Not talking politics in this post. No really.

“What do you think of the protests in Wisconsin?”

Umm.. I’m sorry, Grandmom. What did you just ask me? Because it sounded like a political question. Wait, you want me to answer that? Erm.. Well. Um. Uh. I mean.

~~~

Supposedly families are the most diverse networks.*Our best friends are people like us. The people we work with chose the job based on similar values. We live in neighborhoods with the type of people we want to resemble. We worship in communities of shared beliefs.

We might know people who aren’t like us, but they’re not who we associate with. If we don’t click with people, then they can fall away from our lives. But family you’re stuck with no matter how different the paths you go down.

~~~

I didn’t come up with the most eloquent answer. I’m a little (but only a little) bit conflicted. Unions can be a big business. They can be part of the problem. But I do believe that the can offer important protection.

“Did you have to join a union when you taught?”

“No, Grandmom. My school wasn’t unionized. I think it could have helped if they had been.”

~~~

We don’t talk politics in my family. At least not that side of my extended family.

Granted, there are cousins who bring up issues sometimes. I missed the summer at the beach where the California cousin said something referring to global warming. The South Carolina cousin protested, “You don’t actually believe that do you?”

But my Grandmother stays out of the conversations. During college, my parents confirmed that she votes the other side of the ticket than I do. I suspected, but didn’t know. It's just not something we discuss.

~~~

“Because you know, when your Aunt was teaching in New York, she had to pay union dues.”

Did she now? How about that.

~~~

I struggle with the deep divide in American culture. I’ve lived in places where I felt way too liberal and places where I identified with the more conservative community members. I carry both of them with me, if only to the extent that I know the arguments on either side. And I hate the other-izing of the opposition. As someone who has been the the minority for over half my life, even in a privileged position, it’s not comfortable.

I firmly believe that the best way for the country, the world, to combat this ostracizing of each other is to talk to people on the other side.

I believe that I have benefited by my relationships with people who are not like me. But I’m not sure that they have been benefited by their relationship with me. I’m afraid that I camouflage too readily. That I know that you’re different from me, but if you don’t figure it out I’m not going to tell you. And if you do figure it out, or ask questions around the issue, I’ll hedge.

~~~

“It’s been good talking to you, Grandmom. I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie.”




*Don’t ask for my citations, because the best I’ve got is a lecture last year.

How did we become friends

I still love the "How did we become friends?" conversation starter. (Not as a pick-up line. But as a legitimate, "We're friends now. We weren't a year ago. How did that happen?")

J and I were talking today. We're not quite sure how it actually happened. But my favorite line "I knew on the first day of class that I wanted to be friends with you."

"ME TOO!" I squealed.

~~~

Not all of my friends are like that. One of my best friends now is someone who I knew for years before we were more than acquaintances. Sometimes it takes a while.

~~~

And sometimes friendship just happens. Today, I celebrate the easy friends. The ones that are reminiscent of preschool best friends.

"Hey, didn't we click right away? Weren't we meant to know each other? How are we friends? For real? How could we not be friends?"

Cutie Pies

Other teaching roommate was requesting cheesy love songs for a play list. I sent her a playlist. But then started on the videos of songs I don't have.



"Crayola doesn't make a color to draw my love."
Plus, I love patty-cake.



Cute-ness in this video. And they lindy. And adorable couples. Thank you mm for sending it to me. Now I can't listen to the song without wanting to watch the video. (Which is okay, because I don't really hear The Weepies that much otherwise.)



Felt like I needed a third song. And it's a party of a video. Seems like a good way to end the night.

Snow, Show, and Vertigo

This week's blizzard was awesome for at least two reasons.

1. I got to play in snow!

2. Snowstorm sleepovers!

My roommate from teaching and I were talking this evening about how we miss the social life we had in the middle of nowhere. I'm more social in the city and am happy about that. But I miss the weekend getaways. And we both miss the low-key, hang-out at someone's place sleep-overs that were a normal part of the culture out there. Here I feel like I need an explanation or excuse to have a slumber party. It's not the, "so, can I come over for the weekend?" call.

But with the blizzard I could totally say, "Do you want to cancel on dinner tonight or plan on spending the night?" And the next day, I could call my friend from the coffeeshop, saying I'd walked the two miles to get first friend back home. Could I come over to her place? Spend the night? Excellent!

I should make this a more regular occurrence.

Anyway, I've finally uploaded pictures.


Poor cars stuck on every sidestreet.

I still haven't shoveled my car out. (No, we don't have to switch sides of the street.)


The horizon disappeared. "That's why it's called a white-out," my friend told me. "Yes, but I can see the tree. It's not that white out."


There weren't many people out in the morning. It was still snowing, so I guess that's legit. But the people who were out were friendly. Like this guy, taking a photo of the snow plow. He'd been out looking for skis. Couldn't find them.


I wish I had cross-country skis.


Though I'm doubt they'd help me reach the door. Those are supposed to be steps. I'm still not sure how what I walked on matches the ground underneath.


Loved the playgrounds. In the morning.


And in the afternoon.


The slide seemed so much shorter when there was no drop at the end.


Love the patterns of snow sticking to the wall.


Who am I kidding? I just love a good snow!

~~~~

From the Life Checks list:

5. Pay to go to a show by myself (I already go to free ones, but this needs to be something I really want to see)

Check. Bam. I'm doing well on this list.

I've got a subscription for one to the local Broadway tours. Went to my first show all by myself.

Now my subscription is the cheap one. I have nosebleed seats. You really notice the set from the next to last row in the theater. But I got a tip at intermission that there were empty seats to the side of the second row from the front. Totally moved. Didn't get ushered out. 'Cause I'm cool like that. Y'know.

I did miss the gushing about the show with friends afterward. But this performance didn't leave me gushing anyway, so perhaps it was just as well that I wasn't expected to.

~~~

Last part of the title is vertigo. Had a bout of it this morning, which was a new expierence for me. There are enough possible explanations and it subsided quickly and, yes, I'll go to the doctor if it continues, but honestly not too worried about it.

The expirence alerted me to how much I take the sense of balance for granted. When every eye movement, never mind head turning, never mind actually walking, set the room spinning I just wanted to sit absolutely still. Except I'm bad at sitting still. So for now I'm grateful that my sense of balance has returned. And I beg it not to leave me again.

Practice and Pressure

Ming Mei isn't blogging anymore. So instead of e-mailing her this awesome ad and letting her share it on her blog. I'm putting it here. (And then waiting for her to share it. Not giving up hope that you'll start floating again. :)




I love the way they switch between practice and pressure. The reminder when I'm bored with practice that I'm working towards a goal. Or a reminder for when the going gets tough that I've done similar exercises to prepare myself.

Found through Chase Jarvis' blog