The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I would give this book 5 stars on content, 3 based on the writing style. The author had unprecedented access to Rosa Parks’ writings and records and provides a comprehensive view of her life and her role in the Civil Rights movement and later in Detroit as a member of the staff of Michigan Congressman John Conyers. Continue reading Book Review: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, by Jeanne Theoharis
First in a series of blogs about my attempts to learn how to play by ear on the violin . . .
Back in the 1970s, when I started learning violin in public school, the first piece we learned for performance was Twinkle, and we played it in that year’s Holiday Concert. Before the group performance, a few of us had lines to say. My line went something like this:
“Thousands of years ago, people used music as magic . . . (lost in the mists of time) . . . played different kinds of instruments.”
I don’t remember much else from this concert: just this small part of my lines, and none of the actual experience of playing Twinkle with a group of 4th grade public school beginners in front of an audience.
I’ve been stressing out about writing. I have a number of writing projects–my novel, a new geocaching story, an interview write-up–that I could be doing but I’m not. And the writing that I am doing, blogging, feels like it is messing with my head. I go to a new place now and the first thing I think of is, “how am I going to write about this?” Is it fodder for the novel? The story? The blog? Should I just “file it away somewhere” for future reference? How am I going to do that? My brain is already full . . .
These two words follow each other on the UU Lent list. Yesterday’s was curiosity, today’s was fear. Never one to meet daily challenges in a straightforward manner, for me it was never a question of whether I would end up combining two or more day’s words into one post, but when. Continue reading Curiosity and Fear
My daughter and I are in Oregon this week, visiting some colleges. She’s a junior, it’s February break, and my Facebook feed is full of reports of my friends with kids the same age doing the same thing, all across the country.
We adopted a cat today. Or rather, we put down a deposit on adopting a cat tomorrow, from the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. Her name is Sadie, and she is 4 years old, part Siamese, very soft, and a little chubby. Her blue eyes are a little crossed. She is a sweet, mellow cat. Not one that is going to jump on you or lick your face. Continue reading UU Lent, Day 5: Love
Today my family and I went geocaching out on the California coast. We first passed by Alice’s Restaurant, and went over the mountains toward the ocean and Highway 1.
Since I decided to give up anxiety for Lent again this year, I’m not up for any more daily challenges or goals. (If there’s one thing that guarantees anxiety in my world, it’s feeling like I have to do something every day.)
I have been working as an Instructor with the Boston-based educational non-profit organization, Science from Scientists, since the fall of 2013. This was a lateral career move for me after a number of years in the biotechnology industry and as a project manager in academia (more on those in another post–maybe).
The Super Bowl and I are the same age. The first one was played just about a month after I was born.
As I’ve gotten older and the bad news about football keeps coming, I’ve become less interested in watching the Super Bowl on this milestone birthday for both of us.
But my blogging buddy, Mel Pine at Melting Pot Dharma, has an interesting take on it.
“All of us are Buddhas on the inside — you, me, Lady Gaga, Cam Newton, Peyton Manning.”
Read more: The Buddha Goes to the Superbowl
A Thousand Finds 