This is from a few weeks ago, but I love this performance by my daughter’s school band of “Kitsune – The Fox Spirits’. We are always so proud of the band.
AND.. you can’t leave without hearing “Songs of the Whalemen”
Author:
The day on which we watched Tornado activity ALL DAY
We were scheduled to chaperon Brit’s band to UNO for a band competition. We were a little on edge because the National Weather Service had said we’d have bad weather which could likely lead to tornados. It’s amazing that we can find out what time the weather is going to become really bad. As luck would have it, it would be within the hour after we were due to return to the school to drop the kids off after the concert.
On the way to school from the concert, it was POURING rain. The streets are slightly slanted to dump excess water into the gutters at the side of the road. Our bus driver was driving in that lane. Quietly, I was a little panicked. Ian asked me what was wrong. I said, “We shouldn’t be in this lane. It is full of water….” and then I went on to watching the rain pour down.
Eventually, he decided to change lanes. So much for the anticipated school bus hydroplaning. We did get home safely. Everyone thanked the bus driver for getting us home without incident.
We got food from Burger King by our house and went home to plant ourselves on the couch to watch The Weather Channel. For hours.
All through the afternoon, tornadoes were being spotted over Oklahoma and Kansas. We were waiting for our turn, but hoping not to have one, because really, I am a wimp when it comes to tornadoes. We had a bag packed for our trip to the basement. We had a plan for grabbing Brit, the dogs, the parrot and bringing along some food and water and at least a change of clothes for Brit.
I think we were a bit more vigilant because the weather people have started using stronger, more emotional wording, like, “You could be killed if you don’t get underground immediately!”. This is mostly for people who have become numb to the tornado sirens. I am not one of those people. I am the one checking the Internet to see what is happening and what time I should be underground. Of course, by the time we hear sirens, the answer is, “Right Now.”
We have a new weather radio. We thought it wasn’t working, because it didn’t report the Tornado Watch. Then we heard a really ginormous BEEEEP! and it was warning us of thunderstorms. Good enough, I guess.
Around 10:30, we decided to go to bed. Couldn’t sleep. Warnings going on everywhere and tornados landing all over KS (which borders Nebraska to the South). Not good. Some people didn’t have a siren to warn them. Also did not make for a good sleeping situation.
Around 12:30, I was awakened by BEEEEP!, which was all about a thunderstorm watch. I heard the rain pelting the window. I couldn’t sleep again, so I grabbed my laptop and went to look out the patio window. The lightening was constant. It was an amazing light show, really, with the added symphony of thunder, wind and heavy rain.
This is probably the video of the night, by the way (or the early morning, as the case may be). Watch it carefully. This is what a tornado looks like in the night: http://twitpic.com/99zq54
Around 2:30am, I went back to bed, being reasonably sure there was not going to be a tornado to surprise us in the night. I hadn’t seen much from Jim Cantore on Twitter in awhile, so I decided it was probably alright to go to sleep now. I was comfortable knowing I was not going to wake up to my roof being carried away, like some did.
121 tornados were spotted in OK, KS, NE and IA overnight. At least.
Excitedly Waiting…
for the USCIS to say, “You’re Approved”. Several of our compadres on VisaJourney who filed around the time we did are getting approved. We think we should have the word sometime this month. This means Ian will be “good to go” (his favorite American saying… one of them) for 10 years until he HAS to apply for anything else. He seems quite keen to vote, though, so I have a strong feeling he might be going for citizenship next. 🙂
The only time when it’s been outwardly apparent (aside from the British accent) that Ian’s not a US Citizen is when we traveled to Canada for a day last year. It occurred to us that we needed to make sure the entry and exit rules weren’t different for a British citizen than a US citizen. And of course the entry questions were a bit odd… “Why are you here from the UK”, for example. 🙂 Erm.. we just crossed the border, dude. We are visiting Seattle and thought it would be fun to leave the country and visit the aquarium, ok?
He would definitely have the advantage, if (and we’re definitely not) we were going to Cuba. He would be able to get off the plane. We would get an immediate return flight. We need a special visa and we need to be on an approved sort of visit (being a journalist or traveling with the Pope or something).
Back to “Me”
I think sometimes it just takes some time to flip out a bit in the face of adversity, and return to your former self. The hazard of feeling “flipped out a bit” is that you worry if you’re permanently flipped out a bit, or if it is just a temporary thing.
It takes awhile, sometimes, to find strength, like it’s a lost thing in your handbag or in your luggage (if you’re a guy). Sometimes, it takes a bit of time to find perspective.
