Cars and Dogs

An earlier post from early December that I forgot to post:

It feels good to be back driving my car again—and it feels so big after driving a small rental car while my poor Magellan was in the garage receiving a new fuel pump and a fuel line replacement. Guess that would be like a heart transplant and cleaning out the aorta in human terms.
It’s amazing how quickly humans adjust to size and space…. In a matter of days I had adjusted to driving a small little car close to the ground, while my older model car is an SUV (by no means posh or luxurious—just basic and very functional because I can haul “stuff” in it!), and sits higher up. I like the visibility of driving a “higher up” car, but most of all, I noticed that I drove a lot differently in a smaller car.

Small cars are a lot like little dogs --- they scoot and scamper around quickly, just like I found it so much easier to drive faster in that little car. You know how little dogs are always running and barking trying to grab attention while bigger dogs will just lie down and be still? That’s what this small car driving experience reminded me of--- small dogs and big dogs. Bigger cars are more like bigger dogs—they are aware of their size and so often act more mellow, and while they have power and speed, they don’t feel the need to show off. There’s a comfort level between my car and I. Magellan has been my trusty “big dog” and companion since 2003. He doesn’t demand much attention and takes me where I need to go. I don’t drive too fast when I drive Magellan, and the slower pace is definitely much safer.

Closing Out 2011

Only a few hours left and 2011 will be history. I am way behind in updating this blog, and since my New Year's Eve will be spent at home with the telly, I hope to muster the strength to update this blog.

I always look forward to the break between the holidays and have great plans for doing lots of things-- but tend to forget how time consuming it is to pick up this one at the airport, take that one to the bus, train, or whatever... not that I mind, but I just forget how running other people around takes me away from things I had planned to do. That's parenthood-- I don't ever want to NOT do that or be there for my children-- no matter how old or grown up they are.

It's also been a challenging week because the day after Christmas I developed a whopping cold-- head and chest-- and am coughing and wheezing like an old bicycle. This draws me back to my youth in Holland when I would always get sick with bronchitis and my aunts and uncles were busy tending to me and offering various remedies (such as hot toddies and piling on the blankets) to make me "sweat it out."

This week I've been using modern medicines in the form of over-the-counter drugs to quelch my cold-- and I think all I've done is make the drug companies richer and provided my cold with gourmet appetizers! None of them seem to be helping- so guess what? It's NYE and I am not going anywhere so I may just try that hot toddie and blanket remedy this evening.

I'll let you know how it goes... Cheers!

Hotel Chambermaid

I love the word “chambermaid” because it sounds dignified. As my mother and grandmother used to say, everyone has a place and role in life. Chambermaid is the place and role of the woman I met yesterday as I went back into my hotel room to fetch my laptop. (Even at a conference, my work continues, especially when I’m teaching an online class). As I was about to go into my room the chambermaid and I literally bumped into each other as she was about to service my room. She was an interesting woman to look at because her face pigmentation was strange—it was as if half of her face had a light pigmentation and part of her face had dark pigmentation—almost like a mask that extended over her forehead. We began talking (her accent was very heavy and she really had limited command of English), as she told me that she was “a Coptic lady” (she showed me the cross tattoo on the inside of her wrist), and said she again that she was a Coptic Christian from Egypt. In her broken English she began to talk and talk… about how bad things were for Christians in Egypt now, and about how “the Muslims hate everybody and everything.” Her statements and feelings were very strong about this. Then she asked me if I was Christian—Baptist? (This is the South) Katholiek? When I replied, she smiled a big smile and said something I really couldn’t understand, but whatever-- it must have been pleasing to her because she thought I was wonderful. She acted like I made her day… and I just thought about how hard life must be for her.

Nashville in December

Nashville, Tennessee is the home of country music, and I had hoped to see some of the country music sites while here attending a conference. My son, Michael, had told me about Nashville because it was the place he and his friends would go to attend concerts when they were college students at UGA. However, conferences being what they are, it’s is difficult to get out, especially when the distances are so far and taxi is the only way to get around. Compounding my ability to do any sightseeing is that it has been raining, cold, and generally not the kind of sightseeing weather anyone would prefer.

However, I did book a little see the Christmas Lights tour on Sunday evening, and so I saw the suburban neighborhoods of Brentwood and the historic town of Franklin. These houses are amazing—I have not seen the likes of them where I live! To say they are macmansions is an understatement—these houses are twice the size of macmansions. Interestingly enough, the tour guide said that most of these homes belong to executives in the health care industry.
We also stopped at a historic Civil War era house called the Lotz House. It was featured in the Battle of Franklin. A Civil War cannon on the front lawn marks the property. This house was built in 1858 by a German carpenter, and then shelled during the Battle of Franklin and also used as a hospital in that time. Although a nice sized house by today’s standards, it must have seemed really huge when it was built. The woodwork obviously shows skilled craftsmanship. No matter where they are, I always do enjoy seeing historic homes, and my favorite ones are in old New Castle, DE.
While the tour itself was OK and the Christmas lights and decorations were pretty, this tour was not a resounding “You must do this!” kind of thing—it’s more like a “It gets you out of the hotel” kind of thing.