blood donation

The local blood bank is in need of O negative, it's universal. So I sign up. While they are asking me my entire life history the guy in the next cubicle starts moaning, then throwing up, repeatedly (a lot.) Poor guy was taken away by paramedics just as they say, "Ms. Frost, we're ready for you."

Needless to say this hindered recruiting Gary as a blood donor possibly forever. He saw the whole thing from the lobby in horror.

The strange thing is, the way everyone responded, or didn't. Everyone just keep on doing what they were doing like no one was having a crisis. Kind of odd don't you think?

A Fascinating article about our Education System

I think of all of us on this blog, except maybe Sue, are involved with education in some way--either now or in the past. Here is an article that is absolutely fascinating, and I think it mirrors some of what Trish was saying in her blog about the narcissism epidemic.

http://www.truthout.org/052809EDA

My favorite part of the article is this:

"If you view education in purely instrumental terms as a way to a higher-paying job - if it's merely a mechanism for mass customization within a marketplace of ephemeral consumer goods - you've effectively given a free pass to the prevailing machinery of power and those who run it."

Linda

Sisters and Brothers

My oldest sister is very ill and I'll be going to visit her in Seattle so I won't be posting again for a while. My other two sisters will be joining me there, and it is very likely the last time the four of us will be together. Without going into too much detail, I admit to very, very mixed emotions about this trip and seeing my sisters. I wish things were easier for my sisters and me. The loyalty and support that other siblings seem to enjoy has always been kind of elusive for us and that makes me terribly sad. What about you and your brothers and sisters? Great relationships or awful?

Guess what I did this week...?

I tore my calf muscle while doing aerobics. Am walking for the next two weeks on crutches, but am STILL teaching yoga. I had a blast today. I sat in a chair with wheels and rolled around helping my students do their yoga. It was kind of fun. I hate the f**%$ing crutches, though, because they hurt my hands. Plus, Tim laughed at me for the first two days until I figured out how to walk on them right.

Do you have any idea how much it hurts to tear your calf muscle? I can't even move my ankle without searing pain. Okay, it wasn't as bad as the pain I felt when my ribs punctured my lung after a car accident, but that pain went away after I got to hospital and was treated. This hurts all the friggin' time, plus I have the added pain of the crutches on my ribs and my hand and the blisters on my hand too.

So how about you all. What was your worst injury?

Linda

Celebrations continued, kind of....

As he always does, Gerry woke me up Wednesday morning to say good-bye before leaving for work. He changed the routine up a tad however, by having the nerve to ask me a question- (come on now, he knows I need a solid 45 minutes of silence in which to wander around the house aimlessly before I'm capable of speech!) still, he asks me, "Do you know what day it is?" My groggy mind fumbles around and then it hits me, it's our anniversary. Year 26 to be exact.

Somewhere around year 12 or 15 we stopped exchanging presents, around year 18 or 20 we were still exchanging cards and having a dinner out, but in the last couple of years the card and dinner thing have kind of crept out the door. We seem to be busier now than ever and happier. Truth is, I've never been much for this whole official celebration thing -be it birthday, wedding or whathaveyou. Does it tell you something about me that Halloween is my favorite holiday --no gifts- just cool decorations and candy!!! and costumes!!!!! I have way more Halloween decorations than I do Christmas ones.)

So share with me, how you "do" special event days - major extravaganza or barely notice?

A clarification about forgetting Byron's age

I realized after writing this that even though you all know me reasonably well, you may not understand why I forgot how old my own flesh and blood son is. I have this odd quirk that I can't remember people's ages--even my own. Every time someone asks how old I am, and for some reason that happens more than I'd like, I have to calculate my age. It's the same with my anniversary. It's so bad that I went through my mid life crisis twice because for half a year, I was depressed about turning 40, and then my friend Kathy reminded me in one of our infrequent email conversations that I was only 39 that year! So then, I had to be bummed out for another year!

So, it isn't that I'm THAT bad of a mother/wife/friend. It's just some mental block. I think it is because I still feel 25, and it is mentally impossible for me to reconcile myself being middle aged and having 14 and 11 (?) year old kids and being married for some number of years ( I'll have to ask Tim to give you a specific number on that anniversary thing).

Linda

Every Day is an Adventure

A couple of years ago, I started writing a book called Every Day is an Adventure about the crazy things that happen to us as a family here in Japan. I gave it up, but there are still a few things that are worth writing about so friends and family back home can get an idea of how different things are here, and for those living in Japan to commiserate with. Here are a couple of things that happened this week.

1) We spent our Japanese stimulus money on a new dishwasher--pictured above. Yeah, that's a dishwasher. It sits on our countertop, holds 5 plates, 6 glasses and a few odds and ends. Having a dishwasher is a luxury here, mainly because the kitchens are so small that there isn't enough space to put even this miniscule dishwasher. We are lucky in our perfect and beautiful house because we actually have counter space, but I figure those of you back home will get a laugh at the size of it compared to your own.

