<p>hope I can keep that^low profile now on… where is my muzzle now?</p>
<p>smarty love.
I would squirm with delight if you call me rascal.
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rascal_the_Raccoon[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rascal_the_Raccoon</a>
we grew up on the Miyazaki style TV anime based on memoir by some guy.
wiki says, Japanese went nuts and “imported” 1,500/year raccoons from US as a pet.</p>
<p>the book is this, I think. I haven’t read it. just how well known in here?
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0439585740/ref=sr_1_olp_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299767822&sr=1-3[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0439585740/ref=sr_1_olp_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299767822&sr=1-3</a>
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0006AYNMU/ref=sr_1_olp_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299768426&sr=1-11[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0006AYNMU/ref=sr_1_olp_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299768426&sr=1-11</a></p>
<p>hi all
I just heard from someone here if all my family friends are safe over Japan.
I don’t have anyone close in the affected area far as I know of. of course people move around get married and jobs, someone I went school or worked with could be victims in some way. likewise I started just in-case-saving of what I could.
family wise, I don’t really have anyone immediate left and no contact from anyone extended all these years I am here.
people would wonder how that can be, but mine is that way. did not hear anything during 9/11; friends I did and teachers and such who asked if I was still alive.
Japanese lives along with earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons. It is part of the identity, I had few bad ones thou not this bad, this one is like the worst in 1000 years or so.
It will take while but they’d be OK. I think we basically live on wabi sabi Heike monogatari spirits.
nothing last forever.
cities burned country ruined many many times but always came out stronger, smarter. but silly enuff to keep building houses out of paper and wood: which is great for quakes but wash out clean by tsunami. less toxic debris just the same.
that reminds me of the flood we had when I was ten.
materials. belongings are just that, stuff.
lives lost could be complicated depending on individual situation. I had a friend that compensation enabled her to attend artschool. she sadly admitted that how much of relief it was and made the best of her education.</p>
<p>It is a good thing I don’t have TV. if I’d see the visuals constantly, I won’t be saying all ^^ this.</p>
<p>Bears, I’m having to avoid the images also. Triggers all those 9-11 responses. Luckily our TV went out back then (9-11) and stayed out for quite awhile as it was bad enough just being home (lived very close by). I think you’re right about not having TV, it’s a good thing in this case. I was in some frightening shakers while in Tokyo but of course nothing like this. My heart is pretty heavy today.</p>
<p>bears, I’m so glad to hear that your family is OK. I had some strange news, that I have a cousin over there (had no idea…) but he’s safe too. My friend the travel writer (who told me about the flowing noodles) is luckily travel-writing somewhere else this week. I can’t believe how well Tokyo’s building handled it all, very impressive! Looks like it was just a major traffic and communication problem for them. Cell phones are not invincible!</p>
<p>Well…still sadly watching the news but only the regular news rather than the dreadful 24-7 coverage on some of these channels. It becomes numbing and surreal. I saw a brief piece with an interview with a scientist from GaTech that was very comprehensible and quite reassuring about the reactors. The newspeople seemed frustrated that he wasn’t providing enough fear and panic information and kept saying…but couldn’t things get worse? It was as if the news we had wasn’t bad enough!</p>
<p>I think we are all hoping that the casualties are less than expected. I do think that we have all learned to be much more understanding of the trauma after a terrible event and more sympathetic. Sadly, all countries have seen their share of tragedies but some are just so huge that the scale make it hard to comprehend. </p>
<p>We returned safely from our little trip to Pittsburgh. I didn’t realize that it was St. Patrick’s Day parade day so the place was absolutely packed with drunk green revelers…odd because I don’t remember it being such a big deal in my time and, yes, while there are irish pubs and irish american organizations in Pittsburgh…it is not chicago or NY by any means. In fact, 90% of the “irish” on the streets of Pittsburgh are probably just as quick to celebrate their lithuanian, russian, polish, estonian, latvian, italian, roots at other times of the year. My kids were amazed at the numbers of staggering celebrants decked out with green. We dropped them for the night and we had the closest near death experience since leaving Ecuador…drunk driver pulled in front of us and the eerie thing is that he was looking at us straight on as he pulled out to turn left but you could see from his glazed expression that he didn’t see us but was focusing behind us…so odd…in what seemed slo-mo H swung the camry up onto the curb with us going at over 30 MPH missed the other car and then back onto the street…some serious bumper scrape at the bottom. I was so frozen that I probably would have broadsided him and he would have been toast and we would have been slightly better for the airbags. The guy just turned left and never looked back. I don’t think he ever saw us. </p>
<p>Took S to the breakfast place. D terrified that H would tell the waitress what happened (or started to happen there). H was discrete and we had a nice breakfast. Left S at dorm facing a massive drawing project and looking stressed already.</p>
<p>^^^oh, your poor son, stressed already! My D is home this week for her “break”. She has tons to read and write but managed to do the drawing things before she left school. Not much of a break, but not much longer to go either!</p>
<p>I haven’t watched any TV news coverage of the earthquake and tsunami. Just newspaper and internet and that’s bad enough. More than bad enough. The NY Times has now said that the quake was a 9.0 (2x stronger than an 8.8) and that 10,000 people may be gone. Whole villages gone. Two reactors “partially” melted down and more of them in trouble. It’s just horrible. On the other hand, they found an old man on the roof of his house where he’d been stranded for two days. His house had floated 9 miles out to sea!</p>
<p>I’m very glad your near miss, was only a frightening near miss. Wow, that’s scary. Maybe you should call the Pittsburgh police to report it, and to suggest more police presence next year. Having lived in New Orleans, I can testify to the incredible stupidity of people celebrating with alcohol irresponsibly. There are so many ways that celebrating can be done well! Poor Patrick, who wasn’t even Irish, would not approve of this way!</p>
<p>and parents turf lots are glued onto CNN…
woops it is not the time for being a*s
heard from friends working in Tokyo shaken like never before.
thought this is it, I am gonna die…
just about OK for now. still in chaos and what you call, aftershake?</p>
<p>Hey – I wanted to poke my head back in for a moment to follow up. Mostly been pretty busy being a student and getting ready for graduation later this spring and stuff. I’ve also been helping friends who have family in Japan sort out communication and support issues. But in the meantime, on Friday afternoon I was admitted to Harvard Divinity School. 
