Living On The Edge: My Perspective

 Blog Post #5 of 365

This entry may not be what you thought it was if you go by the title but I couldn’t think of a better title.

I live on the edge of several socio economic worlds. My mailing address is Arcadia and for the most part my immediate neighbors would be considered upper middle class. There are probably no millionaires but definitely some high tax bracket let’s find a deduction types. The thing is I live in an odd corner of Arcadia otherwise known as the county strip. Go few streets in any direction and you are in a real city. Arcadia is to the north by two streets. El Monte is across the wash to the south about 5 streets away. Temple City is only one street away to the west. Each of these cities is vastly different. I would venture a guess that there are several actual millionaires to the north of us in Arcadia. I am judging by the types of cars these people drive, clothes they wear and homes they build (after tearing down the normal looking homes similar to the ones I grew up in and around) and attitudes they have. The attitude of I get a new car because I want that one and not because a lease is up or it is worn out or even the new one came out. A I want what I want when I want it attitude. The people to the south in El Monte tend to drive buckets (beat up older models) and most of their homes are generally smaller and even less normal than the homes I knew as a kid. There are also way more dive looking apartment buildings and homes. Even the better looking homes/apartments are obviously owned by slumlords or people with few options for improvements. The people to my west tend to live in the kind of homes those northern folks of Arcadia level to make their Mc mansions. They drive a larger variety of cars but I don’t see nearly the amount of Lexus, Mercedes, or Audis etc. of my northern neighbors or the buckets of my friends to the south.  Let’s call them your average Joe or a blend of medium. My nearest neighborhood to the east beyond the county strip ends against the wash and an industrial area.

Recently I have noticed a new kind of neighbor, the homeless. They mostly show up close to the alley that separates the wealthy northerners with the neutral mix of county strip folks. There are a lot of businesses along the alley and every night I see at least one or two in a doorway or on the sidewalk sleeping. During the day I see them walking the alley with their bags digging in trashcans for food or recyclable items. To be honest I first thought they were all looking for cans and bottles until I witnessed a few grabbing at half eaten sandwiches. I wonder if any of my other neighbors have noticed the new neighbors hanging around. The police have cleared out of few so I know they noticed.

I like all of my neighbors. These are some of my observations. Please note these are just observations and not judgments. There is a definite difference in the languages. Many of my northern neighbors speak a myriad of Asian languages, while many of my southern neighbors speak Spanish and most of my western neighbors speak English sprinkled with a mix of many other languages. These less than English speakers have helped me with patience. I have learned if I can’t understand those with a strong accent it usually works to ask them to repeat what they said more slowly so I can understand. Most of them are happy to oblige. I have also really learned that cultural differences are vastly different in some cases. What may be rude, funny, appropriate or inappropriate in one culture may not be in another. I can cause hurt feelings and worse.

I don’t really feel like I am a part of any one of the groups I am surrounded by but more of an observer and one who to some degree has been similar to them all. I feel like I can perhaps relate better than if I had not had some of the cultural, economical, and social experiences they live with. My neighbors are so diverse and I live right on the edge of all of it!

Movies

Blog post #4 of 365

I love movies. I watch a variety of genre and I am pretty much open to watching any movie.

I have this opinion that you get what you pay. That being said TV movies are free and therefore usually fluff. I enjoy fluff now and then. The good thing about a TV movie is I can record it and watch it whenever. I can also watch part of it and delete the other half if it is that bad without guilt. I expect low budget although movies don’t always need a big budget to be good. I expect bad acting although some are surprisingly good. I expect a happily ever after and I am usually not disappointed. Some are written after a news story but unfortunately I have usually heard too many details to be entirely entertained. Usually they are predictable anyway so I get what I pay for.

My son has Netfilx. He lets me have access so I can watch what I want, when I want. So I never have to miss a movie even when I don’t have time for a movie in the theater. I discovered though that I’d rather go to a movie theater.  This took some thought to figure out why because I don’t like spending money, I hate theater snacks and other movie goers tend to be inconsiderate. All of the cards are stacked in the direction of not going to a theater. I really had to ponder what draws me there.

