According to her Linkedin profile she’s in radiology at a local hospital. She has a wide interest and knowledge in complementary healing modalities; especially Rolfing. She’s a long time student of aikido and is a budding poet.
Funny what you can talk about while driving to the lakefront. Usually just enough to wish the trip were longer.
I was surprised that her car was ready before my shift was over. She was on the pick-up board for later.
JP, however, was not surprised. She brought one of her own poems to read to me.
Another first.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Winter Hardy Hibiscus
On my way into my McDonald’s there was a landscaping gal pulling up dead plants from the bed.
“Hey, Weed Lady,” I hollered. “You must know the name of those big flowering plants there.”
“They’re called Winter Hardy Hibiscus. You should see the ones on the north side of the parking lot at the Ryan Road store. Beautiful.” she said.
Since she had gloves on I showed her a thank you card and laid it on her basket near her phone.
“Keep up the good work, Weed Lady.” I said.
“You don’t know what that means. Thank you. My mom’s in the hospital. Her aorta’s leaking into her lungs. We don’t know what we’re going to do and it has been a very stressful couple of weeks.”
Many of us simply need someone to see us. Just for a moment.
“Hey, Weed Lady,” I hollered. “You must know the name of those big flowering plants there.”
“They’re called Winter Hardy Hibiscus. You should see the ones on the north side of the parking lot at the Ryan Road store. Beautiful.” she said.
Since she had gloves on I showed her a thank you card and laid it on her basket near her phone.
“Keep up the good work, Weed Lady.” I said.
“You don’t know what that means. Thank you. My mom’s in the hospital. Her aorta’s leaking into her lungs. We don’t know what we’re going to do and it has been a very stressful couple of weeks.”
Many of us simply need someone to see us. Just for a moment.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
City Folk Retire
An 18 year veteran of MPS Language Arts and Math decides to cash into the Keweenaw Peninsula. Not hunters, fishers or even particularly outdoorsy types, he and his wife headed north. He had not even owned a snow blower before this. And about 30 miles out of Houghton at that. In the weeds.
If you can find a hundred acre lake there they might have a view on it.
He'd like to add some solar to the mix but cannot figure out how to keep the snow off the panels. Thank goodness for satellite internet. At least he can google up the Homesteader magazine online.
I sure would like to talk to that fella a little more. He was down looking after their West Allis house and getting some auto service done. Good luck I said.
If you can find a hundred acre lake there they might have a view on it.
He'd like to add some solar to the mix but cannot figure out how to keep the snow off the panels. Thank goodness for satellite internet. At least he can google up the Homesteader magazine online.
I sure would like to talk to that fella a little more. He was down looking after their West Allis house and getting some auto service done. Good luck I said.
Five Homemade Cookies
Shakira first told me, after spying the GPS map on the dash of the shuttle, that her brother had been her GPS before he moved to Houston. He'd been a cabbie in Milwaukee for over six years. He had told her stories of many of the interesting people he met in the cab. And I told her I understood.
Their father lived in New Orleans and, after Hurricane Katrina they were not able to locate him for almost 7 months. The son went down and found that he'd been relocated to Houston. They both stayed on. She doesn’t have a GPS anymore.
She said her oldest boy is going to MATC and decided to live at home because he can save on rent, get his laundry done and get good food. He told her that. What a good mom.
So, we talked about food. I asked if she made shakshuka and did she put eggs in hers? She does. I said the first time I had it was at the Shahrazad Restaurant on Oakland and Locust and they do not. I'd also gotten the secret to the deal; Arabian Seven Spice. Amazing.
I told her that I had just been to Holy Land Grocery and picked some up from for in the bulk bin. Seven spice reminds me of Thanksgiving spices.
She also told me that she had baked some traditional date-filled cookies for the festival day Eid ul-Fitr after the month-long fast of Ramadan. She called them Ma'amoul. Did I have a minute to wait when I dropped her at home? Yes.
She ran inside and brought me five homemade cookies from her own kitchen. Amazing.
Their father lived in New Orleans and, after Hurricane Katrina they were not able to locate him for almost 7 months. The son went down and found that he'd been relocated to Houston. They both stayed on. She doesn’t have a GPS anymore.
She said her oldest boy is going to MATC and decided to live at home because he can save on rent, get his laundry done and get good food. He told her that. What a good mom.
So, we talked about food. I asked if she made shakshuka and did she put eggs in hers? She does. I said the first time I had it was at the Shahrazad Restaurant on Oakland and Locust and they do not. I'd also gotten the secret to the deal; Arabian Seven Spice. Amazing.
