I got a ClustrMap, and I was also interviewed on TV again. Isn't it great, living here and having a blog?
Saro
P.S. I was interviewed on TV once before, for a tea documentary. Missed it, though. Mr. Hu's trying to get us a CD of it, so that would be extremely cool!
Saro again
In the Shadow of Qi Shan
In the shadow of Qi Shan they used to grow rice.
They'd flood the fields and put little seedlings in...
Weed them and tend them, 'til harvest time.
And someone bought the land in the shadow of Qi Shan
To build their new buildings on,
So farmers harvested one last time.
Then the fallow time had begun.
And the wind blew chill
The old paths of the fields
We walked on.
And they made a road.
But that was all.
Then they started in earnest.
They brought in dirt and filled up the paths,
Until the green fields
Turned into a brown plateau.
And she watched this all--
A farmer, she was
She sat in the shadow of Qi Shan
Hugging her knees, loosely,
Watching the bulldozers filling up
That which was once her field...
It's only been spring for going on two weeks now, and it's already so hot I'm wondering about shorts! This is the tropics!
Really, there's no news except that maybe I'll get a Clustrmap. I will blog about that if it happens...
Their boats traveled gently across the water
On the shores of Elliot Bay
'Til they landed on the sand over yonder,
On a cold, cold rainy day
On the shores of Elliot Bay.
They settled down there, where the wind blows strong
On the shores of Elliot Bay
Through the winter, dark and cold and long
When the rain poured down, poured down hard
On the shores of Elliot Bay.
And there they made a settlement in the trees
On the shores of Elliot Bay
Looking out over the glassy seas
There was no city, not yet, then
On the shores of Elliot Bay.
And now there's a city where they landed
On the shores of Elliot Bay
The people are gone, not forgotten--but
Only a monument stands now
On the shores of Elliot Bay.
-----------------------------------------------------
Sorry! Nothing really happened today...
Remember when I posted about a song called "Soldier's Round"? Dan Dutton has kindly posted the lyrics here. That is very good because I couldn't find 'em anywhere, so here you are!
Saro
My mum says when you work with kids, you have to bear with some of the most annoying or funny things. Like, we have a CD where somebody's asking kids, "What is this instrument?" and the kids yell, "a banjo!" and she says, "And where did the banjo come from, a long time ago?" and the kids yell, "Alabama!"
Well, a couple once said that they were doing this children's program and they'd be trying to sing something or explain something, and they'd be interupting, "Hey, have you seen Shrek?" or something like that.
So for a long time it was a joke with my sister and I, "Hey, have you seen Shrek?"
Well, that's probably been long forgotten--two whole years ago, and I've not seen either of the people in question for over a year now (but dress up for Hallowe'en and...). I in fact forgot it until...yesterday! And then, it was fun to watch Shrek finally.
Well, the movie was fun, it seemed like everything was the opposite of the way it would be in fairy tales. That was really funny, but I got to warn you...there was some "bathroom humor", so...
Well, that's all I have to say for now...
Saro
Well, guess what! It is so hot here and yesterday, Mum says, "Tomorrow we'll go sandal shopping." I guess you don't know, but, guess what, I had been promised sandals in September and the promise was reiterated in January in very hot Thailand!
Well, the night rolls around, and all of a sudden, Mum says that perhaps we should watch Shrek tonight and not go sandal shopping. The way school goes, 'twouldn't be possible to do both--sorry about the "folk song English"--and that sparked a few bad feelings because Susie and Mum wanted to go ahead with that but I didn't, and Daddy--well, Daddy is very noncommital and goes with the flow too much, so even if he had a preference I never found out.
This morning, I hit upon a plan. This plan involved strenuous work at school--like, doing all my math in the morning instead of the afternoon and taking no breaks, and it was a three way deal--Daddy, the teacher, would be flexible and open to doing things and would assist us to talk to Mum and stuff, Susie, the I-hate-everything, would have to work at it anyways, and finally, I, the lazybones, would have to get on my own tail to do it. And? We did. And, Mum accepted to go shopping with us to get sandals.
I will post a picture of my sandals when I get the chance--they're white, like the shoes I used to get on Holy Saturday for Easter wear, and actually, quite like a pair of dress-shoes a couple years ago, yet not dressy enough to warrant them unsuited for general sandal wear. Which means...I got sandals I love and will wear everywhere for a few days (just not up Qi Shan or Ba Shan or something like that), at the least. They cost a little over three dollars--25 kuai. Susie's were a bit over four--35 kuai. Together was 60 kuai--li'l bit over $7.00. But they will probably become indispensible if I know me.
Oh, yeah, and we're watching Shrek tonight, to. The concencus was: Pepsi or Coke (Coke) and Chou tze or popcorn (popcorn). I had to give in on both, but I helped choose Coke because they had a bigger bottle. And, I gave in on the Chou tze because I always want a good Yunnan apple with that and I'm full from pork and beansprouts. It's a wonderful world!
