April 11, 2007
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WEDNESDAY BIO (cont.)
(Rest of chapters here)For
her part, Jane had a classic camp experience – hating it at first and
settling in for the long haul later. An early letter said, “Almost
everyone hates me or is crude or cruel to me around except for the kind
people that usually turn out to be my friends – 9-year-olds or younger.
Call me up right away or write me right away because I want to come
home. I miss you so bad.” This was immediately followed by a letter
saying, “For the moment my feelings have changed but they can possibly
change again in the close future!!! Please send some thing(s) like
cookies, candies or brownies etc. as a care package.”And so the
summer passed into fall and winter. The children returned to school,
and I clung to my daily routine. It was a winter of honors for my
diligent, idealistic, activist overwhelming mother – with commendations
from the Mayor of Corvallis, the Sheriff of Benton County, O.S.U.
Democrats,and the Myrtle Sykes Grass Roots Award. As winter became
spring and I approached my 40th birthday, my spirits were breaking
under the weight of all the loss and setbacks of a life reaching
halfway through. I didn’t know it then, but it would be only five more
winters till redemption.
—Will you tell me, once and for all, how to open this door.—(And
with that dear readers, I’m done with this five-year chapter of my
life. It was kind of hard putting it out there. Thanks for letting me
feel safe.)
Deep Thought: “Sometimes kids
are so cruel to animals, especially insects. I remember one time I
caught this grasshopper, and I made him wear a little straw hat that I
had made. Also a little pair of denim overalls. And I made him hold
this little tiny pitchfork. So guess what he looked like? What is the
enemy of the grasshopper and the one thing he wouldn’t want to look
like? That’s right, a farmer.”
Today I am grateful for: Starlight
Guess the Movie:
“Is that it? Is that all you’re gonna ask me? Well I got a couple of
thousand goddamn questions, you know. I want to speak to someone in
charge. I want to lodge a complaint. You have no right to make people
crazy! You think I investigate every Walter Cronkite story there is?
Huh? If this is just nerve gas, how come I know everything in such
detail? I’ve never been here before. How come I know so much? What the
hell is going on around here? Who the hell are you people?” Answer: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977. Winner: pray14me.
Feingold Introduces Bill To End U.S. Military Involvement In Iraq
Senate Majority Leader Reid Cosponsors Legislation Forcing President to Safely Redeploy Troops by March 31, 2008
Washington,
D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold introduced legislation today to
effectively end U.S. military involvement in Iraq. The bill, supported
by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, requires the President to begin
safely redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq 120 days from enactment, as
required by the emergency supplemental spending bill passed by the
Senate. The bill ends funding for the war, with three narrow
exceptions, effective March 31, 2008. In addition to Reid, the bill is
cosponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Ted
Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Pat Leahy (D-VT), and Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-RI). If the President vetoes the emergency supplemental
spending bill, Reid has said he will work to ensure Feingold’s bill
gets a vote in the Senate before Memorial Day. (Rest of article here.)
Comments (32)
Thanks for the trouble you took… sincerely, a friend.
China Syndrome?
Good try – think Steven.
Thanks so much for sharing your story, I have enjoyed it very much and in some ways can relate… you are safe, I think because you have found yourself.
Movie guess… Close Encounters, Richard Dreyfus… wonderful movie.
Hugs, Tricia
Alrightythen – Close Encounters of the Third Kind it is!
It is a powerful thing to see someone honestly depict descent. It is such a hard thing to write, yet you do it with a stunning mix of powerlessness and an understanding of responsibility. It makes it less scary, of course, to know that there is survival at the end…
Somehow knowing you got through it helps as we read. Thanks for your vulnerability.
I agree with the previous comment. You got through it and that makes your story insightful. (I can’t believe what a jerk the professor was in the previous entry.)
Thanks for sharing.
I am constantly drawn to the photo in your profile. Is the girl reading, dreaming or sleeping? Reminisant of days gone by…
*knowing nod*
Yes, still liking this bio business very much!
Thanks for sharing…. I agree with one of the comments above. I like reading this knowing that you got through it…
*sparkle
RYC: I’m sure you’ll enjoy the movie! The lessons the students learned from those in Nazi Germany, later in the picture, was wonderful. I’ll not tell you more on the movie or I’ll spoil it for you.
I hope your day is great.
I will have to go back and read the rest of the story.
Cathartic though it may be, it is hard putting out such a story. I admire your courage.
Niiiiiiiiiice! Good stuff. Your word choices are great: “And so the summer *passed* into fall and winter” and “*clung* to my daily routine” being my two favourites! There’s a definite feeling with those two little word choices. Nicely done. And I gotta say, I love the part starting “As winter became spring…” – it’s wonderful.
How do you get that sharp foreground and blurry background? Someone has asked me that before…and I really don’t know. I’m pretty sure it just depends on the camera…I don’t know of a setting or anything to get a blurry background…
Sorry i wasn’t much help!
= )
katie
Sharp fgd/blurry bgd…maybe focal length? I saw macro lens photos at katgirl’s site.
I feel a hole, Lionne. I’ve been absorbed in your story, but now must patiently await your redemption. Actually, should use the time to work on my own. But thanks also for your intresting and engaging collection of “stuff.” Where else would I see a piece on Alan Turing, whom I learned about in a CS course in 1969. I’m here today to pick up a link on a Wolfowitz article. It’s all good.
Seems I’ve missed some post; I’ll have to catch up here. I’ve got a couple of kids going for a weekend camp at the end of this month. Oh I so know about settling after a while and then its over before you know it. Take care.
ryc: yeah it almost does look like we walked into the sun.
An enthralling read.
RYC: My pleasure. Are you planning on publishing this with a publishing house? Or independently? Or is it just for Xanga’s consumption?
Thank you for the kind works. There are days when I ask myself what on earth am I putting myself and my family through but then there are days when I know clearly that I am doing the work that I am meant to do right now. I appreciate your support and sharing. Take care.
Thank you!
lucy
Suddenly I have the urge to head to Wyoming and look at Devils Tower…RYC from a few days ago: Did you find the laptop? I have friends in San Francisco. Message me and I’ll help any way I can.
Hey there (again). Questions: do you participate in writing groups? Or do you prefer to work individually? Attend conferences? Take workshops? Just curious about your process – as I attempt to start mine.
RYC: what is missing? Peace, contentment…dunno really…
I just found out David Halberstam died yesterday.
How are you doing? It’s been a while, so I thought I would drop you a quick line. Peace.
What a great story.
Re: FDA and Washington…
Theres no time to report on such things since they keep us thoroughly distracted with all the Rosey/Trump/Britney/Anna Nicole baby daddy/Alec B info streaming in by the minute. Breaking News!!!!
How do you open that door?
I can just bet how hard this has been on you…writing about those times is emotionally draining, going back and putting yourself in those times you wonder in some ways how you ever got through anyway. For the duration of writing, you live almost a dual existence, then and now; does it feel like the old you was a different person? I can think of nothing more difficult than facing our “old” selves with such openness and honesty.
Thank you for sharing that with your readers…I really enjoyed it