Odd Turkey Effect?

It's an odd day. Not a bad day...just odd.

Last night I celebrated Thanksgiving with my brother Chris along with his family and friends. There was plenty of food and laughter (both always a good thing). I was the early to bed one...and slept well. Up for coffee, I didn't bother with my morning exercise.

On a related topic, I found a mini-tramp to get some aerobic exercise in the coming winter (this being a good thing for my detox work). It was a good buy. The sports shop had an odd way of going about making the sale...but, like I said, it was an odd day.

Chris and fam were eager to go see the newest Batman movie. In my humble opinion, it was not good at all. I always have a problem with matinees anyhow. Still, the movie was a downer for sure!

There's plenty more to consider writing about...but I'd like to spend some more time with my relations. I'll be driving off tomorrow at sunrise.

Sandy Consumerism

Yesterday, I drove from Teec to Sandy, Utah. It's a long drive (about 7 hours). I chopped it up into small bites. First, I made it to Pam and David's just north of Cortez for a morning conversation and coffee. Then, I made an impromptu stop in Cahone at too-much-of-something-back-in-the-60s friend who owns the old trading post (to visit and buy fresh beans). Finally, I explored an interesting thrift store in Moab (part of what makes it interesting is that it is open on Sundays). I managed to pull up to Chris and Jane's just before the sunset.

Today was a fine mix of productive and consumptive. Feeling motivated, I trekked down to the nearby Starbucks for a fancy coffee and to work on my current novel. I can feel my brain hemorrhaging over the process on some days and on other days (like today) the pen writes by itself. Odd, eh? I felt content with my writing by lunch and so made my mecca to Ross's, Ikea, and a nearby mall.

Ruth, an attractive Israeli kiosk salesperson, tried to convince me to buy some cleaning oil/salt from the Dead Sea and polished one of my nails. She also gave me a list of places I needed to go in Costa Rica. I didn't buy anything. Should I feel guilty? No.

Back to the Steps

Sometimes you seek inspiration and it's just around the corner. Yesterday was a corner. I had a guest speaker from a local college. I was impressed with how well she connected with the ladies in my class. After her presentation, my students went to spend playtime with their children and I took a minute to visit with Michele.

Her being Native gives her insight that I sometimes lack. She gave me some ideas for a health unit. We talked about specifics and possibilites. I sometimes forget about the potential differences I'm making as an instructor of adult students. I once asked a group of my students to list the people their education had a direct impact on; one grandmother had over 50 relatives listed! So, while the numbers in my class may be small, the impact of my efforts can be great.

I guess physical health has been on my mind...but I've not been putting time into other health aspects. In my mind, I'm returning to 12 steps work. For myself I've added the 13th step of "Move on!". It's powerful to sincerely look at yourself in the mirror (both literally and figuratively). I need to help give my students some of the tools needed to thrive in this world. So, I'm inspired and realigning with all of the potential. It's good!

Is This Dull?

Today is traditional dress day at the school. Already I'm seeing girls in velvet dresses with turquoise jewelry. I used to have a ribbon shirt I'd wear on such days, but sold it at a yard sale along the way.

My job is stressful. I'd say somewhere around a 7 on most days. I guess I wouldn't mind the stress as much if I felt it was accomplishing something. I'm constantly reminded I only have control over my own actions. Students and coworkers will do what they do. I look forward to one day being my own boss.

It is the middle of the week and I'm rolling towards the weekend and a full week off for Thanksgiving. I have the usual coffee shop stop on Saturday, a cribbage game on Sunday morning and the long drive to my brother Chris and his family on Sunday afternoon.

My writing isn't the best this morning. I guess I'm feeling pretty uninspired. I promise a more lively ponder on my next attempt.

Twanglish and Dental Jackhammers

I had an epiphany several weeks back. Twanglish! My God it describes everything and nothing. Twanglish! The newest in vogue proof of being a true American. Twanglish-was I the first to come up with this term?

I google the term this morning. Damn...others have been using it! In fact, it seems to have been used for some time (I'm thinking Joe Bob Briggs and his movie reviews from long ago may have been the origin of written Twanglish). Maybe I'd picked it up subconsciously from some politician or collective consciousness or alien mind probes.

I've had a fine weekend. I visited friends. Last night, I was the guest of honor at an inpromptu dinner party. I got to pass around some photo albums from my summer travels. I got to hear/connect/reconnect/share...just plain communicate. This shouldn't feel like a luxury, but at this point in my life it does. It was really great!

One of the topics of conversation was my plans to get my wisdom teeth pulled. The opinions were mixed. Several yeahs... a couple of nays.

