Memorial Day

Memorial Day is not a holiday of joy and happiness. It is a remembrance of all those men and women who served in the armed forces to defend their country, many of whom have paid a great price for doing so. If it hadn't been for those who fought for this country, not only this country, but the world today would be a different place. Whether we disagree with a particular war, or all war, these people should still be honored because they put the safety of not just their families and friends, but all their countrymen (men and women) and it's allies above their own safety. In a perfect world there would be no need for the military, there would be nothing to defend against. It is not a perfect world and never has been. It is great thing to work towards perfection, but it will always be a destination that cannot be reached. The road towards perfection does not have an end in this world.
So, I hope you all enjoyed your holiday. I also hope everyone had a chance to give a kind thought in remembrance of all those who have given their lives and their service fighting to achieve peace and freedom for all people. Whether in the past or the present, they deserve our recognition.

A Little Vacation...

Life is full of the everyday things we have to do, like cleaning up after ourselves, and in my case, cleaning up after Edgar as well. All those small but time consuming chores, like vacing (cleaning the floors with a vacuum cleaner), taking out the garbage, washing floors, dusting, cleaning the bathroom, etc., etc. Then there are the things that life requires we do in order to survive, namely work for money. A necessary evil so we can have a place to live, food to eat, as well as all the other things money can buy. After that, there are the things we commit ourselves to doing, taking our children to after school programs, helping our friends when they need it, and tutoring English even though I probably do enjoy it way too much.
So it seems rather amazing that I even have time to read a newspaper, never mind do all the other things I would like to do. There just aren't enough hours in a day.
I am, however, about to get a vacation. Friday morning, it seems, I will have hernia surgery. The surgery is a simple one, and considered same day surgery, meaning you go home the same day. The healing process is not so quick, and takes several weeks before the pain and discomfort goes away. The worst of the pain takes about two weeks, and most of the discomfort is gone in about six weeks. I know because I went through it once before. So, Thursday June 3rd will be my last day at the Library tutoring for a couple of weeks. I plan on being back Wednesday June 23rd, but it is possible, if I am feeling up to it, that I might be able to return to the Library on Friday June 18th. I will keep you informed.
It's one heck (a substitute for hell, which is considered a curse word) of a way to get a vacation, but it will give me time to catch up on some books I would like to read, as well as more time to study Chinese characters, and maybe practice my Mandarin pronunciation. And of course, Edgar will enjoy having me trapped in the apartment for awhile. Well, he might not enjoy the first few days, since I will probably be doing a lot of moaning and groaning, as well as complaining, but after that he will probably be pestering me for head rubs, and sleeping on his favorite old and falling-apart running shoes, which of course, will be on my feet. So even though I do not look forward to Friday morning, it is best to get it over with, and move on. I will still do more than my share of complaining, I'm sure, but since I never have enough time to read all the books I would like to, it will balance out.

The World is Full of Crazy People

So my friend told me I have rocks in my head. What did he mean by this? I shook my head, but I didn't hear anything rattling around in there. Another friend told me my wig must be too tight. That's ridiculous, I told him. I don't wear a wig. He gave me a funny look. My sister told me I'm Looney Tunes (the name of a series of cartoons, like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and others). As far as I know I have never been in a cartoon. In fact I can't even draw, so I couldn't create a cartoon, either. My Mother said I was out of my mind. What did she mean? Another friend told me I was so nuts he wouldn't be surprised to see squirrels chasing me around.
What do all these people have in common? They believe I'm crazy, whacko, a couple of beers short of a six pack, my elevator doesn't go to the top, a few cards short of a full deck. How many ways are there to say someone is crazy? Quite a few (a lot). We even have ways of saying just how crazy someone is. Crazy as a loon, he doesn't have a lick of sense, if he was any crazier he'd have to be locked up.
But who's to say what crazy really is? Everyone thought the first person who believed the world was round and not flat was completely bonkers, crazy as a bedbug, completely insane. And the first person who said the sun was the center of the solar sytem, not the earth, was not only thought to be crazy, but also was named a religious heretic (they usually killed heretics, burned them at the stake). So, maybe I am crazy. Then again, maybe, I am the smartest man in the world. Yeah, right. If you believe that, you're off your nut.

