24 Days and Counting

Everyone around here is eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new nephew. He's the first baby for my brother and his wife, a first grandchild on both sides, and a first niece or nephew for me as well as for my sister-in-law's brother and sister.

Today her family threw her a baby shower, and seriously, it's a good thing there is not a practice of actually raining gifts on the mommy-to-be, because she would have been swimming in all the blessings. Also a good thing there is no statutory limit on "oohs" and "ahs," for all the cute onesies and blankets and toys and nursery decorations. Giraffes and elephants and lions, oh my! (The nursery is being decorated in a jungle theme!)

I can't wait until little Charlie gets here. His scheduled arrival is November 25, but of course we all know babies come on their own timetables, so could be anytime (don't tell his mommy, she's not quite ready yet!)

Anyway, here's a photo of the day, from left: my grandma Emmy, me, Genevieve and my mom Janny.

















And, just to prove how good I am at poking fun at myself (why do I think I will regret this?)...

I was recruited to play a game of an unspecified nature, which turned out to be a "drinking game" and which I am proud to say I won!! Here's proof:

Santa Ana

A year ago this week, I was camped out at my brother's house, evacuated from home due to wildfires. Santa Ana winds are fairly common this time of year, bringing hot, dry weather from the east, creating "perfect storm" conditions for a wildfire like they did last year.

Wednesday morning, as if on cue, we woke up to Santa Anas. It had been exactly one year to the day after Rice Canyon (Fallbrook) fire started. This week's Santa Ana is pretty mild. Although it's been warm, the breeze is quite mild compared to last year's extremely high winds.

Homes are still being rebuilt. Avocado trees that lived through the fire were pruned and now have a new growth. It may be a few seasons before they will once again supply Super Bowl guacamole. Other trees that weren't so lucky have been chopped into firewood and replaced. There is a big grove right by the freeway that I pass several times a week, and it is a constant reminder of last year's fire. That and actually being able to see the neighbor's house, formerly hidden behind their mature trees.

A couple weeks ago, when the season's first Santa Ana blew in, I packed a suitcase with some extra things and stashed it in my trunk. "Just in case" I leave home one of these days and don't get to go back, at least I'll have a toothbrush and some clean clothes. Extreme? Perhaps. Some would say I'm inviting disaster. Others would bet against a fire, because I'm prepared.

One family that lives not far from here built a fireproof garage last summer. I don't know the details, but the structure was designed and built to not burn down. It worked. The fireproof garage survived. It was largely empty because they hadn't stored anything in it yet, which is unfortunate because it was about the only thing left on their property after the fire went through.

I'm not sure why this has been on my mind all week, I guess perhaps because it was so memorable. Because I can't forget how narrowly we got by. Because I'm still grateful.

Busted!

This actually happened in my night class yesterday. I was furiously writing notes, as usual, when I looked up because it had gotten very, very quiet in the classroom. The professor had paused his lecture, and instead was standing in the middle of the classroom staring at a fellow student... who was very busily sending text messages. She was appropriately embarrassed when he called the attention of the entire class to her lack of attention to the lecture, but I just can't find it in me to feel too sorry for her. The syllabus included a comment making it painfully clear that electronic communications during class were his biggest pet peeve. The "no texting/chatting" policy was reinforced by his ranting on the topic for several minutes during our first meeting.

Now, this class is boring. No insult to the professor here, he pretty much told us that upfront, on the first night of class. I personally would have been mortified if I'd been in her shoes. But if I had any notion that grad school would involve a more mature group of fellow students than the last time I was in the classroom, that has been swiftly dismissed.

Sadly, this was not the first evidence that dismantled my notion. On the first day of class (a different one,) I had my laptop fired up and ready, planning to put my speedy typing skills to good use taking notes during the lecture. Unfortunately, the first professor I encountered disallows laptop use in class except for homework. Why? Because he got tired of students chatting online and watching the World Series during class using the university's free wifi.

Seriously?

The problem with policies like this is that they encourage students to live down to them. With every ridiculous rule, a student is less motivated to behave responsibly. The people running my high school tried to legislate everything. When there's a published list of the 35 ways you can get detention, is it really any surprise that the students did everything possible not on the list... virtually ensuring that the next edition of the list has 38 things on it?

