Maybe in 2010

We had thought that our Life After Europe would be somewhat calmer than our Life Before Europe. It's not working out that way. 2008 is definitely our year for socializing.

We've discovered community. I posted some about that here. It's wonderful and we love it, but because our community is spread out all across the freaking continent and in England and Australia, being with our community has meant quite a bit of traveling. Or they come and stay with us, so it means having houseguests. One or the other, every month this year.

Can you say "Busy!"? I knew you could.

And the thing is, it's so freaking fun, we can't say no. Over the course of the last year, each of us has had weary moments where we longed for a break. And then the next invite would arrive and we'd say, "Okay, after this, we'll rest." So here we are, with 12 months of socializing under our belts.

It's not like us, in case you didn't know. It seems like only yesterday that Frank and I were wishing we had more adult friends, MJ was wishing she had more teen friends, and Chloe, well, Chloe loves being alone, so never mind her.

I have friends who are into the Law of Attraction (aka "The Secret"). For some, it means opening themselves up to pursue/receive/achieve something they want, while for others it means they can have whatever they want just by believing they will get it. I don't have enough belief in the mystical to get behind either, really—or I have too much ego to relinquish credit for anything I've achieved—and it doesn't feel like what happened here anyway.

It was more like a snowball rolled down a snowy slope. It started with an e-mail message, I think: "Let's get together." And before I knew it, we had arrived at today, with 12 straight months of unschooler gatherings under our belts.

Pretty remarkable process.

So now we're thinking, well, after New Year's we can rest.

Hey, it could happen!

The Doings Report

A quiet week for us. Frank and MJ made the round-trip run to Corvallis in the rain, so Chloe is home. Both girls are working on NaNoWriMo and/or fretting about their wordcounts. Frank had his turn at the dentist. (Can you tell we have new insurance? We were insured before, but we hated the only dentist that was covered by our plan. This made for some serious dental avoidance.)

The sun came out Saturday! This was good news for our very soggy state. We had pretty good weather while were at the Hawks game Sunday, too, although it wasn't enough to boost the boys into winning. They sure put on a good show, though, keeping us on our feet, screaming, right up until Matt's (expletive deleted - gotta start cleaning up my blog rating again) interception killed their game-winning-touchdown drive with two minutes left.

Game Day Highlights:

• The helicopters that flew overhead (part of their Military Day observances), then disappeared into the mist-shrouded city beyond the stadium.
• The very football-savvy Seattle crowd. I am always impressed anew when we go to games. They are SO loud helping out the defense, but quiet way down when our offense is on the field. Pretty cool. And we still (even after a season such as this) have the highest opponent-false-start count of any stadium in the league.

The MR2 had a visit to the shop for brakes and a new clutch. The price tag of this work was gut-wrenchingly high, but still so much cheaper than buying a new car, however tempting that might be from time to time. (We had a Corolla S as our loaner car. Lotta temptation in that little package!) And the clutch had a six-digit mileage count on it, so we can't complain too much.

Other than those things, all I can think of are the things I'm not getting done, mainly Christmas shopping, housework, and "enough" regular work. I think (hope) I am fast approaching that mystical place where the pressure I'm under causes me to undergo a sort of cellular transformation that allows me to achieve superhuman feats of accomplishment.

Hey, it could happen!

Rating the blog

I tried the little blog-rating tool Mary featured on her blog. It gave me a PG rating for repeated use of the word "zombie" and one use of the word "torture."

Somehow it missed the post where I featured "fuck" and several posts where I used "shit" and a whole bunch of posts where I used "hell."

It'll be interesting to see what it thinks of my blog now. :-)

Update one minute later: Yep, that did the trick. I'm rated "R" now.

Being unreasonable

This post was inspired by Idzie and is part of my Act Like a Big Baby Day celebration, since today I don't have to be politically correct.

So, the topic is Veterans Day. Every year, this holiday inspires a messy stew of mixed feelings in me, and every year I bite my tongue. Not this year.

I don't have a problem with honoring our veterans. There are some veterans in my life whom I honor very much. However, I am at root a pacifist, and I find our twice-annual national recognition of this particular group of people a little distressing. My discomfort has nothing to do with their service; it doesn't matter to me how long they served, whether they served in peacetime or wartime or both, whether they lost friends or limbs or just a little time.

What bothers me is that they are the only group we honor, and I think that makes a terrible statement about what we value in this country.

Where is our holiday for honoring people who serve in other ways, the firefighters and cops and EMTs? These people face horrors daily, for decades, and they, too, lose comrades in arms.