Saro
Okay. Be careful what you wish for. I saw a preview for Shrek, and expressed a desire to see it. And then--it shows up on the table where we keep a few DVDs. Like--Star Wars,...um....uh, well that's it. So, what's this movie like. In a few weeks I'll blog about it.
Saro
(P.S. Believe me, nothing else happened today)
Just a minute. I lost my wysiwyg editor. What's up with this???
Saro
...you are doing a science experiment and several people you never met before know your name (or at least have heard your name) and want to know what the heck you're doing.
I really have nothing to write today...it was a bad day, but that's about it. I spent all afternoon making a craft. So, I've another test for you...resolutions for fairy tale characters.
I got off on a kick about Pompeii--no, I don't like to read about people dying grisly deaths, but Pompeii is so tragic it's almost poetic. I wrote a--um, it rhymes and it has a tune, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a song--about it.
Come listen to my story
I'll sing to you my song
Come sit beside me gently
I cannot stay for long
Do you heed my words--
My heart's been sore, indeed,
Since the night of terror when we suffered
From a mountains cruel greed.
It was a gentle summer's day
When the winds blew cool and soft
The sea, it glittered as a mirror
Of the sky pinned far aloft.
Wild, blue haunting sea!
Waves like shaking ground.
But the worst was coming--coming faster.
Then, a warning's dreadful sound.
I saw a cloud come from the mountain
From a craked stone in the street.
If only I had gone then--
Oh, I did not trust my feet.
No wild panic touched
The people's hearts around.
So we supped as normal--little knowing
The ash'd come falling down.
I ran away from the villa
With two servants and my child
We sailed far from Vesuvius--
Mountain so large and wild!
Others stayed, my family, too...
Their fate is written in the ashes.
They, and all, the mountain slew.
I came back a year later
Came to the seaside town
The town was gone, only ashes lay there
And whispers circled 'round and 'round.
Screaming, crying, terrifying!
Ghosts of cruel deaths.
Wild and tragic, wild and haunting
In their ghostly breaths.
Come listen to my story
I'll sing to you my song
Come sit beside me gently
I cannot stay for long
Do you heed my words--
My heart's been sore, indeed,
Since the night of terror when we suffered
From a mountains cruel greed.
I really have nothing to say, so I have a little game for you. I will write out ten resolutions for people fromt the ancient world--famous ones, I mean, and then you guess who I'm referring to. Answers are in the Haloscan Comments page (click on the "x amount of people has/have commented :)" link).
1. I will beware the fifteenth of March.
2. If I see a cloud shooting from a nearby mountain, I will run for it.
3. The best way to get on the good side of Julius Ceaser is not to kill Pompey.
4. The kid can ride the horse. It's a good investment.
5. I will avoid elephants and the Alps.
6. I will let people stand on my diagram if my life hinges on it.
7. I will decide once and for all where to put my burial chamber.
8. I will not be a slave for a dying king--it's way too dangerous.
9. I will not play ball, because I might end up a sacrifice.
10. I will not be shocked if my master jumps out of the bathtub to come up with a conclusive experiment to his latest hypothesis.
Don't worry if you haven't got many of these--I have a really good curriculum this year.
Good luck!
Saro
This has got to be one of the most pathetic last words I have ever heard of. One of the most. It was said by Julius Ceaser.
Et tu, Brute? literally means, "And you, Brutus?" but my history textbook translated it as "You too, Brutus?"
I don't really like Julius Ceaser, but, then again, I'm not big on dictators. Anyway, though, I can't help pitying him in his last moment when he'd just been stabbed by his countrymen, including Brutus, who had been his friend. And that's probably number two or three on my list of the most pathetic last words you can say. Of course, if one were dying of cancer and suddenly looked up at me and said, "Et tu, Brute?" or the English equivalents, I would have to ask a nearer relation, "Has so-and-so been a little out of his mind lately?" Actually, I knew someone who was dying of cancer once, and, when the conditions got really bad, going to see him in the hospital was basically going to talk to his family and hope that that labored breathing didn't stop when we were around. I'm not callous, I just knew that that would really scare me. We once went to visit someone in the hospital and when we got there it was too late. They drew the curtain so I couldn't see, but I saw him all white and pale, lying there like he was sleeping. But I get spooked looking at dead bodies. How did I get on this subject? Oh, yes--if one's last words were to be "Et tu, Brute?" and there was nobody named Brutus in the room, the only pathetic part would be that they were obviously not clear-minded enough to have coherent last words. But, if someone has been killed or betrayed by a friend, last words of the "Et tu, Brute?" variety would be really pathetic. It's the situation, not the actual last words.