2) Byron and I had an argument about the quality of food I prepare for breakfast and dinner, so I made him cook for a whole day. We went together to the grocery store, and the check out lady, who usually sees me alone, asked if he was my son and then commented on how tall Byron is. Being my chatty Cathy self, I answered, "Yes, and he is only 13." Of course, Byron has been 14 since January 16th, so when he corrected me, I said, "I mean 14." Motherhood is the primary responsibility of women in Japan; women so often give up their work in order to stay home with their children until the children are all in school, so the idea that a mother doesn't know how old her children are is unheard of. When I corrected myself, there was only possible reason that I would forget my own child's age. Her response: "Oh, Happy Birthday! Are you having a party?" I didn't realize why this woman thought it was Byron's birthday, so I naturally answered honestly. "It's not his birthday, I just forgot his age." It is one of only two times that I've witnessed the true feelings of confusion or disbelief cross a Japanese person's face before they caught themselves. Byron, of course, was mortified.

The other time a person couldn't hid their true feelings? I met the mother of one of Laura's friends at the gym on her first day there. A couple of days later, I met her again and asked her if her muscles hurt? The poor woman looked so confused and at a loss for words, she just smiled weakly, nodded and walked away. I realized too late that I had used the wrong word. The word for muscle is kinniku. I had said ninniku, which means garlic. Does your garlic hurt?

Linda

Morning People vs. Night People

This is what I look like in the morning- kid you not.
not.a.morning.person.
You?

What are your favorite non-political, non-work-related websites? One of my favorites is galaxyzoo.org. You get to identify galaxies, and it is really hard. I keep worrying that I'll mis-categorize the galaxies I'm given, but then, I guess that isn't too important in the overall scheme of billions of galaxies.

Linda

Alas, I don't like summer

I grew up in Louisiana, so summer, to me, means humidity, sweat, and mosquitoes. And recently that means killer mosquitoes in Louisiana, complete with West Nile Virus. Right now, I'm living in Japan, and I'm trying to gear up for the same routine. My summer memories are of finding ways to stay cool. (This summer, I'll be escaping to the UK.) When I was a child, my mother dropped us off at the community pool when it opened and picked us up when it closed. We were living in a small town in North Louisiana--Ringgold--and we knew everyone at the pool. Of course, these were the 1960s, so that meant "everyone" was white. As soon as integration hit this small, bigoted town, the pool closed rather than admitting blacks. We moved back to South Louisiana around that time, so I have no personal memories of dealing with the pool's closing, but I feel a general sense of loss for how poorly that town dealt with--and is still dealing with--racial integration.

And now I'll offer the terrifying grasp of the obvious: writing is such a process of discovery! When I began this, I thought I'd be talking about humidity, sweat, and killer mosquitoes. I wound up talking about racial tensions in a North Louisiana town. Who knew!

An answer to Lauren's blog

Lauren asked: What says summer to you? What plants and flowers do you like?

Summer to me is clover. It brings back memories of running barefoot through the field where the neighborhood kids played all summer long. I think we went the whole two months of summer break without wearing shoes, and those little flowers were always present. They would get stuck between our toes, we would get stung by the bees, we'd make bracelets from them, and shoot the flower heads at each other. The bank along the river just behind our house is full of them right now, and even the bees are there. No one plays there like we did in our field, but I walk Sparky along this bank every day, and even though it is spring and the weather is perfect, I think of those summers past whenever we go there.

I like lots of flowers, but these are the only kind that really bring back fond memories. I never had a problem with dandelions, but I remember my mom hated them and always made we kids pull them out of her garden. It was surprising to me the first time (as an adult) that I learned you can eat them.
Linda

Embarrassing albums: What are your most shameful musical secrets?

Read the following article and then add to the list below!

http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/05/embarrassing-al.html?cnn=yes

Here are the 5 most embarrassing albums I've owned (to date, anyway):

1. Styx - Paradise Theater - Becky Burrows gave this to me for my birthday in 6th grade
2. Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits - I purchased this in high school and my girlfriends and I used to belt out "Lucille" and "You Were a Good Friend" as we cruised around town in my super-cool Colt Vista.
3. New Edition - New Edition - I had this on tape. And I still know all the lyrics to "Cool It Now."
4. Wham! - Make It Big - Who didn't love "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"?
5. Huey Lewis and the News - Sports

Summer is Coming

It is just the beginning of May, but I saw my first dandelion today (the little guy in the picture above) and that means summer is just around the corner. I know these happy little flowers are just weeds (edible ones at that) but they are cheery and speak to me of indefatigable life-- pushing through the sidewalk cracks, growing on the little league field, peeping out around any untended corner. They make me happy.

What says summer to you? What plants and flowers do you like?