Dogs

It's been too long since I've had a pet. I'm becoming a crazy lady who wants to take home strangers' dogs at parks while they're not looking. If I'm not careful, I'll become like that crazy online dating lady who cried about cats.

COWS

I found out today that the first time my grandmother rode a bike, she crashed into a cow. Also, apparently three old ladies she knows were walking on a public pathway through an English farm when they were attacked by a cow. One of them had to be hospitalized. Who knew such things could happen?

Funny things I’ve noticed in England

1. Girl passed me on the street wearing a tee shirt that said “I’m the bitch who keeps hanging up on you.” OK.
2. There are full size playgrounds in pubs here. I kid you not. Spotted near Richmond, Surrey. Apparently there s a move to make pubs more family friendly. A good idea?
3. A woman walked past the other day who was not wearing pants. The front of her head was shaved; the rest of her hair was long and blond. She was wearing a mid-length jacket. As she walked past everyone could see her butt cheeks. Some kid tried to yell something at her but his friend smacked him. Why was she wearing this?
4. Despite the constant rain, yesterday it was sunny and warm. Many people, including myself, did not dress appropriately. The woman sitting across from me in the station took her tights off. Watching men whip their heads around or to try to subtly look without looking was funny. Good entertainment while waiting for the train.

I’m sure more has happened but this is all I remember for now…

Expect more updates.

Protests

After watching a communist demonstration in Buenos Aires, I have come to the conclusion that the tea party and the communist party would deserve each other. Two sides to the same coin. Bullying mobs.

What do seacoast New Hampshire and Japan have in common?

Has anyone else from seacoast New Hampshire thought about how the area is on a fault line and has a nuclear power plant? Food for thought:

"Fault friendly? Quakes in NH" (University of New Hampshire article)

Information from the Northeast States Emergency Consortium

Japan:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/world/asia/26japan.html?_r=1&hp

Seabrook power plant: http://www.fpl.com/environment/nuclear/about_seabrook_station.shtml

Driftwood

My generation- whatever that means.

Some of us grew up with drifters as heroes.

Driving the old hand me down shagon-wagons, mini-vans, driving away from family, driving to college, driving back.

Instead of jumping box cars I’m jumping planes. Fly away and don’t come back.

Driftwood can be beautiful.

A piece of a broken boat, house, or sign floats on the ocean. Tossed around by waves. Aged by wind, water, salt. The sun dries it when it floats ashore. Someone collects it and transforms it into vintage furniture sold in some chic store. Eventually the wood decorates a home.

Or it can float on in the ocean. New adventures. But does it only stay exciting if it keeps moving?

Maybe it never makes it to being a mantelpiece, part of a coral reef, aged wood in the waves.

Maybe it gets stuck in a bog. And rots.

A New Post for a New Year

Today I'd like to bring your attention to a recent New York Times article and one particularly absurd quote:

“And we’re not being mean,” Mr. Hunter told a Tea Party rally in Southern California. “We’re just saying it takes more than walking across the border to become an American citizen. It’s what’s in our souls.”

Where did Mr. Hunter come from? Did his ancestors telepathically inherit American souls? How can anyone have a serious immigration discussion with someone who claims citizenship is based on the content of one's soul?

It is healthy for all parts of society to participate in dialogue regarding current events, needs, grievances, and accomplishments. However, I challenge individuals against immigration to look at the history of the United States and the accomplishments and contributions of immigrants (Einstein being one of our most famous foreign, immigrant geniuses.)

I also challenge critics to look at their own history. Where did their families come from? Most of us came from somewhere other than the US. The oldest inhabitants of the territory now known as the Unites States of America are the Native Americans, and historians explain that even the they are likely to have thousands of years ago come from somewhere else.

So critics of immigration, where do you come from?