by Paula | Oct 27, 2023 | Family, Paula Persists, Uncategorized
We bid a sad arrivederci to Florence and embarked on a multi-train journey to Sorrento; which is just south of Naples, near the Almafi coast. For the most part, our train travel in Italy was comfortable and relatively easy to navigate. However the little local train from Naples to Sorrento was a bit sketchy… although we ended up with seats (albeit with our luggage in our laps / between our legs), and had friendly travel companions.
We navigated the streets and narrow alleys from the train station on foot to find our apartment for the next four days. While the apartment was OK, the bed was super hard and uncomfortable. After we complained, the manager was able to find a topper for us that helped somewhat.
Sorrento is central to many sights and activities in the region. The village itself is quite charming with many good restaurants, lots of shops and a nice harbor.
Our first evening at the recommendation of the gentlemen sitting to us, we ordered the ‘best caprese salad I’ve ever had’… which definitely lived up to the hype. Before our trip here, I was lukewarm on caprese salads, but am now a believer. Of course, it is best when accompanied by Hugo or Aperol Spritz.
The next day we embarked on a day tour on a mini bus to the Amalfi coast. Throughout our travels, I relied on a combination of Dramamine and pressure-point wrist bands to keep any motion sickness at bay, which worked most of the time. But, I struggled on this excursion: with lots of noisy, stinky traffic; mountain switch-backs; and no ‘fixed’ horizon to leverage.
This trip was both amazing and awful. The coast and villages were stunning. But…the traffic and crowds were difficult to navigate. Our bus driver was great, but it is hard to quickly maneuver in and out of that kind of traffic with a mini-bus. Our tour guide was also incredible and kept us entertained and informed, even while spending hours stuck in traffic.
We stopped at three different villages. Dan and I stuck our toes in the sea at the Positano beach, we ate lunch and visited a cathedral at Amalfi and soaked in the mountain-top vistas with a Limencello in Ravello (our favorite stop). Limencello is a lemon liqueur that is pervasive in this part of Italy which is known for its lemons. While it was a bit strong for me, it was fun to try. We learned that during the summer they offer world-class symphony concerts near that vantage point, with a stage that extends off the cliff. This pic is from Amalfi:
Later during our stay in Sorrento, we found a photography studio / gallery that featured some amazing black and white photography of the area. We had a chance to chat with the photographer, and purchased a lovely photo of the spot in Ravello that we had visited.
A real highlight of our time in Sorrento was a boat-trip to Capri Island. Despite a few miscues getting started (a delay with the food delivery and a passenger that left her phone on the dock) it was a fantastic day. On the boat, we befriended a solo woman traveler, Lindsay, who was on a sabbatical from her job. We hung out with her most of the day, and her positive energy was infectious.
We took the long chair-lift ride up into the mountains early in the day, and it was a great experience. Once we got to the top, we found ourselves in the clouds, so the views were obscured. But it was still fun to explore after which we grabbed some beverages and chilled.
At the summit, a trip to the restroom required a 20 minute wait and 1 Euro. It was fairly common during our travels that it was difficult to find bathrooms and we needed to pay once we found one. I kept that in mind during our travels, and made a point to use bathrooms when I had the opportunity. (TMI, I’m sure!)
After our return chair-lift ride, we ate our lunch, did some walking around, saw an incredible statue of a woman in a plaza, and then smashed into a super-crowded local bus to arrive back at the boat dock at the designated time. Our driver (an attractive and quiet young fellow) took us off-shore and we jumped in for a delightful and refreshing swim, complete with masks and noodles. He threw some bread in the water to attract fish for us to watch. It was fabulous!
We then had the opportunity to go into the Blue Grotto. Dan and I decided to pass and enjoyed some peace and quiet resting on the boat while our fellow-travelers jumped into row-boats and paid a steep price to see the grotto. They came back with mixed-reviews.
We shopped for souvenirs at the pervasive shops in the alleys of Sorrento, finding a few bargains –although I was unsuccessful in finding a lemon-themed shirt that fit me at a reasonable price. One-size-fits-all does not apply when you are a super-shortie!
It was time to say goodbye to the sea and jam everything back in our suitcases as we prepared for the final city in our adventure – Roma.
