So, first off, I apologize for not yet responding to Brother M's comment about my Terry Schiavo post. In the frenzy of preparing for my trip to Ireland, my poor little Waxing Prosaic blog was neglected. And now that so much has happened between my last post and now, I've got other things I'd like to write about. For now, though, I'd just like to say that I hope Terry Sciavo's family is able to find some peace now that the political circus that had made her their headlining act has left town (for the time being, anyway). And, my personal lesson learned: Put down in writing what my wishes are for my own medical treatment should I ever suffer brain trauma that severe.
OK then! Let's transition awkwardly from personal tragedy exploited for political gain to M's return to the good old U.S. of A. two Tuesdays ago! S and I had a marvelous time in Ireland and thoroughly enjoyed all the food, sight-seeing, exploring, and time spent with my parents. I returned home so filled up on puréed vegetable soup, brown bread, Cadbury chocolate, and salmon that I'm near to bursting, and my newly ill-fitting pants are the proof. Sigh. I'm just so resentful of the positive correlation between overeating and gaining weight.
As for the sight-seeing, the highlights for S and I were the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast, Giant's Causeway on the northeastern coast, Donegal Town, and the town of Westport. We also found the day we spent in Derry (site of The Troubles and Bloody Sunday) in Northern Ireland educational and quite worth the visit. Exploring Westport, Donegal Town, and Galway with S was lots of fun, especially considering our good luck with the weather. Sunshine! Blue sky! Mild temperatures!
Spending time in Ireland and learning about its history (rocky) and status quo (economically booming) was refreshing and stimulating, but coming back home to the States was nice, too. Some bits of my American life that I missed while on the Emerald Isle included public-toilet-seat protectors, robust plumbing, racial diversity (my mom on Day 7 of our trip: "I think I've only seen, like, three black people total since we've arrived here!"), Starbucks...and unfashionable people. Like most Europeans, I suppose, the Irish are so stylishly dressed, it intimidates me. No one, anywhere, looks frumpy. It made me self-concious to be trekking around in what I thought were cool Adidas trail-running shoes when everyone around me had on sleek, narrow, minimalist urban casual shoes that weren't quite trainers but weren't quite something you'd wear to work. (One of my first orders of business upon returning home was to pick up a couple of pairs of sleek, narrow, minimalist urban casual shoes myself: I've now got a cute pair of Pumas in ecru suede and a pair of Adidas made of Asian-style embroidered satin. Hooray!) In Ireland, everyone's jeans were darker, crisper, and better tailored, and I saw no one---I mean, no one---in anything oversized.
Getting back to the U.S. was bittersweet, because while our vacation was over (boooo!), the California sunshine was strong and brilliant, and everything in Los Angeles was in bloom. I've been marvelling at the green trees and richly colored flowers ever since. I even bought some potted tulips for our front stoop. I'm trying hard not to kill them.
About three days after returning from Ireland, I hiked with some coworkers in a poppy preserve in the Antelope Valley (two hours north of L.A.). The scenery was so breath-takingly beautiful, it almost seemed fake, like a Hollywood creation. Rolling hills were covered in wildflowers: Goldfield, clover, and California poppies. Snow-capped mountains served as a backdrop. It rivalled even the most gorgeous scenery I saw in Ireland, and it made me proud that, while this country is definitely going through a rough patch on political, governmental, and socioeconomic levels, it's still got plenty of stunning natural beauty to admire.
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3 comments:
M,
Well, Schiavos family never really got peace. After she was murdered, the "husband" made sure that she was not buried anywhere near where the people who loved her wanted. As for the "even though our president is crap" title, let's hear it for Maureen Dowd. She must have hijacked my sister into bashing things, without offering a better alternative. Perhaps people would like it if women were still being openly beat in the street of Afganistan, Iraq, and Libya. Perhaps it would be great to not have Lebanon have it's own country and still be controlled by Syria. Brother of M has personaly seen the one of the terrorist strongholds in Syria, and is glad that these people will no longer be in Lebanon. Why is it that people supported President Clinton for his actions in the Bosnia/Serbia war? The answer is simple, it was the right thing to do. People were being slaughtered for being of a different religion. Interesting that the same situation occured in Iraq, but those people have gone silent that support the right thing. I'm getting quite frustrated with people who keep bashing Bush, social security reform, tax reform, actually voting on judges(2 women that Bush wants), etc. I think it would be great if they came up with other solutions. I would love to hear them. For example, I'm not happy about the social security reform. Instead of complaining about it, I wrote a letter with my plan. Let us invest all of our money, instead of someone else doing it for us. There you go, positive action. In conclusion, please M, don't sink to infantile name calling. You're far better than that.
Dear Brother of M,
Thanks again for your comments. Nothing like a little spirited debating, although I'm not totally sure how you went from Terry Schiavo to Syrian terrorists to social security reform all in one breath. I'm not following your train of thought so well; it comes off more like an unorganized tirade. (Re-read it, and you'll see what I mean.)
Also, I'm allowed to call the president "crap" on my blog, because it's MY BLOG. Don't like it? Don't read it. Also, bear in mind that a sense of humor is a good thing to have.
Lovingly yours,
M, "the infantile name caller"
Ha! That's rich. I love it.
I really think you two argue more now, than when you were living under the same roof. Guess that's due to lack of my calming presence! I know though that you'll both agree that it's good to live in a country where you're free to express your own opinions. Mom
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