The cartoonist, Lynda Barry, contends that most adults suffer from “play amnesia.” Living in these dark times, many overlook play...
National Emergency Action, Hope & Despair, Oscars & More!
“National Emergency” Action While vacationing in Palm Springs I’m trying to keep my activist spirit alive. Last Monday I joined in the national action to protest Trump’s “national emergency” where cities across the country mobilized to protest Trump’s manufactured emergency. In Palm Springs several hundred turned out with signs [...]
Pat Taub
Videos With Kick-Ass Female Leads
If you’re like me, evenings set aside for video watching frequently spiral into frustration. You make a selection but three minutes in, you know it’s not for you, so you try another film followed by another and another until after multiple failed attempts, you throw the remote across the room, give up on the video hunt and/or re-watch [...]
Pat Taub
My Funny Valentine’s Day Strategy
Several years ago when I grew weary of my unpartnered Valentine’s Days limited to red construction paper hearts from my grandchildren or Internet offers of bargain chocolates, I decided to make a ritual of doing something special for myself on Valentine’s Day so I wouldn’t feel left out. That first year I indulged in a longtime [...]
Pat Taub
Contemporary Suffragettes, Palm Springs Photos, Sunrise Movement & More!
Contemporary Suffragettes I was buoyed by the sea of white during the Orange Monster’s State of the Union address. I’m thrilled by the boldness of the newly elected Congresswomen and by their initiatives like the “Green New Deal.” Establishment Democrats are pushing back against the new progressives in their midst. It’s up [...]
Pat Taub
The Older Woman’s New Power
Older women are feeling powerful as they discover a voice they didn’t possess in their previous decades. They’re speaking up with a boldness and confidence unknown to their younger selves. Writer and blogger, 80 year-old Elaine Soloway has shed her passive aggressive self to take on verbal bullies. The popular Australian writer, [...]
Pat Taub
Palm Springs Art and Mineral Baths, New RGB Movie & More!
My Desert Vacation Update As I continue to enjoy my Palm Springs respite from the polar vortex, I’ve been exploring the desert, developing a new appreciation for its magnificent landscapes. This week my friend Ily and I went to Indian Canyon where we did the easy hikes and took lots of photos. Hot Mineral Baths This week I also [...]
Pat Taub
Rebel With A Cause
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL I was not in a good mood as my husband John and I exited the LA Metro station for the Extinction Rebellion rally. An hour and a half on the terrifying freeways driving west from Palm Springs, followed by nearly an hour on the crowded, noisy Metro from Azusa to downtown Los Angeles, may illustrate some of the reasons [...]
Pat Taub
Vacation Social Action, Phyllis Chesler’s Memoir, The No Complaint Challenge & More!
Social Action on Vacation As part of my Palm Springs vacation I accompanied an old Codepink buddy, Janet Weil, to the office of State Representative Raul Ruiz to do a letter drop off encouraging the Congressman to vote for HR 1, a bill supporting Medicare for all. Janet is a resident of Palm Springs and was lobbying as a member of Progressive [...]
Pat Taub
How To Be A Happy Older Woman
Given all the ageism and sexism smacking older women in the face aging can be a dismal state for many women. Mary Pipher to the rescue! In her new book, Women Rowing North, Pipher makes the case for a happy old age. She declares, “Happiness depends on how we deal with what we are given.” Piper interviews older women from all walks of [...]
Pat Taub
California Vacation, Foreign Films, Mary Oliver & More!
California Vacation Lucky me, I’m writing from sunny Palm Springs, CA where I’m vacationing, and escaping the snow and ice. I’m particularly grateful to be in a warm clime as Maine anticipates a heavy snowfall this weekend. This is my first time in the desert. I love the full sun but miss the ocean—a first world complaint to [...]
Pat Taub