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Tag Archives: Expectations
The Amazing Firebird
In January 2017, my daughter’s incredible school partnered with the Circus Center, which is based in the former Polytechnic High School Gym in San Francisco (see photo above). From January to June, several members of the Circus Center staff traveled … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Acrobatics, Autism, Circus Center, Clowning, Creativity, Expectations, Gratitude, Juggling, Open Mind School, San Francisco, Show Creation, Special Education, Tightrope, Trapeze, Unplanned Life
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A String of Firsts
Last weekend, I coordinated Poetry Day at the Alameda County Fair. (I know, who knew?) in the morning, I hosted an open mic for all the poets whose work was accepted and displayed at the Fair, plus in the afternoon, … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Alameda County Fair, Anxiety, Autism, Dating, Expectations, Gratitude, Letting Go, Milestones, Parenting, Poet Laureate, Poetry, Poetry Day, Single Parent, Unplanned Life, Writing Life
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Reflections on #MeToo
In the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, lots of women are “waking up.” This is glorious to see, but also a bit depressing. As the #MeToo campaign spreads, story after story is appearing in social media as … Continue reading
It’s Official! I’m Poet Laureate
On Monday, June 26th, I was sworn in as the City of Livermore’s fourth Poet Laureate. The Commission for the Arts notified me of its selection a few weeks ago, but I wanted to wait to make the announcement until … Continue reading
Posted in My Life, News, Other Writers
Tagged "A Place to Call Home", City of Livermore, Cowboy Poetry, Creativity, Expectations, Gratitude, Hagemann Ranch, Home, Hometown, Lauren DeVore, Livermore Commission for the Arts, Livermore Heritage Guild, Lynn R. Owens, Poet Lariat, Poet Laureate, Poetry, Time, Unplanned Life, Writing Life
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Special Olympics Are Truly Special
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up my daughter for the Tri-Valley Special Olympics track team (aka the Tri-Valley Rockets). As I told my father at the first practice, I would have been happy if Katie managed … Continue reading
The Writer’s March Challenge 2017–An Update
On March 31st, A Writer’s March 2017 ended. A guest blogger, Bob Sabatini, wrote the final post entitled, “It’s Over! (Whew!).” Bob’s post nicely sums up my feelings on this year’s writing challenge. You can read it here. Afterwards, the … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, My Life
Tagged A Writer's March, Acceptance, Bob Sabatini, Creativity, Expectations, Memoir, Poetry, Poetry in a Test Tube, Samantha Tetangco, Schedule, Structure, Truth, Unplanned Life, Writing Life
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Sick, Sick, Sick…
Katie and I are sick again! This has been a rough winter for us health-wise. We both caught a nasty bug in late December, and now we can’t seem to get 100% well. I have reluctantly surrendered to this sorry … Continue reading
Women and Power
As I’ve watched the 2016 presidential campaign unfolding, I’ve been struck by several things, but first and foremost, how gender bias still exists—in the media, in politics, in many of us. I find myself constantly surprised—and then not—to see, for … Continue reading
A Trip to the Park
I wrote awhile back about the downside of Facebook, and how sometimes—not always, just sometimes—I get sad when I think of all the things I probably will never be able to post about. Then my unplanned life zigs when I … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Autism, Belonging, Expectations, Gratitude, Parenting, Single Parent, Sorrow, Special Needs, Speech Delay, Unplanned Life
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Waiting
We are in limbo. Everything is on hold as we wait to see what happens with my daughter’s placement. School started in our district on Monday, August 22nd, and the following week, on August 29th, at Open Mind School (OMS). … Continue reading