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Oh, readers, I’ve been a bad blogger. I made promises about “article archives” and haven’t kept them; I’ve teased about photos and haven’t gotten them up; I’ve talked about updates and getting back to you about Bowie and, instead, have been so swept up in the business (both busy-ness and business) of life that I’ve been remiss in the task list. Sometimes I feel a little like the slightly explosive maniac to my right (though I personally refuse to get blood on my keyboard) and if no sleep was optional, I’d take it.

Suffice it to say that though I remain challenged for time, it’s time to take a breath in the middle of the maelstrom to fulfill at least a bit of that litany I put to print. It seems only fair and some of the pics are just so pretty… :)

Article Archives:

That was a good idea in theory; in reality it was impractical. I also realized it was unnecessary. For those of you who wish I still sent out emails about my articles (stopped because there too many articles and too few people reading the emails), the point was that I’d post the article links here every few weeks, people would subscribe, and every time I put up a new archive list they’d get a notice. Problem is, I write enough that it takes more time than I’ve got to make that list and, frankly, it’s a redundant effort as the lists are up at my pages on the various sites anyway.

So here’s the compromise: Again, it involves you subscribing. Up in the top right-hand corner you’ll see a subscription box in which to put your email ** (see below). Do that and you’ll get a notice every time I post something new here. And every time I post something new, the links to all my various publishing sites will be included down in the byline at the bottom. Click on those and you’ll be transported to my archives on those specific sites… voilà…like a magic carpet ride! For now, I’ll list them here as well. Just click any one and you’ll be taken to my archive at that site:

Addicting Info:  http://www.addictinginfo.org/author/lorraine-devon-wilke/

Huffington Post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lorraine-devon-wilke/

The Ferndale Enterprise, Bridge Notes Column:  http://rockpapermusic.com/bridge-notes-the-ferndale-enterprise/ 

LDW Facebook Writer’s Page:  https://www.facebook.com/lorrainedevonwilke.fans

And remember, it’s always helpful to click on the actual article not just the ‘like’ on Facebook (those clicks tell publishers people are actually reading our work!); share as you’re so inspired and please comment when you’ve got something to say. But whatever you manage to get done, know I always, truly, appreciate the readership.

** For those who’ve contacted me about not being able to find the subscription box, see the screenshot here. You’ll note a yellow highlighted area in the upper right hand corner of the page (just below the banner). That’s the subscription box. Just go up there on your right – yep, right up there – fill it in, click and you’re all set:

Follow-up on Bowie:

This is for the dog lovers. As many of you know, our Golden Retriever, Bowie Blue, was struck down, paralyzed, when a disc in his neck exploded (per the surgeon). I wrote about it months back in a piece called Dog Days Of Healing Bowie…The Unknown Journey Of A Broken Pet. In the weeks, even months, that followed, many of you wrote asking me how things had gone, how Bowie was doing, and I promised an update. Here it is:

He’s back on his feet, literally. After major surgery (done with the caveat that ultimate success was unpredictable), he spent another week or so flat and challenged, until one day it was better; another and another, and before long, he was up and… running. Well, his version of running! We call him “the drunk uncle,” so reminiscent of those semi-hilarious inebriates who sway and stumbled and sometimes fall but remain always-cheerful. That’s Bowie. Beyond the uncoordinated gait, the fact that he can’t fully lift his legs while walking (requiring some very sporting “booties” to avoid scrapping the tops of his paws, a sartorial statement that elicits much chatter on the walking paths!), he’s back to normal, albeit a new normal. I jokingly say, “there goes his show career” as we watch him galump across the lawn in pursuit of a ball, but he remains a charming, happy, very energetic canine and all who know him forgive the lack of grace. The heart beats strong and loving, and that’s really all that matters.

What I Did On My Spring Vacation:

Hearing about someone’s travels can either be incredibly enjoyable (especially if the pictures are good!) or really annoying. I remember when friends of my parents regaled us with interminable slides of their trip to Greece and, obligated to sit and watch the unfolding of countless pictures of the couple in front of  various monuments, I grew to hate travelogues. Sometimes even if the pictures were good!

For many it goes beyond boredom. Those who feel getting away, getting out of their day-to-day life, is impossible due to jobs, family, finances or health issues, often cringe at the tales and tallying of experiences travelers like to retell. Envy mixed with tedium. Others, on the other hand, get energized, realizing that somehow, some way, they’re going to figure out how to get… somewhere. And I know that just sounded like a West Side Story song. But as an adult, I find people’s sharing of their travels to be very inspiring. Every time my friend Carol Oken sends an email about one of her African safari adventures via her company Duffle and Compass, I’m ready to go. Seriously, Carol… ready.

Because I grew up in a family that couldn’t afford exotic trips; we went to local parks, adjacent states, and enjoyed whatever lakes my dad could get us to but they were not exotic. I went to a school that could sponsor day-trips to places like Deer Haven down the road (which we loved!) but never those epic field trips to places like the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland that some kids got to go on. I didn’t take my first plane ride until I was a sophomore in college and a theater production I was in won the National College Theater Festival that took us to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. That trip set the bar (not an easy bar to top!) and after coming home with a travel buzz that never left, I looked for any way to hit the road. In fact, I spent a total of about 6 years on the road with various bands and when I discovered the man I married loved trips and knew parts of the U.S. I had never been, we hit it running and haven’t stopped.

Traveling transports you. Certainly literally, but it can also have the effect of transporting you spiritually and mentally as well, embedding you in places and around people beyond your day-to-day life and experience. If you travel to a foreign country, there is the added element of new tastes, sounds, smells, visuals… a visceral experience that, if you are open to it, can thrill, expand and educate you.

My husband and I were delightfully educated on this most recent trip. We spend three weeks in Spain and Portugal, some of the time with a dear friend and his family in Madrid, Carlos Gardeta, a man who knows Spain like a historian and can answer almost any question with a stunning depth of knowledge and local color (our trip with him to Segovia was astonishing!). When we went beyond Madrid, we did so with our Eurail pass and a medley of maps, traveling the countryside, visiting sites that are absolutely mind-boggling, meeting new friends, visiting old; even taking the first steps on a fledgling film project to be shot over in Europe… in other words, a whirlwind.

Many of you have asked about photographs. As a photographer, photographs are my travel souvenirs. I have around 2000 from this trip, which is clearly a ridiculous amount until you consider how many astonishing locales we visited and, well, I’m a photographer! Of course, given my anal-retentiveness in how my photos are processed, this is going to take awhile, but until the galleries have been assembled, I’ll leave you with one image from each place we traveled. Thanks for asking about them, please enjoy the ones that follow, and when those galleries are ready, you’ll be the first to know.

Hasta luego!

The Museo del Prado in Madrid not only houses one of the finest collections of European art in the world, including some of the most iconic works of Goya and El Greco, but its own spectacular architectural setting is a highpoint of this great city. 

Portrait of La Feria de Seville: this event is a most extraordinary visual and aural experience; one that so embodies the flavor, dance and tremendous beauty of the Spanish people.

Originally built as a mosque, the Castle of San Marcos in El Puerto de Santa Maria in southern Spain was transformed into a Christian sanctuary in the mid-13th century. At the top of the tower, a family of storks is raising its young, which you can see in the shadows!

Cadiz, the most ancient city still standing in Western Europe, was founded in the early 12th century and, beyond the long list of colorful stories and its involvement in the formation of Europe and Africa, it is a stunning cultural mix of religious and ethnic influences.

Cordoba, one of the most beautiful of the Andalusian cities of Spain, is home to the iconic Mezquita de Cordoba, as well as countless other sites of historical significance. Both modern and ancient, it’s also filled with smaller, more local sacred shines, like this one we found tucked in the courtyard of an old town neighborhood.

Segovia is one of the most visually magical places I’ve ever been, with its fairy tale castle standing majestic over the hillside (pics to come). History resonates here in profound ways, with its many stories of Knights of the Templar and ancient Crusades. Some of the most intriguing tales were shared by our host and “tour guide,’ Carlos Gardeta! 

The walls that surround the very picturesque Avila, Spain have been standing in protection of the ancient city since the 11th century and housed behind those walls is a vibrant and historic town filled with breathtaking antiquity and great beauty.  

Sitting on the edge of the Tagus River with water slapping at its bricks in an almost surreal setting, is the stunning, mystical structure called the Tower of Belém, surely one of the most breathtaking sites in Lisbon, Portugal. We arrived too late to explore inside, but the view from here was unforgettable.

Barcelona is one of the most vibrant, exciting and beautiful cities in Spain, part of the Catalonian region with its distinct language and history. There are so many astonishing things to see and experience here, but La Sagrada Familia, the indescribable cathedral dreamed to life by iconic architect, Antoni Gaudi, is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular. The building commenced in 1892, but was just officially opened in 2010. We felt lucky to have the opportunity to see the mind-boggling and truly one-of-a-kind interior.

Having been to the historic fortress city of Toledo before, we were charmed to return to some of the places we’d visited, even finding some of the same faces we’d met, as well as explore a few of the sites we hadn’t been able to get to. This dramatic and artistic backdrop to prayer was found in the Jesuit Cathedral of Toledo, one of the most beautiful of the many (many!) churches we’d seen.

There you go; a taste of each of the amazing places we visited. If you’re interested, I’ll be posting more on Facebook and at my Fine Art America site as soon as I can catch my breath. And, of course, I’ll be back to commentary right quick!

Follow Lorraine Devon Wilke on Twitter, Facebook, Huffington Post and Addicting Info; details and links to her other work @ www.lorrainedevonwilke.com. And don’t forget to fill in the subscribe box above for updates when new material is posted!

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I wrote the original piece below back in July of 2010, just a few months after my brother and I brought my mom to a (quite lovely) Alzheimer’s facility in Los Angeles. I had started to write a new story about her last night but realized most of what I wanted to say had already been said, the only news being that, now, on this Mother’s Day of 2013, almost two years after the piece below, she simply continues her gentle decline, but with a sweetness and gratitude my formerly feisty (and not always easy) mother often found hard to express.  She has lost more of her memory; what happened two minutes ago is in fog while her first grade teacher emerges clear and known… this is typical. She can’t do her crossword puzzles because likely she can’t remember words, often forgets rules to the card game that is her most stalwart distraction (Kings In the Corner), but she still knows who we are, still jokes like a bawdy barmaid, and continues to find chocolate the elixir of the gods. In other words, she’s still my mother.

I was going to call the new piece “The Year I Fell In Love With My Mother”; instead, I’ll leave you with this addendum: As she continues her journey and I mine with her, and as the disease strips away more of what made up who she is – was – what’s left is a soul filled with gratitude and appreciation, deeply “in the moment” because, for the most part, that’s all she’s got left; but still with an inspiring (particularly to many in her facility) sense of wonder at even the most simple joys of life (no one appreciates winning at Bingo more!). I watch her and remember it all but, more importantly, am in the now right along with her, because that’s where we both – all – are. And when she reaches out and says, “I’m just so happy you’re here with me”… well, who wouldn’t fall in love with that?

Happy Mother’s Day!

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She’s tucked in her lift chair, chilled and uneasy, waiting for the tea and dry toast to work their magic. With raised eyebrow and a sardonic grin she says, “It ain’t easy gettin’ old…” She’s tired, though she’s been in bed since breakfast; it’s a long day by 2:00 and not necessarily a good one. There are good ones, though, ones in which she plays cards with other tenants, joins the sing-alongs, exercises from her chair and gets to Mass, even if it is video Mass projected on the community room screen. She enjoys a good movie and relishes her three squares. She uses a walker consistently now but still listens to rock and roll and finds it astonishing that I’m the age I am (as do I!). She’s almost 81, a widow for over ten years and a diagnosed dementia patient for the last two. She is my mother.

I left home – and her – a long, long ago.  I left hard and fast and with blind conviction.  There was no quibbling, no waffling, no weepy boomeranging. After too much family and just enough college, I left the state of Illinois in my little blue Porsche (my first car, courtesy of rock n’ roll) and didn’t come back for over three years. And when I did, it was all short stints with long spaces in between. My exodus was decisive and exhilarating, and for the first time since conception I felt unencumbered by obligation to anyone or anything but myself.

My mother referred to this as “when Lorrie ran away.” For me it was Necessary Freedom.

I am the third child, the third girl, in a family of eleven children. My two older sisters and I, by virtue of gender and placement in the family, became Little Mommies, caring for smaller, younger siblings while we were still smaller, younger siblings ourselves and while the responsibility and high task demand did lend a certain skill set found useful later in life, being truly “in charge” of an infant brother when you are six years old is, perhaps, too steep a learning curve. Particularly when there were several more brothers and sisters to come who would also require hands-on involvement.  I learned how to change diapers, feed a baby, wrangle a toddler, do laundry, make meals, iron a business shirt, clean a house, and run interference for a mercurial, often erratic, always confounding mother…and that was all before I got to high school.