Well, slightly diverging from the subject, I don't know Latin at all. The reason I knew what the title of the weblog is, translated literally, is that I knew what "et" meant, and the automatic translator (can't find it at the minute) confirmed my suspicions about "tu". The only other smidgen of Latin I know is "Dona nobis pacem". It's slightly more useful than "Et tu, Brute?", especially because I don't intend to play Julius Ceaser with Susie anytime soon.
Don't laugh. This is supposed to be a serious post. Unfortunately, some people think that teeny tiny commands of Latin and obsessing about the last words of some guy in ancient Rome is funny. It's not! I am dead serious on all of this (no pun intended). I would make a list of the most pathetic last words one can say (if they're direct quotes, then obviously I would be talking the scenario more than the last words). I would also make a list of the best last words I'd heard...or at least, the non pathetic ones, like...oh, I won't go into that now.
So...I don't know anything else to say right now. So goodbye. Until I think of something else to write.
Saro
P.S. Some of my family will know of another "Et tu, Brute?" incident of the sort. I'd point that out, but this post is getting too long already.
I don't generally write poetry "to people"--and it's generally not because I don't like them--a high honor is to get poetry dedicated to one, to be diaried or blogged about, or to get foisted with a lot of artwork. There are a few people who get all three. Teacher Sandy is one of them.
I Remember
I remember when you demonstrated the step,
It was the most graceful one I'd ever seen.
And your hair was pulled back like a professional dancer's.
I remember the steps.
I remember the pictures.
I remember the music.
I remember the stories.
I remember the goodbye.
I remember the rainy nights when rain was forgotten.
I remember when I brought the Andean music.
I remember all the barre excersises--
Tendus, rond de jambes, frappes--
I remember the preschool artwork.
I still have the one picture I found on the floor.
I remember the heat wave.
I remember the most terrible September.
I knew you all that time.
I remember the kicks.
I liked the one where you did a flourish first.
I think I was kicking higher when I ended than when I first began.
I remember the last day--
Not in the beloved cozy upstairs room,
But in the gym with watching parents.
I remember the tears
And the sadness.
I remember.
A Phone Call Away
It was a sunny day when I picked up the phone
And dialed with trembling fingers.
And got an answering machine.
So I left a message and walked away.
Then I got a call.
The sun was still shining, the breezes still blowing
Through the open windows,
Ruffling my hair, as I hung on to every word.
Jotting down notes, sighing with relief,
Smiling,
Talking,
Listening.
And I had what I needed.
It was just a phone call away.
Tsunami
"This is what I lost," she said,
Holding up a picture of a little boy.
English corner tonight. This version of English corner is fairy tales. Instructer tells the story twice, Englishcorner-ites tell the story to each other, then somebody's got to tell a Chinese fairy tale (or two) (or three) (Fran, you just volunteered) (I did?). In English. Anyway, today we did the three bears. Now, in case you don't know the Three Bears, I will tell you the story.
Thanks to the Irish-sayings.com's list of St. Patrick's Day sayings for the title! (and if you're interested, I'm sorry, but I don't know how to say it and you need a membership with that sayings place to hear it)
Anyway, today is St. Patrick's day and I think that a good dose of the tin whistle would be a wonderful idea! Don't you? Let's see...I can play "Jig of Slurs", "Blarney Pilgrim", "Swallowtail Jig", "The Road to Lisdoonvarna", "Merrily Kiss the Quaker", etc. I guess I shouldn't play Athol Highlanders, should I? ;)
So, Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh again and I will post something else when something interesting happens...oh, wait!!!
We got our flight reservations for July! We get to leave July 1st, China time, and get to Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport on the 2nd, America time! Is that cool or what? A whole month in America. I suppose I ought to learn the words and tune to "Washington, My Home," but I don't actually like that song. Guess I'll have to write my own Washington song, huh? So I am just so excited and the poor computer's taking it because I'm typing hard and fast! I like to type fast, incidentally. Some people say that to type really fast and not move around so much, one should switch to Dvorak from QWERTY. I met someone like that once. In my own personal opinion, though--it's much more fun to travel all over the keyboard. But I've been typing for two or three years, I think, so I've got lots of practice by now...
Saro O'Something
And that's because she claims that I am a poet. Some of my stuff might be good, but...do you think this is poetry, my cyberspace (which may be only three people, I don't know!) audience?
TeaThe tea they always give me at restaurants is dark and bitter and too strong. I like the barbecue place because their tea is not too strong, as well as the food is delicious.
I let my tea steep too long--
I think.
Now it's dark and bitter as the tea they always give me.
Ever notice
How tea leaves, dry, crumbly
Like burrs
Will turn into floating green-brown leaves?
Of course not.
For your leaves are packed in bags or balls,
Not free
Like mine.
