Cell-Schmell 07/15/2007

I have a Love-Hate relationship with cell phones. I enjoy their portability. I like that we really don't need a home phone any longer. I like that you can "take" your number with you if you switch carriers. I especially like cell phone carriers vying for my business by giving me great offers.

My dislikes are as follows:

• People who drive 40 in a 55 zone because they are not paying attention. They have their arm up to their ear and are jabbering at 55 mph. Too bad their foot can't keep up with their mouth. And why don't they have a Blue Tooth or even a cord from their phone to their ear? Why are they doing the one-handed drive?

• Being called while I am driving is also another dislike, especially when the caller knows I am driving. Don't call to say "Whatcha doing?" I'm baking a cake. I'M DRIVING!! At least I have an ear piece in use and both hands on the wheel.

• People who leave them on in movie theaters, libraries, restaurants, etc.

• Getting calls for "Gilberto Gonzalez" for two and a half years. The fact that two and a half years have gone by and I am still getting his calls is upsetting. Even worse, half of Gilberto's calls are from Sprint, his "wireless service provider." (Automated Machine Mangling His Name:) "Gelburto GONzalez, please hold for an important announcement from your cell phone carrier, Sprint". Dear Sprint: You are stupid. How do you not even know that this cell phone number is no longer Gilberto's? How do you not know that you don't even own this number, as I use T-Mobile? I have told them at least 4 times to stop calling. It has not worked.

Yea, so. Love them and hate them.

Memoirs of a Geisha - 07/08/2007

I never had any intention of reading Arthur Golden's book, "Memoirs of a Geisha." The idea of it in my mind was dullness, ritual, ancient yada yada, and it did not strike me as anything I would want to read. Yes, color me ethnocentric.
David rented the movie, or was it me? I can't remember. I just remember thinking the movie was a beautiful piece of work. I was moved by Chiyo's story and Sayuri's final conquest of her dream. A few days later, unbeknown to me, my best friend mailed me her copy of the book.

Normally, I will read the book before I watch the movie. I don't want the director/producer's views to cloud up the images in my mind for me, but in this case, I had no choice.

I find it incredible that this work came not from a Japanese woman, but from an American man. And let me tell you, I am glad he did. It was a terrific read. The movie really did do a good job. Some scenes were cut, for time, some characters changed around (again for time) but all in all, the movie stuck closely to the book. The book gave you more back story and end story, which I was grateful for. I cringed every time Hatsumomo was around. I could barely read the part with Sayuri and the Baron, as I had seen the movie and knew what was coming. I hesitated, aren't I silly? I plowed through that part like someone desperate to save a friend, but I made it. I was saddened by the devastation Pumpkin's betrayal caused Sayuri, but really, it was Pumpkin's betrayal that brought about Sayuri's happy ending. I was seeing the life of a Geisha in a new light; not a prostitute as many Westerner's think, but as an artist. They are like slave's to their art, but once they know this life, it is what they want for themselves. A beautiful, harsh existence of fine detail. Arthur Golden's prose is...soothing to the mind; does that make sense? I felt lulled by the beauty (not in a"boring" way, either). I enjoyed the ritual, the ancient, the yada yada and my mind is still entranced by it.

Soul Purpose - 07/05/2007

Reading "The Color of Water" really got me thinking about my own life and where I came from. A few weeks ago, I took a box of paperwork to work to shred. Papers from at least 12 years ago or more. Receipts, accounts, my past life. As I am shredding these papers, I feel myself tensing & I could understand why. No disrespect to my ex and especially my ex's family; I am not here to ex-bash. This is about me (isn't is always?) :) I was shredding bad debts, bankruptcy, my old life that I cannot even recognize, and was remembering. It was such a weird feeling.

I wish I could impart my knowledge to some younger people I know. Don't marry young. (They do). Don't have kids until you get your degree (they do anyway and drop school). Don't charge things and live beyond your means (they do). And they're drowning. I wish I could help...but we all have to make our own mistakes and grow from them. I married young, at 21, thinking someone would take care of me, and years later, I realized I was doing all the taking care of. I had nothing financially other than the hand-to-mouth paychecks I was getting. I left. I got a small apartment for my son & I. We lived on mac and cheese and sandwiches for a while (I never learned to cook and never had to during my marriage; he's still a superb cook). Poor Jacob and the tasteless meals he endured. We lived without cable for 2 years. We had no cell phone. I made my rent, my car and always made the payments for Jacob's prepaid college plan. Who needs cable anyway?

