A point of view... Barbara Walters of Television's 20/20 did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict.. She noted that women customarily walked 5 paces behind their husbands.
She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. From Miss Walter's vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their husbands and are happy to maintain the old custom.
Miss Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, "Why do you now seem happy with the old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?"
The woman looked Miss Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation,
said, "Land Mines."
Monday, April 30, 2007
If We'd Only Brought the Camera....
This weekend Chris and I learned a lot about trees. In particular, how they fall, where they land and most funnest of all, how to cut them up with a chainsaw.
We went up to the cottage on Thursday night after work......lots of yawning as we pulled into our driveway just before midnight.
Friday we puttered around marvelling at our new kitchen that's now installed. It's beautiful and seems so much brighter and bigger! Went to our fave pub for lunch and to the dump, just for fun. Actually we dropped off our 2 loveseats only to see them being picked up even before we left "the mall" as it's called around town.
Saturday morning Chris's parents arrived with chainsaw in hand and egg sandwiches. hmm...do we eat now? Ha! Too much logging to do first!
Because of the pine beetle a lot of trees have to come down which is very sad. Good thing Slim Jim knows how to work a chainsaw 'cuz he took down a whole lot of them. We have a bunch of old sheds that need to come down and we kept telling him, "Don't worry about the sheds if you hit one, needs to come down anyways" Did he listen? Nooo....missed every one of them. Missed the cottage, missed the hydro lines, daggum missed all of them, just put them all on the ground where we sawed the branches off and piled up the logs. We're such good loggers.
Anyways...wish I had brought the camera. Just to see the big girls run like the dickens when the trees started coming down. Picture it for yourself. Too funny.
But we're thankful for the great weather as in all sunshine and no wind, nobody got hurt and no sheds were harmed in the exercise. Hopefully next time we can take out at least one of them.
We went up to the cottage on Thursday night after work......lots of yawning as we pulled into our driveway just before midnight.
Friday we puttered around marvelling at our new kitchen that's now installed. It's beautiful and seems so much brighter and bigger! Went to our fave pub for lunch and to the dump, just for fun. Actually we dropped off our 2 loveseats only to see them being picked up even before we left "the mall" as it's called around town.
Saturday morning Chris's parents arrived with chainsaw in hand and egg sandwiches. hmm...do we eat now? Ha! Too much logging to do first!
Because of the pine beetle a lot of trees have to come down which is very sad. Good thing Slim Jim knows how to work a chainsaw 'cuz he took down a whole lot of them. We have a bunch of old sheds that need to come down and we kept telling him, "Don't worry about the sheds if you hit one, needs to come down anyways" Did he listen? Nooo....missed every one of them. Missed the cottage, missed the hydro lines, daggum missed all of them, just put them all on the ground where we sawed the branches off and piled up the logs. We're such good loggers.
Anyways...wish I had brought the camera. Just to see the big girls run like the dickens when the trees started coming down. Picture it for yourself. Too funny.
But we're thankful for the great weather as in all sunshine and no wind, nobody got hurt and no sheds were harmed in the exercise. Hopefully next time we can take out at least one of them.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
I'm Baaacccckkkk!!!
Helloooooooooooooooooooooooooo..............it's been a long hard week with no 'puter. poor little ole me, what to do! got the baby back this afternoon, even picked it up in the bus and fastened a seatbelt around it! what other 'puter gets that kind of treatment?
On another note...the computer has been cleaned up of bugs and other icky stuff. however, in my brilliance i did not record blog addys' of my friends
so, if you're reading this (you 2 know who you are) eh hem, could you please leave me a link to yours so i can refresh my faves?
thanks...heading to the cottage tomorrow right after work so this is it for now.
cya next week........
On another note...the computer has been cleaned up of bugs and other icky stuff. however, in my brilliance i did not record blog addys' of my friends
so, if you're reading this (you 2 know who you are) eh hem, could you please leave me a link to yours so i can refresh my faves?
thanks...heading to the cottage tomorrow right after work so this is it for now.
cya next week........
Thursday, April 19, 2007
CRASH!!!!!
SORRY, NO UPDATES......................COMPUTER CRASHED. IT WILL BE AWHILE BEFORE I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKK....................stay tuned. arrrggggghhhhhh
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Monday, April 02, 2007
An Easter Prayer
Lord,
Thank You for the gift of HOPE
You gave us on Easter morning.
Because of You we know
That no problem is too difficult
And even death does not have power over us
Thank You for the gift of JOY
You gave us when You were resurrected.
Because of You we know
That no matter how challenging life may be,
In the end we will rejoice again.
Thank You for the gift of LOVE
You gave us when You laid down Your life
Because of You we know
That there is no sin too great to separate us
And we are incredibly valuable to You.
Thank You for the gift of LIFE
You gave us when You left the tomb
Because of Easter we know
This world is just the beginning
And we will spend forever in heaven with You.
We celebrate You JESUS
With hearts full of praise and gratitude
For who You are and all You’ve done for us!
Amen!
Holley Gerth – Writer, DaySpring
Thank You for the gift of HOPE
You gave us on Easter morning.
Because of You we know
That no problem is too difficult
And even death does not have power over us
Thank You for the gift of JOY
You gave us when You were resurrected.
