Category: baby boomer
-
Remembering Susie
Obituary originally posted here. Photo slideshow: https://www.tributeslides.com/embed/CFSIFRAM/dem10727/11m61217470d60e0 Obituary May 14, 1946 ~ August 6, 2021 (age 75) Susie Elizabeth Duncan Sexton, 75, of Columbia City, IN, passed away unexpectedly Friday, August 6, 2021, at her home. Born on May 14, 1946, in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of Roy and Edna (Lewis) Duncan, who, in her words,…
-
In a Sense…a Broad!
As I consider myself nothing nor nobody more than Peter Sellers in Being There or at my liveliest as Inspector Clousseau, it is difficult to make “Susie” sound interesting? I am proudest of being the Mother of Roy, whom I consider the person I would most wish to be. I grew up in a very…
-
Gassing Sentient Beings in 2011?!?
North Carolina is the land of my roots and as of late steeped in religious activities and displays of fervent reverence. How then to explain the manufacturing and distribution of gas chambers…set up in 24 locations I believe… with profits going to a veterinarian/state official? Ghoulish conflict of interest! The videos displayed all over Facebook…
-
Wow! Do I love this! New review from Amazon.com
“A 50’s view of today’s world” – October 6, 2011 By Martin L. Davis II This review is from: Secrets of an Old Typewriter: Stories from a Smart and Sassy Small Town Girl (Kindle Edition) A child of the 1940’s and ’50’s, Sexton aptly describes her autobiographical stories as ‘sassy.’ She visits various topics as…
-
Bringing texty back (with apologies to Justin Timberlake)
With my modem (“moe-DEM”) taking a powder and my computer consequently on the fritz, I have resorted to texting. Thought this exchange with my son was fairly amusing (typos preserved for artistic effect!)… Susie: Gee rebooted umpteen times still no go sometimes forty eight pop ups that send receive errors happened whaaaa Roy: I am…
-
New Review of “Secrets of an Old Typewriter”
Review from J.A. Hernandez on Amazon.com: “Poetic, energetic. Sentimental, temperamental. Those stories I could relate to were easy reading and enjoyable. Some I just didn’t get and a few weren’t in line with my political bent. All things considered, it is a fun read and I would recommend this book to some of my friends.”…
-
Donald O’Donovan Reviews Secrets of an Old Typewriter
Donald O’Donovan, author of the novels Night Train, Tarantula Woman, & the upcoming Highway, reviews Secrets of an Old Typewriter. Spectacular review! Can be found at the book’s page on Amazon.com here… Here is the full text of the review: Ride on the float in the homecoming parade. Be the homecoming queen. Order a chocolate shake…
-
i do not discuss harry potter or vampire sex…I DO discuss animal advocacy!
my modest little book, lamenting the state of the world and extolling my happy childhood which made me the liberal soul i am to this day here in the dull midwest, can be accessed at www.susieduncansexton.com …only an e-book and floating in the air. my little book is NOT a hit with 20 somethings because i do…
-
From Bob and from David…
Neat comment and neat review! From Bob Wannberg: “I am not a skilled writer but have the message, love conquers all. Kindness draws kindness, those who have a beautiful heart draw the same; we have a deep love for animals because they show us how humans should be; love and innocence…..we speak for them because…
-
i cry every day…empathy is the only word i believe captures what seems to be missing
Following is a series of excerpts from a Facebook conversation I had last night with a wonderful friend and animal rights activist Trish Chambers: ___________________________ i cry every day…those who brag about never crying or wonder about crying? make me really wonder about their ability to feel and empathize…how sad NOT to cry. (and some…
-
Marching to my own drummer…
”If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.” ~ Henry David Thoreau i have always loved this quote and thoreau as well. such fun when a doc once told my mom that…
-
that’s how life goes when life matters!