Lew, a retired educator and gardener extraordinaire (who recently made the observation that his garlic bulbs were 47% larger than the original seeders), shared his scientific opinion of getting my dental work done. "I had one pulled by a dentist and one pulled by an oral surgeon. The tooth done by the dentist took several weeks to heal. The one done by the oral surgeon took only three days." Of course, we were all intrigued by Lew's observations. He went on to describe the life story of crime lived by his oral surgeon. Pressed for more information on his dentist, Lew shared, "He used a kind of miniture jackhammer that he wound up to chip at my tooth".

Laughing yourself to sleep is never a bad thing. As for by blog, I'll just "Get-R-Done!".

Sunday Reflections

You ever have one of those day when acquaintances smilingly invade your space with, "How are you?'? For me there is a short pause before I respond. Usually, I weigh being honest against not being a bummer.

I phoned Cheryl at the rehab center yesterday afternoon. She would have left a message she said. The hawk had 3/4ths inch of exposed bone and had to be put to sleep...she didn't think leaving this news on my answering machine was right. We talked for awhile and her voice cracked up a couple of times. I assured her we both did everything we could.

On a related topic, my neighbor stopped by last night to see if the bird had died (he wanted the tail feathers). I told him the woman at the rehab center was upset and I hadn't asked what they did with the body. He left after a short time; I guess he could sense that I felt the bird was worth more alive.

I spent some time working on my most recent novel last night. I plan to complete all of my revisions before I leave on my winter break trip to Costa Rica. The long list of considerations from Kevin McColley, as well as comments from a local friend who gave feedback on Navajo tradition, need to be considered. I enjoy revision; to me it's something like a word puzzle. How do you across to the readers all you mean to?

My hand has nearly healed. I did wake up with a late night concern. I felt itchy here and there. Most likely it is from the change in weather. I worried about getting mites or some other parasite from the bird handling. It brought emotional flashbacks of my earliest time with Neuro-Cutaneous Syndrome (Morgellons if you prefer). I didn't rest well and changed my bedding when I got up. I guess part of healing is dissolving the trauma.

As I once told a friend--I don't like books or movies that are predictable. Why would I want a life that's predictable?

Hawk in Hand

I like to walk. Friends know this. Neighbors know this. Dogs know this.

My afternoon trek is never lonely. The present parade down the dirt roads of Teec includes a brown dog named Baby Girl (very, very loyal...that's another story), an extremely ugly black dog left by a retired librarian, a fluffy mixed color dog, and a small brown puppy with a nasal problem (got hit, got repaired, runs wild). Sometimes one or two of the boys in the hood join us on their bikes.

Last night, it was just the dogs and me. We did the 3 mile loop and were on our way back to staff housing, when the puppy ran off in the brush and started chasing something. I stomped over yelling at the pup the whole way. As I got closer, I could make out it was a bird with one wing twisted and bloody off to the side.

I wanted to get it away from the dogs, so instinctually I scooped it up with my bare hands. Big mistake! I realized it was a hawk as it curled claws ripped into the palm of my hand. Part of was shocked with pain, another was amazed at how easily the claws slipped through my skin.

Somehow I managed to get the claws out of me and dropped the bird back on the ground. I slipped out of my sweatshirt and padded the space between me and the bird. It stayed with me through the night...exploring the amazing world of Joe's desk and hot water heater.

As I type, it is in a box next to me. I'll make the journey up to Dolores and a rehab center sometime today. It's an immature Red-tail. Let's hope for a quick recovery.

Shifty Week

What's up with this week? Daylight savings time makes me wonder. It may have made complete sense when most of us were farmers, but it makes no sense now.

Speaking of outdated shifts, when are we going to fix our Presidential elections? Again, the electorial system did make sense when we all rode in buggies. Are we really living in a Democracy, if our system doesn't always reflect on the common vote? I guess these are questions best left for the next Green party picnic I attend.

Still, it is a week of shift. We get to adjust to the new time. We get to find out who our new president and VP will be.

I'm very much hoping to see a Joe finally making it into the White House. Never has my first name been more abused and politic-warped than in this election. From "Joe the Plumber" to Palin's debate pun of "Say it ain't so, Joe" (who does she have as a speech writer? Maybe a retired writer for Hee Haw?). The Joes of America must stand tall. Go Biden!

Happy Shifting, Joe The Teacher

Foggy Thoughts

Yesterday, I visited an old friend. It was great to see her. She passed on the news that another friend of ours had committed suicide. I hate this kind of news. I'd not been in touch with him in a couple of years. He'd been the one to convince me to give Bahrain a try and also to consider Tai Chi for exercise.

For every piece of crappy news in life, there' something good. Reflecting on it has made me want to reconnect with old friends. Friends really are our "Family of choice".

My query on blogging today is not so deep. What is the difference between blogs and journals?