I had a good job, though, and a boss who believed in my talents. He promoted me and gave me excellent raises. Then in 2000, I bought my first home, by myself. I was 29, a single mom and a homeowner. I was ecstatic. I was SO proud of me. Some time last year, when looking at the new home we purchased, David's mom and grandma asked me if my new larger home was like a dream come true. I honestly replied "No. Buying my little blue house was my dream come true. This is on a whole different level."

I spent 6 happy years in the "blue house." My car was paid for, my son's college was paid for, I had investments. What? True. Me. Investments. I learned to cook just a little, met David, we married, had Isabel, and little blue house got very crowded.

Here I am now in my "beyond-dream" home. I remember being told by my ex "One day we'll have a house," and I waited and waited for it to happen. It never did; it wasn't given to me. I had to work my butt off to get it for myself. Now, I've owned two, sharing this one with my goofy husband.

As I shred those papers, my chest constricted, remembering the past. But this past and God made me stronger than I could ever imagine.

The Color of Water - 07/03/2007

"The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother," by James McBride.

This was one of the nine books given to me by Aunt Joan. I was actually in the middle of reading "Memoirs of a Geisha," but left it at work one day and was wanting to read something in the evening. As you know, I tend to read two or three books at a time, so picking up another book is not a big deal to me.

What a great life story; both his and his mother's. This is the true story of a black man, one of 12 children born to Ruth. As a child, James struggles to understand his mother. Why is she so different from the other mothers in his neighborhood, in looks and demeanor? Why is she so strict, so reserved and guarded? Why must the family be its own microcosm? Why does she not answer questions on who she is and where she came from? When he asked her if he was white or black, she'd answer that he was a human being. When he asked her what color God was, her reply was "God is the color of water."

She was tough. She was proud. She was totally contradictory - making fun of those "crazy white people" as she read the newspaper and then admonishing her children to not get involved in the rights movement. This woman put 12 children through college; all 12. Education and knowledge were the number one priority in her life and she made that a priority in her kids' lives. It wasn't all peachy and roses. Imagine being a white woman with 12 black kids in the late 50's through the early 70's? Not accepted by either race; not "fitting" anywhere. This is why she was so protective.

When James stated that he wanted to write a book about her life, it took James 14 years to wheedle out the information from his mother. A white woman. A Polish woman. A Jewish woman. A woman who grew up with a sexually abusive Rabbi father, a lovely but crippled mother, an older brother and a younger sister, all terrified of their father. They bought a store in a black neighborhood and becamse wealthy fleecing the blacks in town. They were shunned by the other Jews for selling to blacks and gentiles. Day and night was work work work for Ruth, born Raichel Shilsky. The story of her escape from this life to New York, her meeting her first black husband with whom she founded a Christian church and raised 8 children before his death, marrying another black man who took on those 8 kids and gave her 4 more, always treating her with respect before his death, and her struggle as a single-mother is an inspiring one. I could never even begin to imagine what she went through. Never. I'm Puerto Rican, married to a white American man and living in the year 2007. Not even a blip on the radar to the world. But back in the 50's when she married? Could you imagine the fear? The doubts? and the love she and Andrew McBride shared to be that strong?

James McBride does a terrific job of expressing his feelings of being lost; adrift. Not knowing who he was. Yes, it sounds cliche' to want to "find oneself," but in McBride's case, it was true. The research and the writing of this story must have been such a cathartic one for him. To understand that he is so many things- he's black, he's white, he's Jewish, and yet never fully any of those. Ruth could never understand his need for all this information, but went along with is finally, because everyone in her former life was either dead or in Florida. :) We're just human beings, right? What a woman.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - 06/23/2007

On the heels of reading "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," I read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain/Sam Clemens.

"Huck Finn" was meant to be a sequel to "Tom Sawyer," but is believed to have surpassed its predecessor as being the greater piece of literature. The writing styles are definitely different. "Tom Sawyer" was written from a young boy's point of view and was intended as a children's book; a fun read. I really enjoyed that light-hearted fun book.

"Huck Finn" for me was almost a difficult read, not because it was a bad book, no. Because it used so many dialects. Mr. Clemens wrote as people would speak; the southern twang, the Missouri black speech, the "Pike Country dialect" as he put it. This book required a lot of focus.

I enjoyed the book and the trip down the river. I enjoyed that this young white poor child and this grown black man (I don't think he was a slave, he was just....indentured to a farm? I really don't know) had such a strong friendship. They are both seeking to run away from their lives; Huck from his drunk, violent father and Jim from the land owner he thinks is going to sell him. They take a raft and head down river.