Qi ShanI regret to say that I've been in terrible shape and have never made Qi Shan's summit. Qi Shan isn't really a mountain by my standards, but if I try to explain that to an English student I have a bit of a problem. Oh, well. Anyway, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do--except, when you've got a flatminded father who calls a hill a...oh, that's a story for another day. No offence, hills that people call mountains are very pretty...
Towering high above an old village
New apartments
Rice paddies
Construction--
Gently enfolding an irrigation waterway
With grass, bamboo and pines--
So different from a towering, rocky, cliff of a mountain
Capped with snow and ice,
Daring one, "Dare you come? Fall!
And be dashed on my rocks!"
Qi Shan beckons with waving bamboo
"Come."
LionsOy, gevalt! You should see the lions at some bank or something. They are very, very fierce. And I mean it! If I were afraid of statues I would be terrified of them! But the lions at the Bank of China are the most jovial lions I have seen, and, if they weren't statues, I would be tempted to pet them. This isn't degrading--this is just the fact that I love gentle creatures so much that a laughing lion is really, really, amazing. To me.
Western lions are always keeping strangers out.
I'm surprised their roars don't keep their masters out!
And the use of them I cannot see.
Chinese lions, on the other hand, are always laughing--
I used to think they were laughing at my pale skin,
Blue eyes, and brown hair.
Now I think they laugh when I talk
Just like their people do,
Amazed that I even spoke!
Chinese lions like me.
Street DancersThe street dancers have moved to the park and the atmosphere just isn't the same. It's a bit too formal now.
The big circle moves in the light from the streetlight--
Moving in an endless tangle of
Moving arms and legs with heads floating up top.
The small line of
Two grandfathers
An older man and woman
And two little girls
Dances their own dance.
Dragonfly
Tomorrow they'll find you, pretty one.
Tomorrow they'll find you, and they'll say
"How did a dead dragonfly git on your windowsill?"
I'll know, pretty one.
"It flew against my window
And died."
What happened? Either I was trying to write something in the folk vein, and the Jewish music crept in...or I was trying to go Jewish and the folk music crept in. Next thing you know, I will be singing "Tumbalalaika" in Chinese or "Goatherd's Song" in Yiddish. It's just that sort of a day!
So, I came up with a very interesting piece, entitled "lonely" and taking the beat of a hora. But, it's got two passages that are decidedly American or Celtic in origin. Just please don't take me to the psychiatrist!
Sarolalaika
Hi, there, and guess what I found! I found this cool page...um...here's a link to it. It's a cool page about Laura Ingalls Wilder...do you know that there's a list of some of Pa's fiddle tunes and MIDI files with it? It also has stuff about her real life and the real people. Nobody knows who Mr. Edwards is! Sniff. Oh, well. Do check it out. I'm listening to "All the Bluebonnets are Over the Border" right now, and it's fun--though I would have loved to hear Pa Ingalls play it, myself.
Meantime, talking about music...I've really taken to composition. I wish I could post PDFs on this blog because I could put some of my compositions on here for you to see (and play?). It's fun to compose! Which reminds me, I've got to compose something about rain tomorrow. Bye-bye!
Saro
It rained last night--I made a post about that somewheres, you'd have to search for "it rained last night" in the search bar and click "search this blog". Anyhow--it rained last night, and, except for the thunder and lightening, it did feel like March. Let me check something...yeeks, by Friday it's s'posed to be back in the 80's! For heaven's sakes!
Well, in Antartica it's supposed to rain. Highs in the 30's. Who wants weather for Antartica? I don't know. Oh, well.
There's nothing much else to say except that I am making an...you'll find out.
Saro
Pylonia is a country that my Dad made up. Take this photo and text tour--I think you'll enjoy it.
The Imperial Dictator and his wife Louise.
L-R: Saro, Susie, Louise, and Tim Stuart--The Imperial Family
Saro, and her Imperial Friends--Rachel and Evonne
...The Imperial Playground (this and the previous courtesy of Aunt Langenariza
The old Imperial Palace...blue, blue, blue
The temporary Imperial Palace--rm. 203, that is
Pylonia was named for pylons (?) and was made up by my father in High School along with the rest of bus #6. The people of bus #6 sound kind of weird. Oh, well. He is the Imperial Dictator, and still observes the most important holiday--National Donut Day.
His wife, Louise, is a quiet person who just rolls her eyes when her position is mentioned.
His eldest daughter, Saro, rebelled and formed the country of Azureham, where there are plenty of strange ideas--such as flooded studios--
--original somewhere in here...and folk musicians hurtling into outer space...
...yes, Saro's busy. She also is a music NUT, and likes to do everything but the norm.
His youngest, Susie--
--is a bit shy to pictures, except when taken by her father in the past. She plays all the men, the stupid women, and all the kids in our games.
