tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-283488112009-02-21T00:11:20.854-08:00Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149902233118411282006-06-09T17:35:00.000-07:002006-06-09T18:17:13.180-07:00

In a previous post, I mentioned my fondness for keeping my house open to the fresh air on all but the hottest nights. I live in Bellevue, Nebraska, near Omaha. We have the hottest, muggiest, nastiest summers anywhere. I once attended a summer conference in San Antonio, and on the way to the hotel the cabdriver was waxing eloquent about their hot, humid weather. Well, maybe I hit Texas on an

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149874651540082172006-06-09T10:29:00.000-07:002006-06-09T12:16:48.333-07:00

Recently, my husband and I moved to an apartment from a large old fixer-upper that we, well, didn't fix up. It's been a great move, and we love our new space. We moved to an unusal apartment complex built in the 1970s. Nothing unusual was ever built in the 1970s, you say? Here's what is special about this place, and why it couldn't be built today. It is located in a forest. Lots of trees were

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149734425325529402006-06-07T19:34:00.000-07:002006-06-09T12:34:25.750-07:00

Under the heading of they either get it or they don’t…I was showing my 33-year-old daughter my fabulous new turquoise and gold mid-century modern lamp complete with matching 2-tier shade in mint condition. Her reaction? “Some of us just suspend all judgment when thrift store shopping .” Whatcha gonna do?Recent empty nesters, my husband and I moved from our huge old fixer-upper, which we avoided

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149733831951916632006-06-07T18:59:00.000-07:002006-06-10T22:15:17.476-07:00

I read with sadness this morning that musician Billy Preston, known as the Fifth Beatle, died Tuesday of kidney failure after a long illness due to hypertension. I am sure he that penned the only song lyrics about the war on poverty, in Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing: “Don’t you remember I told ya, I’m a soldier, in the war on poverty ..."I am a fat 50 year old white chick who grew up in the

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149547982753624102006-06-05T15:37:00.000-07:002006-06-05T18:02:13.486-07:00

We all know what thrift store mojo is, right? It's that zen state of existence in which one knows exactly which thrift store will have the best of whatever it is we're looking for. We all know it is an abundant universe, and the Great Mother bestows her best gifts on her followers who keep their minds open and are willing to accept what she offers with grateful hearts, trusting that it is indeed

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149543520774247722006-06-05T14:23:00.000-07:002006-06-05T16:55:21.663-07:00

Making ends meet on low wages, the subject of my first major post here on Thought Provocateur (see below) is near and dear to my heart. I raised three children alone, on low paying jobs. I dropped out of high school at the end of my sophomore year, and by the time I was 27 I was twice divorced with three children, the oldest only 10. This was in 1982, and I found a job working in the office of a

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149542315756605222006-06-05T14:09:00.000-07:002006-06-07T19:46:02.980-07:00

A Study In ContrastsMy reading so far this summer juxtaposes the light, frothiness of “What Would Jackie Do?” against a gritty expose of lifestyles of the working poor “Nickel And Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America.”“You Can’t Help But Want To Be Like Her…”I picked up the Jackie book expecting a parody of the ubiquitous “What Would Jesus Do” franchise, but it soon became painfully obvious that

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28348811.post-1149536250069888762006-06-05T12:37:00.000-07:002006-06-05T14:13:12.390-07:00

Welcome to Thought Provocateur – a blog devoted to provoking independence of thought in matters both profound and trivial, home of the Tired Butt Society. While we intend to provoke thought and lively discussion, we do not dwell entirely in the realm of the Serious With A Capital “S”.The world is a complex place, getting more complex all the time. Experts, however, tend to add layers of

Marti at Thought Provocateurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919666225756018647noreply@blogger.com6