Fun Facts

Middle school is an emotional roller coaster, as any parent of a young teen can tell you. I thought I’d share a day in R’s life with you–yesterday, to be precise.

Her friend regularly shares random “fun facts” with her. Today’s “fact”: left-handed people live on average nine years shorter. R is a lefty.

Just Say No to Life Jackets

Okay, I’m shamelessly Facebooking on my blog with this, but concerning the whole contraceptives, rape and abortion controversy, this says it all!

Image: http://www.neatorama.com

 Let me explain this for Dutch readers who may not have been following the whole debate about all this closely.

My American Dream

This is what I dreamed last night.

I was in a school gym, remembering how we would be made to run laps around a gym just like that in high school in the Netherlands. And I remembered that I could. I’d be tired, and I’d be protesting loudly like any self-respecting un-sporty teenage girl should, but that’s all. And I resented–in this dream–that I can’t run for two minutes now without having a gimpy knee for the next two weeks (this is real; I ran for two minutes last weekend, and now it hurts when I walk down steps).

Stressed? Blog!

While B was in the hospital, or rather hospitals, blogging kept me from freaking out about things I had no control over. At first I still had several posts to do about the Rockies, and then I started blogging about the hospital experience.

Living in a Hospital: The Building

You probably have the same image popping into your mind as I do at the word “hospital”. Big, drab building with endless, oppressive hallways that all look the same, right? Well, it seems that the architects of Dell Children’s Hospital have been primarily intent on challenging that stereotype.

Living in a Hospital: The Food

The hospital in Cody, Wyoming had what you expect to get as hospital food: completely cooked-to-death veggies, blah mashed potatoes and bland, greasy meat. Pretty close to the high fat, zero fiber diet in hospitals in south Texas when we had the pleasure. They had a cafeteria in Cody, but it seemed to be closed most of the time. However, they did give any of us with B at mealtime a hospital meal as well, free of charge, which was really nice, because they didn’t have to do that.

Living in the Hospital: The Staff

A commenter on a previous post wanted to remind me that it’s never fun to have to be in the hospital, however nice it is. Of course not. So don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather B be better and at home, but that doesn’t stop me from being impressed with the hospital, and everything they have and do to make the stay as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.

Living in a Hospital: The Room

As I’ve explained in previous posts, we were on vacation when our son B’s appendix ruptured. He had an appendectomy and was in the hospital in Cody, Wyoming for four days. Six days after coming home to Austin, he had pains again, and had to have a follow-up surgery, and he has been in the hospital here in Austin for six days now. And when I say that B has been in the hospital, I really mean our family has been in the hospital.

The Rockies: The Ending

Okay, I’ve put it off long enough. I’ve managed to prolong our vacation through these photo posts, but now I’ve come to the end. Not that there won’t be more photo posts about the Rockies, but they can wait.

Ten American Things I’ll Never Get Used To

Photo: motivators.com

Although I’ve lived here for 18 years now, and although there are a lot of things I’ve gotten used to and in some cases even adopted, there are some things that, by now it’s safe to say, I’ll never get used to. Here are ten of them.

1. Bobby socks for men. Yep, men here (including T) often wear socks that barely show above the shoe, just like girl bobby socks in the fifties. The only difference is the absence of pompoms. I know they’re considered perfectly normal here, but to me they will always look ridiculous. Sorry, guys.

Sick Puppies

Rush Limbaugh, an extreme right-wing radio host here in America, is in the real news right now. At issue is the fact that Catholic institutions don’t want to give their employees health insurance that includes the contraceptive pill.

What Makes Me Nervous

The plinky writing prompt was What Makes You Nervous?Well, let me tell you.

The man who was bagging my groceries yesterday couldn’t have been a day under seventy-five. There’s a woman from eastern Europe who’s a cashier at my local Walmart who has to be at least that old as well. And it really freaks me out to see an old man sweating away during this Austin summer getting shopping carts together in the HEB parking lot.

Glenn and Me

If I were to call Glenn Beck’s radio talk show, this is how I imagine it would go:

Glenn:  And let me go to Barbara in Texas, one of my favorite states. How are you doing, Barbara in Texas?

Me:        Hi Glenn, thanks for having me on your show. I’m so excited!

Top Ten Things I Miss About Holland

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  photo: Autumn Arnold, Peanut Cheese

  Not worrying about money, or getting fired, or getting sick, or not being able to retire, or how to pay for the kids’ colleges.

• Having all my friends within visiting distance.
• Having seven weeks paid vacation plus vacation pay (like a thirteenth month’s salary).
• Going to the doctor or hospital without my wallet.
• Walking around the Saturday market and buying big, beautiful bunches of flowers that last for weeks and only cost a few euros.
• Traveling by train. Relaxing and looking out the window with a cup of Earl Grey tea instead of sitting in traffic.
• Taking the ferry to England and hitchhiking to the Cairngorms or the Lake District or wherever, and hiking around, camping in the wild.
• Cycling for the purpose of getting somewhere.
• Sleeping with the windows open (scorpions would crawl in if I did that here).
• Watching a decent documentary on TV without having to subscribe to HBO.

Big Fat Words

Right now I am fatter than anyone I knew in Holland. If I were to go there now, I’d be the fattest person in the room, on the bus, on the train, in the park—anywhere.

Yippeeee!

In several of my posts I have mentioned what I feel are somewhat childish aspects of American culture. Like waving little flags on demand, being entertained by waiters in silly hats at restaurants and such.

Food Poisoning

This is an almost 20-minute video, but the information Robyn O’Brien gives is important to know. Coming from Holland seventeen years ago, I felt like almost everybody here is allergic to something. My husband would jokingly say, “Oh sure, the Dutch are never allergic,” thinking it was just another of my everything’s-better-in-Holland observations, but seriously, there didn’t seem half as many people allergic to stuff in Holland as there are in America. Now it turns out this might be true. So there, hubby!

The Best Care in Town

 

My father-in-law, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, had a stroke in August, and he has been in a wheelchair ever since. He was in a nursing home for two months. You would think that at least my mother-in-law would be relieved that he would be taken care of professionally, wouldn’t you?