Where is our holiday for honoring the peaceful people who protest our country's more outrageous acts? They, too, sacrifice time, money, comfort, safety, their freedom, and sometimes their lives.

Where is our holiday for honoring people who choose low-paying jobs in nursing, education, charity work, and so on, just because they care? They, too, set aside personal advantages and work for the common good.

Twice a year our president (of either party) makes a speech thanking veterans for their service, and all the media outlets rush to cover it, and all our schoolchildren are forced to participate in assemblies, and many of us break out our flags and our gratitude for a few hours. And that's okay with me, it really is (well, except for the forcing part). I wouldn't want to live in the world we'd have if not for the people who fought in most of our past wars. I don't really want to find out what the world would be like if we got rid of our armed forces (intriguing idea though it is).

But neither do I want to define patriotism as carrying a weapon or dropping a bomb. We can do better than that! I can do better than that:

Patriotism is loving your country enough to take action.

Period.

Here are a dozen patriotic 'veterans' I am honoring today:
Daniel Shays
Sojourner Truth
William Lloyd Garrison
Elizabeth Blackwell
Alice Paul
Edward R. Murrow
Howard Zinn
John Taylor Gatto
Allison Krause
Crystal Lee Jordan
Michael J. Fox
will.i.am

Friday fill-in

1. Please feel free to do things my way.

2. When I write with a Sharpie I can't help sniffing it occasionally. (This came to mind because MJ recently made herself a little loopy by using one of those big fat Sharpies in an unventilated area.)

3. My favorite thing to cook is pasta. I don't even need sauce, just a little too much butter and a little too much salt.

4. Time to read is something I can't get enough of.

5. That's the thing I love most about being sick: I get to read.

6. The guy cruising along in the fast lane even when the rest of the freeway is empty always makes me think to myself, what the heck?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging out with Chloe, MJ, and Frank, tomorrow my plans include Christmas shopping and some time alone, and Sunday, I want to see a Seahawks victory at Qwest Field with Lori and Brian! In the sunshine! (Hey, it's not too much to ask!)

ALABBD

I hereby declare the second Friday of every month:


I'm tired of being a good little soldier. I'm tired of focusing on joy. I'm tired of being fair. I just want to be pouty and unreasonable.

And I don't think it's unreasonable to have one day a month for doing that!

So there.

Want to join in? Feel free to steal the above primitive image to use as a button on your sidebar. If you really want to get into it, link the image to this post, and leave me a comment so I know who's in the club.

Update 2/13: ALABBD is evolving. See here.

Thursday 13

13 Bananas

1. Your Average Banana:


2. Woody's Bananas:


3. Green Bananas:


4. Cheering Bananas:


5. Peppery Bananas:


6. Paradise Bananas:


7. Floral Bananas:

(Art by Lili Bernard)

8. Runty Bananas:


9. Chewy Bananas:


And then there are my favorites...

THE DESSERTS!

10. Split Bananas:


11. Foster's Bananas:


12. Chilly Bananas:


13. Crème de la Crème Bananas:

Did you know...

...Chloe (my youngest!) will get to vote in the next presidential election?

...I hate going to the dentist and often cry while I'm there? Yes, even for a cleaning.

...I haven't been to the gym since we got back from Europe? If I haven't done it by the end of this week, I'm going to schedule an appointment with a trainer. I always keep my appointments (even with the dentist).

...adapting US software documentation for use in Great Britain involves searching and replacing upwards of 500 terms, and about 3/5 of those involve changing "z" to "s"? Damn that Noah Webster.

...rain adds at least 20 minutes to my commute, even when no accidents have occurred? I don't know why. Seattle-area commuters drive in rain all the time; you'd think everybody would be used to it.

...a significant percentage of my blogging takes place when I have postponed my departure due to a traffic jam?

QE2 update

She ran aground yesterday. Did we jinx her? Sounds like us, since she suffered a mishap but probably only cosmetic damage.

But in more interesting news, she was on her last journey prior to her new life as a casino in Dubai. In other words, we got to witness one of her very last visits to Ireland.

The Doings Report

What we've been doing:

MJ - Lots of writing for NaNoWriMo. Researching poetry. Reading fanfiction. Texting with her friends. Getting a filling.

Chloe - In her own words.

Frank - Writing (but I don't know if I'm supposed to say what). Taking care of us. Watching football. Taking care of us some more. Fixing or arranging the fixing of cars. Running errands. And did I mention that he's been taking care of us?