I told her that I had just been to Holy Land Grocery and picked some up from for in the bulk bin. Seven spice reminds me of Thanksgiving spices.
She also told me that she had baked some traditional date-filled cookies for the festival day Eid ul-Fitr after the month-long fast of Ramadan. She called them Ma'amoul. Did I have a minute to wait when I dropped her at home? Yes.
She ran inside and brought me five homemade cookies from her own kitchen. Amazing.
 |
| Yes. There are only 4.33 cookies showing. I couldn't wait. |
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Big Bubble Day
It was a big day in the shuttle bubble yesterday. That’s the first time I called it a bubble. There’s something to that. It’s a different zone.
I met a Puerto Rican preacher, a Chinese cook, my second retired zookeeper, a young-ish self-employed computer jockey, a retired railroad worker, and my first chiropractor.
The preacher and I talked about El Dios, fluctuating congregations and his good-old-days as a cabbie in San Juan. Man, that was when a hundred dollars was worth something.
The Chinese cook - John - told me how to make very tender chicken breasts just like they always are when you get Chinese take out. He’s been here 20 years and has not been practicing his English. So, good luck with the chicken, David. I’ll see if I understood him and pass along the technique.
The computer jockey had a dozen boxes in his car before he had to get towed in. He should have rented a car. Probably a delay that ripples down to his next pay check. I took him home and we unloaded in front of his garage. I hope the rain let up before his cardboard got all wet.
The zookeeper talked about feeding steak to Sampson. That was before we knew what gorillas preferred to eat. Can we remember a time that far back? And, according to him, Sampson died of a heart attack. So, eat less steak. Eat more vegetables.
The retired rail worker took a look at the actuarial tables and decided he didn’t want to work and then die. So, he retired. We talked a lot about food quality and organics. Quite the Christian, too. Lots of volunteer work in his days now.
The chiropractor? My very first chiropractor in the shuttle. A story unto itself. He’s my age. His name is David, too.
And, he’s about 25% along the way to recovery after having been stung by a jellyfish off the coast of Georgia last May. It is the middle of August at this writing. He’s got a long way to go.
As you might imagine, we talked about the two types of chiropractors - straight and mixed -, bodily systems, good food and general well-being.
He said things we don’t want to hear. For instance, most of the damage we do to ourselves (think 80%) is caused by what we put into our bodies.
Here is the summing up for the day. Pray to God you eat less steak, more veggies, and retire as early as possible. And don’t leave your cardboard in the rain.
I met a Puerto Rican preacher, a Chinese cook, my second retired zookeeper, a young-ish self-employed computer jockey, a retired railroad worker, and my first chiropractor.
The preacher and I talked about El Dios, fluctuating congregations and his good-old-days as a cabbie in San Juan. Man, that was when a hundred dollars was worth something.
The Chinese cook - John - told me how to make very tender chicken breasts just like they always are when you get Chinese take out. He’s been here 20 years and has not been practicing his English. So, good luck with the chicken, David. I’ll see if I understood him and pass along the technique.
The computer jockey had a dozen boxes in his car before he had to get towed in. He should have rented a car. Probably a delay that ripples down to his next pay check. I took him home and we unloaded in front of his garage. I hope the rain let up before his cardboard got all wet.
The zookeeper talked about feeding steak to Sampson. That was before we knew what gorillas preferred to eat. Can we remember a time that far back? And, according to him, Sampson died of a heart attack. So, eat less steak. Eat more vegetables.
The retired rail worker took a look at the actuarial tables and decided he didn’t want to work and then die. So, he retired. We talked a lot about food quality and organics. Quite the Christian, too. Lots of volunteer work in his days now.
The chiropractor? My very first chiropractor in the shuttle. A story unto itself. He’s my age. His name is David, too.
And, he’s about 25% along the way to recovery after having been stung by a jellyfish off the coast of Georgia last May. It is the middle of August at this writing. He’s got a long way to go.
As you might imagine, we talked about the two types of chiropractors - straight and mixed -, bodily systems, good food and general well-being.
He said things we don’t want to hear. For instance, most of the damage we do to ourselves (think 80%) is caused by what we put into our bodies.
Here is the summing up for the day. Pray to God you eat less steak, more veggies, and retire as early as possible. And don’t leave your cardboard in the rain.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Semi-pro Inventor
Jim and I pulled up to a stop light before we got on the freeway. There was a car behind us with over-sized thumping bass speakers rattling our windows.
