This morning I was awakened to someone saying "Mom". I awoke with a start. "It's alright Mom." "It's me Mike." He had just come by after dropping Michele and the girls at the airport for their flight to North Carolina.
For some time now, he and Matt have been reworking this site to make it easier for me. This morning was the launch. For the last two and a half hours, Mike has been working to get the new construct up and running.
Patiently, he has been showing me how to work on it. I have been instructed to practice. I am Practicing! It is still under construction as the boys fix the details for me. I have good boys!
Just came home from my high school reunion.
North Hollywood High School Class of 1958!
It was so much fun!
I was told that someone posted a funny picture of me and my brother on Classmates.com. I haven't figured how to navigate that site yet. Maybe tomorrow. I am so wired, I will probably not be able to settle down till 3:00 AM! More later!
Pete is safely in Ghana. And, I have been too busy to blog.
Today is my brother's birthday.
Happy Birthday David!
Matt had a great link Wednesday,June 24, 2003 on his site. Look at: dogs are better than cats. I don't know how to link to it myself, but it's easy to find there.
I love the following. Hope you do too!
Warrior of the Light
"Every Warrior of the Light has felt afraid of going into battle.
Every Warrior of the Light has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone.
Every Warrior of the Light has trodden a path that was not his.
Every Warrior of the Light has suffered for the most trivial of reasons.
Every Warrior of the Light has, at least once, believed he was not a Warrior of the Light.
Every Warrior of the Light has failed in his spiritual duties.
Every Warrior of the Light has said 'yes' when he wanted to say 'no.'
Every Warrior of the Light has hurt someone he loved.
That is why he is a Warrior of the Light, because he has been through all this and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is."
~ Paulo Coelho, 21st century Brazilian writer, from Warrior of the Light: A Manual
Bigger and Better
Mike tells me that he and Matt have been fiddling with this site, so look for a new and better one soon. It is suppose to be expanded and easier for me. At least I hope it is. But poor guys, they will be receiving many more calls from Mom!
I don't want to meditate. To do so, I must slow down. To stop. To be still.
It is my highest vision. Yet the child in me wants to continue to play.
The ego mind wants to continue its endless dialog.
Ideas spring forth which call for thought and concentration,
contemplation, and sometimes the pen.
The desire to do something other than sit masks the fear of looking at what lies beneath.
The restlessness lets me know that something is stirring.
But I fight it.
I repeat my mantra as I go about daily tasks
And more loudly when catastrophic and scary thoughts present themselves.
As I drive, I say my mantra for strangers I see while passing.
in Elevators and waiting in line.
Silently I say it when I hear of someone's sorrow and of someone in need of love.
Still avoiding sitting, I notice beautiful small things as I pass by.
A flower growing from a crack in cement of the sidewalk.
The brilliant colors of the traffic signal.
The beauty of the people in multiracial LA.
The Green of my carpet.
The sound of the Ocean. The song of birds
The smile on the face of my Spiritual Mother seen in framed pictures
which are scattered all around our home.
But still I don't sit.
Yet, Happy I am in this moment.
I don't sit.
Yet none-the-less
I feel the love of God permeating my soul.
I have been blessed with two wonderful sons! I don’t mean to brag. I am just telling the truth! :-)
Our youngest is a writer. Matt hasn’t lived in Los Angeles for a long time. He went out of state to college and grad school. With the exception of summer vacations, he hasn’t lived here since. After receiving his Master’s Degree, Matt moved directly to Washington, DC, where he resides to this day.
He is pretty good at keeping in touch and we frequently have long phone conversations. I don’t feel a real separation, but I always like to see him in the flesh, so to speak. As I said, Matt is a writer, and like Mike, he has been very encouraging of my attempts to chronicle my thoughts. Both quite helpful in their own way.
Matt did advise me on his last trip home to be careful of things I might say that could hurt or embarrass someone. In that. once posted on the internet, they will be out there for the world to see. Yet all and all, he has been pretty tolerant of all my many questions and hasn’t reprehended me for anything I have written. I wasn’t even sure if he often took the time to read my blog.
