SB and I occasionally break our fast at the HV Classified. He likes the muffins, I like the bagels and we both like the coffee. Aside from a few fellow rugby players, we notice that the breakfast crowd there consists of nicely dressed individuals who we don't usually see in our weekend meanderings. I wonder if this is because they socialize in the fancier clubs of LKF where SB and I rarely venture. We would probably never go to LKF if it weren't for our Cornell friends' invitations.
During breakfast a couple of women sat at the table adjacent to ours and began a somewhat exuberant conversation about a man who one of the ladies was interested in. From the snippets that I heard, she was complaining to her friend about him showing his true colors or something to that effect, I gathered as a result of drinking heavily during a party the night before. The conversation caused me to reflect on when I used to be single; the women next to me were not different from my girlfriends and me. I remember meeting up for brunch after a memorable evening and having similar discussions. During the summer of 2004 I was immersed in a humorous soap opera involving a French rugby player, a 21 year old wrestler and my former university crush who had suddenly developed an interest in me though he had never looked twice at me during university. During those days it seemed that dating conditions only occurred in flood or famine; there were either no single men to be found or they were coming out of the woodwork.
In the single girl days I wore summer dresses to brunch much like I do now, only then I would have accessorized with a purse and earrings while now I simply throw on the dress and follow my starving partner out the door. The girls sitting next to us were of an entirely different league of women from my friends and me. They were dressed in clinging, cotton dresses that I would only have worn in the evening, with full makeup and jewelry. I was impressed.
I couldn't stop glancing over at the woman sitting across the table; she was flawless. I have always viewed such women with a mixture of awe and curiosity. I know plenty of women, my mother included, who would never leave home without battle paint. I wonder if they are happy with their naked faces when they wake up in the morning. Is the makeup viewed as enhancement or a concealment?
The woman across from me was groomed from her perfectly sculpted and lined brows to her exceptionally even, soft and glowing complexion. I am a reasonably talented artist and can build architectural models with surgical precision (I even use surgical forceps to place tiny mullions) but I would be unable to replicate her facial mastery. I wondered if the effort was for herself or for her quarry and if it was successful.
SB had finished his coffee and was ready for the day to begin so I was forced to halt my amateur anthropology and follow him out but I'm still wondering.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Upon this rock
A child passing by the Methodist Church of Haiti guest house in Port-au-Prince embodies hope for the future, as the devastated nation continues to rebuild following last year’s earthquake. Credit: J. Rollins
This is my first trip to Haiti, and I admit that I was not fully prepared. The photos that I have seen since the earthquake of January 2010 cannot fully capture the complete devastation I now see on this island. On the trip from the airport, I saw miles and miles of rubble, tent cities, and tarps held up by sticks to create makeshift stores. And in the midst of all this, I also saw the faces of smiling, resilient Haitians—their spirit of hope shining through and proving that life is about more than the places where we dwell and work.
I am here for at the invitation of the Methodist Church of Haiti (Eglise Metodiste d’Haiti, EMH) for three days of planning long-term projects that will help the Haitian people rebuild their lives. There is an excitement among those of us gathered as we prayerfully await the start of this series of meetings. It is clear to all present that all is not lost. Hope, faith, and love have persevered. Thanks to the generosity of donations, volunteers, and dedicated EMH and UMCOR staff, progress has been made. The church stands ready to continue this progress at increasing rates.
Tomorrow, on the way to our first meeting in Moulin Sur Mer, I will have the opportunity to visit two projects sponsored by UMCOR, at Camp Corail and La Trembelay. I aim to post blogs, photos, and videos each day so that you may experience this journey with me, sharing in the work that has taken place and celebrating the work that will begin soon.
Upon this rock we will continue to work in solidarity with the people of Haiti to accompany them as they rebuild.
James Rollins, Director of Marketing and Communications, UMCOR
September 5, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
if ever were whenever
Last night I was flipping through our sports channels when I found the Texas A&M vs. SMU football game. I immediately ran to put on my Aggie ring and yell along with the rest of the 12th men. After watching one of their strongest showings since 1999 I flipped the channel to see that Setanta was showing highlights of the Harlequins match so I could ooh and ahh over the mad skillz of my beloved Nick Evans. I reminded SB for probably the 50th time of how I just knew Nick Evans was something special after watching him in 2004. Then I reminded him for probably the 30th time of how Graham Henry should have done more to keep Nick in New Zealand and given him more chances to start for the All Blacks because Dan Carter's understudies have so far been underwhelming.
