Stories From A Life

Been there. Done that. Writing about it.

Sally Swift

Sally Swift
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Birthday
June 14
Title
VP, Repartee
Company
Swift Retorts
Bio
sally: a journey, a venture, an expression of feeling, an outburst, a quip, a wisecrack ... me

Editor’s Pick
MAY 11, 2012 1:04PM

Breast Feeding Frenzy, Time Mag Jumps the Wrong Shark

breast feedingCover of Facebook page Hey, LACMA! Breastfeeding isn't shameful.

"I breast-fed all three of my children, because the milk is free." Michelle Singletary

I wouldn't touch the Time Magazine article on mothers breast feeding older kids with a ten foot pole. For me, it's a simple equation: AmuseRead full post »

exodus  

"[I]f I were standing at the beginning of time...and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?" I would take my mental flight by Egypt and I would watch God's children in their magnificent trekRead full post »

 

"Here's to a long life, and a merry one; a quick death, and an easy one; a pretty girl, and an honest one; a cold beer - and another one!" Old Irish toast

Yes, Bridget, the world's going the hell in a hand basket. Sometimes we need to stepRead full post »

  Bride

Back Story
I  never wanted to marry, which is odd because though I've sown my share of wild oats around the globe, I'm basically a monogamous homebody. Wherever I've lived, I've created a nest. And preferred only one man at a time to share it with me. But never quite

Read full post »

santorum

"Our goal is exposing Rick Santorum to everyone who cares that his extreme agenda and his harsh and often hostile brand of politics has sought to divide us, coarsened our public conversation and simply failed to improve the lives of most Americans." SantorumExposed.com, 2005, web site defuncRead full post »

in bed   paws
2012

Yes, life is hard. The world's a mess. We all have our share of pain and serious problems. So does our planet. We'll be talking about them, debating them, tearing our hair out and watching what our country --and the world-- does to fix them as the newRead full post »

hand foodie

Pain has been on my mind a lot lately. Mostly physical pain but some emotional pain too. I'm having complex, delicate surgery on the palm and fingers of my right hand. A lot of nerves are involved. And I am really nervous about the pain.

I know this pain
Read full post »

mad men wedding"Mad Men" Wedding. My cousin had one too.

Thanksgiving weekend, 1963. Our cousin Polly, one of the "big girls" (the tier of cousins 10-15 years older) was getting married. We'd have to sit in the synagogue's balcony and be very quiet, but it was such anRead full post »

Editor’s Pick
NOVEMBER 14, 2011 3:08PM

When Joe Frazier Knocked Me Out

 

 

"Go out there...and make smoke come from those gloves. You can make smoke, boy. Just don't let up." Yank Durham, Joe Frazier's trainer  (That pep talk  created the nickname 'Smokin' Joe).

Another legend has left us. Not a rock star or a corporate genius or a
Read full post »

 

yom kippur 

Yom Kippur: Sunset October 7, 2011 - Nightfall October 8, 2011


"One of the great lessons of 2011 is that wherever people face pain, ancient stories serve to give them hope. That may be Moses's most enduring legacy." Bruce Feiler, author, Generation Freedom

If we everRead full post »

OCTOBER 4, 2011 4:50PM

A Mother's Pain

i love you 

The pain is intense. It woke me in the middle of the night he left, was waiting for me in the newly silent morning, is hovering still. I know from embattled experience it will stay as long as it stays. Gradually it will abate. Until the next… Read full post »
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 7:42PM

Remembering The Voices of 9/11


Nikki Stern book
See Nikki's book on Amazon

"I was home that day (playing hooky from my job in the city, but my husband went into work as usual -actually a little earlier, to his job on the 94th floor of the north tower. IRead full post »