By the time I did get to high school, I was bone-weary of family life and chomping at the bit so hard my teeth hurt. Graduation couldn’t come fast enough and after a short summer, my departure for college was so swift that old high school friends claim I vanished before anyone could say good-bye. I came home between freshman and sophomore years but spent the summer working in Chicago, and by the end of my sophomore year, was gone for good. Real good: My first apartment was a $90 a month single with lousy furniture and a stuttering landlady and it may as well have been heaven.

It wasn’t just the weight of trading too much childhood for Little Mommy-hood. It wasn’t the just the burden of bearing up under my parents’ religion and their restrictive views of interpersonal relationships (re. boys, sex, dating, sex, commitment, sex, etc., sex).  It wasn’t even that the one-on-one time allotted to each of us in such a large group was spare and seldom satisfying.  It was that I could not find an honest way to consistently and compassionately tolerate my mother.

She was a true paradox. One minute clever and creative, the next enraged and irrational.  She was impossible to predict and easy to trigger. The moments when she laughed and dragged boxes of construction paper and lace doilies out to make Valentine’s cards for the entire neighborhood were golden and so thrilling that every kid on our street would tell me how lucky I was to have the mother I did.   She loved passionately and could make any day a party.  She played music, did a mean jitterbug and had a wildly romantic relationship with the handsome man who was my father. All of those things provided The Good that pushed against…The Other.  The Other was her dark side; those terrifying moments of fury followed by weeping or cold silence.  Rages that shook the house and scattered us all like terrified animals.  As a child, I would literally tremble at the sound of her stomping down the stairs to mete out some punishment for failings I could never seem to avoid. She was physical and vocal and unrelenting and when the controls snapped and life got the best of her, we all suffered.  And life got the best of her too often.  She had a good heart, she tried; I believe she sincerely tried, but she was undeniably overwhelmed.

So I stayed away and kept her away…she and my father didn’t even meet my husband until a year or so after we eloped and I had already given birth to our son. They were that distant and I was that intractable. But life is a surprising thing and it changes you.  You grow older and live longer and you begin see how difficult it can be when expectations are not met or you feel the sharp, twisting pang of disappointment and heartache.  You look around and realize that not all dreams come true and the promise of what life has to offer is not necessarily within reach. Life humbles and sometimes softens you. And as you experience more, you begin to accrue compassion for the stories in life you might not have previously understood or empathized with and that alters and expands your view.  It wasn’t until I got married and had my own child that I began to see my mother outside the childhood box I’d kept her in for most of my life. When I attached to my own child I began to have some inkling of what she went through, many times over, in her own role as a mother. When my marriage met challenges or I felt distanced by a distracted husband, I began to realize that some of what she suffered was the result of her own husband’s penchant for distancing. Basically, I began to see the human behind The Mother.  And I began to have empathy.

She was a third child herself, a brother and sister preceding her. Her mother died shortly after her birth and her father abandoned all three to be raised by her mother’s extended family of a grandmother, maiden aunts and Irish uncles who loved and took good care and kept kegs flowing in the dining room. She claims it was a happy life – I’m sure some of it was – but when my father died many years after that childhood of hers, she cried about having been abandoned by all the men in her life, wondering plaintively how a father could leave his three children without a look back. Because regardless of her revisionist view of her childhood, she suffered for all of it.  She suffered for growing up without the immediacy of a mother’s love and guidance, she suffered for the raging alcoholism in her family, for the lack of intimate role models and mentors, and all this left her ill-equipped to be the wife of a loving but internalized and sometimes preoccupied man and the mother of eleven individuals who were wildly independent and self-possessed. As an adult, a mother, a wife, a survivor, I could understand what her story had been. It made me ache for her.  It made my heart open.

Many people I know, most of them women, are caring for or have cared for their aging or dying parents.  It seems a Rite of Passage for women in mid-life. It’s a task like no other and requires a certain kind of heart and an enormous depth of soul. Heart and soul I had never felt for my mother and wasn’t sure I could conjure.  But ten years after my father died, my aging, rudderless mother was lost and in need.  Her short-term memory was diminishing more every day, she was often sick and in pain, incapable of caring for herself responsibly, and my siblings had run out of people and places to care for her in the ways she needed and with the income she had.  Last summer we celebrated her 80th birthday, wondering if she’d make it to the next.  I took that moment to assess: I looked at my life, my capacity for change. I looked to my dear brother who lives in the same city as I, I looked to my husband, my sister-in-law, my son, and I could see, clear as the day I left home, that I had to step up and take it on. To get my mother to a place she could once again call Home.  To participate. But a voice kept interrupting to say, “No! Not you! You don’t have to! You left her 35 years ago for damn good reason and it’s not your job. You have your own life!” Damn, that voice was loud.

But I could feel it.  It was my job.  It was my turn. It seems a louder voice had crept into the dialogue and was making some sense.  It assured me I knew what she needed and…I did. I found a place that would be a sanctuary for her, perhaps for the rest of her life, and in the blink of an eye, it seems I was in.  No turning back, no quibbling, no waffling; no lack of conviction.  I was bringing my mother to live in my town. And with my brilliant and indispensable brother, Tom, his family and my own, I was going to participate in the day-to-day care and feeding of the mother I so long ago had fled.

I am not a saint.  Seriously, I could not be further from it. Some days I suck at this job. I wake up and feel my teeth grinding again, resentful that I have to leave yet another unreturned message with her doctor or rifle through reams of paperwork to get some insurance issue worked out. I don’t want to drive over to her facility to have the same conversation over and over in a two hour period or play that infernal card game she loves so passionately (Kings In a Corner, if you’re interested!). I sometimes feel real anger when it seems I’m just expected to schedule my life around her myriad of doctor appointments or give up time with my family to get her over to Target for items she’s lost or broken. I shudder when I see the name of the facility on my caller ID, waiting to hear she’s been taken to the hospital or she’s confused because she doesn’t believe they administered her meds.  My workout schedule has gone to hell, I’m stuck in freeway traffic more than I’ve been in years, and I can’t seem to find the rhythm of my own schedule. Sometimes I feel, once again, like a Little Mommy, only this time the child I’m caring for is my Mother.  The irony is inescapable.

But there’s another side to this. The growing awareness of some sprouting evolution. In her case, the dementia that is creeping more and more into her personality has done a curious thing: it seems to have stripped away her anger and narcissism. It seems to have pared her down to a purer essence of herself, a human being who can be grateful and appreciative.  Who can smile even when she’s nauseous and tell me it makes her happy just to see me across the room.  A woman who can be gentle and attentive to her new great granddaughter and patiently (if reluctantly) teach a more challenged housemate how to play her card game. A woman who can genuinely thank a son for a dinner out or a daughter-in-law for doing her laundry every week; who can be delighted by a grandson who makes her laugh or another who brings in a crew of fellow students to interview her for a class. Who can listen and take note of the person in front of her. This is different woman, a different mother. And this different mother is allowing me to be a different daughter.

I often look at these photos of her because it’s important for me to remember, and to show evidence, that she was once young, as young and vibrant and concerned about her looks and appeal as any of the ubiquitous young girls we endlessly read and hear about. She had sexy legs, a smashing sense of style and dance steps that could knock ‘em off the floor. She was flirtatious and sought after, ultimately loved by a man who found her beautiful and exciting. She could laugh raucously and make others laugh as loud.  She adored her husband and loved her eleven children – she still does.  I look at these pictures of her and say to myself, “She was young once, just as you were.  And you’re going to become an old woman just as she is.”  We all are going to grow old. All of us who are lucky enough to endure.  Even that perfect three year old, that gorgeous teenager, that seemingly impervious young man. We’re going to grow old and need help some day, just as she does. It’s not an anomaly – it’s life. For all of us.

And so my mother and I continue our Mutual Reinvention Tour. I’m learning patience; she’s learning humility. She looked up at me recently and said, “I’m scared.” When I asked why, she said, “Because I’ve made so many mistakes, especially with you kids.” She further clarified that she was concerned that at the Gates of Heaven she would be harshly judged, but mostly she wanted me to know that she loved us all and was sorry for all those mistakes. I felt a tug.  I took her hand and said, “Mom, don’t worry, if you’re truly sorry, you’ve already been forgiven.”  And as I said that, I realized that, like St. Peter at the Gates and God in the Heavens, I, her third daughter, her runaway, her lost child, had forgiven her as well. And in that swirling eddy of emotions, sweet and simple love could be found.  Precious and timely as the Tour continues…

All photos courtesy of Lorraine Devon Wilke

Follow Lorraine Devon Wilke on Twitter, Facebook, Huffington Post and Addicting Info; details and links to her other work @ www.lorrainedevonwilke.com. And don’t forget to fill in the subscribe box above for updates when new material is posted!

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As a fairly verbose liberal I’m never hesitant to put blame on right-wingers and conservatives…if they deserve the blame. If they don’t, then integrity mandates the blame get put where it belongs, consequences be damned. And while I recognize there are a great many elements to the slow, painful death that is the U.S. Postal Service, I’m going to go a tad contrarian on this one, at least as far as my fellow liberals are concerned.

A colleague of mine at Addicting Info wrote a piece about the recent decision of the Post Office to stop mail service on Saturday and in his second paragraph, he asserts:

The problem, however, isn’t the Post Office. The problem is, and has been from the start, a conservative Congress.

He comprehensively details the financial and funding issues related to Congress’ role as the Boss of the Post Office and, while I have no doubt whatsoever that what he says is true – he’s an excellent writer and does his research – I’m taking issue with his general thesis: that the problem is not the Post Office. Whatever the conservative Congress has done to wreak havoc – and knowing the conservative Congress, some serious havoc has been wreaked – it is my observation that the Post Office is the problem; at the very least, a big hand in its own steady decline.

I know everyone has their own relationship with the post office. In small, rural towns, it really can be like Mayberry, with the jolly postmaster who knows everyone’s names and postmen who don’t need street addresses to get mail where it belongs. The town where I grew up had that kind of post office. In fact, my father worked for that post office for many years. I have incredibly fond memories of post office picnics for the staff and their families; us kids standing in the back area watching my dad put mail in the individual boxes, or waving as our local postman grabbed his bag with a big smile to get that mail delivered. My father even invented a board game called “Rural Route Postman” (try saying that a few times fast!) that we kids LOVED and gave us a colorful appreciation for “postaling”! In grade school, I was the kid who was utterly fascinated by stories of the Pony Express and its indefatigable riders who were precursors to that smiling postman with his lumpy bag. And, of course, there’s always the sweet, nostalgic ideal of “no rain, sleet, snow or hail” – no snarling dog or cranky neighbor – being a match for a hearty postman.

I imagine there are a great many post offices in small towns even today where that same rhythm and work ethic remains; offering services integral to their rural communities, essential in places where FedEx, UPS, or private postal stores don’t exist. For them, I take great pity in the demise of Saturday mail and, potentially, the post office all together.

But beyond the amber glow of nostalgia and the postal particulars of small towns, there’s the other side of the cultural divide: larger communities and urban cities, where, in far too many cases, U.S. postal service has devolved into a poorly managed, deeply inefficient business often staffed by personnel utterly lacking in customer service skills, exuding disrespect for the people they serve. And not in just one, two, three post offices, but many. Not all, but too many.

I live in the Los Angeles area; in my work I’ve had occasion to patronize a number of different post offices throughout this large city, and in every single one of those locations, I have personally experienced and witnessed countless examples of the kind of shoddy service that would get anyone but a civil servant a quick boot out the door.

Now, remember, I’m a daughter of a postal worker so my proclivity is to be pro-postal; I’m not inclined to find fault in a place that provides such essential services to so many. But sweet Mary, the examples of piss-poor postal service are legion and have driven a great many people to eschew the USPO all together, to, instead, get their mail handled at private postal businesses (me included). And this, this, my friends, has more to do with its demise as a conservative Congress. You want examples?

1. A design company I worked for handled all their business mail via a U.S. post box in Venice, CA. A large, expensive post box. After days of not receiving mail, I found the payment envelope in the empty box with a note saying service had been cancelled “due to non-payment.” Guess what was stapled to the envelope? The check that had been sent well before the payment-due date! When I brought this absurdity to the attention of the manager – after waiting in line for about 20 minutes – she literally threw the envelope and check back at me saying, “that’s not something I take care of.” As my head quietly exploded – remember, this was a business not getting their mail, including checks, payments, documents, contracts, etc. – I demanded that someone, anyone, solve this ridiculous problem. A rather chagrined clerk finally came up and handled it, apologizing for both the idiocy of the snafu and the manager’s appalling response.