From Julie Fletcher, “Susie, you do such a heartbreaking task each day to help them all, I know why you do it but its so hearbreaking to see the abuse all the time, when God looked for the best Earth Angel, he didn’t have far to Go before he found you…I don’t know if you…
-
Status time…no more killing, no more bullying, no more selfishness
status time–just now read a post stating that record numbers of innocent dogs and cats are murdered (yes killing is killing — a catch-all/short-hand term) in shelters every day now. so, if they are dumped due to the economy –and not out of pure apathy and selfishness… well, for starters, do not be intimidated by…
-
of all the -isms….
what is interesting is that a professor whose lectures appear on facebook said that of all the ‘-isms’, species-ism is the hottest issue…that the volatility associated with this topic is nearly insurmountable. this is 2012, however, and if we begin to live harmoniously and not desperately, the sensible status of no more brutality and barbarism…
-
Three cheers for the animal kingdom forevermore: thoughts and observations from an active life of caring…
…you are such wonderful folks to care about animal welfare and to work to save lives. i am so happy to know you all! thank you…we must never give up…we must educate humans so that every person realizes and appreciates the power and majesty and importance of all beings! bless all creatures great and small!…
-
thoughts on communicating with our animal friends…
thoughts on communicating with our animal friends… my babies respond better to lengthy explanations from me than when i just shout one word like SIT or STAY or FETCH…seriously, they like to know WHY they should do that stuff like WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME IF I DO COOPERATE? i swear by that…unless they just…
-
Moronic Ox Q&A: Secrets of an Old Typewriter, politics, animal rights, classic films, and just about…everything!
In this Q&A with Moronic Ox literary journal, I talk openly about my book Secrets of an Old Typewriter, politics, animal rights, classic films, and just about…everything! Excerpt: “I hold out hope for youthful altruism and acceptance of one another and living and letting live. Perhaps, one day, individuality will trump group-think. EVOLUTION accomplished! Preservation…
-
on the yellow brick road now…
a writer’s lament… today i was alerted to the ponderings of a young housewife, someone whom I have never met so I do not know how to relay messages to her, someone writing about dead goldfish and detesting baby turtles? sometimes she makes me laugh, but “please don’t eat the daisies” ain’t me…I leave that…
-
no mincing words…
there is no resting in peace…there is the horror of being slain…a living being’s last moments on earth consisting of being frightened and terrified and then killed…accept that fact and we can change the system, the killing system…do not mythologize…do not accept profiteering via slaughter of any living being. please empathize…please. in response to this…
-
the centre cannot hold…
i have always loved the poem below…well, since college days…speaks to me…very quotable…sort of puzzling…full of promise…yet very frightening. i agonize over its meaning…but yeats created a beauty with this verse!!! Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The…
-
Glo Magazine reviews Secrets of an Old Typewriter
Check out Glo Magazine’s review of Secrets of an Old Typewriter at this link (page 24) – click here. Review by Davina Black: “Local author alert! Susie Duncan Sexton of Columbia City writes about animal rights and being raised as a Hoosier, among other things. Her sweet stories refer to some of our favorite Indiana hotspots and her…
-
“ROBERT FULGHUM WITH A KNIFE IN HER BOOT”
i love David Rat. you can read his original post by clicking here. what a thrill! check out this review of Secrets of an Old Typewriter by talented author and musician David Rat… “ROBERT FULGHUM WITH A KNIFE IN HER BOOT” My fix in all things art is CONTRAST..dark and light, sun and moon, life and death..I search for…
-
karma. i feel naughty…
wondering if god approves of throwing his name around rather loosely to advance in society and to please the right crowd and to become really popular and achieve monetary gain? i am betting not? good for God then! i wonder if anybody else notices the same ploy on facebook and in social-climbing life in general?…
-
So honored to be featured in Our USA Magazine!
