I can't believe it's been three months since I did any blogging. Soon, I will have much to blog about, since I am going on another 4-week trip this fall (details to come). But for now, I have been thinking...
WHEN did DOGS get so darned POLITE?
This weekend finds me in charge of Derby, the mixed-breed pooch of my friends Jill and Barb. Jill and Barb are in Pennsylvania, planting trees on Jill's dad's Christmas tree farm and, hopefully, convincing as many Pennsylvanians as possible to vote for Obama (OK, I doubt that, but an Obama-supporter can dream, can't she?)
So, here I am at home with Derby for a few days. Naturally, since we live in the city, I need to take her for walks a couple times a day so that she can get some exercise and do waste-related things. I recall my childhood days, when we had a dog named Baron. Baron was (for the time) a typical dog, in so many endearing ways. When leashed for a walk, he pulled so hard on the leash that he was known to topple a hefty adult. If let loose in the house, he would gladly eat an entire beef roast off the kitchen counter (which he did, once). When set free in the front yard, he would run screaming for the hills, sometimes bringing back a treat for us (birds, bunnies, you name it). Baron caused the demise of a few neighborhood cats, got into a couple gnarly dogfights in his career, and loved to dig in the backyard. He was a typical DOG. (Incidentally, he was a great hunting dog, except that he ranged too far - that dog could smell a pheasant from a mile away).
So, I expected Derby to be, well, what I thought was a dog. Instead, I find myself with a canine "person" (and a polite one!) in the house. She won't try to wake me up in the morning, until I show some sign of life. She doesn't tug at her leash. She shows no sign of interest, while walking, in other dogs or any humans. Birds can fly right in front of her nose and she ignores them. What is the world coming to?? We have gotten so "civilized" that our dogs sit and listen while we talk to them, stop at the corner before crossing the street, and (in many cases, but lord knows not mine, never) sleep in our beds. Have we turned our dogs into four-legged humans?
Heck, I honestly know some people who speak MUCH more fondly of their dogs than their spouses. I find this sad and disturbing, but I decline to tell these people my feelings, because it arouses great ire within them (of course, the fact that people get angry and defensive if you suggest that they should at least love the husband as much as the mutt also saddens and disturbs me). For some people, spending time "in the doghouse" would probably be a step up!
Conversely, I think of my own situation. At least two days a week, I work from home. During those days, unless I make a conscious effort to get out of the house for a walk, I have no human contact whatsoever. I become oddly excited in anticipation of a trip to Trader Joe's, and I find myself listening intently to determine when the mailman is walking down the street.
ACK! We've switched places! I have become a dog!
Think about it; as we get more technologically astute and civilized, are we teaching the non-human species to also become more civilized, but taking on historical traits of those species? Are we blurring the lines between creatures, here? Dogs are polite, gorillas are speaking in sign language, and dolphins are locating underwater mines for the military. Conversely, humans spend more and more time alone (working from home, getting their communication via computer), suspicious of other members of our species, and longing to go for car rides on the weekends!
Just something to think about................
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Incredible Women
All my life, I have been overweight (I even hate that word; is there some magic number that I have exceeded? Did I "cross the line"? argh) and told that "it's too bad because I could be so pretty." So, this short blog entry is just a huge thank you to two people - one person I have known for her entire life and one person I don't know at all.
Sara Bassett, my daughter, writes a blog on food, fat, and feminism. It's fantastic. Check it out sometime. She has taught me, more than anyone, how wonderful it can feel to be happy in your own skin.
Jordan Matter is a photographer in New York who did a series on topless women in New York - women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and races. It's beautiful. THEY are beautiful. Their stories need to be read as well, so leave yourself an hour to look at it. http://www.jordanmatter.com/view.asp?url=/exhibits/broadband/nudes_01/003_snowy_night,_washington_heights.jpg&path=/exhibits/broadband/nudes_01
Sara Bassett, my daughter, writes a blog on food, fat, and feminism. It's fantastic. Check it out sometime. She has taught me, more than anyone, how wonderful it can feel to be happy in your own skin.