So that’s what I’m doing for the next two years. </p>
<p>Hope everyone else is doing well!</p>
<p>Congratulations Trin. It looks like you’ll be busy the next 2 years. </p>
<p>Bears, that is aftershocks. Sounds like there won’t be much good news coming for awhile. Very sad and depressed, worried about everyone there. Ah well . . . this will take time but in my fantasy world I wish they could just take hundreds of helicopters in, pick everyone up and move them to a safe place. Not quite that easy I suppose.</p>
<p>I knew you’d be back in to brag ms Trin. now you can use your own ancient NMF honor or what?
congrats, I am not gonna ask how are you gonna afford to live and support your D with tiny stipend in the one of the most expensive area in the US.
it’s about time her bro or your BF pays up.
It’s Harvard after all, yet church school that is, be honest and humble , hun!!!</p>
<p>^^ to whom it may concern, this is not an insult nor attack. please don’t beat me. if anything, check my long miserable post history for proof it is a friendly jab.
ask Wheaty if you don believe me.</p>
<p>fammom
check this out
<a href=“http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=45692[/url]”>http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=45692</a>
the other photo I got shows his three singing nieces ( nordic icelandic nymphs!!)
remember the girl who kicked honet’s’ nest dragon tattoo? it’s in the alley.
go! famkid!!</p>
<p>so it is aftershock, not after-shook, past tense of shake that came after shaking?
sounded same to me hahah</p>
<p>Congratulations Trin! After two years, you can wear a little halo over your mortarboard at graduation. I’m sure you’ll be very, very happy. I hope you do the best with the long distance from home and the winter weather which will have you… wait, are Divinity students allowed to curse? If so, you may be cursing the dreaded winter. More reason to find a fire to read by and look for angels.</p>
<p>And please, “powers that be”, cough - Stasi - cough, leave Bears alone! (and I don’t mean in solitary confinement).</p>
<p>Bears, I love the link. Singing for three weeks inside the museum? Is it starting now? I must confess we have a family trip to Iceland coming up in June. I’m excited, but (esp. after the earthquake) a bit frightened. Heckla or Katla is bound to be blowing up at some point, maybe right after we land! I haven’t done any research into the art scene, it’s time to get cracking.</p>
<p>nooooooo
G
do NOT even risk tainting your perfect record.
take me instead!</p>
<p>I have a friend insisted I take my kid to Iceland before we die to see the thing shoot out from the ground; the word sounds like geisha?
she is an artist and so very inspired by the trip. (same white friend who pushed Portland. wonder if Iceland is in the new list)</p>
<p>I been wondering whereabout of those Cooper mama duo since they got vacation til 20th or some, assuming that part of their calendar is correct (doubt)
offices are open, thou. must be kicking in hometest diggin’
go Barney go! Parlsky are you in it too, or not?
whoelse? did Moomin in ED or got deferred? wowowowow drama! drama!!!</p>
<p>Congratulations Trin. It is cool to be in Harvard, I wish I can be young again to try but …
FAMM: Your S’s break is over, my D is having winter break this week but she is still in NYC since her friend is visiting her there. She will fly back Wednesday. In two days I can see her again. excited.
recently,at my birthday got an email from D saying: “i’m very lucky to have you as a mother …”, that make me feel so sweet :—)</p>
<p>greenwitch: It is cool to be in Iceland !
I am planing a family trip to Europe this summer. already bought ticket landing in London and back from Amsterdam for total 14 days in May.</p>
<p>love, you got masters. you mean Ph.D.?
you people…</p>
<p>Tigermom! checking on study abroad already eh?
awww Van Gogh, Rijksmuseum where else?
happy trails everyone.
Gmom should be back by now.
someday
somehow
somewhere…</p>
<p>Bears, the word is “geyser” for that little, sometimes big, eruption of steam. I’m very, very excited to go. I don’t have all the arrangements made (not by a long shot) but I found an excellent price on Delta flying from JFK. (they flew from near here too, but then put you in a 12 -14 hour layover - yuk). From there, we will probably hop over to Sweden to visit my sister and her children. We’ll be on Iceland during the longest day, and D2 and I might attempt an all-night hike up Hekla with some walking group. We’ll see if it’s smokin or not!</p>
<p>Hi- my S came back for spring break with his gf. They went camping near here with a friend from around here, and some other school kids who took the bus down. My S has never been camping, but the gf seems level headed. Watching six art students (or maybe its six teenagers of any ilk) plan something is hilarious. The expression herding cats comes to mind, except in this instance none of the cats wants to boss around any of the other cats. We had a cookout at the first friends house, with his two sets of parents, and it was very funny to watch all the parents quiz my S’s gf, whom they had quickly identified as the most sensible of the lot (also the only girl), about the camping trip. I was torn between wanting to beg her to take good care of him, and not wanting to scare her about having hooked her wagon to such a knucklehead…</p>