Check out my essay in Our USA Magazine, summer edition! Page 64! Click here to read! Here is an excerpt: Although occasionally a handful of folks insist that I should “keep ’em coming” referring to columns I offer monthly, mostly I try to read “something” positive into blank stares I encounter while out and about mixing it up…
-
we are angels with stomach aches who cry a lot
I am upset allllll of the time…but it is the right kind of turmoil we feel. we are angels with stomach aches who cry a lot, but we are doing what needs to be done. I could just put a hex on all of the bad people if I was so equipped. too many monsters…
-
I believed in a god once…
why is a wonderful animal rescue television show broadcast at 3 a.m. — and absolute junk is broadcast during prime time…hey, if interested in “reality” tv, try www.animalrescuetv.com …this program is absolutely wonderful. the handsomest veterinarian I have ever seen stated that “there is no truer love in the world than that of an animal for a…
-
My poem
After a nice stiff drink.What do I think?I’ve got my list aboutWhere I want it I shout… People who think.People who winkAt the conceited.Just what is needed — People who give a damnAnd seem to be fam.People who stop to share.People who really care And always put selfAway on some shelf!I love, yes, LOVE, my…
-
Culture and food and sports and heritage…oh my! (2013)
Enjoy this video from the recent Allen County Public Library Authors Fair featuring yours truly as well as Mark Carboni, Blake Sebring, and Ralph Garcia – the panel topic is non-fiction writing from these authors who specialize in culture, food, sports, and heritage respectively. Great fun! Watch at this link: http://afw.pegcentral.com/player.php?… And read about the event…
-
a gentle and necessary war (2013)
I KNOW the true joy of Facebook is our finding each other and speaking up for proper treatment of all who live. Using our voices to say and to write what must happen YESTERDAY… we have to make up for all the damage and the hurt and destruction. much work to be done. through words…
-
welcome to circus world! (2013)
YES…WE PROMISE! evolution means humans are getting brighter and more inclusive and more peaceful…it’s the politicians who think only of themselves! and the people benefitting from corporate greed. otherwise the rest of us are kind and normal and forward thinking! right? HOWEVER, click here to read rationalizations … in Indiana! again. from botched education to lucrative faux…
-
who we are as we sit and gaze at the screen.
I got my copy of my son Roy Sexton’s Reel Roy Reviews today and I not only LOVE IT…I ABSOLUTELY KNOW THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME…and I am not biased…I am candid as can be. Ask anybody! Why do I love and enthusiastically recommend this exquisite, easily digested book of clever and meaningful words…
-
and we need to face facts
one shot at life…when we believe otherwise we do not try to make it better on earth in real time…other worlds, reincarnation, heaven, rainbow bridges were devised by humans out of fear…the fear is that we do not do our best with the precious time we have to revere life of all who exist among…
-
A share is a prayer
Thanks to Deb Patterson and Senior Life for running this piece by yours truly dedicated to Northeast Indiana 1950s classic kids’ TV icons “Carol and Corkie” – you can read the original piece at this link and enjoy the scanned copy here … https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/5801756-homeward-angle-one-from-the-heart–to-carol-corkie-wherever-they-ma a share is a prayer…a kind baby step in a world…
-
A WILD AND WOOLLY AND COMFORTING AND HARROWING AND CHECKERED AND HILARIOUS AND ULCER-PRODUCING AND EXORCISING AND CATHARTIC RIDE AND A HALF
“Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” ~ Arthur Schopenhauer i wrote to indiana’s sen. donnelly…a very long treatise…and got his explanation/rationalization for mass buffalo killing? from a democrat? from a liberal? and it…
-
I’m a little like the lion in the wizard of oz
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” ― Vincent van Gogh the word “timidity” popped into my head because I have gotten too brave for my own good…and I love the feeling…so I found a bunch of quotes from brave people whom I have always been impressed with. I’m a…
-
So honored to be featured on the TV show Patty’s Page
Enjoy this interview of yours truly on lovely Patty Hunter’s Fort Wayne-based talk show Patty’s Page. View at this link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA_zB… We candidly discuss the experiences of growing up in small-town Columbia City, the high and lows and the delights and frustrations of writing columns and books, my love of animals and movies and fun, the importance…
-
The Image of Magazine – Novella Series, featuring yours truly!
Check out this feature on yours truly as part of San Diego’s The Image Of Magazine‘s “Novella Series” – thanks to editor Tommy Jennings! What an honor! Read here: http://www.imagecompaniesenterprises…. Quote: “Always an observer of events and human traits, Susie Duncan Sexton offers without apology her thoughts and observations as they are and once were, and fitting…
-
my amender is all worn out
I can’t make amends…my amender is all worn out…and I never get amends back from anybody i try to make them with…if you get my drift? but I heartily agree with the nobility of the suggestion, beth! (by the way, beth replied: “got it, susie. no amending fences” – punny!) please check out ASPCA | ASPCA’s Fundraiser on…
-
Flexibility of an open mind: Finding stuff!
A tease/announcement: looking diligently for something for three full days…found it…and am now at peace for a short time. As near as I ever get to being Sherlock Holmes, I finally figure out where something got lost and re-locate the misplaced thingie! Via my secret formula! Works every time that secret formula does! What is…
-
It is just amazing to observe and very frustrating.
