It's A Paperback!

So my book is officially available in paperback form. There's a website called CreateSpace, which is an affiliate of Amazon, that will print my book on demand. This allows me to sell paperback copies of my book without needing to spend money to maintain an inventory. People who buy it will have to create an account with CreateSpace first. Here is the website:

https://www.createspace.com/3703945

Why I Enjoyed The Book of Mormon and Am Not Ashamed to Say So

I’ve been a fan of South Park from its very beginning. I remember watching “The Spirit of Christmas” online when I was a sophomore in college, and at one point I knew every line by heart. I still quote it whenever the opportunity arises, usually around the holiday season. My favorite line is when Jesus and Santa Claus are brawling over who represents the true meaning of Christmas, and the children are trying to decide who to root for.

Santa: “Stan, remember the choo choo when you were three?”

Jesus: “I died for your sins, boys. Don’t forget that.”

I was hooked.

So when my boyfriend and I learned that the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, were producing a Broadway musical, we eagerly awaited the reviews. And, out of the two dozen reviews I read during its opening week, only one newspaper, The Washington Post, gave it a bad one. We bought the tickets immediately.

And man, did we love it! After the show we bought the soundtrack, and have been listening to it ever since. The writing was crisp and funny, the songs upbeat and charming, and the production value lived up to Broadway standards. I was not surprised to see it do well at the Tony awards.

So after mentioning this on my Facebook page, a friend of mine, who is Mormon, wrote to me saying she was very disturbed by my enjoyment of such a musical. She sent me an article (incidentally, the article was from the Washington Post, but there are many others like it) from a woman who was also Mormon. She stated she wasn’t going to see the show, but based her opinion on the reviews she read.

Now, I’m not a big fan of people judging something they haven’t seen, but I can understand not wanting to pay those kinds of ticket prices for a show that satirizes your religion. I pretty much knew I would not be a fan of Jersey Shore without having seen an episode, although I did watch one to validate my reasons why (which are way too many to list here). J

And I can appreciate people’s different tastes in entertainment. I enjoy Dancing With the Stars as my only reality competition show, while my boyfriend hates it. And he watches Ultimate Fighting Championship matches while I couldn’t care less. So if my friend didn’t understand why I enjoy that kind of humor, as many people feel about South Park, I would be okay with that.

But that wasn’t her point. In fact, when The Book of Mormon won nine Tony awards, including one for best musical, she was very upset that such a blasphemous show would be celebrated in this manner. She felt it was suddenly “open season” on Mormons, and that they were being treated unfairly in comparison to other religions.

And that’s where we disagree.

The Book of Mormon is certainly not the first musical about a religion. Jesus Christ Superstar was nominated for five Tony awards in the 1970s and for its revival in 2000, and Christian groups found it offensive when it first opened.

Furthermore, religious satire has been around for a long time in many different forms. There’s literature, such as The Canterbury Tales, movies like The Life of Brian, and shows, such as South Park, that cause a stir whenever the subject of religion is scrutinized or mocked. But I think many of the best religious satirists have been stand-up comedians.

One of my favorite “religion in comedy” bits is from Bill Cosby, in which God is talking to Noah about building the ark. I don’t know of anyone who finds that joke offensive, even though it’s making fun of one of the most popular stories in the Bible. Noah looks pretty foolish, having no idea what an arc is or the measurement needed to build it. Even God has a difficult time trying to remember what a cubit is, and he was the one who invented it! Now that’s funny.

And that was only the beginning for me. Eventually I was introduced to George Carlin’s humor. Everyone knows Carlin was brought up Roman Catholic and, although “he tried to believe in God”, he said it became more difficult as he grew older. And why? Because it’s hard to believe in something you can’t see that only responds to your prayers about half the time. His bit about becoming a sun worshipper is brilliant, along with praying to Joe Pesci since he has about the same response rate as God.

But I think this next bit sums up his real take on religion.

“Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

But He loves you.”

Now we’re getting into murkier water. Carlin was definitely considered edgy for most of his comedic life, with the use of foul language and his bluntness when it came to discussing topics such as religion. But both Cosby and Carlin won the Mark Twain humor award, and both are considered great comedians in their own right. So where do you draw the line between funny and offensive?