Jordan Matter is a photographer in New York who did a series on topless women in New York - women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and races. It's beautiful. THEY are beautiful. Their stories need to be read as well, so leave yourself an hour to look at it. http://www.jordanmatter.com/view.asp?url=/exhibits/broadband/nudes_01/003_snowy_night,_washington_heights.jpg&path=/exhibits/broadband/nudes_01
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Split Checks, not Hairs
I have the pleasure of being in a singles group in San Francisco that is facilitated by my friend, Jan. She coordinates different activites, which typically end up being dinners out. Sometimes four people show up, sometimes fourteen. But invariably, either everyone wants separate checks or someone gets screwed. Why? Because people tend to not want to simply split the bill up and pay a percentage of the total (including tax and tip). So, in order to save themselves from paying an extra buck or two because maybe someone got a more expensive dinner or had a spendier glass of wine, they try to "figure out" what they owe. People, it NEVER works to do that.
I remember back in the stone age when I worked at Businessland in San Jose. There was a group of about eight of us who went for lunch regularly, and we had a great system: we took turns paying. Yes, sometimes we went to MacDonald's and sometimes we went out for sushi, but nobody in that group ever complained about having to pay at the higher-priced places. Why? Because we all had a similar philosophy: when you die, you're even. Besides, eventually the guy who payed for sushi one day would get a trip to MacDonald's or Burger King on his next rotation, and it all worked out in the end. Even if it didn't, there would be a day when he'd get a good deal with some other group or somewhere else. As I said before, when you die, you're even.
If only everyone could work things out that way. Grab the bill, add a hefty tip (OK, I happen to be a generous tipper, but that's fodder for another blog entry on another day), divide it by the number of people, and nobody has to end up throwing in another twenty bucks to make up for the bloke who can't add, forgot that there is tax on restaurant food, won't tip well, or basically just doesn't mind screwing everyone else out of a few bucks. My friend, Craig, has a great mataphor for those people: "tighter than bark on a tree." (Craig has the best expressions for lots of things; I've never figured out if it's because he's from a different country [Wyoming] or just because Craig is frighteningly brilliant). But, I digress...
So, poor Jan has now had to actually post the group activities with a gentle reminder to bring enough money for a meal, PLUS tax and tip. I'm sorry, this is a 40s and 50s singles group - shouldn't we all be old enough to have figured restaurant etiquette out by now? The answer, astoundingly (and sadly) is no.
My plea for the day: when the check comes, split the bill, and don't split hairs about it. Life is short, my friends, and you ARE even when you die. Besides, remember that after you die it's the people you had those dinners with who will be buying flowers for your funeral and making donations to a charity related to the cause of your demise. What goes around comes around, so rack up some good karma now.
And remember, DO tip well. Food service personnel are poorly paid, constantly harassed, and have a mostly thankless job. Show them some love.
Happy dining! --Janine
I remember back in the stone age when I worked at Businessland in San Jose. There was a group of about eight of us who went for lunch regularly, and we had a great system: we took turns paying. Yes, sometimes we went to MacDonald's and sometimes we went out for sushi, but nobody in that group ever complained about having to pay at the higher-priced places. Why? Because we all had a similar philosophy: when you die, you're even. Besides, eventually the guy who payed for sushi one day would get a trip to MacDonald's or Burger King on his next rotation, and it all worked out in the end. Even if it didn't, there would be a day when he'd get a good deal with some other group or somewhere else. As I said before, when you die, you're even.
If only everyone could work things out that way. Grab the bill, add a hefty tip (OK, I happen to be a generous tipper, but that's fodder for another blog entry on another day), divide it by the number of people, and nobody has to end up throwing in another twenty bucks to make up for the bloke who can't add, forgot that there is tax on restaurant food, won't tip well, or basically just doesn't mind screwing everyone else out of a few bucks. My friend, Craig, has a great mataphor for those people: "tighter than bark on a tree." (Craig has the best expressions for lots of things; I've never figured out if it's because he's from a different country [Wyoming] or just because Craig is frighteningly brilliant). But, I digress...
So, poor Jan has now had to actually post the group activities with a gentle reminder to bring enough money for a meal, PLUS tax and tip. I'm sorry, this is a 40s and 50s singles group - shouldn't we all be old enough to have figured restaurant etiquette out by now? The answer, astoundingly (and sadly) is no.
