Tag Archives: GoodTrouble

America, American Politics, Chicago, Diversity, Storytelling, Travel

Another American City

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I’m talking about Chicago, folks. Probably one of the most fun cities to visit, in my opinion.

And the evil regime in the White House has directed their troops to invade it. It’s shocking, isn’t it? And as it happens more and more (and it will, though eventually I do believe their luck is going to run out based on “we, the people” pushing back with all we’ve got). But let’s not let the shock wear off. That’s what this administration wants. Let’s not let this ever become normal. Because it’s not, and it should never be.

Now that I have that off my chest, let me share a few anecdotes about my relationship with this great American city.

I have close family there. People I love. I’ve visited them there both when I was younger and when I was older. With my family of origin and with the family I made with Mr. NOA. I’ve visited there with a girlfriend of mine, taking the Amtrak to get there, and staying with her childhood friends who live there. The friend we stayed with was living her best single life, in her own condo right in the heart of the city. The view from her floor-to-ceiling windows was spectacular. The four of us ladies had a night on the town like no other. It culminated in us, drunk and happy, traipsing through an “adults only” store (you know the kind), giggling like a bunch of 13-year-olds.

Another time I visited this great city was with Mr. NOA. At Christmas, his gift to me (a humongous surprise), was a weekend in Chicago to celebrate the New Year (it was probably 2008). We went out on the town, getting all gussied up, me in a fancy black dress and heels, Mr. NOA in a handsome gray suit with a lavender button-down underneath. We had a very fancy schmancy seafood dinner and later many, many alcoholic beverages to ring in 2000-whatever it was.

I drank far too much that night. More than I possibly have ever in my life. The next morning was rough as hell, a sobering reminder of the nightmare of being hungover, which I hadn’t been in years. We had tickets to see “Addams Family, the Musical” at a theater downtown for that afternoon. I rallied, but not after sipping cold water while sitting as still as possible on our hotel room bed, watching “Shameless” on cable. Ironic, I thought at the time, that I’m watching this show for the first time, a show which, it could be argued, features the city of Chicago as one of the main characters.

I was hooked on that show from that point on. Upon our return home, I proceeded to watch each and every season that was to be found, and when new seasons started, I devoured them like a fiend.

I can’t help but wonder what the Gallagher clan would think, or more interestingly, how they would respond to the ICE insurrection happening in their beloved city right now. They’d surely be raising holy hell.

My wish for the people of Chicago is that they don’t back down from this fight. Not that they should try to cosplay what Kevin, V, Carl, Ian or myriad other characters of “Shameless” would likely do (because I suspect it would not be pleasant for the insurrectionists; not that there should be a goal of keeping these ICE insurrectionists comfortable with what they are doing). I like the subversive sort of trouble that I’ve seen in the news recently in Portland, where ICE has also set up shop, where folks don their blow-up costumes and dance in the streets alongside these ICE goons. To me, that’s the secret sauce to changing the tide in this country, in particular when it comes to our lively, diverse American cities which are being undeservedly harassed at the direction of the occupants of our White House.

Fortunately, the citizens of Illinois have a tough, common-sense, benevolent Governor, JB Pritzker. He is a leader. He is a helper.

It just so happens that the very first concert Mr. NOA attended together, back in about 1988, was “Chicago”. This was a band that I have enjoyed ever since I can remember. We booked a bus trip to the Twin Cities for this concert. We were by far the youngest people on this bus, which we found hilarious.

No doubt you know which musical artist is going to be featured at the end of this random blog post today, but this is one of my top favorites from this band. I think the line “listen children, all is not lost all is not lost” feels especially apropos for this particular timeline.

America, American History, American Politics, Travel, Washington DC, White Privilege

I Love D.C. AND Hate What’s Going on There

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I’ve had the incredible fortune of visiting our nations’s capital on several occasions over the last 15-ish years. The majority of those times, it was on account of Mr. NOA being a federal employee who, from time to time, has to attend work meetings in D.C., and I’ve tagged along. Most of those visits have produced blog posts.

As an American who loves this country in spite of its flaws, I am sickened that the rotten-to-the-core tRump administration has chosen to use military force to take over the city of Washington, D.C. under the guise of combating crime. It wasn’t necessary nor requested, and it’s not cool. The DOJ actually reported not long ago that crime in this city is at its lowest in the last 30 years. The real motivation for this action is , of course, to instill fear in the people of our nation’s capital and to assert control over American society. To live out their fascist fantasies.

The times I have been in D.C., I’ve got out on my own, whilst Mr. NOA was busy with work, to explore the city using the Metro. I always feel safe there; both in the Metro and navigating the city. Now, I understand that my white privilege likely contributes to that sense of safety. Yet, I am a woman. One not trained in karate and who doesn’t carry a weapon or even pepper spray in her bag while there (or anywhere else for that matter). And while traipsing around D.C. on my own, I’ve never felt the need for any of those sorts of “reinforcements”, if you will.

