I am not grace under pressure. I am necessity under pressure.

“Courage is grace under pressure” is a famous quotation by Ernest Hemingway. Tell us about a personal moment of your grace under pressure. I’m having more fun researching the quotes than I expected. This is actually not an accurate quote, nor did Hemingway himself write it.The character said the following in a movie about Hemingway: […]

Facebook! Like Us, Please!

Facebook Lesbian Pittsburgh

 

Strongly Afraid

Marge Piercy said: “A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done.” Tell us about a time when you did what couldn’t be done. As I review various advocacy projects in my mind that fit this criteria, I realize how the devil is in the detail. For example, […]

If I Could Guarantee These People Read My Blog

Pittsburgh Lesbian

If you could have a guarantee that one, specific person was reading your blog, who would you want that person to be? Why? What do you want to say to them? I have a list. It is not in order of preference. First, Mayor Bill Peduto’s deputy chief of staff, John Fournier. It would be […]

My Selfie Won a One-Year Subscription to Bitch Magazine

#365FeministSelfie Bitch Magazine

This is uber-cool, my friends. The first photo I took as part of #365FeministSelfie earned me a subscription to my favorite magazine (so really a free renewal which is awesome!) Talk about positive reinforcement of a plan! I think Gary  Vaynerchuk would approve. I also gotta give Bitch Media props for using Instagram so well. […]

That Time When Dan Onorato Didn’t Make Me Cry

Pittsburgh politics

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Tell us about a time you felt your strength. First of all, Eleanor Roosevelt probably didn’t say this. Many other people have said it, including Phyllis Schlafley and Hillary Clinton, […]

My Commitment to Public Education – Learn More

Public Education Pittsburgh

Today’s blogging prompt involved finding a headline in my local paper and this is what I found Teacher Evaluation Fight May Prove Costly I could tell you about my  public education in the 1970’s and 1980’s in the West Mifflin School District. I could tell you about what I’ve learned through my work as a […]

How The Selfie Transformed My World

#365FeministSelfie

I absolutely hate photos of me. Or I used to hate them. Now I sometimes like some of them a little bit. Like many women, I am my own worst critic about my appearance. I’m fat, ugly, crooked teeth, scar on my lip, etc, etc, etc. But the thing I’ve hated the most are my […]

When Helpers Need Help: Reflection on Life As An Activist

Cathy Cairns

Cathy is 61 years old. Her professional career has spanned nearly four decades in a rural community just outside of Pittsburgh. As she faces her final days with a diagnosis of end stage pancreatic cancer, she finds herself without the financial means to pay for her final expenses – a funeral, gravesite and a headstone. […]

She’s My Partner, Not My Sidekick

Pittsburgh Lesbian LGBT

One disadvantage to blogging is that I get “the glory” while Laura (Ledcat) often gets overlooked. And when I get the beat down side of a stick, she gets that, too. Unfair. Let me be clear – we are a family, a team, a partnership even if we are not married. She goes to work […]