Only in Eugene

I pass this sign every day, and it always makes me smile. And I finally remembered to take my camera with me!
This is Eugene, Oregon, where the cops doing a “drug raid” (on a residential neighborhood where people were growing weed) felt they needed armored vehicles and grenades. It’s funny; we’re not a violent people. […]

Being a kid is scary

July 15, 2006.
I used to be a child.
I had great parents who loved me and respected me as a person. But sometimes, it was scary. And sometimes, I remember.
So tonight, I was explaining something to my son, and I said, “Do you remember the story of that time my family was playing a game, and […]

Now I'm sore.

Today I went to help Sensei remodel one of the dojos. He had put up a sign asking for volunteers. I was surprised at how few had signed up to help.
Our culture says “I’ve hired you as a teacher, so it’s your job to provide me with a facility (dojo), and to provide me with […]

Mom, is it ever ok to lie?

My son and I have been talking about lies and truth lately. (No big shock there.) We had both concluded, independently, that we don’t like “white lies,” or, in fact, any lies at all, and that authenticity is really important to both of us.
Yesterday, he asked me whether there were any circumstances in which it […]

Public Service Announcement

I heard a PSA today that told me I should have a talk with my kids about how violence against women is wrong. Or maybe their father should have the talk. Either way, it makes no sense. Such a talk should be ridiculous.
My kids would never imagine that I’d condone any kind of violence against […]

I found a truth-speaker!

My heart is glowing because I’ve run across a truth-speaker. Heather Gold is comedian and a teacher of Open Source Management, a way for businesses to get real. Open Source Management uses ideas she’s learned from the software industry to promote authenticity and vulnerability in business. Why would business be interested? “Systems eventually fail […]

Why we fight is on google video!

The movie I talked about earlier, Why We Fight, is now available from google video! I saw it in the theater, but I’m really excited that now people can see it easily.
If you’re interested in really getting what’s going on with this war, you should definitely watch it. It’s not some whacked-out conspiracy thing. It’s […]

A lie in the mail

I keep getting lies in the mail. I’m sad about that.
Today it was a letter addressed (by hand) to me, but with no return address. Inside was a newspaper clipping with a post-it that said “Angela, Check this out! - J”. There was a stamp on the envelope; it couldn’t have come from a business.
But […]

Ghandi, Carl Rogers, and Anger

Damn. Damn, damn damn.
I wasn’t empathetic. I wasn’t loving. I wasn’t non-violent.
Soulmate and I got into a heated discussion with his parents. There’s a lot of hurt there, but instead of dealing with that, I responded to anger with anger, and to accusations with accusations. It’s been two days, and I’m still feeling the effects.
I’m […]

Living With War and Lies

Neil Young is streaming his new album, Living With War, at his website, www.neilyoung.com.
I’m relieved to see it, hoping that things really will begin to change. On the other hand, I don’t feel very hopeful at the moment.
It really seemed like things would change 40-50 years ago, before those philanderers and radicals, Martin Luther King, […]