Friendship in the Time of Sickness

Or, Why I Prefer to be Alone When I don't Feel Well...
I love seeing all my friends, but when I am not well I find it difficult to enjoy their company. I believe it's because I'm not capable of being able to fully interact with other people. It's hard to keep my mind off how sick I feel, and I do not want to bore my friends with all my complaints. Don't misunderstand me, seeing my friends, old and new, is the best and most important part of my life. But not when I have trouble thinking about anything except how rotten I feel. There are many ways people have to show they care about someone, and that they are concerned about that person's well being. Some people send get well cards or a personal note, either through the mail or the internet. Some might send flowers, or other small tokens of their well wishes, maybe something they know the ill person likes. Most people send me lots of money (just kidding! Please send no money or I will become very angry. Not really, but I will have to return it). I need none of these, because my friends always show they care, and that's enough for me.
But to be in the company of someone who is either sick or in pain, well...it's not a fun task, but a chore. It is a kindness to visit those who are sick or ill, but for myself, I prefer not to inflict my pain or discomfort on someone else. Plus, I am a horrible patient, and even bore myself with all my complaining. Even Edgar hides in his cage and pretends he's asleep when I am not feeling well. Need I say more?
So....I would never stop someone from visiting me in my time of recuperation (recovery), but I would ask that they consider waiting 'til I am able to truly enjoy and appreciate their company. Just knowing I will see my friends again is very powerful medicine.

Piece of Cake

Learning English is not a "piece of cake" (an expression or idiom that means: easy, no problem). In truth, it can be very difficult. Almost as difficult as it is for me to learn Chinese. Many of the things we do are a struggle. Some of them take great effort, like learning a new language, studying hard for a test, training for a new job, or raising children. None of these things can be said to be easy. Easy is falling off a bicycle, falling asleep when you are very tired, eating food that is placed in front of you when are hungry, and for a young man (like me), falling in love when he sees a beautiful woman. Another expression is "easy as pie," because eating pie is easy, at least for me. As long as I don't have to cook it. My Grandmother knew how to bake great pies. She could make wonderful apple, pecan (my favorite, but it is almost pure sugar), rhubarb (a kind of plant that has a little bit of a sour taste), pumpkin, and sweet potato pies. I can't cook them, but I have no problem eating them. I even know how to heat them up in a microwave. I am a pretty clever guy.
So, I guess if there's a point I should try try make, it's that when we are going to do something that scares us, or seems very difficult, we need to believe that we can do it. And so, "Piece of cake!" Speaking of which, someone was kind enough to give me a piece of cake this afternoon. I think I'll have some...See you!

Don't Complain About the Rain...

I sometimes hear people complaining about the rain, and worrying about flashfloods (quick & sudden flooding). I just laugh and think about the summer of 1960 when I was a boy. It rained so hard and for so long that the entire town I lived in was underwater. We actually had to live in the trees for a whole month. It wasn't an easy thing to do. Have you had to build a fire for warmth in a tree when everything was soaking wet? Food was another problem. We managed to make spears from some branches & sharpen them with a pocket knife. Using the spears we were able to catch a few fish once in awhile, but mostly we had to eat insects as well as any fungus we could find growing on the trees. We thought about eating one of my cousins who wouldn't stop crying, but decided not to. Although it was very tempting, even if it was just to stop his crying which was becoming very annoying. Living in the trees was difficult and made doing the simplest things a great inconvenience, but we actually got used to it after a couple of weeks. In fact, when the flood waters had gone down, and we were able to climb down, we discovered that we had forgotten how to walk on solid ground. But it came back to us eventually. That's why I scoff (make fun of in a slightly derogatory manner) when I hear people complain about a little rain. I want to tell them that they should have spent that month during the summer of '60 living in the trees in my hometown. Then, maybe, they'd know what a little rain was...

Friends, Birds, & Running Shoes...

The Magnificent King Edgar the Bald

Edgar on the only shoes he will rest on.

I have many wonderful friends of which Edgar, of course, is one. Edgar loves to sleep on my shoes when my feet are up on the couch. The only shoes he will get on, however, are an old beat-up, grungy (dirty; in this case with dirt stains that won't come out), and ripped pair of running shoes. It's interesting that Edgar likes these because this pair of shoes was also Harry's favorite shoes. Harry was my last cockatiel (bird; a small parrot). Although Harry would get on almost any shoes to hang out, Edgar will only get on the ones in the picture. As long as he's happy, I also am usually happy.