Their day to day lives are filled with contentment. They have nothing to do but swim, fish and enjoy each other's company. They meet a few people along the way, experience some horrible weather and enjoy each other's company. They see a house that had been uprooted by the rising river waters and is flowing down the river. There is a dead man in the house, but Jim won't let Huck see such things. They loot this floating "coffin" and are on their way.
They also experience one side of the true nature of humanity; evil, when they secretly spy upon some men in a steamboat run aground. These men are crooks and about to leave a third man on board, to drown with the sinking ship. Huck cannot believe the evil in these men's hearts and eventually Jim & Huck end up stranding all three men by taking the men's boat when they realize their boat has floated away.

The family that Huck stays with when he thinks Jim has drowned in the horrible weather at sea, are also stuck in a feud with another family that goes back generations. No one can remember why the feud even started. When a "Romeo & Juliette" type romance between the families is discovered, both side go on to picking each other off, leaving Huck completely dazed and amazed that people would do this to each other, all over that dreadful monster, Pride. He finds Jim again and they leave that place, the place that still gives Huck nightmares. The tranquility of their life on the raft has been marred.

Then they meet the "Duke" and the "King." These two swindlers, crooks, rapscallions take advantage of the innocent two, for they truly are innocents. The younger of the two men "confides" to our friends that he is indeed an ousted Duke and they should address him as "My Lord" or "Your Honor." Not to be outdone, the older "gentleman" admits that he is ......the disappeared Dauphin, the son of "Looy the Sixteen and Marry Antonnette" and must be addressed as "Your Highness."

The two crooks swindle unsuspecting people in towns along the river and attempt to steal the inheritance of a group of girls whose father has died. This is too much for Huck (and for me) to bear and his conscious gets the better of him. He tells one of the girls about these awful men's schemes. The men run off, and in a final act of desperation and utter lack of respect for humanity, sell Jim for $40 of a $200 reward using a handbill they forged, proclaiming Jim to be a runaway.

Huck makes what he feels is a sacrifice; he proclaims that he will go rescue Jim, thus damning himself to hell for sinning. "All right then, I'll go to hell," he utters to himself.

This is where the book takes a total 180. Mr. Clemens had set aside this manuscript for a few years and at one point almost decided to throw it away. They bring back Tom Sawyer in a total coincidence. Deus Ex Machina - last minute save. This Tom is tedious and annoying. Huck just wants to release Jim, an easy enough thing to do. This Tom wants to spend time making Jim be a "real prisoner" and spends four weeks coming up with all sorts of elaborate schemes that make absolutely no sense and is quite painful to read. What was Mr. Clemens thinking? Let's just get this book over, already? The ending does not match the rest of the book. Huck and Jim end up right where he started; back to the home they run away from. Jim at least was freed from his farm by its owner, and Huck is finally told that is was his father who was the dead man in the floating house. But Huck is still following Tom's lead at the end, and all the growth we see in this young boy throughout the book is for naught.

Origin - 06/21/2007

Once upon a time, about 7-8 years ago, there was this rather large forum. The forum was something I stumbled upon one day doing a Google Search on Buffy. The forum had people like me! People who totally loved Buffy & Angel (and Roswell etc.). There were present episode discussions, past episode discussions, fan writing, fan sightings. It was a beautiful thing.

So, 7-8 years ago, I started conversing with a group of people, and we ended up exchanging e-mail addresses. For some reason that I cannot remember now cause I am old & decrepit, we called ourselves the Mafia Chicks. Never mind that there were 7 girls and one guy. I think we were trying to put a hit out on someone, I don't know. There are 2 in California, 1 in New Jersey, 1 in Maryland, 1 (now) in Connecticut, 1 in Florida (me) and the two over there; Australia and Denmark. We ranged in age from 13 to 29.

Fast forward 7 years. Our high school girl is 20, us older ones are...older. :) We *still* e-mail each other. There have been split-ups, three babies, way more weight than I care to admit, new jobs, graduations (college and high school) and tons of Christmas cards being sent across the country and around the world. I've met two of the girls up in DC back in 2002. The man of the group has met the NJ girl, the girl from Denmark and even flew to Australia and met the Aussie chick. And this week, he met me. :)

Spur of the moment, last minute thing, he decided to vacation in Florida and ended up about 30 miles from my house. He came over yesterday and was a gracious guest, bringing taffy and a Blockbuster gift card (with way too much on it Michael!) I had laid out some ground beef for some quick Hamburger Helper and thought "Oh No! What am I going to cook?" I still had some of the peppers that Jake's grandpa grew in his garden, so I made stuffed red, yellow and green peppers. They were good; ground beef, onions, rice, tomato sauce, garlic & mozzarella. Mmmmm. I gave him the tour of the house, including "his guest room," and saw pictures of his Australian trip. We discussed the three other B's (not Buffy): beach, books and business.
It was SO COOL to finally meet the male Mafia Chick.

