Life in the sticks: May 2006

Brain Dump

I see I haven't posted in a while. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, rather I have too much.

So, prepare for my virtual mind-dump:

Sometime ago, even the month of this occasion eludes me, Bubba Jr. Discovered the infant feeding chair. I held onto it since my sis always seems to have a child that fits it. Anyway, you know kids are always tickled by pretending to be a "baby." I laughed so hard when he put this on and then started walking around with it attached to hit bottom. Kinda reminded me of Aunt Fannie from Robots.

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I realized with much dismay that we STILL do not have a family picture. To correct this infraction, I asked my dad to take a picture of our happy family of four.

Well. 3 outta 4 aint bad.

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T-Ball is officially over for the year. Bubba enjoyed it very much. Here's a picture of Bubba running the bases. He's #3.

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Is it just me, or would anyone else rather hear a Barney song than Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" one more time?

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The kids enjoy swiping my camera and taking their own pictures.

Two from Bubba Jr.:

And two from Charleightra:

(Lawd, look at my chin! Next time I'm going to ask Charleigh to cut MY chin off, not hers!)

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Too much flash in this picture, but I thought she looked so cute, I had to post it!!

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Last night was the end of the year program for the school where the kids go. I don't have the pictures developed (yes, I am one of the two people on earth who doesn't have a digital camera) yet. All the classes sang two songs complete with costumes and "moves." After the variety show was the Pre-K graduation. All the kids wore little caps and gowns (men's white button ups turned around). They were so precious! I can't believe Bubba's going to be in Kindergarten soon..... boooohooooo!!!

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Last Saturday was the 'Lympics for our family. We started the day off with a final T-ball game followed by an awards ceremony at Chick-fil-A. After that we headed over to Clyde's work where they were having "Customer Appreciation Day." We ate lunch there, the kids jumped in the bouncy house and Clyde got to crank up a race car. I have pictures of that, but they are yet to be developed... We left Clyde's work and headed over to a pool party about 45 minutes from our house. The kids got to get a little wet. They all (we had my niece too) had their swimsuits and enjoyed splashing around in the pool. Bubba & Charleigh stayed on the pool steps. After that, quick change and then off to Hugh & Sonia's for an adoption get together. Hugh and Sonia are leaving for China next Thursday for their sweetheart Kailee:

Isn't she precious????

Here's another picture I swiped from Greg & Daphne.

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Another blog to watch is Cindy & Jimmy's blog. They leave on June 8th to get their sweetie pie:

Awwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I hope everyone has a SAFE and happy holiday weekend!!!

Interactive USA

I tried my skills at an Interactive Map Game, you can try it too, here.

Try and beat my score ;)

Rude Drivers

I read this short article today:

Miami Tops Auto Club List For Rude Drivers

Minneapolis Rated Nicest

POSTED: 2:06 pm EDT May 16, 2006
UPDATED: 2:29 pm EDT May 16, 2006

Miami hosts the angriest drivers, according to a new survey that also
lists Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles and Boston among the top five cities for speeding, tailgating and cutting off other drivers.

The automobile membership club AutoVantage said the most courteous drivers are in Minneapolis, Nashville, St. Louis, Seattle and Atlanta.
The telephone survey included more than 2,000 adult commuters in 20 major cities.
Drivers also admitted some of their own etiquette breaches: nearly
all acknowledge yakking on the cell phone and nearly two in three admit sometimes driving too fast.

A spokeswoman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said, "Human behavior is so involved" in all types of crashes. AutoVantage suggests drivers try to stay calm and avoid eye contact with angry drivers.

Woah. And just who in Atlanta did they talk to? It has to be a mistake. Has to be. There's just no way drivers in Atlanta can be described as "courteous."

So. And I know this for a fact.

Once I passed someone on the freeway in the emergency lane. (Mom, if you're reading this... it was a looooooooooooooooooong time ago.)

What's the rudest thing you ever did on the road?

YELL-Oh Girls!

I just finished reading a book called "YELL-Oh Girls." It's a collection of personal writings by young Asian American girls about the challenges they face in their lives.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for some insight with regards to raising an Asian American girl in today's society. What I found, for the most part, was stories of bitter teenagers who were angry because they weren't born with blond hair and blue eyes, but have overcome (so they say) that anger and are happy being who they are. Unfortunately it came across as a little too whiney for my taste. Every child born wishes something were different about themselves. As a dark brown haired child with dark brown eyes I too wished I had blond hair and blue eyes (and make the hair curly while you're at it). Kids with curly hair want straight, kids with dark skin want light, kids with light skin want darker skin, the list goes on and on. However, there was one poem from "YELL-Oh Girls!" that stayed with me, and I'd like to share it here:

INNOCENCE

The first day of kindergarten.
The classroom, filled with happy children.
A sea of blond and brown heads.
And yes, one head of black.
Me.
I didn't care. I didn't notice.
But everyone else did.

I walk in the classroom.
Whispers follow, buzzing with gossip.
Secrets float from child to child.
I tensed, everyone was looking
At me.
They stared. I stared back.
Why was everyone watching me?

I see a boy about my age.
Pulling his eyes at the corners.
Making them sharp and pointed.
I realized, he was making fun
Of me.
But why? Because of my eyes?
I couldn't understand.

That first day was horrible.
Girls giggling, boys pointing.
No one who would be my friend.
I noticed, they were staying away
From me.
I almost cried. Tears sprang to my eyes.
But I kept my pride.

I boarded the bus for my ride home.
I felt safe, finally, at last.
Two boys sat in front of me.
They turned. "Ch!nk," they said.
Me?
Ch!nk? The word brought sadness to my soul.
Dejection crossed my face.

That first day hurt me.
Hurt my core, my only being.
But I finally realized.
People were prejudiced
Against me.
It came like a tidal wave. Smashed my spirit.
My eyes opened to the harsh world around me.

Written by Debra Yoo, Age 18 from Schaumburg, Illinois.
AUTHORS NOTE:
I wrote this poem in reflection of a real memory I have of two young boys calling me a "ch!nk" on the bus ride coming home from school in second grade. It was the first time I had ever heard the word. I didn't know what it meant or what its connotations were, but somehow it still greatly stung me. It was my first encounter with racism, and I will never forget it.

wth?

M3 (You know, Salsa in China) posted a link to a uber-cool diy virtual hairstylin' website.

I couldn't resist. The results are, not surprisingly, hideous. Perhaps they'll be good for a laugh...