Friday's got the bit between its teeth...

Six calls in the last 12 hours from a NJ-based mobile number. Never anyone talking at the other end, just the sound of rustling-- at first I thought someone was butt-dialing me. But this is getting annoying.

Dude, if you're reading this, and have a 973 number based in Morristown? Cut it out.


Meanwhile, my beta on "Paris 24" called it "rich and evocative, and subtle." I'm doomed. (she also pointed out stuff that needed to be fixed, and was absolutely right. She is good beta-reader, and earns cookies)

"It was heady stuff, making his head spin. The sights, the sounds, even the smells were richer, more exotic, the blend of fresh breads from that morning and rabbit and beer and sweat mixing in the damp air like a perfume. He wanted to linger, to sniff the passing bodies, to run his hands over the colorful murals painted on walls and the stylized metal bands around the doors, to look in the darkened windows of storefronts and the brighter-lit facades of cafes and bars– out in the open, unlike back home – but his companions dragged him forward, men on a mission."


It will be done by dinner. Or I will. Apparently, the story required me to take a nap before I could finish it. I'm okay with that. But we're almost done... DONE.

in which I am distilled down to my essence...

Oh dear. windrose just, with the best of intentions, skewered me entirely and with terrible accuracy.


"...one of my favorite things about you is the way you challenge me to think outside the box. You're a perfectionist, and you're not afraid to push others to be better. You're the cat who dares to look at the king ... and if you don't like what you see, you're not afraid to cough up a hairball on his gold-embroidered shoes."

A letter from Planned Parenthood

One of the reasons I adore this organization is right there in their name: Planned Parenthood. A conscious decision, a considered choice to bring a child into this world. I have never understood, will never understand anyone who thinks that this is somehow wrong or immoral.

For those of my friends who have walked through the doors of these clinics, be it for birth control advice, or a routine checkup in a time or place where admitting sexual activity would bring you censure, or to deal with the heart-rending choice of an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy; for those of you who don the orange vest of escort, who work to keep the clinics safe and protect the rights of women everywhere to not be harassed by religious terrorists... you are brave and fierce and I love you.

And I will never stop standing up for our rights to choose...whatever your choice may be.

------------------------------------

Thirty-seven years ago today, the Roe v. Wade decision legalized
the right of American women to abortion.

Today, thirty-seven years later, you and I continue our fight to
make sure that this highly personal decision is made by women
and their doctors -- not by politicians, zealous religious
leaders, or driven ideologues.

For me, marking this anniversary is always tinged with both
gratitude and immense responsibility. Gratitude for the women,
doctors, lawyers, religious leaders, and others who did the hard
work of making the case for the right to legal abortion, which
the Supreme Court decided in favor of women. And immense
responsibility for protecting our rights in the face of
considerable and increasing siege by those who seek to limit
them.

This year, our responsibility looms incredibly large. The past
12 months have been tough indeed. Our opponents have
demonstrated that they will not cease their attacks -- from
hijacking health care reform to the heartbreaking, brutal murder
of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas.

Not all is bleak on this anniversary of Roe. We know that the
doctors and nurses at Planned Parenthood's 850 health centers
help millions of women make the best medical decisions for
themselves. President Obama, on taking office, repealed the
global gag rule and ended funding for dangerous abstinence-only
sex education.

Even with these victories, I can't spend today celebrating the
anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Rather, to honor those who fought 37
years ago and those who fight today, this is the time to remind
ourselves of our critical responsibility to stand up today and
every day for a woman's right to choose.

We thank you for standing with Planned Parenthood, its nurses
and doctors, and the millions of people they serve every year.
Together with you, we stand in support of Roe, and we have to
stand strong in the months, years, and decades ahead. Thank you
for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Federation of America