Please see the links to the other cities we visited on our trip:
Paris
Nice
Vernazza
Florence
Rome
by Paula | Dec 30, 2020 | Family, Paula Persists, Uncategorized
For us, 2020 got off to a great start. In the first 11 weeks of the year, we took a wonderful Mexican vacation, our grandson was born and DD (youngest daughter) started a new job as a barista.
Then… the pandemic struck. Right after our grandson’s much anticipated birth on March 13th, everything went into a COVID lock-down. Suddenly we were working remotely, activities and gatherings of all kinds were cancelled, restaurants and cafe’s closed and furloughed workers (including DD). It was a dramatic and sudden shift which we originally thought would last a few weeks or a couple months at most. Almost 10 months in, and we are just now starting to see light at the end of this long and painful tunnel.
The suffering and loss of human life has been devastating. So far our family has been very fortunate. Despite salary cut-backs and DD’s job loss we are OK financially and have remained virus free. Dan and DD each had serious injuries this year (unrelated to the virus), but both have recovered well.
My oldest daughter’s household is one of many juggling impossible demands every day: teaching and working from home, virtual learning for twin second-graders, and the demands of a very active baby. I help out when I can – always coming away with a new appreciation for challenge of virtual learning for teachers and students, and for the amount of physical energy required to keep up with a busy baby!
While understanding and agreeing with the reasons for keeping away from friends and family—it takes an emotional toll. Like everyone, we miss going to events and get-togethers. We are getting a little tired of each other’s company: although our mutt, Cleo, is thrilled to have her peeps at home. I am fortunate to be able to work from home and to be able to continue to play tennis. Seeing my tennis friends (masked and keeping our distance on the court) has been a balm to my soul.
2020 brought us the horror of George Floyd’s murder with a renewed resurgence of racial tensions, marches and riots. Our ongoing National Shame of systemic violence against people of color in our country was painfully evident in 2020.
Then, there was the election: the election that just may (?) save our Democracy from the tRumpster. Time will tell. For myself, the emotional toll of the tRump Administration has been as draining and as the toll taken by the Corona Virus.
I hope that 2021 is the inverse of 2020–With a difficult start, a gradual return to a new normal, and ending with joyous and safe holiday gatherings. Hopefully we will be able to leverage the lessons learned in 2020 in a positive way, leaving us more appreciative and grateful for even the smallest of blessings in our lives .
Happy New Year!
by Paula | Nov 4, 2020 | Paula Persists, Uncategorized
Today, Nov. 4th, 2020, is tortuous as we await final election results. To help bide the time and distract myself from early returns, I took a trip down ‘nightmare’ lane, pulling together a highlight reel of my ‘greatest’ rants over the last four years. Enjoy!
‘Walking the Dog” November, 2016, wherein I start to TRY to come to grips with the hell just happened
My world view has been rocked. I spent last week in various stages of shock, grief and depression. It is not because we have elected an amateur and thief to our highest office; it is not because my candidate lost; and it is not because a Republican won. While those statements are all true — they are not the cause of my inner turmoil and occasional despair.
I despair because this man consistently demonstrated that he is a racist and a sexist; yet we elected him anyway. This man openly disdains and denigrates women, people of any color, Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants, the disabled, the LGBT community, and more. His promise to ‘Make America Great Again’ is a thinly veiled slogan for white supremacy.
Rising January 2017 wherein I march in Washington DC with my sisters and brothers.
Still, We Rise. Thank you Maya Angelou for these words: “You can kill me with your hatefulness, but just like life… I rise”.
Today, I joined hundreds of thousands of women; along with our partners, brothers and children to collectively protest tRump’s election with a message of equality and inclusiveness. Having been denied a permit to use the mall (which was NOT being used), 500,000 women were crammed on Independence Avenue and surrounding streets. It was a veritable sea of pink pussy hats!
Small Things Matter, April 2017: wherein I am appalled by the boorishness of tRump. I am nostalgic for the Obama’s grace and class. Barack and Michelle always treated each other with respect and love. In contrast, tRump rarely misses an opportunity to display his lack of common decency. Personally, I would not trust him to feed my cat.
Joy and Sorrow, (6/18): wherein we babysit our precious grand girls, and reflect on the barbaric cruelty of putting children in cages.
From our trip to the zoo, I have a picture of my two precious, Mexican-American grand-daughters peering out from behind bars–in a cage. This picture feels like a punch in the gut every time I look at it. It is a close-to-the-heart reminder of our inhuman treatment of families who seek asylum within our borders.
