This Girl

Last November I wore purple just about every day of the month. Whether it was earrings, a bracelet, t-shirt, underwear didn't matter--every day was purple day. I like the color purple and all-- movie included--but it's not exactly my favorite. You have to think a little with purple. It just doesn't "go" with anything. And depending on the fabric and shade, it can leave one feeling like Barney's surgically removed conjoined twin. Wearing purple had nothing to do with my taste in color. It just happened to be the color associated with Epilepsy Awareness and November was Epilepsy Awareness Month. Normally colors might go unnoticed, but I'm not exactly a proud peacock in my choice of apparel. So when people noticed me wearing my purple bling, they'd remark how nice it was or how it made my complexion pop. Taking that as my cue to deliver my lines, I'd tell them about my sweet nephew who has Doose Syndrome, a rare form of childhood epilepsy that is...

"What? Is this a baby shower?" --Karen Swallow Prior, in The Atlantic A Sunday night in March in Chicago. Clothes dryer humming. Wind whistling through the cold, urban canyon. 60 Minutes segment on the plight of Pussy Riot just wrapped up. March Madness is dominating headlines. Even I'm distracted by the madness as my team earned a spot in the second round today. Keep it up ladies--sweet sixteen is only a game away. Christian folk are gearing up for Holy Week. Lucky duck spring breakers are breaking. Lots going on this month. Did I mention it was 15 degrees on the first day of spring and that the snow is still flying in parts of the Plains? All this made me wonder: who's the Madame Curie who got the bright idea to have Women's History Month in March?

"I respect your views. I ask you to respect my views."-- Senator Dianne Feinstein Dear Woman Who Criticized Sen. Feinstein : Please take a cue from No Doubt and Don't Speak . If you are a political junky, you undoubtedly have read or heard about the recent exchange between Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) and some guy from Texas over gun control. I generally extend respect to those in elected positions by using their earned titles and proper names. I hope you can excuse me, dear reader, if I exercise my right to be rude in referring to the elected official from the great state of Texas as "some guy." I anticipate that after his next bid for re-election, he will find himself among the ranks of just some guys.

Around my neck hangs a medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's been there since June of 2004, when my Dad gave it to me as a birthday present. Those who knew my Dad might say, "Oh that's nice" before scratching their heads and back tracking a bit. The confusion would not lie in my Dad giving me a birthday gift; it would lie in the fact that my Dad passed away in March of 2004-nine years ago today, to be exact. This is going to sound crazy, but bear with me, dear reader. I might be a rational scientist type of person, but I do believe in the sweet hereafter.

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”  --Rudyard Kipling A friend recently posted this article about author Joy Williams' take on "Why Writers Write." Declaring the post a good read, I shared it with another writer friend who eloquently stated why she writes. Being the smart alec that I am, I merely replied, "Usually, I write to make fun of stuff." While that is true as you can glean from past blog posts, I think I owe my dear friend a better answer. After all, she is partially to blame for me gaining the confidence to just write. This might be one of the most convoluted answers to a simple question I've ever given. Such is the danger when a writer "free writes" or starts typing before knowing which words will appear on the screen. Some words may end up on the cutting room floor. That is not to say that each word is not an important character in my prose. Perhaps they will reappear in future features. For now...