Well, I guess that depends on your sense of humor. I know plenty of people who can laugh at jokes about their religion, such as those told by Cosby or Carlin. Fundamentalists, on the other hand, have NO sense of humor when it comes to their religion, which can often facilitate religious extremism. And this is where religion can get the better of people, when someone uses the belief in their god to bring harm against those who don’t believe in that same god. From killing people for drawing a cartoon of Mohammad, to bombing abortion clinics or the World Trade towers, these extremists will do anything in the name of God.

And this is where religion becomes a touchy subject, one of the few left among 24-hour news media, talk show hosts, reality TV, pornography, violent video games, disease, war, poverty, and politics. (I was going to say dirty politics, but really, do I need to make the distinction?). Enough time has even passed where people can make jokes about terrorists and 9/11. But religion, something that has been around since man has had questions he couldn’t answer, is still taboo? Why?

I realize the first amendment allows for freedom of religion, meaning everyone in our country has the right to practice, or not practice, whatever religion they wish. And I believe the religious tolerance in this country is fairly strong in comparison to other countries, in that we can have an open dialogue about different faiths and not be persecuted for it. With so many different cultures living in one country, I agree this freedom is a necessary part of our democracy.

I also realize that a person’s religious beliefs are often an integral part of their lives. Their religion plays a major role in why they act as they do, what they pass down to their children, and what they believe will happen to them when they die. These are issues that every human being deals with; everyone has to form their own beliefs concerning morality and mortality, and these decisions should not be made lightly.

So what are my religious beliefs? Very little, actually. I don’t believe religion is necessary to teach good morality. Sure, I was brought up Catholic, but I stopped going to church when I reached college. I just couldn’t believe in a religion that doesn’t support gay rights, but still preaches that we are “all God’s children”. And after a while, the answer that “God works in mysterious ways” just didn’t satisfy my questions any more.

But did my morality, my sense of right and wrong, change when I stopped believing in Catholicism? Not to my knowledge. My only belief is that we should do right by our fellow man because it’s the right thing to do. You don’t harm me, I don’t harm you, and we try to maintain a sense of order in the world. I don’t need to have someone in the sky watching over me to ensure I live my life “correctly”, nor do I need the promise of paradise after I die. While it’s a beautiful thought that I will someday see my family again after death, I don’t believe it’s a realistic one.

“Well, Donna, that’s what it means to have faith,” people have told me, and that’s certainly true. Faith is belief without proof. The thing I don’t understand is why this is seen as a virtue. I can’t imagine where we would be today as a society if we took everything on faith. The scientific community has to go through a rigorous process to verify its beliefs with reproducible results, and even then they aren’t always accepted. The fact that some schools still want to teach creationism along with the theory of evolution in science classes, rather than theology or philosophy, makes me cringe.

And that’s another reason I’m stumped as to why religion should be exempt from scrutiny. Religious organizations are involved in every aspect of our culture, from politics to health care to education, yet we’re not supposed to question their validity? As I stated before, this country is built upon freedom of religion, but that is also lumped in with our freedom of speech. And it is that freedom that allows us to question the world around us, including why people would believe in something that is often times backed only by a book written by men that has changed over the years, depending on who was in charge of it at the time. For my feeling is that any strong idea, religious or not, should be able to hold up against scrutiny and ridicule.

The perfect example of this is Harold Camping, who predicted the apocalypse would happen on May 21, 2011. Thankfully I don’t know anyone personally who believed him, but he did have followers who sold all of their worldly possessions in preparation for Judgment Day. And when it didn’t happen, Camping was left to claim that there are two parts to the process, and that the final judgment will actually happen in October. How comforting to those left poor and homeless.

But during the time between his announcement and the actual date, people had a field day with jokes about the apocalypse. And when the date passed without incident, the jokes only grew in number. Many people thought it was ridiculous that anyone would believe such a statement, especially when he was wrong about the same thing back in 1994. And he was highly ridiculed for spending as much money as he did on his advertisements.

The thing is, though, I’m not sure why his beliefs are considered more ridiculous than anyone else’s…

And this is really what the core of the musical comes down to. Stone and Parker have said in numerous interviews that they think all religions have their “goofy” stories, and that no religion is any stranger than another. The only reason they chose to do a musical about Mormons specifically is because they knew Mormons growing up in Colorado. They learned quite a bit about the religion and its history, and created an upbeat musical around the idea that Mormons are an extremely happy and optimistic people.

Honestly, there are worse stereotypes to have. And I realize they take the stereotype to the extreme to include being naïve about the real world. But in doing this, in making fun of these stereotypes, they are then seen as silly or ridiculous. Only when they are taken seriously are they given any validity.