Yet, yesterday a package was delivered to our home. It was addressed to me. Usually I don’t even look at the many boxes that arrive at our door. Pete has a home office, and nearly all the parcels that end up at our address are business related. My task is simply to put them on his desk or let him know there is a big one waiting for him to unpack. But this one caught my eye. It came from Amazon.com, and I didn’t remember ordering anything. I took it into the kitchen and opened it. Inside the box was a gift wrapped package, obviously a book, with a note attached for Pete. A Father’s day present! I put the gift on Pete’s desk for him to find when he returned home.
But before doing that, I noticed that underneath Pete’s gift was another book. This one unwrapped. Attached was a note that said:
To Mom… Hope you enjoy this book.
It’s a great guide to writing freely and ignoring your “inner critic”… Enjoy! Love, Matt
I was touched. Later that night I started to read the book. Titled, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing The Writer Within, by Natalie Goldberg. It contains a foreword by Judith Guest. So far, I love this book! It sounds like a friend giving some simple guidelines to help explore the innate talent that we all possess. The author has a spiritual outlook that speaks to the soul.
This thoughtful present from Matt warms my heart. And again today, I am overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude for my sons. Both cherished gifts from God who have both become wonderful men... I am so lucky!!!
.
Lists. I’ve made them all my life. Well, almost. I make less of them now. I’ve run out of the energy to compile as many as before. And, I have come to realize that I have been setting myself up for failure all along. There was never a way I could actually accomplish all the tasks I had listed for one day, in one day, or even in a week.
I’m getting less particular these days. There are little things that hang over from one day to the next, sometimes for weeks or months, before I ever get to the task. Sometimes I just decide I didn’t need to do it anyway!
Never-the-less. The feeling that I am not keeping up, somewhat gnaws on me. And, my vertical filing cabinets (tables, counters and desks) are rarely completely cleared.
Last weekend, my neighbor Charlene, left three boxes on our front porch. Pete brought them in. They stayed in the entry for a couple of days, before he told me that they weren’t supplies for Ghana, as I had assumed, but boxes that Charlene had left for me.
Sometime later that day, I unpacked the boxes and found several all white goblets, dessert dishes, and some assorted cookware produced from about 1950 to 1970. Charlene is cleaning out the storage unit of an ailing elderly aunt. She is going through all the possessions, acquired though a long life of someone who obviously had difficulty letting go of these tangible symbols of her existence.
The reason Charlene brought them to me, was that she knows of my passion for household items of my youth. Depression Era and Forty’s Era Glass and Kitchenware have long intrigued me. Charlene is much younger than me and isn’t as familiar with the styles, but like the good soul that she is, she frequently brings me offerings of her findings.
I have kept some of her gifts, and use the pieces regularly. However, I return much more than I keep, because I can identify with her aunt. I have way more ‘stuff’ than I could ever use or need. I do regular purges, but somehow our home and garage are still full.
It is Thursday Morning, and all the white glass, unpacked form the boxes, still sits on my green carpet next to the entry. The boxes and the 1970’s newspapers, in which the glassware was carefully wrapped, are still lying on the entry floor next to the door. Our family room loveseat presently holds items taken from the Van, which I removed before giving it to Martin. I must decide if they will be put into the Jeep or somewhere else. The kitchen and dining room tables are covered with neat little piles of correspondence or paperwork I have been meaning to get to.
I have let myself become owned by my stuff and good intentions. Today is the day I am going to reclaim the downstairs. I think!
Last week I was invited by one of the older women in our Meditation Group to come to her home in order to learn to make Fresh Strawberry Mochi. Over the years in which we have been associated with our Spiritual Family, Pete and I have come to love this Asian dessert. For those of you unfamiliar with Mochi, look here:
My friend, Betty, brought some of these homemade delicacies to a recent Pot-Luck. They were so delicious! I really didn’t want to be greedy, but I must admit I ate two of them! She remembered how I loved them, and called a few days later to invite me over to a cooking class. On the appointed day, only one other “student” came. Alma also belongs to our group, but is just in her seventies. Alma still drives and regularly volunteers at a nursing home to assist with the elderly residents. I brought lunch, and we had a morning filled with fun and laughter.
