Growing Up The Second Time

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Life Repeats Itself

I hate saying good bye yet it is a permanent part of my life
backing up.....
beep beep
I'm an Air Force brat
saying good bye was part of my child hood
I developed a strategy
don't think about until you have to
live for today
I think a lot of military families have to operate on that principle
but then when the day came to say good bye it was never easy
i remember many plane rides looking out the window
tears streaming down my face thinking
not again
but in my heart i knew all of those relationships made an imprint on me
that was there forever
no matter
i remember my father leaving in the middle of the night
I was little so I felt like he was leaving forever
my mom always seemed so sad
he was a navigator with the air force and he had to get his flight hours in
I didn't understand
stood under his big overpowering body thinking how can you leave us
why is mom so sad
it wasn't until I was
cleaning out my moms apartment after she died that it all came together
My due date had past
my Dad was supposed to go on a routine flight with his crew
he stayed home waiting for me
i was born
the crew was lost at sea
his Wing was never to be found in the pacific
so on the days following my birth he had to console
the families left behind
and I'm sure he had survivors guilt
but when I found out about this I thought
hey I saved my Dad's life
maybe that's too egocentric
but my coming into this world
might have kept him from exiting this world
I think about that now
and my fathers cherry cheeks
and a certain way he looked at me some times
later in life
and even though he never told me it
i want to believe that those extra years he had because he stayed home for my birth
were
worth
it.
But I would be a very different person, today If I actually heard those words
out of his mouth
but I can't
so I go on
and I still

hate saying good bye

Friday, March 6, 2009

Back To Real Life For Slum Dog Kids

Azharuddin Ismail, one of the kids from "Slum Dog Millionaire" , is suffering the effects of all the attention.
"He has been prescribed antibiotics by doctors, who said he is suffering from fever and exhaustion, but his condition has continued to worsen.

Azhar's neighbours have also rallied round to build an 8ft by 5ft metal structure for him to sleep under out of the sun.

The families of the two child stars have said their children are not readjusting to life back in the slums after five days of glitz and glamour in Los Angeles."

Mother Shameem Ismail said: "It has all become too much for him. He is very ill and has not recovered from going to America and all the media interest since we got back."

Both Rubina Ali and Azharuddin continue to wear their Oscar clothes and pine for life in America:
For Rubina, the highlight was her new pale blue dress, which she is still wearing. She says: "When we got to America, Uncle Danny (Boyle)) arranged for some clothes for us. I had never been given so many clothes. I picked out seven dresses and four pairs of shoes. I felt so special in my party dress that I never want to take it off. I felt like a princess walking down the red carpet."
Rubina also said:
"I don't want to sleep on the floor anymore. I want a proper bed and live where the air does not smell of poo. I have seen what it is like in America. Here, there is garbage everywhere, people get angry, swear and shout. I have realised how bad life is here. I just want to get out."

One of the biggest shocks for the young pair was having their own hotel rooms. Rubina explains: “I had never slept in a proper bed alone before. It was nice, I guess. Me and Azharurddin loved jumping on it, we broke it because we played so hard. We had a room each but I went to sleep in his room. His mother was there too. I’ve never slept in a room on my own and I was scared—it felt better to be with people.”

Now back in India, Rubina is struggling to readjust to her old life. Her uncle Mohid Din Khan—who chaperoned her on the trip—says: “She didn’t want to come back but we have all tried to convince her it is OK.”

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Did You Know?

Our kids are growing up in a technological revolution that shows no signs of slowing down.
How much of what they learn in school or at home is actually relevant , or will be when they graduate from college?
The University of Google is where many start learning and answering questions today.

"The amount of new technical information is doubling every 2 years. For students starting a four year technical degree this means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study."

Game On

My Husband's family is super competitive especially when it comes to, scrabble, basketball, tennis, running, debating about politics, debating about who had it worst or best growing up in a big family and last but not least,
ping pong.
This is my husband after he beat one of his brothers in ping pong:

Just Kidding