Loco en la Cabeza

Today in the news was an interesting tidbit. Puerto Rico has this hair-brained scheme to void millions of birth certificates in an attempt to curb identity theft and human trafficking. Somehow they want their five million people to re-establish citizenship and be assigned new tamper-resistant certificates. Birth Certificates created prior to 2010 will be destroyed.

Let's think about that for a sec. A fair amount of Puerto Ricans live in the US. How is it going to work for them as they look for a job, renew a driver's license, rent an apartment, open a bank account, register children for school?

Flowers or Weeds

I was reading a favorite blog this morning about Nat and her husband being unable to sell their house -- which they dearly love -- that would allow them to relocate to a place with a job offer -- so her husband could practice law.

'Somehow despite my uncertainties the days have turned sunny and the air is soft and the lilacs have started blooming anyway. I really wonder about those lilacs. Don't they know? Don't they even understand how insecure tomorrow is? As if they have nothing better to do than turn green and bushy under the sun, unknown future or not?'

Life will go on even when we think our troubles are so big the world should just stop in its tracks and weep along with us. I'm glad this old world has a mind of its own and doesn't pay attention to anyone's troubles. It just keeps spinning along bringing joy and troubles and rainbows and rain. And I especially like that we get to choose whether to notice the flowers or weeds.

No Strings

I came across today a link from aol.com -- the information frontage road to the news. It was an interesting link to a man who has, since 2009, given away $10 a day to random people and chronicled their lives in a blog. His link is: http://www.yearofgiving.wordpress.com/

Altruism improves people. I have fond memories of paying for the car behind me in the line for the bridge toll booth, and once when I let a woman in ahead of me in the drive thru line at Jack in the Box she paid for my entire meal. It feels great every time there is a chance.

FOUR and TWENTY

A friend of mine in middle school had a mother who made the most wonderful pepper steak in the whole world - I mean the WHOLE WORLD.  She was listened to and respected. She used her time productively and raised her family with a lot of heart and spirit. I liked that she was little enough to rest my chin on her head.

One evening while hanging around waiting for the aromas to turn into a meal, I noticed some tattooing on her arm. Back in those days, nobody wore tattoos but Carnies and Navy guys, so I asked what it was. And she simply replied that it was a reminder to her that she was luckier than most. Later on I asked my friend about the markings and she told me her mother had been in a concentration camp.

We continually learned about the Holocaust in school but now I could put her face into the horrific accounts of what happened. She never talked about what it was like to know first-hand about this kind of evil, or how to carry on when it indiscriminately took her family but left her behind. I cannot imagine.

*** 'Evil Is As Evil Does' ***

On this, Hitler's Birthday, here is my prayer:

May God keep us vigilant to recognize and stand tall against evil and be willing to risk everything to eliminate it.

The Land of Opportunity

A friend of mine called the other day and was excited to have found a job. It's temporary, but after 13 months looking for work she jumped at the chance to earn $12/hr. She has 15 years of solid experience as a Bookkeeper. So I did a little calculating and realized she will bring home what she made on unemployment.

Customer Service Smiles

I got a kick out of a joke sent to me today about Noah and the Ark. In it, all the animals were looking out over the hull with concerned looks and Noah was scowling at the bird hanging to the side of the boat that was full of holes. The caption read: The Woodpecker Might Have to Go!

In the early 1970s my mom glommed onto the song by Sammy Davis Jr. entitled 'I've Got to Be Me', essentially promoting our right to be unashamed of who we are. She and my dad had just weathered a difficult breakup and, like we all do whenever something happens that shakes us to our core, some rebuilding was necessary to restore her sense of value.

Go with the Flow

We've been working on a deadline here and sweating every detail, painstakingly gathering reams of information from books and the web to comparison shop. We pour over intricacies of rail line schedules and flight deals, debate the best routes and sights. That's right: it's travel time!

It's fair to say the decision of when and where was accidental. The timing was in consideration of his office and responsibilities there; and the where happened when I noticed European travel was very reasonable while searching for trips to Hawaii.

Once a BIG trip was decided, we first considered a Mediterranean cruise, easiest in terms of maneuverability and comfort. The ship would slide us in and out of ports with day trips. That was all well and good until we realized we'd never actually see Italy or France or be able to wander back streets and shake hands with the good people while leisurely sipping on their world-famous cappuccinos. So that was out.

We then explored an organized tour, one of those eight hotels in twelve days deals and a chop-chop-chop schedule. Although the trip solved the travel and accommodations issue, we didn't want to face being whisked away from the Sistine Chapel for a rigid schedule. So sorry, but no.

We hadn't seriously considered planning our own trip (language barrier, inexperience, etc.) until we had dinner with Jim and Pam who recently traveled to Italy on their own, planned their schedule and even drove a rental car like Italian crazies. By the end of the evening, we were not only convinced we could do it but have a wonderful time in the process.

They've been right so far. This is where logistics intersects with an open travel plan. I'm not exactly the fbtsoyp* kind of traveler, but it's worth a shot. And he has acquiesced to my need for some pre-arrangements so the bones of the trip are in place.

It has been a blast building such a romantic trip together and working in plenty of freedom to use public transportation everywhere and travel throughout Italy by Eurail. Heck, the schedule has even allowed us to wiggle in days in London and Paris. What do you think about that?

So what if we miss a sight or two along the way, just so we gain some lingering mid-days of people-watching and savoring the time together. And for me, the best sight of all will be watching his face discover what the two of us find.

*fly by the seat of your pants

The 'It's All Too Much' blog ... and Miles

Everyone who joined us on the day of our wedding remembers the young man who spoke a toast that overflowed with earnest joyfulness and humor. Well that was Miles.

Miles lumbered into my world through absolute luck. His mom and I became great friends when I became a neighbor when Miles was about 7. In the ensuing years and interweavings of our lives, I became aware of his old soul. Have you ever met someone who doesn't look like they'd be a friend for life, but you know instantly they will be? That's Miles.

Gnarley

Every morning the fitted sheet is off its post and tangled under and around me in a makeshift burrito. Don't make me tell you what horrible reverse-roll actions are required to extricate myself from its grip or the perplexed expression on my face at the total assault of comforter, sheet and pillows. I mean, it's good no one is there.

This has been going on for about 2 months, so frequent in fact that on days I get up and don't see the mattress quilting I count it as a banner day.