2. At the Manhattan Beach, CA post office, after standing in line, again, for about 20 minutes, the customer in front of me finished her transaction at a window and left; I walked up. The clerk behind the counter, snapping her gum (seriously), looked at me with fire in her eyes and loudly admonished, “I did not say I was ready for the next customer! Until I say I’m ready for the next customer you do NOT just come up to my window!” I’m not exaggerating. I wanted to reach across the window, yank that gum out of her mouth, and stick right where the – well, you get my point. It took everything in me not to scream in response, but I stepped back into line and when it was my turn, 2 seconds later, I made sure I went to another window.

3. At a large post office in LA proper, I was waiting in a line that stretched all the way across the room and out the door. This was a post office with about ten teller windows with two open – during lunch hour, mind you, when many people try to take care of business. After waiting well over half an hour, I got close enough to the window to see behind the teller area and, in clear view, sat a group of tellers at a table, snacking and chatting amongst themselves. And, just as it was my turn, that second window closed and she joined the gaggle in the back. When I made mention to the one clerk left that it was ridiculous to have ten windows and only only clerk, he snapped about people being on their breaks and not enough funding for more workers. Uh huh. Lots of ‘em sittin’ back there on that break…

4. I mailed myself an envelope from my job, about 15 minutes from our post box. And it took two weeks, TWO WEEKS, to get there. When I asked the postman behind the counter why that was, he said testily, “I don’t have enough help around here to get the mail out every day…talk to management.” So, I did. She was pleasant, commented that the postman was a bit of a problem, but he was, after all, a civil servant, protected in his job…which apparently meant he could get away with a lot of sloppy, attitudinal work practices without consequence.

5. As for that local post office that took two weeks to deliver a letter from down the street, it’s a tiny little place with no big city issues to deal with, and, as mentioned, the main guy working there is a tool. While standing in the always very slow lines, everyone was regaled with his loud complaints about his health, his job, how crappy it was to work for the post office, etc. He appeared purposely slow, he was consistently passive aggressive; in fact, when I went in the first time to open a mail box, he said none were available, despite the sign saying differently. When I queried that further with the aforementioned manager, she was stunned and said they had plenty. Turns out this guy just didn’t want to take the time to process my order.

6. Similar to the payment crisis in at the Venice PO, we suddenly stopped receiving our mail. I waited in line for about 20 minutes that day, too, and when I finally got to Cranky Man’s window and asked where our mail was, he very loudly said for all to hear, “well, you didn’t pay your bill so your mail is being held.” Of course, we had paid our bill, online and several weeks early, but it took about two weeks for this fellow to get his system adjusted and our mail back in our box. But that was it for us; I went to the main office and demanded a refund, which I had to spend several weeks chasing.

7. Even the postman who home delivers mail in our neighborhood, rolled his eyes when I asked “what’s the deal with the post office?” and said, “That place is crazy. Run by a bunch of idiots. You’d be better off going to that postal place down the street.” Which is exactly what we did. We went to the postal place down the street, we pay a little more than the U.S. Postal Service charged us for a box, and it’s worth every bloody penny. They told us they get lot of customers fleeing the USPO.

Is the conservative Congress responsible for too many poorly trained staff who lack work ethic? Can we blame the government for shoddy customer service skills and profoundly inefficient work flow? Are post office customers expected to tolerate appalling service from USPO employees differently than other businesses? If a consumer gets sub-par service at a restaurant or a retail business, typically there’s recourse if they complain: the meal is comped, the item is discounted, and if the employee doesn’t step up and improve, they’re out the door. I don’t see that paradigm at the post office; I see the opposite.

Yet an article in The Daily Beast/Newsweek makes this point:

Perhaps the biggest failure of the five-day delivery plan is that it ignores 80 percent of the Postal Service’s costs: labor. Postmaster Potter has made headway in reducing work hours and the costs of benefits and pensions, but the average postal employee still makes $83,000 in salary and benefits a year, placing postal workers among the highest-paid government employees. There are more than 34,000 post offices in the country, which is more locations than Walmart, Starbucks, and McDonalds combined. Unless the Postal Service plans on selling burgers and lattes, it’s time to downsize its supersized footprint.

That was in 2010. In November of 2012, it was reported by Government Executive that:

Some postal workers will receive a pay raise in a few weeks.

Career employees represented by the American Postal Workers Union will receive a 1 percent pay increase, effective Nov. 17, and reflected in their Dec. 7 paychecks, according to the union. Those workers also will get two cost-of-living adjustments in March 2013. The pay boosts are a result of a collective bargaining agreement for 2010 through 2015 between APWU and the U.S. Postal Service.

It is the first pay raise in three years for the workers.

Postal support employees, who are not eligible for COLAs [cost of living adjustments], will receive an across-the-board increase of 2 percent.

Nice, huh? And in these “difficult economic times,” too…kinda makes you expect, say, good service.

Look, I have no doubt there are many thoughtful, conscientious postal workers who do an exemplary job for the people they serve, even in big cities. I’ve met and transacted with some of them. But despite that undeniable contingent, too many have contributed to a lowering of the bar, to such an extent that, as a business, the USPO has eroded their good will with too large a population of customers who’ve taken their business elsewhere.

So while some may mourn the loss of Saturday delivery, and others shake their fist at the purported postal mismanagement of the government, I’m just going to enjoy the incredibly friendly people at our new postal place and revel in the fact that my mail is never late, there are no payment snafus, nor one damn line to stand in since we signed up. I bet that sweet, smiling guy behind the counter who hugs my dog every time I come in doesn’t get near $83K a year, and probably doesn’t get benefits, but he’s got the gratitude of customers who appreciate a job well and warmly done.

Follow Lorraine Devon Wilke on Twitter, Facebook, Huffington Post and Addicting Info; details and links to her other work @ www.lorrainedevonwilke.com. And don’t forget to fill in the subscribe box above for updates when new material is posted!

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My dog is crippled.

Not even six, healthy, strong, full of life; he woke up Monday morning and couldn’t walk. Blown disc. No trauma had occurred, his disc just gave out for reasons unknown leaving him paralyzed. What a stunning way to start the week.

I’m not a dog person. Just ask Tina. Oh, I love dogs, I certainly love my dog, but I’m not one of those gushing “I love all dogs!” kind of people. Same with babies. I don’t love all babies either. Babies and dogs to me are just like adults; some you love, some you want to go away and stop licking you.

Truth be told, I’m more of a cat person. Easier to manage and I appreciate their independence. Dogs can remind me of dopey boyfriends; cats are more like those cool girls who’d be your friend but never invite you to the slumber parties. There’s something refreshingly unencumbered about that kind of detachment. It’s also annoying but that’s the trade-off with cats. Of course, my cat, Perry, was less a cool girl and more a pissy old uncle, but that was his way. He was a cat who played fetch, talked vociferously, and was clearly smarter than most – all – of my dopey boyfriends. I miss him to this day.

The whole pet thing has eluded me throughout most of my life. This is due to the fact that I had a pet-less childhood. With a small house and eleven children, my parents were understandably averse to adding more bodies to the mix, particularly hairy, peeing ones (my brothers amply fulfilled that role). But even beyond spatial limitations, my father had a sort of pathological disdain of “pet culture.” He seemed to view it as a money-wasting self-indulgence and, being a bit of an iconoclast, sneered at the compulsion of most to have one. A pet, that is. Damned if he would and damned if his kids would.

He did concede to a turtle, however. Not sure how a turtle passed muster; regardless of its hairless, non-peeing (that we were aware) status, it was a pet. But a turtle was the extent of it and we were happy to have it. For the time we did. While I believe we might’ve had more than one during the tenure of my childhood, I’m aware that I was responsible for losing our first, Turk, while playing in the apparently too-long grass in our front yard. How I managed to lose a very slow-moving turtle in a flat midwestern lawn is beyond me, but I did and I have no subsequent memory of grief from my presumably bereft siblings; which meant either Turk’s disappearance was a non-issue in my pet-neutral family, or everyone was so horrified I went into a dissociative state to escape their wrath. Bottom line, I killed my first pet and that was the canvas upon which my pet-philosophy sprang going into adulthood.

The first dog that came into my life was an adopted 2-year-old Golden named Charlie, who was the same age as my son at the time and immediately became a part of the family in that warm, fuzzy way Goldens do. Being uninitiated in the world of dog ownership, there were times when the noise, hair, peeing, pooping and general neediness between the two of them at their shared and tender age ratcheted up my frazzled quotient in ways that reminded me why I liked cats and only had one child. But I loved that dog; not as much as I loved my boy (and if you know my boy you know he inspires pinnacles of love), but I loved that dog like crazy and when he grew old and developed kidney failure and had to be put down, it was a true tragedy for our entire family, particularly my husband who is a dog person and who’d suffered a terrible trauma (hit by a car as a pedestrian) and found Charlie a comforting and healing companion. At that painful juncture I wasn’t sure I could ever endure having another dog; not when it came with such a short life-span and an end as agonizing as any loved one’s.

Then came Bowie. I’d never had a puppy and after my husband had the unimaginable misfortune of a second car accident, this one resulting in brain damage, it seemed time to bring another sweet, healing Golden into our midst. I picked him from the litter. We’d gone to the home of a family who home schooled their kids and had made the breeding of their dog a lesson plan of the semester. There were about 11 puppies, as I recall, and after sitting with a few squirmers, I picked up Bowie and he curled into my lap as if he belonged there. And so he did.

Smart, feisty, more courageous and less anxious than Charlie, he became an adored family member and a companion on all adventures, whether weekend beach forays or longer road trips…as my husband would always say, “you made the traveling squad, Bowie.” He tended toward some of his own extremes of bad luck: his first summer he was poisoned both by rat poisoning left at a vacation house and poison mushrooms snuffed on a long forest walk, requiring a sort of Hannibal Lecter face mask until he learned to not eat everything in sight. He was born with a rare skin condition that is not uncomfortable but leaves him uber flakey. He’s had congenital arthritis from birth which limits his ability to run like the crazy dog he wants to be. But despite these misfortunes, he was – is – a most exuberant and playful fellow who is deeply attached to us all. When the ramifications of my husband’s brain injury worsened at some point in early 2010, it was Bowie who kept him company when he took time away to heal and find himself again. From that point on, Bowie was my husband’s talisman; a warm, non-verbal partner (unlike his very verbal wife), a conduit for much-needed stress-release, and a companion for slow walks taken when a lessening of pain allowed it. When they came home it was noticeable how close they’d become and how foreign I and the boy seemed to our dog…which was its own little sorrow.

But it all came back. Even in the midst of their growing connection, Bowie and I found our own (as did my son). My regular power walks kept him on his toes and though he might have preferred the slower, tree sniffing meanders with my husband, he kept pace – most of the time – and built his stamina as I did mine. The day before that strange morning, we’d done some ball throwing, a good neighborhood run, and a crazy little game of tag in the front yard.

Then he stopped walking. Perfectly mobile on Sunday, Monday brought total paralysis. X-rays were clear, the myleogram was inconclusive, but an MRI revealed the blown disc. We got a full debrief of possibilities: he might walk again, he might not. If he does it might take a while – weeks, months; or, as they repeated, he might not walk again…ever. But whatever the result, the only possible fix was surgery. Big, messy, very expensive surgery.

If money is no issue, the prospect of surgery for a a relatively young dog in otherwise good health is a given. If money is an issue, as it is with us, there are other questions to consider: can we afford to spend thousands on a dog when we have a son in college, a wife who’s a freelance writer, and a husband who’s a private practicing attorney suffering with recurring symptoms of a brain injury? Can we afford money for a surgery that might not even result in a functioning dog? And what happens if we do end up with a non-functioning dog? Could we consign him to a life of immobility? Are we willing to take that on? Or would we make the decision after such an ordeal to put a crippled dog down? If so, how would that be reconcilable after the fact?

I was overwhelmed and questioning, but my husband was adamant. “I want to give him every possible chance,” and the decision was made to move forward. After immediate surgery and four days of post-op recovery, Bowie is now home.

He cannot walk but he’s beginning to move his legs. Getting him wrangled into proper position to do his business is a challenge; he’s a big dog and his legs don’t work…I guess that’s something we’ll have to sort out…quickly. He’s laying in a comfortable area created at the foot of our bed in a room where he and my husband will, once again, spend time together healing.

Me? I’ve retreated to my son’s room for the time-being, willing to give them their space and companionship. After years of my husband’s journey with brain injury this drill is a familiar one. I’ve learned to accept my solitude, keep my own counsel. I enjoy the work I do (even if the “virtual office” would be loads more fun with an office kitchen, hot coffee and Costco muffins!), so that is a boon. I have good, strong friends and family nearby who are there when I need them but don’t expect attention when there’s no mental energy to engage. I live near the beach and get to look out at the glorious ocean every day, and my own health is solid. I walk fast and often and though I miss my walking companion, I’m holding out hope he’ll rejoin me soon.

