Living ~400lbs

… and believe me I am still alive

Politics

  • Zero Fail by Carol Leonnig

    Amazon link: Zero Fail I found this a compelling book that details serious mistakes in Secret Service management and culture. In many ways the failures of described are human failures of the “I haven’t had a day off in weeks, why not go out to the bar? Why not bring a person I’m attracted to back… Continue reading

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  • I confess – I laughed

    I live in Seattle, which means The Stranger is a local institution. From The Stranger‘s “regrets” of the previous year — a mishmash of errors they made and regret, errors and non-errors they don’t regret, and various other sarcastic local commentary — comes this sarcastic and possibly blasphemous gem: Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior,… Continue reading

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  • Buy Nothing Day

    I am not a huge fan of Buy Nothing Day.  Not because I feel it’s important to shop today.  But because the campaign presupposes that everyone in the US who doesn’t subscribe to the “Buy Nothing Day” ideal WILL be buying things on Friday. Um…no. Some of us don’t have Friday off work. Some of… Continue reading

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  • Music Monday

    I first heard this song in the spring of 2000, shortly after the police who shot Amadou Diallo were acquitted. I heard an audience recording and read a transcript of the lyrics (Springsteen fandom tends to share such things) and then I heard it live in New York.  Fans called it “41 Shots” or “the… Continue reading

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  • Food for Thought

    From the St Louis Post-Dispatch on the policing in Ferguson, Missouri: A “best practices” study published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin two years ago says it’s generally accepted that “crowd violence escalates if people think police offers treat them unfairly.” Furthermore, the study says, when a crowd perceives that “officers act with justice and… Continue reading

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  • QOTD

    This isn’t a Christian blog per se, but I loved this so much I want to share it. From a comment by Ursula L on Rachel Held Evans’ blog: When I see Christian churches treat women as second class, and QUILTBAG people as second class, the inevitable and obvious conclusion is that Christianity is a discriminatory… Continue reading

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  • On Criticism

    Criticism of someone’s work is totally fair game, in public or private. Examples: I criticize weight loss methods. (Not news to many of you.) I enjoy the (many-years-running) deconstruction of the World’s Worst Books. It is also probably obvious that I have no problem with publishing and promoting one’s criticism, if you wish.  Academics are… Continue reading

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  • Quotes: Discrimination

    I ran away from home. I ran away from St. Louis, and then I ran away from the United States of America, because of that terror of discrimination, that horrible beast which paralyzes one’s very soul and body. — Josephine Baker Discrimination isn’t a thunderbolt, it isn’t an abrupt slap in the face. It’s the slow… Continue reading

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  • Back from Norwescon!

    As mentioned on Twitter, I was at Norwescon this weekend! One of the most delightful parts was the interview session with special guest Seanan McGuire, who is also Mira Grant.  I don’t have that to share with you, but I do have this from her book tour last fall for her book Parasite (which IS about… Continue reading

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  • Music Monday: I Made My Bed & I Sleep Like A Baby

    This song’s been around for quite a while now, but given the ongoing death threats going around the net it seems a bit timely. And how in the world Can the words that I said Send somebody so over the edge That they’d write me a letter Saying that I better shut up and sing Or… Continue reading

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  • Labor Day

    I created this blog 5 years ago.  Thanks for reading :) Today is also Labor Day in the US.  I work in a field that is very un-unionized and I know unions aren’t perfect, but I was raised by union members and I support organized labor.  Growing up I didn’t see much like my family in… Continue reading

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  • QOTD: USian Healthcare

    From currently unemployed teacher Diana Wagman, writing in the LA Times: Some 700,000 Americans every year declare bankruptcy because of medical bills. The number in Japan? Zero. The number in Germany? Zero. And the kicker?  It could be worse. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, my new insurance company can’t deny me because I had… Continue reading

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  • Things to Read

    Some links I thought worth sharing: Lara Frater on the word “fat”. Grief moves at its own pace, despite the “rush to normal” common in our society. You know how kids will bulk up a little before a growth spurt?  That’s now a strange thing to be studied, not a normal thing. Swimming laps &… Continue reading

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  • People Get Ready

    73-year-old Lester Chambers dedicates “People Get Ready” in memory of Trayvon Martin.  A white woman jumps on stage and assaults him. If you aren’t familiar with the song, here’s a recording of Aretha Franklin singing it: Imagine how folks would’ve reacted if Lester had sung Springsteen’s “American Skin (41 Shots)”. Continue reading

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  • US: Where Your Taxes Go

    It’s tax season in the US.  It feels like it’s always tax season, since we’re always debating taxes, but now’s when we’re actually doing our own personal returns. Last year the White House put up a calculator to show the breakdown of where taxes go in the system.  It’s still up, even if it’s a… Continue reading

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  • Wealth Inequality

    You may have seen this chart on the actual, perceived, and ideal distributions of wealth in the US. Wealth inequality refers to this unequal distribution of financial assets among US residents.  It’s related to income inequality, but refers to what you keep as opposed to what you get.  Income inequality has also been increasing in the US.  If… Continue reading

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  • Five Things Make A Post

    1) I am sooo looking forward to tomorrow morning, when Mark Reads will post the second-to-last chapter of Deadline.   Mark Reads reviews books a chapter at a time, progressing through books every other weekday, and it’s been building to this OMG HUGE second-to-last chapter for weeks.  (Need I say “spoilers”?) Some of the books he’s… Continue reading

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About Me

Former software tester, now retired heart patient having fun and working on building endurance and strength. See also About page.

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