Query: Who can explain small towns to me? Kat Kelly-Heinzelman: “They are places where everyone knows everyone and what you’re doing, even when it is supposed to be a secret. LOL. How is that for an explanation?” Laura Reed: “Inbox me with what you would like to know … Do you live in the same…
-
Got (almond) milk? Books, movies, politics, culture, and AGRIganda
A photograph of my bed? Wow! A really firm mattress is possible! Thanks to delightful Sheryl Mandel for sending this … Well, Sheryl, I am on the 7th of my nine lives, and if I were to pull out a book to read from that bed, I’d be lopsided…as usual! So I just try to…
-
Where is Erin Brockovich when we need her?
Having been overloaded with grief and sadness as to lack of humane treatment provided for — and victimization of — other species as well as startled at a barrage of cruel and hurtful words aimed at innocents, I remembered my friendship with ELIZABETH LEAN and her work to nurture animals at death’s door and to…
-
…scarier than you, the Donald. 2015
EDITOR’S NOTE: See previous editor’s note. TRUMP? What are we gonna do with you? I love how you are enervating the other 16 crazies…but your record of misogyny and pride that your grown kids enjoy African safaris HAS GOT ME BUFFALOED. AND PUTIN is a jerk…and you think you can BOND with him, man to…
-
A lion has landed? 2015.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Susie wrote this in August 2015. She always called her self “NostraSUSIE” for the predictive qualities of her brain. Susie’s thoughts on him would … evolve through the course of his presidency. But this post is definitely a time capsule (as are many shared recently on this site). Almost forgot my latest bulletin.…
-
Accidental selfies
I simply adore THE GOOD WIFE…WHERE have I been for the past six years? Oh, yeah…very damned busy. Time to smell the roses and get caught up with living life as it is meant to be lived. Yep…starting with getting caught up with THE GOOD WIFE. But first … is it possible that I finally…
-
Please don’t criticize someone’s eyebrows.
I just answered this college alumni questionnaire. I hope they appreciate my joie de vivre! my passion? the welfare of animals of all persuasions, from ants to elephants! scary experience? childbirth…but my son is a gift to the world…the best individual on the planet! ask me about his accomplishments! job market? have tried my best to avoid such…
-
Phantom Runs
My cat Issie had one of those phantom runs around the house like cats do now and then? One night she knocked my ashy-tray to kingdom come, but, the next night, I was watching Alfred Hitchcock at a crazy hour (of course) and she landed for a second on my remote control? And the show…
-
Retrospection can hurt like hell sometimes.
Wondering WHY during all of these jamborees of politicians flooding our TV screens…and jabberjawing media chatterbugs interrupting one another…that NOBODY mentions the importance of the animal kingdom. That is when true peace would start. That is when all violence could end. All LIFE matters. Humans are just another species…a species who should know better than…
-
Sad I am? Ha!
I do not LIKE “green eggs and ham” nor… computers…nor LinkedIn…nor pop-ups…nor naysayers…nor politics…nor some pundits…nor that OTHER party. Dr. Seuss, I miss you. Kurt Vonnegut, I miss you, too! And so it goes. Thinking of you both and trying to see the humor in this confused and confusing messed up world! Sad I am?…
-
I have the heart of a lion … when I am not too nervous to live?
I am an insomniac like the Donald! YET, I go into a coma-zombie-like sleep like Hillary. Thus, I relate to both of those Baby Boomers, and they both take the cake. They would be an excellent combo, if they were not involved in warring. I could see them as prez and veep. The Donald makes…
-
How about you?
I do not fit into a demographic, and I wish the demographic-ists would stop pigeonholing all of us all the time. ‘Deed i do – how ’bout you? Hey, my dad could have bought the house next door for four grand back in the Forties. IF HE HAD, my husband could live there and so could my…
-
If there must constantly be LABELS?
