Cairo, Egypt definitely falls into the category of "places I would go if I could go anywhere in the world", but it also makes me hasten to add the clause, "if I could go there safely". I'm not sure about Egypt these days, in terms of safety of travel, but since we're talking about dreams here, I won't worry about that right now.
I would love to see the pyramids and tombs and experience the markets and culture. I admit I would be looking hard for Indiana Jones while there too! I would love to take a boat up the Nile. I have been fascinated with archaeology since I was a kid and would love to see what a real dig looks like.
What is funny to me is the contradiction that I, the woman who prefers cloudy drizzly weather over sunshine, and prefers climates that don't rise above 80 degrees, would dream of visiting the desert. But then any climate is do-able when I'm on vacation!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
B: Boston
I have done a bit of traveling but I have never been to northeastern parts of the U.S. I would very much like to tour Boston and see all the sights, historic and otherwise. I would love to take one of those self-guided audio tours, so I can walk around at my own speed and hear the stories as I go. I also love the idea of sailing ships and harbor activities, and at least in my mind (which I will admit has limited geographic knowledge) that is also a big part of Boston.
Mostly it is a city I'd like to see because I would like to know what else it is ... I am feeling really stupid, like I'd better do some googling before I publish this post, since I can't really list anything else about Boston. The Red Sox are there...Harvard is there (I only know this thanks to Good Will Hunting, thank Matt and Ben)...people talk funny (I can say this because you all remember the movie Fargo and how everyone in your movie theater laughed at everyone's accent? Yeah, that's how I talk - seriously)...what else is notable to Boston?
Mostly it is a city I'd like to see because I would like to know what else it is ... I am feeling really stupid, like I'd better do some googling before I publish this post, since I can't really list anything else about Boston. The Red Sox are there...Harvard is there (I only know this thanks to Good Will Hunting, thank Matt and Ben)...people talk funny (I can say this because you all remember the movie Fargo and how everyone in your movie theater laughed at everyone's accent? Yeah, that's how I talk - seriously)...what else is notable to Boston?
Random questions I pirated from another blog...
In visiting a few other A to Z Challenge bloggers today, I came across the Jenny Hansen Blog and a post that challenged her with 11 questions. And those 11 questions were awesome! I am intrigued by weird questions, so of course I wanted to write a post with my answers to those questions. There were rules, though, and I am not much of a rule follower...so much like Jenny Hansen, I am choosing to answer the questions, and then allow any readers the freedom to tag yourself, if you are so inclined, and write yourself a post...follow the rules or don't. Those are my rules.
First, the rules (in case you opt to play by them):
The 11 Questions:
1. What is your favorite historical period and why?
I would not choose to live in any other time period, let's just get that straight right from the top. However, I love to read about the early American years - the settling of the great West in particular. Sometimes when we are traveling I try to imagine what the Midwestern world I've always known looked like in the 1700s and what it would be like to move west and never see your family again, even though you might have only been 100 miles away.
2. List your top five favorite movies.
Oddly enough, I only have to change one from the list Jenny Hansen made! She clearly has good taste in movies!
Oddly enough, I expect I'd be too busy holding my kids and trying to breathe to even think about anything else. Sure there are "things", but nothing that would inspire me to run back into a burning house. Which makes me wonder why I have so many things, and so much clutter, if none of it means much to me.
4. You can invite any three people in the world for a dinner–anyone alive. Who are your guests?
Dezra, my lifelong friend; Kelly, the Seattle friend I made after I left Seattle; and Nancy, my favorite Seattle friend. And I would have to put on Depends because I know I would be laughing myself silly and wallowing in the presence of three women who I don't see often enough but who I am attached to for life (whether they like it or not!)
5. Congress/the gods/smiling extraterrestrials said you can only have one type of food every meal for the rest of your life (they’ll supplement your diet with vitamin pills). Which food would you choose?
Baked Cheetos. Does that count as food? If not, then I will go with bread, since I love everything about bread!
6. In an episode of “Friends”, they all reveal their freebie list: 5 celebrities with whom they can hook up without upsetting their partners. Who’s in yours?
Mark Harmon...Mark Harmon...Mark Harmon...Mark Harmon...and Mark Harmon. Did I mention Mark Harmon?
7. (Huge spoiler alert.) Some people think the Hunger Games is bloody. In Harry Potter 6, fifteen characters die. In HP7, the body count is over fifty (see here). JK is rewriting the series, and she let you choose one character from any of the seven books to get a reprieve. Who would it be and why?
Sirius Black. After all those years in Azkaban, he deserved some years of a happier life. George Weasley being a close second.