My plea for the day: when the check comes, split the bill, and don't split hairs about it. Life is short, my friends, and you ARE even when you die. Besides, remember that after you die it's the people you had those dinners with who will be buying flowers for your funeral and making donations to a charity related to the cause of your demise. What goes around comes around, so rack up some good karma now.
And remember, DO tip well. Food service personnel are poorly paid, constantly harassed, and have a mostly thankless job. Show them some love.
Happy dining! --Janine
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Subsidizing Hunger
Yes, you read the title correctly. We here in the US are actually promoting hunger abroad, through our antiquated system of farm subsidies. How does that work? Let me explain. No, there is not enough time; let me sum up...
The government (that's us, people) pays farmers a minimum price for certain crops - wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans to name a few.
Since farmers know they can get a specific price, guaranteed, for those crops, they produce a LOT of them, as opposed to taking their chances on the fair market value of other crops.
There are huge surpluses, then, in the US, and we can export those crops very cheaply to other countries, where the local farmers are then basically put out of business. Wonderful. We are giving subsidies to our farmers and trashing the economies of many rural nations.
But wait, you say: those farmers need help! They are the good old boys of our country, the backbone of our nation. Riiiiight. Look at who gets the money - almost 75% of total subsidy money goes to about 10% of our farmers - the richest 10%. And some of those recipients are corporations - want some examples?? Recipients of five- and six-figure farm subsidy payments included John Hancock Life Insurance Co., Chevron, banker David Rockefeller, and basketball star Scottie Pippen. Argh.
This whole system started in the 1930s, when it was needed. Today, it's a different story. Besides, why are farmers any more important than grocers, or bankers, or oil rig workers? Everyone chooses a job and takes the consequences; I do contract work because it affords me the ability to have a flexible schedule; does that mean I should get unemployment money if my contract ends, or that anyone should feel sorry for me if I have no work for a few months? NO! It's a risk I take to have the job I have.
One more glitch in the system: by growing the crops (like wheat, rice, corn, and soy) that are subsidized, there's another victim - the globe. Those crops use planting and harvesting methods that encourage and promote the use of huge vehicles that burn tons of fuel and add to global warming (as opposed to crops like broccoli or squash, that give more jobs to blue-collar workers and use lots less fossil fuel for harvesting).
So, when you see the next farm bill come up for vote, write to your congressperson and say NO.
Now, go eat some broccoli and a couple parsnips. :-)
The government (that's us, people) pays farmers a minimum price for certain crops - wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans to name a few.
Since farmers know they can get a specific price, guaranteed, for those crops, they produce a LOT of them, as opposed to taking their chances on the fair market value of other crops.
There are huge surpluses, then, in the US, and we can export those crops very cheaply to other countries, where the local farmers are then basically put out of business. Wonderful. We are giving subsidies to our farmers and trashing the economies of many rural nations.
But wait, you say: those farmers need help! They are the good old boys of our country, the backbone of our nation. Riiiiight. Look at who gets the money - almost 75% of total subsidy money goes to about 10% of our farmers - the richest 10%. And some of those recipients are corporations - want some examples?? Recipients of five- and six-figure farm subsidy payments included John Hancock Life Insurance Co., Chevron, banker David Rockefeller, and basketball star Scottie Pippen. Argh.
This whole system started in the 1930s, when it was needed. Today, it's a different story. Besides, why are farmers any more important than grocers, or bankers, or oil rig workers? Everyone chooses a job and takes the consequences; I do contract work because it affords me the ability to have a flexible schedule; does that mean I should get unemployment money if my contract ends, or that anyone should feel sorry for me if I have no work for a few months? NO! It's a risk I take to have the job I have.
One more glitch in the system: by growing the crops (like wheat, rice, corn, and soy) that are subsidized, there's another victim - the globe. Those crops use planting and harvesting methods that encourage and promote the use of huge vehicles that burn tons of fuel and add to global warming (as opposed to crops like broccoli or squash, that give more jobs to blue-collar workers and use lots less fossil fuel for harvesting).
