My love affair with emergency management wasn't ignited by a Hollywood disaster movie or by a desire to save the day. My love affair began when I first met the emergency managers in North Dakota and learned of the good, and all too often thankless, work they put in day-in and day-out to keep their [...]
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Today I was the statue.
If I die tomorrow…
I hear stories from folks about the costs involved in death and I am appalled at how much of an expense one can be as a result of death. With all due respect to the multibillion dollar funeral service industry, I am opting out. When I am dead, I think my earthly needs are over. [...]
Why can’t I be like all the other parents?
I serve as a constant embarrassment to my teenage daughter (a.k.a. Miss Sparkle). I am regularly asked in the most dramatic presentation possible, "Why can't you be like all the other parents?" This lament surfaces whenever I try and do what I view as a parent's due diligence. According to my daughter, I am the [...]
Is there something in the food?
Let's talk high school facial hair. When I take Cheyenne to school each day I see young men - lots of them - with full-blown facial hair. And by full-blown I mean, not the peach fuzz or couple of straggly chin hairs that I saw on teenage boys in my youth, I mean the facial [...]
The day Liberty cried…
This is the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Although I know time has passed, for me the imprint of the event is seared on my soul. The time that has passed has not diminished the tragedy or horror of the event - it stays with me as if it happened yesterday. On 9/11 many [...]
Miss Sparkle and the third closet…
Let me start with a confession - I do not find any joy in doing laundry. I do it because I must. My reaction to doing laundry is the equivalent of putting gas in the car - it is just something that must be done. My laundry technique is not the most typical approach of [...]
THE NEW FORTY 