For all of the folks in Facebook who invite me to participate in a game: Sorry, don’t have the time to play them, and I distrust a lot of the join-this stuff in Facebook anyway.

For all the folks anywhere who invite me to events out of town (Chicago): Sorry, too laid up after the operation, and we need some time to recover from the summer, cash- ( Read more... )

..very quick one. In a fair amount of pain from the operation (and doped up with T3), which went well - lost a little blood, and assorted parts of my left foot. Can’t use it at all - very strict doctors orders. And for all those asking, no, I won’t be going to the reunion; too broke from the costs from the skating meets this summer. Later.

I’ve been asked to speak at a Wright State University forum; their Honors Institute is having a symposium on Chinese-American relations called “Connecting With China”,  and I’m to talk on “Exploring Issues in Cross-Cultural Adoptions” from 2-4 pm, February 17th.

The event is free to the public, but you have to register in advance to get in due to ( Read more... )

This part of a piece that Garrison Keillor wrote about his brother’s death really caught me:

He always knew what you were doing and he kept his critical opinions to himself. He called me once to ask how I was doing and I knew without his saying so that he knew about some nonsense I was up to and wanted me to stop it and I did stop it without his ( Read more... )

Meredith has the idea that I was always a straight-A student in school; it’s not true.

My worst grades in grade school: Handwriting and an English Class in 8th grade when the teacher wanted to teach one book (Treasure Island) for the whole damn year.  I blew up in class at her, and she gave me a D.   I tested into honors English for the next year ( Read more... )

I don’t know what’s worse - the idea of stupid trolling tricks or people bragging about them (whether or not they actually pulled that off).

When I was in Wilbur Wright High School, in 1974, the VP of the Junior Class (this is when I was a Senior) streaked a school band concert with only a ski mask on. And then he called up pals to brag about what ( Read more... )

Going back to my response posts,  I want to stress that I never assume that anyone voting against Obama is a racist, or that Republicans are racists, or that either on the Republican ticket is a racist.  I know better.

I’ve lived with serious racists, had racism and sexism used against me and mine (you do know that I’m a Race Traitor for adopting a ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

My great hero in freshman year at my high school was Tim Langley; a great actor, well-spoken, intelligent, kind, a fighter for the underdog, and just in general an admirable guy. He was well-chosen in my freshman (and his senior) year to play Cyrano De Bergerac…and he was also the news editor on the paper. He wrote the item on a modern-day Jesus ( Read more... )

At this point (fall of 1973), I’m the editorial editor for the high school paper, and my, I was a lot more conservative in those days in a lot of ways.  This paper brings up two items that were controversial in the day, and aren’t uncommon anymore…

First, the reaction to the Board of Education mandating that we have a security guard stationed at ( Read more... )