Unique Like Everyone Else

On Boredom

Like many kids of this generation, J-Boy is a video game fanatic, always with a handheld gaming device on his person, that device usually on and in use, his head bent down and his longish, Junior High hair hanging forward helping to block any glare on the screen (and, perhaps, any glare from his mother...).  Somehow the stimulation is calming to him.  Maybe it drowns out all other stimulation that can be overwhelming, especially to a person with autism. 

I know that this obsession is not an "autism" thing.  Or a "kid" thing.  Put the portable gaming system into the more general category of "handheld technology" and there are many, many an adult who can't or won't disconnect from their various iThings during any lull in the day's flow of activity.

I was driving J-Boy to school the other morning and as we pulled out of the driveway he flipped open his 3DS and the battery died before we were a block away from the house.  We didn't have time to go back for him to grab a charger or his PSP-Go (I know, he's kinda spoiled) as a back up plan.  So I knew we needed to use the drive time to strategize how his day would go when he got free time during at school that he would usually spend pacifying himself with video games. 

To my relief, he seemed positive and calm.  We quietly drove along, listening to the radio.  Then he started a conversation:

J-Boy:  "Mom, I think I know how music was invented, and I think it is genius."

Me:  "Oh, yeah?  Tell me!"

J-Boy:  "Well, sometimes when I'm bored, I will just start tapping with my fingers and it gets sort of, like, into a rhythm.  And I think that's how it got started, by someone just being bored.  Then someone was playing around with some string and figured out that if you pluck it when it is different lengths then it'll make different sounds."

Ooo!  Knock, knock!  Opportunity, here!

While trying to keep it conversational, I went into a little dissertation on boredom, the importance of boredom, the luxury of boredom, the skill required to be "productively bored."

We discussed Early Man and his trecherous day-to-day fight for survival, how exhausting that must have been.  And before fire, how long and scary those nights could have been.  Early Man did not have the luxury of boredom; there is not really "down time" when life itself must be protected and fought for each day.

We talked about how as humans gained skills and made discoveries, tools, and inventions they gained some efficiency in meeting life's basic needs, allowing time for play, art, music, and even more tools and invention.

J-Boy found humor in the irony that this talk about boredom started because he was bored.   But he seemed to understand that giving the mind a break from constant occupation and stimulatory input would allow some of the information in there a chance to digest and perhaps grow into different or even bigger ideas and thoughts.  He seemed to "get" that one should feel very lucky to experience boredom because it must mean that all their other needs are being met.

Now, I'm not sure if this last bit was meant to be a genuine compliment, or a crack about me sitting around on my A#% all day, but as he gets out of the car at school he says to me,

"Mom, you live very efficiently.  Bye!"

Well, thanks to many a modern invention, yes, yes I do.

 

 

Ten Years Later

Remembrance at J-Girl's school

 

It is hard to believe that ten years have past since the 9/11 tragedy.  The news coverage this morning was solemn and beautiful.  The monuments dedicated to those who innocently and heroically lost their lives, are lovely and dignified.  I want to visit them someday.  I can't imagine having lived through any of that chaos. 

I didn't know anyone who died there.  I don't know anyone who knew anyone who was a victim.  I was tying my shoes when the second tower was hit, when it became startling clear that this was no accident.  I went running.  Running.  The world was literally crashing down on people and I went running.  I had a 3 mile course that I was doing back then.  And I ran it with ease that day.  Because my adrenaline was pulsing, and with each pound of my foot on the pavement I chanted a mantra for Peace. 

I laid a hand on each of the parked cars that I passed.  Strangers' cars.  And yet, my neighbors' cars, my countrymen's cars.  I felt the connectedness that is between all people.  I knew in my heart that we would heal as a nation, as a world.  I felt that the passage of time would bring a scarred toughness that allowed us to move forward, yet not let us forget.  

So, when I listened to names being read today, when I heard family members recounting their loss and how fresh and gaping their wounds still feel, I cried.  And I realize that it may take 100 years.  And I would like to see the world then.

Watch Out for Yellow Sn...Snow!!!

A few days ago I had started to blog about this:

 

 

But then THIS happened:

  

J-Girl's phone blurted with buzzes as the teen text squad spread the word, "It's snowing!" and J-Boy exclaimed, "It's a miracle!"  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Totally!

Happy New Year!
May 2011 be filled with miracles!




 

Happy Birthday, 19th Amendment!

The following article by Andrew Malcolm was published in the
Los Angeles Times on Sunday, August 22, 2010. 

 

 

Women's Suffrage a Mom's Doing

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on
account of sex.  Congress shall have power to enforce this article
by appropriate legislation.

 

Last week marked the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment
to the United States Constitution, the one that gave women the
right to vote after a full century of organization, agitation, and
marching.

On August 18, 1920, the Tenessee General Assembly became the
36th state to ratify the amendment, thus making it official.

Few folks remember, however, that the historic ratification
occurred by just one single vote--a man's, of course, in those days.

It was Harry T. Burn, a lawyer and later a banker.  He had settled
on his opposition to this suffrage nonsense.

The General Assembly suffrage amendment vote came up a 48-48 tie.
Burn's vot would defeat it and postpone national ratification at
least another month until the Connecticul Legislature vote.

But shortly before the historic legislative tally, Burn received a long
letter from his mother back home in Niota.

She said, in part:

"I have been watching to see how you stood, but have
not noticed anything yet.  Don't forget to be a good boy."

Burn behaved himself.  He changed his "nay" vote to a "yea."

The rest has become history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Idiot Box

So, while the radio has been giving daily updates on Bernard Madoff and his Ponzi scheme, I've been trying to recall what episode of Happy Days had Potsie and Fonzi in cahoots to such degree that the term "Ponzi" infiltrated mainstream vernacular with such staying power. 

