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Welcome everyone to the Froggy Bottom Cafe, where the welcome wagon is currently parked. Over the last couple days I have read many glowing comments about the “nature” of this site and many pointed to the Welcome Wagons |
as one of the things that led them into posting and joining on this site.
Lately however, we have not seen many newbies posting bios here, so I am making this an old fashioned traditional, one more in the series Welcome Wagon Diary.
So come on those of you who are still shy, or those of you who just jumped in and didn’t really tell us who you are, now’s your chance…We love to know who you are and whatever about you, you will care to share..
Good place to get mojo too, so jump on in, the waters fine and we will all splash and play.
Booman might want to do an update bio, Susan I don’t know if she ever has, Catnip did you ever do one, there are lots of people I can think of that we would like to know more about..
So meeters and greeters, get ready!!
Also this will still be the home of the Froggy Bottom Cafe.”>
Good place to get mojo too, so jump on in, the waters fine and we will all splash and play.
Booman might want to do an update bio, Susan I don’t know if she ever has, Catnip did you ever do one, there are lots of people I can think of that we would like to know more about..
So meeters and greeters, get ready!!
Also this will still be the home of the Froggy Bottom Cafe.”>
A tell us about you diary is finally here, with the Welcome Wagon, so all get over here and give us a bio.
The wagon is loaded with goodies, mojo and good wishes, so be sure to join in, I mean it now, come on you can do it…
Diane, I love the way you made your text wrap around the image. It looks great!
Well I guess there are no newbies, or lurkers on site today so I may as well post my bio for those who have never seen it.
I am 62 living in Santa Ana, Ca. which is in Orange Co. In previous incarnations I was a mother, exectuive assistant for a trust administration company, then mother again and then an antique dealer with my own business, the mother again, more antiques, another kid, add tole painter, add a kid……an unpublished writer, and in later years a Nanny among the many things I have done or been.
Now I am semi retired, working part time for my ex husband’s business, living in a house located in the truck yard for that business. I love gardening, have a tiny one, plus lots of container plants, love sewing, cooking, painting, etc.
Mostly nowadays, I spend my time blogging, right here on Booman Trib.
So what about you, even if you told us before tell us again or update us.
Please don’t let me be the only one to write in this diary..
Hello Diane,
Arrived here with the pie fight. I do not belong to KOS just lurked there for a year. After all that I decided to join Boo where people were so much more civilized and kinder.
Am 59 married, three sons, three grandsons. Boys do run in this family. Have left the business world where I spent 30 years in the printing industry. I am not what one would called retired.
I have written a comment or two since arriving. Working up to doing a diary, maybe. Very shy person, very introverted.
Going to be a very slow weekend no doubt but couldn’t let you sit over there all alone. Never been to CA. but have been in Oregon and Washington and it was beautiful. Me I live in Iowa about fifty miles west of the Mississippi. Born here but haven’t always lived here. Lived in NM for ten years and that was an experience in more ways than one. I assume it is something like California where everyone is from somewhere else a real melting pot.
Have a small garden and this year am surrounded by soybeans behind and corn in front, not mine belong to the farmer next door. Lots of wild life in my neighborhood. Possums that think they are one of cats and often on the front porch. Racoons and deer. We have had mountain lions show up in the state in the last few years and even a bear came down from the north last year and caused a riot. I’m glad it returned north before someone killed it. The bald eagle has returned to us in large numbers and usually have a pair winter in the vicinity.
Have swallows in the barn and they will follow the lawn mower because they know the bugs will fly up and sometimes I have ten or fifteen on them swooping around me while I mow. They have zipped very close to me and never touched me but seems totally unafraid of me or the mower.
Try to live as uncomplicated life as possible and gnash my teeth over the state of America. I just keep hoping everyday that this will be the day something changes and things start to get better but it hasn’t happened yet.
Jake – we’ll be awaiting that diary š when you’re ready…
Jake Apple and I like your screen name btw…Thanks for coming to my rescue and thanks for coming out of the shadows…and a big welcome to the site.
Kudos to you for being from the Midwest and a Dem…we don’t have many of you folks here at all. See site meter, the biggest numbers are on the E. coast., with West coast usually lagging behind..
Since I had 2 large nearly ripe tomatos stollen from my vine this morning, I was led to suspect it may be a racoon, do you have any tips for keeping them out of a garden…I have been thinking of growing soybeans myself as I love edemama(sp) so much.I wonder what kind of crop they get per plant.
Hi Everyone!
Here I am again…seems I have no social life, doesn’t it?
I too love Edamame, and luckily it is so good for you! The other day I was at a restaurant that served Asian food and one of the appetizers was a big steamed pot of edamame pods dusted with sea salt. I ate a ton. They just slip right out of the pod when you scrape them against your teeth and then you discard the pod and move onto the next one. I wasn’t sure that was the way you were supposed to eat them in a restaurant (I am always careful to at least pretend I am civilized when out to eat) but it sure worked well for me and I was facing away from most of the other patrons so I didn’t worry too much.
Hey, did I see you have a new baby in the family? Congratulations to all involved…I love that sweet new baby smell, and the peaceful way they sleep.
I’m just checking in real quick between lawn mowing and flower planting and running to the pool…really, I do have a life, I swear!
Hey now….don’t make me feel bad about my NOT having a life. We do have a new member of the family. Baby boy Zaden(sp?) born about 12 hours ago.
Hey, I was merely pointing out that I may have a similar non-life…not trying to make you feel bad! :^)
I have a little nephew born several weeks ago.
Yes you ate them correctly. Did you know they are sold at supermarkets, fresh or frozen. I like the frozen ones from Trader Joes, they are shelled but uncooked, which just takes a few minutes…
I will take a nice steaming bowl of miso soup with my teka make and edamame, please if there is a waitress here.
I do buy the frozen ones and use them often. My husbands mother cooked vegetables until they were unidentifiable and mushy. The first thing he told me about my steamed fresh green beans was that his mom used to cook them until they didn’t “squeak” anymore. I told him to get used to them squeaking and crunching because I was not about to turn them into baby food.
He loves lima beans which make me gag, so I’ve been substituting edamame and he hasn’t complained. I’m so sneaky.
Hope you won’t be really mad to learn I’m not a dem, I’m independent. But hardly one that can’t make up my mind about issues or candidates. Which also means in Iowa I am not allowed to be in the caucuses. I know they are near and dear to many but I find them rife with problems and wish they would change.
As to the raccoons I live where they have to much to eat they rarely touch my stuff. Now my sister who lives in the middle of a large town has wild life eat her garden and everything else she plants. This year she finally found something at Home Depot that really works and keeps them away. Mostly it is the 5000 deer in her neighborhood that eat her yard bare. We have a very big deer problem in the cities and people just panic if you suggest that they need to be culled and scream don’t kill bambi. Sorry they have brought disease and uncountable car wrecks due to the over population. My sister-en-law has ruined three cars in three years to deer in the road.
I could get into a long dissertation on why you don’t hear from many mid-westeners, at least from Iowa but it is far to complicated. They are just very closed mouthed about most things and certainly to strangers.
And speaking of which I can’t believe how chatty I am being myself but read most of your stuff and think you are a really nice down to earth person. Thanks for being there on three day weekend.
Not a Dem!!!!! Just kidding, doesn’t matter, we will swing you our way in time..lol I was independent too for a long time and I still tend to the moderate side of things…
About the deer thing, my daughter while living in alabama was hit by a deer 2 weeks in a row on the same part of her car and it did a lot of damage.
So what did your sister find for racoons.
You comment about Iowans made me think of this song from The Music Man
IOWA STUBBORN
(c)1957 M. Willson
Oh, there’s nothing halfway
about the Iowa way to treat you
when we treat you
which we may not do at all.
There’s an Iowa kind of special
chip-on-the-shoulder attitude
We’ve never been without
that we recall
We can be cold as a falling
thermometer in December
if you ask about our weather in July
And we’re so by-God stubborn
we can stand touchin’ noses
for a week at a time
and never see eye-to-eye.
But what the heck, you’re welcome
Join us at the picnic
You can have your fill
Of all the food you bring yourself.
You really ought to give Iowa a try.
(Provided you are contrary.)
We can be cold a our falling
thermometer in December
if you ask about our weather in July
And we’re so By-God stubborn
we can stand touchin’ noses
for a week at a time
and never see eye-to-eye.
But, we’ll give you our shirt
And a back to go with it
If your crops should happen to die
So what the heck, you’re welcome
Glad to have you with us
Even though we may not ever mention it again
You really ought to give Iowa a try.
Hawkeye, Iowa
DuBuque
Des Moines
Davenport
Marshalltown
Mason City
Keokuk
Ames
Clear Lake
Ought to give Iowa a try.
I have never ever seen or heard the Music Man even tho it is Iowa and everything, so thank you for the song it was wonderful. I just rolled and understand why here in Iowa of all the songs of Music Man they play that ain’t one of them. When I lived in other states and you said you were from Iowa you always got that look from people that is hard to describe.
Once Diane got some company I started sorting toys and blocks etc trying to make sense and room out of the grandchildrens stuff so I just got back to see the song. Thanks again. Now I have to sit down and figure out how much of that is really me. I feel a check list coming on.
My son’s high school did the Music Man this spring and boy was it good! I recognized almost every single song and didn’t know that’s where they were from.
The show is totally charming and very Americana. Being in that was probably the most fun I ever had on stage. The song is actually very affectionate.
