Books that affected me

I have been asked to name 10 books that have influenced me and/ or have had a tremendous impact on my Life. Well, I'll try to narrow it down by categories, but, come on, I was an English lit teacher for 32 years. So I will list what I mainly read before age 21. Because, after 21, I made challenges for myself: a book by each of the Pulitzer winners, a book by each of the Nobel winners, self- help books, books in French and Spanish. Category by itself: Bible ( mainly KJV) Mystery: Nancy Drew books- my first was "The Hidden Staircase".( I read them all in 2nd grade when my mom gave me her set.)Then read Agatha Christie's Poirot series and Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes stories. Period romances/ heroines: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, Tess of the d'Urbervilles,Madame Bovary, all Jane Austen. category by himself - and yea he wasn 't a " novelist": Shakespeare.Fantasy: Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy, Chronicles of Narnia series. The first books that I taught: " The Good Earth ", " The Great Gatsby", " A Farewell to Arms" , " the Scarlet Letter." I read to and with my children: Series of unfortunate Events , all Harry potter books. So.... 10 books, for better or worse and in no particular order: 1)Vonnegut- Slaughterhouse Five 2)Austen-Pride and Prejudice 3)Hamlet( yea, it's a play) 4)Tolkien-Hobbit 5)Buck- The Good Earth 6)Hawthorne- the Scarlet Letter 7)Eco- Foucault's Pendulum 8)Solzenistyn(sp?)- one Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich 9)Woolf - mrs.Dalloway 10)Joyce- Ullysses.

Dilemmas- sometimes things are mutually exclusive

Where I want to go vs where I can afford to go. Who I want to see vs who I must dutifully see. What I want to do vs what I must do. When I need to scream vs just saying nothing. Love/ hate relationships. Church going vs private worship. Trying to be understood vs not being understood.Feeling responsible when I want to be spontaneous. Feeling depressed vs putting on a stoic face. Being lectured or judged vs saying, Go f... Yourself!" Loathing people vs tolerating them. Feeling certain vs compromise( often unhappliy)When I'm a liberal vs when I'm a conservative. I'd like to think that I am healthy because I am so conflicted- a thinker not just a reactionary. Usually however , I feel Mired.

Missing my son

Adam has been staying with Clint Jones in Pasadena since 8/2, and will be there until 8/30. Now I rationally know this isn't an inordinate amount of time, but I have never gone more than two weeks without seeing him since he was born, so the mama bear is missing her cub albeit a man cub! Yes, we've talked on the phone every other day; we've texted and emailed. That should suffice, right? Well, it should, but it doesn't. If he decides to move to Califonia, I will have to move there too- or at least to the same time zone. He seems to be liking the LA area and has been contracted to do a few songs which encourages him. I want him to be happy and thrive, of course,but the ache is real. God Bless him and keep him. He is a talented young man with incredible potential and abilities and he needs to be where he can be musically "fed", and I may need to start looking at real estate out West.

More Gina BS

I have a chess set made of monkey wood given to me by my parents as a gift from when they went to Hawaii in 1974 for their 25th anniversary. I have always taken very good care of it, and I 've used it often. Al was doing trim work in the yard yesterday when he found one of the pieces ( a pawn) and brought it inside. So he counted all the pieces and another piece ( black bishop) is still missing.This is Gina's handiwork. It makes me sad and angry at the same time. Damn it!

RIP Robin and Lauren

The Birdcage's Armand : " it's like riding a psychotic horse towards a Burning barn... " a toothbrush at the cemetery, how Egyptian! ... This is Hell , and there's a crucifix here". Aladdin's genie:Wake up and smell the hummous...I don'T believe I 'm losing to a rug... Yo rugman! give me some tassel. DPS's Keating: language was developed for one reason- to woo women. Good morning Vietnam:You are in more dire need of a bj than any white man in history!...Actually, Cronauer was one of my favorite Williams' characters ever!He was allowed to ad lib a lot.Take a couple minutes and read his radio monologues from the movie.[Try IMDb].

Scars are visible memories

I have a few scars on my aging body , and I don 't mind them really. Some scars represent weak points physically speaking, but every one reminds me vividly of a particular event. I have a small mark on my cheek from when I fell off my bike, around age seven and unfortunately punctured my skin.I have a rather nasty scar on the bottom of my right foot where I stepped on a large rusty nail, while I was running around a construction site.Not only did it hurt like Hell, I had to have a painful tetanus shot. I have scars on my wrists from carpel tunnel surgery when I was 39, which I regret, because I no longer have very much strength in either wrist, which affects my playing the piano or cello for any length of time. I have bite marks that I got from my sister, but now they make me smile as I remember sharing a bed and bedroom with her while we were growing up.The most recent scar is on my throat from parathyroid surgery( which needlessly scared me).However, my favorite scar is from my Caesarian section in 1991.It is a mark of victory, for a long fought battle that I won. I am thankful, in comparison with so many other people, that my scars are fairly minor, because in general, I have been mostly healthy and unharmed, and for that I have been blessed.

Wants and needs

I am blessed with a comfortable home,caring husband, adequate provisions, retirement pensions, social security and decent health.I don't need anything, but here is what I want: I want people to be honest with me. I want a government I can trust. I want a daughter who I can respect.I want a little more levity and less PC. I want more PBS and less MTV.I want cell phones off limits in restaurants and worship services. I want to learn something new each day.I want to see smiles on my friends' and family's faces. I want these same people to have good health and no pain.Unfortunately, the list of these kind of wants is way longer than I'll mention, and difficult to achieve.

