A Winter's Evening
The strength of the human spirit continually amazes me. I have a tendency to whine occasionally, and feel sorry for myself. I have friends, however, who are generous enough to share their stories, thoughts, and lives, with me. They remind me what a lucky man I am, and also that my inconveniences are very small. I am blessed to know these people, most of whom I only see once or twice a week for a couple of hours at a time. Their dedication to learning the English language, their willingness to sacrifice themselves for their families, their strong desire to improve the lives of their families as well as themselves, for all these remarkable reasons I feel honored to know them.
Seventeen years ago, I became sick with an immune system disease. The life I had been living came to an end. It took many years just to be able to live on my own and take care of myself again. There were a number of times during those first several years when I didn't want to go on living. It was my love of reading, and a small bossy cockatiel, Harry, that helped me through the rough spots. Even after I was able to move out on my own again, I felt alone and disconnected from the rest of the world. One of the ways I found to have more contact with other people was becoming a tutor for Literacy Volunteers. It was one of the best things, maybe the best thing, I had ever done. In my life I try to be an optimist, always trying to hope and work for the best, but in observing the actions of humankind, I have always felt pessimistic about the future of the world. When I spend time, however, with the wonderful and remarkable people I have met at the Otis Library, I feel that there may be hope for the future of the human race after all. So, for those of you who share your lives with me, you know who are, Thank you.

Saturday Afternoon with Edgar

Before starting to take my Chinese Mandarin Class, Saturdays were always my sleep-in and be lazy days. I don't get very many of those anymore. I had a chance to have one today, but my sister is down from New Hampshire this weekend to spend time helping to care of her mother-in-law who is sick, and giving her sister-in-law a break from doing the same. So today I went with my Mother to meet my sister Cate, my brother David and his daughter (my niece) Janet, and Janet's friend Emily at Borders Bookstore. There we shopped for books, had a snack at the coffee & tea bar in Borders, and had a very informal celebration of Janet's and my birthdays. Janet's birthday is only three days after mine. She is now 10 years old. Almost as old as Edgar who is 14. I had plans to do some cleaning around my apartment, but I am now feeling tired, and yes, lazy as well. It is a beautiful sunny day, and it was nice to be out and about. Since my Mother drove to Borders, I got to be the chauffered passenger. I did my best to not be a backseat driver which is not always easy for me because she drives much slower than I, but even though that makes me nervous, she is a better driver than I (I have to say that since she will probably read this). It was a very pleasant time. When I arrived home I called Winnie Lo to give her some information I had for her, and left a message. She called me back as she was driving Hui Ling home from shopping at Walmart. So right now Hui Ling is busy packing for her trip to Taiwan. I believe she is very happy to be going back for a visit. I could tell by her laughter on the phone. I am very happy for her, but she will be missed very much. I told her to bring me back a rich and beautiful Taiwanese woman, but she said it would exceed the weight limit for her luggage. Oh, well. So, what about the rest of you? What are you doing this Saturday afternoon? For the rest of the day I am going to lie on the couch, watch tv, finish reading a book, give Edgar lots of head-rubs, and contemplate the meaning of life, love, the universe, and why there are fish. (No, not you, Yuki.) After all, the cleaning will be here to be done tomorrow, so why do today what I can put off until tomorrow? I cannot think of one good reason. To Hui Ling: we are all flying with you in spirit. Enjoy your wonderful visit, and indulge your heart. Until we see you again. As for the rest of you, as long as the world doesn't end tomorrow, and as long as it doesn't snow all week (there is a possiblity of a lot of bad winter weather this coming week, so be forewarned) I expect I will see you in a few days. Maybe I'll even have something else to blog about before then. I do talk a lot, don't I? Don't answer that...