Hi Jake. Good to see you. I’m not a democrat either. I’m a Green. Shhhhhh I’ve come through unscathed so far! Dems and Greens have been known to tangle once in a while, but the good folks here have found it in their hearts to welcome me anyway :O)
About the Deer. I live on the north fork of Eastern Long Island, N.Y. and we have the same problem here believe it or not. Years ago it would real unusual to see one but not anymore. As far as culling goes, it makes sense to me because if the environment can’t sustain the population then the whole herd suffers for lack of food and space. Besides, it’s amazing what you can do with some barbeque sauce! Shit, every morning I get up early, grab my bottle of barbeque sauce, a fork, and my running shoes and head out into the wilderness of my back yard just waiting for the first one to stumble onto me. Then we’re off to the races!
We had swallows nesting in the porch eaves at my last house-they are such cool birds. Here at ChezCabin, we have 4 types of woodpeckers (down, hairy, yellow-bellied, and occassionally a pileated comes by), and I have a wren nesting in my birdhouse right now.
I’ve been here at BT for awhile now; realized that this site was more my style early on (especially when some of the front page posts I was reading elsewhere made me feel sick to my stomach…who needs to invite that kind of feeling into their home? Not me!).
Boys run in my family too-I have 2 brothers, and now I have 2 sons.
Hi, Jake Apple!
Now you know there’s at least one other midwesterner here. Actually there are at least five of us, lol. Have you checked out the tab for “midwest” at the top of the Home page? I never can seem to remember to do that. You might even find some other Iowans there, though I can’t swear to it.
Great idea for a diary today, Diane!
And speaking of diaries, Jake. . .we may be putting together a feature called something like Department of First Diaries to help people get started easily. Stay tuned.
Good morning divine human beings who gather at the BooMan place. I am from Aeons past yet eternally Now. The sojourn on this planet jewel you call earth began for an aspect of me in the Lemurian times in a rather less dense existence of what you term 5D. Those were spans of endless time that were nurtured in the Love of All That Is, that were filled with the concern of our fellow beings, whether they were fellow humans, fellow trees, plants, fish, fowl, animal, creature of every nature. It was in peacefulness and joy that we crafted and discovered our moments within the nurturing of Mother Earth. We shared our connected energy matricies with all beings and all creatures and indeed the planets, stars, Universe and all things seen and unseen, known and unknowable.
It was the Love from which all of you in this Now moment have come forth. . .Your lines of connection are still there, but they are seldom listened to or allowed. As a species of beings, you over emphasize your respect and homage to “intellect” and its wide ranging uses and for the most part you ignore your connection to feeling and pure emotion. Generally you are so busy “figuring it all out” that you seldom stop to feel the fullness of what IS. And what is just IS.
Hence, here I am yet again, and still yet. . .in this form of 3D-ness, the heaviness of physical in your reality. . .to experience as you do. To be buffeted by the ways and means of a less love intentioned gathering of population. The love is a seed within each of you waiting to be nurtured and grown to full purpose. Even those you view vilely. . . possess the potential for this seed to grow. . .
So, that is who I am. Ageless and ancient and one among you and one with you, one of you. My occupation is Love. My purpose is Love. Truly as you all view it, I am a seed planter. . .a gardener, a tender of seedlings and a nurturer of growth.
I spend much of my on planet time at the Boo Trib. . .because here I have seen the most fertile of lands awaiting seed stimulation and the encouragement of sunshine, rain, and all the attendant aspects of nature, the inner nature that will foster a bounty of crop at harvest time.
Well done, divine humans, well done.
And as is said throughout the multiverse. . .Party On!
Find the Joy and share it.
Life’s little moments grow,
How I don’t know.
Out of bits of this and pieces of that perhaps!
I want to sow and I want to grow,
All the little seeds of my life,
Pull the weeds and till the soil
And in the fall reap the harvest once sowed.
Treasures past and moments gone,
Like rivers flowing to the sea,
Become one with God’s great eternity.
The sun arises and sets each day,
And my life begins and ends that way.
To light my life with living full
and leave but not a deed undone,
that is my quest,
and not to miss this moment lest,
It leaves my life with emptiness
That is why, these moments with you I treasure,
For soon they will be gone,
with the flick of a feather.
Would that I could hold them close to me,
Clutch them tightly to my breast,
But alas, I can only hold them forever,
Resting in my memory.
By Diane E. 1985
Ah, Shirl, you never fail to twist my brain into a pretzel. Some days you are just so darn metaphysical that I feel like I am made out of cement.
And I will tell you what I see from my perspective: You are not cement at all but beautiful flowing layers of amazing colors of light encompassing experience in the confines of a very dense physical manifestation.
One day, as you choose it, you will drop the heaviness and be on to cavorting about the multiverse in such joy and pleasure it will give you pause.
All the elements are there and as you choose it, they will come forth to nurture the seedling within.
Love and hugs
Shirl
Someday you will have to teach me how to do that.
I would be honored to be your tour guide. . .It is such great fun and pleasure. . .
Whenever you are ready, let me know. It takes only 2 or 3 minutes of what we term “time” here. . .Just let me know.
Ok, cool. I’m playing the Grillmeister right now, and good thing because it sounds as if I’ll need some sustenance. I’ll catch up to you (if you’re still here!) after dinner. Or as we Yankees say here in the South…dinner.
You still around?
I am always around, just not always evident.
Right now BMT is so slow that it is like slogging through mud waiting for a page to load. I will send you the tour in email and you can use it at your leasure.
Thank you, dear.
Is that Clairol or Preparation Area 52 ya usin’? Because Demure of Lemuria you ain’t.
What I want to know is, how come there is an accurate 14th century sea chart (based on much earlier maps) of the Antarctic rock shore line which has been covered with 2 km thick ice for 14,000 years. The shore line was only re-discovered by ice-penetrating overfly radar in the Fifties (if memory serves – maybe it was Sixties)
Oh, sweetness. . .that preparation area 52 is just marvelous!
To say that I, this me, in this physical vessel is one and the same as the Aspect of a greater (meaning larger) me that spent time here during a Lemurian-like or original period (metaphorically speaking) not known to your current science would be a misunderstanding. This individuated aspect of physical being is only 64 years, and 9 months in this physical vessel. And potentially some months more during residence in a womb, but that’s another discussion all together.
Each of us has the ability, if encouraged and nurtured, to be in contact constantly with a greater or Higher-self (meaning higher vibrational frequency), telepathically, to use a term you might relate to though it does not quite describe it. I just allowed mine out to play/speak for a minute today because I was frankly a little tired of the repeat of telling my current bio. I can’t imagine that I am really all that interesting, where as all of the rest of you are very interesting to me.
Discount the telling, or question it, dismiss or accept it. It is only important if it is important to you.
The sea chart. . .goodness. . .why wouldn’t it be accurate if one’s energy is aligned with the energy of lay lines of energy within the earth upon which light frequency travels? How does anyone know what our perceived science deems unknowable? Could it be that we don’t yet know as much as we may think we know? Or know less than what previous beings on the planet knew instinctively? Einstien had some pretty good clues. Our inability to comprehend his knowledge about some things has hampered our more rapid movement into understanding.
Look at my signature line. I know you have seen it hundreds of times. There are many answers there if one cares to look for them.
Call me crazy, I’ve been called worse. Call me weird, I’ve been called far worse. Just don’t call me late for Coffee and breakfast at the Froggy Bottom Cafe.
You must be one of those famous potatoes š
I seem to be Spudtacularly well known. . .
I am not a common-tater
sometimes I am a spec-tater
and I have no tater-tots
I am indeed Spudly.
(this Shirl brain does not contain starch)
Bombes de Terre to you, sweetie!
Also Fat Free, Calorie Free, and sometimes absolutely Logic Free. . .Free logic anyone? Giving it away today.
Sven, I still love ya! Thanks for all the fun along the way.
PS I bin to a lot o’ dem US states, but Idaho is Terra blanco….
I’m building up to another diary….
Since my both my hands contain ‘La Croix Mystique’, Cheiromancy-wise, it may be a bit of a shocker.
I look forward to it! I haven’t been shocked for so long that it should be a grand experience.
Hmmn..
I am 48. I was born in TX, but I don’t remember it. We moved to NYS which is where I lived (Binghamton area, Rotterdam and then Salem)until I was out of HS. Then we moved to the Scranton Pa area where I went to college feel in love and got married. In 1985 Dave and I took the two boys and moved to florida. In 1993 I was divorced and in 1996 I took the boys and moved back to Pa.
My boys are grown, one is working for his father in Florida and the other is in college.
I have worked in many fields, women’s health, photography and theatre mostly. Theatre and music are the main loves of my life but I gave them up when I moved away from florida. The music I have been able to still participate in, but the theatre I can not for many reasons. One day I will get back to it.
I love gardening and the outdoors. Nature restores me.
I also love reading and have read voraciously since I was a child.
I’ve enjoyed your comments over the brief time I’ve been here. Thank you for providing some background on yourself to go with it. I’d be curious to know whether you sing or play an instrument, or both, and whether you think that music mixes well with politics.
I sing. I never practiced either the violin or piano when I was a kid and had a chance to learn them. But I love singing and have actually made my living that way for a time (musical theater and church gigs). I really would like to get my hands on a cheap violin or viola and see if I can learn enough to play decently.
My parents met at a music camp. So we are a musical family.
Yes I think music and politics mix. Everything mixes well with music. I believe that music really is the universal language. Just think of the Clinton/Gore campaign and what do you hear? Think about protesting the war or taking part in the civil rights movement in the 60s and 70s, what do you hear?
Thanks Teresa, I enjoy your comments and your diaries. Keep them coming.
sounds good to me…
I keep erasing everything I write. I just realized that I share a lot about what I do and almost nothing about what I am or where I came from. And for some reason sharing that kind of stuff is hard.
