More Heroes

Average people, doing the right thing.

Rata Domestica

Lulu on Channing's shoulder, eating a blueberry treat. She loves to eat! She was kind of scrawny when we first got her, but she looks much healthier now! She's quite filled out since this picture was taken.

This is our dumbo rat, Lulu, and she has single handedly (pawly?) changed our perception of her entire species! She is such a good little ambassador.

Rats get such a bad rap, and I am of the opinion that they are probably the most misunderstood and unjustly reviled species on earth. When people think of rats, they imagine rabid, dirty, flea bitten, disease spreading, disgusting animals - animals who scarsely deserve to live. This perception is wrong, and so undeserved! Ms. Lulu has shown us that rats are sweet, affectionate, sensitive, funny little creatures - and unlike other pets, such as hamsters, they don't bite! People think that rats want to bite them, or get them sick... that they'll rabidly eat their flesh or something! No, believe me, rats have no interest in any of that zombie-like behavior! Lulu would much rather cuddle with you in the crook of your warm neck or shoulder, or fall asleep on your lap or in your arms, much like a lap dog. She is the most affectionate little thing, and is very peaceful. If she's feeling especially close to you, she may start to groom you, with little tiny nibbles around your ears or on your arm, but it doesn't hurt at all. It's quite sweet, actually.

I could go on and on about how sweet and misunderstood rats are, and how much we love Lulu, and are blessed to have her in our lives. But for now let me just encourage you to set aside your fear of rats, and with an open heart, maybe get to know one! You won't regret it :)

Lulu peeking out of her hutch. I put a part of an old pareo (sarong) in her cage. She uses it as a mattress :)

Diana Nyad - Outstanding!

"You've GOT to follow your dreams, no matter what your age." "...what freaks me out is, how much time has gone by and how little is time left."



I have to admit, I was feeling pretty cynical and Machiavellian in my attitude towards humanity today (and lately)... I saw this video and instantly felt better! Thank you Diana Nyad for truly being an inspiration! Can you believe this woman is 61?!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Diana had to stop her swim after 60 miles (more than half way), 29 hours. I am hesitant to say she "failed", because damn, she sure gave it her best shot! Regardless of the outcome, this lady is still one heckuva role model - and tough as they come!

As cliche as it sounds, your mom and kindergarten teacher were right: no one is a failure who gives it their all and tries their best! Hats off to you, Ms. Nyad!

Snippets

juleena was standing in her backyard, watching her mother smoke a cigarette. it was cold and grey outside, late autumn. her mother was sitting on the back concrete steps, quiet. she looked hard, steely despite her soft hair and feminine affect, and she had something on her mind. she was staring resignedly into space. juleena didn't  know if her mother knew she was there, it was hard to tell. but she was there, just standing, watching. she was waiting for something to happen, she didn't know what, but she could feel that there was a reason that both she and her mother were outside together. she knew she was about to hear something, or see something. her mother was stressed. that was not unusual. there had been more arguments between her mother and dad lately. the house had been colder and more distant, full of more tension and unspoken resentment. dinner had started consisting more and more of spaghetti with red sauce. quick, easy, thoughtless dinners. dinners that said, "look, i did my job. you're fed." dinners that said, "your dad's not coming home until later." that was okay with juleena, she liked spaghetti.
all of a sudden her mother spoke, "don't be surprised if your father leaves me, juleena." she didn't say anything else, didn't offer any kind of explanation. she just finished her cigarette and went into the house. juleena felt a soft shock. she knew that things were bad again, but to hear an acknowledgment  of what would ordinarily not be talked about, was shocking in itself. it wasn't really what her mother had said, but the fact that she had said it at all.

~~~

she knew she was ugly. she had bad skin, the wrong clothes. she was missing teeth. her hair was a mess. the kids at school looked at her with disgust. but she was smart and observant. maybe not as smart as her friend Janie, but smarter than most of the kids she knew. her grades were decent. they could be better, but Juleena didn't really care. she was lazy with her homework, and forgetful. too dreamy. caught up in her own fantasy world where she was the best. the most beautiful, the most bitchy. all the boys loved her and thought she was sexy, she had big boobs, and no worries. she was a badass. but not really. in reality a confused, neglected, questioning, shy, sometimes angry girl, who tried to duck reality by delving into the fantasy land of tv, pre-teen magazines, and the make believe games her equally confused and questioning friends played. they all had issues of their own. they all had families who gave them their own sets of emotional baggage. Janie was the ringleader, and mean.

Math

                                
                                My husband saw this and said, "That's such bullsh*t." Haha!

Ok but really, people hate math! Hate it! And I understand why. Who likes feeling clueless, and dare I say it? Dumb. Not me, that's for sure, and not anyone I know of, either. Also, there are so many rules to math - you can't do this, you have to do that - and God forbid you make one little tiny mistake, then you are WRONG. Wrong? Really?? Yes, your whole answer, it's wrong. And then you take it personally - math is very unforgiving... quite judgmental really!

So you have this... subject. This way of thinking, that's full of rules, feels constricting, and is very unforgiving and judgmental. Oh, and tedious! I mean really, some Algebra problems seem to go on forever. Math can be extremely boring sometimes, especially when you are learning a concept, and you have to do problem after problem of the saaame crap, the same steps over and over. Blech.

But really, it's awesome. It is! I mean, you have the whole boring, scary side to math, but damn, math is great. For one, you could use math as an analogy for life. Life can be... problematic. Life can be hard, tedious, downright infuriating. Life takes a lot of hard work! Life can be unforgiving, even more so than math. One little mistake can lead to a lot of bigger mistakes, and then what do you have? An eraser? Thankfully, in math you do.

And when (if) the light finally comes on for you in math, you count your blessings! "Thank GOD the light finally came on! I got it!" Just like finding your niche in life, I guess, if one ever does. Plus, the lessons we learn in math tend to build on each other, get harder with time. Isn't it like that with life as well? Don't you wish you could trade some of your adult problems for some of the problems you had as a kid? If I could go back in time, with the knowledge I have now, I would be unstoppable! BUT, we live and we learn, and for us, time doesn't go backwards, only forward. And sometimes we need some help, just as with linear equations...

Okay, but now I'm going to stop waxing philosophic (philosophical?), and let you in on something very practical. As a life long math-phobic, this changed my life. And I'm not kidding. Okay, here it is: If you can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, you can do math. ALL math, not just some of it, all of it. ALL math is based on the things we learned in elementary school. Then, you just have to learn the 'etiquette', the rules for living in Math society. The formulas. Isn't that cool? Kinda takes some of the mystique and scariness out of math, to know that YOU can do it, doesn't it? Fabulous.

So, I have to thank Mr. Sani, for laying that crazy, practical math wisdom on me! He was my professor last semester. Now I'm considering a math minor. Can you believe it? Isn't life grand? I love it.

                                       Some very mathematical looking shells. Pretty.

A Prayer of Peace

This prayer has always brought me comfort... simple and beautiful.

Perpetual

                                                      per·pet·u·al/pərˈpeCHo͞oəl/

                                             Noun: A perpetual plant, esp. a hybrid rose.

                                                 Adjective: Never ending or changing.

                                        This is a lovely hybrid Tea Rose, a cultivar named, 'Mon Cheri'

                                            Change is perpetual, so why not embrace it?

Other things I hope are perpetual in my life: my love for those closest to me, my love for learning, living, and creativity... my faith that there is a God, and that He loves us... gratitude! I hope I am always thankful for what I have... strength, to get through the hard times.

I hope these things are perpetual for you as well! Peace