The adventures of a zany mom

As a parent, I feel fortunate that my daughter felt safe sharing her same-sex relationship with me. This personal experience has deepened my understanding and commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community. It breaks my heart that the world we are in now may not be safe for her. My fight is for her. It’s personal.   Sadly, the LGBTQ+ community continues to face discrimination, marginalization, and denial of rights, especially in my home state of Texas. The state has passed or attempted to pass discriminatory legislation, such as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, and enacted policies targeting transgender individuals, including preventing access to hormone therapy.   Supporting LGBTQ+ rights is about ensuring all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are treated with dignity and afforded the same fundamental freedoms. This includes the rights to live freely without persecution, have their relationships recognized, access healthcare without discrimination, and

This election is crucial. Fundamental rights and the future of democracy are at stake.  The Republican Party has undoubtedly taken a dark turn, as seen through the concerning rise of authoritarianism and erosion of democratic norms. It is deeply troubling to see the party prioritizing fearmongering and pandering to narrow interests over the broader public good. This is corrosive to the health of the political system.  Therefore, it is heartening to see some prominent Republicans speaking out against the former president and voicing support for Vice President Harris. Their moral courage is commendable. However, the silent complicity of certain key figures, such as George W. Bush, the 43rd president, is disturbing. As Martin Pengelly argues with his article in The Guardian , their inaction is "morally indefensible."  Bush and his fellow Republicans have a responsibility to put country over party and take a firm stand against the threats to democracy. They have a unique

It was a text from a voice from the past. Sujatha (my namesake in Cleveland), an amazing artist and human, sent me a text letting me know of an upcoming program in Houston with her daughter's dance company. It also happened to be my son's birthday, so plans were made for me to celebrate both on Saturday, September 21st. Dr. Shriya Srinivasan is an accomplished artist and an intellectual at a young age. She, along with her co-director Joshua George (another amazing artist), put together a program called Explorations where they explored the relationship between emotions and our experience. They played with the audience's emotions and took us on an emotional rollercoaster, ultimately leading us to joy and leaving us hopeful for the future. Though young, they have an ageless understanding of philosophical concepts and how they tie to our behavior and experiences. The concept, though at times esoteric, was woven together seamlessly with dances and music spanning a wide spectrum

It takes seven (7) things to go wrong for a human-related disaster to occur. These human errors (which could be mitigated if caught), then result in a "human-related disaster". Quoting from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, “The typical accident involves seven consecutive human errors. One of the pilots does something wrong that by itself is not a problem. Then one of them makes another error on top of that, which combined with the first error still does not amount to catastrophe. But then they make a third error on top of that, and then another and another and another and another, and it is the combination of all those errors that leads to disaster.”  Hence the term. I've read through several articles recently and been cautioned about dwelling on 2016 to make a comparison to 2024.  However, that is the most recent election that turned our world upside down.  The similarities between 2016 and 2024 exist and, I feel, that thread has to be followed.   The 2016 election results w

Four years ago, we were in despair. A deadly virus had made its way through the country and we were held hostage by a tyrant who wanted people to inject bleach and recommended hydroxychloroquine as a remedy. We lost a million Americans to this virus. Thank you, Joe.  You showed what service to the country looks like. You set an example by running and winning. You didn’t need to. You could have retired to a happy life on the beach as Vice President. You ran, for us.  To show the world what a good, competent leader looks like. You brought dignity back to the office of the President. Not only did you launch a successful vaccination program, you had the American Rescue Plan enacted which stimulated the economy. You put money in the pocket of my children. This money helped my daughter pay her rent and put her back on her feet. Thank you, Joe. You made it easy for my child to sign up for the ACA plan by making it more affordable. The price for her medication was so high she had considered sk

America, we have a cancer.  We had an abnormal person that invaded democracy, and attacked our democratic norms from within.  This person was allowed the highest and most powerful office in the land. An office that could have been used to better peoples lives.  An office that could be used to promote American values abroad.  Instead, we saw this cancer metastasize into all branches of the government. The only treatment for this cancer was oncological surgery by voters, while the patient was ravaged with a pandemic. The good news is that the voters took a big chuck of the tumor out on November, 3rd, 2020.  The voters came out in record numbers and chose to remove the tumor. Yet, with all this, the tumor manages to live.  The tumor lives in the guise of GOP congressmen and senators who won’t stand up to the tumor.  The tumor seems to spread in the guise of white supremacists who don't accept American values.  So, other types of cancer treatment are also warranted.  There’s work still