[Rumpydog is an inspiration. Read the latest piece which prompted the following comment by yours truly…] Thanks for this statement, so perfectly expressed. My husband is the cat lover; I am only a close second. Not sure he wants other males to know that he is – he is not all the way trained! Ha! I am…
-
Still going strong…with one size 11 foot and one size 9 1/2
Beth Kennedy, inspired and prolific author of the clever and kindhearted blog I didn’t have my glasses on, wrote these two fabulous posts this week, reminding me how much of a kindred spirit she really is. Enjoy learning about the word “nelipot” here and here. I was born a nelipot, and, condescendingly, a podiatrist foot doctor once informed me…
-
Signed: Ms. Lonelyhearts
Why do aging ex-marines wish to be my friends on Facebook? Do we have love of animals in common? Mutual Facebook pals? Nope. These blokes are always “widowed” or “divorced,” so I may still have my charms when all is said and done? What fabulous news … I guess? Still a mystery. And maybe the…
-
#TryEmpathy … 2016
Hopefully, all humans – all voters – can be sympathetic and empathetic about the “physical condition” of other members of humanity. BTW who DOESN’T feel like fainting these days?!? Seems like folks have forgotten how to relate, and the pundits might try shutting the hell up! Geesh! Feel better, Hillary. Your stamina is amazing! Maybe…
-
I wish I could have graduated high school early … at age 6!
What a lovely note and photo I received this week from my buddy Jan Morsches … always nice to get surprises like this! Bobby Morsches is the “date” and my mom made the dress! We were at the American Legion building at the 1952 prom. I must have been 6 on my way to other…
-
“Be your own person, be independent.”
I hate hate hate computers. For nearly a week, this contraption has been behaving in such a nutty fashion I am ready to throw it out the window. And finally file all of the paperwork I have generated for the past decade. Oh, and this 2016 election? Also taxing any patience I have left! Other…
-
Quiet please. 2016.
Quiet please, there’s a lady on stageShe may not be the latest rageBut she’s singing and she means itAnd she deserves a little silence Quiet please, there’s a woman up thereAnd she’s been honest through her songsLong before your consciousness was raisedNow doesn’t that deserve a little praise So put your hands together and help…
-
Keyboard songs.
I would like my life back I think? Only got a used computer about 12 years ago…one from my brother-in-law when my privacy-minded older sister passed away. Not sure she would have approved of little sis playing with even one of her devices. And then my son bought me two more over the years. And I thought…
-
Go ask Alice …
One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you smallAnd the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at allGo ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you’re going to fallTell ’em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the callAnd call Alice, when she…
-
I have found that it takes great courage to try to be kind.
I have been advocating for animals nearly all of my life…and within the past decade writing about my experiences and trying to change some hearts here and there. I have found that it takes great courage to try to be kind. I now have many scars and silver hair and a few bite marks from…
-
Parallel universes … holy crap!
Came back here to my SHOE treetop cluttered up back room which is heinous and am sitting with one light bulb with some sun coming through the dirty 1962 window. I have a library in my house because I am allergic to public libraries? And I wish I did NOT have all of these books … I…
-
Status Update: Animals should rule! Signed: Chuck Darwin!
STATUS UPDATE: the pharmaceutical “industry”, the medical “industry”, the agricultural “industry”, the drug “culture”, the war “culture”, the entertainment “industry”…all terrible bastardizations of perfectly good words once…”industry” and “culture”. Industrial Revolution? Remember that one? Maybe an alright concept with reservations. Culture wars, a new entry…kinda sucks! Wherein does the word “politics” land? In the mud…
-
Doris Day: talent, cuteness, and teaching the world to respect all animals
I have adored Doris Day since I got old enough to listen to singing perfection itself via whirling breakable 78 RPM discs on our record player in the corner of our living room and attend every one of her MGM musicals reel-to-reel in the movie theatre on the corner of Van Buren and Main Streets…
-
“What have you got to cry about?” Do correct inconsistency. Stay brave.
“She persisted. Became intimidated. For that shyness she is ashamed and only that. Do correct inconsistency. Stay brave.” ~ S. “Disrespect is worse than hate.” ~ Congressman James Clyburn “Let nothing dent your dignity!” ~ Mom of John Lewis Geesh…I got yelled at for crying today? Nothing new, but what’s up with that? “What have…
-
Emancipation Proclamation
Something to behold–odd “white male rage”?In this more enlightened day and age?Poised on such a precarious stageStartled, our threatened environmentSighs while veering toward retirement!Time “tick tocks”, imploring improvement.Evolution! Welcome its movement.Peace on Earth… ~ Susie Sexton (the poet in me trying a POEM, thus a POET TRY so my soul relaxes and feels happy?) P.S.…
-
Nomadland. A movie. A review. A life.
