Gloria Steinem says all the things that I’ve pretty much been thinking about Sarah Palin (though she says it better than I ever could).
This isn’t the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It’s about making life more fair for women everywhere. It’s not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It’s about baking …

The other day I was painting (the walls) and listening to Dar Williams’ song, When I Was A Boy when I thought of myself at about the age in the picture at left. So I got out some really old photo albums and scanned this picture. It is me at one of the happiest times in my life. I frequently think back to this time with utter joy because it was a time when I had the most freedom. I was totally unconcerned with what other …

We got him pull-ups for night-time – pink trimmed, Dora the Explorer pull-ups. This may well turn him gay – I’ve heard quite reliable reports from all across America that anything remotely feminine will turn a growing boy gay. Considering M’s already had a pink sleeping sac, flowery onesies, a dollhouse, a doll (given to J but appropriated by M), a Hello Kitty dress-up doll, a Hello Kitty blanket, a Hello Kitty backpack, and a Hello Kitty toothbrush, this may well be the point of no return. …

I never thought I could describe myself as a ‘curmudgeon,’ but that’s how I’m feeling today. What’s got my back up? A New York Times editorial on a middle school talent show. Reading the article requires free registration, but I’ll save you the trouble with an excerpt:
They writhe and strut, shake their bottoms, splay their legs, thrust their chests out and in and out again. Some straddle empty chairs, like lap dancers without laps. They don’t smile much. Their faces are locked from grim exertion, from all …

So here I am repairing and cleaning the gutters the other day.

Just a week or two ago, a town housing inspector was at the house for a regular review and he nicely pointed out a leaking faucet and the need for gutter repair. He suggested that I have my husband nail up the gutter more securely. I told him that most likely, I would be the one repairing the gutter. His reply, with furrowed brow and deep concern: “Well…be careful!”
Let’s take stock here: We have a ranch-style …