Well, I've been back home with the snows for a week now and once again am buried with work and what life is left when I put it aside. We had a wonderful time in St. Thomas. Our hosts were wonderful to be with and generous not only with sharing their time and their home with us but also allowing us to do what we wanted most -- spend our days at the beach in Magens Bay soaking up the sun, swimming in the ocean, reading books and otherwise relaxing. We ate dinners in and out, attended church and Bible Study at the Cathedral Church of All Saints, went to see Milk at the local movie theater, and attended a Arts Society concert featuring the young British pianist, Richard Ormrod. We also had long talks about life, love, politics, church, etc.
When I go on vacation I take a big bag of books and select volumes more or less on a whim. Often, however, some connecting themes emerge even though my selections are pretty random. What I ended up reading this time were the following: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (our book club's selection for this month), Brushed by the Butterfly's Wings by E. Scott Tapscott ("Scottie," a friend of our hosts). Taft by Ann Patchett, The Mission Song by John le Carre, and a good chunk of Leap by Terry Tempest Williams.
Someday I might write about some of the thoughts that percolated up during vacation, but alas there is much to catch up on here. Also, my husband and I have begun a strict diet in hopes of not only losing a lot of excess weight but also mitigating some of our health problems that may be caused by or aggravated by the weight and poor nutrition.
I also hope that it will give me more energy, help me get back to exercising (I love to swim laps but the thought of getting dressed, driving to the pool, and appearing in a bathing suit has kept me away for most of the past year), and taking longer walks with our dog, Gracie. Despite what had to be the dream vacation of all time, I am still quite depressed -- not the jump off a building kind (I've learned over the years not to let my mind take me to that place, though sometimes I come close) but rather just feeling tired, flat, dull, irritable, with repressed anger and much cynicism, all aggravated by sleeping too much (been sleeping 12 hours or more at night, even on vacation), going to work in the morning without getting up and getting dressed until late in the day, rarely going out and feeling anxious and uncomfortable around people when I do, taking way too much time to get ready to do anything, etc. If I stop to think about how I feel and have been living, I go to darker places of frustration, hopelessness, and self-loathing, so I try not to think too much -- which causes me to sleep more and more or run to bed and try to. I've been back on anti-depressants now for several months, but that hasn't seemed to have helped much (though I suspect I might be much worse off without them).
So... here's hoping that things will get better with the new diet regime and what I've been learning about blood sugar levels. I've been plotting in my mind a new daily routine that would include getting up early to go walk at the local shopping mall (they open early in the winter for people to walk) followed by mass at St. Margaret's and spending some more time with the nuns, who will be leaving next summer, and then maybe trying to get away to swim at lunch time. But... it's been a week so far and it hasn't happened yet and there is a lot of work to catch up on and to start preparing for attending and presenting at my employer's annual conference in Seattle next month, and there are books piling up to read, and soccer games and practices and tournaments to attend and.... not to mention getting caught up someday with the goings on in the blogosphere (though not sure how much of the As the Anglican World Turns I need to read up on -- like most soap operas, one can pretty much jump in the middle after being gone for weeks and still not miss much). So..... that's the update. La plus ca change and all that.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Megan's Bay St. Thomas V.I.
Well, if this can't cure depression, I don't know what can. God willing and the U.S. Air flights safely landing, this is where I will soon be. Meanwhile, we're still digging out of the latest snowfall here.
Abigal - R.I.P.
Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of Abigal. This is Tuxedo, her teenaged cat mate, who is now is all alone with his humans. Abigal died yesterday. She is very much missed.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Inauguration Day Unity - Mad Ones Were One! - Frozen Nut to Frozen Nut
Until I can pull together my own thoughts and feelings about the Day, I think this report by John Oliver will have to do. It's funny to watch this because it couldn't have been too far from where we were.
Update: Just saw this for the first time. Love you Colbert! (Amazing considering that the woman right next to me really did have heavy black eye makeup running down her face). He's wickedly funny but, at the same time, so truthful.
And finally, on a more serious note, Rachel:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Some of what did get broadcast Sunday
From that great subversive of all time, Pete Seeger, thanks to Woody Guthrie.
Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
"Rory" and I will be heading to D.C. soon
National Park Service, Inauguration Events, 2:30 p.m., Sun. Jan 18, 2009
Well, no one is going to mistake me for Lorelai, but my 17-year-old daughter and I will be on our way to D.C. early this evening. It will be a crazy whirlwind trip, 36 hours spent either on the bus or standing in crowds in the Mall. I've been too busy trying to get ready to put any thoughts together. They are many and mixed.