It's been an interesting week. Many old friends as well as new friends came to the library. As always, I had a good time, but some people, I'm not mentioning names, made me think more than usual, and it gave me headache. I'm going to have to charge more money if this keeps up.

My Chinese teacher, Jing, gave us some difficult homework to do for the week, and this also gave me a headache. Unfortunately, I can't charge her any money. Saturday morning is the earliest I have to get up each week when I have Chinese class, particularly if I want to go jogging as well as do all the usual necessary morning things. Such as shower, eat, clean-up Edgar's cage, get his food and water ready for the day, and check my email . I am a bit slow in the morning, so even though I got up at 6:15, I was still a couple of minutes late for my Chinese class which started at 10:30. But, as most people know, I am almost always a couple of minutes late. It is not unusual. In fact I believe a lot of people expect it.

I got a call at 10:30 pm last night (Friday night) to go over some friends' house to eat lobster, which they had just cooked. It took me close to 10 minutes to convince my friend that I really could not come. Two minutes after I got off the phone her young daughter called to try to convince me to go, and I spent another few minutes telling her why I was not able to. I felt bad that I couldn't share their meal, but the fact that they thought of me and tried so hard to get me to come over to their house made feel really good. Good friends are not easy to find. So, I do appreciate all of you. Anyway, it's now Saturday afternoon, and it's time to relax, and do a few things around the house. So, I hope everyone enjoys the weekend, and may you all be well.

See you.

Happy Birthday, Bro...

I always think of my brother on May 13th. It's his birthday. Even though he died on January 16, 2005, I think of him every day. I miss him very much. He didn't merely live, he REALLY LIVED. The sight of him filled your eyes, and the sound of him filled your ears. He was not someone you could overlook or ignore. He was not a perfect person by any means. None of us are. But as far as I'm concerned, he was a perfect brother. Not that we didn't have arguments or fights, all brothers do, but I couldn't have asked more from him as a brother. He was a good companion, a fiercely loyal friend, and even though I was the older brother, I learned many things from him, some of which he didn't know he was teaching me.
I probably will not have a chance to visit his grave today, but I will be thinking of him, and missing him. I will see him again in awhile. But not yet, not yet. Happy Birthday, Jeff.

Mothers, Sisters, & Undeserving Sons & Brothers...

Mother's Day has come and gone, and yet there are Mothers all over the world doing their best to take care of, and raise their children. Being a mother is a full time job, and a tough and trying job in every sense. My Mother raised five kids basically by herself. Maybe we weren't the worst children to have to watch over, but I am sure we weren't the easiest either. And to this day, if one of us has a problem or someting is bothering us, guess who we call. Yup, being a mother is a tough job, and it never ends. None of us would be here at all if it wasn't for our mothers, and some of us would never have survived for this long without the loving help of our mother. And I am speaking for myself in this case. I cannot give, or even express to her, all the appreciation that she deserves. I can only hope she has an inkling (idea) of all the love her children have for her.
And into this concept of appreciation I would have to include my sister, who even with a full schedule, a husband she looks out for, as well as her in-laws she is always helping out, she still finds time to look out for me as well, even though I am the oldest. So, whether I deserve it or not, I am a pretty lucky guy, and very blessed.
(Except for sleep. We seem to have a sleep problem in the family. For me, it's feast or famine. Sometimes I go for days on 5 to 7 hours of sleep a night (famine). Then, like last night, I get 9 or 10 hours in one night(feast), and when I wake up I feel like an overcooked noodle. See, I managed to get in one complaint...I feel better now.)
So, Remember, show some real appreciation for what your Mothers have done, and do, for you. And for those of you who are mothers, you should remember, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here.

Breaking Nails and Flat Tires..