AUGUST 8, 2011 2:49PM

Quitting Politics and Sausage

 podium
Praticing for the US Bicentennial Celebration, 1976

There was a time in my life I was a player. A 'political operative,' as they say. On the inside. Made my way from small time to mid level to the big leagues in record time. From the DNC boiler room to the campaignRead full post »


  jersey shore
MTV stock cast photo, for publilcation

"Manhattan is a narrow island off the coast of New Jersey devoted to the pursuit of lunch." Raymond Sokolov

If you're from New York or Philly, you know we consider New Jersey sort of our 'step-state.' We understand the "Jersey Shore," "Jerseyliciou
Read full post »

 

apple a day

 

I'm a wicked fast keyboard artist. Since I worked for AOL from the dawn of the tech revolution, I'm a geek too, easily adapting to new technologies and apps. So, unlike many of my Boomer peers, I'm also good at phone texting.

Except for that damn AutoCorrect
Read full post »

   bday

 

History On This Day

1775  The US Army was born. (I'm kinda torn about this but I sure do support our troops!)

1777  The Continental Congress (in Philadelphia, yea!) adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag.

1811  Harriet Beecher Stowe was born. And
Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
JUNE 10, 2011 1:47AM

Does Profiling Cancel My Liberal Label?

pogo 

I grew up in an ultra Liberal home. We were taught early and often the importance of equality and tolerance for all. No racial or religious slurs or jokes allowed, we were raised Enlightened, accepting of all creeds, cultures, beliefs. And to be what was calledRead full post »


bobDylan 70
Courtesy Neil McCormick, London Daily Mail

Even if you grew up with his music, it seems incredible Bob Dylan just turned 70. To us he's ageless, the Baby Boomer's ultimate spokesman. A musician and poet who grasped our generation's reality with unique sensibility and articulated it during the/Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
MAY 6, 2011 12:51PM

Mortified By Dan Rather

It's been an amazing week. Historic. I'm proud of our president, our military, our country. Republicans in Congress and many of the media, especially the naysayers ... not so much.

If you're as fed up as I am with the overabundance of idiocy coming from pundit's mouths and the sheerRead full post »

  parenthood


If you're a parent of any age, you should watch the TV show "Parenthood." The season just ended, so you can catch up from the beginning. It will resonate with many experiences in multi-generational parenting and possibly with your own childhood.

It sure did with mine.
Family wedding
Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
APRIL 15, 2011 12:25PM

Healing In Bed With Grey's Anatomy


greys anatomy
 abc.go.com/shows/greys-anatomy

"It's important to tell the people you love how much you love them while they can hear you."  Meredith Grey

Karen died. She's gone from my life forever. Those two simple sentences shock me, mock me. They make me cry. The pain is still so sharp it takes
Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
APRIL 8, 2011 9:58AM

My Superstitious, Sentimental, Priceless Love Beads

  beads

We're superstitious in my family. I bet you are too. Not the best trait to pass on to our children. We try to keep it casual, natural. Our goodbyes, for example, whether in person, on the phone, even text, always end with, "I love you." "I love you too."Read full post »

There’s been lot of sad, bad news lately. Fortunately we've had some distractions, mostly from Crazed Celebrities. Mel the Maniac. Klepto LiLo. Bursty Kirstie, self-proclaimed "DWTS Ho." 

I don’t know about you, but they and all their fellow boldface nutcases make me feel a littleRead full post »

Editor’s Pick
MARCH 18, 2011 1:19PM

Japan's Lesson From Three Mile Island, Lower FUBAR Levels

tmi stop
 cnbc.com

"The minute I heard that there had been an accident at a nuclear facility, I knew we were in another dimension." PA Governor Richard Thornburgh

Japan has been pounded by two gigantic natural disasters. And now the country has entered another dimension asRead full post »

MARCH 11, 2011 3:13PM

Animal Magic, Mood Elevation

  cold kitty

It's been a long, hard winter. Many of us under the weather or beset by the weather. Feeling blue. Disappointed. Out of work. Out of sorts. Grumpy. Angry. Alone. We could use a little inspiration. A smile or two. Doggone-it, enough with the cat-fights, we need some comfort!Read full post »