Weird isn’t it? I help host the Froggy Bottom Cafe, but actually I’m a secret lurker…
OK. I’m 51, married with 3 stepkids — all in their twenties, but still in and out of the house as needed. I’m the oldest of 8 kids and grew up in California, but I’ve lived in the Heart of America since 1967. (Taking a deep breath) I love California (San Francisco and north) and would love to move back. But financially, it’s pretty unlikely to happen (can regular people live in San Francisco?). But I really, really love it there.
My parents and a couple of my siblings live nearby, but half of them have scattered along the two coasts. My mother-in-law sort of lives with us. And she has a million cats. (Why is this so painful?) Anyway, it’s a huge family, but the one thing we agree about is politics. It’s pretty weird really, because we have lots of yelling, but it’s all directed against Washington and people who aren’t even here.
And. I thought we had a tornado warning just now. Lot’s of lightning and thunder and then sirens. But it turned out the storm set off our neighbors car alarm. And it sounds just like a tornado warning. Which seems very wrong.
A friend of mine, frequent commentor and fellow host of the Froggy Bottom Cafe, kansas introduced me to this place. That was June 12 — just a couple of weeks ago! I’m no good at all when it comes to saying why I’m here (I’ve tried and erased a dozen comments on BooMan’s diary today). And the comments there are going to have to speak for me on that — I can’t do it.
Finally just to get back to my comfort zone here’s an HTML hint for people struggling with how to do links:
BooMan’s Diary
<a href=””>BooMan’s Diary</a>
<a href=”http://www.boomantribune.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2005/7/3/61820/09487″>BooMan’s Diary</a>
And that’s it. If you type that skeleton first, you will never lose track of what you’re doing.
katiebird is our resident html whiz at the FBC!
Thanks CabinGirl, I’m watching the wiz that was right now! The Wizard of Oz is on TCM
That was very nice, Ms. Katiebird. Good on you, Mate.
Thanks (really).
I’m curled up shaking in a corner. I’ll be back later.
We’ve all (well, most of us anyway – somepeople are not-shy-at-all) spent some time in that same corner. Come on out and play! Besides, we all want to pick your brain about cool html stuff.
Lightening and thunder? Did you get actual rain? I remember rain. Water- it falls out of the sky, right?
Thanks for that comment and that code, which I just now copied to my handy, dandy not section of Opera,WB. which now has a whole section with your codes…
No one(but the rich) will be able to afford to live in Ca. soon, at least not anywhere near the coast.
But we get by still and all things are relative, aren’t they. My kids seem to have most of the things they want and can live in nice places and their income is very middle level, so we shall see what a few more years bring. The housing thing is just horrendous here, 750,000 median price for home in the OC. I hope that figure is wrong, but that is what I recall the last I heard.
I am up and down again today with recurring nausea I have been having for weeks now, so I can’t stay on line too much to talk to everyone.
diane, you’ve had a bad week. Make sure you drink enough water. Even if it’s just a tiny sip at a time. It can really help.
So sorry you’re not feeling well, Diane. A few years ago I was nauseous for 8 1/2 months straight (not pregnant) and it was one of the most awful physical sensations I’ve ever had. Ugh. Compazine helped a little but eventually it just stopped on its own. Anyway, I feel for ya, and I hope you feel better soonest.
katiebird said: I’ve tried and erased a dozen comments on BooMan’s diary today… I can’t do it…
oh sure you can do it. you just gotta do it a few times and get comfy. its easy, you just type out what you feel don’t worry about the exact words, or what anyone will think, or anything…then close your eyes…get ready to click post and…
do it and then say you didn’t!!!
katiebird! you are doing a fabulous job, and someday soon you will realize that your words are just as meaningful and just as well stated as anyone elses. We are not out to critique you or view you any any light other than ONE OF US. Your words, however you offer them are as good or as important as anyone’s.
Get comfy, cause we just love having you around.
is the key to happiness š
Hi. I’m from Pennsylvania, 48 years old, and getting anxious for the freedom of old age or at least my later 50’s. That’s if my body last that long. I work for the govt. in a vocational program for people with disabilities, but that isn’t really me. I’m just waiting for the next 6 years to pass until I hope to be able to retire, and not be answerable to anyone for the first time in my life, or maybe just to be born for the the first time in my life and able to be FREE.
Right now I’m a gardener, and nature and animal lover and a refugee from the Pie fights at DKos. Shortly after those occured, my computer died for 10 days and I came back to find all the people I used to enjoy missing, all the posters aliens, and all the diaries void of substance. Bores me to tears. Funny how things can change in a few short weeks. The only thing I can’t get used to leaving is the quickness of the responses there, but the content is here so I hope to with you more.
I haven’t posted much in the way of diaries before. Just don’t have the time or the energy to present the information the way it deserves to be presented so that you can benefit from it like you should. I’ll try my best some day though.
It’s nice to see you here!
Your name always takes me right back to 46th & Virginia in KCMo, and to a hopscotch grid my friend and I had chalked on the sidewalk. For some reason, that’s the one I remember. Thanks for the memory. I loved hopscotch. And jacks. And “Statue.” And playing tag under dark.
“until” dark, but you knew that.
I was just playing jacks the other night. I bought myself a set at the Target recently and sat there on my kitchen floor the night I turned 35 and played a whole game–which took a while because I had gotten rusty. I highly recommend it to all grown people, though, it was fun.
I love to play jacks…wish my boys did too!
We should all be able to go back to being children.
The other night when it was about 90 degrees out and I was surrounded by screaming neighborhood kids in their swimming pools. I was watering my garden and got this overwhelming desire to turn the hose on myself and start screaming and runnning all over the yard like a crazy person, too.
This gets my only 4 here š
Go back to being children? I never stopped. I’m Pippi Longstocking with a license to drive and a small collection of platinum cards. š You just go right on ahead and go crazy with that hose and your bad self, Hopscotch, that’s what summer is all about.
matches what happened to me (a hard drive, to be exact). I also run out of energy (and perfectionism and self-doubt kick in) when it comes to writing the kind of diary I’d like, but if I give it a try, I hope you will, too. Anyway, welcome!
Know that you will love every moment of it and the 6 years will fly by at an amazing speed. Welcome and we love seeing your comments whenever you have time and feel so inclined.
That’s all I have to say.
I’m a college student. I’m from NJ, but spend a lot of time in Philly because of work and school.
I’m craving ice cream cake, right now.
I burn easily, so I’m inside all the time while everyone else gets to play š
A goal of mine is to save up enough cash and retire early enough to take a trip around the world. If Bush Cronies stay in charge of our economy beyond 2008, I’ll have to change “goal” to “pipedream.”
I blog primarily at DKos. I have my own blog, Penndit (http://penndit.blogspot.com which could use a link here at Booman, ahem), where I blog about politics and anything else that is in the news. I cross-post a lot of things at Penndit, DKos, Booman, Eurotrib, and Dembloggers, but there’s also a lot of stuff I don’t cross-post.
My favorite senators right now are Harry Reid and Frank Lautenberg. No favorite house reps.
Anyways, cute Welcome Wagon graphic!
when I was in college as you do! I like your posts, which I think I’ve seen for a while on Daily Kos, and am glad to see you here. Welcome!
Hi Diane – I gave a brief intro when I game over during the “influx”, but I needed a spot to put in the following not-worth-a-diary post: I just noticed a comment of mine generated 22!!! 4’s. I’d put the ’22’ in bold, but can’t figure out how. Anyway, my comment was “William Petersen” as hottest guy around, as opposed to Brad Pitt. So, my fellow Billy admirers I have this to say to you: he is MINE!!!! (in my dreams, perhaps, but what the hell!) Happy Fourth!
<strong>22!!</strong>
Ah – so bold <22> bold is not the same š But, see? I CAN speak some emoticon – got the smiley face down!
They are discouraging use of b and i and u. If you want those elements, they are (supposed to be) done in styles.
One trick, I think TeresaInPA revealed it, is that if you see a nice effect, you can highlight it -> right-click on the highlighted text and choose reveal selection code.
And then you can copy/paste and change it.
I think that’s one of the coolest things I’ve learned this week.
when I start to write, then I often end up throwing the whole thing away. But here’s the beginning of a “here I am” diary I started writing:
I am a software engineer in my late thirties, living in the greater Boston area. I’m Jewish, from a family with a fairly strong non-Orthodox level of observance (kosher home, Hebrew school four hours a week, bar mitzvah, major holidays, Jewish youth group and summer camp), but not a particularly strong belief in a deity. I am the son of a Holocaust survivor and the descendant of many nonsurvivors, a fact that colors my worldview in many ways.
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been exploring Zen Buddhism, which I treat as a philosophy and practice rather than a religion. While I find its approach intriguing, I can’t say I’ve found it a great fit yet, but I would be pleased if that were to change. (I was thrilled, by the way, to discover other Buddhists on this site and hope that someday you might write diaries on the subject — nudge, nudge.)
My fundamental approach to the world is probably one of struggle — not in the sense of fighting to keep food on the table, but trying to understand why I feel as though I’m the only one who doesn’t know the rules by which the world works.
Well, sorry for hacking that off so abruptly — there’s much more that follows, but I’ll try to finish it soon, if you’re interested.
In the meantime, if you’re interested, you can see more
of these kind of meanderings in diaries I wrote here and here at Daily Kos. I knew they would be out of place there, but I suspect they may not be so outlandish here.
Also, if you want to get an idea of what is important to me, please take a look at my diary The hat and the hamster written after the Democratic and Republican National Conventions last year.
I look forward to spending time with you all in the future. You all are so friendly, and have such interesting stories, backgrounds, and insights. The Cafe is the coffeehouse I always wanted to find!
I’m definitely on the same page with you on what’s important. Glad to have you around. Uh, and I think I have the patent on “wordy.” But for a small licensing fee . . . .
