Morning!

What were your childhood dreams?

I dreamed my childhood would never end. So far, so good.

Good morning.

Ate dinner last night with a bunch of Rs, including one who went to Iraq in May 03 to arrange CoDels from that end. He said that something like 275 members of congress visited Baghdad in the year he was there. Was rewarded with Ambassador to Belgium for his service in Iraq.

retire early

Funnyman Bill Maher takes on the funny business with the Diebold machines and the very odd election results in New Hampshire.

Some key quotes:

MAHER: I’m not saying something went wrong, but it does bother me that a private company runs the polling machines and that only they certainly, seem to know what went on in that [New Hampshire election].

CRIER: What I’m glad about is that whole controversy’s come up and that they’re going to go back and take a look. It’s going to elevate the whole voting machine issue in the minds of the American people before the elections

[APPLAUSE]

MAHER: We have so much debate, and there’s so much interest in this election…but it all comes to naught if we can’t trust what the result is.

CoDels = ?

As a child, I dreamed that one day, I would assist in the struggle to rid the world of it’s evil simian overlords. I never thought it would come true.

Congressional Delegations.

George Bush’s childhood dream:

WW III started by prankster

Attention Orson Welles fans, it didn’t happen.

what – you never dreamed of living in a country where torture was found to be legal?

Cited by RevDeb below:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/hom…..24654.html

I thought the writers were on strike. Is HBO out of the loop?

Childhood dreams . . . . . . I had a recurring nightmare, but I won’t go into that here.

Certainly not doing anything like I thought I might be, but no complaints here.

twolf – you funny!

Coffee’s ready – hold out your cups…!

I wanted to be an astronaut. When I was a kid and there was a space launch, I always somehow had some mystery illness that kept me home from school those days.

I am very content doing exactly what I am doing now…

Re:

Was rewarded with Ambassador to Belgium for his service in Iraq.

You sure it wasn’t for servicing Larry Craig? I understand those Belgian waffles are something special.

not just illegal, but foreseeable!!!

Chilling.

Good morning Christy!

I’ve got running lists of dreams and ideas. Childhood dream of helping kids in other countries worked out pretty well. On my birthdays I get out the list and see if there’s anything I’m ready to do. At 40 I took a big leap and signed up for singing lessons. Still on the list: see the northern lights, go whale watching, see a manned space launch, see the Berlin Wall or what’s left of it, learn how to iceskate backwards.

Good Morning Christy,
My very first dream was to be a princess, let’s just be honest here.
But in my defense, I also wanted to be a petrologist -a rock doctor- and as a gradeschooler, was thrilled when my dad gave me a rockhammer for Christmas.
Still have it -and I do know where that is which may not bode well for my computer tho.

Most of all I always wanted to do Good. And I hope that I am.

Redd,
We know you were daydreaming about anchoring the best progressive blog on the net while you were watching those fruit loops get soggy and sink to the bottom of your bowl. Tell the truth now.

One does not dream about becoming a storytelling milliner, which I was doing for a while and will be doing again in the future. It kinds of just happens.

As a child I wanted to travel and see different parts of the world. In some ways that has happended through books, documentries and now the toobzs. And reading a lot about mythology, folklore and storytelling.

I’m about to embark on my latest dream, I’m applying to a graduate program in British Columbia. I’m fortunate enough to see the ways I allowed myself not to fulfill some of my dreams, and now I’m creating the opportunity to do so.

Interesting theme, Christy. Dreams and the dreamers who dreamed them. Oh, my. As noted from time to time, David is being “treated” for cancer. Ugly disease, ugly treatment. Fry ‘em, poison ‘em and hope to beat it into submission. That is my working dream right now.

Childhood dreams? Wow. That takes me back a year or two. Actress. Teacher. Writer. Horseback rider. Professional reader *g*. Was part of a children’s touring theater group for a while. Changed major from education to communications. Have written most of my life. Never overcame fear of riding horses (which I deeply regret). Reviewed manuscripts for a publisher, so I guess that constitutes professional reading. What I had in mind was to be paid a handsome sum to sit in my comfy chair, sipping coffee, reading, reading, reading whatever strikes my fancy and then . . . reading some more.

you know Ray, I didn’t appreciate that this morning, this is Pull Up a Chair, not Late Nite.

“The prospect of a socialist governing the nation’s most volatile state sparked nothing less than a revolution in American politics.”

Once upon a time, we had real candidates.

Not illegal – LEGAL.

The court found the conduct of the U.S., towards its captives, to have been foreseeable. One cannot, at law, be bound to anticipate the *illegal* actions of another. Therefore, by implication, we’ve just had a United States District Court of Appeals find that torture is – legal.

I’m going back to bed.

The odd thing is that the dissenting judge was Janice Rogers Brown! I think we need lots more background on who that panel of 3 are and what gulag they come from.

but as Elliot said, this is PUAC—a discussion probably better saved for another thread.

Good morning Christy, fine day today. Fresh squeezed orange juice anyone?

I always wanted to live on a farm growing up as an Army brat. A little spread in the country always seems to be just out of reach financially. So I plow up the yard. :)

Dream for the future?

A president who can pronounce nuclear but thinks it’s a dangerous word.
A president who adheres to the Constitution.
A president who values the lives of the living.
A president whose mommy doesn’t wear pearls.

Good Morning, Christy,
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an actor, writer, musicican.
Took drama, some acting classes and eventually, not until I was working full time and raising 3 kids, I finally get involved with a local, community theatre. Man, was that fun! Exhausting, but fulfilling a dream nontheless.

I’ve always been a news junkie. I wanted to be a reporter and be in the middle of the action. I never seriously pursued it.
Now, 30yrs later, I’m still a news junkie and get my daily fix on the internet.

I like your dream, twolf1.

Christy, Sir Edmund Hillary was a hero of mine also, as I noted here the day of his passing. Coming from a hiking, skiing, climbing family of four brothers & one sister (me), I got many chances to fulfill the dreams that grew from reading about Sir Edmund while growing up. Doing Half Dome in Yosemite w/one of my bros was the biggest fulfillment of those dreams. That was 15 yrs. ago @ age 32- what a great memory.