Wow, does this beautiful, dreary, metaphorical, meaningful film resonate for days and days after viewing carefully. Nomadland. Mesmerizing, sad, hopeful … no matter what age bracket / demographic crap you happen to be categorized within. If you are very very fortunate, you will live at least until your 70s in this troubled yet fascinating earth…
-
Susie Sexton rhymes yet again!
“People” news so enticing But animals the icing! Sorry to say they need us To help them reap their justice. Congrats, humans so happy! ADOPT A PET THOUGH…AND MAKE ITSNAPPY!!! (please, oh please?) ♥!!! P.S. i do not eat green eggs and ham, and i do not care who is jennifer aniston’s new boyfriend, damn!…
-
Writer Types, Stereotypes, Daguerreotypes, and Archetypes
Feeble-minded knaves label writer types, Forcing free spirits their genres to declare. Novelist? Poet? Playwright? Stereotypes! Squeezing into one round hole a peg so square. Participles! Fear not. Feel free to dangle. Infinitives ought (surely) be…split in two. Preposition proposition? Not to mangle Grammar RULES! Still go wherever you want to! My mom’s at her…
-
Exeunt
START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME!!!!!Don’t leave me a note…“I’ll be gone,” she wrote!Save lives while I’m gone.In our “Must Care Zone”Known as Facebook land ·…Where hearts take a stand As we “cross-post”, “share” In our “active” prayer. Thanks for your friendship. Goin’ on a trip.
-
BEAT ME DADDY– 13 TO THE BAR or PRAISE SLITHERS A ONE-WAY STREET THUS FAR
“Lord, why’s all of fickle LIFE this persistent scramble?” “It is written…in the constitution’s preamble!” “Heathens’ roll call lists females, Arabs, and freed up minds.” “Heritage, bigotry, isolation–all that blinds.” Forced conversation with a power so divine, supreme– Wilts, defeats, seldom ever fulfills. Much rather scream! Measured syllables, sans internal rhyme, squash free verse. As…
-
Sticks and Stones…AND Words…Can Hurt!
Arthur Schopenhauer opined that the three stages of TRUTH seem to be “Ridicule”, then “Violent Opposition” and finally “Acceptance”. To arrive at that conclusion involves quite a lot of living with and among other human beings. And although truth cannot be hurried, occasionally it falls upon one’s noggin like an apple bopping Isaac Newton into sensible, reasoning logic. Well,…
-
Waiting to Exhale
Home-town hypocrisy, within my Hoosier state, daily reaches ever higher levels so severe as to be indigestible. Folks impersonate soldiers renamed oxymoronic “prayer warriors”. When refraining from pretentious extolling of mysterious galaxies of heavens or hells as well as of famed halls of gods or goddesses, consider yourself outside the loop or sphere of influence. An individual thinker is either misunderstood or downright condemned. Third world, primitive…
-
TRILOGY of POETRY
“Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre but they are more deadly in the long run.” (–Mark Twain) Non-Contest “Parenting” qualifies as a word to dislike– Artificial, “all aboard”, domineering clap-trap! Accidental, “out-of-the-nowhere” little tike? Aye! Free entrance “into-here” toward growth with no map. Momentary Links–Between Generations “…Record that (we) are born.” You be…
-
A SLAVE TO INVENTION…OR CONVENTION?
“C’mon, Mom! Join me as we explore 21st century.”I jumped on that horse to become trendy and adventure-y.Still own no ice-maker, never travel, and drive an old car,But e-mail, texting, face-booking hitch my wagon to a star. Friends at home and abroad and alternative life-styles fill days.Cultures outside our own glitter and differ and show…
-
Let’s have no more crocodile tears, please
Tally up how many times television correspondents uttered, “Now, for this next segment you may wish to leave the room” in one viewing day recently. Teasing us. When is news coverage informative, enlightening — and at what juncture do reporters and viewers or readers become nosy buzzards circling around grisly, gory “racetracks,” secretly hoping to…
-
In Over our Heads: Stop and Smell the Coffee
I’ll pray for you. You pray for me. Tea for two, and two for tea. I see the moon–the moon sees me. The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see. Even, Steven? Let’s position ourselves upon cruise control, by kneeling with palms pressed together while achieving an upward tilt to our…
-
Rabbit Holes, Brick Walls, Spelling Bees, and Dagwood’s Light Bulbs!