“I’d like to invent a mirror amp that reflects the sound back to him so that it’s too much and he has to turn it down.” I said.
Jim didn’t say anything.
“Do you invent things?’ I asked.
Turns out Jim had been waiting for someone to ask him that.
I took him out past Waukesha West High School. It’s a much longer trip than we usually make but ... there were special circumstances.
He’s a semi-pro bowler that has been downsized and is out of work. And for the moment that’s fine with him. More time for bowling and working on his invention.
We talked about marketing, manufacturing, packaging, distribution - the whole sticky ball of wax. I’ve been in the wax before. I heard him make small, pleasing sounds a couple times when I passed along an idea or two.
Apparently if you bowl a lot your thumb will expand. If you play long enough it will contract again. In order to bowl consistently it’s better not to have your thumb changing sizes. He fashioned a Velcro closure, elastic band to harness the thumb between frames. And, according to him, it works. He might have been my first inventor.
Anyway, if your thumb is changing sizes and ruining your game, keep you eyes open at the lanes. There might be something coming just for you.
“I’d like to invent a mirror amp that reflects the sound back to him so that it’s too much and he has to turn it down.” I said.
Jim didn’t say anything.
“Do you invent things?’ I asked.
Turns out Jim had been waiting for someone to ask him that.
I took him out past Waukesha West High School. It’s a much longer trip than we usually make but ... there were special circumstances.
He’s a semi-pro bowler that has been downsized and is out of work. And for the moment that’s fine with him. More time for bowling and working on his invention.
We talked about marketing, manufacturing, packaging, distribution - the whole sticky ball of wax. I’ve been in the wax before. I heard him make small, pleasing sounds a couple times when I passed along an idea or two.
Apparently if you bowl a lot your thumb will expand. If you play long enough it will contract again. In order to bowl consistently it’s better not to have your thumb changing sizes. He fashioned a Velcro closure, elastic band to harness the thumb between frames. And, according to him, it works. He might have been my first inventor.
Anyway, if your thumb is changing sizes and ruining your game, keep you eyes open at the lanes. There might be something coming just for you.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Not a taxi, but ...
A friend of mine thought of me and sent this along.
~~~
Hi David,
I've been reading Parker Palmer's latest book "Healing the Heart of Democracy". Excellent book - I highly recommend it. In the chapter on "Life in the Company of Strangers" he talks about a conversation he had with a taxi driver in NYC. He was hoping he'd get the driver to drive more cautiously, but instead the cabby got more excited. Palmer had asked him how he liked his job. The cabby said:
Well, you never know who's getting into the cab, so it's a little dangerous. But you meet a lot of people. You get to know the public. Which teaches you a lot in life. You don't know anything if you don't know the public. You exchange ideas and you learn a lot from people. It's like going to school. Meeting all these different kinds of people, everything helps, it doesn't hurt. If you only like one kind of people, it's no good! We talk, if I have a better idea, I tell 'em! Maybe they say yes, maybe they say no -- that's how I educate myself. It makes me happy. You can't buy this kind of education. If you're with the same kind of people all the time, it's like wearing the same suit all the time--you get sick of it. But the public--that keeps you alive!
I thought of you driving the shuttle - you get to meet all kinds of people and exchange all kinds of ideas!
CZ
~~~
Hi David,
I've been reading Parker Palmer's latest book "Healing the Heart of Democracy". Excellent book - I highly recommend it. In the chapter on "Life in the Company of Strangers" he talks about a conversation he had with a taxi driver in NYC. He was hoping he'd get the driver to drive more cautiously, but instead the cabby got more excited. Palmer had asked him how he liked his job. The cabby said:
Well, you never know who's getting into the cab, so it's a little dangerous. But you meet a lot of people. You get to know the public. Which teaches you a lot in life. You don't know anything if you don't know the public. You exchange ideas and you learn a lot from people. It's like going to school. Meeting all these different kinds of people, everything helps, it doesn't hurt. If you only like one kind of people, it's no good! We talk, if I have a better idea, I tell 'em! Maybe they say yes, maybe they say no -- that's how I educate myself. It makes me happy. You can't buy this kind of education. If you're with the same kind of people all the time, it's like wearing the same suit all the time--you get sick of it. But the public--that keeps you alive!
I thought of you driving the shuttle - you get to meet all kinds of people and exchange all kinds of ideas!
CZ
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