8. What’s your worst fear?
Sharks. Long standing phobia dating back to (1) being a flatlander who never saw the ocean until I was almost 30; and (2) seeing Jaws at about age 10. I am scared of all the dangerous stuff in the oceans, to tell you the truth, and the idea that you'll never see it coming until it GETS YA!
9. You can choose your own nickname, with an assurance that no one would ever mock you. Tell us your choice.
Remarkably, I have had very few nicknames in my life. The only one, used by a select few folks to this day, is Wah - which came about through a very odd, long, inside story. Works for me.
10. What’s the best vacation you have ever had?
I spent 18 days in Scotland some years ago. With no real agenda and the chance to just wander around and see what we felt like seeing. I loved the country, the people I met, and everything I saw. I would go again in a heartbeat. Since having kids, vacations are great but even a long weekend is a lot more work than that 3 weeks in Scotland. I miss that ease.
.
11. Congress/the gods/smiling extraterrestrials said you must move to any fantasy or sci-fi setting (books, movies, videogames, rpgs) of your choice—permanently. Where would you go?
A small beach house, with food and housekeeping services, on a white sand beach (lets make it a nice, shark-free, cove, shall we?). Preferably with a mountain range out the other side of the house. With good wi-fi.
First, the rules (in case you opt to play by them):
- You must post the rules.
- Answer the questions on your blog. Create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
- Tag eleven people and link to them.
- Let them know you’ve tagged them.
The 11 Questions:
1. What is your favorite historical period and why?
I would not choose to live in any other time period, let's just get that straight right from the top. However, I love to read about the early American years - the settling of the great West in particular. Sometimes when we are traveling I try to imagine what the Midwestern world I've always known looked like in the 1700s and what it would be like to move west and never see your family again, even though you might have only been 100 miles away.
2. List your top five favorite movies.
Oddly enough, I only have to change one from the list Jenny Hansen made! She clearly has good taste in movies!
- My Cousin Vinnie (taught me more about real Civil Procedure than my entire year of Civ Pro in law school)
- When Harry Met Sally (taught me that romances may come and go but friendships can be forever)
- The Princess Bride (just the best, on so many levels - even my kids quote it now!)
- The Shawshank Redemption (best escape story ever)
- The Wedding Singer (makes me laugh every time - and is the source of my favorite quote of all time: "information that would have been useful YESTERDAY!")
Oddly enough, I expect I'd be too busy holding my kids and trying to breathe to even think about anything else. Sure there are "things", but nothing that would inspire me to run back into a burning house. Which makes me wonder why I have so many things, and so much clutter, if none of it means much to me.
4. You can invite any three people in the world for a dinner–anyone alive. Who are your guests?
Dezra, my lifelong friend; Kelly, the Seattle friend I made after I left Seattle; and Nancy, my favorite Seattle friend. And I would have to put on Depends because I know I would be laughing myself silly and wallowing in the presence of three women who I don't see often enough but who I am attached to for life (whether they like it or not!)
5. Congress/the gods/smiling extraterrestrials said you can only have one type of food every meal for the rest of your life (they’ll supplement your diet with vitamin pills). Which food would you choose?
Baked Cheetos. Does that count as food? If not, then I will go with bread, since I love everything about bread!
6. In an episode of “Friends”, they all reveal their freebie list: 5 celebrities with whom they can hook up without upsetting their partners. Who’s in yours?
Mark Harmon...Mark Harmon...Mark Harmon...Mark Harmon...and Mark Harmon. Did I mention Mark Harmon?
7. (Huge spoiler alert.) Some people think the Hunger Games is bloody. In Harry Potter 6, fifteen characters die. In HP7, the body count is over fifty (see here). JK is rewriting the series, and she let you choose one character from any of the seven books to get a reprieve. Who would it be and why?
Sirius Black. After all those years in Azkaban, he deserved some years of a happier life. George Weasley being a close second.
8. What’s your worst fear?
Sharks. Long standing phobia dating back to (1) being a flatlander who never saw the ocean until I was almost 30; and (2) seeing Jaws at about age 10. I am scared of all the dangerous stuff in the oceans, to tell you the truth, and the idea that you'll never see it coming until it GETS YA!
9. You can choose your own nickname, with an assurance that no one would ever mock you. Tell us your choice.
Remarkably, I have had very few nicknames in my life. The only one, used by a select few folks to this day, is Wah - which came about through a very odd, long, inside story. Works for me.
10. What’s the best vacation you have ever had?
I spent 18 days in Scotland some years ago. With no real agenda and the chance to just wander around and see what we felt like seeing. I loved the country, the people I met, and everything I saw. I would go again in a heartbeat. Since having kids, vacations are great but even a long weekend is a lot more work than that 3 weeks in Scotland. I miss that ease.