Our country suffers from growth pangs; all the jabber-jawing we muster, though, cannot alter the survival and inevitability of the fittest policies. We shall endure and move forward to where we are meant to be; civilization evolves fluidly. Let’s relax and enjoy the ride; we need only be kind to one another as we progress.…
-
Of Sound Bites & Sentence Fragments
Communication cries out, “Resuscitation, please!” And why have (those remaining) journalists as well as essayists begun to “affect” sentence fragments? (But such a phenomenon may annoy only this reader?) All literature seems a casualty of word-wars and kindles by now. Which leads me to reveal my grief regarding the demise of possibly the only viable…
-
Climbing Jacob’s Letter — whoa there now!
To Dear Jacob from Dear Susie: (neither of us shooting the messenger I hope.) Your beautiful name filled with Biblical allusions running the gamut from purchase of brother Esau’s birthright to synonymy with ” Israel “? Well, be advised that “Susie” Is Hebrew-originated also. Thus, our Judeo-names, selected by our parents, place us squarely upon…
-
Angels Among Us
Returned from a divine lesson in human resiliency, a lesson which occurred at our truly friendly and fun RICHARD’S RESTAURANT–neither a planned seminar nor a church service, simply diners and staff chatting, most listening intently. An upbeat couple, routinely spreading cheer on a daily basis, shared their experiences combating an unwelcome challenge from a fleeting,…
-
A Poem to the Editor
Politicians, one and all, Listen to this wake-up call: Legislators overstep contracts with voters! Morality corrects itself, pompous doters! Substances smoked, driving while drunk, couplings gone wild. NON-ISSUES hammered–yet comparatively mild. Wars rage! Education stalls! Economies fail! Newspapers fold, postal systems teeter, banks bail. Avoid harsh judgment of the masses’ “behavior”. Tend to your knitting. …
-
Corruption, Scandal & Paybacks … business as usual
Brylcreem! “A little dab’ll do ya!” Illinois ‘ Governor Milorad Blagojevich, replicating the JFK coiffure to maximum effect while behaving as the antithesis of Alabama ‘s former Governor George Wallace, presents himself as one refreshing politician. Like it or not, dis-allowing Roland Burris admittance to the U. S. Senate Chambers conjures images of innocent school…
-
Humbug or hallelujah?
Time to shout “humbug” or “hallelujah”? How do the years fly by so quickly, calendar pages flipping as if channeling special effects in some forties-era black and white movie? “Rudolph” Astaire, Burl “Frosty” Ives, Grinch Jim Carrey, beleaguered banker James Stewart, and Bad Santa Billy Bob Thornton re-running all across our television sets, which will…
-
Conflict Resolution?
Blue or yellow? Signs intersect as canvassers galore Plead, “In with the new…”; replace another forlorn eyesore. Money’s no object? Fluid statistics? Arguments all! Children pay sharp attention to our building of each wall.
-
Well, there you go again!
Dearest Hillary, Well, there you go again! Winning yet another debate! Your all-encompassing knowledge of facts, daily current events, statistics, the ever-changing political landscape, crucial issues which matter to us all, and how to score points in significant discussions/debates impresses this voter continually! The televised exchange in Austin, Texas, allowed you once again to demonstrate…
-
Stop the madness
Stop the madness! Message to newscasters, magazine editors, fashion pundits and entertainment gossip-mongers: Please refrain from forced comparisons stacking up fabulous Michelle Obama alongside fantastic Jackie Kennedy, both portraits of perfection revealing two distinctly different, spectacularly mesmerizing personalities. Do not minimize the allure and limitless potential of Obama, downgrading her charms to retro-competitiveness with Kennedy.…
-
The battle between Age-ism & Sexy-ism
Emergency room visits plant one face to face with this rat race called life. Monstrous, miserable scuttling through that messy maze proceeds with a vengeance. Patients fork over an immediate $1,000, purchasing the most minimal care and concern coupled with instructions to languish at home while, for instance, nursing two broken limbs for three full…
-
Marriage dinosaur?
