The trunk release for my car does not open doors. Saturday, I found myself standing in front of Lululemon pointing my keys, pushing the truck unlock and waiting for the door to pop open. When I’m off-balance physically I stumble and call. Mentally, I suppose it’s an inappropriate use of an unrelated item to open a…
Author: Sheila Penelope Thorne
Church and State: Blackface, Over It and Outrage
Church and State were in the news last week. Virginia featured photos if elected officials in black from photos from the 80s and 60s. I am not surprised, I am over it. Pope Francis admitted nuns have been sexually abused by priests and bishops. I am not surprised. I am outraged. The politicians are jumping…
Is It Me? Confusion, Friends and the Lunar New Year
“I startled my neighbors in the elevator when they got on. Another set of neighbors seemed almost speechless when I said hi. Even the front desk staff looked taken aback. What’s up with all the confusion today?” Someone pointed to my head and everyone laughed. A group of friends came over to celebrate the lunar new…
Thankful: Respect, Serendipity and a Smile
I’m sitting in my car crying. I was in Whole Foods a few minutes ago. I saw this elderly man gingerly pushing a cart as if he was unsure of each step. As a child, I was taught, respect adults and to respect and give deference to the elderly. As my parents grew older, noticed…
Martin Luther King: Take a Day
I can’t do this. I will seem angry and militant, I’ll appear to be someone whining. My thoughts about not writing a Martin Luther King day posts are similar to my struggle on the first year of the MLK day. If you were a federal or bank employee, you got the day off; the rest…
Something to Think About: Crash, Helmets and Change
“ I haven’t skied in years. I used to go to Aspen, Vail, Cooper, Steamboat,” I said wistfully. “I skied before people wore helmets.” Sensing confusion and disbelief, I went on to add, “Yes, there was a time when people didn’t wear helmets to ski.” My friend, still not sure just kind of mumbled, “no…
The Shutdown: Walls, DNA and Saving Face
“I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall. Source: Donald Trump’s presidential announcement speech June 16, 2015 This is stupid; there I said it.…
Happy New Year: 2018 in Review
It is the time of year with all of the best of and top lists. Soooooooo, here are the most viewed blog posts of 2018. The top one is from 2017, a reminder, that even when the year changes, things from the previous year are still relevant. Hush: Summer of Love, the Fourth of July…
…and to all a good night
Friday, December 21 marked the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere; the longest night of the year. From here on out our days will get longer by more than 2 minutes a day until the summer solstice. Sure, some boring dry facts, but isn’t it fascinating the length of daylight varies by more than 2…
Balancing Wants and Needs
I wanted to go to yoga; but my car stopped at the mouth of a tunnel and refused to move until it was pushed by the car behind me. I was later reminded of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones with “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find,…
The Last and Delirious – Pitbull, Fireball and Tunnels
“Hey, I’m going to do my best to push you out of here, OK?” “Uh, yes, thank you, thank you very much.” Hence was the start of a .93 mile bumper push. There was no rehearsal, no previous experience, no instructions and yet here we were, stunt driving. It started as I was driving on the…
Balancing Acts: The Jerks
Steve Jobs, by all accounts, was not a nice person. Jerk is an oft used descriptor. He was also a genius, the man who, without a doubt, made Apple the juggernaut it is today. So, how do we balance the good, the bad and the ugly. How much bad behavior is to be tolerated because…
Me and Baby Brother: Emerson, Marathons and Happiness
The only person you are destined to become, is the person you decide to be. Ralph Waldo Emerson This sounds really profound in its simplicity and then you think about and want to argue. But wait, there’s more, you just don’t “decide,” you make a commitment. The person you decide to be is an ongoing…
The Black Panthers, Thanksgiving and the Second Amendment
A police officer shot John Crawford dead in a Wal-Mart. Mr. Crwaford was shopping in the toy aisle and holding a toy BB gun. Mr. Crawford was a black man. The police officer, who was acquitted of any wrong doing, was a white man. Let’s start a conversation about gun control and the interpretation of…
Smoke and Errors
My T-shirt caught fire and burned in the microwave.¹ There probably wouldn’t have been a fire if I’d removed the shirt when the timer went off, but, I was working in another room. Sure, I smelled smoke, the air has been smokey for 2 days because of the wildfires. Losing the shirt was not upsetting. Neither was the fact I could…
Did I Stutter? Veteran’s Day, Data and Conclusions
I was a five year old who stuttered with an occasional stammer. A few people noticed and mentioned this to my mom and recommended early intervention to correct the problem. There was a frustrating afternoon for both of us when she was trying to get me to say school and something snapped. She looked at me;…