Not a dream from childhood, but as a long time single parent, I dreamed of helping my daughter grow up to be a strong, caring woman in a tough world, one who would fight w/courage of her convictions to make our planet a better place for all. Turning out better than I had ever dreamed of on that score- she’s amazing @ age 26. Thank you for all you are & all you do, my dearest Natalie. Happy Birthday, too :-)

Most of all I always wanted to do Good. And I hope that I am.
reply

From what I see and know, you’re doing a fine job of doing that.

I no longer remember what I dreamed about as a child. Certainly not exactly what happened. But I’ve taken what has come along, which has allowed me to indulge quite a few fantasies that I might have had.

My dream was quite simple: just being outdoors, anywhere. That’s where I loved to be, and still do. Fallow farm fields, forests, near a stream – anywhere to get closer to nature. When things are getting me down, I head outdoors until I’m more centered. Works like a charm every time.

I have had lots of dreams, most of them have vanished with my disability. But I did lose 200 lbs, ride a horse, fly on an airplane and swim in the ocean again. Am searching for a new goal considering my circumstances.

But living for today, being happy with what life brings me today, making the people around me better for my life experiences, that is my aim. I have faced death 3 times, and I know that I want to make a real difference in the people around me. That is my personal daily goal.

bigger goals? Go on a two day trail ride. I can’t even ride a horse for more than an hour right now. Dreams have to be big, right?

How are those singing lessons? I started singing in public when I was in my mid-30s, doing community theater, moved on to choir and then to opera chorus singing. It is the best thing I ever did.

speaking to the election results comments: That’s all well and good but we are just like battered wives beating their children, in that, we are only willing to get up in arms about it when it’s one of our own. Where was all this outrage in 2004, when the article came out in discover magazine that alluded to this fraud in the 2000 elections and predicted it in the 2004 elections?? I know, because I posted on it frequently and people called me crazy. I don’t think Hillary cheated. And I believe the republicans would LOVE to run against an untested Obama with an admitted drug history. If you haven’t noticed they have been doing a great job of being racist and sexist in these very tricky bull crap ways. I just want to say where were these accusations when the republicans were clearly cheating?

Now back to my dreams.

When I was about 8 years I lived in a close knit catholic urban neighborhood. I lived next door to a family of 8 kids who ranged in age from two years younger than I, up to 21. One morning 4 of the girls came running outside crying and screaming. Their brother had been drafted. I was very upset that the gov’t could make someone go to war if they did not want to. I had watched the news results and hated cartoons. I understood then, the total futility of war. I loved Martin Luther King and was so amazed by his example. If he, after all he had been through as a black man in such a hostile environment could call for Peace, could be a beacon of light for peace, then dammit so could I.

That began my cause, my life purpose. Then at the age of 12 I was assaulted by a group of 8 boys in my now suburban neighborhood. How do seemingly normal boys act like this?? What happens to them that they become such animals or cannot stand up to each other. Then I began studying communication. I studied Martin Luther King and became interested in interculture communication. How can we all get along if we don’t accept that what is “right” for one culture might be dead “wrong” for another? How can we get to a place as humans that accepts dual realities? How can we move from the rigid thinking and black and white interpretations that keep us frozen in a quest for control over one another? How can we respond validly to one another instead of from judgments and biases that are meaningless.

I studied scientific methodologies and found that it’s not just ignorant people who have trouble divorcing themselves from strongly held beliefs. I learned about how our sciences are full of human biases that prevent us from seeing facts and screw up our scientific inquiries. Smart people make the identification error of treating judgements as facts.

Then I began working in a mental hospital and found that there were folks who were violent toward themselves. I found that they had something in common with all violent behavior. They invalidate themselves and have been invalidated. I began linking power and control and invalidating environments. Today I am driven to start a peace center that treat survivors of violence while collecting out comes that would help to further “best practices” and also help us “prevent” violence. I am interested in collecting information on all violence and collecting the invariant relationships instead of focusing on how they are different from one anothers. My underlying thesis is that “invalidation” is an invariant characteristic of all violence.

I am living my dream, but I still need several millions dollars in a trust to make it happen. My colleagues and I buy lottery tickets and know that the first thing we would do, is make this center a reality.

Love to all, thanks for letting me talk about my dreams. Linking domestic violence, intrapersonal violence, intercultural violence and domestic violence so that humans can find the path to peace is my passion. I like to think that I am doing it one client at a time despite my dream of doing it on a larger scale.

I dreamed of helping my daughter grow up to be a strong, caring woman in a tough world, one who would fight w/courage of her convictions to make our planet a better place for all.
Marie, that’s beautiful. That’s something I’ve dreamed too and it worked out well for me and my daughter as well. She turned 25 a week ago.
Happy birthday to all the daughters out there.

When i was a child, my Father was stationed on the island of Okinawa and I watched the ships sail in and out of the port of Naha. The Island led me to to become fascinated by the people, the history and those ships. I have to admit to reading all those Forester books and I’ll admit, the Hornblower series.

I was lucky enough to see the world, but the only way I was able to take that around the world cruise was on the tax payer’s dime. Thanks, you guys! It was a blast! I even got back to Okinawa.

Elliot,
I think of you as interested in the so-called protection of civil-rights by our current admin. News below thread from me and on TPM Muck about the demotion of two of his right hand honchos, Rivera and the name-escapes-me-gotta-run-no-time-for-linking Marthas Vinyard vationing while preparing a case in Boston scammer.

Good morning Christy. In one of my paralegal classes (I think it was Critical Thinking), the professor wanted us to list out 20 things we’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time to do. They had to be big things…you know…dreams. Well, it was a very visceral experience for myself and others, because we realized how far off track we were in our lives! Yikes. He then wanted us to pick one and actually do it or start the process now to achieve it. It was a lot of fun. I still have the list. When this class finally ended he told us to hold onto it to always remind ourselves where we’re supposed to be.

When I was at RevDeb’s service last Sunday she said
Make your life a blessing for the world.

It was part of a very beautiful sermon, and that line was from one of her teachers.

Talk about something inspirational to build a dream on.

Thanks for that. :)

And good luck with the Powerball. I understand that’s a long shot.

To be a historian or a political journalist–I was already an in your face person. Got to be the first rather than the second.

Then I met the progressive blogosphere and am getting to realize a bit of the second part by being a factoid obsessive commenter on FDL, chez EW and lost in the crowd, DKos.

Thank you Blogosphere for letting me live out my childhood dream.

Wanted to live abroad and got to do that too for 11 years.