Betty called me again yesterday, to invite me to join 8 other ladies for another cooking class. This is the regular group of neighbors and friends who join her weekly to learn a new recipe. Today we made Spam Musubi as well as special Jello with Pineapples, made in the pineapple can.
Spam Musubi is a Hawaiian Comfort food made with Sticky Japanese Style rice and Spam, wrapped in seaweed. This dish apparently became popular in Hawaii during World War Two, when Spam became a staple in many homes. The Japanese Americans in Hawaii adapted many ordinary American foods to their taste, an in the process, created many completely new dishes.
To tell the truth, I never much liked SPAM … But Pete loves it and our oldest son followed in his footsteps. Mike wrote about Spam here:
Since I had not yet acquired a taste for this dish, I didn’t think that I would eat any of what was made. Anyway, I reasoned that one piece would put me over my quota of sodium for a full day. But Pete adores this stuff, so I decided to go. And he deserves to eat anything he wants before he leaves for the rigors of Ghana!
Betty told me in no uncertain terms not to bring anything today. Just come. We made about two dozen pieces of Spam Musubi, and Betty demonstrated how to make the gelatin. We did however, have lunch together. A few of the other ladies had brought something for lunch. Earlier, Betty had made a brown rice and bean mixture and several “cans” of Pineapple Jell-O for us to eat. We all had a piece of the Musubi. It was wonderful!
I would like to tell you about my friend, Betty. Now in her eighties, she was born in Hawaii. She is the mother of four children just a bit younger than me. She is also a grandmother and great-grandmother, and one of the most beautiful women I have ever known. The first thing you notice about her is her ready smile. She is friendly, warm and giving. People just want to be around her!
I know a bit about her past, and she did not live an easy life. She worked from the time she was young. Married, and took care of her elderly in-laws as well as her husband and four children. She also worked outside the home.
Since all of her children had migrated to the LA area, she and her husband moved to the mainland after he became ill. Since I have known her, she nursed him without complaint until he left his body. She has had two knee replacements and wrist surgery. Yet, she never complains, and is always ready to give you a firm bear hug and a loving smile! Like a ray of sunshine, she brightens any gathering, when she walks into a room. She always is the first person to offer help when needed.
After moving to Torrance, Betty quickly befriended all of her neighbors and is regularly seen out walking with some of them. She possesses a way of bringing people together in harmony. I always tell her I would like to be just like her, yet she would be impossible to duplicate. And, I have not developed such selflessness or humility. Yet, she sets a wonderful example of of loving kindness and it has been a blessing to know her.
1. Good News. Trader Joe’s now has fresh Lychees. At least in L.A.
2. Surprising: When I went out this afternoon, I noticed that the little gas light was on. I went to the gas station to fill the Jeep with gas. It holds a way more fuel than the Van!
3. People are nice: When I drove up to the gas station, I realized I had no idea what side of the car sported the gas tank. Rather than pulling to the side, getting out of the car, and walking around to see, I stopped by a man who was putting gas in his car. I asked him if he could see if the gas tank was on his side. He not only told me where the gas tank was, but warned me about a couple of pumps which were not presently working. And, every where I went, perfect strangers smiled and said "hello" . And "no" I didn't look funny! LA is just a friendly town!
4. Depressing: Our present administration. I am starting to wonder if we will recover from the current group of ‘patriots’ now leading our country. Matt has something to say about that here. And, let’s not forget SPAM!
5. Hopeful: I really do believe that it will be OK. It will be OK! It will be OK! Look what Mike got for Father's Day here:
Look Here! I love this.
Someone once sent this to me. I look at now and again.
It never fails to help me stop and take a moment to go Home.
I have been surrounded by good men all my life. Grandfathers, Father, Brother, Husband and Sons.