Monday Morning Heartbreak
Damn. He’s back. He’s thinner, a lot thinner to the point of gauntness, he has the yellow cast of jaundice and a weariness that wasn’t there before, or maybe it’s just the loss of hope. I last saw Curt in Starbucks loading bags of sugar into a cup of coffee. It was February and he…
Death in the Family Circa 1998
I get anxious this time of year now and latter realize it is October 17th. My dad died on this day in 1998 and somehow I always find myself doing something, well, not normal. This year I cleaned the plexiglass on the 7th floor balcony at 8:30…. pm. I got my own crazy. My brother…
911 for Dummies
911, what is your emergency? People, 911 is not your personal assistant or bodyguard on demand. In Minnesota a man ran out of cheese while making lasagne and called 911. In Ohio, a man called 911 because Burger King would not honor a coupon. An understaffed, overstressed operation should not be fielding these calls; 911 operators…
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
This past spring, as I was walking, I noticed these “things.” It was the same “thing” in different locations, painted different colors. The plaque on them said Oakland A’s Stomper. Ohhhhhhh, it’s an anteater, an aardvark. It’s hard to have a mascot for athletics, so have a mascot with a name that starts with an A.…
Enough Already – The Nuclear Option, Supreme Court Hearings and Bart Simpson
Here are the numbers; 59% of the 997 people surveyed said Kavanaugh should not be appointed to the supreme court if Ford’s charges are true; 12% are unsure and 29% say yes. This is not partisan politics; this is wrong. This was not a normal week. How did we get here? The Nuclear Option The…
Facial Recognition: Congress, the Judicial System and Demographics
The tech headlines in June were all about the inaccuracy of facial recognition software, if you’re not a white male.¹ For white males, facial recognition for gender was accurate 99% of the time; the accuracy of facial recognition for gender of dark skinned females was 65%. Why is this happening in 2018? We know how, the…
The Thinker: Don’t Ask Me to Smile…Yet
I’ve been asked a few times, “why do black women look so mean all of the time.” It’s a good question, but I can’t think of an easy response. See the comments to the right I read this week.¹ I am referred to as an animal. “These are animals.” “Stop hiring these animals.” That was hard…
The Bottles, the Binge and the Couch
The Safeway clerked laughed and shook her head as she scanned my purchases. With 2 bottles of Dr Pepper and 2 giant sized Hershey’s Cookies and Cream bars; I laughed with her. I was in a full blown binge mode. Three days later, 12 bottles of Dr Pepper, 4 giant sized candy bars, 2 bags of…
The Labor Day Question
Why do we celebrate Labor Day, historical significance or modern day celebration? Labor day originated as a celebration of unions, back in the late1800’s. Now, the first Monday in September is more about back to school, end of summer and sales. Union membership was at a record low in 2017 – 10.7% of the working population.…
The Question Issue
“Why are you limping, are you hurt?” I get asked monthly. “I have scoliosis. My spine curves laterally to the right instead of going straight down my back throwing off my gait. I can compensate for it most of the time; when I’m tired, I limp.” Would friends and casual acquaintances ask me that so…
The Privacy Issue
You are being watched. It’s not a person looking at you, speaking into a headset, it’s not an overhead motion activated camera tracking with a flashing red recording light. No, it’s none of that cool looking stuff you see in movies. If you use a computer for work, your employee can install or may have…
The Diversity Issue
There are people living in tents, sleeping on the sidewalks, huddling in doorways. Why? They don’t have homes. Must be a shortage of homes. Crazy, right? There is a lack of diversity in tech. Must be a “pipeline problem?” Oh please, that is a marketing construct for corporate absolution. The real issue is supply and…
The Black Issue
Nia Wilson died when her throat was slashed in an unprovoked attack on a BART train a few weeks ago; the day I turned 60. I determined I needed to work until 65 to ensure I am fully funded to the age of 96. I was in a bubble. I forgot Black women experience the…
The Reboot: Pause, Reflect and Lessons Learned
Facebook showed this photo I posted three years ago today. It reminded me how different some things are. I took the week off to do nothing in particular, except to rest pause and reflect. When was the last time you took a pause? Lessons learned; it’s something I do at work after a big project. It’s…
The Age Issue: Potato Chips, Yoga and 60
This is like eating that entire bag of chips. You know you did it, you were there for every moment and yet it still comes as a shock when you reach in and the bag is empty. Yup, that is how I feel about turning 60 today. And, when people ask, what are you doing…
Happy Birthday Bous
I published my first blog post on July 14, 2014. I’ve done 210 weekly posts. It reminds me, every now and then we need to celebrate and have fun. My celebration 🙂 A big thanks to Matt Simoneaux (Baby Elvis) for taking these photographs last year in Deland Florida.