Oh how I am loving this…surely I have invented the term “wordy”. . .and I don’t think anyone really wants to challenge me on that one. You have to know that what I post is the short edited version of the original. . .and if that doesn’t care you, nothing will!
Welcome! So glad to have fellow members of the verbose family on board!
You will fit right in here! Welcome and so glad we have the coffee house you have been looking for. Come often, stay long.
I want to echo your request for diaries about Buddhism. I’m really interested in any and all who might be willing to share the intersection of their spirituality and politics!!!
Do you think the Holocaust caused your family to lose the belief in a diety? Is that a common experience among Jewish people?
I think it has been fairly common among Jews to lose personal faith in a deity as a consequence of the Holocaust due to their doubts about a Creator with the ability to intervene who nonetheless would allow such a thing to happen. But in Judaism, personal faith is not nearly as important in comparison to religious observance and moral conduct as it is in some other religions, notably Christianity. Jews don’t actually talk about belief in a deity very much, and they don’t focus on how to preserve belief (as opposed to traditions). So there isn’t so much of a falling away to begin with.
Also, the center of religious Judaism was Eastern Europe, and most of those Jews were killed, and many of the traditions they had built up, probably some of which involved what would be thought of as faith or belief, were destroyed. Many of those who lived had to focus on how to survive in a strange land, and their faith didn’t translate well.
In the case of my family, I don’t think that any of us had a strong traditional belief to begin with. My grandmother, who lost my grandfather in Germany and then married an Orthodox man in New York pretty late in her life, always wanted us to maintain the appearance of being religious when we visited her (putting on a head covering before getting out of the car, trying to avoid a public arrival on the Sabbath). And sometimes she would bless us. But I never remember her asking us questions about our faith.
Sounds good to me! Shalom
why I feel as though I’m the only one who doesn’t know the rules by which the world works. – brother, did you ever hit a motherlode!
Okay. Here I am. I never did write a bio for the Welcome Wagon series. I was intimidated by the sheer scope of them as they popped up here after the pie fights and was too ill and tired to read them all, but I will make my way through them eventually!
It’s tough to condense my 45 years of intense life here on earth in this little box, so I’ll just give you some basics. You’ll have to wait for the mini series to learn more.
I have one daughter who is 27. I became a grandma at 35, so my beautiful and wonderfully quirky grand herb is now 10 and we’re expecting another in the herb patch next January. I can’t wait. I absolutely love babies.
I’ve worked in various jobs over the years, mainly non-traditional because I like getting my hands dirty – never did finish my university degree in communications/psychology because life got in the way. My favourite job was as a supervisor/addictions counsellor in a homeless shelter/non-medical detox. Unfortunately, permanent illness took me away from that career.
I’ve been on disability for a few years now (so I’m poor) and since I left my job with post traumatic stress disorder, I’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and lupus (neither of which I knew anything about at the time). The fun just never ends. I live with pain daily and my poor memory and concentration frustrate me to no end, but I’m intent on learning, reading, gardening, writing, crocheting, craft projects, watching movies, yelling at the CNN talking heads, walking and riding my garage sale bicycle. (I hate wearing that green helmet).
I am a news junkie and political philosophy and policy intrigues me. (I am not a nerd!). I’m a Canadian liberal (currently in Calgary and originally from Saskatchewan – the home of medicare) and have been all of my life. I will never switch sides. It’s not in my nature. If conservatives ever get serious about helping the poor, let me know. (I’m writing a book on how to cope with poverty).
I’m a born again, neophyte Buddhist who gave up the Catholic church as a teen and wandered round as a heathen for many, many years. I’m also a recovering alcoholic/drug addict – for 18 years now.
I’ve travelled coast to coast in Canada, all through the northern US, to LA a few times, Atlanta, Dallas, (I love the south), Cincinatti and Portland, Oregon. I’ve been through Detroit, Salt Lake City and Seattle and my overseas trips include two to Jamaica (where I worked for a reggae magazine). I miss traveling, but at least I was able to do a lot when I was younger.
Okay…what else? I’m divorced after a marriage that lasted about a minute and a half during my 30s) and love living alone with my 2 cats, although I am in a roommate situation that bites the big one right now. At least I have a fair amount of space here though, so I can just ignore them when they go bananas.
Oh yeah – I’m also really long-winded sometimes!
Well – you asked for it! š
A very eventful and interesting life, with plenty of challenges. And girl don’t talk to me about long-winded! You have seen my interminable rambling posts here. . .Diane has threatened to have Booman add a scissors tool so she can cut mine down to some more manageable size.
Your words are welcomed no matter the length, just as we welcome you.
And you know how I love you Canadians!!
I have always loved reading your posts at dkos and now here. I’m completely surprised that you and I are the same age. I always assumed you were older (certainly wiser) than myself because of the wealth of experiences you write about with such grace. No sign of poor memory or concentration there!
Just about normal for these parts, then, ey?
Hi catnip..
What an interesting and challenging life you’ve had. Thanks for telling about it… and one can certainly see your passion for and interest in all things in your diaries and comments.
I’m afraid what caught my eye, however, was your mention of roommates… after my daughter moved out of the house and it was just me there (renting), I decided that it would be nice to be around others in my general age group and so moved out and into a roomie situation with two other women.
OH… MY… GOD. I’m sure I just had beginner’s (un)luck, but never, ever will I willingly do that again… there are some really, really crazy people out there, lol. So I feel for you, although I hope your roomies are less insane than mine were.
Ummm… My name is Andrew C. White. My blog name is Andrew C. White. I like long walks in the woods, curling up by the fire, and whipped cream and strawberries spre… uh… oh… that’s not what you meant?
Never mind.
Ok… take two…
My name is Andrew C. White. I was born and raised on the southside of Chicago. I’m the youngest of five, two older brothers and two older sisters. My father is an Episcopal Priest, my mother a organist/choir director that was raised as a Quaker. She worked in a seminary all during my childhood. Consequently, when I say that I was raised in the church, I mean it quite literally as my pre-school and after school hours were split between my Dad’s office at the church and my Mom’s at the seminary. At the sametime I grew up on the streets of the inner city. Interesting mix.
I am a liberal Democrat.
I’ve been a good boy, a bad boy, self-destructive, anti-social. I’ve been described as having a problem with authority. This is a mis-diagnosis. I have no problems with authority… on those rare occasions I agree to allow someone else a measure of authority over me.
Married, son, granddaughter, the light of my life. Two dogs, one cat (other two died), one fish, country home.
I work on mainframe computer operating systems for a living currently for a major brand name corporation. I don’t believe corporations are citizens but I do want business to do well. I want favorable business environments… but not at the expense of citizens and the natural environment that citizens live in. As with all things in life a reasonable and sound balance in life need be struck there. Good business environments and healthy, strong corporations are good things… but of no value if the air can’t be breathed nor the water drunk nor the employees able to feed their families on their wages, provide for their parents and their own advanced ages, and a quality education for their children, grandchildren, and a continuing one for themselves.
As diaried previously my family was directly impacted by 9/11. I have always been political. My Dad went to Mississippi three times during the early sixties. I’ve always voted. I protested the Vietnam War as a child. I was jaded and cynical for many years. But at heart am an optimist.
During the run up to the Iraq War (a diary to come) I knew I had to get involved somehow and during a conversation with my father had it confirmed. While many were experiencing a “sleepless summer” I was watching the various candidates and by August made my decision. I immediately went to work for Howard Dean. I supported him. I still support his efforts. I support him support us.
When his campaign ended he urged his supporters to look around and find ways to get involved locally. For me it was obvious. My small town did not have a Democratic Committee. Not at all. Now we have a full committee and I am the Chair of it. I am also now on the executive committee of the democratic party in my county. I am also one of the leaders of my local DFA group. I am considering possibly running for office myself should that prove to be the manner in which I can best serve my country and my fellow citizens.
I believe in a spiritual life. All of life is spiritual in nature. I read… lots… on lots of topics. I am greatly influenced by Taoist and Zen thought as well as the Episcopal and Quaker influence of my youth.
We will defeat the enemy that is destroying our country. This is not a question. It is only a matter of when and how many people will die before we do.
Like I said, I am an optimist. I am also very strong willed. They will not win. We will. That is a fact. There is no other outcome. But I am also very pragmatic and practical. There is a lot of work to do and we need everyone to pitch in… hence my tagline (I do have the Roosevelt one here right?).
I try my best to keep a cool and spiritual head about me at all times but am not a perfect individual. If I ever offend please accept my apologies. There is a good chance it was either just my sense of humor or me being oblivious to the effect my strong willed words can have sometimes. If I intend to offend you’ll have no doubt about it and I’ll most likely to be very clear about my accepting responsibility for those intentions.
I like this community. I like the liberal blog community. I like people that take real action to serve and save their country, their fellow citizens, and the world. These are serious times and this is serious business. Everyone of us needs to get work as best and as much as we can. We are capable of more than we think we are.
Peace,
Andrew
(and I do like whipped cream and strawberries… blueberries too)
Andrew C White, I heart you! Thanks for sharing you with us.
Tsiisus Andrew, other people would make a whole book out of what you just said.
Great summary!
I’m just laying back enjoying reading the new and belated introductions. Recapping: downsized computer tech, wedding/funeral musician, home craft shop business, dinghy sailor, 5th year Puget Sounder after 45+ years in Ohio.
Tonight I’m keeping a window open with the NASA webcast feed on the Deep Impact comet mission. Our Puget Sound sky is clouding over so we won’t be able to search for a visual sighting of the collision, due at 10:50 PM or so Port Time. There may be local fireworks around that time too.
Got Jupiter; they say look to the left a little, the only bright star near there is Spica.
