Has this ever happened to you?

You spend half an hour, half a day, or half a month on a post, editing and polishing, putting your best self forward on a subject that you find utterly fascinating, getting ready to share a part of yourself with OS and the world at large.… Read full post »

There were some truly outstanding posts made for Veterans Day/Remembrance Day yesterday, and many OSers believe that the cover did not reflect the significance of the day.  Here are links to as many of those posts as I could gather.  Please feel free to add any that I've missed in your… Read full post »

It's that time of year again... 

We have a possibility of severe storms today, which always takes me back to that day in 1998...

A little background.

My husband and I decided in 1997 that, after eight years of marriage, it was probably going to last, and it would be … Read full post »

And, yes, Olbermann too.

In an extraordinary interview on Friday night, Bill Moyers taught us all a lesson on how to have a dialogue with those whose political views contrast sharply with our own.  Extraordinary not necessarily in terms of subject matter or memorability, but rather, in term… Read full post »

Garment Industry Joke

A garment worker was walking back from her lunch break to her job sewing in a factory in the garment district.

From out of a doorway jumps a man wearing nothing but a raincoat.  He steps in the front of the woman, throws open his coat, and exposes… Read full post »

You'll have to pardon me, but I'm positively reeling right now.  

Just for the hell of it, I did a Google search using two phrases from my wayward youth, and what I found has me in a state of shock.

But I have to give you a little background first.… Read full post »

Everywhere I look these days, I see people extolling the virtues of hot (as in spicy) food.  Rachael Ray and the Neelys on the Food Network are always adding hot sauce or cayenne pepper to foods that seem perfectly fine without it, claiming with a giggle or a shake of the hips&nbs… Read full post »

I'm thinking about turning in mine.  After all, she did have a Palin bumper sticker on her car during the 2008 campaign, and her cannas keep coming up in my yard.  Plus, I think the White House is giving away toaster ovens this month!

If you haven't heard about it already, I'm… Read full post »

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, my husband and I spent several years navigating the rather surreal world of infertility.  Tubes were checked, sperm were counted, hormone levels were graphed, ovulation tester sticks were peed upon, and drugs were taken, both orally and b… Read full post »

It's a subject that can make even the most progressive person hem and haw just a little.  People who are otherwise die-hard union supporters often distance themselves from it.  It drives conservatives absolutely nuts.   And I find that it's one of the more misunderstood concepts a… Read full post »

The impulse to create music is as old as humanity itself.  Human beings have always needed to express themselves through rhythm, melody and harmony, using both voices and instruments.  Different cultures have widely varying tonal scales, melodic patterns, harmonic combinations and inst… Read full post »

This seems to be the summer of our discontent here on Open Salon.  There is a groundswell of opposition to the selection process used by the Editors in designating the Editor's Picks and the cover spots.  Many people believe that there is no selection process at all, and that there is… Read full post »

Before you jump all over me, let me start off by saying that I'm not talking about all yard-salers.

Single moms and stay-at-home moms on tight budgets, no problem.  (Unfortunately, though, I have nothing to sell you.  No kids' clothes, no baby accessories, no toys.  I wis… Read full post »

Although it happened forty-some years ago, I think it's time to do it again! A tip of the hat to my brother-in-law, Bill, for sending me  a link to this video of Los Shakers. 

This is the kind of thing that sets my heart aflutter so, naturally, I had… Read full post »

Once you've seen this face, you will never forget it.

I had the privilege of viewing Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent masterpiece, The Passion of Joan of Arc, last night in the beautiful sacred space of Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Nashville, with live or… Read full post »

Some comments were made on Saturn Smith's live blog post of Obama's speech last night that made me realize something:  there are people out there who have a very basic misunderstanding of the term "nonprofit".

So, what does it mean when an organization or business is "nonprofit"?

Put quite simpl… Read full post »

He's the guy I've known for almost 28 years (since I was 19!).

He's the guy who knew we were meant to be together - even when I didn't. 

He's the guy who dragged me away from my hometown to the wilds of Nashville.

He's the guy who taught himself everything… Read full post »

I recently wrote a blog about why I think Christian rock and heavy metal are cynical.  I got a lot of interesting, thoughtful comments, and I figured I was done with the subject for awhile - I had said all I wanted to say.

Then I watched the second episode of… Read full post »

It has saddened me to read the accusations and counter-accusations that have been lodged here on OS in recent days.  I'm not going to link to any particular blog, and I'm not going to comment on what I may think about this situation because, ultimately, what I think doesn't matter in… Read full post »

For Min - Chariots&… Read full post »

I just read that Les Paul has died.  Between the electric guitar and multitrack recording, I don't guess we'd have rock and roll without him.

From AP:

NOTE:  I had originally intended to write a blog addressing both the issues of diversity and political correctness in the Hasan case, but my thoughts on diversity turned into a pretty long piece.  I hope to post Part 2:  Nidal Hasan and Political Correctness at a later date.

__________… Read full post »

My husband, Jim, aside from being incredibly talented, and an all-around, stand-up kind of guy, often surprises me with stories about the people he meets in his photographic jaunts around the city.  He'll head out on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, favorite camera in hand, taking pictu… Read full post »

Warmth caresses skin

Dogwood petals flutter down

Spring's carpet of snow  Read full post »