Him - 06/13/2007

Three "Him's" to be exact.

• I'm driving home from work today on a brand new stretch on road. There are two northbound lanes. It is POURING rain. I, knowing how the streets flood here, am in the left lane behind a man who is unfortunately riding a Harley in the pouring rain. On the right, is a Toyota Avalon, whose driver is really not so bright. He or she is speeding in the downpour. Motorcycle Man and I, in the left lane, notice that up ahead, the right lane is completely flooded out and has in fact come over to our lane. He puts his hand down to signal he is slowing down, but no need, as I had started to slow down as well. Toyota Avalon person? Not so much. This Einstein goes barreling through the small lake in front of him/her, and then decides to slam on the brakes....but not before completely drenching motorcycle man. I said "Ooooooooooh. Idiot." aloud as I saw the tsunami hit. Motorcycle guy was not too happy. He stared down Toyota Avalon person. The rest of the 2 mile ride was spent driving really slow, as motorcycle man kept trying to get beside Toyota person to give him a piece of his....finger and boot, actually, but Toyota person kept slowing down to not be next to him. So, we went really slow up to the point where the right lane becomes a "right turn only" lane and Toyota person had to merge with us. Toyota person let me and another truck pass before they merged. Toyota person was probably too afraid of what motorcycle guy would do. I *so* wished I had a nice XXXL t-shirt in my Jeep. I would have jumped out at the light and handed it to him to change. He was drenched, poor Him.


• David calls tonight to say his battery is acting up and he needed to go buy a new one. I told him to check the auto parts store to see if they could just recharge it. He asks me which auto parts store, as there are 2 right next to each other. Here's how this conversation went:

Me: It's the one next to the Indian place that used to be a Pizza Hut.

Him: What?? You want me to go get the battery checked at the Indian place??

Me: Are you MENTAL??

After I hung up the phone, the hilarity of this conversation finally struck me, and I started giggling, then outright laughing to myself. What could he have possibly heard over that cell phone?

• My son Jake placed his nightly call from the road to me. They are at Camp Lejune (Military base) and are having a ball. He got to sit in the cockpit of an Osprey today and toyed with a glass...something. Some kind of navigation system that is all touch screen and fancy. He was all excited. Then he says "Grandpa wants to talk to you." Oh-oh, I say to myself. What has he done? Alex (my ex-father-in-law) proceeds to tell me what a joy Jacob is and to thank me for letting him spend these 2 weeks on the trip with him. Alex has two grandkids with him; Jake and Jake's cousin Maddy. They are about the same age and as different as night and day; and not just because they are male & female. Maddy is outgoing, exuberant; Jake is introspective and thoughtful (as in he ponders & mulls things over before making up his mind). Alex laughed as he explained how Maddy pushes Jake's buttons because he is so serious. He also says that as they were in an Atomic museum, Jake saw a really neat item. Alex asked him if he wanted it. Jake turned the piece over, saw the price and said "No, it's too expensive," and set it down. Maddy walks over, looks at the price and says "I want it," and walks off through the store with it in hand. Alex told Jake "Don't you worry about cost. Only worry about if you want it." So Jake eventually conceded. Alex said "You raised him good, girl." and I was so proud. This is gold coming from him.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - 06/11/2007

I have never read any of Samuel Langhorne Clemens' works, can you believe it? Not a one. Who? Sam? Oh, yea, you may know him by his pen name, Mark Twain.

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is on my list of classic books I am reading. Written in 1876, the book is very quaint. "Lovely" is how I think I put it to someone recently. He's British, so he understood what I meant when I said "lovely." The copy I have belongs to my husband. It was printed in 1971. It is 36 years old. Its pages are yellowing and it smells divine. I spent more time than I care to admit smelling the pages as I read along.

Mr. Twain does an excellent job of capturing the mind of a young boy. I don't think I know his age, actually. Tom felt like 8-10 to me. He's gregarious, outgoing, very imaginative and inventive, just like most kids that age are. I love how Tom would "show off" to the new girl by hitting other kids, being a bully, etc. SO like an elementary-aged child. There was danger and adventure at every turn in Tom's world, and I was right there with him. I loved that he loved his Aunt, even if *he* didn't realize that he loved her. He was brave and fun.

You may have heard of Injun Joe too. I know that even though I have never read it, I've heard tell of him. NOW I know who he is; the evil man! I was so proud of Tom for being brave and standing up in court to defend an innocent man against Injun Joe's lies.