So, when you see the next farm bill come up for vote, write to your congressperson and say NO.
Now, go eat some broccoli and a couple parsnips. :-)
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Happy Holidays
Well, I finally got pictures sorted, labeled, and posted to my Flickr account! You can click on the evil-looking square happy face to the right of this post (under My Photos) and you'll be able to see 140 pictures of my trip, complete with (in some cases) descriptions. Please comment at will; I love feedback.
This has been, for me, not one of the best holiday seasons I've had. Still, I love my kids, my friends, and my family. More than anything, I love to see the people I love happy. When I get to sit back and watch someone I love enjoy a gift I gave, it helps to fill in some of those little, black, empty spaces in my soul. During the year, I'd love to just buy things for the people I love, but somehow it's less acceptable if there isn't a "reason" for it. I would like the only reason to be love, but Christmas is a good excuse, too.
I am absolutely not a Christian, but I do have a deep and abiding belief and faith in one God. Since most other religions also believe in one God, I have to logically believe that we are all praying to the same guy (or girl, or whatever). So, for me it doesn't matter if it's Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwaanza, or whatever else. Life is about the gifts that we bestow on others, whether those gifts are happiness, wisdom, an iPod, or a pony. If I say, "Happy holidays," and people are insulted, so be it. Nobody's got a monopoly on giving or on happiness, nor should they. Can't Christians be happy for me that I'm finally in the spirit of the holidays, and leave me to my happy holidays in peace?
I get too caught up in the logic of it all, and try to argue, but to no avail. The next person who tells me that saying "Happy holidays" is an insult is going to get a question from me: "How would Jesus respond to that?" I'd like to think that, being the wise, prophetic man he was, he'd say, "Happy holidays to you, too! Any reason for true happiness is a good thing!"
Then he'd go back to playing heavenly board games with Buddha, Mohammed, Gandhi, MLK, Mother Teresa, and Roy Webb.
So, my holiday wish for the world is that we all learn to appreciate and cherish ANY happiness, not just the happiness that is inspired for our own particular reasons. A smile is a precious thing, and a light in our hearts is a huge gift, no matter where it comes from.
Be blessed, my friends. Happy holidays to everyone.
Love,
Janine
This has been, for me, not one of the best holiday seasons I've had. Still, I love my kids, my friends, and my family. More than anything, I love to see the people I love happy. When I get to sit back and watch someone I love enjoy a gift I gave, it helps to fill in some of those little, black, empty spaces in my soul. During the year, I'd love to just buy things for the people I love, but somehow it's less acceptable if there isn't a "reason" for it. I would like the only reason to be love, but Christmas is a good excuse, too.
I am absolutely not a Christian, but I do have a deep and abiding belief and faith in one God. Since most other religions also believe in one God, I have to logically believe that we are all praying to the same guy (or girl, or whatever). So, for me it doesn't matter if it's Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwaanza, or whatever else. Life is about the gifts that we bestow on others, whether those gifts are happiness, wisdom, an iPod, or a pony. If I say, "Happy holidays," and people are insulted, so be it. Nobody's got a monopoly on giving or on happiness, nor should they. Can't Christians be happy for me that I'm finally in the spirit of the holidays, and leave me to my happy holidays in peace?
I get too caught up in the logic of it all, and try to argue, but to no avail. The next person who tells me that saying "Happy holidays" is an insult is going to get a question from me: "How would Jesus respond to that?" I'd like to think that, being the wise, prophetic man he was, he'd say, "Happy holidays to you, too! Any reason for true happiness is a good thing!"
Then he'd go back to playing heavenly board games with Buddha, Mohammed, Gandhi, MLK, Mother Teresa, and Roy Webb.
So, my holiday wish for the world is that we all learn to appreciate and cherish ANY happiness, not just the happiness that is inspired for our own particular reasons. A smile is a precious thing, and a light in our hearts is a huge gift, no matter where it comes from.
Be blessed, my friends. Happy holidays to everyone.
Love,
Janine
Friday, November 9, 2007
Photo Opps
Saturday, November 10
Yesterday, I took my one-day photo class. Much if it was review, but plenty was new, I learned some things that I didn't know before, and got some good "quick tips" for remembering the most important things about composition before snapping a picture. It was well worth it, and I'm really glad I set aside the time to do it.
