My Blog
It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything. For the past several months, I’ve been in an abyss of sorts, uninspired to write or sing. The muse wandered off someplace, and I’ve never experienced such a prolonged period of creative drought. It feels as if my very soul's been frozen. Although I’m still thinking it through, I believe it’s been caused by a combination of factors: the death of my mom, exhaustion from the demands of the day gig, family issues, the ongoing crisis in the United…
My mother died on December 9, a little over a week ago. The ravages of pneumonia were too much for her frail and tiny 91 year-old body. She spent her final days in inpatient hospice care. This unassuming wing of a quiet Albuquerque hospital was like a Zen monastery – serene and oddly sublime. Here, she was finally able to get relief from her suffering and to rest comfortably as she settled in for her transition. The hospice nurses were some of the most compassionate…
According to a memo last week, the Trump administration is pushing to redefine gender as strictly binary- male or female- based on designation made at birth. If adopted, this narrow and egregiously flawed definition would erase the identities of millions of transgender and nonconforming people across the country and significantly roll back protections as granted by Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination in any programs that receive federal assistance. This isn’t Trump’s first attack on transgender citizens. In March, Trump introduced a policy that would…
I was such an inconsiderate idiot. I’m so sorry, dude, that I totally wrecked your day. We were driving along in the late afternoon yesterday, and I stopped to let a guy cross the road. You were behind me. There were a lot of cars, and the guy had been standing there for a minute, waiting for a break in the traffic. No, he wasn’t at a crosswalk. But it looked like he could use a little kindness, so I gave it to him. You…
There’s a dirty haze over Seattle tonight. An orange sun glares eerily in the smoky sky. The usually bustling city is subdued. It's hot still and uncharacteristically quiet. The feel is almost apocalyptic. Many people, near and far, are having a hard time right now. I’m good at articulating the problems but not always the solutions. But for tonight, in the here and now, I want to bring something different. I want to make space for a little bit of joy. In these few brief…
Every day, there’s a new affront: another egregious human rights violation, another deplorable policy, another nefarious assault on fundamental decency. Just when we think it can’t get worse, that there is nowhere lower to sink, we’re proven wrong, slapped in the face once again. Most recently, it’s asylum-seeking families being treated like criminals, with children separated from their parents and placed in cages. In some cases, these families will never be reunited again. And in the midst of this vile chaos, Justice Kennedy announces his…
Over the course of the past year or so, I’ve become increasingly angry at how the NFL treats players who kneel during the national anthem and/or who speak out against police brutality and systemic racism. By NFL, I mean everyone from Roger Goodell and the franchise owners to a loud faction of the fan base that is predominately white, nationalist-leaning and, in some cases, overtly racist. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about my frustration. I was prompted to do so when…
Last week, the Seattle Seahawks canceled a planned meeting with Colin Kaepernick. My understanding is that the purpose of the meeting was for Kaepernick to work out with the team and to discuss potential opportunities with the franchise. However, according to reports, Seahawks management called off the meeting when Kaepernick would not disclose his plans for future off-field activities and also refused to say if he would continue to kneel during the national anthem. A day after the cancellation was reported, the Seahawks signed Stephen…
Dear Richard, It’s not like I didn’t know it was coming. It had been all over social media and sports radio for days. Still, when the official news broke, it hit me like a sledgehammer. I was at my desk at work and lost my breath for a moment. My gut knotted up. I was expecting it, but it still felt so surreal. The next day, you signed the deal with the 49ers. Any lingering hope that you might come back to the Seahawks was…
If my ex-husband and I had been able to go the distance, last Wednesday, February 7, would have been our 31st wedding anniversary. Today is Valentine’s Day. The history of my relationships is unimportant. It’s enough to share that I’m uncoupled at present. I have not been in love for a very long time. I don’t know that I ever will be again. Either way, I’m okay. There will be no chocolates and rose petals for me today. I am no one’s Valentine. But still,…