Happy (belated) Birthday to your daughter, demi. Hard work raising the young ones while juggling life changes, career needs, & everything else thrown in along the way, but the results can make you realize that above it all, it’s the best hard work you ever did.

Morning, Christy.

One of my favorite quotes ever:

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

– John Lennon, from the song, “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”

This single quote influenced me more than any other that I can readily recall.

Childhood dream? Not to have to go to school.

OT..

Teachers Sue to Block Hotel Worker’s Union Vote in Nevada Caucus

The lawsuit argues that the Nevada Democratic Party’s decision, decided late last year, to create at-large precincts inside nine Las Vegas resorts on caucus day violates the state’s election laws and creates a system in which voters at the at-large precincts can elect more delegates than voters at other precincts. The lawsuit employs a complex mathematical formula to show that voters at the other 1,754 precincts would have less influence with their votes.

NYT

My grandad was in the Navy during WWI (Robert Fisk’s father’s “Great War For Civilisation”). He never saw any action but spent the war on convoy duties in the North Atlantic. My childhood was filled with stories of those days at sea, with coffee cups with no handles so you would warm your hands. I never wanted to do anything but go to sea. National Geographic was also a staple in our home and every Saturday morning there were the old 1930’s adventure serials on the tube. My favourite teacher (3 years of history like you didn’t read in the history books) taught us that the world was a huge apple to be savored. I wanted to see the world. So I joined the Navy at 17 and began to live my dream. Fourteen years later I had visited more countries than I could remember, fought in a war, spoke Spanish, Japanese, Vietnamese and Tagalog. French, the language of my ancestors, eluded me. Just don’t have the ear, or something. I had had a wonderful time but it was time to spend more time in the US so I spent the next 10 years getting to know this beautiful country. By now I’m in my early 40’s and the world is changing. Time to settle down. When asked what I’ve done with my life I tell people that I’ve done things that 10 people could only dream of. Now it’s a mundane workaday world, just trying to get by. Got a home full of kitties, books and music but I sure miss those adventurous days. Not able to fully get away from the rush I’ve involved myself in local social issues and politics. Being hassled by the local heat isn’t exactly chasing guerrillas in the jungle but it’ll have to do. Can’t run like I could when I was 20 anyway. What would I do if time and money were no object? Buy a huge house and fill it with books, music and rescued kitties. And be much more involved in making my community a better place. Each day I wake up alive I view as an opportunity to be a better person and to work toward making a reality of the visions of Gandhi, Buddha, and Dr M L King, Jr. Following the path of Tao.

My grandad was right. There’s nothing like a sunrise or a sunset at sea. Nothing. Now I stand on the beach watching the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico and all those memories are there. Who needs photos?

Ain’t it the truth.
One of my fondest memories from those times was when I was up alone, after midnight. Everyone else was asleep. I was sitting in my livingroom, sewing patches on my middle son’s cub scout shirt. I’m by no means a seamstress, but the patches stayed on. I just felt so surrounded by the love of my family. And, I was loving myself.

Masaccio–I always enjoy hearing about your concerts.

Took singing lessons for 3 years, did some solo work as well as singing in the choir, then set it aside to have more time for the kids. I could make the Sunday mornings work but needed the Thursday nights free to be available for questions with homework. Now that they’ve flown the coop perhaps I can start up again. More likely to restart flute performances.

I need photos. Sunsets AND kitties.

sayow lang

Thank you for sharing your story @ FDL this morning. I feel privileged to read about your life, wavpeac.

Dennis gets to ask for it because he has the money to pay for it.
The idea is to prove that it was in fact a fair election (the poll workers would certainly have noticed strangers showing up to vote!) and that having a paper trail is the best way to go. (Also it will demonstrate whether optical-scan counting is trustworthy when compared to hand counting.)

Childhood dreams? I didn’t dream very big. I wanted to be a teacher.

As an older kiddo, I dream of one day, once again, in my lifetime, having a statesperson in the WH.

I want the votes to be re-counted. And, I’ll donate to that cause. I have no idea if there was anything hinky, but it would be nice to test these machines before November.

A lot of us here are parents and I think something that we need to remember about childhood dreams (our own or those of our kids) is that sometimes what we do and say as parents has such a huge effect on our chidren. When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was to be a costume designer either in Hollywood or New York. My parents discouraged that. They wanted me to be a doctor. “Do the smart thing — the safe thing.” I was so torn between doing what I wanted to do and doing what my parents wanted me to do that I actually did neither. Yes, I sew and I sew a lot – but what I learned from that was to tell my kids that they should never, ever allow anyone to tell them that they can’t do something they want to do. My husband and I have made it our business in life to encourage them strongly in their endeavors – even when we were not so sure ourselves if it would work out for them.

I wanted to be an artist. I could just see the paintings in my mind but I couldn’t get them out on paper. I was frustrated but always made art. My Mom, probably not meaning anything by it, said I should find a career , not in art. I spent many years trying things and made art to support myself and children as a single mother. Finally I feel like an artist although I have made my living as one for many years.

Morning, Kiddo,
You are Lahoma are both teachers, right?
You are Both Huge Blessings for our world.
And, that’s Big.

Teaching: one of THE most important jobs there is, usually w/the lousiest pay ;-)

I’m betting you’re a damn good one, too, kiddo.

And a statesperson once again in the WH- shared dream there for sure…

Good Morning everyone…

Elmore and I are creating our own Bucket List…. that list of things we want to do before we die….IT is going to be a very long list.

I learned this first hand when I was in my early 20’s when my uncle died at 59. My father who was stationed on New Zealand during WWII and all through my childhood he would say…. someday I’m going to go back. Within a year of my uncle’s death, my parents spent a month vacationing both islands.

Last summer I repeated it… someday I was going back to Greece and did…Now we are planning a three week road trip through Europe(not necessarily driving).

Beautiful thought, beautiful life.

I’m watching Bill Maher sans writers. Not bad….not great.

I have to say that I love it that we will finally get some serious attention paid to the hackability of the electronic voting machines. And all it took was Hillary Clinton winning an election unexpectedly. We shoulda known.

My childhood dream was to be an astronaut, once there were astronauts. I wanted, I still want, to walk on the moon. It’s unlikely to happen; I’ll never be an astronaut, but maybe there’ll be tourist flights before I die.

Another dream was to ride one of the White Stallions of the Spanish Riding School. That one’s come true, sideways. He’s not an SRS stallion, but he’s a lovely talented Lipizzan gelding and he lives at my house. So one of the way-out dreams has come true.