Gina's GED

Gina passed all sections of the GED.That means she has the equivalent of a high school diploma except for 4 year colleges. She can go to community college or military for example.This is at least a positive about her at a time of so many negatives. She doesn't have to do another year of high school, and she can get full time employment, hopefully. Al and I hope she goes into the military, but we'll see. She doesn't live with us and we will just wait for her next move.Maybe this will be be a new start for her; maybe this will be the beginning of the end of our heartache. Maybe ( probably) not...

My "son" shine

I think of you a dozen times each day. I think of you within the first minute I wake up, and I think of you the last minute I am awake. Then I often dream about you. Love is like that. You think about the other's comings and goings, choices and issues, successes and mistakes. I wonder what you ate for breakfast, what your day looked like and are you taking care of yourself. I pray for your wellbeing and peace and protection. I remember the joyful moments of the past and await the joyful moments yet to come. Love is like that.

Teachers retire, but...

Teachers retire but "they pull you back in". School resumed this week in Cherokee County, and get this - I have already been asked to help with: Beta Club, Drama, Oratory and an essay contest. I'm currently editing three friends' books, and App Tech wants to know if I want to teach a remedial reading class. Hey! I used to get paid to do all that. Now I am supposed to volunteer. Uh, no.Just no. Instead,I want to take a fencing class and work on event planning. I appreciate the pleasantness of unstructured time.

Places I've seen- I love to travel

I was blessed with parents who took us on family trips each year(affordable camping).Besides seeing most of my incredibly beautiful, home state of Michigan, they took us to most of the national parks during my childhood. They instilled in me an appreciation of our country's magnificent beauty. The first foreign country I visited was Canada (because I lived in Michigan). I vividly can draw to mind the wondrous majesty of Niagara Falls! Then, when I was sixteen( many moons ago) I lived in Alsace, France as an exchange student and developed a tolerance for cultures different than my own,where I fell in love for the first time,had my first glass of champagne, and became a francophile foodie. I first visited Colombia, South America, with Alfredo when I was 23. It really opened my eyes to 3rd world country issues such as overt corruption and the chasm between rich and poor( no middle class).Of course, it is from where we eventually adopted our daughter.I have been to a few places in Mexico, but Rosarita's sunset over the ocean while sipping tequila with dear friends was sheer poetry. The French side of St. Martin was tres jolie and decadent( La Samana my Jeannine?)I did a whirlwind tour of Europe with Janet( mainly sleeping in a pup tent) the month before I married in 1980. That's when I fell in love with Italy and have been back to that country a few times.No matter where I walked, beauty, history, great people, delicious food and wine were everywhere, and Rome and Venice fascinate me. Since 1993, I have been taking cruises almost every other year.I guess you either love them or hate them; I obviously adore them.I've seen much of the Caribbean and Europe this way. My three favorites however have been Alaska, Mediterranean and Greece. In 2005, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows while in Glacier Bay. 2008 we saw most of the med cities, and I would go back to Monaco and Mallorca in a heartbeat. Sipping coffee while people watching was incredible.And in 2012 we cruised the Greek Isles. One of those perfect moments of Life was when Al, Adam, Gina and I were seated at a cafe having sorbet, staring out at the beautiful caldera and waters of Santorini with Greek music playing.We were all smiling and the view was so peaceful.It was a slice of Heaven. I haven't been to Australia, but New Zealand is on my bucket list because I have had a pen pal since age 12 who lives in Christchurch. I haven't been to Asia,but I have always wanted to go Kyoto ( sumo, kabuki, geisha, tea, temples). I want to go to St. Petersburg ( Hermitage) and we hope to do that in conjunction with World Cup in 2018. Our next trip is a cruise out of NY to Bermuda and we'll be going through the Panama Canal next year. I love many areas in the U.S.,too, of course, especially Napa,New Orleans, and anywhere Oceanside. People tell me how much money we could save if we didn't travel - fix the house,yada,yada. I guess I would say to them that we all have different priorities.

14 things I know I know

1. The phrase "real Love is unconditional" is not a universal, therefore, false. 2. Compassion and kindness are wonderful qualities unless you are dealing with a sociopath; then they are seen as weakness. 3. Not all kids are basically "good" and can be saved; some are downright evil. 4. If you are an upstanding, hardworking, law-abiding, middle class person,you will be eventually screwed by at least one of the institutions for which you pay exorbitant taxes. 5. Traveling( even to another city) is essential for the mind, body and spirit. 6. One solid, faithful friend is a blessing; more than one is a miracle. 7. There is no excuse to be an uninformed/ low information voter, and blind, unthinking partisanship equally sucks. 8.Perfect moments are possible; they just don't last. 9. The United States is still the best country, despite its flaws and decline. 10.The intelligentsia is now in the minority.11. Sons and daughters are a person's greatest joy and greatest pain.12. Men rarely understand women.13. Life would be dreary without books, music,art and lots of wine. 14.I have a better quality of life - actually a very good quality of life- than the majority of people in the world,and for that, I'm thankful.

Post- mortem

An autopsy would be fruitless.What's the point after all? A broken heart doesn't show up in these kind of examinations, and there's no law against wearing out someone's love and devotion.The mortician paints the face that never wore much makeup, and doesn't put the gorgeous high heels on the corpse, even though it's requested.(His wife will enjoy them instead).Don't respect the deceased's wishes for a closed coffin! So there's an open casket, and all can gawk at the now souless body with a facial expression never seen while alive. It is so macabre, and there's no laughter, no wine, no music, no joy. RIP