Half a Glass...

Life's really great here. Shaun had surgery on his foot last week and has been immobile in bed until today. (Half empty = Shaun can't do much to help; half full = when he heals, he won't be in constant foot pain.) Last night we discovered Molly had a major lice infestation which miraculously hadn't passed on to the rest of us. (Half empty = infested with lice; half full = only Molly). And I have Grampa's operation to look forward to (half empty = kidney removed; half full = cancer removed), and next weekend I'll be helping to clean out MooMoo's things (half empty = she's dead; half full = I might end up with some cool stuff).

As you can see, I'm teetering on the edge of positive thinking.

Four-Year-Old Wisdom

Everybody in the world loves you if you give them presents.

Missing Jane?

This is a fun video of Jane in Ireland. Too bad I can't figure out how to make it work on Blogger. If Jane read my blog, she could protest my next idea of posting it on you tube....

Moo reciting the ballad of Yukon Jake

Moo Moo's Christmas Message

Moo Moo, age 101.

(She's the one on the left)

Moo Moo is only 93 here. A spring chicken.

You can tell by the hat.

Moo Moo

A Loan From God

This came in the mail the other day, addressed to me. Though I don't believe in God, I was prepared to suspend my disbelief if God was going to give me money. I was impressed that God had figured out that I am deep in law school debt and wanted to help me out. And I figured that God's interest rate would be at least as good as the government's, if not better, because God shouldn't be greedy. I did wonder how these people got the direct line to God's finance department. Unfortunately, it wasn't a straightforward low-interest loan, but some complicated prayer process which, I began to suspect, would involve me giving rather than receiving. Alas.

Cameras

Last week I started my summer job as a law clerk. Things were going fine until I noticed the cameras everywhere -- in the hallways, in the kitchen where we eat lunch, in several of the main office areas. I've had a lifelong issue with cameras when they are pointed at me. I make faces. I cannot help myself. It's like a nervous tic. The secretary outside the senior partner's office has a split screen monitor with continuous feed from each of the cameras. I wonder how often she watches the screen, because now that I am aware of the cameras, I can't help but look directly at each one as I pass by, and I make a face. Sometimes just a subtle lift of the eyebrows, sometimes a quick and quirky smile. I work hard to not stick out my tongue. I really hope that after a while I get used to the cameras and can go about my day like a normal person. If not . . . well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I must admit, this is an issue I hadn't prepared for.

Berkeley Bowl Poet

A guy named Zach sits outside of Berkeley Bowl (grocery store) with his manual typewriter, offering poems to passersby. His typewriter ribbon is broken so he uses white mailing labels -- The keys make readable indentations on the white sticker. I asked him to write a poem about Lily. He did:

Lily is a little
and with her
whittling of the
years and days
she will be
some kind
of wonderflower
which is
relevant
to what
happened
to the
days
May
is
a very nice place
to stay and if
it must pass
at least it
is the nursery rhyme
with a lily grown
in winter.

I know you missed me

I finished finals and have been vacationing at home. Start a new (summer) job on tuesday. Either I'll be too busy to blog, or so busy I must blog. We'll see.

Geek Alert

Confession at the end of an email to my Constitutional law professor:

I feel like Mr. Spock on Star Trek when dealing with Con Law... "But Jim, that's illogical."

Law professor's response:

What does Spock know, anyway? Ask Data. He will run it through his positronic matrix and will come up with this same conclusion.

I've Been Here. Have You?

It is a lot like Switzerland. Except that there aren't any mountains. Or Swiss chalets (unless mobile homes count). Nor is it known for its chocolate, watches, bank accounts, army knives, or neutrality. I doubt that there are any Swiss people there either. But I suppose there could be some subtle similarities I overlooked as I passed on through. Like the name.

Freeway Driving Always Makes Me Sing

I drive by this apartment building sometimes on my way to school (actually, I'm driven). I wonder who would live so very close to the freeway, with thousands of people driving by, looking in the windows. And do the tenants worry that a car might hit their home? Shaun tried to explain to me how it wasn't likely to happen, based on some physics centrifugal force theory (which I suppose the building engineers probably thought of as well) but I just see cars within a few feet of the building and I'm not convinced.

Faki Me Spanaki

This is the name of a Greek recipe for lentil soup with spinach. It amuses me.

Berkeley

I used to have an Isuzu trooper, and one day as I was getting into my truck/SUV, a young man yelled at me as he walked by "you gas guzzling, communist capitalist!!!" Although my outward response was to look him in the eye and rev the engine, inwardly, I struggled with his words - they made me think ... I was certainly a gas-guzzler, but could one be both a communist and a capitalist at the same time?

Eight-Year-Old Wisdom

Some people think you're only on top of the world if you are a king or queen, but really, everyone is on top of the world unless you're jumping in the air or flying or something.

Nice Mommy, but...

Lily this morning: My mommy is a nice mommy. (Big Sigh, shaking her head), except she won't cut the crusts off my toast.

I'm sure could use this sign somewhere...