I’m dreaming now. I want justice to make her return. Vote Demo. It might help turn the dream into reality. I like Edwards.

Childhood dreams? I didn’t dream very big. I wanted to be a teacher.

just a teacher
kiddo, how you kid.

No greater gift than to teach with a good heart
to teach for the future

And a very good morning back atcha!

Re:

Who needs photos?

If you post a link, I’ll take a peek. :)

Here’s a photo website that is part of my daily ritual.

And a particularly fetching image from the Solstice.

Now we are planning a three week road trip through Europe(not necessarily driving).

About ten years ago the ex and I traveled around Eastern Poland on public buses..it was fun.

Thanks for sharing your story and your dream. ;-)

Lahoma is reading FDL. She tells me you are nice and she likes your comments. I do too.

Most every dream has come to fruition. I wanted to be a soldier and ended up in Nam. I wanted to be an artist and have had so far a partnership in a tattoo studio, a custom car and bike paint shop and now a artglass studio (aboutartglass.com come on by and take a peek!)I wanted to marry a BEAUTIFUL fairy princess and I did(gonna scor BIG points with THAT one donchknow!) And I’m not finished dreaming. When I was very young my Grandmother told me “you don’t streatch out your arm you’re never gonna reach NOTHIN!” I’ve tried to live my life reachin.

Lahoma and i like your stuff, Elliott. ;0)

Off to help with props and production for Hello Dolly with the local theater company. In some way I may be assisting some of the performers in the pursuit of their dreams. One never knows what comes from lending a hand, being kind to strangers and having faith.

Good morning to you both. Love to read your comments here as well, not just on politics etc., but about how much you two care about each other.

The last trip was Planes, Ferries and autos…. This time we are looking for Planes, trains, ferries, autos and the Chunnel thrown in.

Wow… Bill Maher is talking about election fraud… wowowowowow

Ok… getting the tennies on… going to keep the one promise I made to myself…. I lost 75lbs in 2002-2003 and need to get back to my goal weight. Catch you later

Off to help with props and production for Hello Dolly with the local theater company. In some way I may be assisting some of the performers in the pursuit of their dreams. One never knows what comes from lending a hand, being kind to strangers and having faith.

tell Dolly we said “Hello”

I had thousands of slides but all but two boxes were stolen when my house was burgled in San Diego in 1975. So I’m stuck with only memories. Bunch of punks from USS DIXIE, a destroyer tender, had decided they wanted all my stuff. I never got any of it back but some of my friends from SEAL Team One and I caught them on base one afternoon. Hopefully they learned the lesson.

Sounds like fun.
Once you are kind to a stranger, doesn’t that make you neighbors?
Just wondering out loud here.
We are taught to loves our neighbors.
Once we reach out to anyone, we have created a bond, a relationship.
I’m working on the morning service for tomorrow, scripture, hymns and all that, so your comment struck a chord with me.
Can you hear the organ being played in my living room right now?

OT..Christy got the lead paragraph in the Media Matters slam on Tweety.

link

Around the age of 10 (1974) I decided I wanted to invent either faster than light space travel or superhuman artificial intelligence. By the time I graduated high school in 1981 I had decided the first was probably either impossible or beyond my reach, but that the second was almost certainly possible. Life got in the way, though, and instead of causing the Singularity I ended up writing a rather twisted story about why it might not be such a good idea.

LOL Actually, as a kid, I always wanted to be President. And a princess. And a chef. But mostly, I wanted to be a writer. Maybe someday I’ll get around to that book I’ve always wanted to write…

Northern Lights, just for you. :)

You can send me the saved air fair at your leisure. (wink)

Years ago, I lived in Juneau, AK. The Northern Lights were certainly something we saw every year, but not every season and not all that often because of the perpetual rain clouds hovering overhead. But early December is really the time of year to go, if you care to. One of the most vivid memories I have of the Northern Lights was an evening when I went out to Mendenhall Lake with a girl friend. It was about -15 Farenheit and the sky was a condition pilots call “severely clear”. The Aurora Borealis was simply stunning, filling the sky from horizon to horizon. Zephers of green transforming in a millisecond to orange and then purple would race across the sky. My friend and I stood back to back and locked arms, then one bent over and the other rested with a full view straigt up at sky. The fun part was to start to rotate and let the light show totally mesmerize us. I’ve had occasion to seek to go through the Doors of Perception, and I must admit that that one magic night is perhaps the most psychedelic experience I’ve ever had. Sweet dreams are made of this.

To all our progressive brothers and sisters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-8UcIpFtNY

Well, I never became Sir Lancelot, Sergeant York, or Chuck Yeager. I didn’t write the great American novel. Still, I think my most important dreams have come true. I’ve been fortunate in having the finest parents, wife, and children I could imagine (all Democrats). I hope I’ve been the kind of son, husband, and father they imagined. Now I’m having fun with some really fine grandchildren. I hope the future offers them the opportunities I had for a decent life in this country.

I know I’m going to sound like the former HS teacher/English prof. that I am, but you’ve already written one book, Christy. A compilation of all your posts here @ FDL would make a good sized, very enjoyable volume for my poli-sci shelf…

Re:

As an older kiddo, I dream of one day, once again, in my lifetime, having a statesperson in the WH.

Sorry kiddo, that’s not a dream, that’s a delusion. (wink)

Every stranger is a prospective friend.

Re:

I have no idea if there was anything hinky, but it would be nice to test these machines before November.

I have a dream. We recycle all the DREs and OptiScan machines and vote on paper ballots. Just like adult democracies do. It’s funny but this seems to be the advice of ever honest computer science Ph.D. that I read who has real expertise on the matter.

I’m guessing you mean childhood dreams as in “hopes and dreams”, rather than the more prosaic, “dreams I had when I was a child, during the Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep”.

But I’m going to answer the second version anyway. I had this one recurring dream about being chased by a giant set of chattering teeth.

Then, around middle school age, I would dream that my male gerbil was pregnant. But he couldn’t actually *have* the babies, because, well, he was a boy. But in the dream, that little technicality somehow hadn’t prevented him from getting pregnant. I would always puzzle over that when I woke up.

Re:

Wow… Bill Maher is talking about election fraud… wowowowowow

It up at Brad Blog for posterity.

I’m sorry to hear about your misfortune.