Although the Lincoln Memorial will not be the center of attention tomorrow, I'm thinking that may be where I want to end up. It holds many memories for me, first being when my father splurged and got us a taxi when we were visiting when I was a young child in the early 1960's. He took us there late at night and we walked to the top of the stairs, no one else up there. I'll never forget it, the light and the shadows and the face of Lincoln.
Also swirling around in my mind are the photos and books relating to Lincoln that Judge Wood kept in the small study in the back of his chambers in the federal building in Chicago where he sometimes let us clerks work. There was his father's old wooden desk from his Springfield, Illinois law office and there were photos on the wall, including the Lincoln Memorial, Salem, as well as the many from the judge's trips around the world, including Moscow.
I talked to some people at church yesterday who were in D.C. for some of the big anti-war demonstrations in the 1960's. At that time, Judge Wood was an Assistant Attorney General and worked hard to keep peace and order but, at the same time, allow peaceful protests to take place. He is best remembered for his work negotiating at Wounded Knee. I am so sorry I could not make it to his funeral in Springfield a couple weeks ago.
Then there is Obama himself, not just the Lincoln connection but his ties to Chicago, near where I grew up and lived for many years. I was fascinated by what he wrote about the Harold Washington years of city politics, back when Obama was doing his community organizing.
I don't know what this new administration will bring for any of us. No telling whether events will overtake and overpower the best minds and the best intentions, at least when it comes to grappling with the financial crisis and the waves of unemployment that are putting more and more people into anxiety and misery. But for right now, "Rory" and I are going to be there to celebrate with so many from all around the country and the world who are full of hope and excitement and well wishes for Barack, his family, and all those who are going to be working for him.
Friday, January 2, 2009
California Supreme Court to rule on Episcopal Church cases
The opinion has not yet appeared on the court's website, but I just received an email message from the court that it has published a notice of a forthcoming opinion. See docket entry here. The opinion, when it is posted, should appear here. Although this case will be decided, in part, according to California law, it may have national impact to the extent it relies on federal constitutional law. Looks like we will not have to wait long to find out how it turns out.
UPDATE:
The opinion will be issued next Monday morning, January 5, 2009. The court's announcement today included the following information:
UPDATE ON MONDAY -
HERE IT IS, AFFIRMING THE APPELLATE COURT RULING IN FAVOR OF THE NATIONAL CHURCH.
UPDATE:
The opinion will be issued next Monday morning, January 5, 2009. The court's announcement today included the following information:
EPISCOPAL CHURCH CASES
S155094 (G036096/G036408/G036868; Orange County Superior Court – JCCP 4392)
Argued in Riverside County 10-08-08
This case includes the following issues: (1) Should the “principle of government” approach, also known as the “highest church judicatory” approach, be used to resolve disputes between a local congregation and a national church or regional diocese over ownership of church property, or should these disputes be resolved using a “neutral principles analysis”? (2) Was the complaint properly subject to a motion to strike under Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16? (3) What role does Corporations Code section 9142 play in the analysis and resolution of church property disputes?
Opinion(s) in the above case(s) will be filed on:
Monday, January 5, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
UPDATE ON MONDAY -
HERE IT IS, AFFIRMING THE APPELLATE COURT RULING IN FAVOR OF THE NATIONAL CHURCH.
Peacemaker Wood
Another tribute to Judge Wood:
The life of a giant peacemaker came to an end Monday with the death of Harlington Wood Jr., who attained the rank of federal appellate judge before health problems brought his remarkable public career to an end.from Paul Findley, "Peacemaker Wood had a remarkable career" State Journal-Register, January 2, 2009.
At 6 feet 4, he was a giant in height, matching precisely the stature of Abraham Lincoln, his lifelong hero and inspiration. He earned the title of peacemaker through his masterful work as head of the civil division of the U.S. Department of Justice during the Nixon administration.
A veteran of Army service in Europe in World War II, he was transferred to the Far East Theater late in the conflict. He was selected as one of the officers who signed surrender documents of Japanese forces in the Philippines.
He recognized and protected the right of citizens to protest, but he insisted on policies that avoided bloodshed.
His most notable and courageous service as peacemaker occurred in 1973 when he skillfully forced the Nixon administration to abandon plans to subdue by military force a Native American protest at Wounded Knee, an historic settlement in South Dakota.
When he entered the scene, hostile fire was being exchanged on a daily basis between Indians and local authorities. He told his superiors he would resign his position rather than be a party to forcible takeover by Army units. He was convinced a military assault would lead to a needless massacre.
Wood entered the hostile environment alone and unarmed, then followed through with negotiations that three months later settled the dispute without a shot being fired or a person injured.
As head of the civil division, he also directed plans that kept anti-war protests in Washington, D.C., and at national presidential nominating conventions in 1972 in Miami from becoming violent. He later brought about a peaceful solution of a Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island near San Francisco. . . .
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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