Besides, in this case, the musical is more about how a book concerning “ancient Jews that sailed to America” has little to do with the problems of people in Uganda.

Now, I know the Mormons are spearheading plenty of charity efforts in Africa, along with other groups, religious or not, and on other continents. And no one is disputing that there are missionaries all over the world trying to save people from disease, famine, poverty, (hell). Indeed, this is a very admirable aspect of many religions, especially when it has nothing to do with trying to convert these people. But the thing is, conversion is often considered an essential part of that “saving”, and that is what Stone and Parker really satirize in the musical.

And that’s just it. This musical is not a documentary, nor does it claim to be. It is a satire, which means sarcasm is used throughout the story to bring to light some of the more outrageous parts of the religion. In the song “I Believe”, it says God lives on a planet called Kolob, the Garden of Eden is in Jackson County, Missouri, and that in 1978 “God changed his mind about black people”. And after doing some research on the Latter Day Saints web site on every one of these topics, including the last one which refers to the decision to allow black people to be ordained, I discovered that they are all true.

Aye, there’s the rub. If the musical was all about stereotypes and made up fiction regarding the religion, then I could see Mormons getting upset if it was presented as fact. But that’s the thing- Stone and Parker did their homework and included all factual information about the history of the Mormon faith. And that’s what’s getting the real laughs.

But again, it’s not like Mormons are the first nor only religion that people find comical. All religions have been ridiculed in one form or another, it’s just that Mormonism is a newer religion in comparison to others. Scientology is really the only other new religion being railed on for the same reason. In all honesty, I’m not surprised that Mormons finally have been thrown into the limelight because, really, I don’t think you can consider yourself a serious religion until your validity has come into question. That’s just part of how human society evolves.

Now I realize that many people feel like Stone and Parker have an unevolved sense of humor with their foul language and fart jokes. However, many of their South Park episodes do have a point, as satire often does, and this musical is no different. So what IS the point of the Book of Mormon? I think the main character, a Mormon elder, said it best.

“Even if we change some things, or we break the rules, or we have complete doubt that God exists, we can still work together to make this our paradise planet.”

For stories about morality don’t have to come from a specific religion. We don’t have to believe one religion over another to learn how to lead “good” lives. Family, teachers, friends, they often pass down lessons in one form or another on how to be a “good” person. And people can relate to these lessons without needing a specific religious history or backdrop to go along with them. It’s all about learning how to live in the world now, not the world as it was thousands of years ago. For while the basics of morality haven’t changed, the events that bring it into question have.

And Stone and Parker really hit the nail on the head on that one. They have explored many of the major religions in existence using South Park episodes, and all of them discuss the usefulness of these religions in today’s society. And even though they make fun of Mormons in their world, they also call Mormonism the “correct religion” to believe in to get into heaven. I would say that’s pretty high praise from those guys. J

So while I can understand my friend’s anger towards people, including me, laughing at her religion, I hope she does not see me as being close-minded or intolerant for doing so. I have been willing to listen to both sides, and it’s because I’ve learned about different faiths and their beliefs that I can find humor in some of the ideas that I feel just don’t gel in today’s society. For even though many people get a lot out of their religion, such as a sense of community, a call for volunteerism, and upstanding moral values, I feel I have all of those virtues without it.

Unfortunately, most believers still think I’m going to burn in hell regardless of all of these virtues. And that I find to be both funny AND offensive.

Well, it finally happened. This past week I uploaded my first novel, Letting Go and Holding On, onto three different web sites. It's officially been published as an eBook with Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook) and Smashwords.com. The link for the last site is listed here, along with a sample of the book:

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dmroberts

http://smashwords.com/b/43991

The next step is to create a web site, and then I will try to market the book through searches on the Internet. All the while, I will continue to send out query letters to agents, in the hopes I can get even more help for marketing! It's been quite the process, but I'm not done yet. Wish me luck!

Another Year

Another year passes, another year's come
And here we are still in the same old humdrum.
Same small apartment, same dull career
Same shows to watch and same music to hear.
All of our family and all of our friends
Are still a whole trip for to gather again.
And aging is part of the process of living
When once it was something unseen and forgiving.
More weight has settled, more wrinkles too,
Groans of a body that's no longer new.
And time keeps on ticking and having its way
Until such a time when we'll not have a say.

