Katy's Blog
Katy B.
- Location
- Seattle, Washington, US
- Birthday
- June 06
- Title
- human
- Company
- life
- Bio
- I am a working jazz vocalist, a writer and the mother of three boys. Basically, I sing, I write and, for better or worse, I parent. I love making noise about the Seattle jazz scene and also writing about other vocalists.
I thought I was pretty good at the parenting gig until my son became a teenager. I'm presently getting my ass-kicked. Still, my kids rock, even when they nail me to the emotional wall and remind me, again and again, the meaning of humility.
Beyond all this, I’m just a basic goober trying to make her way in the world. I am learning to fly solo after a 22-year marriage. It's pretty weird, but I'll figure it out. The Buddhist philosophy seems to work for me. I’m rabidly pro-choice. I love my president. I don’t eat meat. I love running but get injured a lot. I have the best sister on the planet.
Pema Chodron said it best:
“One can appreciate and celebrate each moment-there’s nothing more sacred. There’s nothing more vast or absolute. In fact, there’s nothing more.”
Thank you for letting me make my paw print on Open Salon with you.
MY RECENT POSTS
- A Bitch Slap for Rick Santorum
January 27, 2012 03:08AM - Why I'm Grateful For Gay Kids
November 22, 2011 10:57AM - Hick Patrol & the Intellectual
Tone in America
May 02, 2011 08:54AM - Reindeer Minutia
December 09, 2010 09:58AM - grace, ambiguity & gratitude
November 24, 2010 10:52PM
MY RECENT COMMENTS
- “Here is
is:
http://katy-bourn
e.com/
It's also on
the the sidebar on my OS
profile.…”
January 27, 2012 01:33PM - “Hi Joan! Thanks for
reading &
rating.
Yeah, I like
to drop in now &
then,…”
January 27, 2012 11:13AM - “As I saw in the Twitter
feed: "Turns out sending some
badass
special ops
guy…”
May 02, 2011 09:16AM - “"There is no longer even
the pretense of governments
working
toward the
comm…”
December 10, 2010 06:58PM - “You got me on the
"unsung heroes," Kat. Boy, was
that
dumb.
Anyway,
glad…”
December 09, 2010 11:12AM
Katy B.'s Links
- New list
- My jazz blog
A Bitch Slap for Rick Santorum
“There are certain things that government does that gives people privileges in order to promote activity that are healthy for society and are best for society. And those things we promote would give people advantages or benefits, government benefits because we thi
… Read full post »Why I'm Grateful For Gay Kids
I am grateful for gay kids.
Their mere presence in the world makes it a better place. Gay kids are unique and effervescent spirits. Most have a wisdom beyond their years. Many are madly creative and unafraid to push the edge. Gay kids… Read full post »
Hick Patrol & the Intellectual Tone in America
Well, it’s certainly been one nutty week. Between Rep. Sally Kern (R-OK) and Donald Trump, there’s no question that racism and stupidity are alive and well in the U.S., or at least in the GOP. Both received suitable karmic comeuppance for their misdeeds. The pushback against… Read full post »
Reindeer Minutia
Ah, the season is upon us once again. Many of you probably celebrate the Christmas holiday or some variation of it. If so, it is quite likely that you are well schooled in all things Santa Claus. You know the stories. You’ve/… Read full post »
grace, ambiguity & gratitude
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the beautiful autumn celebration of communion, food and giving thanks. Many of you will be gathering with friends and family over sumptuous feasts and lively conversation. Some of you will be traveling, enduring icy roads or TSA pat downs to reach… Read full post »
Toyota's New Campaign: Another Dumb Debacle
After the disaster with the Prius acceleration, the massive vehicle recall last spring and the accompanying PR debacle that came with it all, one would think that Toyota would be very careful about what messages it puts out to the world. One would think Toyota big wigs would exercise extreme ca/… Read full post »
The other night, my boys and I went to see “Jackass 3D.” It was disgusting, profane, ridiculous and unquestionably stupid. I laughed so hard it hurt.
