hmmmm, we still need at least one more Target trip before school starts ….

And don’t forget Barnes and Noble, Borders, and many another outlet. I think that a custom made addition to the dustwrapper and title page might further….

Just sayin’

Disclaimer: political satire; implement on your own.

phelps, 8-10,000 calories a day.

cnn just played a spot/video with dana torres and showed her training…she did this thing with a stretch ball-one foot on it, hands like a push-up, body straight,crossed other leg over/behind and under and back..like a ballet move..i don’t think i could have done that when i was 16.

tried to find the clip on cnn.com, couldn’t find it

My parents live in a small town on the Oregon coast, June 9th they had a house fire which destroyed the total contents of their home (they were not home) and have been trying to deal with everything in their mid 80’s…

Last Wednesday we went to a party at one of the local churches….. it turned out to be a “Wedding Shower” for my parents. Over 100 people showed up, brought food, big pile of gifts and another of gift cards. Lots of love, tears and huggs…… It was a combination of the local churches, Habitat, Gem & Mineral and Geology Society groups ….. It sure helped my Mom…… good thing I brought a lot of tissues……

At the end of the evening we put together a list of all the gifts and Dad was stunned that two of the Habitat homeowners brought gifts….. very generous gifts knowing these family are barely getting by…….

Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal
By Naomi Shihab Nye

After learning my flight was detained 4 hours,
I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic,
Please come to the gate immediately.

Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
Just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.
Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her
Problem? We told her the flight was going to be 4 hours late and she
Did this.

I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly.
Shu dow-a, shu-beduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick,
Sho bit se-wee?

The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—
She stopped crying.
She thought our flight had been canceled entirely.
She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the
Following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late.

Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him.
We called her son and I spoke with him in English.
I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and
Would ride next to her—Southwest.

She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of
It. Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and
Found out of course they had ten shared friends.

Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian
Poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours.

She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering
Questions.

She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered
Sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—
And was offering them to all the women at the gate.

To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a
Sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California,
The lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same
Powdered sugar. And smiling. There is no better cookies.

And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—
Had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing,
With green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always
Carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.

And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought,
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.
Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped
—has seemed apprehensive about any other person.

They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.
This can still happen anywhere.

Not everything is lost.