Over the years, some songs stay attached to you and become part

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-28635355477095245452011-02-19T10:54:00.005-05:002011-02-19T19:57:29.326-05:00

(In Progress) Looking at the upcoming few days, I've decided the only logical thing to do is stay moderately high unless I'm planning to drive or talk to my parents.  Dealing with Buzz Kill on a daily basis requires fortification, and I am required to deal with Buzz Kill. One thing about having Velvet home is that it sets a bad example to wake and bake. Or at least, I think it does. I'm feeling

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-53206094089104574102011-02-14T22:03:00.006-05:002011-02-14T22:48:57.641-05:00

Jennifer, over at realia, has issued at challenge that involves exploring beauty.  I hesitated for a little while before I decided to take the plunge because dedicating yourself to seeing the Beauty instead of the Bull Shit is a big commitment.  I'm thinking that seeing Beauty - which is all around us in abundance if we keep Beauty in our awareness - is just what I need to pull me out from under

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-65324991859970248832011-02-11T00:45:00.000-05:002011-02-11T00:45:25.879-05:00

I'm finally feeling enough like myself to recruit for the Rebel Alliance over at Worldwide Hippies again.  Buzz Kill is still hovering around with a dang paintbrush, but at least I haven't seen him with my very own eyes.  I remain somewhat embarrassed that I threw my ice cream at him the other day, but Velvet says that anyone could have seen that coming.  When I asked if he was at all surprised

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-48075862405163188712011-02-07T06:54:00.006-05:002011-02-07T07:57:58.257-05:00

Okjimm from okjimm's eggroll emporium left a comment the other day. I clicked over to his blog, and low and behold, he'd given me an award. He'd gotten it from Sherry at A Feather Adrift. The best part is that he didn't even know I was suicidal when he gave me this award, so it cheered me up all the more.  If he'd have known I was having a bad day, I would have thought he was blowing sunshine

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-8674288530255527472011-02-06T11:07:00.000-05:002011-02-06T11:07:04.227-05:00

I did this interview for You, Me & Religion a couple of months ago when I was in a good mood.  I can't decide if I'm proud, embarrassed or both.  Either way, it was fun.  Check it out: You, Me & Religion:  Tricia You can do it too, if you want.  The contact information is on her blog.

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8124480884494186487.post-57870242544769365632011-02-05T09:20:00.004-05:002011-02-05T18:51:18.774-05:00

Yesterday morning Buzz Kill started yanking my chain.  It was typical Buzz Kill bullshit.  I asked him what his plans were for the painting project over the weekend, and he said he didn't know.  After five minutes of badgering, he finally said that he planned on being here at 8:00 in the morning both days and working for five or six hours.  We've played out similar scenes a million times - where

PENolanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17920921974302444898noreply@blogger.com16