let's see

test

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:26:32 CST

this is a test

Parents

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:59:05 CST

I lost my mother last year. In my grief I was told by somebody that I am now a member of an exclusive club...one that no one wants membership to and only members can understand. You gain membership after you have lost both of your parents. I thought that was a profound statement. How does that relate to travel? Well let me tell you. On Thanksiving I was on a cruise, 75 degree weather, on a beach, it was great and very non-tradiional. My man and his family had gotten togerther 35 family members who were sailing with us. My man, sweetheart that he is, paid for his 84 year old mother to be a part of that group. She is a diva and loves to be taken care of. She is of sound mind and body and still works, but of course she was with her son and is quick to tell him, if he gets frustrated "I gave you life". And frustrated he was...anybody who has had to change roles with their parents where you are the parent and they are the child, can relate. She was non-stop, but I wanted to say to him "if I just had one more day with my mother, I would be a lot less impatient with her then I was too". But it's not something he can understand really until you join that exclusive club and deal with regrets, which is common. Me...I had a great time. I helped with her as much as I felt appropriate and had time to myself while he dealt with her personality. Another profound piece of advice I got when my mother was ill was that our children, our spouses and our parents are pretty much the limit of our capabilities to be responsible for another human being.

Proposition 8 and Civil Rights

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:30:00 CST

I had said that after the election that I would educate myself more on the Proposition 8 amendment that passed in California and Utah (whcih I understand was a clear majority in that state). From what I gather, in California in particular, over 75% of African Americans supported the proposition, which bans same sex marriage. It is interesting that the term civil rights and African American, at least in my mind, are synonyms, but we are willing to infringe on the rights of a group that feels they should have the same kind of rights afforded to them. Don't get me wrong, I am not sure myself how I feel about this issue. I am not certain that I think that what you do in the bedroom, between consenting adults, should somehow translate into a civil rights issue, but I still find it curious that a majority of Blacks in a certain region object to the issue. I don't know what to think.

It's not like Christmas

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:28:31 CST

It is not like when we were children and Christmas was over and it was a big let down. Every day since the election I continue to experience some deep emotion. Prior to the election I was obsessed with the blogs and overwhelmed by the degree of hate that was spewed on these sites, but since the election, I haven't looked at them again. I don't need to. What I know is that the majority of the people in the US support change and change candidates. I know that though race relations aren't resolved, we have taken a big step in looking at "the best candidate for the job". That is one aspect that brings me joy. The divisiveness and scare tactics that were shameful in the last Bush campaign didn't resonate this time. People looked beyond that language and made a decision on what can take this country forward. As President Elect Obama said, the question is not if you are better off now then you were four years ago, the answer to that is obvious. The question is where will we be four years from now. We, as Americans, have done what we can to answer that question and I wish him the continued path to find solutions to the monumental taks that are facing him. God bless Barack Obama and God bless the United States of America.

I have been waiting

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:56:44 CST

I voted early and not many people around me did, so I have been waiting to see that look on their face, to hear the pride in their voices, to observe their expressions and I have not been disapointed. People have been describing tears, goosebumps, upset stomachs, cheery interactions in lines with other people. One person described that an elderly person came to vote but didn't have her wheelchair. The election judges stopped the voting and one Democrat and one Republican judge took the voting booth to the car so the woman could vote. Doesn't that bring chills to you. It was described that no one in the line protested and in fact they applauded the judge's creativity. The story I hear most often is about parents and grandparents in their 70's, 80's and 90's voting today and praising this opportunity. I watched Barak Obama voting on the web and I was overwhelmed with emotion. WOW, this is a special, emotional and uplifting day and I know it is going to pay off for the entire country.

How did we get here?

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:03:00 CST

It is a question posed by a McCain supporter (I don't think he meant it the way I interpreted it). But it is a good question. How did we get to a place where a bi-racial man may very well become the next Commander in Chief? How did people all over the US become energized, evolved, and down right excited! How did these set of circumstances occur at this time and this place to make this possible! I have become addicted to blogs this campaign season and the venom and hate spewed from some people surely supports that this cannot be possible. But it is not only possible, it is probable. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day and emotions will run high from one extreme to the other. The world is not going to implode on itself if he is elected. We will all go about our daily lives on Wednesday just like we are today, but there will be an extra bounce in some people's step because I BELIEVE!!!

