Unto us, a child is born.
4:18 AM, August 11, 2009. Name...forthcoming.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Because I've got the Castle...
and a beautiful Lady of the House, and a knight/dragon (it depends on his mood) and even an incredibly lazy ferocious beast...it seems appropriate to announce the impending arrival of a princess.
Coming soon to a Leigh House, possibly but not necessarily near you: a Baby girl. God is gracious and generous.
Coming soon to a Leigh House, possibly but not necessarily near you: a Baby girl. God is gracious and generous.
Friday, January 30, 2009
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
Sheri has recently shifted over to night shifts...which means I am alone three nights a week.
And while this fact has brought some interesting truths to light (I have not actually evolved all that much from college bachelorhood, apparently...left to my own devices, my nights are fairly boring, and generally involve unhealthy food and a grungy appearance I somehow manage to avoid whenever Sheri is around...oh, and I talk to myself more...) it has also afforded me the opportunity to reflect on some realities I would not otherwise have considere...
Also I lose more sleep. My hours become much more irregular...in part because I am the only one who cares if I am awake...but also because there's nobody to hold at night...and, as sentimental as it sounds (and I know it does, but I don't care) I don't sleep well when Sheri's not in bed. I'm not a cuddler...but having her there lets me sleep in peace. She's my security blanket...on her side of the bed. Because I really am NOT a cuddler.
Our dog gets the brunt of the loneliness...I have allowed him to sleep on our bed once or twice, and have even pulled him up on the couch with me as I passed out one night, just to feel as if I wasn't completely alone. Who knew I'd turn out to be such a pansy?
Of course, Aiden is upstairs...but he's in bed by 8.
One of the interesting realities of this restless waking that I suffer from on these nights is that I am awake while mostly everyone I know and love is asleep (except, oddly, Sheri...who, we all hope, is not asleep, as she is administering medical care...).
It is both remarkably lonely and also bizarrely serene to be the only one up. On the one hand...well, I've already covered the being lonely part...though I didn't mention also the new found creepiness of our house when it's dark and I am alone...sometimes I think I can't sleep because I have to keep watch over the house until light comes.
Then there's the odd peacefulness of being the watchman. It is just me, the (sleeping!) dog, my computer, and my iGoggle, whose theme is currently on "Earth-Light" which allows me to track the progression of the sun over the continents. Imagine the lives spent in blissful sleep...reflect on the souls just waking to the dawn...consider the multitudes already in the very midst of their day...
Sleep peacefully friends. I am, maddeningly, awake...and watching over the entire Hemisphere...at least until I pass out from exhaustion.
And while this fact has brought some interesting truths to light (I have not actually evolved all that much from college bachelorhood, apparently...left to my own devices, my nights are fairly boring, and generally involve unhealthy food and a grungy appearance I somehow manage to avoid whenever Sheri is around...oh, and I talk to myself more...) it has also afforded me the opportunity to reflect on some realities I would not otherwise have considere...
Also I lose more sleep. My hours become much more irregular...in part because I am the only one who cares if I am awake...but also because there's nobody to hold at night...and, as sentimental as it sounds (and I know it does, but I don't care) I don't sleep well when Sheri's not in bed. I'm not a cuddler...but having her there lets me sleep in peace. She's my security blanket...on her side of the bed. Because I really am NOT a cuddler.
Our dog gets the brunt of the loneliness...I have allowed him to sleep on our bed once or twice, and have even pulled him up on the couch with me as I passed out one night, just to feel as if I wasn't completely alone. Who knew I'd turn out to be such a pansy?
Of course, Aiden is upstairs...but he's in bed by 8.
One of the interesting realities of this restless waking that I suffer from on these nights is that I am awake while mostly everyone I know and love is asleep (except, oddly, Sheri...who, we all hope, is not asleep, as she is administering medical care...).
It is both remarkably lonely and also bizarrely serene to be the only one up. On the one hand...well, I've already covered the being lonely part...though I didn't mention also the new found creepiness of our house when it's dark and I am alone...sometimes I think I can't sleep because I have to keep watch over the house until light comes.