Ronnie - Working. Reading. Watching football. Attending one-day-only Jury Duty (went through voir dire but had a high enough juror number that I didn't get seated - YAY!). Getting a crown prepped and spending days fiddling with the very annoying temp they put on (real one goes on in the morning). A bit of EVERYTHING this weekend.

All - Celebrating!

(Click the image to receive your very own copy of this sticker FREE.)

A letter to President Obama

This is attributed to Alice Walker, but I don't know if she really sent it. Either way, I like the sentiments.

Open Letter to Barack Obama

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.

We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.

One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker

Registration day

I just filled out our paperwork for LIFE is Good. I'm so excited!

The Early Bird deal ends in a month! Get on it, y'all!

Stalling

I'm supposed to be doing EVERYTHING today, but I haven't started yet. Instead, I've been having a lovely morning and lunch with Frank and MJ. I read for a while (I'm working through all my Jennifer Crusie novels again), then settled in for a nice visit with MJ while Frank worked on the computer. We talked about her writing (which recently has involved researching and incidentally memorizing some Romantic poetry), missing Chloe (who is still in Corvallis and may have to be kicked out by the Golds before she'll come home again), education, socializing in schools (evidently there is more of it at our local high school than I thought, but maybe not for the reason I might hope to attribute to it (good sense on the part of the educational establishment)), and the funny Megan story on Denise's blog which MJ had missed and which led into reminiscing about the
funny Chris story on Denise's blog. Through much of this, MJ gave me a backscratch, earning the much coveted and passed around title of Favorite Daughter.

Frank went to Ray's Drive-in (one of those old-fashioned places where they don't cook your food until you ask for it) and got us burgers and real-ice-cream milkshakes. We ate in the so-called marital bed, the three of us sitting side by side up against the headboard. It wasn't the kindest thing we could do to our sheets, now a bit grease- and ketchup-stained, but it was cozy.

And now I'm blogging. None of these activities was included in my previous definition of "EVERYTHING" so I've expanded my definition.

Life is good.

Friday fill-in

1. My blueprint for success includes happy kids. Is that too simplistic? How about this: kids who know how to (and that they can) go after what they want, no matter what it is.

2. A snack-size box of Milk Duds was the last candy I ate. There's a lot of leftover Halloween candy around this place (work), so my answer might be different if you ask me again an hour from now.

3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is an exfoliant. (Doesn't really moisturize, but it's helped my skin more than moisturizing.)

4. Blogging, talking with friends, and The Work can be good therapy.

5. I'd like to tell you about my talks at Live and Learn.

6. Optimism is my strongest characteristic. It's behind most everything else, including my tendency to procrastinate, and only my fear that things will go wrong comes close to measuring up. (Classic Gemini duality there.)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading, tomorrow my plans include EVERYTHING, and Sunday, I want to cheer for the Hawks and do the (few, hardly worth mentioning) things I didn't get to on Saturday!

Have you?

From Frank from Sandy Feet from From Skilled Hands (and that's as far as I traced it)

Bold the things you’ve done. And I've italicized the things I've kind of done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain - little ones
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - maybe in elementary school, I don't remember
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - see #36
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train - Well, I slept overnight on a train. Is that the same thing?
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort - No, but I helped Judy build a snow penis once.
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - Do you know how many countries I'd have to visit?!
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - I have learned a new language. How does one teach oneself anything?
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain - Hard to avoid here.
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class - Well, I've dropped out of one anyway.
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - Except I was a Bluebird.
62. Gone whale watching - incidentally while taking the ferry in BC last summer
63. Gotten flowers for no reason - but there's really always a reason!
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

And...I VOTED FOR OBAMA!!!

A prediction (essentially) comes true

"There's no question that in the next 30 or 40 years,
a Negro can also achieve the same position that my brother has..."

— Robert F. Kennedy, May 1961

Gratitude

Sandra has been doing a weekly Wednesday gratitude post. Today, I am inspired to join her.

Today, I am grateful for:

1. Approximately 63,893,037 votes.


2. Young people like MJ who give their money and time to support the ideals they believe in, even though this country doesn't recognize them as capable of contributing.

3. Like-minded friends and relatives who host fun parties and inspire Frank to make crab dip and shrimp étouffée.

4. The Internet.

5. Hope.

Split personality

Can you guess what part of the state we live in?

