violetismycolor

Stories...

I love stories.  They give me insights into other lives, lives that I will never experience in any other way.  It's the reason that I have been a TV-addict since early childhood.  

My parents fed my story addiction by taking me to drive-in movies, mostly of the Disney variety.  My first sit-down-in-a-movie-theater movie was The Sound of Music, which was a story of grand scale:  Nazis, singing siblings, the beauty of Austria, romance.  Next up was Help! with the Beatles.  Come on, Paul McCartney and the hilarity of a true chase film.  What's not to love?

I discovered history books in the library at my Catholic grade school.  I became addicted to history, too.   These were stories set in a period when men and women wore beautiful clothes and rode on horses and carried knives and swords.  What's not to like?  

In high school, I found the novel, Gone With the Wind...history, belles in ballgowns, Rhett Butler and a great love story...I read it at least a dozen times.   

Now, I read at least 4 books at any given time, belong to a book club, consistently have a book on CD in my car, have a dozen TV shows programmed into my DVR, and go to the movies when I can.  Story, my favorite thing.  

nibs and nubs...

I went for my annual dermatological exam yesterday and came home with a sore spot and a bandage.  I had a little hard cyst on my abdomen.  The doctor removed and and added a couple of stitches...it hurt like heck all night and today was bothering me, too.  Getting old truly sucks!

We are getting ready for the visit from Priya's parents.  We met them in September, when we flew to San Francisco for a few days.  Mallika, the mom, made us a wonderful dinner...making sure to keep in mind that I was gluten and dairy free.  Everything was delicious and we had a nice conversation.  

Now that we have settled the date for the Portland wedding for April 28, 2012...we have even more to talk about.  Adam and Priya will have the big Indian wedding in March sometime.  We are hoping that we hear what the firm date for that event will be, this weekend.  And we have many other wedding details to work out.  It's exhausting, just thinking about it.

Portland problems...

The Occupy Portland movement is reaching a critical juncture.  The two occupied squares are having increasing problems, with crime and drugs and stench.  Someone described it as moving from the 99% to the 1%, the 1% of the population that is homeless, or mentally ill, or criminal.  There are probably more than 1% of the population that are homeless/mentally ill/criminal, but I get their point.  

The Occupy Movement has been instrumental in getting the country to wake up to the income inequality and corporate/banking malfeasance that has torn at our country's foundations.  It has changed the conversation and I think that that is a blessing.  Maybe even the saving grace for our country.  

But...

A movement without an organization that can move forward, with a structure and leadership, to get ONE or TWO specific issues moving towards resolution and change, cannot succeed.  

Now, our mayor, Sam Adams, has given the Portland Occupy Movement a deadline of clearing out by midnight Sunday.  How will the movement handle it?  Will there be violence, like there was in Berkeley, California?  Will the movement shift and regroup?  Die out?  

And if movements like this die out or take a break for the winter months, will the conversation shift again to less important topics?  I hope not.  I think we need change and it is going to take hard work and sacrifice from all of us.  I hope we can all pitch in and make this a better country before it gets worse.

 

My 55th birthday...

And I want to write every day and talk about something important to me.

First of all, my family.  Awesome birthday.  Adam, Bonnie, and Ross all called and expressed their love and support for me.  Could I ask for anything more?  No.  

My friends:  Coffee this morning brought gluten-free cake AND presents!  

Adam and Priya will be having their wedding reception at Portland City Grill and I went in and signed the contract and paid the fee to hold the space.

So much joy in the making.