The Glass Castle

It's a must read! I just finished it tonight. Oh my goodness. I can't decide...is it sad? is it sweet? Perhaps this book is the best description of bittersweet that I've ever seen. A memoir of a childhood spent in poverty, literally rummaging through trash for meals, but who was rich in love...love for family, reading and art.

I don't know what to think. Makes me wonder about the little girls I knew in Waco who slept under the kitchen table when it rained because their roof leaked so bad. Or the family I once knew who couldn't afford a lock and doorknob on their front door, but I once saw a pizza delivery guy dropping off 3 pizzas. Who doesn't have a doorknob and orders pizza? The mystery of poverty. Maybe they didn't need a doorknob because someone was always home. I always wondered.

The thing that strikes me most about the book is that it's so matter-of-fact. No blame, no self-pity...of course she was brought up that way -- to survive, to not feel sorry for herself -- but what strength of character to write a "tell all" book with such honor and dignity. Maybe she doesn't paint like her mom, or draw like her sister, but if you ask me this book, as well as her life, is a work of art!

Down home

Well, I'm in my Motherland for a few weeks. Texas, that is. And just in case I get disoriented, there are signs everywhere to remind me where I am. For instance, I can get my burger "TEXified" at Burger King for 60 cents. Really....TEXified?!? Oh there's TEX's used auto parts, Central Texas pawn shops, Lone Star oil change...and the list goes on. While we may be nice people in the South....we sure have TEXified our state pride and it's getting out of control!

Wow, I don't sound like a native anymore...it's a good thing I'm back for a few weeks!

CALGON! TAKE ME AWAY!!!!

I've been babysitting for the past three days, while my friends are out of town. HOW DO MOTHERS DO IT??!?!?! My back hurts, my feet hurt, I wrote about 1,000 valentine's for Malia's school, we got rear ended in my friends' mini-van (barely -- it's not that bad), I flooded the laundry room and I can't even count how many time outs I've given.

Our time together ended with them getting muddy in the backyard, so I stripped them and hosed them off in the backyard. That's when Nathan wanted to show us he could pee in the backyard. Of course Malia had to do it too. You guessed it, Issac jumped in on the action. I'm proud to say I'm the only one who didn't pee in the backyard today!

I'm off to Texas tomorrow for staff training. I'll be blogging from there for two weeks.

STAR SIGHTING!!

OK, so this isn't super-star or anything....but it meant a lot to me since I used to be the biggest ALIAS fan ever! I was at Westside Pavillion in between Landmark and Barnes & Nobles when I spotted....Victor Garber. That's right Alias' best spy-daddy. I tried not to be obnoxious about it, but being a novice, I totally did a warp speed double-take to get a good look. Oh well, I'll get better!

I'm baaccckkk

I know, I know..it's been awhile. Go ahead, harass me. I deserve it! In case, you've forgotten what I look like, here's a pic of me taking a picture of myself in my GIANT floor to ceiling mirror doors. What is it with California and their love for mirrored doors? You asked for it, you got it...pictures of my room....

And here's where I work. Notice the shrine to Boston. I took pictures of letters from all over town and made my own Boston sign. Can anyone guess where all the letters came from?

No Pain, No Gain

I finally went downtown. I can’t believe I’ve been here so long and never ventured that way. Of course, this won’t be a shock to those who know me best, my favorite part was riding the bus and subway. All of you were right, the bus/subway crowd is very different in LA compared to Boston. Even still, it was a taste of the Beantown that I still consider home.

What is it about the bus that I love so much? I remember a specific day I was going work when I was especially exhilarated by the trip. It was when I sat shoulder to shoulder with a guy named Charlie (everyone knew his name because he spoke loudly to himself in the third person everyday). He was the nicest schizophrenic I’ve ever met.

I remember telling Anne-Terese that I felt so alive in Boston, especially on the bus, because it felt like I was really a part of a community- a real community not divided by race, economics or even mental health. I remember saying that I was living the life I want to live when I literally rub shoulders with the mentally ill and others who are so different from me. Of course I know that’s exactly why most people don’t like riding the bus. I don’t know why I’m wired this way.

Anyway, I had forgotten about that conversation until yesterday when on the bus I met a guy named Dwayne an artist/homeless man. He was super nice, just a little lonely. We chatted for awhile and I felt alive again. And I went to the Grand Central Market downtown and mixed it up with every race possible! It was awesome. I crave diversity. It was good for me to remember this, since West LA is diverse in race, but not economic status. I have to make sure I get out of this area regularly and experience LA for the diverse crazy place it is.

All this to say, I was a little melancholy yesterday missing my friends in Boston, but also energized by remembering what makes me love life. The day can be summed up by a quote I saw yesterday painted on the side of a building downtown, “In this world there is a painful progress, longing for what lies behind and dreaming for the future.”

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I hope it's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yep, I know...you haven't heard from me in awhile. You would think this is the point where I humble myself and say I don't have a good excuse, but that wouldn't be true!

My computer crashed...dead...a fatal blow to every file and program I had. Anyway, the Geek Squad restored it for me so I am now back in business as far as emailing goes.

And then there's this thing called day time minutes. Yep, I would have called, but I ran over my minutes last month and learned an expensive lesson about keeping my yap shut! With the time difference anyone I talk to in Texas or Mass will be daytime minutes. Good news, I've upped my plan so I can gab away (for the most part).

All that to say, I love you dearly I've just been in no-woman's-land as far as communicating goes. I promise I'll be better!