Category Archives: Personal

And now I do have COVID

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Thought I’d mention that. After three full years of careful isolation and masking and no COVID in our home, some time with family brought COVID to me. Mr Jnfr is fortunately still testing negative. We are quite lucky and quite privileged to have a home with plenty of space to divide the house for isolation purposes for a week or so. I also have had all the main vaccines and boosters, including the last variant booster. Up-to-date on flu shots, shingles, and Pneumovax too. So far symptoms are fairly mild, like a moderate head cold. I’ve had no fever, my … Continue reading →

What I’ve been doing

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Mostly I’ve been trying to write something difficult again, which is always painful for me. But my temper has had other trials as well, in the shape of unknown thieves who one night stole the catalytic converter from our 2004 Prius. Yeah, we’ve been driving this car for nearly 20 years. We don’t drive much—the mileage is under 50,000 even after all this time. It was paid for years ago, and has been remarkably cheap to run. We planned to keep it for another decade at least. So when the converter was taken, we contacted our repair shop and the … Continue reading →

What have we done with the Internet?

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What it is, is up to us. — Howard Rheingold, author of The Virtual Community I think of myself as an OG Internet inhabitant, because I was one of the early commercial consumers who arrived online after NSFNet began to release control of the network to corporate actors. For me, that began in 1993. I had been hanging around bulletin board systems (BBSs) for a year or two, after peace activists I worked with started to use computers for communication and organizing. I ended up on a system I’d heard of some years before, The Well, created in 1985 and … Continue reading →

Respect for Marriage

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To the ones who can imagine, respect oh yeah. This bill is far from perfect, and I definitely wish for more. But it is an important step nonetheless, to kill the hated Defense of Marriage Act and establish in law the principle that all marriages are equal. Biden makes a case against all forms of bigotry before signing the Respect for Marriage Act pic.twitter.com/Zm8lWg2xIU — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 13, 2022 If there is one message that breaks through from today, it's that this law – and the love it defends – strikes a blow against hate in all its … Continue reading →

Good morning!

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Not sure this Biden speech will change many minds, but I am so glad he said what he did. It’s a moment in our country’s history that deserves recognition, and the danger must be named. I think he named it well, and judging by all the fainting and whines today, other people think so too.   I haven’t posted much recently because I’ve been busy. In addition to writing up my thoughts on the midterms, with a reference guide to the most important Senate races, I spent a couple of days following virtual sessions of Netroots Nation 2022. I live-tweeted … Continue reading →

Hobipalooza tonight! July 31st

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Catch j-hope’s set on Hulu, scheduled for 10 p.m. eastern time. May have been extended. May start early. I wanted to give a shout-out to DeafArmyEducation, who arranged to ensure Hobi’s set had ASL interpreters. Armys! If you’re wondering how there is a request for interpreters for #Jhope performance. I AM THE ONE who reach out to Amber Interpreting Production Team to confirm they are interpreters & request them for J-hope’s performance. They are aware of our Deaf Army fanbase. ☺️ + pic.twitter.com/vkTTl4Nu2j — Deaf Army Education⁷ (slow) 🤟💜 (@deafarmyedu) July 31, 2022 Edit to add, 8/1: What a night! … Continue reading →

Hobipalooza — Checking in with ARMY

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Continuing thoughts on the complexities of ARMY, only peripherally about j-hope.💜 Quite long. I have looked again and again at the My White House Day With Army post. I don’t write romantic. I really never write romantic. And yet this is the most romantic thing I can imagine writing in my entire life. I’ve thought a dozen times that I should delete it, but I can’t. All I see is an honest account of exactly how I felt that day. It was a peak day in my life, and though I’m embarrassed, I can’t be sorry for it. We’re all … Continue reading →

My White House Day with ARMY

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ARMY is the collective name for fans of the k-pop group BTS. To be ARMY is to be part of a community, and that community is made of love. To be ARMY is to have a constant source of hope and joy, and also to feel seen and comforted in your darkest moments. ARMY fans can be found in all countries, in all languages, of all ages, of all races, of all genders and identities. I am 68 years old, bisexual and married, in rather poor health, with a long life behind me as a progressive activist. I have lived … Continue reading →