Tonight, Dan, the girls and I made strawberry shortcake with strawberries we picked this afternoon. I gave the girls a bath, there were many giggles while we wrestled them into their PJs; we brushed their hair and their teeth, we read books, and lovingly tucked them into bed. They are with family that loves them and they are safe. Yet, my heart aches knowing that so many equally precious children are needlessly terrified and among strangers tonight.
Becoming (8/18), wherein I gush about Michelle Obama and her Book.
The release of this book among the backdrop of the continued horrors of the current White House illustrates the enormous chasm between the Obamas and our current Tweeter in Chief. The chasm is wide and deep on multiple levels: the Obamas consistently displayed intelligence, humor, a strong work ethic, humility, class and above all – human decency. To paraphrase Michelle herself in a recent interview with Stephen Colbert: It is lazy and easy to lead with fear; it is much harder to lead with hope.
For the last two years, it has been hard to keep hope, and to avoid responding in kind to the ignorance, cruelty, vulgarity and nastiness regularly displayed by the current POTUS. Yet, Michelle still believes in ‘going high’, because what is our choice? We have to believe in something better. She reminds us that as FLOTUS, she was able to meet many people across our country, and the vast majority of them are good and kind.
Pondering American Greatness, May 2020: wherein I try to figure out what the hell MAGA actually means
The MAGA crowd has never answered the question: When, exactly, was America great? What is the timeframe that they are so nostalgic for?
Any era of American history that we choose is riddled with both great accomplishments and great oppression and cruelty. America has always been a land of contradictions. Any definition of greatness depends on the lens that is used to view the era.
The MAGA lens of greatness reflects a particularly narrow and xenophobic ‘love it or leave it’ brand of patriotism. They demonstrate a sense of entitlement to American greatness as uniquely THEIRS. No immigrants, feminists, ‘libtards’, people of color, Native Americans, gays, lesbians, or non-Christians are welcome in their imagined era of greatness.
Above all else, the MAGA crowd misses the good ‘ole days when it would have been impossible for a black man to become President.
The MAGA crowd is afraid of anyone who does not look like, sound like, love like or pray like themselves. These fears are stoked daily by their combative leader. tRump revels in stirring up division and conflict, and when there is no true conflict of interest, he creates one in order to keep his base in a continual state of rage and indignation–even if that anger ends up being directed at some poor Costco clerk who is just checking to make sure shoppers are wearing masks.
One can debate endlessly as to when America was at its peak of ‘greatness’. But one thing I am sure of: our current path is decidedly NOT leading towards ‘greatness’, no matter how rose-colored your glasses or your hat.
Other Rants
A New Reality, (11/16), wherein I continue to process my shock
Sleepless and Troubled, (1/17), wherein I lose sleep part 1
Profiles in Dishonor (2/17): wherein I ponder (for the first, but not last time) when and if Republican Senators will find their spines or balls
Thank you Mitch McConnell (2/17): wherein I quote Mitch: “ She was warned, she was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”
Cracks in the Orange Veneer, (3/17) wherein I describe early tRump missteps, while still under the delusion that it mattered.
Insomnia and Blind Faith (3/17), wherein I once again lose sleep, part 2
Ding, Dong the Bill is Dead (3/17), wherein I compose a song, about the ill-fated GOP health care bill
Orange is the new Crack, (3/17): wherein it is apparent that tRump is leading a cult.
The GOP Shit Sandwich: (5/17) – Wherein the GOP fails to pass a health care bill, which was so crappy that even the GOP majority in the Senate and the House didn’t support it.
Tweeter in Chief, (5/17): wherein I (again) bemoan the spinelessness of the GOP
Circle Breathing (5/17): wherein I ponder the unity of resistance
Lordy, I hope there are tapes (6/17), wherein it is apparent that the truth is no longer relevant.
Our National Shame: (6/17): Wherein Black Men are being Murdered by Police
As the “D” Turns, (8/17): wherein we get a chuckle over The Mooch! “I’m not a back stabber, I’m a front stabber’
Are you Outraged Yet? (8/17), wherein tRump defends White Supremacists in Charlottesville.
Regulations and rights (10/17) wherein my uterus is more dangerous than a semi-automatic weapon
#METOO, (11/17): wherein I ponder my own troubling experiences
Resisting The New Normal, (2/18), wherein I itemize some of the ways that tRump is not normal.