.
11. Congress/the gods/smiling extraterrestrials said you must move to any fantasy or sci-fi setting (books, movies, videogames, rpgs) of your choice—permanently. Where would you go?
A small beach house, with food and housekeeping services, on a white sand beach (lets make it a nice, shark-free, cove, shall we?). Preferably with a mountain range out the other side of the house. With good wi-fi.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
A: Alaska
I responded very poorly to the NaBloPoMo challenge in February, so I'm hoping to do a little better with the A to Z challenge for April.
My "A" thought for today is that I would love to visit the State of Alaska. I have a friend who moved to Anchorage some years back. She is very active in environmental politics and loves the backwoods kind of life, and met her soul mate there, so her Facebook posts and emails are full of camping trips that involve protective gear like electric fences and large caliber weapons. Her daily walks with her dogs involve dodging moose and keeping an eye out for bear. And this year, she and her husband are busy clearing ten or more feet of snow from their roof so that their house doesn't flood in the spring thaw. I would love to see in person the world she describes - though I'll leave the backwoods camping trips to braver souls than I.
I would love to take the inside passage up along the Alaskan coast. The coastline and the wildlife sightings sound amazing. Watching video of glaciers "calving" is amazing and I can only imagine what that would be like in person. The northern lights are fantastic and I'm sure Denali National Park is beyond anything I can imagine.
Yep, Alaska. One day.
My "A" thought for today is that I would love to visit the State of Alaska. I have a friend who moved to Anchorage some years back. She is very active in environmental politics and loves the backwoods kind of life, and met her soul mate there, so her Facebook posts and emails are full of camping trips that involve protective gear like electric fences and large caliber weapons. Her daily walks with her dogs involve dodging moose and keeping an eye out for bear. And this year, she and her husband are busy clearing ten or more feet of snow from their roof so that their house doesn't flood in the spring thaw. I would love to see in person the world she describes - though I'll leave the backwoods camping trips to braver souls than I.
I would love to take the inside passage up along the Alaskan coast. The coastline and the wildlife sightings sound amazing. Watching video of glaciers "calving" is amazing and I can only imagine what that would be like in person. The northern lights are fantastic and I'm sure Denali National Park is beyond anything I can imagine.
Yep, Alaska. One day.
A touch of politics
I have always abhorred politics - wherever it appears in my life. I have never ever wished to involve myself in state or national politics and often feel a grand sense of apathy in election years. I have been heard to say many times that I don't believe I have a voice - at least in national and possibly statewide politics (read: elections) and I never really gave any thought to being involved in lawmaking, which is certainly another level of political hell.
Last year, a particular bill came up in our state legislative system that just offended me to no end in its practical application - it was related to my employment and it was just so stupid that I volunteered to be on a small response committee from a professional group of which I am a member. The bill didn't really go anywhere last session, so I never had to attend any meetings with legislators or any hearings. But then this year, another bill came up that also was just wrong and it was again very apparent that the folks writing this crap knew nothing about my job and what they would be doing to the system in which I work. And I was even more irritated that none of my professional colleagues seemed to take up the torch. And so I did. I wrote my first letter to a political representative, lobbied to other professionals in our community and in other related areas, and was prepared to attend a hearing and testify if needed. To my great relief, the bill writers announced they were removing the bill language from consideration before the hearing, so I didn't need to do any of that. But what a freakish experience - to realize that this professional persona of mine is the kind of person who can speak to things, who can point out the "wrong-ness" of a proposal, and who can talk with authority on certain subjects. And even more of an out of body experience was to realize that I would be willing to do so! And that other professionals in my arena might look at me as someone who can participate in such a role. Where is my apathy?
Don't get me wrong - I am not drawn to the political world in any way. I am disgusted by it in so many ways. But it seems I have discovered the potential of having a voice - albeit a small voice in a particular niche. I must have read Dr. Seuss' The Lorax to my kids a thousand times and we just saw the movie remake recently and the closing line in the book has always made me pause: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."
Ain't that the truth. I'm just not sure I have the stomach for this particular gig.