It appears that soon, the monster in the White House is going to send a pack of his acolytes to review the exhibits in the Smithsonian’s museums, to determine which pieces are “woke” and therefore not to his liking, so they can be removed. This seriously pisses me off. They are literally attempting to whitewash history, depriving visitors from learning the realities of American history. This evil regime has attacked DEI and dismantled the US Department of Education, so it tracks that the Smithsonian would also be in their crosshairs.

Have you visited Washington, D.C.? If so, what did you see or do there that enlightened or amazed you?

As a fan of “good trouble”, I’m hoping to see my fellow Americans who are working, living, or just visiting D.C., in this perilous moment of American history, bring their subversive, creative selves to the table in opposition to this madness. I’m thinking something like a peaceful, dancing flash mob (perhaps to the tune of Twisted Sisters “We’re Not Gonna Take It”) on the National Mall. Or a pop-up improv group performing anti-fascism sketches outside the Smithsonian. Perhaps an outside interactive art installation highlighting our uniquely American experiences. I know, I know, these types of resistance activities will not solve the problem of our beloved Smithsonian being ransacked by these evil goons, but I’d sure love to see footage of these kinds of things. To boost morale, you know what I mean?

I firmly believe that We The People will prevail in the end, but just in case tRump gets his way with messing with our beloved Smithsonian, here’s a little photo collage of pics I’ve taken during visits there of “woke” exhibits that educated and inspired me. I’ve included a few other pics of other places I’ve had the pleasure to check out in D.C. over the years as well.

I hope you enjoy this collaborative cover of one of my favorite protest songs because “we’re right, we’re free, we’ll fight, you’ll see”!

American Politics, Community, Humor, Intentionality, Lifestyle, Moods, Protests, Rage, Reading, Self-Reflection

Reading and Misreading

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Let me just say my love of shopping at thrift stores will never wane.

This picture is of the books I picked up on my latest trip to our local Goodwill.

I just finished the one at the top of the pile, “The Bookshop on the Corner”. It was an enjoyable read; a sweet yet meandering story of romance and friendship, riddled with phrasings I was unfamiliar with but nonetheless got the gist of. More than anything, though, it made me want to visit Scotland.

Now the question is, which book shall I tear into next? I’m partial to “Soul Pancake”, written by Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute from “The Office”).

If these were your books, which one would you read next?

In other news, I have a short story about one of the other things I picked up at Goodwill that day.

Even if I’m on a mission to find used books or home decor when I walk into a thrift store, I will always end up perusing the racks of clothes when I’m there. I just can’t help myself.

So, after finding the books I’m reading next and a few other random items, I mosey on over to those racks. Knowing that soon I’ll be participating in another anti-tRump administration rally/protest, I’m thrilled to see the *perfect* t-shirt for this (and future such) events.

Dear friends: the t-shirt was light blue and my size. Emblazoned with stars, it read “In My Enraged Era”. As a fan of Taylor Swift (who feels a bit too old to refer to themselves as a “Swiftie”, especially given the fact that I can’t tell you which of her albums resonates with me the most), who is, indeed, quite enraged about the state of America under tRump 2.0, it felt like serendipity.

So, Mr. NOA and I attended the rally/protest that Saturday. I, proudly wearing my cool new t-shirt and holding up the sign I made earlier that morning, was feeling pretty sassy. Having just gotten my hair chopped off and highlighted earlier in the week also boosted my sense of righteous indignation.

It was all (in my head) “I’m enraged and I’m not going to take it anymore” vibes that day.

If you look closely at the t-shirt, you’ll know where the rest of this story is going.

Later that evening, just as I was about to get ready for bed, I happened to glance down at my cool new t-shirt.

Ope! I read the shirt wrong!!!

It actually says “In my engaged era”

In hindsight, I realize this likely was a t-shirt made to be purchased by a newly engaged-to-be-married person to wear to their engagement party.

The irony is that I opened my big mouth on this blog back in January and claimed this was my year of “intentionality”. Yet, being intentional is akin to being “engaged”, right?

And I am engaged: in day-to-day life, engaged with blogging, engaged in my workplace, engaged in the relationships I share with the people I love, engaged with my creative spirit, and engaged in good trouble as an American voter. And I endeavor to maintain this engagement.

So, that’s the story of how I went from enraged to engaged.

Or maybe it’s a story of how we all see what we want to see sometimes and not what is actually there.