So on this day, I celebrate all of you!
And, I want to share one of my favorite poems,
which I think was written for all of us.
No matter what gender.
IF
Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming in on you;
If you can trust yourself when all, men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:
If you can hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of al your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings-nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run-
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run-
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man my son!
Today we went to a Goodbye Party for the Diggs, at the Diggs. Later, Mike came home with us, so he could drive the Van back to South Pasadena, saving Martin one more long drive before the big move. He asked me if I didn't want to hug the van goodbye. I wish he hadn't asked that, because I then remembered the main reason I bought the Van. I liked the grill on the Caravan. It looks like the car is smiling. And it is red.
Before we left the Diggs, I hugged them all goodbye, thinking that we wouldn't see Jen and the kids again for some time. However, it looks like we will see them all tomorrow at Mike and Michele's for Father's Day. This makes me happy.
I just checked my E-mail. I got 25 Spam messages today. This makes me unhappy.
(What I would have posted!)
Someone or Something is trying to tell me something! At least, I am getting a message of sorts…. Maybe I should be paying attention to other things, get out more, clean the house, or exercise. I cannot connect to the internet using the DSL. That means I cannot go online, edit my blog, or use many other functions on my PC which I have been growing used to.
Two calls of distress were made. One to each son! I connected to AOL on my old Mac via the modem and sent three messages each to Mike and Matt, begging for help.
Mike called and tried to help me fix the problem. Patiently, I must add. No Luck! He told me that we have a Pac Bell DSL (which I didn’t know), and suggested calling 611 to ask them to direct me to a help line. I did.
The man I talked with asked for all our phone numbers and checked them all. He told me that all four of the phone lines connected to our home are working. He was able to tell me which one was used for our DSL, and I think he said the “output” on that was fine. The only suggestion he had was to turn off both PCs, unplug the Linksys box, (which I think is the router that connects my computer to the DSL), and the “speed stream” box (which I think is Pete’s modem). He then said to wait 10 minutes and turn it all back on.
Only three of the four lights on the box I think is Pete’s modem were shining. I think that means trouble. But what do I know?
I followed the instructions given me to by the Pac Bell Man and waited. To pass the time, I fired up my old Mac to check my E-mail. That computer is not connected to the DSL. Instead, it connects me to the internet via a modem that uses my old business line and is very slow. I have stubbornly kept that phone line so that I could have separate access. That is now it’s only use. I deleted a lot of SPAM, and answered a few messages. Then I plugged everything back in, turned on the PCs. Nothing had changed.
By now anyone who might be reading this is probably very confused, bored to death or falling off their chair laughing at my ignorance or misconceptions. Never the less, for the time being, I have no idea how to post my blog.
Pete doesn’t return until late Thursday night. Mike lives far enough away that it isn’t easy for him to just drop over to help. And, after all, he does have a job, a wife and two daughters who take precedence. Matt lives across the country in Washington DC. So unless a good faerie magically fixes it over night, I’m grounded!
A friend once told me this: “If you want to make God laugh … Tell Him your plans!” When I think of this saying, I add something like this: “If you want to be blessed with lessons in humility. All you have to do is boast or show off a little.” It always works for me!
The fact is, I am kind of proud of myself for learning new technical things, and for even having this blog. Today while running errands I told two people about this site and gave out the address. And sometimes I talk as though I know what I am talking about. In my spiritual practice, I am trying to develop humility … and I am quite sure my ego-mind has been very engaged lately.
Of course, I know that God wants us to be happy, and playing with this blog does make me happy. This has been tremendous fun. One of my goals in my spiritual practice is to quiet my mind and “be still”. Yet lately, this mind does not seem to turn off. Both hemispheres are constantly firing. I’ve mentally written hundred of entries. All inspired, witty and amusing, with an underlying profound message.
Of course, when I actually write these entries, they fall well short of this imaginary goal. That hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm one bit! So I guess I am getting a message. Maybe this is a good thing. At least that is how I plan to look at it. For now!