Because of You we know
That no matter how challenging life may be,
In the end we will rejoice again.
Thank You for the gift of LOVE
You gave us when You laid down Your life
Because of You we know
That there is no sin too great to separate us
And we are incredibly valuable to You.
Thank You for the gift of LIFE
You gave us when You left the tomb
Because of Easter we know
This world is just the beginning
And we will spend forever in heaven with You.
We celebrate You JESUS
With hearts full of praise and gratitude
For who You are and all You’ve done for us!
Amen!
Holley Gerth – Writer, DaySpring
Sunday, April 01, 2007
The Difference Between Men and Women
*stolen* from Valerie's blog...too good not to share!
Let’s say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks her out to a movie. She accepts and they have a pretty good time.
A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.
One evening when they’re driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud, "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we’ve been seeing each other for exactly six months?"
Silence. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself, Geez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he’s been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I’m trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn’t want; or isn’t sure of.
And Roger is thinking, Gosh. Six months.
And Elaine is thinking, But, hey, I’m not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I’d have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward… I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?
And Roger is thinking:…so that means it was…let’s see…February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer’s, which means…lemme check the odometer…Whoa? I am way overdue for an oil change here.
And Elaine is thinking: He’s upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I’m reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed – even before I sensed it – that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that’s it. That’s why he’s so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He’s afraid of being rejected.
And Roger is thinking: And I’m gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don’t care what those morons say, it’s still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It’s 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.
And Elaine is thinking: He’s angry. And I don’t blame him. I’d be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can’t help the way I feel. I’m just not sure.
And Roger is thinking: They’ll probably say it’s only a 90- day warranty. That’s exactly what they’re gonna say, the scumballs.
And Elaine is thinking: maybe I’m just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I’m sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.
And Roger is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I’ll give them a warranty. I’ll take their warranty and stick it right up their….
"Roger," Elaine says aloud.
"What?" says Roger, startled.
"Please don’t torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have…Oh, I feel so…" She breaks down, sobbing.
"What?" says Roger.
"I’m such a fool," Elaine sobs. "I mean, I know there’s no knight. I really know that. It’s silly. There’s no knight, and there’s no horse."
"There’s no horse?" says Roger.
"You think I’m a fool, don’t you?" Elaine says.
"No!" says Roger, glad to finally know the correct answer.
"It’s just that…It’s that I…I need some time," Elaine says.
There's a pause while Roger, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work. "Yes," he says.
Elaine, deeply moved, touches his hand. "Oh, Roger, do you really feel that way?" she says.
"What way?" says Roger.
"That way about time," says Elaine.
"Oh," says Roger. "Yes."
Elaine turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks. "Thank you, Roger," she says.
"Thank you," says Roger.
Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Roger gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he never heard of.
A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it’s better if he doesn’t think about it.
The next day Elaine will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either.
Meanwhile, Roger, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Elaine’s, will pause just before serving, frown, and say, "Norm, did Elaine ever own a horse?"
Let’s say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks her out to a movie. She accepts and they have a pretty good time.
A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.
One evening when they’re driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud, "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we’ve been seeing each other for exactly six months?"
Silence. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself, Geez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he’s been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I’m trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn’t want; or isn’t sure of.
And Roger is thinking, Gosh. Six months.
And Elaine is thinking, But, hey, I’m not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I’d have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward… I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?
And Roger is thinking:…so that means it was…let’s see…February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer’s, which means…lemme check the odometer…Whoa? I am way overdue for an oil change here.
And Elaine is thinking: He’s upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I’m reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed – even before I sensed it – that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that’s it. That’s why he’s so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He’s afraid of being rejected.
And Roger is thinking: And I’m gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don’t care what those morons say, it’s still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It’s 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.
And Elaine is thinking: He’s angry. And I don’t blame him. I’d be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can’t help the way I feel. I’m just not sure.
And Roger is thinking: They’ll probably say it’s only a 90- day warranty. That’s exactly what they’re gonna say, the scumballs.
And Elaine is thinking: maybe I’m just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I’m sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.
And Roger is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I’ll give them a warranty. I’ll take their warranty and stick it right up their….
"Roger," Elaine says aloud.
"What?" says Roger, startled.
"Please don’t torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have…Oh, I feel so…" She breaks down, sobbing.
"What?" says Roger.
"I’m such a fool," Elaine sobs. "I mean, I know there’s no knight. I really know that. It’s silly. There’s no knight, and there’s no horse."
"There’s no horse?" says Roger.
"You think I’m a fool, don’t you?" Elaine says.
"No!" says Roger, glad to finally know the correct answer.
"It’s just that…It’s that I…I need some time," Elaine says.
There's a pause while Roger, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work. "Yes," he says.
Elaine, deeply moved, touches his hand. "Oh, Roger, do you really feel that way?" she says.
"What way?" says Roger.
"That way about time," says Elaine.
"Oh," says Roger. "Yes."
Elaine turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks. "Thank you, Roger," she says.
"Thank you," says Roger.
Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Roger gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he never heard of.
A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it’s better if he doesn’t think about it.
The next day Elaine will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either.
Meanwhile, Roger, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Elaine’s, will pause just before serving, frown, and say, "Norm, did Elaine ever own a horse?"
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