I LOVE your art glass work! Wow…I’ve dabbled in fusing glass and if I had more time could get really addicted.

Re:

instead of causing the Singularity I ended up writing a rather twisted story about why it might not be such a good idea.

I’ve read enough of Ray Kurzweil to be in equal measures fascinated and repulsed by his vision. I’m not particularly looking forward to the Singularity, what with Big Brother doing the database.

When did you live on Okinawa? I was stationed there 1967-1969. One of my sons was born there.

Living out your dreams:

Great book by Po Bronson: What Should I Do With My Life

Stories of people who tried to follow their dreams, including both those who reached their goals and those who did not. Totally inspiring. And dreams are defined in many different ways.

I recently went to a creativity workshop and tried to figure out what was my new dream. Couldn’t come up with it. Turns out that’s because there isn’t just one, have multiple ideas which I am calling “Evolving dreams”

I dreamed that my parents would get back together, that my step-mother would quit drinking and put down the knife so I could put down the chair, that my grandfather was wrong: that God was not some unyielding, vicious being ready to sentence me to eternal torture if I didn’t please him, that I would survive to join a group of people dedicated to truth, honesty, compassion, and the welfare of all for I knew it was vital and one couldn’t do it alone, that those were goals of the people of America as I had been taught in school.

Well, I survived, but I’ve recognized the truth of this: none of us is getting out of here alive so now that I enjoy some freedom as long as I don’t want too much I work for the recognition of truth, the recognition that compassion and insistence on the welfare of all is the only rational stance and I dream that I will change two minds before I die and those two minds will change two and that maybe, just maybe humanity will survive, having become more humane…

Watching Bill Maher. It was said at DKos that this was the worst ever. I don’t agree. I think they stood up pretty well to Tony Snow’s b.s.

Having had the opportunity to face mortality, cancer – 3 years clean, I cannot say that I wanted to jump out of planes or scale mountains. What I wanted was a normal everyday life, going the grocery store, fill the car with gas, mow the lawn or just enjoy the company of my loved ones. It’s the small things in life we talk for granted, not the Everest opportunities.

So just take a moment to enjoy the fact that you are alive.

Far out.

Very interesting juxtapostion of images and music.
Eery.

Back to dreams of youth. I wanted to be a writer, an archaeologist, and a world traveler. I’ve done a bit of each, but not to the extent of my dreams. So, I’ve left room for growth!

egregious, I finally saw the northern lights on the car ferry from Bayfield Wisconsin to Madeline Island one night about six years ago (in the fall). Completely unbelievable. Hard to describe the sense of power and rhythm and movement in the atmosphere. A very worthy dream. I can’t wait to see them again!

Dreaming of Spring

I wanted to be a rock and roll star. I picked up guitar at age 10 in 1964. Never got to stardom but I’m happier with the way I play.

I recently went to a creativity workshop and tried to figure out what was my new dream. Couldn’t come up with it. Turns out that’s because there isn’t just one, have multiple ideas which I am calling “Evolving dreams”

I think that dream will take you “far beyond the butterfly”

Growing up Mennonite and sort of poor in Kansas, I dreamt of faraway places, ones I heard about from my father about his immigrant past. I listened to Danny Orlis, missionary bush pilot in the far north on Saturday morning radio and longed to marry someone like him, someone who lived for noble reasons and could help me go places. It was the 1950’s in Kansas and it was not uncommon to dream in terms of whom one would marry.

I’d been married about 15 years and spent eight summers on the northeast coast of Alaska, before I remembered that old desire. I looked at my husband, a crusading environmental advocate and bush pilot, and laughed, him being rather atheistic and Jewish, but a fine pilot of the Alaskan bush, with a missionary zeal to protect the fragile world and its clear waters.

I’ll second that idea. Excellent analysis, great humor and other good qualities aside, Christy, you are an extremely strong, rational voice for the imperative of citizen involvement!

You guys are making me blush…

Blush away, Christy. I come here when I can for the “extremely strong, rational voice” combined with the mature and realistic compassion. You are the balance in the babble.

I agree,Christy. You’re young enough to be my daughter, and I’d be proud if you were.

A major news item has been about a national I.D.. I thought it was a hugely controversial issue. Now I hear that it’s been ordained by Chertov, but I don’t see much on the internet about it. I would have that it would take passage of a law, not just DHS fiat.

Thank you for sharing this. The 1st part of your comment & many variations thereof is the life history of just about every kid I’ve ever interviewed for assistance @ Covenant House in L.A. Have also volunteered @ Children of the Night, where the stories can be even worse, if that’s possible. All donations of time or $$$ are welcome, so here are some links:

Covenant House- Los Angeles

Children of the Night

My hope is that some/most/all of the thrown away teens & young adults I’ve met @ these facilities can come to the same realizations about life that you voiced in the 2nd part of your comment, whitebeard.

I’m actually looking into that at the moment, Crosstimbers — because I’m not certain a Chertoff fiat is enough either. But I need to look at some precedential background before I can say for certain on that.

Our Jane at Alternet, givin’ ‘en ‘ell.

Okay, thank you.

Re:

northeast coast of Alaska

Porcupine River area?

This is such a beautiful and inspiring thread.

The problem with DHS policy is that it affects air travel. So even if, say, Arizona, refused to start issuing RealID drivers licenses immediately, I’m still going to need one to get on a plane. I think they’ll take my passport.

It’s really a problem for a lot of people.

This is such a beautiful and inspiring thread.

WDD,
you can say that again.

Agreed. It’s been a wonderful thread to read & participate in this a.m.

Have to get the lead out now & run a pile of Sat. morning errands. Read you all later.

This is such a beautiful and inspiring thread.

Hi Ell!

Yep, there is a huge state’s rights issue with this — and Chertoff’s command doesn’t make it go away because he snaps his skeletal fingers and cries “Boo!” But that has to be balanced against a national security context, and I’m trying to unravel the legal precedents on this as I can find them this weekend.

Morn’n, Christy. I was one of those National Georgraphic junkies myself. Not only did my parents subscribe, but I was given my Aunt Helen’s collection, which went back to the early Thirties. Those old issues were fabulous, especially so for a kid growing up in an isolated Southern town. Talk about opening the mind to an other world.

Same here. I’m off to my neighborhood nursery to see if they have organic heirloom seeds. Time to get them started and I don’t want to order online and have to wait.

Keep on dremin’, pups.

dreaming. sheesh. you mean what i know.