I suppose I could blame this on the fact that I am the mother of /
… Read full post »
Don’t let the photo fool you. Behind that deceptively cute face lurks a snarling, maniacal little rat turd. In fact, mere seconds after this photo was taken, Santa snapped and growled at my friend Wally. Santa is my elderly mother’s little bundle of joy. Acco… Read full post »
"Tattooed By Passion"-A Celebration of Dale Chisman
Every now and then, I come across a piece of writing or a musical recording that settles a little more deeply into my psyche than most. It floats dreamily along with me and ultimately inspires me to think bigger. “Tattooed By Passion: Music Inspired By the
… Read full post »Cloning Myself
The "It Gets Better Project": Hope & Love for Gay Teens
They shove him into lockers and call him a "faggot" and a "fat ass." Some days, they grab his backpack and play keep-away from him, tossing it back and forth over his head, while taunting him and calling him names. They steal his cell phone and use it to text… Read full post »
Minutia in 12: HeidiBeth's Open Call
OK, I wasn’t going to respond to this Open Call, only because I didn’t figure anyone would be particularly interested in twelve random factoids about moi. But golly, a whole lot of my fellow OS peeps seem to be having such fun with this one, I figure… Read full post »
For the past several years, the face of Christianity in the United States seems to be changing and with that change, the concept that God is a benevolent entity seems to be a distant and outdated notion. Over the course of recent years, we have seen high-powered churches launch political initia… Read full post »
Seattle has one of the liveliest jazz scenes on the West Coast and a wildly popular event well worth checking out is the 7th Annual Pony Boy Records Jazz Picnic, which takes place Sunday, September 12 at Seattle’s Sand Point Magnuson Park.
Pony Boy Records is/… Read full post »
The Shit of Motherhood
There’s no winning here.
It all fell apart again tonight, with my teenage son and me. With Emmett and me. We had a conflict. It escalated. I asked him to leave my apartment. He did, with both of us screaming on his/… Read full post »
More Reflection on Mark's 15-15
Wow. OS writers love their music.
The response to Mark T’s recent 15-15 Open Call has been pretty impressive, and I have had big fun perusing all the lists and reading what people have to say about why certain recordings are meaningful to them. I… Read full post »
The Amazing Merengue Dancing Dog!
This little gem has been making the rounds on Facebook this week. I watched it for the first time a few days ago and have revisited it several times since. This funny dog has wiggled (or more accurately, danced) her way into my heart, and I get a big smile on… Read full post »
Mark Trost's Open Call: 15 in 15
This is in response to Mark Trost's fabulous Open Call assignment. This is a good one, chum. I've copied and pasted the instructions here, although I think I fumbled on the tagging part.
THE RULES: Don't take too long to think about… Read full post »
Value Village & The Perfectly Lovely Day
Sometimes a woman gets lucky. Out of the blue, she gets a text message from her teenage son, asking her if she wants to hang out with him today. She says “yes”, and
… Read full post »The Luxury of Health
One day last May, I woke up around 4 o’clock in the morning with a crushing pain in my chest. From everything I’d ever read, I was experiencing classic heart attack symptoms. I did not, however, call 911 or get myself immediately to the ER. Instead, I lay in bed, stared/… Read full post »
The Last Lesson
The hospice people had us prepared for much worse. They gave us literature explaining what the process of dying would look like, what my father’s death would most likely look
… Read full post »Open Call: What's Your Guilty Pleasure?
Someday they will find me. I’ll be facedown in my apartment, or possibly on a sidewalk somewhere in the neighborhood. There will be pint containers littered around my body. My pants, if
… Read full post »A Case For Skinny-Dipping
Picking a Fight With Wendy Wright
Yo, Wendy Wright!
Yeah, you….. President of Concerned Women for America. Listen up, you’ve been saying some pretty boneheaded things lately, and I’m gonna have to pick a fight with you. Well, I need to at least ask some questions anyway. Being the intellectual/… Read full post »
The Urinator vs the Bitch Upstairs
Yesterday, my downstairs neighbor Ping Lee unzipped his trousers and took a long, hot piss right on the front porch of our building. I happened upon it just seconds later, when I stepped out to get my mail; the steaming, rancid puddle of urine was just inches away from my door.… Read full post »
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