The Jig is Up...(See if you can find what that means)

My true identity will soon be discovered. I was minding my own business, having a wonderful time at the Chinese New Year celebration, when someone brought me to the attention of a newspaper reporter. Now they not only have the name I've been using, but a picture of me to go with it. I can only assume it will not be long before the FBI and Interpol (an international police organization) have my real identity, Charles Klugenhofstartski (try saying that 3 times fast), the famous bank robber of Iyfangotstand (a relatively small and unkown country) who disappeared after his last bank robbery ten years ago. English is the national language in Iyfangotstand, so it was easy to pass myself off as American. To make matters worse, they know my partner in crime is the infamous Edgar the Bald, a cockatiel bandit who was forced to flee the law in Australia. Now we both have to run again. As I write this, Edgar is busy packing. I will have to leave most of my possessions including my car, since they will be able to trace the license plate with the name I've been using. We will have to steal and hotwire a car, after which we will head for Mexico. If we can slip across the border we might be able to work our way down to South America. It was a wonderful party with a lot of delicious food. Little did I know it would be my goodbye party as well. If you have to blame someone, blame Hui Ling. It's all her fault for bringing me to the attention of the reporter. I hate long goodbyes, and Edgar is telling me we have to go (he's very scared because he doesn't want to be taken back to Australia), so I will just say, I love you all and will miss you very much. Happy New Year!

Another Snow Day, But Different

I do love snow. Jogging this morning was very scenic. I wasn't able to enjoy the view as much as I would have liked, however. Jogging in the snow is more work than jogging on snow-free road, and today was more difficult than usual because the roads were not plowed well. I also have to watch cars more closely in case they come a little too close since they have less control in the snow. All the same, it was a beautiful snowfall. In my mind the New England seasons reflect the cycle of life. In winter life has gone "underground," retreated into hibernation. Snow to me is a promise of life to come, and Spring will give birth to that new life. It takes winter to make us really appreciate the arrival of spring. Today was a different kind of snowday for me. I had no time to goof off and just enjoy myself. I had to do my laundry, which I had put off for so long that I had to rent a truck to haul it to the laundry room. Just kidding. I paid ten strong men to carry it for me. I had to wrap & package four books to go into the mail, and yesterday I got a new phone so I had to spend time programming it. (No. Not a cell phone). My car also went into the shop yesterday so the dealership could do major work on the brake system today. My Mother was kind enough to take time out of her day yesterday to bring me back home after I dropped my car off, and to bring me back this afternoon to pick it up. I also had to wait around at the dealership because they forgot to do the emissions test and had to do it while I was there. I arrived back home with just enough time to take the books I had packaged to the Post Office before it closed, after which I went to the supermarket to get the Italian desert I was going to bring to the Chinese New Year Celebration tomorrow. In a very disappointing turn of events, they didn't have any in the store, so I had to settle for getting a cookie platter. Finally, I went home and ate lunch. Well, actually it was probably more like dinner since it was 5:45. So you can see, this was a very different kind of snowday than the last one I wrote about. It was a very productive day, but also a very tiring one. Now it is 6:44, and my only plans are to relax on the couch and drink a cup of green tea. After that, who knows? Maybe a fairy princess will swoop me up and take me to live in a castle happily ever after. Hey, stranger things have happened...

