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Five Soundbites From My Day
Oct. 9th, 2015 06:27 pm1. Heard the following blurb on the NY1 this morning:
Ohio and Arizona have been on the hunt for alternative drugs to enforce the death penalty after a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the lethal injection drug that they are currently using. They finally found one overseas. But the FDA informed them, sorry, no, we can't allow you to import drugs into the US that kill people.
[For some reason, I found this hilarious. ]
2. Language.
Granny (actually ghost of Granny, she's dead now): I don't understand why you'd want to go to a country where you don't speak the language or can't understand anyone.
Me: I live in NYC, I don't understand half the things people say here -- you get used to it.
It's true actually. Today, on the way down to do laundry in the basement, I listened to a rather lengthy discussion in Russian, at least I think it was Russian. And later while doing laundry, yet another lengthy discussion in Russian (although it could very well have been Polish...)
Me: Peter is Russian
D (who is Russian): No, Polish.
Me: Really, I was sure he was Russian.
D: No, Polish.
So, what do I know?
On the way to the supermarket, a phone discussion in English and I think, Arabic, and on the way back from the grocery store, a guy began speaking to me for about fifteen minutes in what appeared to be Jamaican, when he paused, I said, "Sorry, I only speak English, my language capabilities are rather limited." (Not only that, I can't figure out which language they are speaking. I sort of want to ask - okay is this Polish, Russian, Ukranian, Jamaican, Nigerian, Arabic...give me a clue, so I can figure out which language course to take.)
This morning I thought I moved to Russia, then maybe Jamaica, by way of Pakistan and Bangladash.
If they ever invent one of those instant translator devices like on Farscape or Star Trek, I going to buy one. Would really come in handy, well except for occasional misunderstandings over semantics. But I already have that problem with English.
3. Book
People are re-reading my book. They liked it that much. My mother told me today that her choir director told her he'd decided to re-read my book - that he really loved it. And various people in her book club decided to re-read it - because there were all these little bits and pieces they hadn't picked up on the first go-around.
Cool. Granted it's not setting the world on fire or anything. But hey, a handful of folks love it.
Grateful for this. Very grateful. It's the small little things...I remember reading that this what Joyce felt like - every once and a while he'd stumble upon someone who got his novel who loved it, and he'd think - I connected with another mind. It happened. Someone got me.
4. Weather
After blue skies, sort of hot and a bit humid, with a feeling of heaviness, we have, voila, a violent thunderstorm.
My headache is finally gone. I always get headaches prior to thunderstorms. It can be blue skies, sunny, but I can tell it's going to rain and have a thunderstorm - by the shift in barometric pressure. Does this happen with anyone else?
The lightening was rather close though, lit up my apartment and I swear I felt the heat. Nerve-wracking. Then a blast of thunder that felt like someone hit a gong right next to my ear. Now, however it's faded a bit in the background.
I opened a window and inserted a screen - the windows don't come with screens, you have to insert a half-screen that you buy via the hardware store for about $10. This let in some needed cool air, and a fresh smell of clean earth. Salty to the taste. And clean. Like the smell of a waterfall or spring rain.
Temperature is dropping rapidly from 80 degrees to approximately 64. Summer to fall in a matter of hours.
5. Cultural Interactions
People were denial today, they refused to buy that it was like 77 degrees outside, wearing leather jackets, jeans, etc. One woman was covered head to toe in black. Or the Muslim attire. There are a lot of Muslims and Orthodox Jews in my neighborhood - they get along very well with one another and I feel very safe. Both cultures, despite what the media tells you, are non-violent, hate conflict, respectful of others space and cultures, and keep to themselves. Last week a group of Orthodox Jews were knocking on doors looking for people who were Jewish to practice Sukkot. They were carrying what looked like ears of wheat.
Ohio and Arizona have been on the hunt for alternative drugs to enforce the death penalty after a recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the lethal injection drug that they are currently using. They finally found one overseas. But the FDA informed them, sorry, no, we can't allow you to import drugs into the US that kill people.
[For some reason, I found this hilarious. ]
2. Language.
Granny (actually ghost of Granny, she's dead now): I don't understand why you'd want to go to a country where you don't speak the language or can't understand anyone.
Me: I live in NYC, I don't understand half the things people say here -- you get used to it.
It's true actually. Today, on the way down to do laundry in the basement, I listened to a rather lengthy discussion in Russian, at least I think it was Russian. And later while doing laundry, yet another lengthy discussion in Russian (although it could very well have been Polish...)
Me: Peter is Russian
D (who is Russian): No, Polish.
Me: Really, I was sure he was Russian.
D: No, Polish.
So, what do I know?
On the way to the supermarket, a phone discussion in English and I think, Arabic, and on the way back from the grocery store, a guy began speaking to me for about fifteen minutes in what appeared to be Jamaican, when he paused, I said, "Sorry, I only speak English, my language capabilities are rather limited." (Not only that, I can't figure out which language they are speaking. I sort of want to ask - okay is this Polish, Russian, Ukranian, Jamaican, Nigerian, Arabic...give me a clue, so I can figure out which language course to take.)
This morning I thought I moved to Russia, then maybe Jamaica, by way of Pakistan and Bangladash.
If they ever invent one of those instant translator devices like on Farscape or Star Trek, I going to buy one. Would really come in handy, well except for occasional misunderstandings over semantics. But I already have that problem with English.
3. Book
People are re-reading my book. They liked it that much. My mother told me today that her choir director told her he'd decided to re-read my book - that he really loved it. And various people in her book club decided to re-read it - because there were all these little bits and pieces they hadn't picked up on the first go-around.
Cool. Granted it's not setting the world on fire or anything. But hey, a handful of folks love it.
Grateful for this. Very grateful. It's the small little things...I remember reading that this what Joyce felt like - every once and a while he'd stumble upon someone who got his novel who loved it, and he'd think - I connected with another mind. It happened. Someone got me.
4. Weather
After blue skies, sort of hot and a bit humid, with a feeling of heaviness, we have, voila, a violent thunderstorm.
My headache is finally gone. I always get headaches prior to thunderstorms. It can be blue skies, sunny, but I can tell it's going to rain and have a thunderstorm - by the shift in barometric pressure. Does this happen with anyone else?
The lightening was rather close though, lit up my apartment and I swear I felt the heat. Nerve-wracking. Then a blast of thunder that felt like someone hit a gong right next to my ear. Now, however it's faded a bit in the background.
I opened a window and inserted a screen - the windows don't come with screens, you have to insert a half-screen that you buy via the hardware store for about $10. This let in some needed cool air, and a fresh smell of clean earth. Salty to the taste. And clean. Like the smell of a waterfall or spring rain.
Temperature is dropping rapidly from 80 degrees to approximately 64. Summer to fall in a matter of hours.
5. Cultural Interactions
People were denial today, they refused to buy that it was like 77 degrees outside, wearing leather jackets, jeans, etc. One woman was covered head to toe in black. Or the Muslim attire. There are a lot of Muslims and Orthodox Jews in my neighborhood - they get along very well with one another and I feel very safe. Both cultures, despite what the media tells you, are non-violent, hate conflict, respectful of others space and cultures, and keep to themselves. Last week a group of Orthodox Jews were knocking on doors looking for people who were Jewish to practice Sukkot. They were carrying what looked like ears of wheat.