Sunday, September 11, 2005

4 years

It's been four years already. The Discover channel had a great documentary on the flight that rebelled. It had actual voice recordings and interviews with family members as well as the images ingrained in our memories. The weeks following constituted of a steady diet of news channels...day and night. When there was no access to television, it was online news.

Today it's all about Katrina and that chaos. I can't believe how ignorant people are about the number of poor, class differences, and race. No one can claim ignorance, unless they have not hit the age of reason or live in a bubble. The poor have a face we have all seen everyday on the way to work. It's the homeless people avoid or won't look in the eye let alone take out a dollar to put in the cup.

I could not make it to Spanish mass today. I attended English mass just in the nick of time. I was seated at 6:58 PM and mass started at 7 PM. I love going to Spanish mass, it keeps me in tune with the language. If it was not for Spanish mass, I would not be exposed to Spanish in any way. I now speak to my parents in English, so that does not help. I cannot believe the differences. English mass is beautiful, but something in me resists making the change. I shouldn't generalize but I have to note the differences. The following pertains to my observations in mass settings:

1. Americans are so damn organized, Latinos not so much.
2. Could not hear a whimpering child, while in the Spanish mass it's a multitude of crying babies and parents who won't remove them from the church so the rest of us can hear what is being said.
3. English mass starts and ends on time. Spanish mass starts 10 minutes late and lasts 30 minutes extra.
4. Latinos don't sing, while English voices vibrate throughout the church - loud and beautiful.
5. All English speakers receive the eucharist. There are more Latinos who stay seated than those who partake in the feast. (I admit, I don't participate.)

What's swaying me to English mass is the full participation of everyone present, it makes it a more beautiful experience. I'll have to think about this one. Maybe I'll alternate weekends.

Bought curtains for my living room. Haven't found the perfect color for the bedroom. I'm spending too much money on this place. Grrr!

Friday, September 09, 2005

Dinner and a movie

I went to a friend's home to watch Steel Magnolias and make dinner. He's seen Steel Magnolias more times than he cares to remember. I've seen it a handful of times myself, but it had been a while. It's funny how the same movie can evoke different feelings in different years. This time I had kidney failure and diabetes context...my loved ones. My friend, who lost his mother in April, could not watch the funeral scene.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Interview

I was asked to interview a new candidate for our group. I didn't want to do it, but I could not get out of it. Wow. This guy could really sell himself. So much so, I felt I was talking to a salesman and began to question how much was hype.

He: How long have you been with this group?
Me: Almost a year.
He: I see. You were in college last year then?

I didn't know whether to be flattered or offended.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

How long will it last?

My first attempt at having a roommate is not to my absolute liking. I normally go to sleep approx. 1 AM. With my roommate here two days a week, I have to be in my room by 9 PM. I haven't gone to bed at 9 PM since I was 9 years old, maybe 10.

This is not a stranger I'm talking about either. This is a friend. I can tell my patience is running low by the second night. I am so used to living alone that I wonder how I will manage should I ever get married.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Recycling

I now live in a city that recycles. (1) Organics. (2) Recyclable Materials. (3) Solid Waste. I'm not used to separating items. Which brings me to:

Plastic grocery bags can take up to 1,000 years to breakdown in a landfill.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Oblivious

I didn't find out about Katrina's devastation until Thursday. I knew there was a storm warning and that was the last I heard. I heard a soundbite about flooding. Turned on the TV Thursday and finally saw images. You can't help but feel helpless except for donating what you can.

It's not that I am normally oblivious to news. There has literally been no time to check CNN during the week. On average 16 hour workdays with no minute to waste. My spare time was dedicated to my move.

Now I am in my new city and place. Love it. My commute is shorter. I have about 50 boxes to unpack, but no energy to do it. Today I watched the news and some movies. Read a little bit. It was a total rest day. Me and my couch.

Let see what tomorrow brings.