I've enjoyed posting it. What do you think? Please tell me.
Saro
Here are the minutes for the B.A.A.D. meeting yesterday.
Hi there, Balkanarama and Atwater-Donnelly fans! It's my pleasure to announce that the B.A.A.D. Fan Club is meeting again.
(President, secretary: Saro Stuart; a.k.a. KH
Vice-President: Susie Stuart; a.k.a. AH
Other Members: none)
We had our first meeting. No offence to the people so named in B.A.A.D., but we have broadened our horizens to create a regular meeting schedule. So, today we discussed Balkanarama to flip-flops. Next meeting we might talk about Atwater-Donnelly, but the ideas and discussions we had were centered on Balkanarama for this point. For this point only, I mean! We have really nothing to talk about in the A-D spectrum--no new pictures in their Photo Album, no more interesting tidbits to talk about, we've discussed every concert in detail--well, I'm sure something will come up, because the ratio of Balkanarama music to Atwater-Donnelly music we're listening to is definitely weighted on the A-D side.
(well, the latest correspondence (that means two or three letters exchanged which get 'way off the original topic) with Ms. Atwater has not been discussed yet. President Saro gets another meeting topic!)
Well, that goes to show that the B.A.A.D. is very disorganized. What isn't?
Saro
Is anybody reading my blog? I haven't been getting any comments lately. Sigh. Oh, well, I don't live for comments, by any means. I am enjoying blogging quite a bit, and I am always trying to update for some weird event goin' on.
So, since this is another "miscellaneous" post, I do believe I will explain that the title comes from an Irish rebel song--the songbook said that once somebody announced that he was gonna sing one of those and an Irish guy said, "Which rebellion?" and the fact is, I don't know. I like it chiefly for the tune, the way it can be wild and haunting and yet simply be proud and brave and...well, it's a great tune. Let me see if I can get the lyrics, and maybe a tune clip...well, I might'a found something. And, probably, it's a different version...yeeks! Link. I never knew the last verse, quite frankly, and, in that picture, real as it may be--well, that's not where I pictured it. Oh, well. What's mo bhuachaill mean, anyway? Or don't I want to know?
Saro
Wednesday, Mum said, "There's a booksale on campus." Last time there was a booksale on campus there were two English books, the biography of Bill Clinton and The Da Vinci Code. Neither one really gave great interest to us, so we didn't bother to pick 'em up.
So, naturally, our question was, "Are there any English books?" We never said this, as she answered in her own continuation. "And there's one English book. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. It's a classic. It would be 'way to hard for Susie, but Saro might enjoy it. So would you, Tim," this to my father, "if you wanted to read it. Shall I pick it up?"
The answer was noncommittal, she might have well as said, "What do you want, chocolate and vanilla mixed together or chocolate and vanilla swirl?" Chocolate and vanilla swirl takes on a slight preference, but either will do just fine.
So, when she came back from class, she said, "Jane Eyre is only ten kuai," (this is comparable to ten dollars in local money, the actual value being around a dollar twenty-five) "do you want to buy it?" she added.
"I guess," was Daddy's non-committal answer.
"I'll need some money, then," Mum said. He handed her a ten and she went out again. In a few minutes, she came back, bearing a deliciously fat and intriuging novel. Joy! Another book to read. Soon my schoolwork was finished, and I sat down to devour the book. Alas! Would that I had waited for the weekend! Look back at the previous post, schoolgirls (or boys) (or working folk) and follow my advice! My reading was constantly hampered by schoolwork, had it been Sunday, I believe I could've all but finished the book the first day.
But I finished it yesterday, to find quite a surprising ending (for me) and to sigh that my suspense was gone, but so was such a consuming enjoyment. There is a solution, however, which I hit upon today. The book is being reread to my great enjoyment. I suppose Jane Eyre might hit upon the same mark that the March sisters did, old-fashioned people in old books that are not so dreadfully hard to follow as Jane Austen (whose writings I have seen as one movie and read one book*) and are interesting to boot.
Later that evening, we played all the samples off Balkanarama's new CD. This will be their best ever! I am completely serious, and I wish they knew!
The lesnoto, by the way, is a dance. I don't believe you do it to the songs on this CD, but it sounded good for Jane Eyre. I digress. Anyway, I will see u later, alligators!
