Makeup!

I recently bought myself some "Volum' Express Turbo Boost Mascara", and I am positive that it is going to make a big difference in my life. How could it not? Last time I bought the plain old "Volum' Express Mascara", and to tell you the truth, the improvement in my life was so miniscule as to be almost unnoticeable.

Is Volum' French? Is it telling us to pronounce it vahloom? I would totally rather have French volume, so I hope it's French. Also, the "Turbo Boost" factor seems like it will really propel me into another dimension of startling lashes. Doesn't it?

I can't put mascara on without accidentally smearing it somewhere on my face. Usually under my eyes, but I tell myself not to worry. I have created bedroom eyes. Beautifying is not easy. Most people don't realize that.

When I'm feeling less than stunning, I like to slather cream blush on my face. It is instant health. Want to feel radiant? Lots of creamy blush does wonders. The more the better, I say.

Speaking of "the more the better," this morning I scrubbed my face with my "micro-dermabrasion anti aging kit", and I've got to tell you, I really glow. The directions on the jar say to use it 3 to 4 times a week, but twice a day is better. It is like turbo boosting your skin cells. Don't you agree?

The 11th Hour

It's no surprise that we are destroying archeological sites in Iraq. Like Chris says at AMERICAblog, we don't need history.

"There are 10,000 archaeological sites in the country. In the Nassariyah area alone, there are about 840 Sumerian sites; they have all been systematically looted. Even when Alexander the Great destroyed a city, he would always build another. But now the robbers are destroying everything because they are going down to bedrock. What's new is that the looters are becoming more and more organised with, apparently, lots of money.

"Quite apart from this, military operations are damaging these sites forever. There's been a US base in Ur for five years and the walls are cracking because of the weight of military vehicles. It's like putting an archaeological site under a continuous earthquake."

Of all the ancient cities of present-day Iraq, Ur is regarded as the most important in the history of man-kind. Mentioned in the Old Testament – and believed by many to be the home of the Prophet Abraham – it also features in the works of Arab historians and geographers where its name is Qamirnah, The City of the Moon.

It's our style to destroy. I saw The 11th Hour yesterday, which reinforces how clueless we are. Why would we be concerned about the destruction of ancient Biblical cities? Hell, we are on a bigger mission. We are attempting to destroy the earth! The problem is, if we succeed, it will kill us.

One of the scientists interviewed in the movie called each of us a pixel in a larger picture, and we each have the opportunity, or responsibility to paint that one pixel, according to how we live our life, to fit in harmony within the larger picture. I liked the diversity of people interviewed, and that an American Indian had the last word. I'm sick and tired of Republican white men (and their token people of color)running the government. The movie didn't have too much Leonardo DiCaprio, which was good. I think I was a little Al Gored-out after his slide show.

We have to change our thinking. We are no longer mentally connected to nature, and see it as "resources" for our use. The abuse of nature is accepted as normal. We need to create a balance through sustainability. The greed of unbridled capitalism is destroying the world. We are a society of consumers, led by a man who encouraged us to buy things after 9/11. He talks about "filling the ol' coffers" as how he will spend his retirement. Right now both political parties prostitute themselves to large corporations that rape and pillage the world.

We need a paradigm shift, a tipping point, toward a realization of the connectedness of all living things, legal protection of the environment (the environment has rights), sharing of wealth, a reassessment of what is really valuable, and balancing our needs with the needs of all other living things.

Can we do it? If we stay on this road of greed and destruction, there will be a tipping point, but it will be toward our own destruction. The earth will regenerate and go on without us. We will have been a blip in the earth's existence. Like the movie says, we are in the 11th hour.

Raised By Wolves

"I stood between two persons who were conversing and touched their lips. I could not understand, and was vexed. I moved my lips and gesticulated frantically without result. This made me so angry at times that I kicked and screamed until I was exhausted."

"I think they have been raised by wolves," I tell Mallory. It's as though this moment is their first brush with civilization. They obviously have never said the words "please" or "thank you". Sort of like Helen Keller without the blindness.

Facing thirty-two of them from the front of the room after the bell rings, I watch them wiggle, snarl, grab pencils from their neighbor and loudly scream "shut up!" I must be careful when I explain the next assignment, I tell myself. They may think I am taking their food.

A few are limping, accidents of running and tackling. A girl who is a flyer has her hand wrapped and sits quietly like a bird with a broken wing. Cast out of the pack, some have cut themselves, mistaking it for licking.

They mentally pace, fidgit, blurt, dart, desire, hunt, agitate, gravitate, arouse. Laughter ripples across the room, paper crinkles, the pencil sharpener hums, and I see that what I am after is before me.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.”

(quotes by Helen Keller)

I've Got Your Back

Week One:

Only four days into school, and all the teachers who gathered at the weekly watering hole agreed that it seemed a year already. "A four-day sauna!" I added. None of the rooms have air conditioning (except the administrative offices and library, which doesn't help teacher/admin relations during 90 degree days). But there was laughter, and commiseration and even some defining of terms for us by the health ed teacher. "By the way, what does "tea bagging mean," I ask? The kid who said it in my room today has already begun his wayward ways.

You learn all sorts of things in high school, sometimes the least being prescribed curriculum. The catty girls have their claws out. The footballers are proud and the outsiders come to my room after school for a photo shoot. The kids who feel they can't keep up academically defend themselves by being rude. Already some move toward trouble. I will arrange a montage of photos on my wall when I have time, of all the students, all mixed-up into one homogenious group. I can't seem to kick my egalitarian hopefulness. Call me naive.

Students tell other students that they are stupid, and say it was just a joke. Some are bold and brassy, pushing their weight around and demanding attention. Others sit quietly, watching. Kids who have never felt success in school fumble blindly toward a new beginning. A kid tells me that no one likes him.

I find myself standing at the front of the classroom looking out at all of them. "If someone is mean to you, I will stop it. I expect you to be kind to everyone and I want you to tell me if someone is not kind to you. In this room everyone is equal. I've got your back."