But all of this time that we spend sitting here
We're smiling and laughing with plenty of cheer,
For though we continue this same book to read
We still have each other, no more do we need.

Stop

Every so often, I catch myself actually living my life. Among the daily commute, the hours in front of the computer, heating up my dinner, driving home in the darkness, going to bed, there are moments every so often where I realize there's more than just that. They don't happen every day. They're not even inspired by much. A scene from a movie I've experienced before; a passage from a book I could have written; a conversation between strangers that materializes in tangible form; a touch that sends me back to a former self. They're often fleeting but they hit me hard, as though they're afraid I'll miss them if they don't. There are so many things that clog up our day they barely have room to move, room to breathe. We wander thoughtlessly through this forest of trees and rocks that we have to get over, get past, get through, that we don't notice the rest of nature just shining down on us. We instinctively head for the shade where it's cool, where it's safe.
But there are those times where, even standing in the shade, we catch a glimpse of a mountain lion running in the distance. Out of the corner of our eye a multi-colored bird soars over our head. We watch the setting sun as it paints the sky different hues of red. And we realize, in that moment, that we are here.
But the sky becomes dark, and if we don't pay attention, the moon and stars only light our way home to end the day in preparation for the next one. Another commute, another dinner, another work day. And the cycle repeats as others join us in the forest, sometimes helping to brush away the branches and point out obstacles. We walk along with them and converse with them and identify with them, and they in turn add to our existence. But only a precious few enrich that existence and we have to constantly be aware of their presence. Because they, just like the sun, are sometimes shining, sometimes setting, sometimes pushing you toward the shade. And if you're not careful, you may just miss the picture they paint for you at the end of each day.
And isn't that what it's all about? We're given eyes and ears and arms and legs and what do we do with them? We use them to read reports, listen in meetings, type up letters, and walk down to the cafeteria. Only once in a while do we stop to watch the clouds drift by, listen to the birds sing, throw our hands up to catch the rain, and run like children to feel the breeze.
It may seem at times like your life is not your own. Everyone has responsibilities such as school or work that are necessary just to get by on a daily basis. But there are times when you can just stop, and no matter where you are or what you're doing, you realize that you are actually living your life. And that is always a good thing.

