Elise Sereni Patkotak

The Democrats sweep the elections and Brittany Spears is getting divorced.  Are these not signs of the Apocalypse?

Go vote today or shut up and don’t complain about anything in public life ever again. If you don’t vote, you lose all right to complain, comment or otherwise have attitude about any elected official or policy they may devise.  And I’m a menopausal woman with attitude so you sure don’t want to question why I get to make that rule.

There was an article in the paper yesterday about the latest in technology being little speakers to go with the I-Pods or whatever the hell it is that people are using to listen to music nowadays.  I only have this to say about that.  PLEASE DON’T!!!  PLEASE, OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE, DON’T!!  Isn’t there enough unnecessary noise in the world today? Don’t make me listen to your music whether it is a rap song about somebody’s ho or a ballad about somebody’s ….well, ho.  Keep it to youself.  Please.

Come Tuesday, our silly season will be over and we will advance to the really important stuff.  Or am I the only one who has noticed the sudden glut of toy commercials on TV?

If eyebrows are the vestigial remnants of facial hair, what’s their purpose? Why did they remain after the other hair left?  What has ever been their point in life? What do they do for us that we kept them but got rid of the hair on our ears…well, at least, most of us got rid of ear hair.

KBRW, Barrow’s one and only radio station, is a public broadcasting station that is critical to the people of the north. It’s having its membership drive this week. If you are an old Barrowite reading this, you should consider making a pledge if only in memory of all those great Sunday evening singspirations you remember so well…or Cora singing Happy Birthday on the birthday program…or Johnny Adams singing “This Land is Your Land” in Inupiaq during local talent day.

And if you never have been to Barrow, consider pledging just for the boost it will give to your reputation to

Yesterday I brought Blondie to the vet to get her anal glands expelled. Does life get much better than that?

A couple of nights ago I decided to ignore the falling snow and grill a kebob for dinner.  The grill is on my porch. I needed to change from my slippers to a pair of shoes. I went to my closet. There was a pair of black shoes and a pair of brown shoes, both of which would have been equally up to the snowy task.  The brown shoes are more comfortable. But I was wearing grey pants and a black shirt and black socks.  As much as I wanted to wear the brown shoes, I couldn’t get the image