Tuesday, March 31, 2009

David

Here's the thing - today is my brother's birthday. Just sixteen months separated our birthdays. I was the big sister. He was the middle child but the first son. I'm not sure I can describe what I was like as a child but I can describe David. He lived an adventuresome life filled with great humor. Before he could talk, he wandered off and picked up by the police. As my dad rushed home to help look for David, he passed the patrol car with his son standing up beside the police officer. He was fine. I was scarred. I was the responsible older sister and he made that job difficult. Not because he resented me but because he didn't have to be responsible. Our family has many "David" stories which make us all laugh.

We were close and yet not. After we came back from Venezuela, David repeated a grade which put three years between us. I was a senior when he was a freshman. He always had friends while I was much more shy and reserved.

David died twenty years ago this June. Even in death, he made people laugh. At the first viewing when my mother, David's wife and my younger daughter were standing by the casket, we began to hear a beeping sound coming from my brother. The alarm on his watch went off. We laughed because that was just something he would have done.

Time helps with grief. The hurt and loss dulls and time passes without constantly having to remember. He would have been 56 today. I wonder if we would have grown closer as we aged.
I wonder if maybe we would have become friends. I wonder and, today, I miss him.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

First Day of Law School

I'm still working on my two papers. Or reworking them. I'm determined to have them finished by Tuesday.

Friday another 3E and I served as chief justices for the 1L's preparation for their moot court. Helping these first years reminded me of my first year and how it was both exhilarating and stressful most of the time.

I should have known it was going to be that way by my first day of classes.

Orientation came two days before the start of class. Free meals and encouragement made those two evenings pleasurable. Then classes started. I left work early to make sure I had plenty of time to make it to class. I had my books, laptop, new highlighters and post-it flags. Before entering the class, I stopped at the restroom. Now this building was pretty old and the bathroom definitely showed its age. I really didn't think too much about as I entered one of the stalls, closed and clicked the door lock, and did what I needed to do. After I finished, I moved the door lever to the open position but it did not move. I was stuck in the stall!

I kept moving that little lever back and forth while pulling on the stall door. The door refused to budge. I was locked in the stall. I kept at it but to no avail. I had my new suit on so crawling under the door was going to be my last option. Plus how would that look to someone coming in.
The sweats started. I dug through my purse for something to use as a tool.

There is a reason I carry a Swiss Army knife. I pulled it out and used the larger blade to slip the bar all the way to the open position. Success! Now free and thankful that no one had entered the restroom during my struggle, I headed off to class. It could only be uphill after that start.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

In my fridge


Two gallons of a water and orange juice mixture plus a gallon of orange juice. This is the secret elixir of my weight loss.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Two Questions

On every personality quiz I've ever taken, I am an introvert. Years of being "shy" made this no surprise to me. Although I have learned how to cope in extroverted settings, I love being home alone with my books, Suduko and TV. I know all the rules for meeting new people but it is still something I dread. I prefer to observe other people meeting the new person and then take some time to decide if I want to know the new person. One, no two, reasons introductions are hard are the questions.

l. Is that your real name?

My first name is unusual. It is only 4 letters long and is easy but no one gets it the first time. For many years, I used to automatically spell my name after I introduced myself. I don't do that as often and once I tell people it is like oklaHOMA and not Houma, Louisiana, they get it. (Except for the Iranians who know what it is right away but then I have to explain that I'm not of Persian descent) Then they want to know if that is my real name. I've never really figured that out. If I were to pick a nickname, don't you think I'd go for something easy and common and that didn't need a geographical explanation?

