Sigh, again. Much more petty sigh than the sex-segregated lines, and yet...

I'll have to come out as a settler tomorrow, registering into my work properly. In front of people and a boss that I'm not sure how well they'll accept it, even with my (somewhat-valid) reasons. I just hate being so self conscious and feeling so guilty about it. I know it's the least of the problems of settlements, and yet... Arrg.

I think the red hair goes with my fair skin and light green eyes. I'm of a pinkish hue, too, but aren't most Irish rather pink? (I'm now thinking of Billy Connolly's screamingly funny "Pale Blue Scottish Person", of which I cannot find a copy to replace my worn-out VHS tape.) My hair was naturally very dark brown, with red highlights in summer. The one time I bleached it and dyed it red, the process damaged it so much I never did that again, but now that it's almost all silver, I can use the Natural Instincts demi-permanent and don't have to bleach it first. Now that I'm 45+, I think the lighter, brighter shade does better with my no-longer-youthfully-glowing skin. Anyway, the color's pretty.

I just hate being so self conscious and feeling so guilty about it.

There are few of us who have not been mortally embarrassed at some point by decisions our parents made.

I always wanted red hair, and it seemed to me that with green/gray eyes and skin that burns in a heartbeat that I ought to have it. My mother's hair had auburn in it. My current version of better living through chemistry ends up with some reddish highlights, but the one time I went more red, it was too hard to keep up with my mousy light brown/gray roots.

There are few of us who have not been mortally embarrassed at some point by decisions our parents made.

My mother, in her late-40s, mowing the front lawn, wearing a bikini. We lived across the street from my elementary school.

Seen at my local bookstore, something that may humiliate my children in the future: [link]

Woot Barb!

There are few of us who have not been mortally embarrassed at some point by decisions our parents made.

Not that it's not true, but very rarely said decisions have a indirect relation to loss and dehumanization of human lives.

It's not a perfect or zero-sum world, I know. But sometimes, living in it and do so morally seems impossible.

Happiest of Birthdays, Sparky! May it begin the sparkiest of years for you and yours.

Yay, Barb!

I found a recipe that looked similar to what I used last year. So we are having roasted chicken with chutney and roasted veg for dinner tonight.

When I was growing up in the San Fernando valley women on my street of all ages used to mow the lawn and sunbath in white bra and undies. Same or better coverage than bikini's so they did not see why not. Actually they have a point, but I've never found anyone from another neighborhood or even another street in the Valley where this happened...

I'm having either the last of the deli sliced beef with sharp local dairy cheddar on locally-baked rye, with actual shaved horseradish in sour cream, and a locally grown honeycrisp apple for dessert. Either that or white beans cooked with veg and scraps of the ham butt we baked last week. Or rosemary-ginger-tarragon roasted boneless skinless chicken breast, steamed rice, and sweet potato braised in butter with ginger and dill. Leftovers, FTW!

Barb, I've always loved that author photo--your eyes are amazing in it. Book signings, also FTW!