"Gosh, I just don't remember that one, " I said to Big Daddy.

I don't watch much news on television.  Well, unless you count Comedy Central's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.    Most news I get from the internet and the AM stations on the car radio.  I just don't use the TV for that. 

Which might explain my apparent inability to have deep thoughts and intelligent frames of referrence.  I tend to draw upon my life experiences, er, rather the life experiences of characters from Various TV shows that modeled the world for me during those formative years:

       

But, I am an avid and savvy Googler.  If you are interested in where the term "Ponzi Scheme" comes from, I think you will enjoy this Wikipedia entry about Charles Ponzi.  It turns out that

   

Besides, everyone knows that if there were any memorable plans gone awry on that show, they would've been masterminded by Ralph Malph.

Hillary's Role Model?

I love that I can get a wild hair about something and find it so readily on the internet.  I've been singing this song and humming the parts I didn't know since childhood, at least once a month, I bet.   I remembered the tune and the illustrations perfectly, though not the meat of the song. 

 

 

Maybe it's better that the main idea rooted itself deeply in my realm of what is possible, and not the actual details cited.   

Hmm.  If I remembered this in a positive and empowering way, I wonder how many took hold of the notion and cemented it firmly in the "over-my-dead-body" or "not-in-my-lifetime" files of unbudgable beliefs.   "We accept it!"  "We reject it!"  "We accept it!"  "We reject it!"

SOULLLLLLLLL of America!!

(For the record, I was an Obama-Mama.)

Why I Love The Doers #572

       

Need I say more?

Visit We Do Things.

  

The Inaugural Meal

They said it would be a day that you will always remember, the day that Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. 

A historical event, to be sure.  It made me take note of other "where were you when..." events I've experienced in my life, wondering when I was old enough, or aware enough, to pay attention to my physical surroundings, to ground and give tangibility to an intense emotion or moment.  I was surprised that I couldn't recall any shocking headlines from my youth off the top of my head.  I could only come up with a few from my twenties:

• President Clinton was elected...I was at the kitchen table in our condo in San Diego watching the TV intently.

• Kurt Cobain  was found dead...I was in the LAPD Toxicology Lab sitting at my desk.

• O.J. Simpson was acquitted of double murder...I was in the lunch room of the LAPD Lab, and I even remember what skirt and blouse I had on that day.  (Weird, I know.  And I don't remember what I was wearing for the Kurt Cobain news, but I know it was covered up by my white lab coat...)

It's funny that some of the core lessons I learned in elementary school 30 years ago are still taught on the same timeline that my kids are on:  the Missions in 4th grade, the State Capitols and a state report in 5th grade, a country report in 6th grade.  One of the greatest and awesomely purposeful things about the technological advances that have taken place since those days is access to live television broadcasts, and, of coarse, the internet, at school.  Both of my kids got to witness President Obama's inauguration as it happened, as history was made.  Maybe they took stock of what they were wearing, who was next to them, the smell of that teacher's perfume, tiny unnecessary details that can anchor the event in their memories.  I want that for them. 

And so it occurred to me, as I do enjoy celebrating with themed meals, that I could find out what was on the menu for the inaugural luncheon and serve some semblence of that for dinner on such a historical day.  Food involves all of the senses, and provides a way of connecting with all people.  Imagine my surprise and feeling of hitting the jackpot when not only did I find what was to be on the menu for the inauguration, but the actual recipes that were to be prepared, courtesy of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.  Pay dirt!  And despite the lengthy lists of ingredients, the dishes did not look overly complicated.  Now, before you say, "OMG!  She is so original!" or "OMG! She is such a dork!" or "OMG!  Does she not have better things to do??"  let me assure you that a) I am not that original--do you know that the recipes were the most searched for thing on the internet on Tuesday? b) I have never denied my dorkiness and c) Yes, I have a ton of better things to do, but none as fun as this! 

Note:  One of those "better things to do" was learn how to use my new camera.  I have since figured out the "image stabilization" button, and now know what that red, hopping camera icon was about, so please excuse the poor quality of the pictures!

And so, Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you

Roasted Duck with Sour-Cherry Chutney

Molasses Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Apple Cinnamon Sponge Cake

 

Everything turned out to be SO delicious!  For the main coarse, I substituted boneless-skinless chicken breasts for the duck.  It was glazed with a sour-cherry compote, extra of which was served along side.  The roasted winter vegetables included asparagus, brussel sprouts, and carrots.  Sweet potatoes were baked, then whipped with molasses, maple syrup, and a dash of cumin. Dessert for this Lincoln-inspired Luncheon was apple sponge cake served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. 

I mentioned to my good friend and neighbor, S.,  what I was up to, and she jokingly asked when she should be over.  We had plenty to share since the kids eat like a "brace of American birds" and I was able to catch her before she started her own meal to come and join us.  It was a lovely way to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in history.  Where were you when President Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States?  (The first time, I mean.)  Technically, I was listening to it unfold on the radio while I was sitting in my car in front of Trader Joe's, poised to go in and shop for the makings of the Inaugural Meal. 

 

 

 

Head-Turner

Overheard at Starbucks:

"Oh! Buck McKeon called me yesterday!" 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!  About that email I sent him.  He said, "Bush IS an alcoholic, but your statement implied that he was drunk at the time..."

"Oh...mad?"

"Nah...We're probably gonna have lunch tomorrow."

 

No political insight or commentary here.  Just an out of the ordinary happenstance.  However, if this is at all telling, it was at the Starbucks that Big Daddy and I refer to as "The Old Man Starbucks" based on the Breakfast Club that meets there daily.