When Bullies are in Charge (2/18), wherein I ponder the impacts of revering bullies
The Debt of Privilege (3/18), wherein I ponder being white
The Sound of Silence (3/18), wherein we learn the power of silence from a teenager as she mourns her slain friends
Children of the Corn (4/18): wherein I tell a story about greedy kids and tell a joke to describe the extreme disparities of our economic system
Making American Great, (5/18): wherein, I reflect on slavery and racism
Cost of Democracy (6/18), wherein I reflect on the corruption of big money in politics
An Open Letter to American Women (7/18), wherein I bemoan the fact that 52% of us voted for tRump, undeterred by his pussy-grabbing ways.
Putin’s Poodle (7/18), wherein I gleefully, and childlessly explore various uncomplimentary nicknames for tRump.
Truth or Consequences (7/18), wherein I ponder the lack of consequences for tRump’s continued lies and foolishness.
The Crumbling Presidency (8/18), wherein I point out the growing number of legal problems of this Administration
#MeToo v GOP (9/18): wherein I hope that our Senate will not confirm a sexual predator cry-baby to the Supreme Court.
A Sad Day (10/18): wherein I realize that sexual predator cry-babies can get confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Winning! (11/18): wherein I reflect on the most excellent outcomes of the 2018 mid-terms.
Meanwhile (6/19), wherein I reflect on miscellaneous current shenanigans
Sharpiegate (8/19), wherein I reflect on tRump’s drawing and weather forecasting skills
A Dream Deferred, (11/19) wherein I painfully conclude the Dems need to nominate another old white guy
Dictator for Life, (1/20), wherein I ponder the degree to which we are descending into fascism
The Witch Hunt, (1/20): wherein I gush over Lindy West’s new book of that name.
Finally, talking about race (5/20), wherein I ponder the importance of having hard discussions after the murder of George Floyd.
Evolving (8/20): wherein I again ponder white privilege
Sun V. Wind (9/20): wherein I ponder the effectiveness of strong-arm tactics
RIP RPG (9/20): Wherein my heart breaks
My dad is 93 (10/20): wherein I come to terms with my father’s racist views
by Paula | Aug 30, 2020 | Paula Persists, Uncategorized
I grew up in an all-white neighborhood, and have lived my adult life in similarly segregated communities.
My white privilege is part of me, despite the fact that I never asked for it, and did not recognize it for most of my life. Without intent or malice, my experience has shaped who I am. While I have had difficulties in my life; I will never know what it is like to move about in our highly segregated and racialized world with black or brown skin.
We are all on a journey of awareness–an often uncomfortable journey of listening and learning; a journey in which we need to face and challenge long-held assumptions and biases. We need to educate ourselves, rather than remain in blissful, privileged ignorance.
These times are hard. Like so many people, I am weary; but I can only imagine how exponentially weary my black friends are of explaining (for the upteenth time) that the phrase “ALL lives matter’ dismisses and trivializes the consistent, systemic and state-supported devaluation of black lives. I can only imagine the weariness of regularly engaging with well-intended white folks who proclaim “I don’t see color’; or dealing with those who completely lost their shit when Colin Kaepernick took a knee, but are now yelling the loudest that the only effective protest is a peaceful protest.
To those decrying violence and property damage: I agree that it would be WONDERFUL if we could address our race issues calmly, rationally and peacefully—So, when do those talks start??
The historic reality is that whenever when black people have sought justice, they have faced extraordinary violence from white people in many forms: Slavery, Jim Crow laws, Lynchings, Civil rights violence, fire hoses turned on children, burning of churches or whole towns, assassinations of civil rights leaders and more. Our history clearly tells us that No form of protest is acceptable to those who are vested in preserving the status quo.
These are difficult times – it is the Civil Rights FlashPoint of our generation. Our actions, or inaction, now reflect the true nature of our characters. Will you rise to the challenge to advocate for freedom and human dignity for all, or will you double down on preserving a status quo that protects your own wealth and entitlement? If this were the 1960s, Would you be listening to Dr. King, or would you be shouting him down and cussing him out?
Choose well, my friends.
by Paula | Jun 28, 2020 | Paula Persists, Uncategorized
During most of my life racism has been a topic that we just don’t talk about. Of course, the ‘we’ in that statement refers to privileged white folks (such as myself); Black people don’t have the option to go through their lives pretending racism doesn’t exit.