Here is what I came up with after my pondering. I found a few pros and cons. I always go to a matinee which is fairly cheap but not free. I do get free passes because I have gotten to know the managers and they like input on new employees, conditions and service which if asked I am willing to give. I earn money on the rewards program. I do have a comfortable chair at home. Unfortunately the house is not climate controlled. It is an older house and the living room is further from the heating and cooling units which mean it is the coldest or the hottest room. I smuggle in my own snacks (mostly nuts and fruit) because I carry a purse and love nuts and fruit. I can’t stop inconsiderate people from being inconsiderate. So why do I like to see a movie in the theater?

I figured it out in church. This little kid gave me a quizzical stare as the prayer was being said. I had my eyes open. I always have my eyes open during prayer these days. The kid catching my eye gave a big squeeze to his eyes and then looked up again; I think to see if I had closed mine. It made me analyze why I had my eyes open. I did close my eyes and my mind began to wander so in only a matter of seconds I opened my eyes again. I quickly discovered I was watching the prayer givers mouth move as he spoke. I was better able to concentrate on what he was saying. It is the same in the theater. For the most part I have nothing to distract me. It becomes dark and I can be “alone” with my movie. Okay there are the rude people but more often than not you can shush them and they quiet down.

I also discovered at home I usually watch movies at night where I can shut off the lights and have fewer distractions like phones, family members, dogs, neighborhood sounds etc. If I am watching during the day I have those same distractions but I also find there are other things that catch my eye and my mind, mostly things to do. I also found those other distractions (phones, people, etc.) are louder and more frequent during the day. I do not live alone so there are people here who think the best time to start up a conversation is mid movie.

In a nutshell I go to a movie theater because I get a controlled environment, fairly comfortable chair, it is dark even during the day, I can eat the snacks I prefer, I can usually watch in peace but I also get away from the to do list as I watch the movie!  What could be better?

Why Blog?

Blog post #3 of 365

Someone recently asked me why people blog. I told him some use a blog like a public journal, while other think they are good at something and want to share their expertise however some just seem like pointless words on a screen. 

I have been a blogger for a few years. I gave it a bit of thought and here are my top five reasons for blogging.

1.  Blogging gives me a release. A way to vent. For me anyway blogging is therapeutic. It is cheaper than a therapist and is kind of fun most of the time. Most days it is good to get things out there.
2. Blogging is keyboarding with purpose. I had an accident several years back and the physical therapist said keyboarding every day was a good way to keep the function in my hand. So I do. Blogging isn’t usually just typing randomly, well maybe it is, but it makes me feel like I’m keyboarding for a reason.
3.  Blogging to inform. Every once in a while I feel like I could teach something, pass on useful tidbits of information or make you laugh at some silly project that may not have turned out as well as I would have liked.
4. Sometimes I blog to make people wonder and think a little bit.
5. Mostly I blog because I find it relaxing. I may change my mind after the year has ended so you might want to check in later and see if I’ve changed my mind!

So there you have it the top five reasons I blog.

Holidays

Blog post #2 of 365

I want to be perfectly clear that I am a Christian, a believer in Christ and His teachings. I am also all about my family. I love hanging out with them.

The important holidays for me are Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas because they are all about family and kid time. Our family has begun celebrating most of these holidays on an off day. (I wonder why more people don’t do it this way.) Celebrating on an off day gives every family a chance to celebrate twice as much without the guilt other people may have suffer at having to decide which family to spend time with (mine or the spouse.) These are my thoughts on the holidays.

Easter is the first of the big ones. Easter is a sign of new beginnings. Christ died and was resurrected for us. He lives on for us. Our family doesn’t get all churchy for any holiday but we do celebrate together. We pray before we eat and express our gratitude for the opportunity to be together and for the delicious food. We don’t have a set weekend to celebrate because Easter is a big floater. I always forget the calculations but it falls someplace between March and late April. We meet as a family for my Mom’s traditional (orange/ginger) ham but have gotten a little more relaxed going for more of a picnic fare than a stuffy sit down type meal. We hide Easter eggs (the plastic kind filled with candies or coins) and have a hunt for the little ones. There are always eggs hidden on humans so everyone is a part of the hunt! There is usually lots of laughter and hints given too. By the end of the day the driveway is usually covered in sidewalk chalk art. The beauty of not celebrating Easter on the actual holiday is in knowing I can go to church Easter morning and not have to cook before I leave or worry about rushing here or there afterward. I’m not really sure what my other family members do on the actual holiday but I hope they are spending it forming their own traditions or spending time with more of their family.

