upon completing
Charles E. Wilson, i now only have four more
secretaries of defense left to go. i started with the most
recent and worked backwards and am finding less and less
information about the non-political lives of these men. i am also learning that in the past, people did not
study to become
politicians... their studies led them to be qualified as
politicians.
it's a nice day out, almost
chilly in the
shade. if i don't wind up working until after
dark, i shall ride my
bike around town a bit before heading back
home.
i was musing this morning. remembering life in the
philippines. where i first started
school. where my teachers thought i was a
problem child because i would wander out of the classroom (wait until everyone finishes their
math worksheet or go outside to watch the
monkeys in the
playground, which would YOU choose?). seeing movies in the
theatre at the officer's club way after their release in the
u.s. (including
Star Wars, in 1981). our
gay yardboy, george, whose
boyfriend stories my
sister and i thought were told solely to
amuse us, not being aware of
homosexuality as a
lifestyle. making banners welcoming
dad back from
sea duty. the hidden dangers of the beautiful beaches (
jellyfish,
stingrays, and
rip tides). riding horses while surrounded by some of the largest fruit
bats in the world. visiting
mount pinatubo. vacationing in baguio.
king cobras.
rabid monkeys.
hermit crabs bigger than a softball.
gila monsters lounging in the
mailbox.
swimming as a part of the school
curriculum. living near people who used the
river both for drinking water and as a
toilet, but for all their
poverty were happier than most families i've known.
caribou races.
cockfights. going to the fish market. getting rides in
jeepneys. being late for
school because i was fascinated with touching the
sensitive plants.
i miss it. if i someday have
children, i hope to raise them (at least partly) overseas. i want my child to understand the relative unimportance of
air conditioning,
cars, and brand-name
clothes.
anyhoo, now that i've written this whole rant about the
philippines, i may as well make note of things i should
node as a result:
werd.
node ideas. time to
start.