I don't know about women from other countries, but American women , particularly those who favor looking highly fashionable, hate to break nails. In this case, usually finger nails. My own dread is of nails breaking other things, namely my tires. I was getting gas today and happened to notice my rear passenger tire (that would be my rear tire on the left side-oops! Imean the right side-of the car, or on the passenger side) was flat. While I was putting air in it I saw there was a nail sticking out of the tire, the metal kind. Thinking I could get it plugged (they can take a nail out and put in a plug so the tire is good as new) I took it to Town Fair Tire. When the tire technician took a look, he pointed out to me that it couldn't be fixed because the tire was bald (no tread). Not only was the tire bald, but the other rear tire was bald, also.
So, I spent an hour sitting on a bench outside the front doors of Town Fair Tire watching the sky while I waited for two new tires to be put on my car. It actually was a beautiful sky. One part of it was dark, and from it I could see heavy rain falling. Another part of it was lighter and had breaks in the clouds where rays of sun were shining through.
When I first found out I needed two new tires, I felt like a terrible and dark storm had descended on me. It seemed like a very unlucky thing to have happened both because I had other things I had wanted to get done, and because I was not planning on that particular expense, and let's face it, tires are not cheap. But as I watched the sun shining through the clouds, I realized that getting the nail in the tire was actually a very lucky event. If it hadn't happened, I wouldn't have realized (with help) that I had two bald tires, and a very bad accident could have happened. So, thanks to a nail, it seems I will be around to continue writing this blog for a while, yet. Which you might consider either very lucky for you, or very unlucky for you. Depending on your point of view. Goodnight, my friends! Hasta luego (until later)....

A Dark Monday

Monday is traditionally a day that must be suffered through, in American culture at least. Although we (americans) consider Sunday to be the first day of the week, Monday at one time was the first day of the work week for almost everyone. So after having the weekend off, nobody was very happy about going back to work. On top of that (means: in addition to that), people were very relaxed after two days off, in some cases way too relaxed, so it was easy to make mistakes and have accidents at work. That's how Monday became the day everyone would like to sleep right through.
Today is definitely a Monday for me. The rain made it very hard to get out of bed and also prevented me from going out jogging. Then I had to buy vitamins for myself , and get Edgar his special bird food and treats, all on the internet. After that I had to pay bills, and then go out to get a five pound jar of local honey, stop at the supermarket for groceries, and get my special multivitamins (yep, more vitamins) at GNC in the Norwichtown Mall.
It was good to get it all done, but paying bills is always a bit depressing for me. Seeing all that money leave my bank account to never return, well, it just doesn't seem right. I know I'm looking at it the wrong way. We have to pay for the things (food, rent or mortgage, & services like electricity, phone, internet, entertainment) we use and need. But wouldn't it be wonderful if they were all free. Ah, well...there's no free lunch. Unless, of course, you are a lucky bird named Edgar.
So anyway, I hope your Monday is brighter than mine, and despite my complaining, the worst is over for me. I can now move on to other far more enjoyable things to do. Like complaining in this blog...

A Day on the Farm

It was a sunny day out in the boondocks among the sheep, cows, horses, chickens, big dogs, and us humans. We didn't have to wait "'til the cows come home", because they were home. And they were special cows, with names like Penny, Rocky, and Mr. Sam. After some attempted conversation with a few of these cows, we proceeded to wander down the road and eventually came to our destination which was a sheep farm. There we saw sheep, baby lambs, chickens, and a very friendly big dog looking for some free ice cream, and although a very thoughtful person bought me some ice cream, the dog didn't get any. We did not see any "wolves in sheeps' clothing", although a couple of us seemed quite "chicken" around the animals. All in all it was a very nice day, and quite enjoyable.
Although I grew up in the country, relatively speaking, and spent time on more than one farm, it had been when I was a young boy, a few years ago. Not too many. After all, what are a few years. It is amazing to me that we can remember some things from childhood so clearly, while we can forget other things that happened much more recently. Or is that just me...
But childhood memories are very special. For me, because I remember friends and relatives I have not seen since I was young, and remember a time of life that was much more carefree. I think childhood was different for each of us. It was not a happy and joyous time for me, although it did have its' moments of joy, but rather it was a happy and sad time. And it was during some of those sad moments when I was able to grasp a bit of insight into life and the people around me. Those occasions made my childhood more than just memorable. I began to see and understand the world around me and my relationship to it. I would not change a single one of those experiences.
To those of you I was privileged to share today (Saturday May 1st) with on the adventure into the Connecticut countryside, it was a true pleasure. For those of you who weren't there, wherever you may be, take a day to go out and look around. As one of my favorite movie characters, Ferris Buehler, said, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you just might miss it."