I know I'm probably too much of an idealist. I know that my perspective, developed over the years since I was last in school, gives me an appreciation for education that many of my fellow students don't have. But I wonder, if not now, when will people be motivated to take responsibility and pay attention?

5K Race for the Cure

I guess October's turning out to be kind of cause-focused month, although I didn't plan it that way. Today I ran the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, an event I've participated in for a number of years. At some point I decided it would be really cool to run instead of walk in this event, and promised myself "next year, I'll be out here running across the finish line!"

Well, it took three years or so, but finally, I achieved that goal! The running is something I've wanted to do for me, but this event is about fighting breast cancer. Choosing this event for my first 5K is about a lot of other people. This is for you:

Aunt Joan & my friend Marcia, two very special ladies who lost the fight to breast cancer.

Aunt Pat, Aunt Mary, Aunt Jody, Kay, Ruth & Shirley, all great women who beat the odds and successfully fought the fight.

And for Jilliann, who just started her fight - hang in there! I'm cheering for you!

Meet Peter

If you were hoping I was going to introduce you to the new guy in my life, you are right. Kind of. This guy is single. He has a good heart, and he's FULL of money.

Ready?

Here he is:

Some of you might recognize the Peter Fish coin bank. You might have had one just like it as a kid or maybe your kids have one. The Peter Fish change drive kicked off at our church this past Sunday. All the kids and families get to take one home, and are encouraged to drop spare change in it for a three weeks. The proceeds benefit CRWRC, an organization who works to help those "who suffer from poverty, hunger, disaster, and injustice."

Last year, I missed out on the Peter Fish drive. Demand for banks exceeded supply, and by the time one made it to my house... the 3-week drive was pretty much over. So I kept the fish (please don't tell) and committed to doing the change drive anyway, donating the money later.

That was November, and in February I was still staring at an empty fish, when a member of my church committed to bicycling across the continent to raise awareness of poverty and raise funds to support causes that fight it. That was all the encouragement I needed to start collecting change. At first it was kind of hard as the dollars in my wallet disappeared quicker than I was used to. I groaned inwardly when one of purchases came to $1.07, and the next 93 cents were siphoned into the fish. But after a few weeks, I was used to it. I didn't miss the money anymore, so when the three weeks were up, I decided to keep saving my change.

Since then, I've collected $99, which means about $10 a month is feeding the Peter Fish. That doesn't sound like a lot, because it just doesn't buy much here in America. But in impoverished places around the globe, just pennies can make a significant difference in someone's life. Skeptical?

The CRWRC, where the money goes, publishes a gift catalog every year around the holidays, and the 2008 edition is hot off the presses. It shows how a few dollars can help fight poverty. I thought I'd do a litle shopping to see exactly what $99 can do, and here's what I found:

$15.00 = Doctor visits for two children in Ethiopia orphaned by AIDS
$ 4.50 = Blackboard & chalk for literacy classes in Malawi
$25.00 = Provides full immunizations to a child in Nigeria
$12.00 = Training on garden productivity for two families in Nicaragua
$12.00 = One mosquito net to prevent Malaria infections
$15.00 = Nutrition kit for a child in Honduras
$15.00 = Tool kit for volunteers responding to disasters in Canada & the U.S.
$ .50 = Two tree seedlings to help prevent soil erosion affecting farmers in Haiti
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$99.00


For a moment, I let my mind wander... What would I do with an extra $10 a month?
I'm embarrassed to admit that the first thing that came to mind was a couple extra trips to "four"bucks. My mouth waters at the thought of a steamy hot chai latte. (Why ARE those things so yummy!?) It's so easy to convince myself that my few dollars won't make a difference anyway, so why not?

But when I look again at the list I just made, I see a very different reality. A reality where a few dollers does make a difference. By no means will my coins change the whole world. Poverty and hunger won't end overnight. But the quarters and dimes I collect will make a difference to someone, somewhere. No doubt about it.

As for that yummy latte I was pondering a few minutes ago, I'm finding it less enticing as compared to another pretty sweet option: changing the world, one coin at a time.