The setting: Poolside, on a hot summer day. A maintenance crew takes a smoke break nearby. The crew consists of four men and one woman.
The action: A young mother struggles with her toddler, who does not want to leave the pool. She quickly looses patience and yells, yanking her child by the arm. Toddler yelps in pain and talks back to mother.
The conversation, after the crew goes inside:
Female maintenance worker: "If a mother is so quickly gonna get in an argument with her two-year-old, she is probably not mature enough to be a mother."
Male coworker #1, 19 years old: "That's why I'm glad my baby-momma is good. If she ever treated my kid like that, I would knock her out."
Male coworker #2, 18 years old, shadow/sidekick to #1: "That's damn right". (punching fist into opposite hand)
Female worker, shocked: "I was talking about maturity, not violence."
What female worker COULD have replied: "Is that demonstrating mature conflict-resolution skills, to beat your child's mother?", or "You'd previously demonstrated your sexism, but we didn't know until now that you also commit domestic violence.", or "You are a sexist idiot and will be a terrible father if that's how you treat your child's mother."
SO, TELL ME, DEAR READERS? WHAT ELSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAID? WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU WERE THERE?
Note about the title of this post: I shouldn't necessarily blame Nebraska for these two dudes, as these sorts of comments probably come out of the mouths of many undereducated, macho, insensitive blue-collar workers, regardless of their state of origin.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Home on the Range
This weekend Nick, Mom and I drove out to central Nebraska to visit my family and see my ancestral homestead. My family is from Lindsay in east-central Nebraska. Our family homestead has been farmed by three generations of innovative and successful farmers.
We were hosted by my Aunt Linda and Uncle Larry, at the home where I learned to crawl and walk as a baby. Nick and I had a great time riding their horses (thanks, Larry!).
We picked up my Grandma Isabel and visited our family farm (where my incredible Uncle Tom and Aunt Julie raise the next generation). Grandma continues to be a talented seamstress, embroiderer (sp?), and quilter. With amazing intelligence and minimal education, my grandfather Ted taught farming practices at the University (he sucessfully fostered the first test-tube calf in the world). I'm quite proud of our family.
On the drive back from Lindsay we stopped at the Benedictine Mission House and Monastary in Schuyler, Nebraska. http://www.benedictinemissionhouse.com/mission.htm
We are happy to UNPACK our luggage and be at home for two more weeks before our departure for Japan. Still much to do, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to see so much of this country, and my loved ones, before we leave.
Hey! Happy birthday to my brother Chris!
We were hosted by my Aunt Linda and Uncle Larry, at the home where I learned to crawl and walk as a baby. Nick and I had a great time riding their horses (thanks, Larry!).
We picked up my Grandma Isabel and visited our family farm (where my incredible Uncle Tom and Aunt Julie raise the next generation). Grandma continues to be a talented seamstress, embroiderer (sp?), and quilter. With amazing intelligence and minimal education, my grandfather Ted taught farming practices at the University (he sucessfully fostered the first test-tube calf in the world). I'm quite proud of our family.
On the drive back from Lindsay we stopped at the Benedictine Mission House and Monastary in Schuyler, Nebraska. http://www.benedictinemissionhouse.com/mission.htm
We are happy to UNPACK our luggage and be at home for two more weeks before our departure for Japan. Still much to do, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to see so much of this country, and my loved ones, before we leave.
Hey! Happy birthday to my brother Chris!
New Jersey and New York: A New Perspective
This past week Nick and I repacked our suitcases for an eventful journey to New Jersey and New York. It was our first trip there, and our first opportunity to meet my three older sisters. Julie and her husband Jeff hosted us in New Jersey, just a few miles from NYC. My sisters are wonderful people and a lot of fun. This meeting meant a lot to us.
I was pleasantly suprised to learn that suburban New Jersey is not at all like the bland cookie-cutter burbs of the Midwest and West. The small suburban towns we visited had their own unique flavor, history, and economy. Nick was able to go fishing in a nearby pond. Julie and I and her kids visited a beautiful wetland sanctuary with cranes, turtles, and many frogs (the best indicator of a wetland's health).
http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchusa/display.cfm?showState=nj&showSite=1535
And, oh, New York City! We didn't really care much for some of the 'must-see' buildings, but had a great time exploring an amazing street fair, Chinatown, Little Italy, and Central Park. Fortuitously, in Bryant Park we happened upon an incredible Japanese Buddhist celebration/dance honoring ancestors. On this trip we only were able to have two half-days in NYC; next time we want to see the museums (Natural History, MoMa, The Met), Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and more of Central Park. Although I can't imagine living there, we definitely want to visit again.