And how does someone who’s not a dog person feel about all this? Two nights before Bowie came home I went to the hospital by myself and found him laying quietly in the crate where he was kept. He brightened immediately when I approached, enjoyed the biscuit I brought, and licked my hand so many times I’m sure his mouth tasted like Euphoria. I even allowed him to lick my chin – which I never do – but just once, ’cause I’m not a dog person who likes dogs licking my face. But when I got up to leave, assuring him he’d be home soon and we’d be back to visit the next day, he did something I’d never heard him do. He cried. He made sounds that were pained and full of anguish and even as I stepped out of his view and stood with tears running down my face, he continued, crying and crying. The doctor assured me “it’s just because you’re leaving and he wants to go with you. Go, he’ll be OK.” So while Bowie cried, laying there with legs that couldn’t walk, I walked out and felt my heart breaking in all the ways you’d expect from a… huh, I guess maybe I am just a little bit of a dog person.

Follow Lorraine Devon Wilke on Twitter, Facebook, Huffington Post and Addicting Info; details and links to her other work @ www.lorrainedevonwilke.com. And don’t forget to fill in the subscribe box above for updates when new material is posted!

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I’m truly delighted that some of you have actually asked, “where are the article archives??” There’s nothing better than literary panic in the morning.

As you know, I just posted the December list yesterday and now – given that I’m determined to make this archive idea work – I’m posting the list from January 1st through January 15th. That was yesterday. Since I’m having a slow start today, this’ll surely hold you for now.

By the way, please don’t forget to subscribe (upper right corner…look…right up there). That’s how we’ll work together to stay on top of things, per your requests. Subscribing allows you to get updates and the lesser-interested (that incredibly teeny, tiny group) to be mercifully free from promotional emails from me. Together we achieve peace in the valley.

I won’t go into any long preamble about all the below; I left one of those on the piece yesterday –  if you’re interested in the ramp up to why I’ve been so remiss in getting these up, please click this link:

The Not-So-Weekly Article Archive…This Gets You Through December!

…and then come on back!

Following is the list of articles I’ve written and had published since the first of the year. Thus far, they’ve all been for Addicting Info.  The next archive  will likely include new posts at Huff Po and here at Rock+Paper+Music, as well. And one never knows what else I might scare up…

Until then, enjoy my hollerin’!

@ Addicting Info: This fast-paced, on the edge site is all about politics and current events, with an unabashed liberal lean. The writing tends to be fierce, editorial, and often funny, with an eye towards breaking news. If your political proclivities tend toward the other direction, proceed with caution! :) Below is my list from 12.12.12 – 1.14.13. These are listed in order of most recent, on down:

1.15 – BREAKING UPDATE: After 5 Hours Of Debate NY Assembly Passes ‘Toughest Gun Bill’ In The Nation – Amazing. It will surely rile up those not willing to give an inch to save a life, but I’m proud of NY – Dems and Repubs – for moving forward in the midst of so much paranoia and extremist thinking to bring needed change. They lead the way and hopefully other states will follow. Bravo!

1.14 – BREAKING: All Eyes On NY As First Post-Sandy Hook Assault Weapons Ban Is Put To Vote: – In the first legislation since the Sandy Hook shootings of 12.14.12, New York state passes a comprehensive bill that limits assault weapons and ammunition, and includes provisions for the reporting of mental health patients who are perceived to be a threat. It’s controversial for both the mental health industry and the “Second Amendment constituents” of the state, but as Governor Andrew Cuomo says, “No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer. End the madness.” [Source] The state Senate passed the bill 43-18 with a coalition of both Republicans and Democrats. The date was notable: one month exactly since 26 people were massacred at Sandy Hook School. As of this writing we are waiting for the Assembly to vote and finalize the bill…I will update when that happens.

1.14 – Racist Obama T-Shirts Big Hit With Tea Party Conventioneers - While some people feel it’s best to ignore this sort of vile behavior based on the theory of “don’t give attention to evil,” I believe it’s more instructive to illuminate it; acknowledge the pervasive, systemic racism that persists in our society despite ludicrous denials like those in the story. If you’re going to walk the walk and talk the talk, at least have the perverse integrity to admit it. You’re racists, plain and simple.

1.13 – Homeland Security Warns Of Immediate Threat To Your PC (And What To Do About It) – This was a bizarre situation in which a security breach with Oracle’s Java became enough of a threat to computer systems, both personal and industrial, that Homeland Security released a country-wide warning to “disable Java.” Oracle later came out with “a fix,” but security experts advise continuing to stay “disabled.” Pertinent information and links are included in the article.

1.13 – Aaron Swartz – Reddit Co-founder, Internet Pioneer, Information Activist – Commits Suicide At 26  – This is a truly tragic story, one that made me increasingly sad as I was researching and writing it. A young, brilliant man, who contributed tremendously to the world of information and open sharing, was ultimately devastated by actions of the Department of Justice who, according to many, literally hounded him to death. In a case that’s been described as “prosecutorial overreach,” Swartz was charged with over 13 counts of computer fraud and theft for downloading articles in an effort to open them to the public. Though the initial resource ultimately followed suit in releasing their archives (and declined to file charges), Swartz, who admitted to depression, was headed to trial and a potential sentence of up to 50 years. He was found dead by hanging. The Justice Department has since dropped his case.

1.11 – Howard Stern: Watching ‘Fat Chick’ Lena Dunham ‘Feels Like A Rape’ (VIDEO) –   To those who told me I just “don’t get” Howard’s ‘humor,’ to those who assured me that “Lena’s going to be just fine,” to those who seemed to think that publicly – but ‘humorously’ – denigrating a 26-year-old woman who’s achieved tremendous success with her wit, talent and unabashed willingness to skew herself is okay if it comes from a “professional curmudgeon who’s a hoot to boot,” I say this: I don’t believe in PC for PC’s sake, but when young girls are constantly battered by cultural messages that judge them for not being pretty or thin enough, there’s seems merit in taking a moment to tell a loudmouth spewing that message to shut the fuck up.

1.11 – The Stunning Hypocrisy Of Mike Huckabee – Bashing Obama On Diversity – I LOVE the idea of men standing up for gender diversity – we can never have enough of those – but when a man who’s a member of the party that insists on injecting itself into the private parts – I mean, lives – of women related to their reproductive systems; who insists on denigrating those who fight for Planned Parenthood and its mission to provide healthcare for lower income women; who makes any issue – including this one – an opportunity to bash the President he once insisted was born in Kenya and so couldn’t understand the western view of a Mau Mau uprising (I’m not kidding)…when THAT man stands up to bash Obama for not having enough women candidates for the Cabinet…well, hypocrisy is one of the nicer words.

1.11 – Will Osama bin Laden Death Photos Finally Be Released?  – Despite the many whirling opinions about this, the federal court will ultimately decide. Based on comments on Facebook and under the piece at AI, I’d say most people believe they should not be released. The Obama administration agrees, but several media outlets, and other Freedom of Information advocates, see it differently. What do you think?

1.10 – Climate Change Disaster: Twelve Killer Whales Trapped In Rapidly Closing Ice (VIDEO) – This was a potentially tragic story that had a very happy ending. Go read.  You’ll smile at the update at the bottom of the piece!

1.10 - Need A Feel-Good Story? How About One With $13K, A Lost iPad And A Generous Hero? (VIDEO) – There’s been a lot of talk lately about the plethora of crazy, evil, and just plain idiotic people in the news. Some think the bad guys outweigh the good, but I think it’s less apocalyptic than that. Out to prove there ARE lots of good guys out there (non-gender “guys,” btw:), I’m presenting another story about one of the good ones. Someone who simply, and without fanfare, did the right thing. Meet Patrick Morgan. If you’d like to spread a little “good news” today, feel free to share his story!

1.9 - ‘Absolute Proof Sandy Hook Was Staged’ – ‘Newtown Truthers’ Hit A New Low (VIDEO) – I’m not sure any story revolted me more than this: a group of right wing conspiracy nuts decided the Obama administration concocted the Sandy Hook shootings as a way to ratchet up support for stronger gun controls. Always more concerned about keeping their guns than keeping children safe, this group of “Newtown Truthers” takes the cake for bottom-feeders of the new year.

1.8 – Gun Violence Survivor Gabby Giffords And Spouse Mark Kelly Say ‘Enough,’ Launch Gun Control Initiative – Two years to the day of the shooting in Tucson, AZ, that left Gabby Giffords near death, killed six and injured many more, the now-retired congresswoman and her husband, Mark Kelly, launched Americans For Responsible Solutions, an initiative aimed at raising money in support of better, more efficient and effective gun control measures. Read about their courageous journey towards preventing what happened to Gabby happen to anyone else.

1.7 – Think A ‘Trade Your Homosexuality For A Free Chicken Sandwich’ Coupon Won’t Work At Chick-fil-A? – Always up for skewing the skewable, this story about a group of comedians who took on Chick-fil-A’s homophobia is a tongue–in-cheek “hoot,” as someone said.

1.7 – Malls – Hubs Of Scantily Clad Teens – Illegally Harass Breastfeeding Moms - The title says it all. In a world where sexuality is hanging out all over the place, there’s something utterly ludicrous about so many finding the act of a mother discreetly feeding her baby so…horrifying! Dear God, breasts being used for their most primal purpose…the horror! Hypocrisy, anyone?

1.6 – Wind Subsidies: Fiscal Cliff Deal Saved Them But Are They A Lot Of Hot Air? – I’ve written about this before; a “green” sheep in wolf’s clothing or just an overreach that needs some regulation and common sense? You decide.

1.5 – Marine To Sen. Feinstein – ‘Some Woman’ Will Not Limit My Assault Weapons – When Corporal Joshua Boston got in a lather about the possibility of an assault weapons ban, or even having to register his assault weapons, he took on Senator Dianne Feinstein in a scathing online letter. I took on Cpl. Joshua Boston. From what I hear, the gun nuts have taken me on in a smattering of blogs throughout the gun nut universe. The circle of life.

1.5 - Is Lance Armstrong About To Publicly Admit He’s A Doper? – Apparently I was prescient; Armstrong gave his “confession” to Oprah Winfrey earlier this week, in a show to be aired on Thursday, 1.17. He made it on to my 10 Worst People of 2012 for being such a….liar.

1.4. – Rise Of The ‘Cave’ Men: How The Media Is Turning ‘Compromise’ Into A Dirty Word –  This was a piece I attempted to get published at the Huffington Post; they rejected it. And I even took out the references to them spinning “compromise” as “caving in,” go figure! :)

1.4 – Man Fights For His Right To ‘Flip The Bird’ … And Wins – Because there are just never enough stories about important First Amendment battles…

1.3 – Coming To A Theater Near You: Is Hillary Clinton About To Get The Big Screen Treatment? – Hillary-love is strong these days and it seems it’s possible her compelling story has been given the screen treatment and is potentially “in development.” This story is worth seeing just for the awesome photo of Hilary at her 20-something glamour best!

1.3 – Al Jazeera Purchases Al Gore’s Current TV In Bid To Start U.S. Based Channel (VIDEO) – Just when you thought they’d run out of reasons to poke Al Gore, he goes and sells his fumbling network to one of the biggest, and most controversial groups in the media world. But before you scream “terrorists,” read the story…the true profile of this group may surprise you.

1.2 – For 17th Time Hillary Clinton Is Chosen ‘The Most Admired Woman In The World’ – No small feat, and a true testament to the respect afforded our just retired Secretary of State and former First Lady. If they’d asked me, I’d've voted the same!

1.1 – UPDATE: Death Threats And Legal Obstacles – Lawyer Withdraws $100M Newtown Lawsuit – Oh, Irv. This is an update of an earlier story below; after making the colossal blunder of filing a too-soon, too-big, wrong-family-to-be-first lawsuit on behalf of a Newtown family who did not lose their child, the attorney involved backed down.

@ The Ferndale Enterprise: And if you’re from way up in northern California, Humboldt County to be exact, and you’re interested in the columns I write for The Ferndale Enterprise, you’re very welcome to click on Bridge Notes here at my blog, which runs reprints of all the columns I’ve contributed there since early 2012.

OK, that’s January, so far. Thank you for reading…more as we go!

Photos posted in list are credited in original article.

For details and links to my photography and music, visit www.lorrainedevonwilke.com. 

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Today is the 15^th of January, 2013, the middle of the first month of the new year and, given the title of my earlier piece regarding an “article archive” (Let’s Do This: I’ll Do a Weekly Article Archive and You Subscribe), it’s clear the word “weekly” was overly optimistic…through no fault of my own, I swear! I had all good intentions; it’s really that I’ve been too occupied writing the things that will go on the list to actually have the time to make the damn thing!