It would seem we have a lot in common with animals, although sometimes it seems animals get along better than humans do. Ask anyone who has had to spend a night in a barn with several different species of animals. Then there was Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, who were supposedly brought up by a wolf pack. Now, if Romulus and Remus had been wolf pups found by humans, the humans probably would have killed them, not taken care of them. Of course, predators do kill and eat their prey. Law of the jungle, afterall. Man doesn't kill man for food, but for other insidious (evil) reasons. We still, however, use many expressions that compare ourselves to animals. Someone might say they are sick as a dog. Men (usually not women I don't think) can be called dogs because of their promiscuity and unfaithfulness. There is also a "wolf in sheep's clothing", referring to a man who uses his charm to prey upon single or available women, or sometimes referring to a criminal who preys on the innocent. If you go too long without food you might be ravenous, a word we use for some extremely hungry animals; or you might be "hungry as a bear." Someone who eats large amounts of food in a fast and messy manner we say eats like a pig, although I have heard pigs are actually well behaved and clean animals. You could say they got a "bad rap." People also say "I could eat a horse" when they're hungry. There are so many expressions using traits of animals to describe people. We sometimes call women who don't play nice with other women, "catty." When two women are fighting (physically usually) it's called a cat fight. When someone is single or unattached, becomes single or unattached, or gets out of prison, they might say they are "free as a bird." A husband who is always nagged and bossed around by his wife is said to be "henpecked." When someone is afraid of another person and will not stand up to that person, they are said to be "cowed" by that person, which many times refers to a wife who is cowed by her husband. Then there is the expression "happy as a clam." I had no idea a clam could be happy. People sometimes say "You look like the cat that swallowed the canary." Other descriptive phrases are "swift as a hawk", "eyes like an eagle", "reflexes like a cat", "ferocious as a tiger", "runs like a gazelle", he is a "bear" until he has his morning coffee, and just way too many others to list. I don't believe we give animals all the credit they deserve. I think they are much smarter than most people think, and they are a very important and valuable part of the world. Personally, I feel great love for animals. One of my favorite Mel Gibson (an actor) lines in a movie goes something like, "I can't shoot a dog. Ok, people I can, but not a dog." On that note, Edgar my feathered friend is asleep, and it is time for me to go "hibernate" for the night. Until next time, sweet dreams.

Well, here it is, Chinese New Year's Eve. What are you doing this evening? Are you doing something incredibly exciting? Or are you just relaxing and enjoying yourself. This is the last day of the year of the Ox, and tomorrow is the first day of the year of the Tiger. The Chinese New Year is a celebration of the coming of Spring among other things, and although personally I like winter, I will be glad to see Spring arrive. In Spring everything starts turning green, the birds sing with happiness, or so I imagine, and people seem friendlier as well as somehow more attractive (I hope I don't have to explain that one to you). The world just seems to be a much more pleasant place. We all know the world can sometimes be a hard and cold place. Bad things can happen to good people, good things sometimes seem to happen to bad people. But as my friend Hui Ling has written, our "mind is the leader". Our thinking affects how we live and the course of our lives. If we expect good things to happen, they might not always, but they just might more often than not. Generally, if we expect bad things to happen, they do. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Being the beginning of a new year by the Chinese calendar, it is appropriate to wish and hope for good things for our families, friends, and for ourselves. So, for all of you, I wish health, long life, that you be surrounded with love, and of course, may much wealth finds its way into your pockets. Chun Jie Kuai Le! (Happy New year!)

Snow Day

When I was a kid a snow day was an exciting magical event. Not just because of the falling snow, but also because we got to stay home from school. We could go out and play in the snow, doing things like building snow forts and having snowball fights. Once we were cold and tired, and with our clothes saturated (soaked) with melting snow, we would go inside for hot chocolate, eat cookies or other usually sugary treats, and watch tv or read something we wanted to read for fun. No homework. We felt free to really enjoy ourselves. I am not so young anymore, but falling snow is still a beautiful sight to see. The world seems new and strange all covered in white. I no longer go out to play in the snow, but I love to see it out the windows of my nice warm home. Since I have no obligations thanks to this marvelous snowstorm, I am free to do whatever I want within the confines of my apartment: read, write, watch tv, and hang out with my feathered friend, Edgar. Snowfalls have always been a part of my life, and I can't help but feel excited and happy when one is taking place. When a snowstorm comes close but misses us, there is always a part of me that feels regret because a magical event has passed us by. When we do have a snowfall, like today, it's as if the world is put on hold. We stand in the eye of a timeless moment. Hocus pocus, and presto! Magic. Tomorrow we will have to dig ourselves out, clean off our cars, and deal with the complications of traveling to wherever we must. But not today. I hope you enjoy your snowday as much as I am enjoying mine.

