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.