Memories

Aren't memories amazing? In our minds, we can remember being somewhere, or talking with someone, or doing some activity. Years, even decades later. Like an internal blog.

There are different types of memories, and I don't just mean the categories listed above. What I mean is there are memories where we can recall specific sequences of events. We remember it like a story. And then there are memories where we can recall how we felt, or the emotional state we had when we were experiencing it firsthand. Of course, I think the best memories are combinations of the two (unless of course there were painful emotions involved).

All this talk of memories was prompted by a relatively simple entry that my friend Steve posted on his blog. His family is taking a week-long vacation in a cabin in the mountains of Scotland. When I read his blog and looked at the picture, for some reason an incredibly strong memory from when we spent 3 weeks in Scotland came to mind. I don't know exactly why this memory came to me, but it was so vivid, I practically felt like I was there. Not literally, mind you, but the emotions, the feelings felt at that particular moment during my trip 5 years ago felt as fresh as if they had just happened.

The memory that came to me was when we stayed at a youth hostel in Cannich, about half an hour's drive from Loch Ness. The youth hostel was not exactly in the mountains, not exactly in the woods, but definitely a rural setting. There was a campground nearby, and a playground. The specific memory was when we were walking from the hostel, or maybe the playground, to a little convenience store nearby to get some breakfast items. I think. When I type it, it sounds completely unremarkable. I don't even have all the details. But that wasn't the power of the memory. I could feel it as if I was right there. Like a state of mind rather than a state of activity. Now that I am trying, I realize it's hard to describe. And not only does the way I felt emotionally come back to me, but other sensory things too: the cool crispness of the air, the little bags of crisps which were a staple of our inexpensive homemade lunches, the clean "Britishness" of everything.



At any rate, when I get a memory like that, it often makes me extremely wistful to be in that place again. Perhaps that's one of the negative parts of traveling...you often long to be somewhere else. I remember once getting the same yearning for Costa Rica from memories induced by, of all things, diesel fumes (not a surprise, though, since they say our sense of smell is the sense most connected to memory).


Using Google images, this is, I think, the hostel we stayed in. Not an attractive shot, but that's irrelevant. It's what's in my head that's so valuable.

If you want to see Steve's post about his upcoming vacation, there's a link to his blog on the right.

Ode to Britney Spears

I'm doing poetry with my classes right now, and I wrote a sonnet today while one of my classes was working. I had just seen a thing online about Britney Spears, so I started with the title "Ode to Britney Spears" and just went with whatever flowed. Strange thing is, I'm really not one of those Brit-watchers. I'm annoyed by the kind of people that I impersonate in this poem. Britney Spears is one of many examples of humanity at its saddest and most pathetic, and I wish people could muster up the will to turn the channel or not buy the gossip rag. But enough disclaimers.

I was tired of seeing my "screaming kid" post at the top of my blog, so I'm throwing this on just for a change.

Ode to Britney Spears
By Wayne Eury

Whenever I turn on the cable news
No matter the day or the hour
It seems that I’m always treated to views
Of struggles and needs that are dour

But there’s one thing I always trust to enjoy
A girl whose life’s gone astray
Oh, Britney, how could you ignore your boys
And go binging again one more day

So 'til Cox brings the Train Wreck Channel to my screen
I’ll have to settle for Brit
The photogs so cruel and the cameras so mean
Their passion for pain never quits

Though guilty do I feel when I watch it
I do so love watching Brit botch it

Withhold judgment on that parent with the screaming child

Went to Costco after work with the kids. Needed gas. Bella had had no nap and was falling apart as we parked the car. She wanted me to hold her. I did not want to hold her. Neither one of us was going to budge on this. The difference is I was not crying and screaming about it. But I refused to give in, so I did the dreaded deed that so many parents have done at times. You know the deed. You've no doubt witnessed it (or heard it) if you haven't done it yourself.

I dragged my screaming kid through the store while I shopped.

Yes, everyone looked. Some people even looked a little annoyed. At least it was Costco, nice and roomy. A screaming fit in Trader Joe's is hard to hide, but a screaming fit in Costco is manageable, although still a little embarrassing.

To clarify, I didn't exactly drag her. I held her hand firmly and walked. I continually (and calmly, I'm proud to say) gave her the option: she could ride in the cart or she could walk. I had had a hard day. I was tired. She's heavy. I was not going to carry her. Period.

