THE BEST TO-DO LIST IN THE WORLD

Thanks to yes and yes for sharing this on her blog.

CNN HEADLINE NEWS

I'm a little bit homesick.

I think I am missing my dog and my horses more than anything else - and perhaps a unlimited amount of hot water every night, as compared to sharing with five other people at the moment.

I had a great deal of fun tonight looking up the Google map directions from Palominas Arizona to Aiea Hawaii tonight - it's from my house, through Las Vegas, up to Boise, keep going until through Seattle, and then kayak 2,743 miles to the windward side of Oahu and take Hwy. 92 over to here.

But I've also been scanning the Internet headlines for Arizona news.

And the main media is all about the passing of our newest bill - which makes more legal to do what is already on the books to enforce illegal immigration.

And I can't help but repeat a few things, if nothing else just for myself:

Point #1 - Please note again that is all about ILLEGAL immigration - ILLEGAL.

Point #2 - I live three miles from the border of Mexico, in an area that sees a LOT of illegal immigrants AND drug traffic.

Point #2 - And anyone that wants to boycott Arizona, go right ahead - we've got too many people here already.

MY PERSONAL ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR

I thought as you got older, it was automatic that maturity followed. You learned things, stopped doing the stupid ones, did all the good and right ones, and it all got easier and easier.

NOT.

At least not with me.

While my physical body is strictly adhering to the normal symptoms of middle-age (increasing body weight, shrinking height, stomach getting bigger and bigger while breasts and skin acknowledge that gravity works), my emotional reactions to a lot of human interaction remain on about a three-year-old's level.

And trust me, I currently have a three-year-old around to guarantee that.

I get my feelings hurt, I pout, I hide in the corner. I get jealous, I want attention, and it's ALL me me me me me.

While celebrating my 55th birthday, no less, I kinda wanna start a fight.

When am I finally gonna grow up? Ever?

I like the idea of being as a child - innocent, faithful, believing - I just need to get rid of the childlike reactions.

Sigh.

Let's try again.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY

My husband and I just celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary yesterday - apart, as usual.

It's difficult today to even imagine that tall and skinny couple we were, although I have the photos to prove it... and Photoshop wasn't even invented back then.


Living in college married housing.

Driving across country with a Vega and a trailer with all of our household belongings in it.

Surviving on an enlisted military salary - being eligible for welfare at the same time you are in the Army now.

Flying to Europe pregnant and with a 16 month old toddler.

Living in British military quarters - nothing is designed for anyone over 5'3" - and holding all leadership positions in a brand-new English-speaking branch.

Moving  from Europe to Hawaii, and living there for six years - the last year completely separated geographically from each other.

Ten years in Maryland - another seven years apart 80% of the time, including the first Gulf War. Retirement from the military and right into the civilian government positions.

Move to Arizona for another job and Hope's health.

I wonder what will happen over the next 32 years... and I have to admit, I hope ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!

WHERE DO THE CHILDREN PLAY

Playing with a three-year old most of the day is opening up all sorts of diplomatic options to me. Any chance we can get the nations in the world to abide by these?


- You can make up the rules as you go along, but then you can change them immediately when they no longer make any sense or are not helping the game.


- No one ever loses - or perhaps it is better stated that everyone is on the winning side.


- And if someone looks like they are losing (particularly if it is you), you can change sides at any time.

When I'm with Kate, it's close to impossible to imagine car bombs, wars, and airport scanners. I know there is a huge difference between innocent and naive, but the unwary trust is incredibly refreshing, especially after living at home with the world's most negative person.

And when she does get mad, she blows up, freaks out, yells and screams... and then is completely over it.

Does anyone else remember this song by Cat Stevens (or Yusuf Islam, as he is now known)?

Just seems like these are the real important questions - not my-god-is-better-than-your-god.

QUESTIONING THE QUESTIONS

1. Why is salmon spelled with an "l"? I've heard the 'silent e' since I was little, but when did the l become silent?

2. How come almost every editorial I read that is all over Arizona for our latest illegal immigration bill is written by someone in Wisconsin or Tennessee?

3. And does any body outside of the southwest realize how HUGE the border between Mexico and the United States is? Like miles and miles and miles and miles of simply open LAND. So the concept of 'closing the border' isn't like shutting the gate to keep the cows in.

4. Why do the British drive on the left side of the road? Does it really have anything to do with swords, or is it just the British like being different? And in Great Brittan, do they call driving on the right side of the road driving the "wrong" way?

5. Does your dog have an unusual name? Why do we end up naming our animals 'human' type names? Is it part of our anthropomorphic tendencies? And is there a better name for it instead of anthropomorphism? I always have to look up how to spell it.

6. When we use the expression "no facial hair," why aren't eyebrows part of it?


7. Why are the numbers on a calculation and a phone are exactly opposite?

8.  If time heals all wounds, then explain belly buttons to me.

Okay, thanks, I have it out of my system now.

GROWING UP AS A POOR BLACK CHILD

One advantage of being military is seeing the world at government expense.

Some people view this as a deterrent - living where people don't (gasp) speak English, where the value of your money changes daily, and customs/ holidays/foods are NOT North American.

I'd rather jump in and accept "their" ways; after all, aren't we the guests here? If you are invited to an Italian dinner, and demand baked beans, you're being more than a little bit rude. If you refuse to accept or even LEARN the rules of etiquette, you obviously need them more than anyone. And if the public concept of art/modestly/laws/personal hygiene are not what you grew up with, throwing dirty looks at everyone is not gonna make any kind of change, and just reinforces that Americans are arrogant.

And a lot of us ARE.

My kids were born in Manhattan (Kansas, not New York), Dusseldorf and Frankfort A.M., West Germany (back when there were two Germany's). All three began school in Honolulu (a melting pot of Asians) and graduated in Maryland (black majority). So much of their life they were the haole (literally 'foriegner' in Hawaii, although its come to mean 'white'), the kids with the odd shaped eyes and hair color, the white kids.

I had the opportunity of not finding a job easily because I was Caucasian - I'd be called in for an interview, look around the office, realize mine was the only white one skin in sight, and knew I wouldn't be hired.

So I get a little miffed when someone puts on their ethnicity. On the airplane, I sat next to a lovely couple - but they managed to communicate within the first minutes that I was the enemy.

And just because the color of my skin.

Children, can't we all live together as one?