But I want to, I want to respond to your requests, so let’s just readjust to a more realistic schedule. Instead of a weekly article archive, I’ll try to do a bi-monthly installment. But at this point, don’t hold me to it. It could end up being monthly. The goal is to keep interested readers informed of what’s available to read, with accessible links, all while avoiding nagging promotional e-mails (nagging to some; I always enjoyed sending them!).

If you’ve subscribed here (and you should) you’ll get an email when this archive – or any other new post – is put up and then you’ll be all set. So do subscribe…look up to the right hand corner of this Home Page, put your email address in the box and click. You’re good to go. VERY important to stay in the loop, don’t you think? :)

When you look at the list below you’ll note three things: 1.) It’s very long; 2.) I’m writing less for the Huffington Post these days; and 3.) I’m writing exceedingly more for Addicting Info. Some have asked why. Let me answer:

This is partially due to Huff Po’s very different rhythms and protocols, and Addicting Info’s more accessible paradigm for the writers they hire. While Huff Po limits the number of pieces one can contribute within a week, AI says, “Bring ‘em on!” While Huff Po editors might take days to get to something you’ve contributed, AI’s editors are on it within minutes. While Huff Po editor’s often times don’t respond to emails, AI’s publishers and editors are always available (seriously…sometimes in the middle of the night!). And on a purely crass and commercial note, Addicting Info’s payment paradigm is significantly more generous than Huff Po’s (whose “payment paradigm,” known by some, is left for another discussion!).

I will, however, continue to write for Huff Po – it’s a great paper with tremendous reach and I enjoy having my column there – just wanted to draw the distinction for those who’ve asked.

Since the number of articles from the last date I listed are far too many to put in one post, I’m splitting up December and January (you’ll thank me, I promise!). Listed below are the articles I’ve written and had published since 12.11.12, up through the last day of 2012. The links are active, just click, read and enjoy!

@ Addicting Info: This fast-paced, on the edge site is all about politics and current events, with an unabashed liberal lean. The writing tends to be fierce, editorial, and often funny, with an eye towards breaking news. If your political proclivities lean toward the other direction, proceed with caution! :) These are listed in order of most recent on down:

12.31.12 – BREAKING NEWS – Fiscal Cliff Deal Reached, Waiting For House Vote – The wait for this deal made New Year’s Eve a particularly suspenseful night (surely more than wondering if you’d make it to the ball-drop!:). When Joe Biden came out with a big smile on his face, the stage was set for a vote the following morning. Cliff averted.

12.31.12 – UPDATE – Hillary Clinton Blood Clot Between Brain And Ear, Full Recovery Expected – While some particularly ignorant teeth-gnashers on the right sniggered about Hillary “faking it,” doctors confirmed her concussion and even upped the ante: she had a cranial blood clot that required immediate treatment and a hospital stay. I keep wondering when we’re going to hear those apologies from Fox News, John Bolton and Allen West, to name a few…

12.31.12 – The 10 Best People Of 2012 –  You know you wanna know. And some of these may surprise you.

12.31.12 – The 10 Worst People Of 2012  – Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, this list got a great many more readers than the “Best…” Why do you think that is?

12.30.12 – Sandy Hook Shooting ‘Worst Day Of My Presidency’ Obama Says (VIDEO) – In a touching speech, President Obama echoes the feeling of many.

12.29.12 – Parents Of Surviving Sandy Hook Child File First Claim: Sue State For $100M – In the rush to monetize tragedy, a family and an opportunistic lawyer colluded in a public relations blunder that seemed destined to piss off pretty much everyone. It did. Timing is everything…

12.29.12 – In Tragic Turn, 23-Year-Old New Delhi Assault Victim Dies Of Her Injuries (VIDEO) – In what has to be one of the most gut-wrenching stories of men’s brutality against women, in the country of India a young medical student ultimately dies of injuries sustained in a hideous, hours-long gang rape. The men have been arrested and charged with murder, the death penalty on the table. The country is reeling, with advocates demanding a new conversation on cultural attitudes towards women and violence.

12.28.12 – Obama 12.28 Press Conference ‘The Hour For Immediate Action Is Here’ – In the days before the deal was done, President Obama made clear enough was enough and he expected some movement. Turns out that “action” was his New Year’s Eve present.

12.28.12 – Newly Released FBI Files: Was Marilyn Monroe A Communist? – For all the Monroe-philes, this was a particularly compelling story, exposing both the dark and paranoic era of McCarthyism, as well as the particular focus on high-profile celebrities. But Marilyn Monroe….?

12.28.12 – Which Political Figure Scored Highest In Latest CNN Poll? – Always nice to write something about those most admired or respected. Click to see who got this one!

12.27.12 – Outraged Gun Owner Retaliates After Publisher Posts Map With Permit Owners’ Addresses – This story continues to resonate as New York state designs its new gun laws and takes into account reactions to this controversial move by a New York newspaper publisher.

12.26.12 – Four Vandals – Aged 20 To 12 – Arrested In Walmart Paint Attack – “Boys will be boys” or political statement? When it comes to the very controversial and, often time, culturally clueless retailer, one never knows.

12.26.12 – GOP Strategist Frank Luntz Says NRA Tone-Deaf To America…And Its Members (VIDEO) – When even a Republican pollster and strategist says the NRA is tone-deaf, it’s likely he’s right. Republicans and their gun-slinging financiers might want to listen.

12.25.12 – Eat, Drink And Be Merry: Five Reasons Why Christmas Is Healthier Than You Think – I realize this is now seasonally outdated, but it’s deep, pithy information, and it’s important to bone up for next year. Read and bookmark for future reference! :)

12.25.12 – Ron Paul Denounces NRA School Plan As ‘Orwellian’ – It’s always fascinating to hear what uber-Libertarian, Ron Paul, has to say. I don’t always agree with him, but he’s certainly noteworthy!

12.23.12 – Post Election Remorse: Tagg Says Mitt Romney ‘Had No Desire To Run’ – NOW you tell us!

12.23.12 – The Ten Worst Christmas Traditions … Ever – Again, seasonally outdated, but I remain convinced you should avail yourself of this list so you can preempt any faux pas – even disaster – next year. Read, bookmark, drag out next year.

12.23.12 – When Death Doesn’t Take A Holiday: Coping With Loss During Christmas – With the Sandy Hook tragedy occurring so close to Christmas, I couldn’t help but reflect on the pain and heartbreak that would surely be a part of the holiday for all the families involved. But certainly anyone who’s dealing with the death of a loved one, recent or past, can find Christmas memories and traditions to be a difficult mix of melancholy and even depression.

12.23.12 - Piers Morgan Deportation Petition Submitted To White House By Gun Rights Zealot – Gun nut and conspiracist, Alex Jones, is so mad about Piers Morgan speaking out for gun control, he’s trying to get the brash Brit deported. OH, FOR GOD’S SAKE!!

12.22.12 – ‘Pie Lady’ Drives Across Country To Bring Comfort To Newtown…With Apple Pies – Now, here’s a story I enjoyed writing: Beth Howard, a pie master who wanted to do something to reach out to the Newtown families, did so with a truck full of homemade apple pies. From mouth to heart…

12.22.12 – Beyonce, Jon Hamm, Chris Rock And Others Urge You To ‘Demand A Plan’ To End Gun Violence (VIDEO) – Speaking of mouths, The Mayors Against Illegal Guns decided to put their money where theirs are and produced a PSA in support of their anti-gun violence initiative, Demand a Plan. Watch, click, get inspired.

12.21.12 – Did Karl Rove Lie To The IRS To Gain Tax-Exempt Status For Crossroads GPS? – Is Krafty Karl actually still around?? Well, he’s been tucked away for awhile, but that doesn’t mean the IRS can’t find him…

12.20.12 – ‘Dr.’ Allen West Says Hillary Is Faking Her ‘Benghazi Flu’ – Remember earlier when I mentioned the soulless Republicans who accused Hillary Clinton of faking her illness, fall, and concussion, with subsequent blood clot? Yeah…this is one of them.

12.20.12 – Terror Porn – Senators Outraged By ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Depictions Of Torture – Have you seen the movie yet? I have. Here’s my take on the brewing brouhaha.

12.19.12 – Just How Powerful Is The NRA In The Post-Sandy Hook World? – Despite its numbers, despite the deep pockets of the gun manufacturers funding it, despite its many loud voices, the facts might surprise you.

12.18.12 - ‘Simpleminded’ Sarah Palin Blames ‘Fallen Culture’ For Shooting And Shares CeeLo Green Video (VIDEO) – Just when you thought you’d made a clean getaway, she keeps pullin’ you back in! In this case, to take a moment to blame Sandy Hook on the sinners of the world and – oddly – promote CeeLo. That’s Sarah!

12.18.12 – NBC’s Richard Engel Escapes After 5 Days In Syrian Captivity (VIDEO) – The intrepid and very respected NBC reporter was missing for days, later discovered to have been kidnapped and held hostage. A daring escape turned this into a happy ending.

12.18.12 – Koran Burner Rev. Terry Jones Shut Down By Beatles-Singing Crowd (VIDEO) – There is something sweetly vindicating about watching New Yorkers “sing down” the hate and intolerance of zealot, Terry Jones. “All You Need is Love,” indeed.

12.18.12 – Gay Marine Proposes At White House And Makes History – A touching story of tolerance, change and location, location, location!

12.17.12 – Top 10 Things Gun Lovers DON’T Need To Fear – While the right, the gun zealots and those whose fears are more about losing their guns than others losing their lives, I’ve, once again, listed all the things they really don’t need to fear, despite what Fox News and the conspiracy web sites tell them.

12.16.12 – Surprising NRA Gun Owners Poll – Most Favor Sensible Restrictions (VIDEO) – And in another cold-water dip of truth, the meme that all NRA members are fire-breathing “cold, dead hand” mongers is proven to be false, lending hope to the conversation.

12.16.12 – Pope’s Holiday Message: Abortion, Gay Marriage ‘Serious Harm To Justice And Peace’ – Dear Pope Benedict: a better holiday message might be one that exudes love, compassion and tolerance for ALL God’s creatures…instead of blaming some for the “injustices” of the world.

12.14.12 – Facebook Fan Pages For Connecticut Killer: Horror Metastasizes To Ignorance – In an odd turn, the killer at Sandy Hook was originally – and wrongly – identified as his brother (he was, inexplicably, carrying his brother’s ID). The correction was made once the true killer’s name was known, but not before Facebook miscreants posted offensive fan pages.

12.14.12 – ‘Anti-Massacre Activists’ – New Name For Gun Control Advocates – To Protest At White House Today – The phrase “mass shooting” was painfully replaced by a more accurate word by a group of concerned citizens who gathered to protest gun violence.

12.13.12 – And ‘Error Of The Year’ Award Goes To….CNN And Fox News! – Oh, thank you, thank..we’re so honored!! (I can’t think of anyone more deserving…at least when it comes to Fox!)

12.13.12 – Google’s New Map App Released – Stock And Customers Surge – For all the tech-heads in the audience who’ve been bemoaning the debacle of Apple’s map app, this was very good news, indeed! (or as my son would say, “First World problems…”!)

12.11.12 – Masked Gunman Opens Fire, Three Dead In Portland Mall Shooting – At the time of this pre-Christmas shooting, we were rightfully horrified. Sandy Hook was yet to come…

12.11.12 – Cyber Terrorists Attack Bank Of America, Website Down Entire Day – When I, and millions of others, couldn’t access our bank accounts online for most of the day, it was clear “cyber terrorism” had hit home. One can only wonder, what’s next??

12.11.12 – Allen West Is STILL Whining: I Didn’t Lose, He Cheated – Oh, Allen West. This Tea Party congressmen whose mouth precedes him into any room, was fodder for about five different stories for me, so colorful and crazy a subject. He’s gone now….but I imagine, like Sarah Palin, he’ll still pop up from time to time to keep us aware of how crazy he is.

12.10.12 – Clash Of Titans – Cory Booker Vs. Chris Christie In 2013 NJ Governor Race? (VIDEO) – The dynamic duo. Booker has since announced he’s running for Senate and Christie is still out there making Republicans nervous. Gotta love these two!

@ Huffington Post: My column here tends to focus on editorial/opinion, commentary on politics, current events, and cultural issues, with occasional profiles of artists and creative projects I think merit particular attention. I tend to publish once or twice a week; though more recently (as I mentioned above), a bit less. Linked below are my most recent pieces:

12.18.12 – Top 10 Things Gun Lovers Don’t Need To Fear – The Huff Po version of a similar piece at Addicting Info. Can’t say it enough or to a large enough audience.

