Elise Sereni Patkotak

Given my background of working with abused and neglected kids and their (usually) highly dysfunctional families, the issues raised by Governor Parnell concerning domestic violence in Alaska are near and dear to my heart. I’ve dealt with too many children whose idea of a normal family argument involves one parent beating on another parent and then turning on them. I’ve dealt with way too many children, both male and female, whose parents expressed their “love” through shameful, painful acts performed in drunken secrecy.

The last time I wrote about this, I was taken to task for assuming that men were

You ever think it’s going to happen to you. And then one day you wake up and you are older than dirt. And while it’s true I would never want to go back and be so young and stupid again, I sure as hell wouldn’t mind going back and picking up that young body for my old mind. This one I now have simply squeaks and groans too much. And has to get up way too often at night, usually interrupting a wonderful dream involving me and Captain Mal all alone on Serenity.

Am I too old to become Colin Firth’s prime stalker? Because I’d really, really like to spend my days just watching his mouth move.

God… is that sicker than I should be admitting in any public forum?

Flight from St. Paul to Philly delayed twice for Philly weather. Got on and off plane and out to runway twice. Third time we get to the number one position for takeoff only to be told we have to go back to the gate because the instrument panel is showing a thruster problem. Turns out it’s not a computer glitch… reverse thruster not working right. Have to switch planes completely. Delta gives us all food voucher to tide us over while we wait. Food voucher is for $6. Cheapest sandwich in cheapest kiosk is $7.39. Good news… liquor free on

I made my ticket to go East for a family wedding almost four months ago so I could get one of the two 25,000 mile seat tickets actually available on any airline in any given year. At the time I made the reservations, there was a niggling thought in the back of my head that scheduling myself to leave at 6 AM was simply not a good idea. But four months seemed so very far away. It’s as though I never really thought it would come.

But it did. And I slept little for the week leading up to the

Although my grandparents left Italy for a better life in America, they never stopped loving the “old country” – the country that gave us Dante and Michaelangelo and DaVinci, to say nothing of DiNiro and Pscino. Now, apparently in return for the amazing culture, beauty and grace Italians have given to the world, we are repaying them by giving them the cast of the Jersey Shore. If we hated Italy, this would be the most appropriate revenge ever. But we don’t. And so I must apologize to Italy from not only Americans, but specifically Italian Americans. Most of us did

In order to get my parrot Captain and his companion, the cockatoo CB, away from paint fumes I had to remove them from their big cage and put them in individual smaller cages in another room until the smell dissipated. It created the kind of drama that would have made Romeo and Juliet jealous. Now mind you, they were on my bed in cages that were literally touching. They could see each other perfectly and could probably have touched beaks had they not been too busy crying out in agony. I mean, seriously….

These two birds cried and called and

I will be the first to admit that I’m not exactly an expert on our legislature’s inner workings. Like you, I view the machinations of our governing body from the comfort of my home while sipping my morning coffee or evening libation. I often find myself wondering how long it would take for a regular person to understand what seems to be an unnecessarily convoluted process.

Our legislators barely sit down to ponder the future fate of our state when the grumblings arise that ninety days are simply not long enough to do the people’s business. At the same time,

I was never a Trekkie though I remember seeing the original show back in my youth. What I remember mostly is thinking that Shatner was a pompous ass and that’s why I didn’t care to watch any reruns.

Now I watch him on his new sitcom, a cliched mess that breaks no new ground nor offers any real commentary, and I think he’s hysterical. I’m actually starting to like the guy. Go figure. All my friends were right. I have to go get the Boston Legal series and check it out.

Am I the only one this happens to? As the time approaches for me to go on a trip and leave my home and little animal kingdom, I start having dreams about moving out of my home into a strange place and then regretting the move but, for some reason, being unable to undo the move. I mean, it’s not like I’m going somewhere strange. I’m going to my sister’s home in the city where I was raised.  And yet the dreams persist.