An Active Volcano

bp Amoco exploded last night. Wow was it exciting! Ronnie called and said, "Turn on channel 16, Dow Chemical just blew up!" He was driving by when it happened. Then seconds later the emergency sirens sounded for a long time and REAL loud. Channel sixteen said to shelter in place and wait for further instructions. Friends began calling to check on us when they saw the big fire on the news. Helicopters were flying overhead. I wasn't concerned, but excited. Then last night I dreamed we were considering buying a house in a European country right next to an active volcano. While we were looking at it, chunks of partially cooled lava were flying at us and hitting the house. We were dodging them as they were flying everywhere. I yelled, "I don't want to buy a house by an active volcano!" Go figure, all this happened on the day that I resolved to buy this house, again.

Barry replanted the "FriedaBiscus" the other day. I am so happy about that. It is such a beautiful bush. It was given to us by Maureen and Toni from Nova Chemicals when Mother died. It blooms beautiful orange blossoms. I know without a doubt that Mother would have been so pleased with it.

Mrs. Parnell, my ederly neighbor across the alley, just pulled in her driveway. She looks just like Mom from a distance, with her thin, stringy hair, and her body movements. She is swaying back and forth as she walks to her back door. Her daughter was in the same hospital as Mom at the same time, and she, too, died. But she was only in her early 40's. I visited with her one day. She was full of life that day as she was receiving her first dose of chemo.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous the past few days. Barry, Judy, and I participated in "Trash Bash" day by picking up trash on the TC Dike. It was fun being with people and getting sunburned.

Well, I will now get back to reading about the Caribbean...

amores perros

"Love's a Bitch" Went to see this movie last night for a school assignment. Enjoyed it. Reminded me of a Mexican Pulp Fiction, but better and more real. Very violent, but tolerable (for me anyway). My friend left after the first five minutes, I'm so glad we came in separate cars. And it was nice that my husband went with me. I think he liked it, too. Never a boring moment in this film. All the characters did a great job of acting, and it was a bonus not knowing them as super stars. It consisted of three separate storys that come together in a car crash. Each story represents the struggle of love within different age and socio-economic groups. Young, middle-aged, and senior, rich and poor all struggle with love. As one commentator put it, "thoughout it, so well crafted, one can mentally fuse all three stories together and see one single character going through the process of fighting for love, realizing what a trivial pursuit it is, abandoning it, and then spending the rest of his life trying to touch it from behind the bars of self-guilt." If you don't have a problem with watching reality through subtitles, this is a must see, and the music was good, too.

An African Lunch

I'm looking forward to having lunch with an 80 something year old African woman friend of mine, Beatrice. I will be interviewing her for a human geography project. She is from Ghana and lived there most of her life. I am going to pick her up at 11:00 and take her to her doctor's appointment and then to Luby's in Galveston. She usually relies on public transportation. I saw her sitting in front of Walgreens one time waiting on her ride. Hours later I saw her still waiting... that's why I offered to take her to her doctor's appointment. She is a joy; always has a smile on.

I made the decision to buy this frickin house yesterday and last night Barry and I both got headaches. I had trouble breathing and so did my dog, Sammy. I thought it might be the chemicals, the newspaper ink, or perhaps the stress of the decision. But what about Sammy? Maybe he can feel our stress. :) The news reported that we are under a terror alert. In my dreams last night, two people told me to move to Eagle Mountain. ? Now I'm confused AGAIN. Reading in my dad's journal last night, I learned of a friend of his that died of lung cancer. Probably gained from these chemical plants.

Barry and I went to city hall yesterday and spoke with Doug Hoover, the economic planner. His sister is the mother of Lee Hancock, local boy who made it big in Hollywood. He wrote a story that Kevin Cosner stared in and Clint Eastwood directed (A Different World??), and now he has directed the movie, "The Alamo." We were curious about the upcoming MegaPort in TC and Doug answered a lot of our questions. It will be five years before we see any containers along the dike. Then the mayor's secretary inundated us with gifts from the city: a neat cooler, history book, an invitation to a dinner party, pamphlets, etc. She wants us to move here. We will try to make the next commissioners meeting in early April. Dad would be proud. In his journal he notes that he and his family were not contributing to the city and that they needed to cultivate a social life outside of the family. It felt good intermingling with city personnel. We also went to the administration building where our family stayed during hurricane Carla, 1963, so Barry could pick up a listing of tax delinquent repo properties.