Didn’t the Apostle Paul, a bachelor, originate the universal concept of the sanctity of marriage for, quite simply, economic purposes and crowd control? That’s what anchor and commentator Peter Jennings reported several years ago, when he explained, via a bold telecast, the human need for a Messiah and hyped St. Paul ‘s role as the…
-
Susie, In a Sense…a Broad!
As I consider myself nothing nor nobody more than Peter Sellers in Being There or at my liveliest as Inspector Clousseau, it is difficult to make “Susie” sound interesting? I am proudest of being the Mother of Roy, whom I consider the person I would most wish to be. I grew up in a very…
-
A life richly lived and appropriately, effusively celebrated – Ball State University honors Susie Duncan Sexton
From Roy: “I couldn’t be prouder of my mom Susie Duncan Sexton. This article is from The Ball State University Honors College alumni magazine. The author Olivia Power captured my mom’s spirit and soul. This is a beauty, and Olivia wove all of the threads of my mom’s life – her writing, her books, her advocacy,…
-
Henrik Ibsen: An Enemy of the People (Ball State University Senior Honors Thesis)
today, i realized that my honors thesis still exists, and i have copied it and made a notebook. that experience has informed me to this very moment and is the hugest reason of all i was fortunate to have been an honors student which made me the activist and individual i am today at age…
-
ALLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR
Congrats! Record, “I’m born!” From Mommy’s arms one’s torn. Snips, snails, puppy dog’s tails? Sugar, spice, nice. No males. Hitchcock called all, “Cattle!” Brando challenged, “Battle!” Actors recite their lines. “World’s a stage.” Stand in lines. Be macho, macho! Man! Create monsters we can. Female deer, doe-too bad. No more fun to be had. Bob…
-
DIVERSIONARY GIBBERISH
Hey there! Cap ‘N Cork, Cap ‘N Trade/Spend, Cap ‘N What? Adequate Insurance desired? You’re just a nut! WORK for a living–jobs with perks dime a dozen. Not true? Try moving in with your long-lost cousin. Prez, forget about Iraq and Great Depression. Pose and speak daily for press photo op session: “Single pay, universal,…
-
Slam Bam?
Slam Bam? No, thank you! Actually, our young president deserves admiration occasionally. I recall my genuine, though short-lived, marvel and eagerly anticipated satisfaction in three areas: his initial firm stances on–shirking blind-faithed, regimented, patriotic displays of reverence which would have served only for crowd-pleasing “show”; clinging to his respect for a truth-telling preacher; and recognizing…
-
REVEALING FACEBOOK STATUS POSTINGS GREET 2010: A Short Collection of the Best, Myself Among Others
Why do “bleeding hearts” suggest driving poor lost souls to counseling…when we are all DRIVEN to counseling every day by–each other? Ba rum pum! What a news day: Mark McGwire=steroids (big shock?), Sarah Palin=Fox News commentator (“fair and balanced”?), Simon Cowell=leaving American Idol (“pitchy” singers relieved?) Didn’t ever think I’d see a news day in…
-
BLENDED HUMANITY–A Noble Goal
When talented, charismatic, wholesome, young Tiger Woods burst onto the scene, I followed his televised career on the links, read all of the magazines and books, clipped out newspaper articles to savor forever, named my cat after him, and bought a bobble-headed version of the cute golfer. What a gentleman! Upon startled completion of twice…
-
GRANDMOTHER CLAUSES–INSIGHTFUL OR INCITEFUL?
Try though I may, I cannot resist responding to this week’s political news-hot-flashes! These latest revelations surely should strike us voters as unfortunately routine occurrences. Yes–thinking that our government is long overdue to fall into the capable hands of weary post-menopausal ladies wearing pantsuits and who entertain no romantic designs whatsoever upon their youthful male…
-
DEAR JFK
DEAR JFK: Sorry for the delay in thanking you for your genius expertise during the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was too young to realize that with ONLY TWO WEAPONS, your masterful patience and razor-sharp mind, you saved our world from total mass destruction. We should all be quite grateful for your…
-
… A Life in MEMES
I now think in memes. Computer life has completely overtaken my brain in our new Orwellian culture. What’s a meme you ask? According to Wikipedia (does anyone own … or edit … REAL encyclopedias anymore?!?): “A meme (/ m iː m / MEEM) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within…
Misunderstood Gargoyles and Overrated Angels 