This is how it went:
Thursday, I decided to buy the Jeep that Mike and Michele planned to sell.
The seat of the Jeep is much better on my back than is the seat of the Dodge Caravan that I've been driving.
Martin wants to buy our Dodge before the Diggs move to Kansas.
In order to do that, we had to pay off the lease.
One cannot sell a car one doesn’t own.
And, to sell a car, one needs the pink slip.
The bank that owns the car had to be contacted to get the pay-off amount.
That done, we needed to transfer money from one account to another in order to write the check to pay off the Van.
Pete took care of that.
In order to pay off the lease, both Pete and I had to sign the forms that the Bank had kindly sent by FAX.
Pete was busy this weekend, and forgot to sign the forms before he left for Philadelphia this morning.
Even though he usually handles this kind of stuff, I decided that I certainly am capable of paying off the van, and selling it to Martin.
After all, I am a college graduate!
This morning, I started the process.
It was then that I discovered that Pete had forgotten to sign the forms.
I called the bank.
The nice lady there told me that if I could FAX the forms to Pete, he could sign, and send them back to me.
I could then could add my signature and FAX it back to them.
The only thing left was for me to get the money to the bank.
In return, they would send me the pink slip. OK.
I left a message on Pete’s Cell to call me.
He called me back, when he arrived at the hotel.
I faxed the forms to the hotel.
Pete signed them and faxed them back to me.
I then filled out the rest of the paperwork, after making another call to the bank.
The man I talked with was nice.
However, I learned that the only way this could be taken care of before Martin left town, was to make a wire transfer of the funds.
I talked with people at the Credit Union and the bank regarding this.
Both sent me instructions.
But, since the Credit Union has a separate department to send Faxes, I hadn’t yet received the wire transfer form.
I called them back. I was then instructed how to get the form on the internet.
The nice lady stayed on the phone as I walked upstairs to my computer and connected to their website.
She walked me though the steps to download the form so I could print it out.
I filled out the wire transfer form, needing to call both the bank and the credit union for instructions.
It wasn’t as simple as it seemed at first glance.
Now, I sent the completed forms back to the Credit Union by FAX.
By the time this was finished, it was too late in the day for the wire transfer to be done today.
However, I was told that this transaction would take place by 11:00 AM tomorrow. Good.
Of course, this is trusting that all these transactions will be taken care of tomorrow and I will receive the pink slip to give to Martin by the end of the week.
I learned a few things today.
1. These things are more complicated and time consuming than I realized.
2. Pete makes things look easier than they really are.
3. People are nice when you ask for help.
4. Given enough time, I can learn to do all this myself.
5. You can do almost anything from home now, if you have a computer and are connected to the internet.
6. Somehow, Martin will get the Van before he leaves.
Oh, and nothing much else got done today.
The toy farm and school bus that Mira played with yesterday, are still sitting where she left them.
She and Zoe came along when Mike brought Martin over to test drive the van.
I have learned many things from my daughter-in-law, Michele. As I get used to writing in this space, I have had to fight the urge to redo entries. Somewhat a perfectionist, some projects never get finished as I can always think of a better way of doing them. A few years ago, I was putting family photos in scrapbooks. Michele was very supportive of my efforts. I was not satisfied with set of pages containing pictures of a certain holiday. I told her that I thought the pages were too busy, too many stickers, way overdone. I had planned to redo the whole thing. At that time she told me it was fine, to just let it be and get on with it. I have been trying to follow her advice since then. Sometimes I don't.
I believe this is true for every mother and father, every child...
Before you were conceived I wanted you.
Before you were born I loved you.
Before you were here an hour I would die for you.
This is the miracle of life
Finally had to do something else. Like clean my house! Some friends came over tonight to celebrate their birthdays, so I cooked. A pot roast with potatoes, carrots and onions. Old fashioned food, not usually made for company.
