Random thoughts from the heart

As I attempt to calm myself down after the latest shooting (pick a week), I know it won’t be the last. What’s worse is that even more people will be buying even more guns. It really doesn’t have to be this way. Check out my Article in Newsweek to find out why.

If the Biden administration achieves its transportation goals, I expect we will see more electric vehicles on the road, a change I welcome, especially in urban areas.

I came to Texas at the end of September. I knew I had to return to my home state at this pivotal moment in history. Staying in Oregon, a clearly blue state, felt useless. Texas was calling me. I bought a one-way ticket, and as soon as I arrived, my mask in place, I hit the ground running. No more phone banks for me.

Recently I took care of a friend’s baby and toddler. It was lots of fun, though admittedly also tedious and boring at times. I managed well enough even as I tried my best to resist checking my phone for new messages and emails while the kids were in my care…

I like my vagina. I always have. Fortunately, I haven’t spent much time worrying about whether it’s attractive enough, although I understand a lot of women have been fretting over theirs lately. I’m not talking about older women who might have functionality issues, but healthy young women in their teens and twenties…

Seven years have passed since The Big Turnoff was first published, and television screens are more ubiquitous than ever, filling our walls and fitting nicely into our pockets and purses. While I feel blessed to have so much information and great entertainment…

My husband, Bob, and I sent our son, Casey, off to college last month. We spent weeks preparing ourselves for the big moment, talking to other parents and getting lots of good advice. I knew it was important not to fall apart, but when the time came, that’s exactly what I did. I stood in front of my son with a torrent of tears streaming down my face while he tried to cheer me up, all the while barely able to contain his excitement about the adventure ahead of him. After giving him one more hug, Bob and I headed out of the dorm where I promptly burst into tears again.

It’s February and this is my first blog for 2011. (Who knows when I’ll write the next one?) I’ve been busy working diligently on my second book and going on adventures with my son, Casey. In my last blog, I mentioned that Casey became a finalist in the 2010 Canon Photography in the Parks contest. He ended up winning first prize, and as a result he received a new camera and photo printer. Since then he’s been planning our summer vacation to Glacier National Park. As always, he’s in search of exciting opportunities to expand his photo gallery.

I just read a compelling article in The Oregonian, a newspaper that still arrives in my driveway each day. The article is about television (a big surprise), and it doesn’t pull any punches. Here’s the first paragraph:

For years the American Academy of Pediatrics has been saying that television isn’t good for babies and toddlers, and now, amazingly enough, Disney seems to have gotten the message. Starting this month, they’re offering refunds for their Baby Einstein videos. Of course Disney was pressured to do this, but if it helps parents learn the truth about so-called educational television for babies, I applaud the action no matter how it came about.