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I was 12 years old when the song “Ohio” hit the radio airwaves, and I cannot help thinking about the history of this song, my personal history as a child growing up in the 70s, my history as a college professor, and the current situation at Universities all over the United States. I am worried…
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Before we went to sleep one night, I warned my new then-boyfriend (now husband) that at some point in our relationship, I would have a massive allergic reaction to something I ate or was exposed to, and I was giving him fair warning just in case he wanted out of the relationship. He did the…
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The other day some asshole yelled at me: “Hey, what’s in the bags?” and this blog post is my response because in general, people who yell stuff at me make me feel afraid. MOST Fridays before Shabbat service begins, my husband and I make an in-kind food donation to David D. Frazier Food Pantry at…
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Many, many years ago, out of the blue, my sister-in-law asked my husband and I: “Have you guys ever tried 23 and Me?” She was seated in the back of our car and we were driving her home. This was actually the second time she’d asked us this question in a matter of hours. The…
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If you think you have a problem or need an Alanon meeting because someone in your family has a GA, there is help.https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/content/recovery-program
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I joined the Mah Jongg League last year and there’s still so much to learn. It had been years since I had played, and I was not a very good player when I played years ago. Many years ago, I played with a group of highly skilled, massively competitive Asian women, and each game went…
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I read or listen to hundreds of books every year. My favorite topics include poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, history, sociology, and criminology. I am Silver Sneakers status and figuring out how things work is very good for my aging brain because it gives my brain new information to attach to the old information. I…
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When I was in graduate school in Houston, I worked a summer at a busy upscale grocery store, and employees who worked on the floor were obligated to bag groceries in the checkout area whenever there was a shortage of baggers. I saw the CEO standing behind a register bagging groceries when he was in…
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I will never forget this: I got out of my car and walked directly to the circle of teachers standing outside the elementary school in Alamance County, North Carolina. When I asked why they were outside, a teacher smiled: “Operation Warm is in the gym fitting children for coats.” A small child ran up to…
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I’m so damn lucky! I have worked with some pretty incredible human beings over the years, Professors from Hunter College, the CWP and the English Department of the University of Houston, and the Bennington Writing Seminars in Vermont. I was given some bad-ass notes on my writing from teachers over the years. Here’s one that…
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Mary Louise Penaz 