Or maybe it’s a lesson for me to continue to engage with my enragement as our administration continues their reckless and evil doings to the people of this country I love.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I’m sharing a Taylor Swift song that best captures the feeling of enragement for me.

Blogging, Blogging Community, Gratitude, Intentionality, Joy, Positivity, Self-Reflection, SNL fans, Valentine's Day

Blogaversary Number 8

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Saturday, February 8th, 2025 was a snow day for us here in Minnesconsin. We adjusted our plans and hunkered down inside.

As I was sitting at my dining room table, peering out at the snow falling down outside my window, I saw a WordPress notification congratulating me on 8 years of blogging.

With 8 being my guiding number, I can’t pass up the opportunity to share my thoughts about this blog-aversary.

First off, I’m in a different place than I was 8 years ago, physically and mentally. At that time, I was living a more free-wheeling life in Colorado with Mr. NOA. My responsibilities at the time were minimal and I had oodles of free time. Just for fun I decided to start this blog. My aim was to put myself out there and see if I could find like-minded souls who appreciated my ramblings.

Fortunately, I did. And I appreciate every one of you. And I miss the ones who wrote some of the funniest, righteous, and heartfelt writing I’ve ever read. The ones who, in some cases, for no known reason, stopped blogging (on WordPress anyway).

I wrote a lot of sub-par posts. I didn’t have any grand plan when I first started out. I still don’t.

I wrote about wins and losses. I wrote about what I think about the state of the world and the state of my life. I wrote about vacations I took and books I read. I wrote about interactions I had and my dreams for the future.

I shared in this space stories of my personal failures and misadventures and my passion for music and comedy. I wrote about work and I wrote about my friends and family.

I feel good about the fact that I’ve stuck with it.

But I don’t want to keep waxing nostalgic about this milestone today. That’s because I’m grounded in the present and, frankly, I’m boring myself. It only stands to reason that I’m probably boring you right now as well.

So here I go, switching gears.

*Cue the sound of a record being scratched*

8 Good Things To Share

Disclaimer before I proceed: I am in no way forgetting the fact that America is essentially on fire and the American people are suffering and by God I will do whatever it is I can to minimize the damage. But, on this day, I’m leaning into my Pollyanna-ish inclinations.

  1. My work hours have increased. Meaning instead of working M-W-F at my lovely local non-profit, I’m working M-W-Th-F. Tuesdays are all mine! She says greedily. The reality of working more hours, however, is that I’ve inadvertently challenged myself to ramp up the focus on that one little word I declared allegiance to when I was feeling slightly shinier about 2025. That would be “intentionality”. As in, how am I choosing to spend my downtime? Which gets to the heart of the word itself. Note to self: say a prayer of gratitude for the luxury of having downtime to begin with. You’re a lucky broad.

2. SNL 50 Homecoming Concert: the music, the laughs. What a surprising and terrific Valentine’s gift to me and all the other lifelong fans of the show. Kate McKinnon introducing Brandi Carlisle and THEN watching Brandi and her phenomenal band (even the sisters playing their strings!) perform perhaps her best song ever: “The Joke”, made my heart soar.

3. Speaking of Valentine’s gifts, Mr. NOA (for those new to this blog, it’s my nickname for my husband, Mr. None of the Above) surprised me with a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Yes, they smell as good as they look. I think this guy is a keeper.

4. Circling back to music: The Fire Aid concert, which was to benefit those who lost their homes in the recent California wildfires. Wow. Blew me away. Do yourself a favor, unless you hate music: find this online and watch it. Highlights? Let me test my memory here. Alanis Morissette traipsing her cool self all over the stage like a boss while reminding us all what a gift her voice is. Sheila E banging her drums. And, well, so much more. I’ll share a video of the best performance at the end of this post.

5. Our grandson turned 11 recently. He celebrated on Saturday with family and three of his friends snow-tubing and eating pizza. His Grandpa and I gave him an itinerary of the overnight we’re taking him on this Spring for his birthday. That is something for us all to look forward to.

I hope you all have something to look forward to these days. Or the motivation and ability to find something to look forward to, however small. It’s important.

6. The sight of Uncle Sam (as in L. Jackson) at Kendrick Lamar’s SuperBowl halftime show last Sunday. I loved the subversiveness of it. Good trouble.

7. The movie “A Real Pain”, on Hulu. It was the right combo, in my view, of sweet and sour. It did not have a convoluted or complicated storyline. It was very well-acted (Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg…and Jennifer Grey, my fellow Gen Xr’s). It was sweet and sad and funny at the right times. If you like sweet but not saccharine, relatable relationship stories with humor in your movies, you’ll agree this one is a winner.

8. The queen on her throne singing a most meaningful and bittersweet song at the FireAid concert. I’m not a big crier, but this performance brought tears to my eyes.