The cold-blooded murder of George Flloyd captured the nations attention and served to shine a light on the shameful and horrific ways in which racism is still very much alive and well in the ‘land of the free’.
For the first time in my life, I am routinely having conversations about race. Friends and family are more open to listening and learning why ‘All Lives Matter’ cannot be true until and unless Black Lives Matter. Some of us are emerging from our white cocoon of privilege to listen and learn about the experiences of Blacks in our communities–who do not always feel safe in our neighborhoods.
Many well-meaning, well-intended middle-class white people have not fully recognized the breadth and scope of the problem, because WE don’t see it or experience it on a day-to-day basis. When confronted with yet another video of a cops killing another unarmed Black person, it has been too easy to dismiss the act as an aberration, versus the legacy of long-standing and systemic racial terrorism. There is no longer any excuse for that sense of entitled ignorance.
A couple years ago I got into an argument about racism with a work colleague. This particular Male Karen (I will call him MK), was a very vocal self-appointed expert on any and all topics. MK was explaining to me that he was not going to attend a Diversity presentation at our work place, because “he treats everyone the same, he doesn’t ‘see’ color, therefore racism is not HIS problem’. I pointed out that MK has benefited from white privilege whether he realizes it or not; and I suggested he may want to do more learning and listening than talking on this particular topic. MK blew up at me and called me a racist, to which I very maturely replied: “No, YOU are the racist! Eventually HR intervened, and told us not to talk about race at work–which disappointed me, given that Diversity was allegedly a Corporate value. How can we expect change if we are not allowed to talk about it?
This experience shook me, and for a time, I was hesitant to initiate or participate in conversations about diversity and racism, despite my growing interest and knowledge on the topic. Fast forward to June 2020—the time is ripe for these long-deferred difficult conversations, and it has become less acceptable for white people to simply ignore or deny the problem.
We need to take advantage of this flashpoint to educate ourselves, listen to and amplify Black voices, to become and act as allies. If you haven’t already done so, check in with your Black friends, support BLM, participate in peaceful protests, have difficult conversations, and hold your friends and family accountable for their actions and words. And finally, whether you are a man or a woman – for gawd’s sakes… don’t be a Karen.
by Paula | Apr 8, 2020 | Paula Persists, Uncategorized
Mondays are much maligned as the toughest day of the week, and this past Monday was particularly horrific. At the request of GOP leaders in Wisconsin, the state’s Supreme Court and the US Supreme court made back-to-back rulings threatening the health of Wisconsinites by forcing us to gather at the polls during the height of this dangerous pandemic.
The courts issued an 11th hour over-rule of the Governor’s executive order to defer the spring election from April 7 to June and his order to extend the absentee voting time frame. This was the latest and last straw in a series of maneuvers by the GOP to undermine attempts to legally defer the election-explained in more detail in this NY Time article. Evers has stated that it is impossible to compromise with an uncompromising foe.
Voters in our largest city, Milwaukee, were most harshly impacted. Because of the pandemic, the number of polling locations were slashed from 180 to 5. Yes, you read that right – FIVE. This resulted in hours-long waits outside, sometimes in the rain, with large groups of people.
Voters were faced with impossible decisions, particularly the elderly and others at greatest risk from COVID 19; in addition to the risk of infection, not everyone is physically capable of standing outside for hours in the cold and rain. Many made the difficult choice to stay home, rather than brave the cruel and unusual conditions of voting in this particular election.
We were fortunate; Dan and I had already submitted our absentee ballots, and my daughter voted with no delays at our tiny municipality town hall. Yet, this gives me small comfort, since so many of our community were disenfranchised.
Why does the GOP consistently seek to make it harder for people to vote? It is a blatant (and thus far successful) strategy to further tighten their grip of power within the state, and to undermine our Democratic Governor Evers at every turn. You may recall that this GOP controlled Legistlature literally changed the laws to limit the governor’s authority after Evers was elected, but before he took office. Shameful.
I have friend who is a nephew of a state law-maker, who advises that some Republican legislators in the state see the damage that is being done, but are unwilling to commit political suicide by standing up to the extremists who provide leadership to their party.
Our leaders have lost their souls. And, god help us, we have let them. Regardless of what new obstacles are put in our path, we must prevail in November.