2 fingers widths (held at arm’s length) above Spica is where to look with binoculars, if we’re lucky and there’s a big effect.
You’re my main man goose. Those pictures of Puget Sound just drive me crazy…
Thank you so much, Diane, for putting up this diary for those of us who missed out the first time around. You’ve been tremendously welcoming and I sure appreciate it! hugs
I saw a couple of comments about Buddhism and thought I’d throw in my two euros worth.
Some things you may not know about Buddhism and Buddhists:
*Most Buddhists in the world don’t meditate
*Most Buddhists aren’t vegetarians except during the occasional holiday
*Some Buddhist sects’ (and subsects’) membership and clergy are composed entirely of lay people (no monks)
*There would be more Buddhists in the US today if the government hadn’t hounded the Japanese-American community during WWII into concentration camps and early graves from the stress and poor living conditions. Priests were treated especially harshly.
*There are now more Buddhists than Jews in Oregon (my state)
*There is now a Buddhist chaplain in the US Marines and she’s been to Iraq.
Well, I’ve always said that if anyone ever forced me to choose a religion, it would be a toss up between Quakers and Buddhists,
But fortunately I can continue my agnosticism without fear
SO, is this where everybody is tonight? how is everyone?
OK here is my first digital pic, of my plants and gardens, more will follow tomorrow in the Cafe Diary.
Greetings and maybe goodnight to all, I read all your bios and I wish I could comment to each and every one of you but I am still under par and need to get some more rest..
Have fun tonight and I will see you in the morning…
still up? Did you guys see the comet impact? WOO-HOO!!!
NASA TV link.
Still up but missed it, nose in computer and all that. . .thanks for the link, I will go take a look.
.
Mission Accomplished: Probe Hits Comet
First European images of impact on Comet 9P/Tempel 1
These are the first pictures of the impact received by European observers of the Deep Impact encounter.
They were taken by the Faulkes Telescope in Maui, Hawaii (Faulkes Telescope North), which was ideally placed to observe the impact which took place around 07:52 CEST on 4 July. These images show impact and the flare growing as material is thrown out from the comet. The plume appears to be brightening the nucleus by a factor of approximately ten.
USA WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooMan Tribune and add some cheers!
Thanks Oui. . .you and Janet have kept me from missing the celestial event! You sky watchers you!!
Have a good one. . .I am headed to bed, now that it is morning. . .ah, well c’est la vie!
I was listening to the remarks last evening on how they thought this would all go down. They had no real idea if it would work r not…Am glad it worked…
OK i’ll bite. I did a little intro when I came over after the first week of the pie wars but it wasnt much so I’ll do it again. My name’s Renee and i live near Houston. My user name is a geographical one, I’m on what I like to call the bay prairie, right down here smack dab in Tom Delay’s district. I’m 42 years old (not lying i promise). Ten years ago I was a businesswoman involved in an internet-related start-up and for a long time that was my life, I was nothing but a job. In the last four years I’ve been diagnosed (in 2001) with a stage 4 malignancy and then after Compaq was sold to HP I watched the little company I helped found slowly wither and die (2003). All our jobs were shipped west to California and to Taiwan. After that I was gainfully UNemployed for six and a half months.
What’s really kewl is I’m far happier now than I ever was a decade ago. I still work for a living, but it’s more a punch-the-clock-go-home-after-40 type job and I’ve decided that suits my style just fine. I’m becoming active politically (discovered blogs/politics during my unemployment) and I’m also active as a cancer survivor doing new patient emotional support when called by on by professionals. I do have what I call a “stealth” disability (or at least my doctor insists that I do, I disagree š but I’m happy to say that my unexpected journey has been as positive for me as it has been negative. Right now I’m dancing with NED (No Evidence of Disease) and in September I’ll have paid 48 months down on my 60 month “note”.
If i get a clear helical CTs in Sept? (and the odds are very great that I will) I wont just be sweeping up in the FBC after my 1 am shift ends, I’ll be buying everybody’s drinks!
Austin, here. I won’t hold you personally responsible, but your evil Rep. redistricted away my wonderful Rep. Lloyd Doggett and gave me a DeLay clone name of Lamar Smith. (Grrrrrr.) We’ve got to get rid of them both.
Keep on dancin’ young ‘un (I’m 57 this month). I’m looking forward to that drink you’re going to buy me. See ya here then (and probably many times between now and then).
Yep, i will say one thing for him, he’s a b***ard!
Ah, bay, you are not only the best cleanup gal I ever ran into, I really like your style, your attitude and well, gee I might just as well be Pres of your fan club!
well if you were pres? then i would have like the best president ever!© mine’s a small club though, nothing compared to the number of members yours has, shirl :::smile:::
Thank you for your comments, bayprairie.
It helps me to get through life with what my wife says (naturally not the author, but who cares?) “Things happen for a reason”. You found happiness after the changes out of your control at Compaq. It’s funny, HP’s Roseville, California campus has had tons of layoffs, post-merger, and they tell us all the jobs went to Houston. Go figure.
Good luck with your continued recovery.
feelings of lost control and helplessness was one of the most difficult things i had to deal with. whats kinda strange is that now i sometimes feel i never had much real control to begin with. my sense of control was shattered, i suppose. now i sometimes think it was but an illusion to begin with. whether i am right about that or not, who can say? i seem to go from one extreme to the other!!! i do know though, that suddenly feeling helpless in the face of unpleasant circumstance, the inability to do anything about it, was emotionally traumatic.
i’m very interested now in the mechanisms involved in how people respond and adapt to traumatic experiences. i watched things happening, the awakening of my will to survive, the adaptations my mind when through, (like learning to live in the moment) that were completely unexpected and that somehow surfaced when needed. i’m fine with it now, too. i can live without a strong sense of control. for me its turned out that it wasn’t losing the control that sucked, it was the fear.
I can say. . .you have percieved the illusion precisely. You are right about that.
Excellent, keep heading in that direction!
“To return to harmony…we must become beings who do not wish to control life, but only to listen to its music, and dance it.” from “The Great Cosmic Mother” by Sjoo and Mor
Thanks so much NL!!!! That is so worth repeating:
And dancing is so much more fun than thinking we can control things. . .Yeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaw! watch me dance!
I’m thinking Anthony Quin in Zorba the Greek here. . da, da,de, da, da. . . .Come on everyone, forma line. . .
I love teaching. I love the theater, Cinema, live music, even the opera now that I can finally understand the ones in Russian and German. Oh, and I can’t forget The Flaming Carrot comics. Art museums for me are great on a rainy Saturday afternoon, so is having a glass of wine and a discussion at the local philosophy club. Of course I love getting stuck too from my favorite piercer. To ease stress and get away from it all, I truly love x-country skiing through a snowy birch forest (and a sauna afterwards). Musically, everything from the Clash and Rage Against The Machine to Miles Davis, Cuban jazz, and the great classical geniuses. I guess because I study literature and culture through the eyes of Marxist and Critical Theory, I love seeing events of the same movement through different media, such as seeing an Expressionist art exhibit, watching an Expressionist film afterwards, then listening to Stravinsky or something to really put the pieces together.
About me – where to begin? I’m 39 and grew up mostly in Sioux Falls, SD. Spent quite a few years as enlisted in the Army then as a Naval officer. I attended the University of Michigan and majored in Russian and Eastern European Studies and Creative Writing. I spent my junior year abroad in Moscow from ’94-’95. In between active and reserve time I sold drugs for Bristol-Myers Squibb where I really felt like a prostitute.
Now I am a PhD candidate at the University of Virginia in Germanic Languages and Literature. This year is an exchange year and I am teaching comparative literature at the University of Dortmund, Germany. My first class was titled Pornography and Literature: Henry Miller, Anais Nin, Sacher-Masoch, and Vladimir Nabokov. Something that I have an interest in, what is the difference, if any, between porn and art, can we truly define the two in distinct categories, etc. My second course Collision of the Avant Garde looked at modernist and “post- modernist” theater from Dada to Bertolt Brecht, Antonin Artaud, to Heiner Müller. I plan on moving to Germany permantly in the fall to conduct research and write my dissertation. Plus I really grok the Europe, it’s too cool.
My dissertation will be over Aesthetics and Ideology in Revolutionary Theater: Bertolt Brecht, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and Federico Garcia Lorca. I hope to contribute through my work to the understanding of how aesthetics are used to propagate ideology to the theater audience and how it is received; I will look at semiotics involved as well. I guess I am a theater guy. I just love it and it’s very inexpensive here in Germany. I’ve also swung pretty far left in my personal political views, so Germany seems to be a good place for me to live. If I can’t work in academia, then I also have the option of dramaturgy in the theater scene. My creativity was unleashed in this society here where everything seems to be so laid back. It sparked my interest in body mods and in the last six months I’ve become pretty heavily pierced but other than my earring, you wouldn’t be able to see them. So I guess that’s a little about me.
My sister went to college at Augie…and I’ve spent many a day in the major shopping mall in Sioux Falls (it was where we did our annual back-to-school shopping since it was closer than Minneapolis)…also discovered gay porno mags in that mall š
Yea, spent a couple of years on the college radio station…y’know back when college radio was good and it was good at Augustana! I must say that you are quite the researcher and academic if you could find gay porno mags in Sioux Falls, SD. How much would you charge to be my researcher???? Because you’re really good!
I can’t remember the name of the mall now (Sioux Empire Mall, or something)…hell, probably doesn’t matter – they probably built a new one. I lived there before Dell came in.
Yup, the Empire Mall…and the mags were right there in the open on the magazine rack…quite the find for a 16-year-old.