The book was a bit controversial later on, with its use of the "N" word. I'll have to admit even I gave a pause when I read the word. I had to remember this was written in 1876. The world has changed a lot since then....hasn't it?? I hope so.

We get a little "happy ending" that Mr. Clemens was criticized for. Back in the day, novels were supposed to be "realistic" and how realistic is it for a couple of boys to have so much adventure and end up with riches?

I for one, am glad Mr. Clemens chose his own way and gave us the slightly fantastical versus the mundane.

A Green Journey - 06/03/2007

I also finished "A Green Journey" by John Hassler. This was one of the nine books given to me by Joan, David's aunt. I enjoyed this book very much. Not being Catholic, I don't know all the nuances of the religion, but I found myself enchanted by Agatha, a 60-something year old staunch Catholic. She takes no guff, is strong-willed and respected by all. She's also quite lonely. Never having been married, she questions the choices she made in her youth; to not settle. To have a career over men she did not truly love. She sees her Church changing over the years, becoming more secular in her opinion and she fights it tooth and nail.

She strikes up a pen-pal relationship with an Irish man named James who shares her religious beliefs. They discuss the Church, its bishops and priests, its failings and strengths, but as the years go by, they also discuss their loneliness, their childhood, their losses. Agatha feels closer to James than to anyone.

Her church decides to plan a trip to Ireland. She decides to go to meet James, and that's where her world is turned upside-down. You'll have to read the book; I won't give the ending away. Her storyline is heart-wrenching and wonderful , including her interactions with the new Bishop Baker ("Call me Dick.") who, in Agatha's opinion, is destroying the churches in this Midwest town of theirs, closing down Catholic schools, having nun run parishes, getting rid of the ceremony of Confirmation (something Agatha truly believes in for her 6th grade students she piously teaches). Her encounters with Bishop Baker are full of sarcasm, fun banter and eventually mutual respect.

The second story line involves a young girl named Janet, who Agatha takes in during Janet's last month of pregnancy; a girl who is 17 and unmarried. We see Agatha and Janet develop an open friendship that Agatha does not have with anyone else, except with James in Ireland. Janet is an old soul. She does not let her poor circumstances hold her back. She is confident and self-assured. She marries a pathetic excuse for a man, though, and this bothered me. He was whiny, depressed most of the time, made bad financial decisions, quit jobs every other month and was jealous of Janet's son. I didn't see her attraction to this man, and chapters that dealt with him were tedious. Self-Reflection, much? :)

In all though, it was a good read. Ireland sounds both beautiful and frightening. I will remember always laughing aloud at Bishop Baker's reaction to these words: "During our absence Lady Wellington gave birth to four kittens." :) Read it and tell me if you laughed too.

Pickering's Lane - 06/03/2007

I finished "Pickering's Lane" last week. I really wanted to love this book. I wanted to shout out its virtues and urge everyone to buy it. You see, its authors are acquaintances of mine. Jeremy worked in Human Resources and Cindy worked in Accounts Payable at my corporate office several years ago. We never met, but we spoke a lot over e-mails. They were eclectic and fun. I remember when this book was in the works. They were so excited to be publishing it. It came out in 2002. Back then, I really did not have the extra cash flow to spend $16 on a book I could only get at Amazon or on iUniverse's website. The years passed and Jeremy & Cindy left the company.

Recently, I found an e-mail I had printed as a reminder to buy the book. I had congratulated them on getting their book published back in 2002. In cleaning my desk, I found this e-mail & I ordered the book.

Pickering's Lane is a book about several characters. A woman Paige and her young blind son who lose their husband/dad to a murder. Their friend. DianaMarie, who although she is white, is taken in by the elder of an Indian tribe and taught the ways of the Protector Spirits. She meets strong opposition from most of the tribe who cannot swallow having a white woman learn their ways.

Paige & her son move to Pickering's Lane and that's where the troubles begin. The book deals with Indian mysticism & lore. There are demons and protector spirits in modern times. The book title does not mesh well with what's going on in the book. The characters are two-dimensional; I don't know them. I want to feel like I know them. (like the Monkeewrench crew). I SO wanted to like them, but the book moved so fast, changed between characters so quickly, I barely got to know them. I need more backstory. How did DianaMarie struggle through her teachings? The Indians don't like her; show me what she had to go through to be the warrior she is now. It would have been good to learn all about her; maybe in her own book, before we throw in a new town, new people, an evil spirit, a good-looking forest ranger with identity issues, a drugged up indian woman, the leader of the Indian group - a wize old lady and DianaMarie's only support, a blind boy with a gift, etc., etc.

It was a quick read and I liked it. I wanted to love it, so you would love it and buy a book to support two cool people.