Lucky

Once again, appreciating how lucky I am to have been born in the USA. I read Shahriar Mandanipur's Censoring An Iranian Love Story. The initial conceit of an author writing a love story & dealing with the Islamic censors is catchy, but the book zeros in on a lot more. Mandanipur gives graphic examples of life under the Islamic Cultural Police, & the consequences of crossing them. It's horrific. The pernicious spying by neighbors & family reminded me of stories of life under the Stasi, and with similiar results: prison, torture, public hangings. Also, routinely used for political ends. He keeps coming back to the underlying love story, so it does have some hope.

I quite randomly followed this with Water Touching Stone, the second in a series by Eliot Pattison set in and near Tibet. These are mystery stories but are famous for telling the story of the on-going genocide of the Tibetans at the hands of the Chinese. This one expands to the plight of the nomadic Uighurs & Kazachs, with the same mistreatment: forced relocation, the nationalization of property, resources, factories (handed over to ex-Chinese military, now "entrepeneurs"), brutal oppression: torture, slave labor prisons, the forbidding of teaching or conducting business in indiginous languages. It seems endless, as does our country's tacit endorsement of these policies. How's your microwave? Inspector Shan, a Chinese escapee from a slave labor camp, is an endearing character, especially his relationship with some elderly Tibetan monks.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Uncle Gabe & Aunt Rose Marie. Debbie prepared a delicious feast & we had fun doing some oral history. We asked Uncle & Aunt about their courtship, engagement, Gabe's travels in the army, and wedding. We got some great vignettes about Grandmom and Grandpop: Grandpop carried his big wooden toolbox on his shoulder & walked 3 miles to & from the shipyard to work everyday for many years --- how's that for commuting? It was touching to hear about their lives together. They are wonderfully sweet people & a joy to be with.

Painting

This weekend I'll be working on my third piece in a series of painting/collages. They are evolving pretty well. I'm looking forward to being able to spend more time on this before too long!

Lighten Up

I've read a lot of very dark novels this year. So it was refreshing to encounter two in a row that are light and airy. Nicholson Baker's The Anthologist is about poetry, meter, rhyme, reading poetry, writing poetry & life. This short book is a running monologue of a middle aged, unemployed poet. He makes observations about poetry &, since it's Baker, random things around him & thoughts about life. It's fun, even if you know nothing about poetry, like me. The NYT called Sylvia Brownrigg's Morality Tale "divinely deadpan" & for once a jacket blurb is right on. A troubled woman marries & discovers life is not as expected with two step children & a husband who spirals down into divorce wars & money problems. She works in a stationery store & sort of falls in love with a kind, jolly, Zen-ish envelope salesman. They have lunches, get found out, trouble ensues, she sort of stops loving the man, & demands changes in her marriage. You'll smile.

October 12th

Mom left us on October 12th after a brief illness and a powerful fight. I was able to spend 5 days in the hospital with her along with two of my brothers. Hopefully we were able to comfort her with our presence. The viewing, Mass & funeral were in NJ, with her sisters, brother & extended family in attendence. Randy's eulogy & the priest's sermon captured her life: scholarship to college, science, theater, business owner, mother, compassionate & gracious friend. I thanked her then and always for my interest in music, art, literature, business and her support for my spiritual path and meditation. Be in Peace, Mom.

Mom Likes Me Best.

Brothers, sister, spouses, children gathered to celebrate Mom's 92nd birthday. Unfortunately, Mom was sick so she missed our lunch. We gave Randy a set of Japanese chisels in thanks for all of the time and energy he has spent caring for Mom over the past three years. At the end of his thank you remarks, he told us the real reason he has spent this time with Mom, by revealing the t-shirt that I gave him for Christmas....

92!

Debbie & soprano Judeth Shey Burns performed a recital for my Mom at the Woodlands for her 92nd birthday. It was a wide ranging program & they both sounded great! Mom was quite ill but enjoyed the music and the gathering of children & grandchildren to celebrate with her.