I’ve been reading BooTrib for close to a month now. I’ve been a heavy Kos reader since last June or so, and still read and occasionally comment over there – mostly on over-the-top-tinfoil diaries, which I am fond of attacking. Logic-wise, not invective-wise. I used to be a big conspiracy theorist, and understand the appeal, but I also think it’s harmful and self-limiting.
I came over here when my place of work installed a rather dumb content filter, blocking out Kos. I do most of my net reading at work, so this posed a bit of a problem for me.
I live and work in Japan, where I teach English. The job is pretty nice in that when I’m not teaching (which I rarely do for more than 4 periods a day), I have pretty much nothing to do. Not that I can leave – but I CAN do anything else I want, so long as it’s on campus. Sometimes I’ll walk circuits around the school, sometimes I’ll go participate in sports activities with the kids, sometimes I’ll study Japanese or talk with the other teachers, and sometimes I’ll break out my notebook and play computer games. But I always make time for my blogs, which now means BooTrib. One thing that I REALLY like about this place is that conversations can continue for more than an hour or so – given my time-zone-challenged nature, there’s not much hope of getting any responses to my comments because everything starts and ends so fast.
Before I came over here, I was a graduate student in Anthropology and History. I was a graduate student for seven years, and an undergraduate for five before that. Then one year I didn’t get funding, and realized I didn’t really want to be an academic nearly enough to take out loans to stay. I also figured 12 years of college was close to enough, given that I’d need at least another five to finish. Oh, and I’d started college when I was twelve, so it had been about the only thing I’d done my entire life, and I was getting tired of it. Two years later, at 27, I’m not having any second thoughts.
Do you speak Japanese? Is that a dumb question? LOL
Well you sound like a child genius and if you are only 27 you can go back anytime and finish that college thing.
Welcome!
Japanese is like a demon language from hell, designed deliberately by the Dark Lord to confound the human mind.
Okay, maybe it’s not that bad. But here is a good indicator of its general level of difficulty. In the third year of college french or spanish, I hear that people are reading essays and newspaper articles and books. I was into books after one semester of ‘French for graduate students who need to pass their language exam.” In the third year of college Japanese, you’re learning the relative clause.
I speak some Japanese, but given how long I’ve been studying it, it is rather disheartening that I am completely illiterate.
Well I will add you to the list of our accomplished and illustrious list of members, but I do think you are the first ‘child genius’ we have here.
Interesting, I just watched a show last week on one of the news magazine shows about this subject and was wondering how this has affected your life…For example entering college at 12, was that difficult and did you find it hard to relate to older students and vice versa.
This sound like a terribly good topic for a diary…
Welcome to the site and hope to hear much more from you.
Japanese food, history and culture has been a great interest in my life. I think you could give us a lot of insight into Japan…Welcome!!!!!
I’ve never thought of myself of a child genius, because I’ve known REAL child geniuses, and they were noticeably smarter than me. I just worked really, really hard. It was not easy by any stretch of the word – which was not the case for the real geniuses I knew. By the third year or so I got the hang of things, but by then I had already developed pretty strong “work all day every day” habits which served me well in grad school.
I was in a program for gifted students at Cal State Los Angeles. When I started there were 18 other young students, but now there are somewhere around 70 currently enrolled.
It was kinda odd, but I was never really noticed in class by the older students. Cal State was a commuter campus, with next to no student life. I commuted from the San Fernando Valley, 45 minutes away on a good day, and an hour and a half away on a bad day. People minded their own business there. I was tall, and rather withdrawn and shy, so people just didn’t notice I was young until there were group assignments.
Now, that was honest….
You should hear me when I talk to my students.
I figure my main purpose in the classroom is to keep the students interested – I always team-teach with another Japanese teacher. One of the ways I do this is by telling interesting stories. When I don’t have anything interesting to say, I make stuff up.
One day, I’d hurt my toe. So I told the kids that I have a part-time job as a Power Ranger, and that a monster stepped on it. One day I was really tired, so I explained that I’d changed part-time jobs, and now was a Gundam pilot (Gundams are giant robots from an anime series that’s more or less Japan’s Star Trek.), and so was fighting monsters all night on Saturday and Sunday. When introducing myself to a group of new students, I told them that the Japanese teacher and I were brothers, and thus had the same last name, Kommatsu.
Now, these are pretty obvious, bald-faced lies. I keep doing it, though, because the kids are amazingly gullible – we had them going quite a while with the “brothers Kommatsu” gig. Even when they’re not buying it, though, it still makes them laugh. And that’s what counts.
and do they really watch power rangers in japan? my ten year old nephew will just DIE if thats true!!!! im renee, by the way, pleased to meet you.
Okay, I’m 56 – is everybody here in that age range? Remember when you didn’t trust anyone over thirty? Plus ca change, eh? We keep redefining those boundaries.
It’s a real treat to witness the resurgence of the word ‘love’ here. (thanks Shirl) That was a big thing back in the day. Nowadays it seems to be more about fashion.
BT is the party I always wanted my life to be.
Happy Independence Day to all!
Or at least I’ll be 56 until the end of this month. When I was 21 and living in an old house with a bunch of other young hippies, someone ran across a sci-fi story set in the late 20th century and some of the characters were aging hippies. We thought the idea was hilarious and a little scary. Ummm. . . but here we are.
We have some younger folks here and I’m really glad we do. One thing I like about now compared to then is that different age groups aren’t the enemy. We’re all united against the neo-cons.
Peace. And love.
The most vital and interesting age group is whatever the boomers are. I know it seems terribly unfair to the gen exers, but we are the majority and we love ourselves and that’s just the way it is. = )
In another 20 years we will have all of america venerating old people like they do in Asia.
tsiisus – we’re all ex-hippies here..
Love is where it’s at baby. . .it’s what’s happen. . .like, wow it is just freakin out there, man! You want a toke off a this babe? Wha??? oh, it’s just some dried parsley with a little sage. . .waaaaaaaaaay spiritual, righteous stuff, man! Why smoke it? Well. . . er. . .well. . .aaaahh. . .cuz we can?
I’m an “upper class” hippie, you know, you can tell by my Neru Jacket, the love beads and well my just way too cool attitude. . .heh! Peace brother! Peace Sister! it is all just about love.
“Whew. . .wonder where that came from?” I was way too uptight to be a hippie when hippie was cool (1968 at the corner of Haight Ashbury in SF. . .in my caddie convertable no less) But I got the groove, I got the Peace and I for certain got the LOVE!!! And I’ve been getting it ever since.
So glad to welcome you here, Alice. Look forward to hearing more from you.
Omygosh. . .do I hear strains of Burt Bacharach floating on the breeze?. . . .What the world needs now, is love sweet love. . . .
u getta 4 for that 1
I was wa-a-ay to chicken for LSD, and so allergic to plants and uncomfortable in heat that I could never have gotten back to “the land.” Too bad I never heard of acquaculture in that time or I’d have run off to that kind of commune very likely. On the other hand, it’s getting rather a bad name (other than mussel farming) that maybe I didn’t miss much.
Mrs. Gooserock was just old and rural enough to miss all fuss at the time, so she’s been getting a gradual education especially since we moved to the Port Coast and run into Certain Attitudes regularly.
I never followed pop music at the time, being all tied up in Scots & Irish trad, but of course it was all around me. I started re-exploring it in recent years on oldie stations. I noticed as soon as war began to loom that the oldie format shifted forward a decade and two. There’s one Puget Sound station that’ll let “Turn, Turn, Turn” out, and occasionally from Canada I’ll catch “Ohio,” but otherwise I’m sure the United States is safely protected from much of 60’s/70’s culture. We get basic cable and have come to learn that history consists only of war, and all movie stars are conservatives. Who’da thunk?
Random 60’s thought of the afternoon–wouldn’t you like to see The President’s Analyst remade, with the bad guy this time being TCC (The Computer Company) instead of TPC (The Phone Company). Brain-implanted transmitters are a lot closer to reality these days too.
We now return you to your regularly-scheduled decade.
I never posted in the previous welcome wagons because every time I looked at them they were huge and since I’m on a dial-up, I didn’t even open one. But this one is reasonably sized.
Anyway, Alice you’re not alone — I’m a “perfect” boomer born in 1950. I’m a native Hoosier but also the grandchild of four immigrant East European Jews.
I have a B.A. and an M.A. in English but somehow I’ve ended up working as a home-based computer consultant for a software company (I’m a pioneer at telecommunting as I’ve been doing it for 15 years). I’ve also worked as a civil rights investigator, an academic advisor and composition instructor, and a technical editor.
I’m a strong supporter of civil rights, social justice, and the environment. I’m a strong and long-time feminist.
I’ve been married for 33 years. My husband is an elementary school teacher who has a serious addiction to children (the start of every summer he suffers a malady we call “kiddy withdrawal”).
I’m an obsessive-compulsive reader. I love hiking (my husband and I especially love the four corners area) and bicycling. My husband say that only thing I won’t put garlic in is ice-cream.
BTW, having people do these bios is nice but it would be even nicer if there was an easily accessible way to read a particular person’s bio at a later date. (The bio option on the info page is pretty limited in how much you can put in.)
thats a great idea. a real bio on the userename page. oh i’m renee, pleased to meet you.
Yes, I know that I’m most likely to be curious about someone when I’m reading a diary or post and would like to have a frame of reference.
It’s nice to meet you as well and to have read your bio and the ensuing comments. I’m sure it can’t be easy to write about so much upheaval in one’s life and you did it with such grace and insight.
Oh and it’s also nice that you live in Houston — I’m always thrilled to find people that live somewhere that doesn’t make want to apologize for living in Indiana š
I don’t know if you’ll get this, Im replying so late after your post but I was in Indiana in October 2004 for a few weeks and I LOVED IT. everything was golden and sunwashed and gently hilly. A real autumn. I was there as the trees changed colors. Was lovely.
of our son , Andrew Fa Yi, coming home from China at the beginning of September.