Last year, a particular bill came up in our state legislative system that just offended me to no end in its practical application - it was related to my employment and it was just so stupid that I volunteered to be on a small response committee from a professional group of which I am a member. The bill didn't really go anywhere last session, so I never had to attend any meetings with legislators or any hearings. But then this year, another bill came up that also was just wrong and it was again very apparent that the folks writing this crap knew nothing about my job and what they would be doing to the system in which I work. And I was even more irritated that none of my professional colleagues seemed to take up the torch. And so I did. I wrote my first letter to a political representative, lobbied to other professionals in our community and in other related areas, and was prepared to attend a hearing and testify if needed. To my great relief, the bill writers announced they were removing the bill language from consideration before the hearing, so I didn't need to do any of that. But what a freakish experience - to realize that this professional persona of mine is the kind of person who can speak to things, who can point out the "wrong-ness" of a proposal, and who can talk with authority on certain subjects. And even more of an out of body experience was to realize that I would be willing to do so! And that other professionals in my arena might look at me as someone who can participate in such a role. Where is my apathy?
Don't get me wrong - I am not drawn to the political world in any way. I am disgusted by it in so many ways. But it seems I have discovered the potential of having a voice - albeit a small voice in a particular niche. I must have read Dr. Seuss' The Lorax to my kids a thousand times and we just saw the movie remake recently and the closing line in the book has always made me pause: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."
Ain't that the truth. I'm just not sure I have the stomach for this particular gig.
Philosophy for 3rd graders
The girls and I took a long car drive yesterday and, because I am a well seasoned motion sickness veteran, who has too many times heard "Mom, my stomach feels funny..." from our backseat, only to enjoy the view of one or the other child spewing as I turn around to respond, I confiscated the electronics about halfway and declared that it was time for the girls to watch out the window for a while. Surprisingly, we had a great conversation about our recent vacation and discussed the possibility of one or more future vacations in upcoming years.
And then my nearly nine year old, 3rd grade daughter asked about something she has heard - is it true that the world is going to end in 2012, Mom? The reality is that I rarely pay attention to apocalyptic crap - I'm not going to waste my life worrying about the end of the world. But I think I was correct when I explained to her that an early civilization (Aztecs?) had the earliest or one of the earliest known calendars and that calendar ended in December 2012. And then I explained to her that people have a choice - you can live your life, and do your best to live your best life, or you can live in fear of the end and what comes (or doesn't come) after. And as many kids do when they ask a deep question, she listened to what I said, she nodded, and then she proceeded to talk about where she'd like to go in 2013. I guess she's decided her "apocaplypse plan" for the time being.
And then my nearly nine year old, 3rd grade daughter asked about something she has heard - is it true that the world is going to end in 2012, Mom? The reality is that I rarely pay attention to apocalyptic crap - I'm not going to waste my life worrying about the end of the world. But I think I was correct when I explained to her that an early civilization (Aztecs?) had the earliest or one of the earliest known calendars and that calendar ended in December 2012. And then I explained to her that people have a choice - you can live your life, and do your best to live your best life, or you can live in fear of the end and what comes (or doesn't come) after. And as many kids do when they ask a deep question, she listened to what I said, she nodded, and then she proceeded to talk about where she'd like to go in 2013. I guess she's decided her "apocaplypse plan" for the time being.
Friday, March 30, 2012
swirling thoughts
It's been a whirlwind since returning to the real world a couple weeks ago. And the whirlwind in my brain contains so many compelling threads: apathy, commitment, self-inventory, control, love, disappointment, detachment, frustration, job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction, parenting, advocacy ... the list goes on an on if I'm attentive enough to catch them all.
But what has filtered out as the first and foremost task for me is that self-inventory piece. I find, on reflection, that despite my efforts, I am still laying blame and trying to effect control in areas of my life where it is not appropriate to do so. And it is making me crazy. It is time to quiet my brain for a moment or two, I think, and focus on my control issues - largely my internal and hardwired desire to control certain things, which are frustrated by my insistence that I cannot control them, which leads to a certain amount of inner turmoil.
And I am looking so very forward to spending a day with my sister tomorrow. I haven't seen her in ages and I miss her!
p.s. and I missed all of you too. Until I was ready to get back to writing, I refused to let myself keep up on what everyone else was writing, so I have a LOT of catching up to do!
But what has filtered out as the first and foremost task for me is that self-inventory piece. I find, on reflection, that despite my efforts, I am still laying blame and trying to effect control in areas of my life where it is not appropriate to do so. And it is making me crazy. It is time to quiet my brain for a moment or two, I think, and focus on my control issues - largely my internal and hardwired desire to control certain things, which are frustrated by my insistence that I cannot control them, which leads to a certain amount of inner turmoil.
And I am looking so very forward to spending a day with my sister tomorrow. I haven't seen her in ages and I miss her!
p.s. and I missed all of you too. Until I was ready to get back to writing, I refused to let myself keep up on what everyone else was writing, so I have a LOT of catching up to do!
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