Proposition 8 in California

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:57:41 CDT

I confess that I have been obsessed with the presidential campaign and know little about Proposition 8 that will be voted on by Californians next week. From my understanding, a "yes" to the proposition means that you are in favor of banning same sex marriage. it is also my understanding that the proposition will probably pass. I am curious that California, of all places, would support a referendum. Aren't they one of the most liberal staes in the U.S.? The most tolerant? What is going on there that the ban is supported? Hopefully after Tuesday, I will get a better sense of what that was all about. In the mean time...things that make you go huuummmm.

Tragic Entertainment

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 07:59:26 CDT

Should this be under entertainment...probably not. Chicago is undergoing some dramatic times and the way that is affecting the citizens is interesting... First of all we may very well send the next President of the United States to the White House There is excitement and for me, personal disappointment. Why can't I get a ticket to the election night gala? I have donated to the campaign, albeit a modest amount, I have vounteered, though the campaign canceled the event and I feel I am one of his biggest supporters but...some things never change. I don't think I have the connections to secure tickets, which serves as a reminder that there won't necessarily be an immediate, significant change once Senator Obama becomes president. But my real purpose for making this point is that there are actually citizens in Illinois who are questioning why we would have a gala celebrating this event, citing the cost (which he is paying for). We are sending a president to the White House and you don't want a celebration, a recognition? You don't feel pride that he wants to share it with us. I don't get it. The other, and in some ways more significant way that drama is defining Chicago right now, is the Jennifer Hudson tragedy. Signs are pointing to the fact that it had nothing to do with the neighborhood, but involved domestic issues. But it does not stop the conspiracy theorists from spinning these wild stories, told and repeated as if they have first hand information, as if they are in the inner circle or they were at the scene. Whatever happened, it is a tragedy and I don't think whoever did it will be smart enough to get away with three murders, so why not let the evidence speak for itself. Why further malign, speculate and tear down this family when you don't have the facts. To me, that speaks more of the neigborhood and its people and further exacerbates an already horrendous situation.

Family get together

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:22:49 CDT

For the first time in 8 years we had a family reunion of sorts. It was just a picnic in the Forest Preserves but it meant so much more than that. For at leat 30 years, my family got together annually and celebrated family (I have over 50 first cousins), but as the years have gone by, the new generation hasn't taken on the charge and the current elders (45 and over) just hasn't done it. But I think that will change now. To make it happen, my immediate family bore the cost but what we have gotten in return is invaluable. We had a great turn out and the family is still talking about it. To see the kids with their own kids reminds us of how our family legacy continues and grows and gives tribute to our elders who have gone on before us. It reminded all of us of how important we are to each other and how we have unnecessarily lost touch (a good deal of us still live in the same geographic area). Renewing our committment to family was worth the time and money and I hope will re-establish a family tradition that is important and needed during this time of strife and tension.

Road trip part deux

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:11:18 CDT

OK so I said I would keep you posted about my road trip. I had a great amount of anxiety about the prospect of being in a car for so long but I am really glad I did it. Went to Torono (which is a beautiful city) and did some very tourity things (CN tower; a safari theme park; a baseball game). Loved Toronto!!! Stayed there two nights and then went to Montreal where it is interesting to see people who look like me but speak French as their native language. Lots of history in Montreal. Stayed there two nights and then went to Niagara Falss...had never been to the Falls but what a sight to see!!! It's humbling, beautiful...something every American should see. Stayed there one night and then went to the best place of all, home. What a great experience and now trying to figure out the next place to go that can be traveled within 8 hours and worth seeing (though hoping to go back to the Falls one day). There was a sense of pride and accomplishment, seeing the landscape, not feeling bored or restless. It was worth every minute!

I am going on a road trip

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:49:12 CDT

I am not a person who travels well by car...but I am going. We are going on a road trip...Niagara Falls by way of Toronto and then on to Montreal..and I am looking forward to it. I consider myself an avid traveler but I feel I haven't seen enough of the good old US of A. On the road, I get to put inocuous things in the car..binoculars, DVD player, a cane (for my knees)..things you have to think about if you fly. Maybe we will come across the town with the world's biggest(insert any trivial attraction), see new cultures, go to Canada for the first time (I hope the people in Montreal are friendly...(because they speak French I imagine they might be rude like they say people are in France)...but it doesn't matter. It will be a new experience..something to talk about...a memory. I can read, watch movies, sleep, veg...that is all so appealing to me, getting away from the rat race, the everyday experience of work and responsibility and to make it even better, I will be with my best friend. I will keep you posted on what it meant to me to be in a car a total of 28 hours coming and going..it will be interesting

let's test this out

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:11:53 CDT

family has so many conotations these days. it is not a two parent home with 2.5 children. It is a blend of so many things. Today someone said they were waiting for the birth of their "god grandchild"...never heard that term before. But for her, that means family