Ronnie dropped by last night inbetween runs to give us the local newspaper. It was full of the terror alert information, and Doug Hoover was on the front page. I bet he thought that's why we were in his office, and we didn't even know about it. He wasn't a very hospitable person.

Well, off to blow dry my stringy hair and prepare for my date.

The Passion

Well, Marilyn Manson sure did a good job as Satan, and Steven King as teleplaywriter. Just kidding. Overall, I feel as Andy Rooney did, I'm glad it was only two dollars in stead of $9 where he lives. It was worth $2 to be able to discuss it with friends. I couldn't help thinking of Marilyn Manson everytime Satan appeared, and the black crow picking the eye of the criminal on the cross was definently Stephen King style. I yelled, "Shit!" when a monster jumped out of a bush at Judas! Who would of figured? Stephen King? Jesus could not have lived through that beating in my opinion much less carried that big cross up hill. Simon had a hard time carrying that cross as a healthy man. And why doesn't Jesus answer anyone when they ask him questions? He just stands there silent. Good Grief. I guess that is where Bro. Lee gets it. Showing Mary's heart breaking was the most moving part for me - when she saw Jesus falling down with the cross, enter a flashback of 3-year-old Jesus falling down and his mother running to his aid--then again in real time. I also appreciate Mel protraying Jesus with a sense of humor by showing him splashing water on his mother during a happier time. They could have paid more attention to Jesus' right eye that would be swollen in one scene and not in the next. Mary Magdelin was a beautiful ho. I didn't care for the ending. I wonder where all Jesus' other scars from that horrific beating went, and why only the feet and hands remain scared? I hear from my cousin in Jordan that this film is playing at the Mecca Mall in Saudi Arabia! Is that ironic or not?

It's Tight Like Dat

Listening to blues from the 20's... Viva la bomba....Rue is rolling on her back in the grass. Day after tomorrow is the first day of spring and my brother's birthday. I will make a cake and present a presant, and then we will all go to the dike for a day of fun in the sun. Been studying Latin American history, so I am drinking a Corona. Still don't know my place in the world, but the more I drink the more I don't care. Not really. I care. Old music is so much better than new music. Mother visited me in my dream last night and asked me if I had been drinking. I said, "yes." Then I saw my two sons at ages 2 and 3 popping tops and taking swiggs of beer. Well, back to analyzing the conditions that tend to benefit workers and those that disadvantage them... My beer tastes like a rustry top.

Daddy's Journal/A Place in the World

Read some of Dad's jounrnal last night dated 1981. He makes nice comments about my new-born son. It became apparent to me that he worked very hard to keep us fed. Waking up in the middle of the night, early in the morning, late at night, in all types of weather, including freezing cold weather, with failing vision and aching body, he would deliver much needed parts to the area chemical plants. He made reference to wishing we didn't have to eat. He also mentioned that all his friends were dead. I dreamed about him last night. He was a little bit off (in my dream), like the baby squirrel my husband and I found the other day who had fallen out of the tree. In my dream, Dad and two other old men were belly crawling on the side of a road. Dad was using a medium size knife to help pull himself along. When he did walk, he walked like Frank Hill's dad on King of the Hill. I thought he was my dad, but I wasn't sure.

I am in the process of writing a paper anazlying the tensions in a movie entitled, "A Place in the World." I am doing a lot of thinking about where MY place is in the world. I am afraid it is right here. But if I am afraid, then how can it be my place? I wonder if I have a place in this world. I believe this wonder is deeper than place. If what my husband says is true, that everyone gets on my nerves, I could make anyplace my place. But that leads me to think, hey, some people get on my nerves More than others, and I'd rather live by the ones who get on my nerves less. But this is not what place means. I've gotten off the path of place. In the movie, when you can't leave a place, it's your place. (When you don't want to leave, not when you are forced to stay) I am tormented with the prospect of leaving and staying. Like the song says, "should I stay or should I go now?" I can't remember feeling this torn and undecided about anything else. In the movie, Mario stays in a poor valley, oppressed by the man, because it is his place, but he sends his wife and child back to the big city for their sakes and they go. I guess it wasn't their place. But the boy comes back! so, maybe it was his place afterall. But I can't remember if he stayed or if he just wanted to visit his father's grave. We saw this movie in January and now the teacher expects us to write a paper on it NOW. I guess she gets on my nerves too.