Chinese New Year Celebration Postponed

OK, it's official: the Chinese New Year Celebration is being postponed until Wednesday February 17th because of the snowstorm we are supposed to get this Wednesday. Bob (the Library Director) and Eleanore decided it would be best to postpone it for a week. If the doors aren't locked, I will be at the Library on Thursday, so if you are able to come, I will see you then. To quote one of Hui Ling's new favorite lines, "Remember, wherever you go, there you are!"

Warm Pictures on a Cold Monday

Pictures of my marvelous "surprise" party.

Edgar trying to take a nap.

I went out jogging this morning and discovered it is still winter. Bbbrrrrr...very cold indeed. I'm sorry to say that the weather people are more sure than ever that it is going to snow all day Wednesday. They could still be wrong, but it doesn't look good. Edgar is very happy he doesn't have to live outside. Currently (at this moment) he is sleeping on my shoulder.

For those who could not be with us, above are pictures of the surprise birthday party my friends gave me last Friday at the Literacy Volunteers office at Otis Library in Norwich. A wonderful time was had by all.

I am feeling very lazy today, but I have much that I must try to get done, such as some cleaning, balancing my checkbook, practice speaking some Chinese, and very importantly, relaxing and reading for pleasure. Of course I also must give Edgar head rubs which he insists upon having everyday. Enjoy your day, Everyone!

Weather & Human Nature

We have been lucky with the last couple of snowstorms going out to sea to the south of us, so we didn't get any snow, or almost no snow. There is a storm that could arrive Tuesday night and last through Wednesday which would be bad news for the Chinese New Year Celebration at the Library. This storm does not look like it will miss us and could deliver a lot of snow. I don't know if anyone has thought about a rain/snow date, which would be an alternate day (a different day in case of bad weather) to have the celebration on. It might be a good time to consider it. Hopefully the weather forecast will change, and the storm will miss us or arrive much later. As we know, things can change quickly, and like some women, it is almost impossible to know what the weather will do until it does it. Oops! That might be a little sexist...Actually, humans in general, men and women are hard to predict at times. I think the weather might actually be easier to predict sometimes. Thinking about Wednesday, however, it might be best to hope for no snow, but be prepared in case there is a lot. I am torn (if you ask I will explain that to you) between wanting a snowstorm and not wanting it on Wednesday. Whatever happens, enjoy yourselves and be good to each other. Zai Jian.

Find My Mistakes

In my post before this one, "A Birthday, A Bird and....", I found at least 2 mistakes I made. Can you?

A Birthday, A Bird, and Being Young (Always)

Hello, again. Yesterday some Chinese people tried to give me a surprise party. However, they are much more than just some Chinese people. They are an important part of my life. They are my friends, and mean a lot to me. There was nothing wrong with the party. It was wonderful. I say they tried to throw a surprise party for me because I knew they were planning it. Even though they were speaking Cantonese when they planned the party, they did it while I was there. I can't speak Cantonese, but my intuition told me what they were doing. Plus I had suspected that Winnie Lo might try something like this. So (do not start a sentence with "so") I came to our Conversation Group wearing my Halloween mask and sang "Happy birthday to me". Of course, they all wanted to know how I knew. It was a lot of fun. Thank you for the wonderful party.
I just tried downloading a picture of Edgar. I have no idea if it worked or not. I guess I will find out when I post this. Edgar is a very well behaved cockatiel most of the time. Even when he misbehaves he is not the monster that my last cockatiel (his name was Harry) was. I loved Harry dearly, & I miss him a lot, but he was a monster.
It was thinking of my English learners that allowed me to drag myself out of bed this morning to go to my Chinese Mandarin class. I was so tired last night that I was imagining I was a big wind coming up from the south blowing the snow storm further north over Connecticut. I hoped we would get at least a couple of inches of snow so my Chinese class would be canceled. No such luck. But (do not start a sentence with "but" either) as I lay in bed thinking of all the reasons why I should stay home, I thought of all the English learners I see every week who spend so much time at Adult Ed., Three Rivers, and the Library, and the effort they take to get to all these places. It was the inspiration I needed to get me up, so thank you for that, too.
And ("and" is another word you should not start a sentence with) it was was important for me to go to class today because not only did I learn, but I had fun and I interacted (do you remember the word "intermingle"? They are not the same, but there is a similarity or likeness) with my teacher and classmates, as well as with the world. The world is constantly unfolding all around us. At any time we can either choose to be part of it, or not. I think it is much more interesting to be part of it, and to not only see it unfold, but to unfold with it. The world is always changing around us, and if we allow ourselves to be part of it, we change as well. That includes how we see the world (our perception of the world) and the people around us as we get to know it (the world) and them (the people around us) in new ways. When our perception of the world changes it can sometimes be a confusing and even scary experience. Last Tuesday Morning when we had a coating of snow on everything, Winnie Lo said "I lost the road." She didn't really lose the road, it was right there in front of her, but she didn't recognize it because it looked completely different. Sometimes the way we see the world can change so much that we don't recognize it, and it can be frightening, but I also think it can be truly awesome (my Chinese teacher likes that word), meaning it can be an experience we can learn and grow from. It all depends on your point of view. The real trick of being young is being able to see the the world with new eyes every day. To quote a young Korean woman I met, "Do you know what I mean?"