I now have received offers to take me to and from my class reunion. Tonight, just before Pam and Andy arrived, a classmate who lives no more than 3 miles from me, called. She said she is willing to drive me to and from the event. She is driving with a couple of others who live in the area. I feel so much better to have more than one way to get there and home. Since the 1958 Winter and Summer class at North Hollywood High School totaled more than 800 students, there are many I don't remember. But now, after all these years, I am connecting with more and more of those people. I think I'm going to have a great time!
Most of the women I have talked to are coming without their husbands or significant others. I know lots of the guys are coming too. I heard from one who used to be an old boyfriend's best friend. This is getting to be fun!
Oh my God, it's tomorrow! Better turn in. Tomorrow at 9:00 AM is a rehearsal for the cultural exchange in Ghana. Even though I am not going, I want to see what the others are doing.
Having promised myself that I would not sit at the computer today before accomplishing some tasks that I had been putting off, I succumbed after receiving a call from an old friend from High School. Most of yesterday afternoon and evening was spent leaving messages on the answering machines of classmates.
At first, I was still concentrating on just leaving messages for people that I had some information lived in our section of town. I’m still trying to secure a back-up rides home from the reunion event, since Pete will be in Ghana. After a bit, I started leaving messages of the homes of other people with whom I was once friends, or in some other way had a connection. My thinking was that the reunion would sure be more fun if I found some old pals, and renewed acquaintances before the actual date. I left LOTS of messages.
After a while, I started feeling some of those old feelings of angst that are remembered so well from High School. After all these years, I thought they had disappeared. You know, those feelings one feels when one questions if you had fit in. Were you in or were you out? How were you viewed by others? How do you compare to them? Will anyone even remember you? Had you burned bridges with thoughtless behavior hardly remembered?
Like a turtle, I continued to stick my head out. Testing the conditions, before I pulled it back into my safe little home. Finally quitting, I immersed myself in some mindless TV watching. Soon, the phone rang. It was a return call from a classmate I didn’t know very well. I had felt a need to call her because she had touched the life of a beautiful woman I met many years later. I wanted to let her know about our mutual friend, who had left this life in 1997. The classmate that called didn’t really remember me, but it was wonderful talking with her. She hadn’t planned on attending the reunion, but is now reconsidering doing so. At the end of the conversation we vowed to keep in touch. She is someone I would really like to know better.
This morning, the phone rang again. It was a call from a High School friend whom I have not seen in more than 40 years. She remembered me! And, she is still in touch with several people that we did hang with. We talked a very short time, but she seems every bit as wonderful as I remember her. She asked me to send her an e-mail summing up my life in the last 45 years. Actually, those were not her exact words. I referred her to this site, but don’t know if that will answer her questions. I have not accomplished any notable deeds, nor have I lived an unusual life. So what can I say? Never the less, I feel satisfied with the life I have led, and feel lucky to be where I am at this moment in time. I can’t wait to talk with her again. Meanwhile, I will have to think up a bio I can share.
My kids don't think I am funny! At least my attempts at humor rarely make them laugh. I do however, provide them with much hilarity. And, they must admit that I can laugh at myself. But my attempts at making a witty comments or funny asides usually fails.
Sometimes, I think that Pete and the boys don't think I even possess a sense of humor! What makes me laugh is often very different from what gets them rolling on the floor. I must admit that many jokes float right over my head and it can take some time before I realize that what was just said was a JOKE. On many occasions I have had to take Pete aside and ask him for an explanation.
There are some forms of humor that embarrass me, or that I think are just plain MEAN. But I do have a sense of humor! It's just different from yours!
Now, this was the piece of wisdom I had planned to share with you today.
"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For indeed, that's all who ever have."
-Margaret Mead
We all can do something. Now just go out there and do it!
Last night, Pete started laughing out loud while reading his new book: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Curious, I asked him what made him laugh. He read a passage from the novel, which made me laugh too. Can’t wait ‘till he finishes this book. It is definitely my next read. Another story, by yet one more talented Indian writer.
