Living Freedom

I am such a wuss (and other Wednesday ramblings)

Published March 26, 2014 12:11 pm by Claire

Last night I jammed my two little leftie toes on a table leg while wandering around in the dark. Well so? That’s usually one of those things where you hop around and cuss for a couple of minutes then life goes on. But this kept hurting all night and by morning those two toes were fat and red and the foot around them was fat and blue.

Still, we’re not talking about a major health crisis here. Just an owie.

I’m rarely ever sick and it’s been years since I’ve been injured. Meanwhile, nearly everybody I know has had health problems lately — from colds that turn into pneumonia to a flu that lingers for six weeks (in one case even leading to neurological problems) to … cancer.

So I have a lot of nerve getting all pouty about an owie.

33 Comments

Tuesday links

Published March 25, 2014 8:00 am by Claire

“Forget guns. What happens when everybody prints their own shoes?” The 3D economy will transcend the state. (Well, hopefully …) Girl shaves head in solidarity with friend who’s gone bald from chemo. School and school district get undies in a bunch. Wow. This pope is gonna get hisself assassinated if he doesn’t cut it out. And speaking of the Vatican — just who did order up all that cocaine? Larry Correia gets mad over gummint “customer service.” And speaking of gummint … Yes, good question: why are we-the-taxpayers sending all that Pennsylvania coal to Germany, which has plenty of its…

7 Comments

Angry writers and other vague ruminations

Published March 25, 2014 1:30 am by Claire

I’m working on a project with a couple other writers. We’re each doing our own thing, but coordinating about the topics we choose. Today one came up with a rare good-news gun-rights story and offered it around. “Nope,” the other replied (or words to that effect), “I write best when something pisses me off.” Oh lordy, that is so true of so true. And it’s sooooo bad for the blood pressure. And for a person’s sanity and humanity. —– We’ve been having this exuberant burst of spring — today, even summerlike! — weather. I went to the hardware store for…

14 Comments

Things that went wrong at Waco

Published March 24, 2014 6:59 am by Claire

“Sacred and Profane: How not to negotiate with believers.” The New Yorker’s Malcolm Gladwell on some of the many things that went wrong at Waco.

16 Comments

Weekend links

Published March 22, 2014 1:35 am by Claire

Beaded guns. Yes, very, very weird. Cops in Hawaii assert that they really, really, really need that law that allows them, and only them, to have sex with prostitutes. So what exactly did Erdogan think would happen when he tried to ban Twitter? Didn’t somebody say something about “can’t stop the signal”? I see the point. Larry Page would rather leave his billions to Elon Musk than to charity. Dog names (per jed in comments). Belladonna Squishypup. Definitely beats Maggie. Or Max. Okay, now I’ve gotten some fabulous deals at garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, rummage sales, or jumble…

17 Comments

Aunt Jenny sends a posthumous warning

Published March 21, 2014 7:08 am by Claire

The ever-fiery Mike Vanderboegh sends a warning to anti-gun state legislators via the tale of “Aunt Jenny.” Maybe if you’re in Alabama (as Mike is), Jenny lore is in your blood. Dunno. I’d never heard of her. When I looked her up, I discovered that no two accounts agree. They’re so far apart that even her name is disputed. So are the political sympathies (or apathies) of Jenny and her vengeful brood — even though those views played a huge role in triggering the bloody doings. I’m taking this version of the story as definitive, mostly because it doesn’t claim…

8 Comments

Going to the dogs

Published March 20, 2014 1:05 am by Claire

I was planning on slowly working my way back to reality after the trip to Nicaragua. But no sooner had I returned than a client emergency (or several) came up. Reality caught me and wrestled me to the ground. Those of you I owe emails may have to wait a while. (But then, knowing me and my bad email habits, you’re used to that, aren’t you?) Meanwhile, have some dogs. And a cat or two. Beloved stray gets a home after being hit by a car. Dog saves her human after a snowmobile accident. And while we’re still in this…

3 Comments

A different country

Published March 18, 2014 8:38 am by Claire

I have a friend who’s lived offshore for … I don’t know how long. Long time. Decades, maybe. He believes that any USSA freedomista who doesn’t quickly move off to furrin parts is doooooooomed and he plans to be shouting, “I told you so!” as various vast edifi of a collapsing state crush us into pulp.

Could be, could be.

Freedomistas who stay in the U.S. could be in as much denial as those German Jews who are cited so often today. Part of being in denial is not knowing that you are.

That’s one reason I went to Panama four years ago and Nicaragua this month. Perspective. Checking things out. (Getting to be warm in winter didn’t hurt, either.)

But I’m probably not going back. Unless something big comes along (e.g. a millionaire sweeping me off my feet and urging me to live with him forever in his seaside villa in Costa Rica — an event as likely as winning the lottery then being abducted by aliens on the way home with my multi-million dollar check) — it just ain’t happening. Reasons? Many and various.

42 Comments

Where I went on my winter vacation, part II

Published March 16, 2014 11:40 am by Claire

Some random pix and random thoughts from last week’s trip.

12 Comments

Where I went on my winter vacation, part 1

Published March 14, 2014 1:53 pm by Claire

Where? Granada, Nicaragua (as Shel guessed first, with a couple others close behind).

Nicaragua??? Yep. I was amused, and not at all surprised, that nobody even mentioned Nicaragua as a possibility until I gave those hints. After all, isn’t Nicaragua the land of Sandinistas and Contras? Isn’t it a socialist country? Isn’t it the place where former revolutionary Daniel Ortega has more recently done what all former revolutionaries do when they gain political power — ~~declare the official language of the country to be Swedish~~ declare himself presidente for life. (Well, effectively so) and plaster the country with his own “heroic” face?

(I didn’t get a chance to photograph the 2014 version of this billboard. Had to copy this one online, but rest assured the current ones are similar and even more grandiose.)

Yes, it’s all that. But …

25 Comments

Living Freedom Posts