Sometimes, high blood pressure pills are needed. 🙂
In any event, life is interesting, isn’t it? I guess most of my life has been moving along on an even keel, but likely, the more horrid things have just become less horrid over time, or have faded into “that wasn’t really as important as it seemed at the time” oblivion. I thought life would be easier as it went along… lessons learned, and all that, but notsomuch. Mid-life seems to be about how to figure out how to deal with what life throws you, and realizing that no matter what, you can find a way to get through it.
I am blessed, really, and lucky, to have the friends and family that I have, who are such a joy to have in my life.
A Good Psalm – This is the Day
I’m not overtly religious, but I do believe in God. I’ve spent many, many years in the Catholic church. Once I was all grown up, I decided that I still believed, but was a bit worried about some of the things happening in the church. So, although I do occasionally stop by a church, most of my belief is in my head, recharged at times by some reading, like this passage I had in my head for some reason:
This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
To me, among other things, this means, “Enjoy this day. It’s only here once.”
Realization
Today, I went to talk to a friend who helped me put a few things into perspective. She said, “There is something you should think about when you think about all of your recent struggles. This is going to be hard for you to hear. Are you ready? THIS is the best time in your life!”
It was *how* she said it that turned the light on. The relief it brought lasted all afternoon; the feeling of “You know? You’re absolutely right. I have my husband (and daughter) and you’re exactly right.”
It only took me 15 tissues to get there. 🙂
A powerful song
by the amazing Whitney Houston. Rest in Peace, and thank you for the music ❤
I think God is on MY side…
So, in a very stressful situation, not only did something helpful happen more quickly, but the thing that happened also gave us some helpful direction. Most of the stress is gone right now and we are just in a holding pattern.
And someone important said, “This is crap and you shouldn’t have to do it.” Let’s figure a better way out (I know I’m being vague, but imagine yourself in a helpless situation, and that’s what I’m talking about).
Every day for the last week, I said prayers and people were saying prayers for us (please don’t stop), and things came together enough for us and started making a little sense before we went insane, or decided to live on wine alone, or take up smoking, and I have to say: That’s a good thing.
My prayer had to do with helping someone to figure a different way out of something difficult so that they could stop coming after me about it. It was a good prayer, I think.. one that was focused on helping more than just me.
The fat lady has not sung, but at least we have a bit of peace for now.
Just when you think you…
.. have the corner on misery or anxiety, someone comes along to prove they have problems, too. I won’t go into details, really, but this woman has a relative in the hospital and is juggling a really heavy schedule. She was in pieces today. I felt so bad for her, but I felt helpless, too. Someone stepped in and talked to her for awhile, and then she seemed to be a little better.
Life is weird and full of unanticipated obstacles. I would be perfectly happy floating evenly through life, with just a minor bump here and there, you know, where you just have to worry about whether you’ve got clean clothes to wear to work tomorrow.
Is that too much to ask?
How do you get through major obstacles in life? My methods: Try to keep busy, and pray a lot. Keep talking to your friends and family. Develop a mantra… mine are, “I can do this!” and “It’s going to be alright”. Sometimes, “Don’t let the b*stards get you down.” is helpful, too. 🙂
So A Man
by Ian Barker
So a man walk up to me an ‘im say
That do fearing that he die today
And never had done a good ting in his life
He will give me all the money him has
In his wallet
And it would be a blessing to him
For me to take it
And for me to eat well with it
Or to drink a hot coffee on dis a cold day.
Then he look at me with a serious look
On him face and him say
that I not to use it to buy drugs
Or to buy drink to get me drunk
For a shame meself and by that
Shame him too.
And he tell me that he have done
Nothing good deed in his life
And he has family that he never
Has spoken to in a long time
And that when they did last talk
It was all hot words with them high talk
To each other and it spin out of control
Until now none of dem talk and none of dem remember the subject
But nothing else but the high talk for more
Than five years with no slips.
Water pass under the bridge
Plus he no longer has a name for
Where they all live or even if they live.
And he say to me this happen over nothing
But stupidity and big pride of himself and one another
Of his others.
And then he looks at me all sad and says
For his god to bless me and he hope I keep warm.
I say to im I never have the want of drugs and I don’t
Do getting drunk because I sit here and wait
All my time
For enough to eat and nothing more.
So then he makes this kind of unhappy face and says
Sure he believes me and just goes off
Like a smell chase him away quick.
And I look and he has put to me $10
In my hand
Which I think is a poor likkle amount to carry out
If you think you are thinking you might die
Without a good deed to your name
When the time is up.
boobs 