Later…

Barter Island and the village of Kaktovik. I was there between 1978 and 1987. No northern lights because of 24 hour daylight, but spent several weeks in the fall of ‘82 on the Ambler River (northwest Alaska) and the Northern lights there were grand. Also one winter in Fairbanks for great green curtains of shimmering light. My husband says that flying up north when the lights are flaming is quite the experience.

Have you seen the National Geographic CD-Rom collection that goes all the way back to the very first issues scanned in for reading and searchability. Mr. ReddHedd got them for me for Christmas one year, and I pull them out all the time and just randomly select an article to read or pictures to look at. Amazing stuff.

Well forget Arizona… The so called Democratic Gov Janet pushed ahead to be first in line to issue THE Real ID….

I was there from 59 to 63. I visited in 76. My Dad was in the Air Force and was stationed at what is now the the airport, but was formerly Naha AFB.

Woo, woo!! Thanks for the link…not far from me…oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…my passion!!!

A late good morn to you all.

What a beautiful thread.

Wasn’t yesterday the ACLU “wear orange” day?

I’d like someone else to check out last night’s Lehrer and admire Judy Woodruff’s outfit. Is it? Dare she? I think I’ll just summarily decide she’s that brave. Good on ya, Judy. ;->

When I was a kid, I was dragged all over the world because of my Dad’s jobs. I wanted to study archeology, but my parents discouraged me…anyway, throughout my life, I wanted to live in a place that I loved, but I was always stuck living somewhere I didn’t want to be. I dreamed of living on a ranch or farm, but I wanted to be able to get to the sea. In my 30’s, I joined a buddhist group and I was told to make a list of what I wanted my life to be like, with the idea that if you meditated on those desires, your subconscious mind would begin to make decisions in each moment that would eventually lead you to fulfilling your dreams….I wrote that I wanted to live on a ranch with horses, and dogs and other animals and be able to garden and paint…it had to be a warm place and near the ocean…

When I was 49, I divorced my husband of 28 years…I decided that I wanted to marry a musician, because I love music so much that whoever would be with me would have to love it just as much.

One year later, I met Mr. LS, and we were married 6 months later.

We live on a ranch in Texas, with horses and dogs and other animals, and I am able to garden and paint. I live 3 hours from the Gulf of Mexico.

I search arrowheads and stone age tools pretty much every day, when I’m out and about.

So…I’m living my dream. Sometimes that is a scary thought!

“Economy does not consist in saving coal but using the time whilst it burns.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson — May 4, 1837

Awesome for you, LS. I never got to officially be a princess, but I sure did find a prince of my own in Mr. ReddHedd, too.

This morning, as I’m reading through everyone’s comments, I’m just profoundly grateful for so many wonderful people who comment here. What an inspirational thread today. You guys rock…

Brrr, winter in Fairbanks? Southeast was the banana belt. We never got below -20 F. while I was in Juneau. But a friend of mine had a picture in his office of a Fairbanks Bank building with the outdoor thermometer reading -58 F. Ouch. When he told me about the ice fogs, I permanently lost interest in checking that out.

One of my memorable times in Southeast was doing remote work on the Greens Creek project on Admiralty Island. I loved the population stats there. Grizzly bears: 1,000. Humans: 500. Seemed about right to me. :)

Okay. A few years before I was there. Our headquarters was on Naha A.F.B., but my duty station was at Yoza Dake (one of the two cliffs on the extreme south end of the island). I left Naha harbor on one of the ships your talking about, for temporary duty on Kumi Shima. It was an interesting, dreamlike trip, with small misty islands, dolphins running beside the ship, and flying fish sailing out of the bow wave. I got to stand at the bow for the whole trip. I think, or was that a dream?

Dreaming of Democracy

Dennis Kucinich might be excused for feeling a little abused these days. First NBC invites him to debate in Nevada, then NBC changes its mind and says “oh, never mind…”

My honey and I both had lifelong dreams that just grew stronger every year, to enjoy being in the wild places (nature-wise, wizeguys). It took several knee operations, many years of scrabbling and saving and making do with very little, but now with retirement, we are able to visit a few of the places in our dreams (a reallife rainforest! to hike and listen and look for the birds and other critters; to just stand in the quiet and soak it up). Yes, we got to go do that recently, and the trip was bittersweet as we’d expected. These days, unless folks start taking environmental degradation seriously, it’s hard – impossible – not to visit such a place and feel you’re saying “hello” and “goodbye” all at one time. I am not optimistic for our children and theirs.

I second that emotion!!!

Crosstimbers,

One of my favorite authors is Chalmers Johnson. In his book “Blowback” he talks at great length about the bases at Okinawa. Have you seen the book by chance?

Thanks, Christy; I definitely needed that. What an inspirational man. I appreciate your gift of sharing it with us. Have a great weekend.

Re:

These days, unless folks start taking environmental degradation seriously, it’s hard – impossible – not to visit such a place and feel you’re saying “hello” and “goodbye” all at one time.

Smart people who study such things say that in the past 30 years we’ve increased the exploitation of the planet to such an extent that we would need five Planet Earths to be living on a sustainable basis.

Such smart people sometimes are found in the publication with the best headline writers in America. It’s almost an art form for Grist Magazine, which has a nice email to deliver to the masses daily.

No, I haven’t. I think you’ve referred to it before, though. I’ll check it out. I sense that it’s not exactly a travelogue.

I’m reading Blood and Thunder, about “manifest destiny.” It has a very good description of Charles Bent sensing the resentment of Pueblo Indian and Mexican citizens just prior to the Taos uprising. I sensed some of that hostility on both Okinawa and Korea. I knew it had to be that way compounded in Iraq. How could it ever be otherwise?

I believe you’re referring to E. O. Wilson. One of the all-time greats, and still giving interviews and speeches. He’s a real-time hero to biologists. ;->

When I was young(er), I used to want two things, a little red convertible sports car, and a big shaggy dog. I got an old english sheep dog, and quickly discovered that that hair was one hellacious mess to groom. I got the little (blue) Fiat convertible, and discovered that it too was a high maintenance pain in the behind.

When I grew up, I discovered that material things were less and less important to me. I now find satisfaction in my husband of 45 (yikes!)years, my two fully grown children, and 3 granddaughters.

They are my dreams come true.