Saro
*the book was Persuasion, and the movie of which I have mentioned has a goofs page that I recommend. goofs
Just how do you pronounce the sirname "Eyre", anyway. I finished (in two days!) a book where the heroine's name is Jane with that particular sirname. It's by Charlotte Bronte (oomlat on the last e) (sorry, Mum, I can't spell oomlaat) and it's a classic. Now, let me tell you, if you are a schoolgirl and you love to read and you can't stand suspense (like me), read this book on a weekend!!! I had to space intervals of it between school assignments, and I cannot believe how crazy I went for a book! The only other book that I have not been able to put down willingly is Megan's Island by Willo Davis Roberts. I think. Correct me if I've got the name wrong. The second, third, fourth, or fifth time, that is an easy read, but the first time I stayed up so late just to read it. I think I am more likely to reread Megan's Island than Jane Eyre, but we only own Jane Eyre and not Megan's Island. And that is a choice I would've made if suddenly they were both sitting right there for ten kuai and I could choose (note to myself: I have thirty-seven kuai from the forty, but I want another minority doll (preferrably Bai) and then the rest I will blow on Beacon Hill sights to charm me. Don't go thinking about books, now!) between them.
So, it's a great book, but I don't see how I can give away the non-important bits without giving away the rest, so...check it out yourself! Later I will do a blog post on the circumstances of us owning this five ninety-nine book for a dollar fifty, almost.
Saro
...so, hi howarya and all that. See you tomorrow.
Saro
P.S. Well, yesterday was international women's day but that wasn't too exciting. we just went out to eat where there were perfectly awful dishes and about four to five really good ones. that's life.
saro
Here are some poetic thoughts. I know that they aren't very cheerful, but they are things to think about.
JetI wrote this one a while ago and revised it. This is a strange fact, but, though I've seen no footage of 9/11, it affected me in more ways than one. The most apparent (though, once I grow up, I think that there will be another fact that shows) is that I cannot bear to see a building implode or fall even if it's a scheduled one like the Kingdome (non-Seattle residents, that was a sports stadium they razed for Qwest field in Seattle). Now, the Kingdome was before 9/11, and I watched it with...um...kind of delight. Nowadays the very memory makes me sick.
Watch them get ready.
Watch them signal it to taxi into the right place.
Watch the steady stream of passengers get off
And another get on.
Watch them load luggage.
Watch the pilot and the flight attendants, talking among themselves
Board a flight.
See the doors shut
And the wild engine's roar
As it lifts gracefully up into the air
To a tiny speck,
Feel excitement grow in your heart to know it will soon be your turn
And tell me.
Who watched flight 93 take off like this?
Lone Rainy AfternoonThis is what it should be for winter and much of fall and spring. At least should be and is in Seattle. I would trade the tropical rainy and dry seasons for this, but, it'll do in a pinch.
Rain streams down my window.
The lights are on at 4:00.
The CD player's green digital numbers and grinding hardly pierces the gloom.
Dark green and light gray
Cozy.
Warm and watching brown branches turn black
Looking at doves with their blue feathers ruffled up to tiny heads.
Or heads tucked under wings.
Books that take me to Old England
Where they might have had rain such as this.
Or just sit.
We had some folks over for dinner last night. They have three kids, Tobias, Augustine, and Dinah. Anyway, Dinah is just a baby, and the two boys are really active. So susie and I had to take them outdoors and they kept fighting over the ball and the frisbee and then Neill Hu shows up and I had to watch out for the boys a lot. And they weren't to go on the road, but of course they kept punting the ball there. Heh. So, that's over and glad I am that it is!
Saro
Ballad
Sitting in a hard wooden seat
My eyes are glazed over--no,
Not from boredom--
I'm just not here.
I'm away in a far-away time and place
Borne on the wings of a voice--
A disguised sailor on a ship is my friend
A farmer is holding a gleaming gold glove
On the wings of a voice
I may go where the wind blows--far and near
Where the willows grow
Where the wild birds sing
Where flowers grow...
And, as the music fades away, so does the dream.
And then--
The tears come.
Dance
Come and dance with me.
Don't worry about time--I can't figure it out either.
This song makes a good stomping dance
And then this one is a slow one.
"Drink wine and break the glasses!" it says,
But to dance is better--
Prettier.
Dance with me.
Dance to the tambura's rythmic beat
Spin with a dizzying solo
Abandon form or style.
Dance!
Forget your cares,
Don't watch who's watching you--
They won't care or if they do it doesn't matter.
Dance!
The music calls me
Calls you
Calls us all.
Dance
Dance
Dance!
Yesterday, just before supper, Mr. Hu calls and he wants the Fleming-Charmichaels and us Stuarts to come to a tea-house with him. Bor-ing. I find sitting and drinking tea quite boring without something cool to do. Like, I've never been to a real tea party, but I think that would be just amazing! And I do enjoy going over to the Fleming-Charmichaels' when they invite us over because they always have something interesting to say. But...a tea-house?
Besides, we were going to practice for our Easter program that night! I was mad, but I decided to come along because Susie wanted to.
A little later, the "plot" thickens. Now, the local TV company wants to film us drinking tea! Well, I perked up a bit, because after all, I love being on camera (the rest of the family isn't, so much), and that could also take a while.
