I LOVE my house. It is old and run down and I absolutely LOVE IT! My husband and I bought it almost 5 years ago. It had cracked plaster walls and red shag rug throughout. There was a place on the living room ceiling that had been patched once because there must have been a terrible flood from upstairs.
We bought it and I started cleaning it because that is what I do. I started on the stove. there were YEARS of grease stored in that stove. I got it all clean--finally-- and noticed that the plug was sparking when water hit it. Why? A rat had eaten through the insulation on the wire--I was tempting death by electrocution!
My husband said, "We'll patch the cracks and paint it and it'll be beautiful." I started picking at the walls till they came tumbling down. Let me tell you that plaster is HEAVY. One garbage can full at a time, out it went. Then there were none. . no walls no ceilings. . no red shag carpet.
When you strip off the top layer there can be beauty and opportunity behind. We have beautiful heart pine floors and new electrical wiring and new plumbing. Some rooms have walls and ceilings now. We have a beautiful kitchen and built in bookcases in the family room (all thanks to my wonderful talented husband), but there are some rooms that still have potential, but no drywall.
I LOVE my house. I love the squeaky floors and the fact that there are no 90 degree corners. And I love my husband for doing all the work he does without getting overwhelmed by the immensity of the job (like I do sometimes).
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Reflections on an image
I tried many times to get a picture from my computer onto this page. I tried to copy and paste, but it would not paste. Let me describe it to you. It is a picture of my husband and myself when we were getting married in Belize a little over 3 years ago. The ceremony was held on a gazebo that was at the end of a long dock. I don't remember the name of the body of water but you can see the water in the background and the shore in the distance. I am wearing a dress with large red flowers on it that I had bought, not for this purpose, when I went in to have new tires put on my car at JC Penny at Virginia Center Commons. I had some time to kil so wandered through the mall and found this beautiful dress for $19.95. Can't beat that for the cost of a wedding dress. Rob, my husband is wearing khaki shorts and a blue shirt with some kind of crazy decoration on it. Neither of us is wearing shoes (although you can't see that in the picture.)
The thing that is striking about the picture is the fact that we both look so sad. I haven't looked at these pictures in a while and when I conjured the image in my head during class I did not see the sad expressions.
I can speak for myself and hopefully for Rob as well that we were NOT sad at all. We were trying not to cry (me less sucessfully than he) but not from sadness. Rather from the sheer joy of finally being with the person that completes us. I had been married for many years in a tumultous relationship and had decided when my first husband died that I would NEVER put myself in THAT situation again. But then I met Rob and knew that there were some good people in the world and I was one of the lucky ones.
So the interesting thing about the image is that it tells a story, but maybe not the one you might make up for yourself if you see it without knowing the history behind the characters portrayed.
This was an interesting assignment. It prompted me to think about the reality of versus the impression conveyed by an image.
The thing that is striking about the picture is the fact that we both look so sad. I haven't looked at these pictures in a while and when I conjured the image in my head during class I did not see the sad expressions.
I can speak for myself and hopefully for Rob as well that we were NOT sad at all. We were trying not to cry (me less sucessfully than he) but not from sadness. Rather from the sheer joy of finally being with the person that completes us. I had been married for many years in a tumultous relationship and had decided when my first husband died that I would NEVER put myself in THAT situation again. But then I met Rob and knew that there were some good people in the world and I was one of the lucky ones.
So the interesting thing about the image is that it tells a story, but maybe not the one you might make up for yourself if you see it without knowing the history behind the characters portrayed.
This was an interesting assignment. It prompted me to think about the reality of versus the impression conveyed by an image.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Difference
Everyone is different. We are different genders, different 'races' (whatever that means), different sizes, different shapes, have different abilities and interests. We come from different places in the world so we have different cultures, religions, beliefs. Some of us know alot and some of don't know so much. There are many waysw that we are different and most of us notice the differences right away. Not only do we notice the differences, but we make value judgements about the differences. "He's fat." or "Her hair looks better than mine." "He is much better than that than I am."
Buddhist talk about 'accepting the differences.' Maybe we continue to notice them, but we eliminate the judgement part. That's a grand goal and one I aspire to, but one which I haven't achieved yet. . . "She did though. . . I wish I was as open minded as HER!"
We talked the other day about WHY difference is important. The class mostly decided that we separate ourselves from others and notice differences because we want to be noticed for who we are as individuals. We want to 'stand out from the crowd' to show how special we are, but at the same time we have a need to fit in. The need to fit in may have roots in biology. Animals have to live in groups because each individual can't do everything needed for survival. We need to surround ourselves with others for protection and support, both physical and emotional.
We surround ourselves with people like us. People with like experiences who will understand our point of view and the things we say without a lot of explanation. Think about cliques. Oreven the groups that form in a large crowd. Members of the groupd will look superficially alike. Within the large group there may be smaller groups or people more deeply alike. . . Like concentric circles. And even within those groups each person strives to maintain his/her individuality.
Buddhist talk about 'accepting the differences.' Maybe we continue to notice them, but we eliminate the judgement part. That's a grand goal and one I aspire to, but one which I haven't achieved yet. . . "She did though. . . I wish I was as open minded as HER!"
We talked the other day about WHY difference is important. The class mostly decided that we separate ourselves from others and notice differences because we want to be noticed for who we are as individuals. We want to 'stand out from the crowd' to show how special we are, but at the same time we have a need to fit in. The need to fit in may have roots in biology. Animals have to live in groups because each individual can't do everything needed for survival. We need to surround ourselves with others for protection and support, both physical and emotional.
We surround ourselves with people like us. People with like experiences who will understand our point of view and the things we say without a lot of explanation. Think about cliques. Oreven the groups that form in a large crowd. Members of the groupd will look superficially alike. Within the large group there may be smaller groups or people more deeply alike. . . Like concentric circles. And even within those groups each person strives to maintain his/her individuality.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
First time blogging
I have never blogged before!! For many of you that may sound quaint, even ridiculous. But for me the idea of expressing my ideas on the internet for the world to see is outrageous and a bit intimidating. I'm not a member of Facebook because I am not sure people need to know that much about me. But college opens up all kinds of opportunities and provides for new experiences so this is one of them. So. . . I'm a blogger. . . and a female. . . and a student. . . and a wife. . and a daughter. . and a mother. . . and a friend. . . This class is called Documentary Studies: Gender and Identity so I've given you some identifing characteristics about myself. It'll be interesting to see what changes as the semester goes on.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