Going Back to Cali

Ok, so I've already traveled to California and come back. I guess using that song title would've been appropriate if I was blogging about the trip three weeks ago. However, three weeks ago I wouldn't have had any good stories to write about since the trip was just starting then. So in retrospect, this will be a much more interesting blog. :)
As most of my friends and family know, C is in Pasadena this summer for an internship at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). Our friend, D (not to be confused with me, D) was able to get him a 6-week internship last summer, and they invited him back this year. However, they wanted him for the entire summer, so to compromise I spent my two weeks of vacation out there with him in the middle of his stay.
I left Logan Airport on the afternoon of June 27th, sitting next to a physics teacher (go figure!) who had been in MA for some underwater machine competition. My friends who live upstairs gave me "The Big Book of Barry Ween" to read, which is a collection of comic books on this one character. They warned me I would laugh out loud and I told them I hardly ever do that while reading. But of course, the book was so funny I did laugh, loudly, like a retarded hyena, causing the physics teacher to continuously glance over at me with concern. Thankfully he managed to fall asleep in the middle of it (or at least, he pretended to so he could avoid having to converse with me). Either way the flight to Phoenix, where I had my layover, was very pleasant.
Now, the one-hour flight to Burbank was supposed to be my time to finish the 55 chapter outline I was working on for my book. However, I sat next to an elderly gentlemen who kept asking me questions about the college I went to (I was wearing an alumni shirt, so I suppose I brought it upon myself), so that idea was out the window. Well, not literally, since that would've caused the cabin to lose air pressure and we probably would've all died. Unless we had a water landing, and then we would've had our seat cushions for flotation devices. But I digress. :)
I got into Pasadena around 9:30 pm and C and his great aunt, G, picked me up. He's staying at his aunt's house to save on renting a place, so I too got to save money not only by staying at her place, but also being able to use her car. She's 90 years old, and even though she's had the car for 4 years it only has 21,000 miles on it. It literally is one of those cars that only gets driven to the market, although she does still go the gym and yoga classes. California- it does a body good!
Anyway, that Sunday C and I drove to Santa Barbara to visit his cousin, B, his wife, M, and their son, A. When I first met C's family four years ago, B and M were building their house. This year I got to see the finished product, which was awesome. They were going to a BBQ at a friend's house so we got a free meal, and later that night we went walking with B and their dog. Then we went walking in downtown Santa Barbara and had delicious frozen yogurt. And it doesn't matter that I put chocolate and candy on top of it- it was healthy, damn it! :)
The next day we drove back to Pasadena so C could go into work for at least a half day. We lucked out because C's schedule is 5-day and then 4-day weeks, and the end of that week was the 4th of July (our 5-year anniversary). So C only had a 3-day week, having both Thursday and Friday off for the holiday.
That meant on Thursday we could drive to Malibu, since I wanted to make it to the beach at least once while I was there (not too many beaches in central MA, ya know what I'm sayin?). After spending way too long on the glorified parking lot known as the freeway, we decided to take some side streets to wind our way through the mountains instead. It was so beautiful. Every road there had the designation CNYN, because every road there led to a house built into the canyons. We would see the iron gate at the front of the property, and then way in the distance the mansion would appear out of nowhere (literally- it would just be sitting on a ledge!). I can't imagine how much these people pay for insurance. I mean, they do know they're in CA right??
Anyway, we decided to stop at Paradise Cove, which was a good-sized public beach with all the necessary facilities, including the Paradise Cove Restaurant. We walked down the beach and found a nice shady spot in front of some small "cliffs" (which was good since we didn't have an umbrella. Again, not avid beach-goers!). We hung out in the ocean for a bit and after I got slammed into the sand by a couple waves (oh yeah, I have very low beach skills) I decided to just hang out on my towel and enjoy the gorgeous day. That was one of my favorite things about the trip as a whole- consistently great weather! We New Englanders just don't get that- EVER!
After the beach romp we ate at the Cove Restaurant, having delicious Big Kahuna nachos, and then we drove back that night. On Friday we drove to our hotel, which was only 5 minutes from his aunt's house, but it was also in the middle of Old Pasadena which made it a great location. We walked around window shopping and stopped into a couple chocolate shops, since there's no way to pass by those! For our anniversary we ate at a fairly authentic Italian restaurant, where I had a delicious gourmet pizza (come on, are any of you shocked?). We also went to see the movie Public Enemy which we both enjoyed.
Luckily the part of Pasadena we were in was near the Rose Bowl, where they have a big fireworks display, so we were able to simply walk out onto the top of the parking garage and watch the fireworks from our hotel. C and I are big fans of having to do the least amount of work for these events. :)
Unfortunately on Sunday we had to get back to reality, but fortunately for me that meant another week of vacation! That week I spent my days writing my book, which by the end of the trip turned into seven chapters total. At night we would go out to eat, trying out Thai places, a quality Chinese restaurant, Round Table Pizza, and of course, Carl's Jr. C forbade me to get fast food from any other place! One night we ate at a Vietnamese place but they had too many green, leafy products for me to enjoy the food. So thankfully there was a Carl's Jr. down the street. :)
On Thursday D was able to get me a security pass to hang out on the JPL campus for 2 hours and give me a personal tour (because, seriously, what does he do all day? He says it's "classified" but I think that's just an excuse to lock himself in a big vault and take a nap). :) C's aunt's son, S, told me I should've tried to get a full security pass so I could go into restricted areas and come back with major government secrets. He even suggested I go see this guy who makes fake IDs, watermarked and laminated, out of the back of his van. I didn't ask how he had knowledge of this, um, businessman. :) Anyway, it didn't matter because D told us they don't have those kind of badges (badges? We don't need no stinkin badges!). And they don't, because if your name isn't on the list, then you simply don't get to go in that area. Yup, they've got bouncers! :) I also asked D if I needed to be careful what I said, in case they had microphones everywhere. "Oh yeah," he said. Then a couple seconds later, "Of course not!" Hey, you never know who's listening these days!
