Category: 2022春节档电影

Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne

In my spare time, I’ve been immersed in writings by Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne.   Sophia and Nathaniel each kept written journals, but have been known to collaborate their writing here, in a journal called “Ordinary Myseries”.

“Intended solely for their own eyes, the journal records the ordinary events & activities that occupied them as newlyweds: walks through the countryside around Concord, appraisals of their new home, encounters with neighbors (among them Emerson, Fuller, & Thoreau), descriptions of the weather & the changing seasons–all material that Hawthorne would later draw on for the preface to his second collection of tales, Mosses from an Old ManseÓ (1846). Its most persistent note, however, is the mutual expression of marital happiness.” (1)

Sophie has taken it upon herself, after the death of her husband, to translate his journal into something publishable.      During her translation, it is thought that she is able to feel him with her spiritually.  “I think he reveals himself exquisitely in these papers… I seem to … see, through his eyes, what I might not see with my own.”

Another thing that struck me was the way Nathaniel and Sophia met.

“Like Hawthorne, Sophia was a reclusive person. Throughout her early life, she had frequent migraines and underwent several experimental medical treatments.[30] She was mostly bedridden until her sister introduced her to Hawthorne, after which her headaches seem to have abated. The Hawthornes enjoyed a long marriage, often taking walks in the park. Of his wife, who he referred to as his “Dove”, Hawthorne wrote that she “is, in the strictest sense, my sole companion; and I need no other—there is no vacancy in my mind, any more than in my heart… Thank God that I suffice for her boundless heart!”[31] Sophia greatly admired her husband’s work. In one of her journals, she writes: “I am always so dazzled and bewildered with the richness, the depth, the… jewels of beauty in his productions that I am always looking forward to a second reading where I can ponder and muse and fully take in the miraculous wealth of thoughts”.[

Two writers who obviously adored each other.

 

(1) Google Library

National Dog Show

Today, as we normally do on Thanksgiving, we watched the National Dog Show.   Nathan, the blood hound won, which is awesome, since he’s been competing in dog shows since he was 6 months old.  He is currently 4 years old.

I can’t help but react with delight as we watch these magnificently trained dogs, all of them, prance around in perfect form and follow their handler’s commands.   They stand still, even when people are prodding at their teeth and examining them to make sure they’re up to standard.

One thing I found very fascinating was a cute little breed, called Coton de Tulear.   It means Cotton of Tulear, a city in Madagascar.  It’s coat looks exactly like a cotton ball.   I can’t imagine how much brushing it must require daily to keep it’s coat untangled, but the dog sounds so sweet, it would totally be worth it.

Immigration Executive Order

“The changes will offer those who qualify the chance to stay temporarily in the country for three years, as long as they pass background checks and pay back taxes. But they will not be offered a path to eventual citizenship or be eligible for federal benefits or health care programs. And, in theory, the measures could be reversed by a future president.”

So, essentially “leave to remain of 3 years”.   And then what?

I think people should apply to stay and get a green card, if they choose, during this 3 year period.   Give them a 3 year or less period to be approved.   Reduce the cost for immigration, too.  It’s entirely too expensive.   It’s hard to afford to pay the fees.

We paid more than $2K for our whole process.  I would like to see those fees justified.

Lisa’s Banana Bread

This is the recipe I swear by.    Applesauce is essential.

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup white sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 large ripe bananas (when they start turning brown, use them in this recipe)
  • 1/3 cup shortening, margarine or butter
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup natural (sugar free) applesauce

Turn the oven on 350 degrees F.     In a large bowl, mash the bananas with an electric mixer.   Toss in the shortening, milk and eggs, and mix very well.

Stop the mixer.    Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl.   I pour them ontop of each other, then blend them lightly (not into the wet ingredients, but ontop of..) with a fork  (this saves dirtying another bowl just to mix the dry ingredients).

Turn the mixer back on, then mix this all together for a minute or two.

Toss in the applesauce and mix it just for a second or two.

Turn the batter into a greased bread pan.      I like to toss a few things ontop, like white sugar or cinnamon sugar or walnuts, then toss it into the oven for an hour.

2 Summers Ago

Two summers ago, I’d reached the end of my capability to deal with much more. To avoid going into details, I will just say that my ex was the total nightmare he’d always been with everything financial and psychologically, and though any divorced person may say their ex was a nightmare, they would have to come up with a pretty elaborate story to match mine. 

I was near having or AT having a break-down.  I was seeing my doctor just about every week or two with something else going wrong physically.  I thought i had a heart problem, that turned out to be GERD, and then tinnitus.  These things normally don’t go away.   On top of everything else, hearing I had chronic health problems was more than I could handle.    Things could have been worse, and I was sure they would be.

My doctor recommended a therapy clinic.  I ended up with a cognitive therapist. It turned out to be a sort of therapy that would get me through my issues.   I was diagnosed with situational anxiety.  I thought, “Really?  With everything going in, I thought I’d seriously lost it.”

Part of my therapy involved  reading a book about anxiety.    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ean/978157224499.   I had all the symptoms of GAD.   I had to force myself to go out in public, to parent-teacher conferences or band concerts. I was afraid people would look ate and know that something was wrong. I didn’t want anyone to ask me how I was.

I spent my evenings doing assignments given by my therapist: drawing, reading, doing exercise, writing a list of 50 things good in my life.   I was afraid to even exercise because I was still worried about my heart, regardless of what the doctors said, but I did it anyway.  And I didn’t die.

I found a new doctor. She took me off the Prozac that had me feeling very weird and put me on Paxil.  It immediately came back to near normal.  I didn’t feel like flying of the balcony anymore (thank God).  She took me off some of the horrible GERD medications, allowing me more flexibility with pill-taking and eating.

Therapy went on and I finally got to the end of my goals. I could go places without problems. I could grocery shop without freaking out if Ian wandered off.   I was able to enjoy band concerts and watching movies and even handling small bits of the news and Gray’s Anatomy.  I couldn’t watch them for awhile because they only made me more anxious.

So, life goes on, and I have a lot to feel happy about.  A new home, my daughter and husband, my very awesome dogs, and my friends and family.

Strength is something you find when you feel like you just can’t do it anymore.

Life gets better.

 

 

 

 

Letting go isn’t easy

One of the difficult things about leaving my former position is feeling like I left my baby behind.  It was the Intranet, which I built from the ground up.  I did everything with it.  I created it, updated it, made pages act the way I wanted, fixed things, rewrote some PHP and CSS code, and now I’m (essentially) locked out of it.

NO!  My baby is all alone with people who can probably take care of him, but I want to take care of him.

Ok, that’s a little dramatic, I tell myself.   I say, “You can find another baby.  Just build a different one.”   But who would read a 150 page, menu-enabled web-site, except for employees.

Maybe I can make babies for other people.  IDK.   Sad.  😦

My name is Lisa, and I build large 2026年是属什么年 websites.   🙂

Remembering Sweet Ginger

A year ago today, our sweet Ginger went to the Rainbow Bridge.   She was a brave, loving dog, who loved to give hugs to everyone she met.   She would press her body against them while she was being stroked by her human friend, new or old.

Ginger gave everything she had to our family.  She knew when we weren’t well.  She knew when we were sad.  She played with us when we were happy, and she ran like a mad kangaroo.   Boy, did she love to run!

We miss Ginger, and remember her well, every day.   A piece of our hearts are filled with her love, and we hold it close to us.

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