I was pleasantly suprised to learn that suburban New Jersey is not at all like the bland cookie-cutter burbs of the Midwest and West. The small suburban towns we visited had their own unique flavor, history, and economy. Nick was able to go fishing in a nearby pond. Julie and I and her kids visited a beautiful wetland sanctuary with cranes, turtles, and many frogs (the best indicator of a wetland's health).
http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchusa/display.cfm?showState=nj&showSite=1535
And, oh, New York City! We didn't really care much for some of the 'must-see' buildings, but had a great time exploring an amazing street fair, Chinatown, Little Italy, and Central Park. Fortuitously, in Bryant Park we happened upon an incredible Japanese Buddhist celebration/dance honoring ancestors. On this trip we only were able to have two half-days in NYC; next time we want to see the museums (Natural History, MoMa, The Met), Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and more of Central Park. Although I can't imagine living there, we definitely want to visit again.
Mahoney State Park: The Views
Kala, Nick and I visited Nebraska's Mahoney State Park, just an hour South of Omaha. Mahoney lies along the Platte River, fabled to be 'a mile wide and an inch deep'. In truth, the Platte is shallow enough to walk across (if you do it carefully, and if you're slightly crazy).
We climbed Mahoney's tower to have a good view of the Platte and surrounding fields, chatted with horses and reptiles, and took a look at the corn.
We climbed Mahoney's tower to have a good view of the Platte and surrounding fields, chatted with horses and reptiles, and took a look at the corn.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Glacial Waters, Good People
Last week Nick and I took a wonderful trip through the upper-midwest.
We visited his brother and sister-in-law Ben and Kat in Madison, Wisconsin. What a great town! Madison has the largest farmers' market in the country, surrounded by the capitol building rotunda.
Truly extraordinary. The city center is built on a peninsula in the middle of a large glacial lake. Madison has lots of green spaces, public transportation, and many dairy and produce farms nearby. And impressive mini-golf course, too. Good stuff!
Next we visited the Twin Cities where we saw many dear friends from college. Minnesota is a truly beautiful state, with its farmlands in the south, woods and grasslands in the center, and incredible rocky forests in the Boundary Waters. I love Minnesota. I appreciate Minneapolis/St. Paul slightly less, because of the lack of urban/transportation planning which makes it necessary to spend much of one's time traversing the interstate rings around the cities. Minneapolis has a new light rail but their pulic transportation isn't sophisticated enough to be usable, yet. Sadly. That being said, Minnesotans are good left-leaning people, the towns and cities remain vibrant, the lakes are beautiful, and the soil is fertile. Plus, so many people that I love are there. It's a good place. Here's N swimming in Long Lake near Minneapolis.
Next we drove up to -- oh delight! -- the College of St. Benedict & St. John's University, where Nick and I met. We went to school in central Minnesota between cornfields, cow paddys, forests, and lakes. Our university has approximately one acre of land per student. In accordance with the Benedictine value of hospitality, the monks of St. John's Abbey built a new Guesthouse on the edge of Lake Sagatagan, with Breuer-esqe architecture and breezy views of St. John's woods. Nick, Amber and I had a wonderful time reliving college memories and creating new ones. Lots of time lake-side.
A cheap pitcher of Linie's' beer in 'The Midi': Teresa kicked ass in pool. Gut-busting lunch at 'the Reefer' (university refectory). Fond farewells.
Our last stop was in Northeastern Minnesota to Battle Lake, where Nick's Uncle, Aunt and cousins live. One of Nick's cousins is also his Goddaughter. It was a delight to visit with them, especially considering his aunt owns a successful local bakery in this tiny town. She does a great business and people travel far to purchase her dougnuts and breads. One interesting thing about her bakery is that she has it open only in the summertime, as the Minnesota winter is too harsh and business would slack off during this time. Climate affects so much of the local economy!
Nick and I are pondering where we might like to settle down to live someday. A region such of this, so rich in glacial water, seems a healthy and sustainable place. We're acutely aware of how global climate change will affect this continent, and horticulturists already see the desert creeping Northward. We'll choose fresh water, thank you. . .
Soon we're off to explore a bit of New Jersey and NYC. I'll keep you posted!
We visited his brother and sister-in-law Ben and Kat in Madison, Wisconsin. What a great town! Madison has the largest farmers' market in the country, surrounded by the capitol building rotunda.
Truly extraordinary. The city center is built on a peninsula in the middle of a large glacial lake. Madison has lots of green spaces, public transportation, and many dairy and produce farms nearby. And impressive mini-golf course, too. Good stuff!