SB remarked that he was sure that Nick Evans appreciated my loyalty. Not likely since he has thousands of fans now but maybe in 2004 he would have liked to hear my sentiments. If I had been on Facebook in 2004...I probably still would not have shared my sentiments. Never mind. The only person I share my regards with is USA 7's player Justin Boyd and that is mostly because we both played rugby for Texas A&M. If I recall correctly he was class of '06 while I was class of '03 and he was a real pleasure to watch. It is still a pleasure to read his posts and share in his successes.
"This is the best night ever!" I enthusiastically informed SB after watching several hours of sports. He immediately sought to bring me to reality by turning to the Animal Planet where there was some show on about animal psychics or haunted cats or something. Seriously, how was that show even able to last one season?
SB remarked that he was sure that Nick Evans appreciated my loyalty. Not likely since he has thousands of fans now but maybe in 2004 he would have liked to hear my sentiments. If I had been on Facebook in 2004...I probably still would not have shared my sentiments. Never mind. The only person I share my regards with is USA 7's player Justin Boyd and that is mostly because we both played rugby for Texas A&M. If I recall correctly he was class of '06 while I was class of '03 and he was a real pleasure to watch. It is still a pleasure to read his posts and share in his successes.
"This is the best night ever!" I enthusiastically informed SB after watching several hours of sports. He immediately sought to bring me to reality by turning to the Animal Planet where there was some show on about animal psychics or haunted cats or something. Seriously, how was that show even able to last one season?
God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called!
It is floating around on Facebook.
image - http://www.examiner.com/presbyterian-in-oklahoma-city/a-new-look-at-the-old-testament-the-story-the-story
Sunday, September 4, 2011
burn
SB brought back a lacrosse stick for me from his trip back home so we spent a few hours throwing a ball back and forth on Saturday. I had not wielded a lacrosse stick in three years so my forearm and side were very sore yesterday.
Later SB and I ran a few defensive drills. They were mostly for his benefit because women's lacrosse does not allow such contact to my chagrin. In ice hockey you can have the option of playing with or without contact and I wish that women had the option of playing with men's rules. We had a fun time with SB dodging back and forth while I lightly checked him with my stick.
As we were running back and forth a man with a heavy Scottish accent came running up to us to ask, "Is that lacrosse?" He was practically reaching for my stick so I handed it over to him. "This is a girl's stick," I told him, trying to explain the differences in the pocket and how you can't do a windup like with the male sticks. Then I realized that it didn't matter because he probably had no prior experience. He and SB tossed the ball back and forth; he was impressive using it for the first time and I wondered what previous sports he had played so that his coordination was so good. Maybe ice hockey?
Later another family came over to observe and I offered my stick to the children to play with. The little boy was very pleased but his older sister shook her head and hid behind her mother. It caused me to wonder if that behavior was innate or learned? I have friends whose children do the same thing and it is so often that the boys will be bold and the girls will hide. But yet when the children are very young they are equally shy or bold. With the six year olds that play rugby they are equally bold and timid but in the general population I notice a gender division in behavior and I can't imagine that we would teach our kids to be shy on purpose.
Later SB and I ran a few defensive drills. They were mostly for his benefit because women's lacrosse does not allow such contact to my chagrin. In ice hockey you can have the option of playing with or without contact and I wish that women had the option of playing with men's rules. We had a fun time with SB dodging back and forth while I lightly checked him with my stick.
As we were running back and forth a man with a heavy Scottish accent came running up to us to ask, "Is that lacrosse?" He was practically reaching for my stick so I handed it over to him. "This is a girl's stick," I told him, trying to explain the differences in the pocket and how you can't do a windup like with the male sticks. Then I realized that it didn't matter because he probably had no prior experience. He and SB tossed the ball back and forth; he was impressive using it for the first time and I wondered what previous sports he had played so that his coordination was so good. Maybe ice hockey?
Later another family came over to observe and I offered my stick to the children to play with. The little boy was very pleased but his older sister shook her head and hid behind her mother. It caused me to wonder if that behavior was innate or learned? I have friends whose children do the same thing and it is so often that the boys will be bold and the girls will hide. But yet when the children are very young they are equally shy or bold. With the six year olds that play rugby they are equally bold and timid but in the general population I notice a gender division in behavior and I can't imagine that we would teach our kids to be shy on purpose.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
crying out loud
This weekend SB and I have been playing the collection of music on my ipod in alphabetical order by song. We are in the latter part of the C's. I can't believe how many songs are Crazy, Creepy and Criminal.
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