So after getting my special visitors pass I got to see the computer lab where C works, D's place in the cube farm, and the vault door that leads to the "bat cave" (that's the nickname for the place where D does his "secret" work- I wasn't kidding about the vault door!). Afterward, we went to the JPL gift shop where they had lots of random space themed items and T shirts that said things like, "Actually, it IS rocket science." I got shirts for my nieces that have a child's drawing of a rocket ship and a JPL shot glass for my sister, since I'm pretty sure she doesn't have one from there!
After that, we got to go to one of their observation decks where we saw a handful of scientists trying to figure out how to get one of their rovers out of the mud. They have a replica of the rover stuck in a substance similar to that on Mars, and are trying computer simulations to figure out how to get it unstuck. It was pretty neat. We also went to the mini museum they have which shows the progression of JPL and how it's expanded to 130 buildings. But one of the best stories I heard, which you only get from a personal tour guide, was about one of their administrative buildings. Apparently it's right on the fault line, and if the big one ever does hit, the emergency stairways on both sides of the building would just fall off. So because of that fact, they have ropes on the side of the building to allow the workers to rappel off the sides to the ground! Creating new technology? Thousands of dollars. Creating equipment that functions in space? Millions of dollars. Creating a structure with useless emergency staircases that would cause people in business suits to have to bungee down the side of a building? Priceless. :)
On Friday night C and I went out to dinner with D and his wife, M, at a traditional Japanese restaurant that greets each group with a loud yell and drum roll. The employees at Moe's have nothing on these guys! Anyway, I actually tried a couple different pieces of sushi (I didn't like any of them but hey, I tried damn it!) and ended up getting fried chicken. I know, I was probably the only person in the place eating KFC food! I was also the only barbarian eating with a fork. Seriously. Even the 10-year-old girl sitting at the table next to us was using chopsticks with the rubber band at the top.
Anyway, that night we met up with C's dad, B, his wife, L, and C's grandmother (another B). We actually had dinner with his grandmother Thursday night at this great Thai place, so on Friday we went there again to meet B and L. We hung out for a while and discussed plans for Saturday, my last full day in CA. Afterward we drove to a grocery store so L could pick up band-aids. So C, B, and I waited for her in the parking lot, waiting and waiting and waiting. After getting pretty bored, we started guessing why it was taking her so long. C joked that she had been taken by pirates. And without missing a beat, B said, "Murdered by pirates is good." Now, I know all you Princess Bride fans out there are grinning over that one! I mean, come on, how often does that particular line come up in conversation? It was awesome.
So for Saturday we decided to go to the Huntington gardens after having breakfast at this place called Russell's, where we ate about 20 times (ok, maybe it was more like 5 times). Phenomenal cinnamon rolls. Anyway, it ended up just being me, C, and his grandmother for the gardens, and we spent 3 1/2 hours wandering around the 120 acre property. We went to the Chinese and Japanese gardens, the Australian outback, the Shakespeare garden which led to the rose garden, and a miniature Biodome that had a rain forest climate, cloud forest, and bog. We also wandered around one of several museums on the property.
Unfortunately I had no idea how big the place was, or that we'd be wandering around in the sun for that long, so I went there wearing a black shirt and no sunblock. Thankfully, the sunburn gods took pity on me and only gave me a red face from walking around so much. They did, however, think it was funny to make the back of my neck all red except where my low ponytail hung, leaving a white stripe down the middle. I looked like a redneck skunk. Later that night we had dinner at the same Thai place for a third time (hey, third time's a charm right?).
The very last thing I wanted to do on my trip was take a picture of this particular bridge that C and I kept driving by or over, officially called the Colorado Street Bridge. But the locals know it as Suicide Bridge. Apparently, more than 100 people have fallen to their deaths from this bridge over the years. It connects two hillsides, with only concrete underneath it. Of course, now there's a huge barrier that goes all the way along the bridge to try and prevent such suicides. But what makes it even creepier is this building behind it in the distance, that used to be an insane asylum (very Gotham-like). Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died when I tried to take a picture of it during the day. I didn't really think about that fact until now- my batteries in essence committed suicide! Ok I know, bad joke. :) Anyway, we went back that night to try and get a picture but it didn't come out very well, so I've attached a picture from the Internet.
http://en.structurae.de/photos/index.cfm?JS=34019
My trip back to MA was fairly uneventful on Sunday, July 12th, although the captain on our first flight apparently had no idea where we were going. As we were getting ready to depart he came over the intercom and said, "Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Flight # going to Long Beach." There was a collective "Huh?" within the cabin, and the flight attendant quickly popped her head around the corner and said, "Don't worry, he means Phoenix." Then the captain came back on and said, "I'm sorry, we're going to Phoenix aren't we?" That made us feel much better. And a half hour delay from Phoenix to Boston was made up in the air, causing us to get into Logan only 8 minutes later than expected. I took a shuttle from Logan back to the apartment, getting home at 2 am to a very excited kitty who wouldn't stop following me around the apartment until I finally collapsed into bed.
So now I'm back to working in the land of 70s and thunderstorms, trying to readjust to working and 70s weather. Being in CA, writing my book while C went off to work, was a glimpse of a completely different lifestyle that I really enjoyed. So who knows? Maybe some day it won't be just a glimpse any more.

