August 25th, 2007
Walked outside this morning and it felt more like Tulum, Mexico…
Good day for screwing around outside…finally! Now that late May has passed, I can get to cutting some grass in the deep tropical heat of mid-July.
Actually I spent some quality time with my chainsaw today. Cleaning up some downed branches, trying to clear out two smallish trees which were blocking my 2.4Ghz…notice the word ‘trying’?
I weigh 200 pounds for the first time in years, after all the sweating. I feel like not drinking anything to savor the moment.
The creek was an amazing cool refreshing temperature. It went perfect with 95′F and whatever the humidity was…time to put it away for the year though, I fear…
Off to Overdorfs to ruin my new-found lightness!
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August 21st, 2007
Arabian Nights.
Scheherazade and 1001 Tales, by El Cid.
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Tale #3 - Wa’lad: (Boy), A Tale of Regret.
We spent our last couple of days in Jeddah – a really beautiful city on the Red Sea. One of the places I wanted D to see was the marketplace in Old Jeddah (one of the 1001 places to see before you die according to the book of the same name). After some discussion it was decided that it was much too hot to try to get out of the car and walk around Old Jeddah with two babies and a couple of people who are unaccustomed to temperatures over 100 and humidity of 44% or greater.
So we took a driving tour of Old Jeddah (quite an adventure, and a tale for another night). After our adventure (and I kid you not – it was an adventure) we stopped at a gas station for gas. I noticed some people sitting by the gas pumps on one of the islands at the gas station. I asked M why they were sitting there – there were two women, a baby and about 3 children. It was sooo hot and it seemed like a miserable place to “hang out”. M told me that they were poor and they hung out there hoping that people would give them money. They weren’t begging or asking for money. They were just sitting there in the heat with the smell of gasoline around them. M said that they were probably illegal aliens from one of the war torn countries of Africa.
Because they are illegal aliens they can’t get papers to work at regular jobs, so the men will usually do menial jobs that Saudis don’t want to do and the women and children will beg. M said that if we were going to give one of them money we had to give them all money. So we got together enough to give them all 1 Riyal each (about 27 cents). One of the children was a little boy (wa’lad). He was about 4 or 5. When M called them over to the car, the children held back until he called them over too. He gave them each a Riyal and the look on that boy’s face will stay with me for a long time. He was so happy – his smile covered his whole face.
I couldn’t stop myself from comparing his life with the life of my grandbabies. I still think about him. I can’t even describe the emotions I feel. His gratitude and happiness at given so little. I could not look away from him the entire time we were at the gas station. I am not a person who usually feels discontented with their life. And since SA I feel it even less. When I start to want things or look around and think I need to get this or I need to get that I think of that little boy. I send him wishes (for what they are worth) of hope that he will have a good life. And I regret not giving more.
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August 20th, 2007
The electric bill I just recieved was for $51 dollars. Teh win. I just donkey punched PP&L. Oh, and they’re raising our rates because Baby Jesus knows that residential customers can easily afford a rate increase, compared to big business. I mean, come on people, corporations need welfare and help just like the next person making minimum wage…looks like they’re finally convinced that Reganomics works just like everyone always said it does…break out the party favors!
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Watched 
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest last night and found it less entertaining than I had hoped. Been watching such serious fair that I was really looking forward to a little light entertainment and it just really never went anywhere. The bit of sexual tension between Depp and Knightley was interesting, but other than that mildly amusing yet trite plot prop…
I CAN NOT BELIEVE that it won an Oscar. So this is what the world has come to…
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