2. Where are you from?

After 57 years, I still don't have a good answer for this. I'm not really from anywhere specific. My parents lived in a small northern Kansas town when I was born but I was born in the northern Oklahoma town (and no, I wasn't named after the state) where my parents had lived for the first six months of my mother's pregnancy. I never lived in the town where I was born. My parents moved around quite a bit after my dad stopped teaching and began working in the oil field. Until I was married, the two places where we lived the longest was the Halliburton camp in Venezuela and Hays, Kansas. I've been in Texas over 40 years now and in the DFW area for almost 29 years but I am not now or ever will be a Texan. So most of the time, my answer to this question is "Western Kansas"

By the time I finish with these two questions, I need a rest.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Steppin'

I did it! I walked 10,000 steps today.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Maturity


Spring Break ended last night which means classes resumed today. On MW I have one class that begins at 7:50. Usually I stay on campus because if I come home, I don't want to go back out. So I just try to avoid the temptation. Tonight, however, I came home, ate dinner, changed out of my work clothes and into my jeans, set the dvr and then WENT BACK for my class.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Spring Planting

For the first time in my life I bought two plants that will produce edible products. Two small jalapeno pepper plants help me enter the world of gardening. I also bought two lavender plants and mint. Plus marigolds, hens and chickens, and a dusty miller. I still have the fountain and the front patch to plant. I also have two large clay pots that I am going to use for my first foray in container gardening. On my fence hang several planters but I'm not quite sure what to do with them. This face belongs to a terracotta planter hanging on my
fence but I'm not quite sure what to plant in her. I don't want to detract from her medieval qualities.


The area I have to plant is just about the right size for me. I have a small deck and then a small yard. I don't want to put down anything permanent so I'm content with containers. I am thinking about a rose plant, just to see if I can do that. Rose moss goes in the fountain, unless I decide on begonias. Then the rose moss will go in the front garden patch. Many of my plants from last year survived so I moved them to the deck. Just in time for the torrential downpour we've had for four days. I don't think any of them drowned but will have to wait and see. I also bought some seeds and can't wait to plant them. It has been a long time since I planted any seeds.

I just hope they all live.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Bridge Ladies Rock

My friends, the Bridge Ladies, came to my house last night. Joy, happiness and laughter filled my small home. Bridge Ladies rock!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Scary Jesus

I grew up with images of Jesus as a man with flowing golden brown hair and beard, blue eyes and very WASPish face. While I know now that this is neither culturally or politically correct, it is still my go-to image.


At our church, there is a new image of Jesus made available to the young people. It is a huge statute of him in a paved garden area with a water feature behind him. The statute was placed first and it was gigantic. Everyone said it would be in proportion once the hardscape and landscape was built around him. It is still huge. To me the statute looks more like Gandolf from
the Lord of the Rings. Any way, let me present "Scary Jesus!"

Friday, March 6, 2009

After listening to the California Supreme Court's hearing on the validity of proposition 8 and/or gay marriages (whichever way you want to look at it) off and on yesterday. And then discussing it in one my law classes, I have something to say on the subject.

Granting the right to have a marriage to a gay couple is not a threat to the traditional notion of marriage.

Divorce is.

And if you think that by preventing gay couples from marrying, you will not have discuss such relationships with your children, you are wrong. Gay couples raising children is a fact of life now and will be part of your children's future. I think it would be better to raise children to believe that when you love someone, you formally commit to a life together.

Monday, March 2, 2009

End of 2 and beginning of 3

When I woke on Sunday, I felt a sense of peace and joy that I had again survived February. February has always been my least favorite month. Not because I'm single and February is the "love month" (I love Valentine's Day) but because I am almost always broke by the time February rolls around. My children have birthdays in November (1) and January (2) which bookcase Christmas. My mother's birthday is also in January. This year I had a granddaughter to buy for - in fact, she may have been the only one to receive store-bought gifts. I made most of my gifts this year but supplies cost. Now that I am in law school and working for the university, I pay taxes on my tuition benefits out of my last six pay checks of 2008. (I know, I am going to feel so good when I graduate without law school debt!) Joyful, peaceful and grateful that another February had been survived.

My happiness lasted until my Sunday school class reminded me that DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME starts on Sunday.

Ugh! It takes me days (weeks) to adjust the springing forward. So I am going to be really happy until 2:00 am March 8th.