So we went to the L. Road Grand Hotel and came to this room that had a placque that said, "Puer (that's pronounced poo-air) teaexperience". First we watched a tea ceremony (thankfully off camera) and I felt like I should be wearing chi pao or at least something nicer than pants and a tee-shirt. And holding my doll Aubrey at that! Not like Aubrey is a bad doll--the real Aubrey commented about her hair and earrings--but she didn't exactly belong in a fancy room. It was really fancy, I felt like I was in an art museum sitting in a chair from the collection.
After a tea ceremony we went into the filming part of things. That was fun--Daddy joked that I should go in for movies! It's fun to "dream" about, but it's like so many things--I know I'd hate it in real life. You can dream about practically anything when you make that distinction. I've dreamed about becoming a mountain climber! Well, we just chatted and drank tea and pretended we weren't on camera. Actually, that was easy--directly across from me was this picture of a village up in the mountains that drew me in with its misty bamboo.
After that, the four grown-ups and me were interviewed. That was fun, however, I doubt that the footage of me will get on there. SNIFF. Oh, well--I can say I was filmed for Chinese TV!
Saro
English corner started up again on Saturday! My friend came. She is kind of like the friends I'd have at ballet--a nice little acquaitance that I will remember for a long time. Anyway, she wanted to know 1.) How was my Spring Festival? 2.) Am I coming next week? and 3.) Where was my mother? I answered 1.) It was great, how was yours, 2.) Yes, I will, and 3.) She's sick and will be better next week.
Then Leonard showed up and wanted to know 1.) How was my Spring Festival? 2.) What did you do in Thailand? 3.) What do the people wear in Thailand? 4.) What are the houses like in Thailand? 4.) What would you do if you could go back to Thailand? 5.) What is the history of Thailand?
Then, Mrs. Fleming-Charmichael wanted to know what English Corner was all about and it was all about fairy tales and the Three Little Pigs. And now we know the tale backwards and forwards. So we told it to her backwards.
So, we're back in the swing of things. Have a good day!
Saro
My smileys:
It didn't work. Trying to post pics, I mean. Listen. All the links, pics and other little "goodies" I have I will jot down in my diary and get them to you in one honkin' post. But that's not 'til July. SNIFF.
Saro
(the reason all my smileys are here is because I uploaded them via blogger. Sorry, no email images)
...and, I'm not there to see it! The cherry tree will probably bloom any day now. The days are probably getting warmer, and the birds...well, in Seattle, the birds were always there--but I do believe there was greater selection in the spring and summer. It's still raining. Argh! Oh, how I wish that I could have a magic crystal ball and be two places at once. No, wait, I'd probably scare the renters silly by appearing in their midst! That wouldn't work...
Well, I have one more thing to test about email. Seeyalater!
Saro
Hi! I'm trying to post via email--if that works, guess what? I might be
able to post from America! I will be able to post when we go home for
good, but this summer I won't have internet access except for a
different email address (sorry, dear and faithful friends, you can't
email me and have me read it soon. BOO-HOO). I've tried like three
times, but it hasn't worked because I typed in the wrong email address!
How stupide of me! (yes the e was supposed to be there)
Saro
Spring is greenOh, yes, remind me to tell you about that. That is so funny! And a post for another day.
Summer is bright
Fall is golden
Winter is white
Ten minutes until bedtime. A sick sister to whom you're telling stories. Quickly, now. And creativity is going on the blink. Where, oh where is the Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales?
I was faced with this problem last night and came up with summaries of stories in the genre of Fairly Stupid Tales. I even carried it a step farther with Fairly Stupid Folk Songs. I'll try and find links if you're not familiar with the stories. I will list ones as they come to mind and also from last night.
I'm sure that all the people that talk at us mean well, but they don't seem to understand our two phrases for "I don't understand!" Well, they do, but then they start talking to us again. I wondered if maybe when we say "I don't understand" they switch from Lonevalleyhua to Putonghua (i.e. the local Lone Valley dialect to the standard Mandarin), but Mum said no.
Embarrasing situation last night. A mother comes over with her baby--toddler--and sits down. The toddler starts patting Susie's knee--no, whapping Susie's knee--and the mother comes up with the catch phrase. "Dje-dje, dje-dje!" That means "big sister, big sister". You say the first dje kind of normal, and then you rise the tone almost like a question and not quite for the otehr dje. But I don't think you'll need that any time soon. Well, the woman keeps saying things to Susie and she keeps saying (after a little help from me) "Tien bu do! Tien bu do!" and then there's this other phrase, "Wa bu ming bai!" Niether one works perfectly--but we forgot to use the "wa bu ming bai" at this time. So the woman finally gives up and walks away, but not before the toddler hugged Dje-dje.
