I am gearing up to go home for a visit with mixed emotions, I will love seeing my friends and family, but there are personal/family issues to be dealt with that are potentially difficult. My parents are lovely people, long since divorced, and the truth is I am pretty different that my family. I don’t come from an enclave of raging progressives by any stretch of the imagination. My father is a traditionalist who grumbles about “feminists ruining things” although quite unspecific about what has been ruined. My mother has a weird mix of holistic beliefs with right wing ones. When I was a little kid I used to go to school with bean sprout sandwiches and homemade yogurt. And that was so popular in the wonder bread era. My mother, a terrific person who has overcome many obstacles is full of pronouncements about how the world should be and slightly resentful because she got screwed out of a full pension. Can’t say I blame her, but we have significantly different views about how and why things ended up the way they did. She is pretty stressed out about the declining health of my grandmother so I am going to chose to avoid confrontations on hot button topics because she is not in a place to be receptive at this time. I want to enjoy the precious time I have trying to be mindful that my role in the universe is not to change my family any more than it is their prerogative to change me.
When I firs moved to the US, I used delight in lying about Canada… When people asked me if it was a communist country, I said that it was and we like it that way. I told them we lived in igloos….
Here is a lovely piece on how to build one in case you want to move there…
For years the National Film Board of Canada had an earnest and boring reputation…
Rick Mercer, a popular Canadian humorist loves to poke fun at Americans. I should add he pokes fun at nearly everybody but this particular style of humour is big in Canuckistan.
Having fun with Prime Minister Harper….
Thanks for having a look. I won’t be around next week because there aren’t any internet tubes near mom, so no Saturday pony party next week. Please don’t rec pony party. Hang out, chit chat and then go read some of the excellent offerings on our recent and rec’d list.
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families… yikes. my best times are steering clear of politics and talking about family stuff, home stuff, work stuff. and just have wine on hand.
hug them a lot, ucc.
and have a wonderful and memorable trip.
can somebody come over and cook me dinner tonight? I feel lazy.
enjoy your time with mom, gramma… all your family.
you don’t get to see them often- enjoy what little time you have.
we’ll see you back here very soon (^.^)
street music
Niall Lawlor in Dublin (not sure if this is THE Niall Lawlor.)
NOLA of course
SF
Vienna
Machu Picchu
Ulaan Baator
Not even dial up?? Is there at least a 12-step program to get you through the week?
Eric
Willie
Cream Reunion…Jack is NUTZ!!
Rod Piazza