Condo Blues

I hated 'em, he loved 'em.
He said, "I don't know anyone who doesn't get on your nerves."
He's right.

Thin Bones

I think it is so neat to see what each day brings. Yesterday I ended up on a chiropractor's theraputic bed with rollers for free. At the spur of the moment I asked my husband if he would be willing to go see a doctor for his back pain and he agreed. We got right in, and when they were setting him up for muscle pulsing, I joked that they could set me up on this bed next to him, and they did! It was so nice to lie there for 7 minutes while this roller when up and down my spine from my neck to my buttocks. I think we both fell asleep. Then we went to eat Mexican food and got bloated and happy.

A Disfunctional Day Yesterday

Today I get to play Grandma. My 6-year old niece asked me to sit in for Grandma today for lunch at her school. So I will forego the planned lecture at 11:20 by my favorite teacher. I had to think about it for a while before I made the family decision. I really wanted to hear what my teacher had to say about the borderlands, but it's not everyday that a cute little girl with big blue eyes needs me. Actually, it is, but it is not so evident as today. I had a hard time going to sleep last night after such an eventful day. After I rode in a hummer with a womanizer, my disfunctional family graced me with their presence. Judy, with her dead-pan face and tired body sat at the kitchen table and drank my last two beers after a long hard day in the flower bed. She voiced her disappointments with her husband not cooking her supper and not helping her with the yard work. She yelled at the kids. The kids yelled back. They finally left. One hour later, Ron shows up to pick up a computer disk. He begins asking questions about Judy being here in a way that made me uncomfortable. He got upset that I gave her L.R.'s book for him to read. He made a mean comment about not cooking for her. Then he asked me what I think.... I didn't have the heart to tell him what I thought. As the song goes, "Don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me too." Poor thing only has three hours to prepare for work. Needless to say, I didn't get much studying done yesterday.

Hummer Days

Well, you just never know what a day will bring. Today I planned on studying all day and instead I ended up riding in a hummer and enjoying the absolutely beautiful spring-like day on the dike. The pelicans and seagulls were gracefully flying and gliding around looking for food as the ships and barges were moving along the ship channel in between the fairies transporting springbreak visitors back and forth from Galveston to Bolivar. I think I feel some heat on my face from the sun that graced it through the moon roof. Now back at home, I pop a top and wish I were back there.

City Life

Well, here I am in the city. I enjoyed a lecture last night by Bell Hooks on "Ending Domination: Race, Class, Gender"
I thought it was o.k., but did not live up to the hipe it got. It was a full house and the audience seemed to enjoy her more than I did. She says that without love, our lives are without meaning. She believes that patriarchy is the most life threatening disease of men and that they must be taught, from boyhood, not to dominate. Oh, did I forget to mention that she is a feminist? But she is a good feminist, I am told. She incorporates men into her agenda. Smart move. Men are wonderful.

I hear the mowers next door. The leaves are still falling. The water is dried up. On this day in 1989, Mom was enjoying a partly sunny, partly cloudy day, and she turned on her air conditioner, 70 degrees. Dad raked leaves in the front yard yesterday and today. So she wrote on her calendar.

Ron came by for coffee this morning. Judy called here after he'd been here five minutes or less to tell him to come home. I named her Lucille.

Good day.....

Country Life

Well, here I am in the country. It felt so good driving away from the chemical plants and into the country on country roads. Now I'm looking out of my window at a forest of pine, hard wood, and cedar trees. Little birds are hopping around the window frame peeking in at me. They are chirping. I smell the burning tree in the back 40. After I post this entry, I will walk down the driveway, pass over the creek (unplug it while I'm there), and continue my walk up to the road to mail the bills. When I arrived here yesterday, I let the cat out of the truck and he immediately went to the nearest pine tree and dug his claws into it. He is happy to be here, too. My husband and my dogs, Rue and Sammy, were elated to see me. I like it here.