We too love National Geographics, and have a collection of them that we began in the 60’s. Did I mention that hubby is a pack rat? They came in handy for many a school project for the kids, and grandkids. My youngest grand absolutely the recent one on dinosaurs.

That should have read My youngest grand absolutely loved the recent one on dinosaurs.

Have a nice day folks. As always, Christy, it was a nice break for the more serous matters and intense feelings.

I will have to get that book. When I was on Diego Garcia in 1980 an SR-71 from Kadena flew in. That was a very cool aircraft! The island was pretty sparse then, only about a hundred people were on the place.

Hi Adie,

It was one of the house writers at Grist who wrote up the estimate. But the estimable Dr. Wilson is a hero of mine. Here’s a piece of trivia for you…

Which animal species on the planet has the greatest mass? I had guessed worms, but consulting Wilson’s seminal study, it turns out that ants outweigh every other species on the planet. And now you know something completely useless.

These last few years, we have pooled what monetary support we can afford to donate to good causes, and donated the bulk of it to environmental organizations that are fighting in court against the likes of the shrub nightmare.

Yes, we also try to keep the dialog going also, as much as we can. It is wearing and not just a little discouraging, but we just MUST all do our part.

You are quite correct. Back decades ago (when we were grad students and pretty much at the epicenter of places where the “smart people” were studying these things) scientists were already very very worried about the future of this one earth we share.

Re:

The island was pretty sparse then, only about a hundred people were on the place

The Chagos Islanders dream of returning home. The Diego Garcia land swindle is one of the great travesties of British and American imperial hubris of the 20th Century.

We are an evil people to have stolen Diego Garcia as we did.

5 minute intro Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EeHU3_2TsI

Stealing a Nation, by John Pilger: http://video.google.com/videop…..9758632511

Christy, I have just enjoyed reading this thread and marvel at your ability to come up with fresh inspiration each Saturday morning.

I was thinking this morning that when I was in elementary school, there were summer classes we could take to learn extra math and other subjects. It was fun, I loved going to school in the summer.

I loved to read and was inspired by the biographies of Abagail Adams, Virginia Dare, Sakagawea, Harriet Tubman, and others. I don’t recall what dreams I had in those days exactly. I am not sure I met my potential in any way, but I have learned to organize and follow my passions.

Thanks for reminding us we can and should dream every day.

My adult dream is to get up early enough on Saturday morning to actually participate in PUAC (would love an afternoon version of this sometime! Saturday’s my only sleep in day here in CA).

As a kid I wanted to be a writer and a brain surgeon. I figured I’d join the Peace Corps and help save the world. I became a psychologist who writes TONS of reports. I’m a storyteller for fun. Peace Corps? Maybe after I retire. Saving the world, still working at it.

A funny thing about my life was becoming a Girl Scout leader. When I read the promise and laws of scouting I started to cry, because I discovered that there was my entire list of values. I had no idea that my early experiences in scouting had shaped my sense of right-living so deeply. It’s amazing and very humbling to think what effect the good of others can have on us in subtle and simple ways.

Ding ding ding! Hey! Careful with those pre-judgements there, young whippersnapper. I already KNEW the answer to your trivia question. We’re steeped in that stuff around these parts. heh.

BTW, Deep thanks for your work at Grist and beyond. We must all try. We can’t give up, eh?

I have a favorite [message t-shirt] our “kids” gave me last year – wear it everywhere, often to rave reviews from surprising, heartening sources.

“Humans aren’t the only species on earth. We just act like it.”

Re:

Back decades ago (when we were grad students and pretty much at the epicenter of places where the “smart people” were studying these things) scientists were already very very worried about the future of this one earth we share.

I wrote a rather long reply, but deleted it. I need to save that for the nightmare thread rather than the dream thread. Stiff upper lip and all that, eh?

Laura Doty must be my sister. I wanted to be a writer or a doctor when I was a kid. Nobody told me I could do both, so I chose writing and worked 20 years as a journalist. Then I went back to school and got a PhD in psychology. I work almost exclusively with other writers and artists now, and continue to write two weekly columns.

Advice: Don’t teach your kids that life’s an either/or experience.

Re:

Deep thanks for your work at Grist and beyond. We must all try. We can’t give up, eh?

Oh-oh. I must have given you the wrong idea here. I’m merely a reader and admirer of Grist. My main deal in the world of activism has been to be an organizer of anti-war protest events, seminars and my favorite role in life, a film exhibitionist. Wherein I show a lot of really depressing documentaries in an effort to educate the public. I’ve got something of a reputation around town for being a hellraiser, mostly because of my inimitable self-promotion campaign for “tellng the truth until it hurts”.

There’s plenty of other folks in Bend who have a passion for the environment. I just could never understand why the would care so deeply about scrubland and spotted owl and not give a damn about impeaching the bastard who is trying to destroy the environment. There’s a disconnect there that I simply cannot fathom.

Re:

“Humans aren’t the only species on earth. We just act like it.”

But the Bible says we are to have dominion over all we see, and exploit the planet and all its animals as we see fit. Your slogan strikes me as being a dirty hippie commie treason poison only a moran would think up!

I’m kidding of course.

But I do have to admit that went to America’s Sin City, Las Vegas one time for a convention called “The World of Concrete”. OK, so it wasn’t the Victoria’s Secret lingerie show, but I did like some of the spreaders.
At any rate, there was a tee-shirt vendor there who had one shirt that completely arrested my attention, because it was so uttterly anathema to my inner George Hayduke. The tee-shirt showed an image of the solar system and said “Let’s pave the Earth first, then Mars”. God-damned Americans.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a nurse. Badly. Unfortunately, I don’t do well with large amounts of blood, so that was out. When I was older, I worked for a health care company, and it was interesting.

When I was a bit older than the Nurse Years, I wanted to be a (surprise) journalist. Badly. I wrote an article for the local paper when I was twelve; it got printed. I was on the newspaper and yearbook committees all the way through college. It took me approximately twenty years, but now I have a blog. I’m not famous, and the journalist world doesn’t tremble at the mention of my name, but I’m doing it.

The other biggest dream was to write a book. I did it. I’m continuing to do it. I’ll keep going, because I want to see my work printed and successful.

“Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” — Langston Hughes

-S

Bachelard? As in Gaston? Are you in facebook or….? It’d be nice to chat, sibling! (you can reach me at facebook or at ldta@sbcglobal dot net.

I’m kidding of course.