Could anyone tell me how to do that?
I’m not one of our resident html gurus, but I do post a lot of pictures and no one else has jumped in to answer your question, so I’ll take it.
Go to Photobucket and set up an account. Then get your picture ready – you’ll have to use Photoshop or some other photo editing software (what came with your camera will probably work) to resize it. You usually want it to be at least 200 pixels wide, but NO MORE than 400 pixels (else diane will rap your knuckles for what that does to the window you’re looking at now). Back to Photobucket and click the “Choose file” button – navigate to your pic on your hard drive and select it. When you see the tiny thumbnail next to the “Choose file” button, click “Submit.”
Your picture will appear below the “Add pictures” box with url, tag, and img codes below it. Highlight and copy the “tag” one and then paste it into your comment box or the diary you’re composing.
NEXT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! Preview! Preview! Preview! If it’s not too big and not too small – hit that “Post” button!
You can use the Froggy Bottom Cafe/Lounge to practice (you won’t be the first) so you’ll be all ready to post a picture of Andrew for us in September. Can’t wait to meet him.
[There’s also Imageshack, which some people prefer, but I find Photobucket easier.]
First you have to upload the image to some location on the web. If you have a home page, you probably have an image directory where you could put it. Or you can sign up for a service that lets you store images. Some of the popular services are
flickr
imageshack
photobucket
Then you need to put an img tag in that references the photo:
<img src=”http://home.earthlink.net/~andi-ng/images/pbrush.jpg”>
and then if everything is done right, this will be the result.
<img src=””>
<a href=””>URL title Here</a>
<div style=””>What ever you want</div>
Once I get that down, then it’s easy to paste in the URL to whatever image or link I need (in the IMG and A HREF) or the css styles (on the DIV) between the “”. And without worrying about the URL stuff, I managed to memorize the code.
Good Luck!
Ack! And the most important hint:
-> Highlight something you like (a link, a font, a box, an image) whatever it is.
-> Right-Click on it
-> Choose View Selection Source
And you will see (and can copy) the HTML for the effect you like.
(I believe it was TeresaInPA who told us about this earlier in the week)
I will now try to post the picture that the Chinese offical sent to us. I now present Andre Fa Yi!!!!
Is that too big?
Thank you everyone for your help!
He’s adorable! You have to go post that picture on this morning’s Cafe so everyone can meet Andrew. I think only you and me and katiebird are still hanging out here.
And tell us more about him! You must be so excited.
Too big? Well, diane pointed out the other day that it makes a difference whether the pic is posted as a reply to the diary itself (comment comes out all the way on the left side) or as a reply to a comment (when the comments start moving to the right, there’s less room for a picture to fit without going to far over.)
So go post this pic over at the new Cafe as a reply to the diary and it will be Just Right.
Wonderful baby, and a great picture as well!
See my comment below, but I will re-post his adorable mug in a little bit. We are in the middle of cleaning for the social worker’s final visit tomorrow.
Well now, what a face! How excited and proud you must be. Babies are the most precious gift to the world and the future. Almost makes me want three more. Almost ;O)
Congratulations
What a beautiful child! What a lucky child to have the two of you as parents! WOW! Just absolutely WOW!
what a fine looking baby!!!!!
I am posting over here so the thread doesn’t get too wide and your pic size is fine and what an adorable child Andrew is, I bet you can’t wait.
Is everything all set for this new arrival. Do tell us more about him.
Thanks Diane. His birthday is July 12, 2004, but I am guessing that that is just a guess. The report says that he is crawling an pulling himself up. It also says that he is “restless” and “obstinate!”
He is a rarity, as almost all the orphaned children in China are girls. He was left on a bus in Changzhou, with provisions. According to our agency, he is only the 3rd or 4th boy they have brought over this year – out of about 150 children.
We have everything set, except for clothes. We have a bag of dresses and clothes that will not fit his 25 inch, 15 lbs. frame. Oh well, we will start hitting garage sales, etc. this week. We cannot wait.
I’m about 50. I was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and I still live there. I work in international education, I’m an avid gardener (old garden and English roses, heirloom tomatoes, annuals, perennials, whatever), and I’m the slave of two cats.
I’m a cradle Democrat, and I’m getting more and more paranoid by the day. I never was a conspiracy theoriest to speak of until the Bush II administration. ::Sighs::
Well, I just wrote out a long bio of myself but lost it when I hit the post button. What a drag.
I’m 43
I am married
I have managed to be rewarded with the three most beautiful children this earth has ever seen
I am a hippy
I do custom paint work on race boats and other things
I play drums
I love to sail in my Soling Olympic Class racing sailboat, hence my screen name
I smoke, a lot
I drink, a little, though I shoudn’t
I love James Taylor and Rage Against the Machine and everything in between
I have been to Vietnam War protests as a kid with my Mom. Made me who I am
I wear tinfoil hats on a daily basis and welcome any challenge to that
I am white, but feel like a rainbow
I am
Cherokee
Irish
Italian
German
French (oh yeah)
Dutch
English and
Yugoslavian
I am opinionated
I am outspoken
I want to slap the crap out of King George
I have lived in and reaped the rewards of many different places and people in this country
I really don’t chase down deer with barbeque sauce in hand
I am a Patriot
I fly the flag
I have the utmost respect and admiration for any one who serves in the military of this country
I despise and hate those in power who put our military into impossible conflicts
I mourn the life of every hungry child
I am forever in debt to
Chief Joseph
Martin Luther King Jr.
Pete Seeger
Shirley Chisolm
Barbara Boxer
John Conyers Jr.
Cesar Chavez
Howard Zinn
Ralph Nader
Dennis Kucinich
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Congressional Black Caucus
and so many, many others
but most of all my Wife for showing me through her tenacity to hang on to life, what true courage is
Peace
You don’t happen to have a spare bunk round your place , do yer?
Literally or figuratively? If literally the answer is maybe. If figuratively then the answer is more than enough.
Figuratively. What you describe as your life is very attractive, We could could all learn a thing or two. I have a similar life in Finland, and support the same ideals.
But global warming being what it might be, can I take a raincheck on the literal? š
My life, when I can pry some time away to live it, is attractive. If you go to Google Images and enter North Fork Long Island, you’ll find that I am surrounded by so much natural beauty. Lots of amazing places to sail, swim, walk, eat and gaze. But like most of us, I’m sure my life looks more attractive on paper or screen than it really is. Still, it is what we make of it, and I do the best I can.
Your reply to me brings to mind the name of my boat,
Kindred Spirit. That is also why there is a rain check reserved in your name.
Peace
I thank you, kind sir. The environment is truly stunning. I can bring some new ways to smoke flounder. If that helps. Otherwise I am an excellent anchorman, but less talented with unravelling a spinnaker.
Peace
Since she is a racer, there is rarely a need for an anchor. On the other hand, hikers are always welcome as she is a bit of a wild screamer and takes a little muscle to keep her keel and mast perpendicular to the horizon, and her bow pointed toward the finish line.
Any expertise you could bring to the art of cooking flounder will always be welcome.
I AM ALWAYS at a loss on sporty boat’s. Tis galley slave for me.
But I did get married on a 12 m in a 14 m headwind off the Lydian coast of S.Turkey.
now it is bedtime in SF
wow. great intro!
I know I’m being a party pooper, but is there any way to do the cafe without it taking up a spot in the recommended diaries? Make it a permanent open thread at the top of the main page, for example. When I am short on time, I usually just skim the recommended list to see if there is anything good. It is frustrating to see one of the recommended spots permanently taken up by what is basically an open thread. Just my 2¢.
Actually I suggested this to Booman to have a tab for cafe and he says he is considering something, but it will take time to put in place and is not his most pressing issue..
I agree that the Cafe really does not need to be on the rec. list and we could suggest that it not get rec’ed. They are relatively short lived and get replaced..
I also thought it might work to have 4 diary lists, 1 recent, 1 world rec’d, 1 rec’d, 1 fun diary rec. list. or something to that effect..
This diary is the tell us about you, particularily and I do not see a problems having this on the rec. list as they are very infrequent now.
I will put the above to the team that manages the cafe and others on the cafe diary and see what everyone thinks.
You are NOT a party pooper. And many of us have been whining about this to the booman. I see it as a section right above Recommended Diaries that says. . .Froggy Bottom Cafe. . .every day and the many times a day that it is rolled over, it would be right there in its own slot and not taking away from anyones great diary that should be on the rec list.
Boo says he’s working on it. . .we’ll keep nagging. And it is pretty hard to beat diane’s persitence at nagging to get things done!
I love your idea of placing it exactly there, shirl. I used to think it should have its own tab up top, but I’ve come to think it would be too easy to miss up there. And I’m not crazy about just having it in the regular diary list because then we have to keep scrolling all day long. I would really love to see it go where you suggested.
Thanks Kansas! That puts you, me and Diane on the same team. . .and any others that wish to join the Cafe` Spot committee. It just seems the most logical, easily found, and maybe even the easiest to implement (non-nerd type naivety here). We’ll continue our March for Prominence movement.
Made me laugh.
Can’t think of title, but Kansas you do put it in your hot list don’t you, that way it is always up there and we could just urge others for now to not rec. and put in their hot list.
what’s a day without scrolling, my carpel tunnel S. says “What”?????
Thanks for the reminder!
Slapping forehead with palm of hand. . .Why didn’t I think of that. . .the hot list. . .duhhhhhh!
Are you kidding me, both of you, I can’t believe you don’t use the hot list…I think we should just say to put on hot list instead of rec. what do you think?????