Next we visited the Twin Cities where we saw many dear friends from college. Minnesota is a truly beautiful state, with its farmlands in the south, woods and grasslands in the center, and incredible rocky forests in the Boundary Waters. I love Minnesota. I appreciate Minneapolis/St. Paul slightly less, because of the lack of urban/transportation planning which makes it necessary to spend much of one's time traversing the interstate rings around the cities. Minneapolis has a new light rail but their pulic transportation isn't sophisticated enough to be usable, yet. Sadly. That being said, Minnesotans are good left-leaning people, the towns and cities remain vibrant, the lakes are beautiful, and the soil is fertile. Plus, so many people that I love are there. It's a good place. Here's N swimming in Long Lake near Minneapolis.
Next we drove up to -- oh delight! -- the College of St. Benedict & St. John's University, where Nick and I met. We went to school in central Minnesota between cornfields, cow paddys, forests, and lakes. Our university has approximately one acre of land per student. In accordance with the Benedictine value of hospitality, the monks of St. John's Abbey built a new Guesthouse on the edge of Lake Sagatagan, with Breuer-esqe architecture and breezy views of St. John's woods. Nick, Amber and I had a wonderful time reliving college memories and creating new ones. Lots of time lake-side.
A cheap pitcher of Linie's' beer in 'The Midi': Teresa kicked ass in pool. Gut-busting lunch at 'the Reefer' (university refectory). Fond farewells.
Our last stop was in Northeastern Minnesota to Battle Lake, where Nick's Uncle, Aunt and cousins live. One of Nick's cousins is also his Goddaughter. It was a delight to visit with them, especially considering his aunt owns a successful local bakery in this tiny town. She does a great business and people travel far to purchase her dougnuts and breads. One interesting thing about her bakery is that she has it open only in the summertime, as the Minnesota winter is too harsh and business would slack off during this time. Climate affects so much of the local economy!
Nick and I are pondering where we might like to settle down to live someday. A region such of this, so rich in glacial water, seems a healthy and sustainable place. We're acutely aware of how global climate change will affect this continent, and horticulturists already see the desert creeping Northward. We'll choose fresh water, thank you. . .
Soon we're off to explore a bit of New Jersey and NYC. I'll keep you posted!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Hooray for Gluttony
Tonight Kala, Nick and I went on a field trip to Iowa. It's 10 minutes away but few self-respecting Omahans ever go there. Well, I suppose that rule has now changed: where there once were cornfields and a few odd trees, Iowa has now grown casinos. Big, smoky, flashing-light, money-sucking casinos. Very exciting! I don't enjoy gambling (1- games with rules I don't know or care to learn, 2- flashing lights and blaring screens, 3- zombies everywhere you look) but I do enjoy the odd cultural field trip. And I'd been looking foward to eating at an American-style buffet sometime before we left the States. Hooray for disgusting gluttonous buffet food! I tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: the following is a list of the foods Nick and I consumed, or tasted, in the course of 2 hours:
Iced tea, lemonade, broccoli, marinated mushrooms, green olives stuffed with pimentos, cottage cheese that tasted like it had been sweetened with sugar, canned peaches in syrup, beets, cucumber, potato salad, tapioca, a 'dinner roll' that tasted like a dougnut, lo mein, egg drop soup, minestrone with a scary thickener, garlic green beans, mashed potatoes, shrimp fried rice, chicken yakisoba, roasted red potato, stuffing, salmon with capers and a creamy oily sauce, tilapia with shrimp and capers and a creamy oily sauce, roast turkey and gravy, corn on the cob (Milan, what does the 'C' in corn stand for?), sweet potatoes drowned in cinnamon and marshmallow, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, a little tart filled with pudding and fruits on top, chocolate cake, caramel-covered bread pudding, banana cream pie, lemon meringue pie, butter mints, Andes mints, and CHOCOLATE MOUSSE.
Song for the day: Bobby McFerrin and Robin Williams have a recording of a live duet called "Beverly Hills". One line is "American Express, good old American Excess. . ."
Iced tea, lemonade, broccoli, marinated mushrooms, green olives stuffed with pimentos, cottage cheese that tasted like it had been sweetened with sugar, canned peaches in syrup, beets, cucumber, potato salad, tapioca, a 'dinner roll' that tasted like a dougnut, lo mein, egg drop soup, minestrone with a scary thickener, garlic green beans, mashed potatoes, shrimp fried rice, chicken yakisoba, roasted red potato, stuffing, salmon with capers and a creamy oily sauce, tilapia with shrimp and capers and a creamy oily sauce, roast turkey and gravy, corn on the cob (Milan, what does the 'C' in corn stand for?), sweet potatoes drowned in cinnamon and marshmallow, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, a little tart filled with pudding and fruits on top, chocolate cake, caramel-covered bread pudding, banana cream pie, lemon meringue pie, butter mints, Andes mints, and CHOCOLATE MOUSSE.
Song for the day: Bobby McFerrin and Robin Williams have a recording of a live duet called "Beverly Hills". One line is "American Express, good old American Excess. . ."
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