Dreams made real

"All right! There you go! America, I love you! I'm proud of you!"
— Annie Kinsella in "Field of Dreams"

"My lady... It is is a new day."
"It is a new world."
— Nurse and Viola in "Shakespeare in Love"

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day
live in a nation where they will not be
judged by the color of their skin
but by the content of their character."
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Let there be no reason for any American to fail to
cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth"
— Senator John McCain

"All things are possible."
— Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States of America

I don't know if I can put into words what Barack Obama's election means to me. It represents so much more than who will sit in the Oval Office for the next four years. Instead, it's about my daughters' futures, my hopes for this country, my hopes for the world, and the America that I want to love both in image and in reality.

For the first time in eight long, painful years, I am proud of this country and excited to see what will happen next. The American flag is my flag again, and the White House will soon once again be a symbol of cooperation and equality.

We spent tonight over at cousin Sonya's watching the election coverage with an multinational, multiracial, multiaged group, all of whom came together with the same enthusiasm and hope for the outcome of the election and what it would mean for America's direction over the next four years.

Some favorite moments:

• When Ohio went to Obama. That's when I started to believe.
• All the networks projecting Obama as the winner at 8:00:01 p.m. Pacific Time, even though not a single vote had been counted on the West coast. This was exciting, but it made me very nervous. Remember "Dewey beats Truman"?
• McCain's beautiful concession speech. (Where was this McCain through the election?)
• Footage from across America of people of all colors moved to joyful tears by Obama's election.
• The gravity on Obama's face as he gave his victory speech. It was not the expression of an arrogant or overconfident man. He knows exactly what he's gotten himself into, he takes it very seriously, and he will not act rashly. And did you notice that the hug Michelle gave him seemed one of comfort more than celebration? These are not stupid people; they know how difficult the next four years are going to be. I think that's a very good sign.

Good night, everybody. See you in the new world.

The Doings Report

I haven't done one of these in a long time, mostly because I've been focused on getting some Europe memories into the blog. That and recovering from jet lag, which it doesn't seem like I've quite managed even now. I'm still really tired, not sleeping well, irritable.

On the bright side, we're back in our routine, mostly caught up with the vacation backlog and kinda started on the holiday prep. The house is a disaster area, which gets to Frank and me but disturbs the girls not a bit. What we need is to invite some dinner guests over; that would motivate us to get things shipshape again.

MJ and Chloe have been computer-oriented since our return. MJ is reading and reading and reading, blogging again (yay!), and doing other writing but won't tell me what. Chloe is doing a little bit of a lot of things: writing for NaNoWriMo, watching anime, hanging out on MySpace, doing e-art (see her blog for a sample), reading, buying people, etc. Oh, and she's been putting in sessions cleaning her room.

Frank has also been blogging, keeping on top of the dishes (those that are not lost in the bowels of the house), and keeping us fed. He's put in some time getting materials ready for the Maier Family Cookbook that cousins Sonya and Becky are putting together, in anticipation of the big reunion next summer.

As for me, I've been working. A lot but not too much. In my off time, I hang out with the fambly and read and blog and wish there were more hours in the day and more gumption in my soul.

This past weekend, we went down to Corvallis for Non-Con and had a lovely time. We really missed the Traaseths and the Mayers (who were all there last year), but we had the Winklers and Buchholzes and more of the Hessels than last year to fill in the gaps. Fun people, fun times. The kids did lots of trick-or-treating on Friday, first in downtown Corvallis (the streets of which were packed with people) and then in Zenmomma's easy-to-hit-a-lot-of-houses-in-a-short-time neighborhood. MJ, Chloe, and Qacei were Spike the vampire (from "Buffy") and two of his babes. MJ pulled off the male look so well that some enlightened souls called her a fag when she was out walking later with Conor (who made a very convincing Hunter S. Thompson). If they had seen her in Qacei's lady-vampire outfit a little later, there would have been no way they'd make that mistake.

Saturday, we played music. Frank and Carolyn brought their guitars, and Bret, his bass, and they had a grand time fiddling out tunes with like-minded people. I accompanied them on Jon's drum, and it was good listening practice for me. I need practice.

My favorite song of the night was Hey Sarah Palin. "Oh, if you become VP, it's Canada for me." I hadn't heard it before and found it quite entertaining. (warning: just a bit of explicit language)

Sunday was our traditional closeout breakfast at Sunnyside Up. It was pretty hectic because it was homecoming weekend for the Beavers, but we cleared a few tables to help out and had a nice visit. We left Chloe behind for a few days' apprenticeship as a barrista, then made our way back home, listening to the Seahawks tank.

Now, I'm procrastinating a trip to work. I'd rather crawl back in bed and sleep for a few days.