12.10.12 – Punked to Death: Nurse’s Apparent Suicide Puts Ratings Hunger on Trial – This story metastasized from a tabloid joke into a very real drama with a suicide, the career failure of two radio jocks, and a mandate to examine hospital protocol for administrators and rules of royalty for the English government. A tragedy all the way around.

@ Rock+Paper+Music: Here you’ll find some pieces that tend toward the more personal, but still with a mix that swings somewhere between what I write for the Huffington Post and Addicting Info. In the coming months I’ll also be chronicling my “adventures in self-publishing,” as I take on the task with my novel, After the Sucker Punch.

12.28.12 – As We Embrace 2013: My Top Seven Points Of Facebook Etiquette – This is a BIG one. If you read nothing else, read this. OK, that’s a little hyperbolic; there’s plenty of other, perhaps more culturally significant, articles to read. But trust me, this is a BIG one! In fact, don’t just read it….pass on.

12.25.12 – The Ten Worst Christmas Traditions. Really. And I Love Christmas. – Similar to the Addicting Info version on the topic but with more detail and personal slant. And really, is there ever too much to say on this topic? :)

@ The Ferndale Enterprise: And if you’re from way up in northern California, Humboldt County to be exact, and you’re interested in the columns I write for The Ferndale Enterprise, you’re very welcome to click on Bridge Notes here at my blog, which runs reprints of all the columns I’ve contributed there since early 2012.

OK, that’s December. I know, I know…it’s a lot. Just take your time, come back and click from day to day, breath slowly, don’t get the bends. There’s much to absorb…but I promise you’ll be informed and entertained.

And thank you for reading…more as we go!

For details and links to my photography and music, visit www.lorrainedevonwilke.com. 

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I love social media. Regardless of the list of complaints I read every day on Facebook; in spite of the articles about privacy erosion, ad tracking, and all the rest, I happen to love the connectedness, the interaction, the sheer volume and creativity of sharing that goes on there. Without Facebook in particular (though I did love Twitter during the presidential debate season!), I would know less about my extended family and friends, would miss amazing events going on in my city, would be less in the loop of the cultural and political zeitgeist, and would not have been able to reach out to the widening and always welcome group of readers and subscribers who’ve come my way via social media. I always love good “conversation” on intriguing topics, it’s clearly a boon for any independent artist, and whatever you think of what people may post there, it’s an entertaining, thought-provoking and educational “community bulletin board” I personally love accessing from day to day.

But. I know…always a “but.”

There’s even a free e-book about it; info @ @ MediaBistro.com

There have been many comments posted about what Facebook “is supposed to be,” particularly during this very political election year. I’ve heard from some bemoaning the saturation of political articles and discussion; one friend even exhorted fellow group members to “PLEASE use Facebook the way it was meant to be used…pictures of our kids, our vacations, that kind of stuff. I’m SO SICK OF POLITICS!!”

To which I say….hmmm.

My thinking: Facebook is meant to be used however you choose to use it. For some that’s exactly as the writer admonished. For others it is, in fact, the exact place to post and ponder politics. For still others it’s about enlightenment via inspiring text, images, and artwork. Personally, I love the mix; I wouldn’t want my Facebook experience to be limited to only one thing. When I scroll down the newsfeed I actually enjoy the anticipation about what I might stumble upon; it’s oddly like going to Costco and wandering down the aisles never knowing what’s going to be there or what might grab my attention! A great, big, interesting mess of different items with different points and purposes and I can choose what I want to look at depending on my mood in the moment. How cool is that?

But what to do if someone in your group posts too much of something you don’t want to look at? It’s not hard: Hide their posts, change the setting and filters on what of theirs shows up on yours; delete them from your newsfeed or…delete them all together. It’s all within your grasp to make Facebook work for you. Rather than get overwhelmed or annoyed, design your experience as you see fit. That’s part of the fun.

(Of course, deleting or hiding anything of mine is so not recommended. :)

And what about etiquette? I bring this subject up at this particular moment because we’re days away from the new year, and the turn of the calendar always seems a good time to reset the button, refresh the window, restart the engines (dear God, please stop); and yes…turn the page. To better behavior, more productive action; a new way of looking at things. And as I took note this morning of a particular “friend” who constantly posts about his gigs, his CDs, his radio play, etc., but never, EVER, takes a moment to comment on, share, respond to, or even “like” the posts of anyone else that I can see, I decided today was the day to make some “refresh points” about Facebook etiquette. Read, absorb, and if so moved, add any of your own in the comments section below. These are not in any particular order of importance; just the ones I see as most useful in terms of making my personal Facebook – and maybe yours – a richer, more reciprocal experience.

1. Musicians: Don’t use Facebook as your personal billboard. We love knowing about your gigs, CDs, awards, etc., but without reciprocation – commenting on the posts of others, responding to comments left on your own posts, answering private messages of support left in your FB message box, sharing the posts of others, or just clicking “like” (how easy could that be??) on things unrelated to YOU YOU YOU –  you’ve made Facebook your exclusive, personal billboard. And that one-sidedness gets old for the rest of us.

It also doesn’t allow those in your FB group to get any sense of you as a person, as someone who can see outside your own world to be interested in someone else’s, and that works against you. It makes you seem self-absorbed and narcissistic. Believe me, I’m going to be more interested in your work, in supporting that work, if you’re a person engaged with others; a person who steps outside of yourself long enough to be interested in what someone else is doing or sharing. You know how politicians kiss babies, shake hands, make direct eye contact, and stop by coffee shops to engage one-on-one with people? That’s done to create personal connection, which makes people feel closer to the politician shaking their hand and…yes, more likely to vote for them. So even if you can’t find it within yourself to authentically reciprocate on Facebook for the purest of reasons, do so because it’s going to ultimately work for your public relations. People will like you better. You’ll make connections beyond slapping your gig dates up every week. And please don’t say you’re “too busy”; if you have time to bombard us with all your posts and invitations, you have time to reciprocate. If you truly don’t, make the time. It’s just good form.

2. Writers, Artists, Photographers, Actors, Filmmakers, Business Owners, Group Leaders, etc.:  see and apply #1.  I post a lot. Because I write a lot, I do a lot with my photography, I post a lot. I do so because I want to share, get feedback, encourage you to enjoy and pass around my work. But I also spend a lot of time commenting, sharing, liking, reading, and perusing the work of others. Your work. Your posts. I enjoy that process as much as I do the posting. I like availing myself of what others see worthy of sharing. I’ve found great articles, amazing photography, interesting resources I wouldn’t have found otherwise and have even been so compelled by some things that I’ve then shared them myself. It’s not about reciprocating just for the sake of social media etiquette; there’s actual benefit…to you! You’ll likely meet some very cool new people, get to know ones you know better; you might find links or references that aid you in your own work, and you’ll become a part of the community, not just someone who the rest of us are supposed to pay attention to! Get in there. We’re not your audience; we’re your collaborators. You’ll be surprised how much more willing people are to pay attention when you return the favor.

Community bulletin board? @ LDW Cordoba gallery

3. Commenters: This is a big one. Learn how to do it. I have a public profile; I’ve chosen that setting because I want to reach as many readers, music and photography lovers, culturally and politically interested people as I possibly can. Having a public profile means that many of the people who comment on my threads are people I don’t personally know. Don’t presume I do and make the judgment that I have really weird friends, please. Some of the people who subscribe to my posts may very well be weird. But all the same rules apply, whether you’re my cousin or a subscriber from Dubai:

•  Civility is required. Without question. I’m not interested in name-calling and personal bashing of any kind. Speak your piece as candidly as you wish, but speak to the issues; don’t attack other commenters and keep your personal attacks on the parties being debated to yourself or to your own page. (i.e., you can slam Romney’s politics but I have no interest in hearing that “he’s a fucked up Mormon asshole.” You can think Obama is a socialist Muslim but since he’s not, keep it off my page. Certainly feel free to share those types of comments on your own threads, on your own page, but understand I’m not interested and will delete them.)
• READ THE ARTICLE YOUR COMMENTING ON! Major one for me. I can always tell when people are commenting without reading the piece, particularly if they admonish me or make suggestions about something I “should have said” when I actually addressed that exact item in what I wrote. While I always appreciate anyone taking the time to comment, whether on Facebook or the comments section of an actual article, using my piece as a springboard to spout your opinion without the courtesy of actually reading what I wrote is…disrespectful. I take a lot of time to write thoughtful, cogent, hopefully intriguing pieces; if you choose to comment on them, thank you, but please do me the service of reading what I wrote before you do.
• Please don’t hijack a comment thread on one topic by suddenly bringing up another, unrelated, topic that gets the next batch of comments off on a weird tangent. Particularly when the thread is filled with thoughtful, passionate comments from people who really do want to discuss the topic at hand. If you want to extrapolate beyond the point of the post, share it on your page with the unrelated comment you’d like to make.
• If you have nothing useful to say, DON’T LEAVE A COMMENT. I’ve had to delete a few regular commenters from my threads because they repeatedly leave inane, pointless, even vile comments that offer nothing to the conversation. While I’ll leave opposing views, debating views, contrary views (presuming they’re suitably civil!), I will delete stupid shit, to put it bluntly.
• Be thoughtful in your comments. Beyond civility and usefulness, there’s really no point in just parroting the same, weary partisan bromides, thread after thread. Thread conversations on my page are usually about significant topics of great importance to people; take the time to offer something thoughtful and illuminating. I’m less interested in agreement than considered, honest, even researched contribution. If you’re on the other side of my aisle, don’t just be contrary or combative. Offer something insightful, sane and potentially thought provoking from the other side. Makes for a much more meaningful contribution.
• That’s my list…do you have any others?

4. Mix up your posts. I’ve already covered the “make Facebook what you will” theory, but there is one part of the complaint that has merit. Which, to my way of thinking, is this: certain people become too predictable.  Not just musicians, artists, etc., promoting their work, but others who tend to ONLY post one type of thing, typically political pieces expounding on their side of the political divide. When you see their name, you know what you’re going to get. If you share their politics, it can be a good read; if you don’t, you skip on by. But what if you, the poster, are more interesting than just that? What if you’re missing out on engaging FB folks who’d add richness to your conversation but instead walk on by because they think they know what you’re saying without even looking? You are on Facebook for the point of sharing, so don’t limit your audience by being so predictable! Mix it up. Surprise us with something we wouldn’t expect from you. Post about your politics, certainly (we all know I do!), but then surprise us with a piece about music, your favorite ice cream truck, or an amazing person from Africa who discovered a new species of bug. SURPRISE US! It keeps you fresh and us interested.

The Bene Bene ice cream truck @ LDW street gallery

5. Be Present and RECIPROCATE. If it seems I’ve already covered this, there’s a nuance here that bears stating. If you’re on Facebook but not participating, ask yourself why you’re there. Frankly, I don’t understand people who sign up, put up a Facebook page, “friend” lots of people, then never contribute or post…ever. I’ve had more than one person tell me they “like looking at everyone else’s stuff but don’t really want to post anything of my own.” Really? Don’t we call that stalking? Or voyeurism? :) Obviously this is not remotely earth-shattering and is, as my son would say, a “first world problem,” but the point of social media is being “social.” It’s about connecting and participating in the greater social community created by Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon, etc. If you’ve taken the steps required to sign up, build a page and accrue some friends, can I make a suggestion? Participate. Jump in. Say hello once in a while. Click “like” as a default position of participation (really, could anything be easier than the “like” button??). If you’ve sent a “friend” request and I’ve “friended” you, or you’ve accepted a request of mine, come on…PARTICIPATE. Don’t just peek over the fence and offer nothing to the conversation. You climbed onto the Facebook hayride for a reason; figure out how to use it. But if, ultimately, all you really want to do is peruse other people’s links, posts, pictures and stories…OK. But at least take the nanosecond required to click “like” when you’ve read or viewed something that you…liked. It’s quiet participation, but it still counts and those who get those clicks will appreciate them, I promise.

6. Thank you, but NO Poking, Games, Applications, “Please Make This Your Status For One Hour If You Care,” Facebook Privacy notices, etc. This is personal request of mine, though I know others share it. I use Facebook in all ways I’ve laid out here. What I don’t use it for are things I’m not interested in or think have merit. Poking, games, applications, birthday calendars aren’t my thing; please don’t take it personally, but if you “poke” me, send an invitation to a game or application, or even send posts that require I join something to open them, I’m not going to participate. Sorry. Also, those “Please make this your status for an hour if you care” postings are just guilt inducing. If you wish to post something for an hour, great. But please don’t imply that I don’t care if I don’t. I usually do care. But I won’t post them. As for Facebook privacy notices, warnings, etc.: if you believe a Facebook privacy warning or notice is worth sharing and request that I and others pass it around, please check www.snopes.com first to ascertain whether or not it’s bona fide. Almost 99.9% of times it’s not and it’s just a big waste of everyone’s time, including yours. If you can remember these items here in #6, wonderful; if you forget, please don’t take it personally when I reject the invitation or don’t respond.