Halloween is a big one for me. I love the decorations, the costumes and the idea of being someone else for the night. Who doesn’t love getting dressing up, hiding behind a mask, putting on makeup or just watching everyone else get all dressed up? Our church has a chili cook off the weekend before Halloween and they do a trunk or treat for the kids. Families there often theme up like the year one dad was the yellow brick road, his daughter was Dorothy and mom was the good witch. On Halloween I usually stay at home and pass out candy. I love the look on their faces when you tell a little kid they are cute, pretty, spooky or whatever. Yes, I understand that some Christians are not into celebrating all hallows eve but I enjoy the costumes too much to let the pagan roots of any holiday get to me. I also believe it is important to respect the dead. I haven’t established any family celebration yet but I hope that changes when my grandkids get a little older.

Thanksgiving rocks in my book. A day dedicated to giving thanks. I know the roots here too but I can’t help what the early settlers did when they arrived to the new world. The idea that the natives helped the newcomers survive that first harsh winter is awesome. Thinking the natives may have sat together and shared a meal together with the interlopers they had helped survive is very cool. I'm sure after the new settlers started to take over more and more of their property they quit thinking of them as new neighbors and maybe some wished they had never shared their survival tips. Lands were stolen and the “white man” was horrible to the natives but I can’t change any of that. I can choose to celebrate gratitude and feast with my family. We celebrate Thanksgiving the weekend before Thanksgiving. It gives my brother a chance to go off with his wife’s family to play on dirt bikes and deep fry turkeys in the cold. We have a traditional fare of turkey, stuffing, potatoes & gravy, and all of the trimmings. I make the main dishes and farm out the rest. Every year we also give a prayer of thanks and bless the food. As usual when we get together our family eats well, plays some and laughs a lot. After we eat we figure out when we can meet for Christmas. Coordinating everyone fro Christmas isn’t always easy but we usually manage to get mostly everyone together.

I believe in celebrating the birth of Christ, His life His sacrifices and his death. Every year I try really hard in the middle of all of the commercialism to remember the reason for the season. I always have a crèche up somewhere and sometimes more than one which helps me try to keep Him front and center in the celebration. I decorate sometime between Thanksgiving and the first week of December. Most of my decorations are indoors and because our house is tiny it only takes a little bit is very festive. Christmas is a time of love and family. Our family always spend one afternoon or evening together at my brother’s house. He puts up a ton of decorations. In truth checking out the decorations every year is well worth the drive to Anaheim. I get the bonus of hanging out with my family. Everything is always beautiful. I know my brother puts in a lot of hard work over a few weekends to pull it all together and I appreciate all of the effort he puts in! We always have sandwiches, chips & dips, sides and sweets. While there we exchange gifts with everyone we won’t actually see for Christmas. While there the focus really is on the little ones. They are the best entertainment. Christmas for me is a kid holiday. Watching their faces light up as they check out the decorations and open gifts is priceless. Like Thanksgiving and Easter we gather early which gives everyone the ability to have more family time with other family members. This has become even more important to me since my own children have begun to marry and have to figure a way to make their own Christmas Eve and Christmas day traditions and see their in laws too.

At every holiday gathering I take a ton of photos. Admittedly sometimes people might get annoyed at the number of photos but I don't usually pose anyone. I take many candid shots and make sure I get at least one photo of everyone there. I like to remember every gathering and I share the photos. One day the kids will look at all of the photos and try to remember this holiday or that. They will see how they looked and who was there. It reminds us how fun it was to get together. 

I really love the holidays. Okay I really love most of the holidays.

The Challenge

Blog post # 1 of 365

My friend Katrina is writing 365 blog posts in a year and signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). She seemed to be getting a little overwhelmed. I promised her I would push but kind of felt like I should take the challenge. If I expect my friend to do it then so should I.

My goal is 365 blog posts in roughly 371 days. I also set myself up for writing 50,000 words in the month of January. I would start earlier but I am behind on my Christmas painting so I am waiting until the holidays pass to make myself insane. 

NaNoWriMo is in the month of November. Who are they kidding? November is the beginning of the busiest time of year for families and my friend Katrina has 5 kids and a husband. November NaNoWriMo is kind of a set up for disaster if you ask me. I think NaNoWriMo should start in January, which would make it more like doing a resolution that can actually happen rather than an impossibly difficult chore at a busy family time.

Is starting in January a cop out? Maybe but it is my challenge.