January 28, 2005
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FRIDAY FIVE
1. Have you ever considered running away?
I did run away when I was about 7 or 8. I ran to the other end of my 100-acre farm in a fit of anger at my parents (or fear of being punished, I can’t remember which). I laid down on the grass there somewhere and stared at the sky for a long time. And then eventually I picked myself up and went home. I think about running away sometimes now because of accumulation of general tiny crappy details of life and/or the hideous state of affairs in the world. But then I think I would miss my family too much and really my little nest in the world is pretty comfortable most of the time – for now anyway.
2. If you ran away, where would you go?
Damn good question considering the violent climate of the planet. War/greed/power is like a plague that spreads out and infects everything it comes into contact with. And when the Big Bomb goes off – and they’re trying to make sure that it does, no place is going to be safe.
3. Who would miss you?
I don’t even want to speculate about that.
4. Do you speak a foreign language?
Haven’t had a chance to practice in years, but have studied Russian (4 years), German (2 years), Swedish (1 year), French (4 years), Spanish (1 year), and Hebrew (1 year). Just love words, I guess.
5. Do you have a passport?
Did. Don’t expect to ever have a current one again unless I win a lottery (which isn’t likely to happen because I never enter one).
Deep Thought: “If I could be any kind of dog, I think I’d be one of those little yappy dogs, because while you’re sitting there on the couch trying to sound real smart, I’m just yapping away. Just yappin’ and yappin’, and there’s nothing you can do about it, because I live here.”
Today I am grateful for: Barbara Boxer – only woman in the Senate who voted against both the war and the Rice confirmation
Guess the Movie: “”Which makes it ironic my favourite flower isn’t even indigenous to the British Isles, let alone Yorkshire. I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that more trumpets life than the sunflower. For me that’s because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that’s such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life.” Answer: Calendar Girls, 2003.
Kennedy Calls for U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq
by Vicki Allen
WASHINGTON – The United States should start to withdraw militarily and politically from Iraq and aim to pull out all troops as early as possible next year, Sen. Edward Kennedy said on Thursday. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 9:03 pm
+ = Had an unexpected nice connect with an old friend today.
- = Ongoing insanity in Iraq.
Comments (11)
Great Friday Five Q&A. I want to run away all the time, but we can never escape ourselves, and that’s all I really want to run away from. What I need to do, I think, is run towards life – not away from it, like I have for so many years now. Complacency is without a doubt my greatest obstacle. I don’t know the movie, but I certainly like the quote. It is a wonderful metaphor for living.
I don’t think I’ve wanted to run away but I have wanted the world to stop. Everything just stop to have some peace and quiet.
Of all the languages you studied, which would you say was the most difficult?
Well, Russian has a whole different alphabet you have to learn, but the words go in pretty much the same order as they do in English so that helps. Hebrew has a different alphabet too. German now – the whole word order is backwards – that’s hard. Spanish was probably the easiest, then French except for the pronunciation. All great fun.
That’s an amazing number of languages! Wow! You must have a gift. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the tensions in the world, and the impending doom, but then I remember that all through history there have been similar tensions, wars, hostilities of one group towards another, and this will probably continue in the future. So I can do what I can to make the world a better place in every venue where I have some influence, pray for all the things that are seemingly wrong, like for Iraq and its people, the tensions in the middle east, the people suffering from the effects of the tsunami, etc. and then the rest of the time rejoice in all the daily blessings I enjoy of family, friends, comforts, food, meaningful activities, the beauty all around me, and so many other delights. It’s so impossible to let the continuous tensions in the world rob us of the simple joys of life. Just my little thoughts….
Impressive polyglot one.
Am reminded of the Gandhi phrase, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” I want to be vocal and do all I can to make myself be heard. We NEED to get off of our asses’ and DO something, but at the same time I need to change and improve myself, my spirit before I can do anything useful and not lose my center.
I would miss you!
(1) I ran away so often as a kid. But I never have from my kid. So I’m getting better.
(2) I’d run to Canada (la Ville du Quebec perhaps?) or Ireland (Dublin?) or France (maybe Strasbourg?) if I could support myself any of those places, or, in fantasy, St. Pierre and Miquelon.
(3) My kid likes to come home. I’d want to take the dog.
(4) I can understand a lot of French. If its slow enough German isn’t incomprehensible, though it’s never slow enough.
(5) Renewing mine right now, so, you never know…
i run away all the time- in my writing, in my mind, during boring meeting, during bad movies…. etc….
I am so happy to discover that you are a student of languages. I love to study them and read and listen and am perpetually shy to speak. I studied: french (3+years) mandarin chinese (1 year) ancient greek (1 year) linguistics (1 semester, I LOVED it) moba, tribal african (intensive, several months) and spanish (just by osmosis since I was living in mexico where I had to speak it though I had no classes.) And dreamed of learning norwegian, just because. I think we are kindred spirits. I just love words.
thanx for all the knowledge i am most definitely feeling it…..