7. Public Profile Friend Requests: This applies to me specifically but it bears making a point. If I get a friend request from a “public person” I don’t know, particularly one who has no “mutual friends,” I am going to look at your Facebook page before I click “confirm.” While I welcome people from all over the world, with varying political, religious and cultural beliefs and norms, I’m going to look at your Facebook page first and if you have nothing on it, nothing “about” you, I will not confirm you as a friend. If you have a profile in a language other than English and I cannot read and understand what you’re “about,” I won’t confirm you. If you have a profile that displays Satanic, Nazi, racist, intolerant, bigoted hate-speak of any kind toward any group, religion, ethnicity, etc., I will not confirm you. I will only confirm you if you have a fully realized Facebook page and you seem like a basic, decent person. Of course, if your contributions later proves that to be untrue, well…you know what happens then.

So there you go, that’s my list of the Top Seven Points of Facebook Etiquette. Please read, take to heart, without offense, and with the positive intent in which they were conferred. Social media is an amazing tool, a profound point of exchange, and a really fun, engaging way to connect with each other. Let’s all try to do it in a way that makes it as positive and rich as experience as it can possibly be…particularly in the bright, shiny new year of 2013!

Happy New Year!

Follow Lorraine Devon Wilke on Twitter, Facebook and The Huffington Post; for her archive at Addicting info click here; details and links to her other work: www.lorrainedevonwilke.com.

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There is no holiday as steeped in tradition as Christmas. Every denomination, ethnicity, country, even individual sections of the United States, has specific traditions that infuse their celebrations with something rich and unique. Of course, there are also the more mainstream, universal traditions that often seem to transcend diversity, to the point that they become trademarks of the holiday. Some are good, some not so good. Some have even circumvented all conventional wisdom and good taste to become iconic symbols of Christmas gone wrong (if only tongue-in-cheek). We’re going to focus, for the moment, on the not-so-good ones that makes us all – well, most of us – cringe just a little.

The Ten Worst Christmas Traditions In No Particular Order

1. The Christmas sweater. Why does anyone think a bulky knit top with garish Christmas designs and neon-bright colors is ever a good sartorial statement? When Rudolph’s red nose pokes conspicuously at Grandma’s bosom and Santa’s beard stretches over Uncle Bob’s burgeoning belly in that way that makes the little kids laugh and point, it’s time to take a second look at this notorious holiday fashion. Regardless of well-meaning knitters, Christmas sweaters are simply not flattering on anyone – truly, no one.  EvenAngelina Jolie would look hideous wrapped in red elves with bells. Also, and not to be dismissed lightly, they make even the slimmest person look as if they’ve already packed on the Holiday Ten. Truly, the only way to wear one is ironically, and really, how often is that the case?

Suggestion: Since there is no way to make a Christmas sweater look good, follow the advice of wiser fashionistas and avoid them like room-temperature eggnog.

2. The Christmas family newsletter. We get it: it’s the year-end wrap-up, the summation of twelve months of familial accomplishment; the list of achievements of children and grandchildren far and wide, blah blah blah. The problem is, family newsletters are sent out generically, to the entire Christmas list, with no particular accommodation made for individual relationships. Which means we’re all regaled with “Austin’s Scout troop went to Springfield for the Lincoln fest …” or “Minerva did her very best but only placed second in the McHenry County step-class competition” when most of us have no idea who Austin and Minerva are.

Suggestion: Send them only to people who actually know all the cast members and trust that the rest in the family/friends circle either already know or will find the updates on Facebook.

3. The Christmas photo card. I don’t know why, but I’m pretty sure Christmas photo card companies are run and staffed by Satan. There can be no other explanation for the stunningly and consistently HORRIBLE photographs that emanate from their environs; hideous concoctions sent on cheap, glossy card stock accompanied by a generic message and the name of the family. I’m not talking about the cool art cards created from professional shots you send in to a design card company; I’m talking about the ones that are shot in a cheesy mini-mall studios with the worst possible lighting, backdrop rejects from the local high school theater department, and stylists who pose humans – and too often, animals – in ways that suggest nobody involved has a clue about composition or creativity. In fact, I’ve observed that even attractive people can be made significantly less so by bad photo processors who makes normal people look strange colors and all people look like deer in the headlights.

Suggestion: Don’t do it! Or make the investment to hire a professional photographer and get it done right. These will likely be on refrigerator doors for months to come; have some pride in your legacy.

4. The Christmas Video or CD. The digital revolution has brought much good to the world. It has also lowered the bar on every form of creativity and entertainment ever dreamed of by man. Due to the ease and affordability of creating almost anything – books, movies, records, photographs, videos, etc. – everyone with even a modicum of computer skill can crank out something that resembles a creative accomplishment. For people with talent who, heretofore, had no funds to get this done, this is a boon. For the rest of the much larger crowd of marginally-if-not-at-all talented folks, it has resulted in a sea of self-created, self-produced and self-published product that is akin to the photo card discussed in #3. More regularly now, families are creating Christmas videos and CDs to send out with their Christmas card (and, God help us, newsletter). While certainly a delightful bonus to the non-judgmental immediate family, the less forgiving friends and colleagues on the Christmas list are less amused or entertained by a four-minute rendition of a badly-performed version of Jingle Bells, with lyrics specific to your family and sung by grade schoolers who, though charming in their squirmy grade-school way, will not be winning any awards at “America’s Got Talent.”

Suggestion: Again, don’t do it. Don’t send it out. Or, like the suggestion for the newsletter, reserve this stocking stuffer only for a very select few in the closest possible family circle. They’re always an amenable bunch.

5. Fruitcake. You wouldn’t think at this point we’d need to have this conversation. It has been made abundantly clear that nobody on this great green Earth actually likes this stuff. The Food Channel can show as many “how do they make these?” shows about the dubious confection, and Claxton, GA can unashamedly claim the title of “Fruitcake Capital of the World,” but I’m going to go on record, here and now, and say this has got to be the biggest waste of calories in the entire food pyramid.

Suggestion: Don’t send me any. Please.

Victorian Carolers, loud and proud!

6. Carolers in Restaurants. I know, I know; they’re charming, they’re in pretty costumes (apparently all carolers are from the Victorian era), they sing well (usually … ometimes … not always.) and they bring musical merriment to any restaurant festive enough to hire them for the Christmas season. And they won’t get away from your table no matter, how reticent you were about “what song would you like?” And could they get any louder with that jingling bell and the four-part harmony on “I’ll Be Home For Christmas?” I was at a restaurant recently where we got hit up once – fine, they sang one, two songs, we all tipped, they moved on – then a second batch came by later and despite our alerting them that we’d already been serenaded, like a wolf pack of aggressive carol-harassers, they insisted on another round. Pressing as close to the table (and my head) as they could get, they sang too loud, too long and made us feel like captive audience … literally. I would’ve tipped them to go away, which they ultimately did … but not before my prime rib got cold.

Suggestion:  Bring the volume down, one song per table (unless otherwise requested), don’t hover for tips and if people don’t want the racket, move along.

Green bean casserole

7. Green Bean Casserole: What is this dish … really? Canned soup, canned fried onions and beans. In a casserole dish, piping hot and … seriously strange. This is a culinary holiday tradition? Why? A holdover from the Depression? Campbell’s Soup propaganda? Brainwashing from the ‘50’s when canned products were actually served without irony? Whatever the reason, please stop. We’ve moved on. Fresh fruit and vegetable are easily accessible. Get a little creative. Vintage is nice with old clothes and furniture, not so much with food.

Suggestion:  Anything else of a vegetable variety that doesn’t come in a can.

8. Charity solicitors.  There’s no secret to the timing; organizations that raise money for any kind of charity, religious group, foundation, etc., choose Christmas time – the “time of giving” – to hit up generous (aka: guilty) people who feel moved at the holidays to dig deep. However, in more current times, most of us do our giving via the web or mail: making donations, giving to Kickstarter campaigns, gifting charitably, etc., and door-to-door solicitors only seek to interrupt dinner, disturb the evening activities, get the dog barking like a hound and cause us to stand too long in our doorway listening to a badly memorized script about “unwed mothers,” “children looking for a way up,” or something to do with a church. I get it; they’re doing what they gotta do. But giving is done in many ways; for most, it’s safer, easier and more credible to give via the web versus giving to a teenager with a clipboard. The other night I had three episodes of doorbell ringing, dog howling, and long speeches about giving. It broke my heart to repeat my “I give via the Internet” (I do!), but it had to be done.

Suggestion: Groups that send children door-to-door need to rethink the strategy. I feel for the kids pounding the pavement, but it’s not a particularly workable paradigm. It ends up creating a sense of disruption – like calls at dinner or email spam – that works against the goal. I give online. Thank you for thinking of me but please don’t roll your eyes when I tell you I’m not going to donate to your cause, Christmas or no Christmas.

9. Animated Christmas e-cards: At first these were cute, particularly Jacquie Lawson cards, or JibJab silliness. But after you’ve received about twenty of these from well-meaning friends, they all, seriously, all, start to look the same. Cute graphics, warm messages, silly messages, you click, you watch, “oh, cute!” … you get the picture. Actually, you do get the picture, but it’s kind of lost its cachet. It’s like Krispy Kremes or Tickle-Me Elmo; after awhile, the novelty wears off.

Suggestion: If you’re so moved, send them out once to somebody, then never again. I know, that sounds Scroogian, but that’s just the way it is.

10. And lastly, Mistletoe. Seriously, while this may have descended from a delightful Norse tradition, in today’s culture this poisonous, if picturesque, little plant is an invitation to your creepy uncle leaning in the dining room doorway, the skeezy loser at the office party who slips in a little tongue if you happen to be found under said plant, or for any number of people you don’t want kissing you to feel they have permission to do so by virtue of this age-old holiday tradition. It’s like a flora gone wild.

Suggestion: Use mistletoe sparingly for colorful table displays, embellish Christmas packages with it, delight in holding it over the head of your willing loved one, but keep it off ceilings and doorways where unsuspecting recipients of unwanted kisses are too often found.

So there you go; that’s the list of the Top Ten Worst Christmas Traditions. You likely have some of your own. Feel free to share in comments. We’ll keep track and just make the list bigger next year!

Merry Christmas!

Follow Lorraine Devon Wilke on Twitter, Facebook and The Huffington Post; for her archive at Addicting info click here; details and links to her other work: www.lorrainedevonwilke.com.

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I’ve been thinking about this lately, the whole issue of work, self-promotion, and keeping interested people in the loop while not annoying the crap out of everyone else. Recently I’ve heard from a number of people who asked why I haven’t been sending out email reminders the way I used to. They explained that they’d appreciated the heads-up when I posted something new and felt, now, that it was too difficult to keep up without them.

First of all, thanks for that. How nice to know I’ve been missed! But here’s what happened: yes, I did send out monthly, then quarterly, then bi-annually, now hardly ever reminders listing my articles with links, promoting my photography, doing the general shameless self-promotion one is obligated to do to stay anywhere near the radar screen of contemporary over-saturated media culture. But after getting a few too many “please take me off your mailing list” responses (always humbling, those), seeing a few too many emails that didn’t even get opened, mixed with my hyper-vigilant concern that people feel bombarded with emails in general, potentially sick of mine in particular, I quietly stopped, figuring my Facebook and Twitter posts were enough to keep alerts available for those interested. But since I’ve surprisingly heard from those I have, I’ve done a re-think on the topic and here’s what I’ve come up with:

Given that I am now writing upwards to 14-20 articles in a given week, far too many to be sending individual notices about anyway, what I’ll do is put up a Weekly Article Archive, let’s say every Monday, that will list all the articles of the previous week with links attached. All you have to do is subscribe to this blog and you’ll get an email notice from Rock+Paper+Music whenever I post that Archive piece, as well as any other new articles I post here. When you get the Archive, you can easily click on the articles that interest you without having to track them down via Facebook or Twitter.

To subscribe, just look in the upper right hand corner of this page, put your email address in the box, click “Subscribe,” and you’ll be good to go. I promise your email is not used for anything else; subscribing just keeps those who want to be in the loop in the loop. Sound like a plan?

So I’ll start the Weekly Article Archive right here, right now. Below you’ll find the most recent articles from each of the places I write. Scan through the list, click as compelled, maybe come back later to read the others. Share, comment, send around; mostly…enjoy!

