• Connections - Dear Mom - Hawaii - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Aloha, Leah

    May 28, 2012 - By 

    Leah gets lei’d at Maui Kahului Airport in September, 2007 Leah Sharron Gibbs, nee Green, age 70, beloved wife for 50 years and best friend of Sheldon. Loving mother of David (Virginia), Daniel, Mitchell (Gloria) Gibbs. Cherished grandmother of Melissa, Joshua, Jennifer and Naomi. Dear sister of the late Seymour Green. Devoted daughter of the late Abrasha and Udasha. Fond sister-in-law of Norma and Bill Brown. Loving aunt of many nieces and nephews. Long time teacher at Serena Hills School in Chicago Heights, IL. Member of B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom. Services Thursday, 11 A M. at B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom,…

  • Connections - Dear Mom - Hawaii - Uncategorical Weirdness

    Aloha, Leah

    May 28, 2012 - By 

    Leah gets lei’d at Maui Kahului Airport in September, 2007 Leah Sharron Gibbs, nee Green, age 70, beloved wife for 50 years and best friend of Sheldon. Loving mother of David (Virginia), Daniel, Mitchell (Gloria) Gibbs. Cherished grandmother of Melissa, Joshua, Jennifer and Naomi. Dear sister of the late Seymour Green. Devoted daughter of the late Abrasha and Udasha. Fond sister-in-law of Norma and Bill Brown. Loving aunt of many nieces and nephews. Long time teacher at Serena Hills School in Chicago Heights, IL. Member of B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom. Services Thursday, 11 A M. at B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom,…

  • Dear Mom - Home Improvement

    Why Carl Kasell Is Awesome: @PeterSagal Please Pass Along The Thanks Of A Grateful Family

    May 28, 2012 - By 

    If you’re not aware of how awesome Carl Kasell is as the official “Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!” scorekeeper, you’re completely missing the point of this post and there’s very little hope for you. However, there’s still time to catch up if you get to work immediately listening to old episodes in the archives. Or check out their excellent blog, which seems to be mostly about food. My brother-in-law Mitch pulled off an incredible coup recently; some time ago he wrote to our local public radio station (the mighty, mighty, WBEZ) and simply asked if he could get a “Carl…

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Politics, Schmolitics

    Balloon Juice » One More Thing About Komen (It Forced Progressives To Grow A Pair)

    February 4, 2012 - By 

    THIS. Thanks to my Second Life chum RevPaperboy Boozehound for bringing this to my attention. I had been feeling the same way about the huge outpouring of progressive outrage over the Komen debacle, but this crystallized it for me. DON’T believe the lies. EVERYTHING said about Obama, the economy, and the whole freakin WORLD by FOX Newa commentators and right-wing guests is a a GOD. DAMNED. LIE. Progressives, assemble. Occupy your passion for justice, fairness, and universal healthcare. This time, though, was different. It was nice to watch everyone go for blood, and sink their teeth in and get some.…

  • Dear Mom - Mini-Posts

    Left Unsaid

    January 28, 2012 - By 

    Riley is doing pretty well on his kitty chemo regimen. Work is good, my desk will be next to a window starting Monday. My doctor is now satisfied that my weird blood tests are “normal for me.” But, ow. We’re looking forward to vacation in a few weeks, but trying to stay flexible. Family is mostly good, though there is lots that must remain unsaid. Church is good, but need to catch up on some updates for the website.

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Hot Off The Presses - Politics, Schmolitics

    The phrase “Walsh Got Deliciously Screwed In Redistricting” Never Gets Old #p2 #IL08

    December 12, 2011 - By 

    Kossack David Nir gets to consume e tasty beverage of his choice; his diary on Rep. Joe Walsh’s reported $3.5mil campaign fund windfall got quoted on Huffington Post. That’s not quite as prestigious as being cited in Time or The New York Times, but it’s a pretty good showing. Especially as HuffPo’s Meghan Neal quoted my favorite political turn of phrase of the current election cycle. The closest I ever got to seeing my Congressman was when I showed up at a “small business” forum held nearby. Took photos of all the media trucks and went home. Well done, Kossack!…

  • Connections - Dear Mom

    Waiting For Melissa

    November 26, 2011 - By 

    Our niece Melissa is coming over for a few hours; we’ll hang out with Rileycat and then head off to see the new Muppet movie, and after that we’ll all go down to see her grandparents and have dinner. She’ll stay with them tonight. It’s a social whirlwind when she comes to town – she lives pretty quietly down in Southern Illinois, so we try to pack a lot of “family time” into her occasional visits up here for holidays. Thanksgiving was a nice time… David’s Aunt Norma did a lovely job as always, hosting 42 (!) people at 4…

  • Connections - Dear Mom

    Waiting For Melissa

    November 26, 2011 - By 

    Our niece Melissa is coming over for a few hours; we’ll hang out with Rileycat and then head off to see the new Muppet movie, and after that we’ll all go down to see her grandparents and have dinner. She’ll stay with them tonight. It’s a social whirlwind when she comes to town – she lives pretty quietly down in Southern Illinois, so we try to pack a lot of “family time” into her occasional visits up here for holidays. Thanksgiving was a nice time… David’s Aunt Norma did a lovely job as always, hosting 42 (!) people at 4…

  • Blogs Wot I Read - Music

    Hey SEB! Alasdair Fraser And Natalie Haas Ann Arbor Nov 13

    November 10, 2011 - By 

    Attention, SEB!! A really great folk duo is playing in Ann Arbor this weekend at The Ark. If you like Scottish fiddle with a wee bit of percussive cello, don’t miss them. My husband David and I happened to catch a show on a vacation to Maine (they tour incessantly), and it was one of those rare moments of discovery. Hope you see this notice, if folk music’s your thing. 13 Ann Arbor MI The Ark Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas 734-761-1451 Tickets, Info “. . . the expressive gamut from deep Celtic melancholy to joyful jig, his fiddle imitations…

  • Connections - Dear Mom

    College Special Ed: It’s Not Just Possible, It Can Be Done

    November 8, 2011 - By 

    Is it possible? Yes. Is it practical? Maybe. Would it work in every family, with every quirky dynamic? Probably not. Does it make me feel sad that some capable adults who could benefit from programs like this will never get the chance to try, because their families or guardians are convinced that it’s just not possible? Like many high school graduates, Jennifer Gans, of Glen Ellyn, wanted to go to college. But developmental delays put her in a population of students that few colleges serve: those with “intellectual disabilities.” Now Gans, 25, is a proud graduate of Elmhurst College’s four-year…