…Which led me to think about the film that tops my list of Favorite Movies of All Time. Monsoon Wedding. It left me wanting to know more about almost every character except the villain. For me, one the major tests of most books, movies or TV programs is whether I am left with a feeling of sadness when it comes to the end. That is what I felt when I finished reading the first real novel I ever to myself as a child. It was the Wizard of OZ.
My parents read to me as a child. My father wasn’t home much, yet I still cherish memories of him reading to me at bedtime. My mother was an avid reader herself. She believed that it didn’t really matter what children read, as long as they did read! She encouraged my brother, David, and I to read anything we found of interest. Though I didn’t possess many dolls or other toys, I always had books, and got a library card at an early age.
She was one of the few Moms on the block who thought it was OK to read Comic Books. At that time many parents thought comics were a bad influence on children. How David and I loved Comic Books! I especially loved DC Comics about Super Heroes. We were great fans of Superman and all of the spin-offs. Superboy, ,Supergirl and Wonder Woman were all favorites of mine. To this day, I still love this kind of stuff. I don’t think I have missed one episode of Smallville on WB.
Sometimes, on one of my boys Blogs, a discussion is raised about which super power their readers would like most to possess. No one ever seems to choose than one I would most desire. Hands down, it would be teleportation, or some other method of instantly getting from one place to another. Superman could move so fast, it seemed like he could just appear and disappear at will. That is also my favorite invention on any Science Fiction story. Give me a stepping disc, an intra planet ‘star gate’ or a ‘transporter’ any time.
So many of my favorite people only lived in LA only for a few years before they moved on. LA is a very large city in area. It can take a long time to drive from one section to another. How neat it would be to gather all our friends together for a big party whenever we wanted. Or, pop into see Matt, ... or pick up the girls from school for the afternoon, without driving 45 minutes to an hour one way. Yes, teleportation it is! "Beam me up Scotty!"
Quick synopsis:
1. Awakened too early!
2. The house a mess.
3. Saw two movies.
My movie reviews:
1. Finding Nemo: Fun for any age. Best Disney Movie Yet! See it!
2. Bend it Like Beckham: Predicable but enjoyable feel good movie worth seeing, especially if you like things Indian, and stories of traditional families who live in countries other than those of their origin.
Long Version:
The day started very early, when I woke just after 6:00 AM to find Zoe lying next to me in bed, watching me with a big smile. I scooted over a little closer to Pete, with the vain hope that maybe she might fall back to sleep and let me get a little more shut-eye. Next, wishing Pete would wake up. He was supposed to take the early morning detail with the girls. Zoe did not go back to sleep and Pete didn’t wake right away, but I kept my eyes closed. Eventually, she got bored and soon I heard both girls giggling in the guest room. Now, hoping they would entertain themselves for a while, I tried again to go back to sleep. A short while after that, Pete woke up and went down to make Cream of Wheat for breakfast. I soon joined them. And our day began.
Later, we took the girls to see Finding Nemo. This one great movie! I wasn’t looking forward to it, as most Disney films are not my cup of tea. (Sorry, Mike!) But since we will do almost anything for our little princesses, we dutifully went. The adults in the audience were laughing even harder than the kids. At one point, Mira, who was sitting on Pete’s lap, turned to me and just grinned, she was having such a good time. Go see it, no matter what age you are! You will like it!
After the movie, we went for a very late lunch, and visited a toy store because princesses are very hard to refuse. Learning that Mike and Michele had arrived at our house, we drove home to return custody of the children to their parents.
At that point, the thought of bringing order to our living space left me cold. So after a bit, Pete and I went out to see another movie that we had been wanting to catch. We saw Bend it Like Beckham. Liked this one too. We will watch it again when it comes out on TV to understand a scene or two. It’s fairly predictable, but we knew that going in. Still, we enjoyed the movie. Intrigued by all things Indian, this had been at the top of my list. This one is about a Sikh family living in London and centered on the youngest daughter who wants to play soccer. This goes against the expectations of her traditional Indian parents. I liked the characters, and would like to see what happened next. Especially, to our heroine’s best friend Jules.
All in all, a fun weekend.