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@ Huffington Post: My column here tends to focus on editorial/opinion, commentary on politics, current events, and cultural issues, with occasional profiles of artists and creative projects I think merit particular attention. I tend to publish once or twice a week; though more recently (since I started writing and editing at AddictingInfo), I’ve posted a bit less. Linked below are my most recent pieces:

11.5 - Humanizing Politics: The Heart, Soul & Face of Gay Marriage - I suspect many of those most vocally and vociferously against gay marriage do not actually know any gay people, particularly any gay people in loving, committed relationships for whom the matter of gay marriage is a painful one.

11.8 - Artist Blacksmith Heather McLarty Stuns With New Occidental Gate - Meet Heather McLarty, a true “woman of steel,” who’s not only become one of the most renowned, respected, and sought-after “artist blacksmiths” in the country, but is someone who’s elevated the craft with her almost mystical respect for the process:

11.23 - Can’t We Talk About ‘Both Sides’ Without Accusations of Anti-Semitism? - But what is an American to do in the world we live in today? One in which, despite historical precedent and the clear political loyalties of our country, we see, by virtue of ubiquitous media, events unfolding in real time, with perspective as varied and inclusive as the events themselves.

12.3 - The ‘Unschooling’ Movement: Good Parenting or UNparenting? - With a 13-year-old who is free to come and go as he pleases and a 4-year-old who isn’t expected to brush his teeth if he doesn’t want to because “teeth can be fixed,” one is left wondering whether the complete lack of boundaries will leave these children incapable of functioning in the “normal” world.

Blacksmith Heather McLarty building Occidental Gate

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@ Addicting Info: This fast-paced, on the edge site is all about politics and current events, with an unabashed liberal lean. The writing tends to be fierce, editorial, and often funny, with an eye towards breaking news. If your political proclivities tend toward the other direction, proceed with caution! :) Below is my list from 12.1 – 12.9.

12.1 - GOP Gut A Half-Century Of Wilderness Protections In ‘Sportsmen’s Heritage Act’: The preservation of the glorious and natural wilderness space left in this country seems to many be a far greater goal than providing a bigger and more spectacular playground for sportsmen.

12.3 - Buddhist Scholar Says Norquist Pledge Is Treason, Goes Viral (VIDEO) -  Professor Robert Thurman, Buddhist scholar, prolific author, respected academician, and “one of the 25 most influential people” chosen by Time in 1997, thinks the Grover Norquist pledge is a “seditious oath, a treasonous oath,” and he wants to “start a meme” that stirs up the people of this country to give serious thought to what that means.

12.3 - Homeless Man Who Got Boots From Good Cop Wants ‘Piece Of The Action’ - When you look at the bigger picture, it’s not hard to extrapolate how a man who served our country, had a family and, for reasons he can’t remember, is now barefoot and on the street, would want at least some of the bigger benefit he (understandably) believes is being wrought from a meme gone viral.

12.3 - ‘New’ Photo Of George Zimmerman’s Broken Nose – Trying The Case In The Press (AUDIO) - As the defense does what defense lawyers do, sully the victim to save the defendant, we, the people, continue to be bombarded with every manner of detail attempting to sway public opinion…jury pool opinion.

12.4 - Fox News to Karl Rove And Dick Morris, ‘Bye Bye, Boys’ - In the continuing, squirming readjustment of the Republican party since the gut punch known as Election 2012, Fox News chief, Roger Ailes, has seen the light and given the boot to crow-eating duo Karl Rove and Dick Morris.

12.5 - Beware Bashing Obamacare – It Could Cost Your Reputation - According to its own “brand perception” research company, YouGov BrandIndex, Papa John’s reputation among customers took a serious dive after Schnatter’s unseemly public statements against Obamacare and at the expense of his employees:

12.6 - Barbara Walters Picks ‘Most Fascinating People’: Clinton, Christie…Honey Boo Boo?? (VIDEO) - In an act of journalistic nose-thumbing, cultural bottom-feeding, or a sign that the world truly has gone to hell in a hand basket, Barbara Walters has invited the pudgy, potty-mouthed reality star, Honey Boo Boo, to a seat at the table with Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie at the always fascinating event called her “Most Fascinating People.”

12.6 - President Hillary Clinton? New Poll Numbers Say Yes - According to a new Washington Post–ABC News poll: “Overall, 57 percent of all Americans say they would back a Clinton candidacy, with support peaking among younger women.”

12.6 - Ann Coulter DOES Have A Soul – Says Raise Taxes, ‘We Lost’ (VIDEO) - “So are you saying that, for PR purposes, that they should give in to Obama on the tax rate?” Hannity asked. “Not exactly, I–” Coulter said, before stopping herself and saying, “Well, yeah, I guess I am.”

12.7 - In Momentous Decision Supreme Court Will View Anti-Gay Marriage Prop 8 - Though proponents of Prop 8 are the ones who brought this case to the Supreme Court, the marriage equality contingent sees the decision by the Court to view the case as the definitive opportunity to put the issue on the Federal table.

12.7 - Senator Stephen Colbert Of South Carolina: Has A Nice Ring To It (VIDEO) - In a personal pitch that left no doubt his biggest fan in politics is himself, Colbert did his usual (hilarious) dog and pony show to convince Haley he’s got the right stuff to replace Jim DeMint.

12.8 - One Million Moms REALLY Hate Ellen DeGeneres (VIDEO) - I get boycotts; what I don’t get is the continuing intolerance and hate, the time-wasting agenda; the unseemly fixation on the sexuality of a portion of humanity.

12.9 - Shock Jocks Behind Middleton Nurse Suicide In ‘Fragile State’…Do We Care? - We know we care about the tragically humiliated nurse, but do we care about the sniggering two who had no compunction about tricking her into crossing a very sensitive line of hospital privacy and then publicly humiliating her across the blogosphere?

Sinopah Mountain, Montana; photo by Lorraine Devon Wilke

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@ Rock+Paper+Music: Here you’ll find some pieces that tend toward the more personal, but still with a mix that swings somewhere between what I write for the Huffington Post and Addicting Info. In the coming months I’ll also be chronicling my “adventures in self-publishing,” as I take on the task with my novel, After the Sucker Punch.

11.3 - Writing to Save My Life: How I Survived The Election and Everything Before & After - For those of you who’ve wondered and asked, the bottom line is this: writing is not a chore for me, it’s a salvation. A gift. That many of you read and enjoy the words I put to paper (so to speak) is a delightful, appreciated, and very valued fringe benefit.  I thank you.

1o.23 - But Men Can’t Have It All Either - It’s not a new conversation. We’ve been having it since women broke out of the shackles of 1950′s thinking and began carving lives for themselves outside of hearth, husband and home. Finding balance, advancing ambition, spinning plates, and determining how we do it all without destroying the family paradigm.

10.13 - The Politics of Political Harassment: Might It Need a Law Too? - How is political harassment in the workplace any less oppressive, offensive, or objectionable than sexual harassment? For the person being harassed, it likely isn’t.

Career women still struggle to find balance between work and family…

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@ The Ferndale Enterprise: And if you’re from way up in northern California, Humboldt County to be exact, and you’re interested in the columns I write for The Ferndale Enterprise, you’re very welcome to click on Bridge Notes here at my blog, which runs reprints of all the columns I’ve contributed there since early 2012.

The award-winning Ferndale Enterprise

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OK. That should give you plenty to peruse…please do so at your leisure and your pleasure. There’s likely something in the list that will pique your interest so enjoy. And don’t forget to fill in the subscribe box (upper right hand corner of this page) so you’ll get an email each time something new is posted. And, as promised, I’ll run a Weekly Article Archive each Monday…keeping you posted of what’s been posted!

More as we go….

For details and links to my photography and music, visit www.lorrainedevonwilke.com. 

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@ Wikipedia.org

In the last six weeks I’ve written over fifty articles for Addicting Info, ten for Huffington Post, two for my “Bridge Notes” column at The Ferndale Enterprise, and two here at Rock+Paper+Music, including this one. Beyond my article and essay writing, I’m also editing at Addicting Info, have written and submitted in the short story competition at France Ford Coppola’s literary magazine, All-Story, have several screenplays out, (one, The Theory of Almost Everything, just awarded as a Finalist in the 2012 Final Draft, Inc. Big Break™ Contest ); have continued the editing and “taking the steps towards publishing” process on my novel, After the Sucker Punch, and doing my photography work whenever I can squeeze that in. Add to all that the madness of the just concluded election – and it was madness – and you can see what a wild ride it’s been these past few months.

I mention all this not to tout my task list, not to attempt to impress or blow my own horn – we’re all incredibly busy and occupied in our own ways – I say this only to illustrate the “immersion method” of writing I employ to help keep my ever-challenged sanity. Because through it all – all of it: life, work, loss, frustration, disappointment, joy, grief, reinvention, loneliness and love, to mention just a few of the “its” on the roster – writing has been my most passionate companion; demanding, occasionally overwhelming, but always and ultimately a life saver.

I’m not being hyperbolic here. There is truly something about the process of writing that, for me, takes the random insanities of the world and corrals them into something more manageable, something with structure, chronology and order, making them easier to understand and accept. Pre-Internet, I was that person writing “Letters to the Editors” wherever I came upon something that outraged me or seemed ripe for response, and though not a one of those letters was ever published, just the act of putting my thoughts into words, into cogent form, calmed me and made whatever it was I was writing about less infuriating. I could move on from it, take it from the swirling eddy of my thoughts and place it somewhere tidy and defined.

Truth be told, without the writing outlets that value and request my point of view – which I zestfully impart – I would likely be ones of those creepy “over-sharers” who snags anyone within earshot to engage in breathless pontification…dear God, what an image! Y’all are lucky I’ve got writing to keep me sane!

But now that we do have the Internet, we are all, all of us, bombarded every minute of every day with millions, billions, of words of information – news, opinion, analysis, gossip, bullshit – that make our world both easier to understand and more completely incomprehensible. The contradictions exist because many of the writers producing those billions of words are as contradicting as the stories being told. What used to be straight reporting is now spin and, of course, there are many of us professionally spouting our opinions, with varying degrees of verifiable truth, so certainly it gets confusing.

My husband and others in my life have made the comment, “I don’t know how you find that many topics to write about,” but it’s a simple matter of scanning the horizon – culture, politics, religion, family matters, art, movies, etc. – and seeing what jumps out for commentary. Most recently it’s been politics, with nary a dry moment to consider. But still, some have asked, how do you pick which stories are worth pursuing, or haven’t already been flogged to death by every other writer and journalistic site around? Well, if you’re a writer of some salt, you can always find a unique angle on a familiar story. But mostly, for me, particularly with politics, the process is incited after I’ve read a number of pieces that are contradictory, incendiary, spun with clear bias, and/or in serious need of objective clarification, and if my blood gets boiled enough based on the lack of fact or logic, I dive in.

For example, this most recent pre-election Benghazi story; while there remains much to that event that needs continued exploration and examination (now hampered by the oddly exploding Fatal Attraction event that is the Petraeus affair), in the early days of its confused explanation, after the event but before a very partisan election, the facts (or “facts,” quotes intended) were not only confused and concerning, but reeked of hysteria and the sort of political arrogance that presumes a knowledge impossible to have. Suddenly everyone was inside the President’s head, knew exactly what he was thinking at the given time, what his agenda was, what he was “hiding” and why, and the resultant hyperbole, including some incriminating insinuations, was repugnant.

So how do I, as a reader, a writer, and a concerned citizen respond? I start by following threads of logic – or illogic. I pull up as many versions of the story as I can find; I read and check the credentials or known biases of the writers involved. I let it sift and sit and simmer and then I follow my own threads of logic based on what I’ve researched and come up with something as cogent and credible as I possibly can…and that’s what ends up on my page (Benghazi Emails: Smoking Gun or Fog of War?). Once done, the knot in my stomach relaxes, because the many disparate threads whipping and winding through the air have now been given, in my mind and by virtue of the facts presented and the logic available, some structure. Some framework that MAKES SENSE. To me. Apparently to many of my readers. Which is grand. But even if no one agrees, and often many don’t, the creative and journalistic exercise for me is the lifesaver.

The same applies to creative writing, where ideas and thoughts spin in a mad kaleidoscope of inspiration and imagination and I, as the writer, pull them into structural and, hopefully, compelling order. Writing a novel was the most completely exhilarating example of that phenomenon; “herding beasts across the great plains” (somehow that Western motif resonates when I picture thousands of words making their way across the canvas of a creative mind, being corralled into chapter and verse!).

For those of you who’ve wondered and asked, the bottom line is this: writing is not a chore for me, it’s a salvation. A gift. That many of you read and enjoy the words I put to paper (so to speak) is a delightful, appreciated, and very valued fringe benefit.  I thank you. You make salvation sweeter.

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