I’m not. And don’t get me started on that bible-belting stuff. IAMSOSICK&TIRED!!! of that whole crowd who divides the world into “Believers!” and (”nonbelievers”).

We just barely skidded by right before the hippy generation, tho one of us had a (thankfully high) draft #.

Too bizzy grad-studenting/trying to survive to take part in the rabble-rousing. Kudos to you for diving right in. My honey had to wade thru hundreds (?thousands?) at a sit-in in biggest room on campus (basketball arena), meekly to beg for the last signature (PhD) required from burly prof. at center crowd, taking part in sit-in yeehaw.

Later raised my rabble by doing the schoolboard thingie. now we refuse to retreat or be silent, but do fairly well with our carrot-&-stick schtick with pols & non-voters who oughtta. we help our kids’ acquaintances find which precinct, troll for like-minded bozos so-as to cheer them up, energize, empower, inspire & enlighten or confuse, depending on perceived need of said bozos, yadda yadda yadda…

Say, have you signed an impeach petition yet today?

Stay safe, (((new friend))) – if i’m not being too presumptious.

Mebbe we’ll meet-up at an Elderhostel one fine day. i’ll be teh one with the muddy shoes and stoopid t-shirt, & my handsome honey lurking nearby.

Two terrific new books, written to be understandable by non-scientists:

“Evolution For Everyone” by David Sloan Wilson. 2007. Delacorte Press. Published by Bantam Dell, a Division of Random House Inc., New York, NY

“Science, Evolution and Creationism” – put out by the National Acadamy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine. 2008. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.

While dealing with ugly reality upstairs, I couldn’t resist this wonderful topic of childhood dreams. For me they were daydreams. I lived in an imaginary world always living in an exotic place. TV was not a given but I was enchanted with dance and twirled my hours around the living and dining room until my parents sent their frail, sickly six year old to ballet classes. I loved it. I lived to be in dance class. I choreographed wonderful works in my head.

I daydreamed my way through grade school only to return to reality and find it was lunch time and someone was calling my name, my teacher, annoyed at my lack of attention.

My dear friend Marlyn and I would create our own plays and I always lived in San Francisco and she is New York. Marlyn was a daydreamer like me. By age twelve my dreams went to living in Cambodia studying temple dance.

Those daydreams were my inspiration and my salvation. I continued dance and went on to join a company and danced professionally for nearly seven years. I moved to San Francisco where I lived my entire adult life and my children are native San Franciscans (for which they thank me to this day). I went to Indonesia and studied temple dance.

Dreams do come true.

Re:

Stay safe, (((new friend))) – if i’m not being too presumptious.

No, dear, not at all. I’m enjoying our little tete-a-tete quite a bit. We seem to be kindred spirits. So, the most likely place to catch up with me is Central Oregon. If you’re ever in the neighborhood…. :)

Ciao!

Back from errands but going out yet again in an hour- backreading, & this is one great, inspirational thread.

I know I’m in EPUville here, but one of my daughter’s biggest heroes, I just discovered while texting her about her b-day plans, is Jenny Durkan.

Google the name- lawyer in WA who is the real deal for fighting for those in need, & lawyered for Chris Gregoire’s team in the WA Governor’s close count election brouhaha in 2004-5.
Looks like on top of her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology my daughter’s eyeing a law degree. Talk about going after your big dreams. Go for it, dear :-)

Christy If I had 50 or 100 thousand I would go to law school so I could join you in the fight to save the constitution and our civil rights. I would study constitutional law and fight the unconstitutional things our government is doing.

Problem is this doesn’t pay as far as I know. So how would I pay back 50 or 100 for law school…oh well.

Gaston indeed. “I” never expect to be recognized!

We’re definitely kindred spirits. Bachelard figured very heavily in my master’s thesis (I studied psychoanalysis with a psychoanalytic phenomenologist). Let’s talk!

Please tell your daughter that this psych PhD definitely recommends a JD along with, particularly if she’s interested in doing forensic work. It’s such a plus. (I didn’t get one, my best work buddy did, and I so appreciate his help/support/input/mentoring on the forensic side of my practice.

If money and time were no object, I would be doing exactly what I am doing now, posting this!

RayDuray. Under the heading, go figure!?!

Our former landlords moved to Bend OR 30+ yrs ago. Serious wingers. Bragged in national trade mag how they turned their hoss bidness around to 100% Christian. I kid u not. The hosses? They were Polish Arabians.
No. Really.

High temps here in n.e. OH broke a 101 year record just a few days ago. Kid next door been runnin’ around without a shirt all week.

No global warming here. Nosirree. Yes. I know it has more to do with weather patterns than with every little neighborhood’s 24/7 temperatures.

Guess I’ll just go grab my beach towel & think positive.

Snow in Baghdad

I had never seen (or heard of) that video. I LOVE it! Thanks for passing it along.

Reading this wonderful thread at the end of the day. Some wonderful stories, some amazing tales of survival.

Wavpeac, yours is an amazing story. How inspiring for you to turn your experiences into positive life’s work.

Whitebeard, good for you for making it through to the other side.

Tobyweller – re: encouraging your children. I completely agree. Lately my son is determined to be a professional skateboarder. I’m saying “Terrific!” but that’s not really what I’m thinking.

LS – great story. Good for you. Enjoy.

I’ll add mine. One of the things I really wanted to do when I was young was to be a spy. It was kind of all mixed in with wanting to work at the FBI and wanting to be in foreign lands exchanging microfiche with my contact in a dangerouly public setting. Too much Secret Agent and Mission Impossible as a kid, I guess.

I studied the criminals of the past, Baby Face Nelson and Rick Derringer, and revered Elliot Ness. I even went to my Postmaster to ask him for any left over Wanted posters, so I could study the faces of criminals, in case one was lurking around my neighborhood. I had my bedroom walls papered with wanted posters.

I spent after school hours in a raincoat lurking outside neighbor’s houses and writing down their movements in a small notebook.

When I was about 11, this would have been 1970, I wrote to J. Edgar Hoover, telling him I wanted to be an FBI agent when I grew up, and what should I do in the meantime to prepare?

I got a letter back from him, personally signed (I did an authentic signature test with wet finger). He said, thanks for your interest in the FBI. We do not allow females to be FBI agents. But when you grow up you could be a secretary here if you like.

No joke. Needless to say, I crossed the FBI off my list. And damn, I wish I still had that letter.

Get to work breakin and fusin baby!