After getting through half the store, I finally gave her the option of riding on my shoulders, which she took, much to the relief of all the other shoppers, I'm sure. I kind of gave in, I suppose, but it's easier to carry her on my shoulders than in my arms. So I can justify it that way. Neither of us got exactly what we wanted, but we came to an agreeable solution. Yes, you can compromise with a 3-year-old.

Anyway, the whole experience made me think of the times when I've seen a parent with a screaming kid in a store. I always make a bit of a silent judgment. It's only human. Man, that kid is spoiled. Or that kid's a brat. Or that parent has no control. But sometimes it's just been a long day. Sometimes, circumstances prevent the normal nap from occurring. Sometimes, when you've driven 30 minutes to get to a store, you can't just turn around and go home because your kid is throwing a fit. Sometimes you refuse to give in because you know it will make it worse next time. Sometimes it's not a loss of control, but a carefully orchestrated, noisy control.

I know. I just lived it a few hours ago.

Single-parenting for 4 days...ice cream for dinner

Cristina is in Seattle for her cousin's wedding, so I'm a single parent for four days. Last night, we needed to go grocery shopping. I'm having a potluck at work on Friday, and I offered to make Costa Rican-style arroz con pollo (rice with chicken). It's kind of time consuming to make, and if everyone hadn't gotten so excited about it, I probably would have changed to something easy (i.e. store-bought) at the last minute, but it was too late for that. Knowing I had to make arroz con pollo on top of grocery shopping and getting the kids to bed meant I did not have the energy or time to cook a real meal for the family. So on the way home, I picked up Panda Express (just for the kids). That way I could get them to bed, make my arroz con pollo, and eat a little of that for my dinner before hitting the sack.

Well, I didn't finish the arroz con pollo until 11 pm. While I was fixing it, I ate a bowl of ice cream. That turned out to be my dinner. Nice.

Usually Bella wakes me up at 5:30 (half an hour before my alarm goes off), but for some reason, she slept snuggled up to me through several rounds of me hitting snooze on my alarm clock. So I got going a little late and barely got Sofia and Lindsay to school on time, and didn't have time to feed Alex and Bella breakfast! So I bought them a breakfast burrito from Sonic. Man, I've done a pretty lame job of single-parenting! Cristina often runs late, but she's never had to resort to buying fast food.

I got to work a mere 5 minutes before my first class, but at least I have the arroz con pollo for the potluck, all the kids are fed and at school, and we now have at least a few groceries.

The fuel light came on in the van. Hope I don't run out of gas!

Tomorrow: service project with some Baha'is (we're painting a mural on an elementary school), then Horton Hears a Who with Peter and his kids. I'll grill hot dogs for dinner Saturday night. I'll just keep the junk food theme going!

I don't think there's anything planned for Sunday, except for picking Cristina up Sunday evening. Then we have 5 days to get ready for my mom, who is coming for 3 weeks.

Man, life is fast and packed chock full. When I have times like this I sometimes think of an old James Taylor song: "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. Any fool can do it. There ain't nothing to it. Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill, but since we're on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride. Isn't it a lovely ride?"

Criss Cross Applesauce

Funny Flight Attendants

This will be quick and completely random.

I'm in the process of tidying up a pile of old paperwork. I found a note that I had scribbled on the plane when I took Alex to Florida last November. I remember I was still relatively new to blogging then, and when the flight attendant kept saying funny things over the PA system, I jotted them down, thinking they'd make good blog-material.

So instead of just chucking the paper, I'm honoring my original intentions.

Here are some snippets of pure comedic joy from a nameless Delta flight attendant, most of which went completely unnoticed by the tired/jaded travelers. You have to imagine the lines being said in that sweet, borderline-sappy voice that all flight attendants use:

"We will be coming around with a complimentary beverage...or you may pay for it if you prefer."

"We will also be offering delicious peanuts with complimentary cocktail napkin. If peanuts don't tickle your fancy, we suggest you try our second option...the knuckle sandwich."

"We're making our initial descent into Orlando...home of Carrot Top."

"We hope you enjoy your stay in Orlando. If Orlando is not your intended destination, we still hope you enjoy your time there."

Oh well. Maybe she just nailed my sense of humor that night, but I thought she was hilarious. I'm not going to wrap this up with some lame disclaimer like "I guess you had to be there."

But maybe you did have to be there.