I've been called Dje-dje twice. Once there was a foreigner who was talking to a little Chinese kid, and I was one of the Dje-djes. Mum was A-yi, which is aunt. Then another time we were also sitting around and this woman and toddler comes up and says, "Dje-dje! Dje-dje!" (pointing to Susie) and then she turns to me and goes, "A-yi! A-yi!" Oops. You might not be able to tell from my profile picture, but I'm--um--oh, what is the word--precocious in body and that causes a lot of people to think I'm older than I really am. When Mum was training at this college to go overseas, I had to patiently explain to some fellow train-ee that I was her daughter and Susie was not my daughter. She finally got it. And I have to explain to Kitty that I am not a teacher at the college or anywhere, I am simply the age of a middle school student. Well, Kitty is always trying to say something to me in Chinese and I keep telling her I don't speak it. Perhaps she's the sort of person you must speak to about sixteen times before they finally get it. Kitty's pretty nice, though.
The second time I was called Dje-dje was when Uncle Charles (who just came down and brought us yummy yummy cornflakes) wanted me to take Neal to the bathroom in Thailand. He said, "Well, Neal, I guess you're going to have to go with dje-dje and she'll find the bathroom for you." Then he turns to me, holds out Neal's hand and goes, "Dje-dje?"
Oh, well, I like the way you just call everybody here by a word of famlial relationships. For example, if you knew a lot of Chinese to carry on suitable conversation with a little old grandmother running a shop, you would probably addresss her as "grandmother" or if she were younger, "aunt". That's fine with me, I just hope that the little toddlers go around catching the stomach bug that Susie got. Don't worry, it was just a quick little thing and she's almost better now.
Saro
Sorry!--yes, this really is untitled. There's nothing much to say except that spring is coming (it's warm enough for tee-shirts outside and light parkas inside) and February is over! (Folksounds yesterday kept mentioning that...)
Let me see. Hm. Well, the rice paddy is turning from this to this, as it's being demolished. Oh, well. I will miss the lake. (I guess I went overboard on the TEXT STyles.
Now, what was I saying? Oh, yes. 'Way up against Qi Shan is the major construction, and that is not faculty housing like we thought. The faculty housing comes closer, I guess. Well, that's some classroom buildings. Weird. They're 'way out there!
I wanted to do a report on the Scythians today, but I found next to no information on them other than their political history and funeral practices. Ugh. I'm not gonna be the concubine of no Sycthian king! Too dangerous. Next thing you know, he'd up and die on me and then they'd want me to get strangled and put in his grave. Yeesh. I wasn't about to do a report on morbid funeral practices, so I switched my work over to Shang China. I didn't learn much, but I did learn about the way they predicted the future with oracle bones. The way they found out in the 20's was pretty cool so I did that. I probably set to much time to the "set-up" and let the content get yucky. Oh, well...next Thursday's another week.
Susie and I are going to do a little "performance" on Easter for our parents and we need to practice before Sunday. At first it had two honkin' parts but I decided to take out the one because two hours is not ideal for a little program that Susie is reluctant to do anyway. She said the Christmas one was worth it--but she hated practicing. Oh, well, this is a lot more singing and less instrumentation. Not as fancy.
Perhaps I should change the title of this to "miscellaneous", because it's just that...miscellaneous. What an awkward word to write! A writer gets the feel of words, the way they look, the way they feel, and all that.
Saro
This is somebody else. I like this picture. I had it in my archives...
Well, I guess that I have now't else to say, so goodbye.
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Whew! The time it took to get this here title! It's frightening...
These are a couple of two songs--I'm testing to see if I can make that thing link in the title. Actually, the songs are "Red is the Rose" and "North Americay", but I had no way of writing it quite the way I wanted to. SIGH. Oh, well.
Today is kind of a special day--I'm changing some of the household decorations and it's also the first of March. That nonwithstanding, I've got my computer time (I have but one hour a week for anything but email, cleaning and blogging) and it's going to be Finale Day! I'm going to do work on that "Deer Song" and do some other stuff too, time permitting.
Classes for the college started up again today. Which reminds me, I must download my February archives in case something happens to the online version...
Well, check out the two songs. I've got a lot to do yet. I have Folksounds to listen to, too! Last week Eric Hardee played Tommy Sands, but he played some song about Sadako and while it was a nice song I would really like it if he played "There Were Roses". Now, that's like my other favorite original sad song. I'm not calloused, but I do like sad songs--they do make you sad and that's not exactly why I like them. I don't know why I do like them...yeeks, I'm starting to talk like I'm talking to a psychologist. Mph. Oh, well, they just have a certain feeling to them.
Saro
(P.S. If Eric Hardee had played Daughters and Sons it would have also been quite worthwile to have stayed riveted to the computer. It was very worthwile anyway, though, because I did hear Tommy Sands which I've not ever--everything I've heard has been second hand)