I think that is a great idea!! And I think we will have to remind some how to do that, by clicking the + sign next to the Diary Title. . .some don’t know.
Yep Let’s make it a camaign. . .It might not catch the attention of newbies. . .but somehow it will work out.
yep you’ll have to remind me. im clueless
I use the hot list, I just didn’t think of it for FBC because it is always up on the rec list. . .I am not quite as dumb as I appear (well most of the time).
Another DKos refugee. I still look over there but only had a few diaries make the coveted Recommended list and found over time that it was becoming more hierachical and less welcoming. New diaries last all of 5 minutes. Just had a diary elevated to the front page here, so Thanks for welcoming.
Let’s go for brevity. I’ve been in and out of politics for awhile. Helped elect a Governor in Colorado (on staff) and worked for him for 3 years. Moved to Virginia and finally back to Maine my home state and I love it here. Currently a party ‘official’ in a rural swing county in Maine and have written of our experience, what we learned and what we’re trying to do. In short, Gore won this county by 260 and Kerry won by 3,656. We worked hard and we aren’t quitting. I’ve developed a training program for other counties and hope to be doing some training through DFA.
Personal: Born in France (allez les Bleus!) lived most of childhood in Maine. 2 kids, 2 stepsons, now divorced again but with my GF of almost 5 years and life is good. Work as a freelance environmental consultant (communications/networking/ strategic stuff) and am totally blessed to be in Maine and aaway from most of the madness. Building the county party is a passion but we need a lot more volunteers. Today I’m on my way to a little band concert on the town green and then to friends for potluck, social and political talk, kayaking, badminton and board games.
Thanks for having me and I’d love to hear more of what concrete actions people are taking in their counties be you Dems or Indies. We are facing a bigot’s referendum in Maine and are gearing up..more on that later. Peace, Phil
What a wonderful range of interesting people we have here at the BT.
Since I rambled on-and-on over at the “what is BT” started by catnip (but have yet to follow-up with one at the Booman version), I thought it fair to open up a little bit here too.
I’m 41, a true Native Californian (well, not Native American, or Spanish, or Mexican — but Native to the point where I was born and raised here, which I’ve found isn’t all that common). I grew up in “The Valley” (San Fernando Valley), and I suppose “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” would be a pretty good biography of what was going on at the time of my high school.
I “escaped” the rat race that L.A. had become in 1989, to live in a small town in “Gold Country”, 8 milles from Sutter’s Mill where legend has it gold was discovered in California. There are some people outside Valencia in Southern California who say their discovery came before the discovery up here, but the Gold Rush certainly was started based on the discovery here. After living 10 years with my roommate and best friend, we finally had the “partying” out of us and it was time to grow up.
I had always participated in chat rooms, really going back to BBS and some real ice-age stuff, but then for many, many years on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). In a sheer act of fate, out of 10’s of 1000’s of “channels” on dozens of “networks” that comprise IRC, I started chatting in a channel (for the first time on this particular channel) with a woman who also by sheer fate was in that channel for the first time because she was stuck over a summer with nothing to do as her son had to take a summer school class. She visited from New Hampshire within a month, we were married within four months, and that was 8 years ago. A true internet romance, that would have never had a chance of happening, if not for the communication medium we continue to use in so many different ways.
I’ve always read the newspaper, since elementary school as far as I remember, and fortunately the paper we received daily was the Los Angeles Times which gave me a broad read of U.S. politics, business, and sports teams that I still enjoy (Dodgers) and those that I no longer enjoy (Lakers). Looking back, I can now wish I had access to the internet and the resources available to today’s youth, but hey — I was busy programming programmable calculators, Atari 800’s and Commodore 64’s. I guess it is a good thing I ended up being a computer programmer, specializing in databases, and I still work at the same tiny company where I have for 11 years.
For political genes, I admire my mother’s work with the League of Women’s Voters, which continues today. A few years ago, she was recognized as a founding member of an LWV chapter 50 years ago in New England that is still running strong. Today, in Southern California, she gives presentations on prisoners’ rights to vote, community colleges role in educating what local businesses need to fill the technical jobs that are no longer en vogue or handed down from father-to-son (apologies if this sounds sexist), such as auto mechanics and heating and air repair techs. She has developed models soon to be adopted statewide to present non-partisan voting material inside the prison and jail systems, having gone through the red tape to remove things like staples which are not allowed in jail. My father is pretty apolitical, but did leave me with a gem long, long ago “Democratic or Republican, they all want your money”. I ended up on the far left side of my three brothers, who are very conservative — one thinks Ann Coulter can do or say no wrong, no matter the lies I point out. Oh well, at least we still get along great.
My political leanings fit naturally into my inherent need to know, my natural curiousity, about things I don’t know about. Let me clarify that a bit. I am interested in learning a lot about politics, and try to find out as much as I can about subjects I am interested in. So, the fact that I know nothing about the mating habits of the Monarch Butterfly doesn’t demand that I search out those answers. It is politics that is getting me to participate in blogs, in writing letters to the editor, and this past election phone banking for John Kerry for the first time.
For most of my adulthood, I have taken it upon myself to educate my friends about issues when the election would come around. I try to present both sides of an issue, the pros and cons, and then say why I am voting the way I am. They do not always agree, and I actually like that. But, I feel I am contributing in a small way to an informed electorate, something I feel is a strong foundation to a functioning democracy.
Okay, back to earth and specifics. I moved from “Gold Country” and now live in a suburb of Sacramento, which as a size is probably a better balance between the metropolis of Los Angeles and the sticks of the town of 400 people where I lived for 10 years. I can make it to the store in 5 minutes, and I like to offer the following to describe the differences between Northern California and Southern California — when someone bumps into you with a shopping cart, we still say “sorry” or “excuse me” here in Northern California. Apologies to all that reside down there — I still visit every year or two, so you’ll still let me in, right? After all, we’re still pumping “our” water down there for your swimming pools. duck and cover.
Here I am, thanks for having a welcome wagon. Thank you posters, I’ve enjoyed the reading.
Uh oh,lol… I am a southern california who just heard that and must say What?????I live in orange co. and we are very polite here..So wadda yu mean…
The water thing is another and I have sympathy for that and you upstaters, those water right deals were somthing when you read about how they came about.
We have aquifers, sitting right under the county but still use imported water…Underground is used in some areas more as a suppliment.
I have been to some areas of Sac. and found it quite lovely..Lemon Heights I think it was, I did an Antique show years ago in a mall in those parts.
Where does your mother live…
Oh, Diane … nothing personal re: water. It’s an easy joke; somewhat based in reality when Mulholland and others locked up water rights decades ago, to make the desert of Los Angeles into the city it is. Orange County is not Los Angeles, obviously — but I’m not so high on my horse to not show a cheap joke at anyone south of Bakersfield š
You may have meant Citrus Heights? If so, that is a suburb of Sacramento a few miles away from me, as a matter of fact. It has changed, just in the 15 years I’ve lived in Northern California.
I know there are many that wonder why all the rainwater of Los Angeles (okay, OC and San Diego too) is just washed out to sea. I suppose it is cheaper to rely on the rights to Colorado River water (oops, that’s being dried up) and the rights to the water from your neighbors to the north. I have even heard of plans to float an iceberg down there in a big plastic bag. As clean water becomes more and more scarce, and more expensive to produce/maintain, I suspect such things will become economically feasible.
Thanks for the diary, I’ve learned a lot.
One thing I have always wondered is why arid places like Socal do not have houses with cisterns to collect rain water as they do in other countries. Our rain water does fill the acquifers, but so much of it runs to sea…The Santa ana river nearby goes from a dry stream bed to a raging and treacherous river during rainly season.
Ice berg delivered here, now that would be something to see, and then do you think they would chip it all up and send to where……I can see hundreds of men chipping away at an iceberg out in the ocean…Seriously tho we may endeed come to that in some form or other, should the planet survive.
Thanks for that I.C.
The part of your post that jumps out at me, among all the others, is your catalog of your mother’s many accomplishments. I’ve got a Mom like that too. Since the day I can remember she has been not just involved but at the forefront of many diverse causes, and she always tried to involve my brothers and I, or maybe recruit would be the better word! There are adults out there who probably only remember me from Jr. and Sr. high school now as the kid who always asked them and the teachers to sign my “save the whales”, and “save the seals” petitions. When I turned 18 in 1980 she was so freaked out because Carter had just re-instated registration for the draft and insisted that I get a passport, which I did. At the time I thought she was over reacting, but here in 2005 when my own son has just turned 18, I can see things a little better from her perspective as a worried parent, and I am worried. I, like her, am also prepared.
There are many accomplishments of hers, local and national that I could list, but won’t. I just found it interesting to see another guy who has a mother similar to mine. I’d say we are both fortunate to have them.
Peace
That we are, lucky that is. Thanks for the post
something that forever changed my life and perspective on it. When I was 10 years old, I had the opportunity to live in Spain for a summer as my father did an engineering job for six months. My New England roots had brought me to many places that went back to the 1600’s when visiting, right away that put California shop’s claims of “Since 1968” into the quite amuzing status they deserved.
But, seeing the history in Spain, even though our travels were limited to the surrounding areas of Madrid, gave me a whole new way of looking at things. Many United States citizens have such a short-sighted, narrow perspective, genuinely believing that freedom is something for them to give to the world (to borrow another diary’s subject). When living there in a regular apartment, I received something that even a tourist would not have received. I learned what it would take to live in Spain, week after week, month after month. What an enjoyable experience, obviously one I will never forget.
Others who have extensively traveled and lived, or are currently living outside of the United States, or GASP actually are from outside the U.S. may chuckle to read this. I just know how it showed me there is a whole big world out there, and we Americans (of the United States variety) sure can be arrogant.