Next Sunday is Easter. I haven’t heard from anyone in my family and I don’t want to. I worry that some crazy person(s) will try to seek me out.
What to do?
I thought about going to a camping grounds, but the state of Texas does not make it easy to figure out what is available when and so I have another plan.
There is one place that I can park 24/7/365 and have paid for. That place also houses things I need to do.
And so, I will take advantage of my proximity.
Imminent problem solved.
Perhaps this can be a comparison post?!?!?!?!
Everything is coming along nicely. There is much more work to do in the garden, the front yard and the house, but I will get it done!
Nice cabbage.
I’ll add more tomorrow since I can’t tonight.
Since I have decided to leave my family, there are a few hot-point days that I want to make sure that I am not at home.
I’m looking at the first three dates and thinking that I will take each of the pups for a road trip.
The question is: which pup would enjoy what trip.
None of these are mutually exclusive, but I will be taking them one at a time.
I love Galveston. And I think every pup should get to swim in the Gulf. I also love Stephen F. Austin National Park. Or at least I did. I haven’t been there in years, but I have fond memories of it.
So, since I have already decided to take one pup on one adventure this spring/summer, who should I take where and when?
Suggestions of other parks are cool, too. I’m looking at leaving the night before the day and then coming home the night of the day. (So, no, Roberto, no need for you to sit with — unless you just want to 🙂
Obviously.
Last December at about 8:00 p.m. (temperature around 40 degrees), a couple of toddlers were spotted alone in a car. Shortly after, the children’s grandmother returned from shopping at Walmart and was arrested.
Yesterday at about 12:30 p.m. (temperature around 84 degrees), a couple of infants were spotted alone in a car. The owner of the gun shop where the car was parked asked all his customers again and again if they were their children. Almost an hour passed and a man who had been in the shop the entire time walked out to the car. The infants were allowed to go home with the man.
Indeed, each case is “different.”
The things that people do in service to their personal god amazes me. The extent to which they insist that I go along with it makes even less sense.
Take the whole issue of birth control. My GOD, why should women get it for free? Why should women get a leg up on men in a Western Country in 2012? Why is it so controversial? Basic reproductive medicines should be free and included in any health care plan. It’s just about the majority of people on the planet — the country — any place you look — there are more women than men.
BUT, religion comes into play and far too many women just let it go.
Today was a turning point for me in one group.
I have friends in Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Jordan, Syria, and have for many years. I’ve even dealt with the ridiculous influx of Saudis. But today I had a child refuse to touch me. A simple high-five to reward his good work was something he couldn’t countenance.
From now on, I will not let any Saudi male touch anything of mine. I will make them stay away from me and anything of my work.
There are some who still apologize for Saudi behavior, but I for one do not have to take it. I will teach my classes as I always have, which has worked for every other group from every other country on the planet. (And yes, I have taught outside of the U.S.)
As I told the Saudi who refused to give me a high-five for his good work — you are in my home.
In my home, your celebrate good work with a high-five. I don’t have to take into consideration your inexplicable obsession about some god micro-managing your every move.
CLUE BAT: Your God has better things to do.
Update: A Saudi student who was absent the day this happened came up to me the following day (yesterday) and made a point to not only touch my arm, but hold on to it and tell me that not every one of them feel the same. I told him that the student who had such a problem with touching me should apologize, that what happened was disrespectful and rude.
Later, the same student came by my office and asked to kiss my head. It was very touching and makes me tear up even now. He told me that he had told the other student to act like a Texas man or get his ass back to Saudi Arabia.
There is hope.
Today, we had a good class. The material in the book allowed me to show them this: President Obama and Michelle Obama signing. When I played the first video, there was a bit of “Oh, Obama” but I moved it forward to Stephon. They couldn’t understand him, but I had printed out Stephon’s translation, so I gave it to them, and showed them both clips again. Then I showed them the ASL alphabet and then the video of Michelle Obama. They could see her sign “I” and it was on. We watched the video of her several times and they all tried to guess what she was signing (it’s really fast!) We signed simple words to each other throughout the class.
It was a really good class. Guess who was absent?
My mom (whom I’m done with, but who serves as a good punching bag for me, much like I had for her and my family for almost 50 years — and I mean that figuratively and literally) has a bucket list of visiting all 50 states. She and my sister think I want to go see a baseball game in St. Louis or take a cruise for a family reunion.
For me, that’s all meh.
My bucket list is different: I want to swim with sharks and vacation on the moon.
Tonight, 60 Minutes had a guy on who might just make that happen. I also know that Sir Branson is also in this race.
I’d also like to go back to Latvia and to finally see Russia. Of course, I would love to live my last days back home somewhere in Africa.
I ordered a pair of too-toos like this, and a pair of slip-ons like this.
One of my students loves shoes and we have been talking about my getting these for some time. When I wore the too-toos the first time, she agreed they were cute. I told her that I was getting another pair today (the Fed-Ex person left a signature sticker yesterday). She showed me her new slip-ons, but I asked her if she knew who made her shoes, and that I could show her who made my shoes because there are pictures of the women who did on the internet. She laughed, and I did, too. She’s from Africa (I won’t say where), and she knows how much I love that place.
It makes me think. I now know many young women and young men from Africa — mostly from the western part, but from many places. Perhaps I will do what another person I know is planning to do — once all of her current pups have crossed over the bridge, she plans to move there.
I think I would love to do that, too. It would be going home.
I’m sure all of the chicken-hawks crowing about Marines and their guns are fully behind Dick Cheney finding Canada too dangerous to visit.
Nonprofit technology that actually helps studenst around the world and is supportive of teachers is more beneficial and popular than Barbara Bush’s son’s software.
We actually had a Bush family mole in our program while we ill-advisedly were trying to get a government language project back in 2006. The mole left claiming he had cancer. He didn’t as we found out later.
Here’s an article with photos of the remembrance today in Japan.
I’m so grateful that all of my friends were then and still are ok. My heart breaks for this country which I care so much about. I can only hope that the more recent reports that radiation exposure was less than what was originally thought is true.
Japan will come back from this. They have survived worse.
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