We flew back to Bangkok late last night, and between the photo class all day, getting packed up, getting to the airport, etc, I was exhausted. Checked into the hotel at 12:30 am, and then couldn't really sleep well. No problem - I'll sleep that much better on the plane tomorrow morning (which I have to get up at 4:00 am in order to catch). ugh.
Today, I am just hanging out mostly, then seeing my old colleague, Nils, and his family in the evening. It'll be good to catch up with him, and to meet his wife and son for the first time. My stomach is behaving pretty well, thanks to an unmentionable treatment I had at an Ayurvedic spa in Chiang Mai (nothing I can blog about). :-) Sometimes, eastern ways are the best.
I am SO looking forward to coming home, not because I don't like being here, but because I realize how much I like being THERE, too! This is my last posting from abroad, and I hope that all of you, my friends and family (and anyone else unlucky enough to have simply stumbled upon this and silly enough to read it all!) are thriving and I will see everyone soon!!
Over and out,
Janine
Yesterday, I took my one-day photo class. Much if it was review, but plenty was new, I learned some things that I didn't know before, and got some good "quick tips" for remembering the most important things about composition before snapping a picture. It was well worth it, and I'm really glad I set aside the time to do it.
We flew back to Bangkok late last night, and between the photo class all day, getting packed up, getting to the airport, etc, I was exhausted. Checked into the hotel at 12:30 am, and then couldn't really sleep well. No problem - I'll sleep that much better on the plane tomorrow morning (which I have to get up at 4:00 am in order to catch). ugh.
Today, I am just hanging out mostly, then seeing my old colleague, Nils, and his family in the evening. It'll be good to catch up with him, and to meet his wife and son for the first time. My stomach is behaving pretty well, thanks to an unmentionable treatment I had at an Ayurvedic spa in Chiang Mai (nothing I can blog about). :-) Sometimes, eastern ways are the best.
I am SO looking forward to coming home, not because I don't like being here, but because I realize how much I like being THERE, too! This is my last posting from abroad, and I hope that all of you, my friends and family (and anyone else unlucky enough to have simply stumbled upon this and silly enough to read it all!) are thriving and I will see everyone soon!!
Over and out,
Janine
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Inside the Walls
Thursday, November 8
So, here I am in downtown Chiang Mai. This city has two parts - the outer city and the original inner city, separated from the outer part by a moat and a brick wall (partially still there) about twelve feet thick and maybe 20 feet high, with a catwalk at the top on the inside. This wall is what protected the city from siege in days of yore. It's really quite fascinating and beautiful. There are one or two gates on each of the four sides, with a street on the inside of the moat that runs one-way counter-clockwise and a street just outside the moat that runs one-way clockwise. It seems to work just fine.
We dropped in to a vat this afternoon and brought some food and things for the monks. The elder monk there gave me a very long blessing and a braided cotton bracelet for further blessing. At the end, the familiar question: "Where you from?"
Things that will be odd, when I get home:
So, here I am in downtown Chiang Mai. This city has two parts - the outer city and the original inner city, separated from the outer part by a moat and a brick wall (partially still there) about twelve feet thick and maybe 20 feet high, with a catwalk at the top on the inside. This wall is what protected the city from siege in days of yore. It's really quite fascinating and beautiful. There are one or two gates on each of the four sides, with a street on the inside of the moat that runs one-way counter-clockwise and a street just outside the moat that runs one-way clockwise. It seems to work just fine.
We dropped in to a vat this afternoon and brought some food and things for the monks. The elder monk there gave me a very long blessing and a braided cotton bracelet for further blessing. At the end, the familiar question: "Where you from?"
Things that will be odd, when I get home:
- toilets that consistently have seats and flush, and where I can flush the paper
- phones
- driving my car (will I remember? is it like riding a bike?)
- working! (which I am looking forward to, believe it or not)
- nobody asking me where I am from
- not being called "madame"
- not getting a wei (look it up) everywhere I go
- a washing machine and clean clothes!
- walking around without a camera bag all the time
- not being meticulously careful about every thing that goes into my mouth
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