See, I'm Not Crazy (At Least In This Situation)

Remember my fear that Ava would get trapped in a front loading washing machine? There was an article in the news today about a 4 year old doing just that... I am saddened to say that the little girl died after her younger brother turned the machine on.

Face Space

Lynn's recent post about Facebook reminded me about a post that I have been meaning to write...


A couple of years ago Josh and I were swapping stories and talked about how there are friends and exes that we have been wondering about, but not necessarily enough to actually call or physically track down (who has time to lead a manhunt when there is vaccuuming to be done?). With Facebook and Myspace some of those "what have they been up to" questions are answered, usually before you even get in a quick hello. Jobs, familial status, location: its all on the page. How do they look now? Check out their photos. Its been interesting getting to know people again, tracking their lives so to speak, but without the responsibility of coffee dates and phone calls, awkard silences and "umm"s.


And for friends and family with which I have regular communication, I love the convenience of it all. I can plan coffee dates at midnight, inquire about a hair appointment at 7am, and take a quick look at wedding photos before I'm off to show property. Amy and I were recently able to chat online, as we both happened to be on Facebook at the same time (the IM features on both are great) and she didn't even hear the vaccuum. I have caught up with a friend who is somewhere in Central America and had a lunch date with a friend in San Francisco, all while simultaneuously getting work done; answering the phone at the office, checking my regular e-mail, tending to Ava.

I still love an old fashioned coffee or lunch date, lengthy conversation, and the opportunity to hug someone I haven't seen in awhile. And I have to wonder about the state of personal relationships as we grow ever more dependent on the cloak of the computer. But I also have to wonder if I would have a social life at all if Facebook and Myspace didn't fit so neatly into my whirlwind days.



* I can also get into a discussion about how one can define themselves on these sites, i.e. the profile photo that they choose, their mood and/or status update, etc. but I will save that for another day...

Trendy

The criminal trial for a Congolese warlord who "recruited" (stole) kids as young as 9 to fight in his army started this week. Hopefully this will be this year's latest trend.

Panda Land

Rather than filling our house with tons of gifts that would more than likely find their way to a charity within a year or two, Josh and I decided that it would be more enriching to take Ava somewhere every year for Christmas and/or her birthday. (Besides, between us we have three families and she is likely to be an only child, so I don't see her ever lacking in the toy or clothing department). We did get her the rocking panda (which my dad trumped with a rocking horse that shakes its tail and makes clomping noises... I will post a video of her on it once I learn how to transfer it from Josh's phone), but our real present to her was a trip to the zoo. We decided that Josh's birthday this past weekend would be the perfect excuse for me turn off my cell phone and for us to get away, if only for the day. (We couldn't have chosen a more beautiful weekend...the weather was perfect!). I was concerned that she would be too young to really enjoy it, but thankfully she has inherited my love for being outside in vegetation covered glory and both of our curiosity for new things. She loved it!

And while she foud new animals to intrigue and excite her (elephants, giraffes, monkeys, and meerkats), pandas are still the king of her forest. When she saw them , she pointed at them, then made kissing noises and patted her thigh. Based on recent reports of pandas "greeting" trespassers to their lair, I think it is probably better that they continued with their lounging and bamboo eating, but she was so excited! As you can see, she choose a newer, bigger stuffed panda from the gift shop (we named him Gou Gou-sp? aka "Big Big" after the male panda that was there), then abondoned him when she got home and saw old Panda.

Inauguration Day

I have been so excited for today and am even more excited for the years to come.

A rarity to have our television on all day, I have been transfixed by the events surrounding this grand day. At first disappointed that I hadn't won tickets to attend, I think I am better for being able to see more of what was happening, as cameras panned from events to faces, speeches to commentary, than I would have been had I been there, dwarfed against a backdrop of millions and struggling for a singular glimpse that may not have happened. Reporters have already articulated the myriad of ways in which today has stunning signifance and newspapers will be awash with photos to be savored from year to year, so I will refain from belaboring the points. Suffice it to say that hope, personified and framed, hangs in my hallway.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Observed.

I feel so privledged to have been born into a country that is able to so continuously try to perfect itself. Having recently been stunned into tearful silence by A Thousand Splendid Suns, I have been literally counting my blessings, as a mother, a daughter, and as a woman in general born in this great and varied land. In the past it has been a rarity that I have felt this patriotic. Which is not to say that I have updated my wardrobe with a complete array of red, white, and blue or that I have purchased stock in flag lapel pins. I still don't remember all of the words of the Star Spangled Banner (you wouldn't want to hear me sing it anyway) and I still sometimes confuse the tune of America The Beautiful with On Top of Old Smokey, but I am more thankful than I think I have ever realized.

Today I have been thinking about Afghanistan, at war for over 30 years, blanketing their women in obscurity, the scent of burnt books and art forever destroyed still fresh in the periphery of history. I have been envisioning 2000 year old sculptures crumbling beneath the force of dynamite and orphanages occupied by children who aren't all technically orphans. I have been intrigued about a nation whose trivialities over tribal loyalty have caused violence to cast a hazy shadow over an otherwise beautiful culture. And I have been thinking about how in the last 40 years our nation has gotten progressively better.

We are by no means perfect. As we compete for the bigger house, the more expensive car, the least amount of wrinkles, and the name brand clothes, our foreclosure rates soar. We can be arrogant despite high unemployment rates and selfish despite our blessings. But we unite when nature or an unforseen enemy destroys our cities, we defend our brother if only because he is ours, and we cry when we read emails about soldiers, children, or animals. We have enough water to bottle it, enough food to share, and clothes to give away. We have the luxury of complaint and the audacity of hope. We don't typically concern ourselves with the "ifs" in life, but with the "whens".

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." As Afhghanistan continues its struggles to right its history's wrongs; rebuilding its cities, unveiling its women, and protecting itself against history's tendency towards repeats, we prepare to see another of Martin Luther King Jr's dreams awaken. We are a nation with its glass half full. And I am proud to make a toast.

Taking a Break...

"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. " -Barack Obama

I am so excited for the New Year! More thoughts later...