Taxation by Representation: the Taxers and the Taxed
I had this moment of clarity. The Hasan Minaj, interview on the New Yorker radio hour. It’s right after 9/11, Hasan is a teenager and his father told him not to answer the phone; but of course he answers to vicious racial and religious slurs and threats and violence and ending with, and the caller…
Based on a True Story, the Revolutionary War, the Statue of Liberty and the Fourth of July
“Based on a true story.” That is code for a condensed version of the story, trimmed down to be told in a short period of time and carefully edited to create a compelling story of near mythical proportion. Coming this fourth of July, amidst the parades, barbecues and fireworks, are you celebrating a holiday “based…
Dogs, Children and History
On March 13, 2018, a flight attendant was responsible for a puppy being placed in an overhead bin. The 10 month old french bulldog died in flight. Less than 24 hours later, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana sponsored a bill to ban pets from the overhead bin, because “pets are family.” What does Senator Kennedy…
Flags, Brutality and Protests
This Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph, The Soiling of Old Glory, by Stanley Forman is cringe worthy, sickening. It’s 1976, Boston. I heard statements like, well t at didn’t happen here, or that was 42 years ago.The kid wielding the flag is 17 years old. [Joseph] Rakes vividly recalls the “blind anger” that motivated him—anger aimed,…
Balance Beams, Gossip and Actions
The first sound – the loud smack of a 4×4 piece of wood hitting shin bones. The second sound – an anguished piercing scream. The third sound – silence. Everyone stopped – mid sentence, mid action, mid thought. A 145 pound wrestler with all his might tried to keep a gymnast on a beam, unaware,…
The Potential Predictability of Instability
“An excellent cast is jobless because of Roseanne herself. The show was like a bridge and she burnt it. Lost potential.” That was one my text this week. Potential. It’s that thing. People stay in a relationship, a job or an investment because there is “potential.” Yet, there is the sobering moment when someone asks, what actions…
Remembering Memorial Day
Memorial Day – at times it seems we are trying to hard to forget what the day is really about. Which is rather ironic for a holiday that is all about memory. Memorial day is in honor of those who have died while serving in the country’s armed forces. Formerly known as decoration day, the…
Orange Juice, Toothpaste and the Cerebral Palate Cleanser
You think, “Yuk, that doesn’t taste right.” Then you remember, certain food combinations (orange juice after brushing your teeth – cringe)¹ destroy flavors. Hence, the value of a palate cleaner to remove food residue, and competing flavors; enabling you to fully experience your food without the yuk. A weekend is a cerebral palate cleanser. It neutralizes…
Power Plays: Blown Fuses and Short Circuits
A blown fuse, caused by a temporary overload or power surge simply needs to be replaced or reset. A short circuit is frayed wires that need to repaired. They both result in no power, but the fixes are very different. After eight hours of trying to troubleshoot and fix a no power situation in my…
A Neurotic Dilemma: Celebrations, Birthdays and Why
I had role models for my neurosis. When my Dad died, my mom routinely said, “I’ll be dead in a year, you know when one spouse dies the other dies within a year.” A few years later, my mom was deeply concerned and sad; she was still alive. “Does this mean I didn’t love your…
For What It’s Worth: Apples Versus Oranges
This was pricing discussion was about to take that ugly turn. Our pricing is 30% higher than the competition. The engineer flipped back to his PowerPoint slide detailing the functionalityand snapped, “We’re not higher, we have more features. You’re comparing apples and oranges.” The developers and offering management did the head nod, acknowledgement of the…
Social Connections: Comments, Civility and Choices
“Wow, that’s what you really think?” I slapped my laptop shut, stunned by what I’d read. Was I overreacting to a comment made by a connection on LinkedIn? What’s my problem? Is this a teachable moment? I returned to the post three days later. I read the replies and six out of eight expressed the…
What Do You Do? Starbucks, Arrests and What’s Next?
The coffee booth was not at the framer’s market this week, so I took orders from a few vendors to do a coffee run. A customer heard “Starbucks” in the exchange. African American Customer: “No, you can’t go to Starbucks. After what they did, boycott Starbucks.” African American Vendor: “Listen, Starbucks has an engage the…
The Right to Choose: Soda?
“…the police shouldn’t be drinking soda anyway.” Huh? The speaker was referring to Berkeley’s sugar ban and a new recommendation asking the … City of Berkeley departments and City food services contractors to refrain from: 1. Procuring sugar-sweetened beverages with City funds; 2. Selling sugar-sweetened beverages on City property, including in vending machines; and 3.…
Bunnies and Baskets and Lies
Can we stop with the Easter Bunny? Look, don’t have kids, I’m not involved in child rearing, so herein is an observation. A key objective in education is critical thinking reasoned judgment in thought and action; the ability to reason well and the disposition to do so. This means, education has to first undo the…
Stalled, March Madness, and Balancing on Unstable Surfaces
I’m stalled. Work is stalled, the blog is stalled, my plans for world domination in some areas is stalled. A car stalls when the engine is overloaded. My stall is not an overloaded engine; it’s a lack of vision, an absence of what’s next? In times like theses, I watch basketball; it’s March Madness and…
Thinking Green, The Bag Fee and Foreign Policy
I see this in Target all the time. Shoppers start by picking up a drink at the in store Starbucks and upon check out, these shoppers do this strange juggling act of trying to carry all their items and not pay 10 cents for a bag. This is hilarious, because, oh yes, pay $5.45 for…
Disruption, Cell Phones & Adaptation
There was a time you’d find a bank of phone booths at any airport. Larger airports had set ups with privacy screens and a shelf for the working business person. But that was before cell phones. Cell phones were a disruption. The airports could have tried to keep the phone booths in place, made the…
