Irene North

Writings

Category: Ramblings Page 15 of 17

Another reason to not eat Papa John’s

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On 2017-11-05

In Ramblings

Let’s just get this out of the way. Papa John’s isn’t proper pizza. Neither is Pizza Hut or Domino’s, or Godfather’s. Don’t even get me started on the abomination that is Valentinos. They wouldn’t know Italian food if it smacked them in the face.

Sam and Louie’s comes close but they don’t have that great morning after taste that proper New York pizza does. Domino’s Brooklyn Style is similar to proper pizza but isn’t quite there. So, until there is a Star Trek transporter that can get me to the Caldor Plaza so I can pick up some Colandrea Pizza, I rarely eat pizza out here in the hinterlands of western Nebraska.

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There are no “signs of the times” and the world is not ending

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On 2017-09-25

In Ramblings

Far too many people are caught up in speculation about the end of the world. While we are doing a good job at ignoring actual climate change, the hurricanes currently ravaging parts of Earth are not the end of the world, nor do they have anything to do with Jesus Christ, the book of Revelation, or any other such nonsense. Yet, in a letter to the editor to the Star-Herald, a reader thinks that is exactly what is happening.

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The value of the written word

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On 2017-09-24

In Ramblings

Every year, thousands of libraries across the nation celebrate Banned Books Week. The week highlights books that have been challenged in some way because someone didn’t like the content within. They feel compelled to make sure no one else can discover the stories within its pages solely because they did not like the content.

This year, the top ten books on the American Library Association’s list have been challenged for a variety of reasons, including, profanity. They all have been challenged due to something LGBT related.

Halfway around the world, most people have probably never heard of Banned books week, but they know the value of knowledge. Last week, ABC News in Australia reported that thousands of books from the Mosul university library were rescued after Daesh destroyed the library.

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The day we bought into the fear

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On 2017-09-10

In Ramblings

At the World Trade Center memorial in New York City, roses of different colors are placed in a person’s name each year on their birthday.

In the 1980s and 1990s, whenever you went to the airport, your family and friends went with you to the gate. They would embarrass you with hugs and kisses before you began your journey down the gangway and into the plane.

The cockpit door was sometimes open. People could drop in on long flights and get a quick tour. I once watched the sun rise from the cockpit.

Then, on September 11, 2001, everything changed. We gave into the fear of an attack on our country.

On a bright, sunny morning when President George W. Bush told us “you’re either with us or you’re against us,” I knew our fate was sealed. In that moment, I became “against us.”

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What’s it like in a newsroom?

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On 2017-08-19

In Ramblings

If you walk into a newsroom on any given day, you’ll see people banging away on their keyboards. Some are swearing their computer is too slow. Others are jamming the keys so fast, you’re amazed at the words that come across the screen.

The Star-Herald on Saturday is mostly empty. There’s a reporter and two people on the copy desk. Sometimes, the Special Projects Editor is there, too.

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When will you step up and speak out?

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On 2017-08-13

In Ramblings

I almost can’t believe I’m writing about Nazis.

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Some things you should know

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On 2017-08-06

In Ramblings

If I were a cow, this would be me. Going where I’m not supposed to go to get something good. A part of the herd, but apart from the heard.

Life is very difficult for me right now. And I don’t use the word “very” often.

After returning from a short vacation to visit my mom and not seeing everyone in my family that I wanted to, I have been working. Literally. It’s all I have done. I returned from vacation on June 27. I have had five days off since then. I can feel it. Something inside is about to break.

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A walk down (mostly food) memory lane

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On 2017-07-17

In Ramblings

Ed explains to Paul that if you sit quietly, you’ll eventually hear the woodland creatures and they may even come up to you. Location: near the top of a trail at Winding Hills State Park in Montgomery, New York.

The only two things I miss about living in New York are the trees and the food.

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On going home

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On 2017-07-04

In Ramblings

A pricker bush at Winding Hills Park in Montgomery, New York.

When I left New York at 18 in 1988, I was off to college, but I was also searching for a place to fit in.

As I walk in the lush greenness, the familiarity of Middletown, it is not my home. It’s the place where I grew up, the town that shaped who I am today, but it’s not a place where I fit in.

Something happened to my family in the years that I’ve been gone. They’re more conservative. More entrenched in what they are doing. More easily shaped by the words spewed forth on the television or by their friends and neighbors.

They’ve got the car, the house, the kids, the white picket fence, the stability. But none of that was anything I ever pursued. And yet, there’s that non-spoken condemnation and the looks because I chose a different path.

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20 things in two weeks

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On 2017-06-25

In Ramblings

During my vacation over the past couple of weeks, some random things popped into my head. I’ll have some more in-depth things soon.

My posts take 2-6 hours to write and another 30 minutes to post. I have dozens I want to do, but never seem to be able to find the time to get them done.

Also, my cat, Cinders, has been on my lap since I returned home from vacation. There is little else I can do except pet her. My legs are numb. Her claws are permanently embedded in my leg.

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