Zaoshang hao, or Good Morning in english. I wanted to tell you my brother, David, has a blog at http://naturallynewengland.blogspot.com as well. He's a nature lover (does a lot of hiking and spends a lot of time outdoors) and a very good writer. Some of his vocabulary might a little difficult for those learning english, but he also has a lot of very beautiful pictures of New England. I think it would be worth your while to try following his blog, even if only for the pictures. Oops! I better hurry if I don't want to be later than usual getting to the library.

The Weather, No Religion, & Very Little Sex

First the weather: some overnight snow flurries with maybe an inch of snow by the end of Wednesday morning. If they close the library I will have to believe they are East Texans, those wimps.
Second, if you post a comment at the end of one of my posts (remember, when I list a new entry in my blog it's called a post), I will always try to respond with a comment, and so, with her permission if she gives it, we might talk about Hong's comment when she is next able to join us. She commented on my last post, and told a story of her own. She reminded me of how brave so many of you are in the living of your lives. I cannot fully imagine the experience of leaving your country, your culture, friends, family, and all you have known in your life, to come to a new country, an alien language as well as an alien culture and people. You may not think you are very brave, but trust me, you are. The closest I have come to this experience is when I went to San Francisco, California about a year and a half after leaving college. It was a great, and sometimes harsh, personal growth experience. It was quite an adventure. Exciting and very scary as well as overwhelming. I did not have to deal with a different culture or a different language, but even though it was in the same country it was an alien place, and with the exception of a girlfriend who was soon to go back to Connecticut, I had left all my friends and family behind. I view that time of my life as being a time of great personal change for me, and while I was going through it there were many times I regretted being there, but I am very glad I did. Although I feel that in many ways it was a very painful experience for me, I believe it was necessary in order to become who I am. I don't believe it made me a different person, but it helped me in the end to be more of the person I wanted to be. Ok, enough of that. I will now share with you Annie's (my friend Pamela's 9 yr. old daughter) homework. Well, a little of her homework. The boiling point of water is 212 degress fahrenheit (I think I spelled that right).Freezing is 32 degrees. There are 10 millimeters in a centimeter, and 3 feet in a yard. There are 12 inches in a foot, and 5,670 feet in a mile. You measure the weight of a grape in ounces, and a baby in pounds. Questions of the day are: how many ways are there to see, and is it only the eyes we see with? Is a pretty woman a beautiful woman? Is a smart man a wise man? And finally, what did the groundhog see when he came out today? (Hint: will we have an early spring or 6 more weeks of winter) Ok, Edgar's yelling at me, I have to end this. Stay warm, spring will come.