Superhero

I don't necessarily like the fact that I can say, "When I was young...." followed by a slew of different ways that things used to be, but I can, so I might as well embrace it. When I was young, and people watched TV, they normally just watched it if they were home at night. If they had some shows that they particularly enjoyed, they might have taped them so they could watch them later. But, they didn't watch their favorite shows all at once, but over the course of a year.

Also, when I was young, as now, I had extreme difficulty in putting down a good book. Books that grab me take me well into the night with their plot twists and character development. Take A Thousand Splended Suns, for example. Hosseni writes such a full, eloquent and gripping story, that I could not put the book down and finished it in less than a day.
Now, the problem is, there is such a thing nowadays called as DVD box sets. DVD box sets have entire seasons of TV shows on just a few CD's. So, what would normally be watched over the course of many months, can be watched in a significantly shorter time period. There were not a few popular TV shows that I didn't watch in America. I wasn't home, and didn't mind that I was missing out on what everyone was talking about at Starbucks the next day (though my roommate and I did have our favorites that we would watch faithfully). But here, my life is different, and there are these DVD box sets just sitting around when I have free time, particularly this week. I was crazy sick, and after the first couple of days of solid sleep, I still had to stay in, but needed something to do. So, I started watching the DVD box set of Heroes, popular in America, but never seen by me. And, wow, that show has a great story line going on with fantastic plot twists. And, as you know from above, I like good stories. So, I've become a little bit addicted to this show, and don't know how normal people waited each week to watch each episode. But, that waiting kept them normal too, I suppose.

So, I of course had a dream about super heroes the other night, and dreamt that I too had a super hero ability. What was it, you ask? Could I fly, become invisible, have x-ray vision? No, much better. Whenever anyone in the world was late, I could get them to wherever they needed to be on time. I could use any super hero ability necessary to get someone to an engagement on time. At any moment I might be pulled from my everyday normal life and hear someone from far away lamenting about running late for work. I would of course shout, "GO, GO GET PEOPLE THERE ON TIME," and off I would fly to save the day. I suppose a bit of the local culture crept into that dream, as events rarely begin on time here.

He has gone

We drove through the village, saw the heavy awning and knew we were close. We walked in, I had not prepared myself, but should have done so, knowing that I was going to a funeral. The house was full of somber ladies. We shook each of their hands, saying blessings to each of them. Walking through a labyrinth of outdoor hallways, we greeted more women and finally arrived to the room of his widow. I rarely see sadness displayed in this place. Anger, frustration, even laughter I see daily, but rarely sadness. But it hung all over me today; it looked me in the eye as I looked at many of these women, as I looked at his widow. She wore the customary white dress, and sat on the bed with a white sheet. She wont leave the house for four months. Yesterday morning she was married to a 42 year old man who made beans everyday. By the end of the day she buried him. I saw her tears, her grief was heavy, I thought it might suffocate her. I wished blessings on her, and kept going, like everyone else. We sat outside with more women and I saw his mother. Her face was deeply scared with the marks of her tribe, full of wrinkles which showed that she had lived a long and difficult life in the desert, and covered with her mourning. She too wore the white dress. She looked empty, and no one talked to her. Women came in and greeted the others with high pitched crying. The air was stale. I was relieved to leave, but carried their burden with me to the car, then to the house.

Tricky Weather

So, I try to walk a good bit most days, because it's good for me, and it makes me feel good and there isn't much other exercise I can get without having to play a DVD, which I don't really like. It's been getting hotter, but only less than a month ago it was relatively comfortable. So, on one of these daily walks I found myself getting thirstier faster and just feeling hotter than normal. But, I thought, it can't be that hot because it was just nice the other day. No, it was definitely 110 degrees. Moral of the story--when you live in the desert and you feel like it might be hot outside, it's probably not all in your head.

I still await the hot season.

Walking

I should go to sleep. I find that I need more sleep here than back in the good ole USA. It's like the heat zaps a button on the top of my head that sends me to my bed/couch/floor like one of those toys I always wanted from Six Flags that collapses when you push up underneath it. That's how I feel. And the crazy hot stuff is still yet to come.

I loved reading Anne of Green Gables when I was a kid. Anne and Diana were more than best friends, they were kindred spirits. I've come to understand better what kindred spirits are. They are those people that understand your soul. No, they aren't people that will never have a conflict with you, will never hurt your feelings, will never drive you crazy, will always know exactly what you are thinking so you wont ever have to say it. But, they are those people that will smile, embrace you and walk through all of that with you, loving you no matter what, even when you are sure that you are unlovable. I'm thinking about the handful of those that I have had in my life. I am so thankful for them.

I'm not at a place where I can say I have a bosom friend. Because that is weird, even for Anne of Green Gables. Maybe it's just the culture difference between now and early 20th century Canada.

I wear my Chacos nearly everyday, and I walk A LOT (and I do it on purpose, so don't feel sorry for me about that). So, I find it odd that yesterday of all days I got two blisters on my heels. Strange.

I'm going to sleep now.