This One's For You, Grandma

After 89 treasured years on this Earth, my last living grandparent, my mother's mother, has passed away.
Grandma Alma was the sweetest force of nature I've ever known. Her boundless energy and zest for life rivaled anyone's youth. She often had stories to tell of the trips she took to the Cape, or Florida, or one of the region's casinos on her most recent senior trip. She kept me up-to-date on the latest movies since she went to the theater with her friend, Alice, on a regular basis. And we would always discuss last night's Red Sox game, another painful loss. When they finally broke the streak and won the World Series in 2004, it was a thrilling victory she was sure she would never see in her lifetime, never mind twice.
I've yet to remember a major milestone in my life without my grandma there. Even as she grew older, she still came down for my mother's singing concerts and my niece's birthdays. And if she couldn't make it, you knew there was a card on its way in the mail. After all, she was the matriarch of our family, staying on top of everyone's lives as they developed alongside her own.
That's why Grandma's house was our central meeting place, as her door was always open. On any given day you would find a handful of friends and relatives hanging around the kitchen, chatting and reading the newspaper, or outside helping her in the garden with Uncle Dickie. When I was younger, my cousins and I would shoot baskets next to the garage of Alma's sister's house next door, or if there were enough people we'd play a game of wiffleball. As we got older, we'd pass the time playing board games or watching movies and football after a holiday feast.
There were always kids running around Grandma's house as new generations were added into the family. Often times I would find myself in the basement for yet another impromptu puppet show or new dollhouse display. Upstairs Zia Linda would be clearing the tables and my Aunt Linda washing dishes, as Grandma puttered around the kitchen to make sure everyone had a plate of leftovers to bring home. "No one leaves this house empty-handed" was her motto, even in her death. Many people brought home food from the reception that followed her funeral, and I'm sure Grandma was smiling down on us, trying to point out a dish that we had missed, making sure no one left hungry.
The holidays will be the hardest without her. She was the soul of our traditions, and she carried them with grace. I will always remember ringing the bell to enter the kitchen, greeting Grandma and Zia and Uncle Butch. The smell of homemade cooking follows me as I wander upstairs to put my coat away. Back downstairs a number of family members are already gathered around the hors d'oeuvres, trying to keep me from eating all of the deviled eggs. I snag about four, which I instantly regret once the food is ready. My mother, the eldest child, gives her annual toast, after which we clink our glasses to a rousing "Salute!" After salad, it's a rush to beat my dad to the beginning of the food line (not an easy feat I assure you).
And all the while, Grandma is behind the scenes with Zia and Butch, making sure everything is out on the tables or that there's enough meat cut. She's the last to sit down, after a few exasperated pleas from the rest of us, since sitting down was not one of Grandma's strong suits.
After dinner, Zia puts the coffee on rush order as Grandma brings out her fresh apple pie to add to the already overflowing dessert table. My mom whips up the cream, while a line forms to see who can lick the beaters this year. As stomachs settle, it's time to sample just a little from each dessert, or at least figure out which ones you'll be bringing home next to the leftover picadu (mmm, delicious, irresistible, totally bad for you picadu, how I love thee...). But I digress. :)
With full stomachs again we catch up with Grandma, who makes the rounds in each room. Every holiday I learned something new about Grandpa Al through added pictures on the walls. I can still see her resting on the couch, smiling up at her kids and her grandkids and her great grandkids, soaking up another successful holiday celebration. And at the end of the night it takes half an hour of walking around in your coat, carrying your leftovers, to say good-bye to everyone, including those you haven't seen in five years whose names you can't remember, but they just walked in the door so you gotta say something, even though your body temperature has gone up 20 degrees from your jacket and your significant other has been waiting in the car for 15 minutes thinking you got lost... :)
But it was all part of my family, the best parts of my family. The laughter after a dirty joke, ringing one of Grandma's many bells to signal dinner, the hello and good-bye hugs, the comfort, the togetherness. This is the sense of family my grandmother instilled in all of us as her legacy. And these are the holiday traditions that I wouldn't miss for the world.
I will miss them now though, as I will miss my Grandma Alma.