Then there's the odd peacefulness of being the watchman. It is just me, the (sleeping!) dog, my computer, and my iGoggle, whose theme is currently on "Earth-Light" which allows me to track the progression of the sun over the continents. Imagine the lives spent in blissful sleep...reflect on the souls just waking to the dawn...consider the multitudes already in the very midst of their day...
Sleep peacefully friends. I am, maddeningly, awake...and watching over the entire Hemisphere...at least until I pass out from exhaustion.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Have a Happy New Year!
Believing that next year will be better than this last. Happy New Year friends!
Friday, December 26, 2008
It Was Only a Matter of Time
I had a fairly stable home life as a kid. All growing up, you could count on several things as a part of my family.
Mom and Dad loved each other, and wouldn't give up, even when things got hard (and they DID get hard!).
We moved a lot, but my parents always tried to help us kids make the best of it.
Dad made chili and spaghetti, and the best shredded beef burritos you've ever tasted. Mom made pretty much everything else.
Sundays were family days.
Christmas was the best time of the year.
We'd take big vacations rather than save every penny for the future.
And whenever my Dad was with his brothers, he would instantly forget his children's names.
It wasn't a problem most of the time. Sure, Dad had some issues when we had pets...one of our dogs was named Butterscotch, and she had a knack for getting out of the yard. One day my dad was chasing her down the street and was bumbling over her name..."Come HERE Zach...Cilla...Chris..., um, uh...GOLDENROD!" Our dog actually stopped in the middle of the road and turned to look at him, before continuing her escape.
From time to Dad would call us kids by the wrong names, something I am certain happens in most families.
But nothing compared to when my dad was with his brothers. He couldn't call us by name if his life depended on it. It was truly amazing...once the effect occured while they were half a world away; we had a phone call with my uncles, and I became Adam, my dad's youngest brother for hours.
We would make fun of Dad, mock him and the inevitable confusion that would result from proximity of any kind with his brothers.
I should have known better.
We have (at present) only one kid, and so I have been able to avoid the challenge of remembering his name. That may change come August...but in the meantime, we've already added to the equation with Ody.
Aiden and Ody. Ody & Aiden.
Last night during prayers, I was asking for the Lord's blessing on...wait for it...Odin. Laughing, I tried to correct my mistake...and promptly asked the Lord to bless Aidy.
The curse has been passed down to me. Sigh.
Mom and Dad loved each other, and wouldn't give up, even when things got hard (and they DID get hard!).
We moved a lot, but my parents always tried to help us kids make the best of it.
Dad made chili and spaghetti, and the best shredded beef burritos you've ever tasted. Mom made pretty much everything else.
Sundays were family days.
Christmas was the best time of the year.
We'd take big vacations rather than save every penny for the future.
And whenever my Dad was with his brothers, he would instantly forget his children's names.
It wasn't a problem most of the time. Sure, Dad had some issues when we had pets...one of our dogs was named Butterscotch, and she had a knack for getting out of the yard. One day my dad was chasing her down the street and was bumbling over her name..."Come HERE Zach...Cilla...Chris..., um, uh...GOLDENROD!" Our dog actually stopped in the middle of the road and turned to look at him, before continuing her escape.
From time to Dad would call us kids by the wrong names, something I am certain happens in most families.
But nothing compared to when my dad was with his brothers. He couldn't call us by name if his life depended on it. It was truly amazing...once the effect occured while they were half a world away; we had a phone call with my uncles, and I became Adam, my dad's youngest brother for hours.
We would make fun of Dad, mock him and the inevitable confusion that would result from proximity of any kind with his brothers.
I should have known better.
We have (at present) only one kid, and so I have been able to avoid the challenge of remembering his name. That may change come August...but in the meantime, we've already added to the equation with Ody.
Aiden and Ody. Ody & Aiden.
Last night during prayers, I was asking for the Lord's blessing on...wait for it...Odin. Laughing, I tried to correct my mistake...and promptly asked the Lord to bless Aidy.
The curse has been passed down to me. Sigh.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Familial Reflections on a Christmas Night
Christmas brings to the surface those affections for our family and friends that may go unexpressed a lot of the time throughout the year. We dare to show people the love we hold for them, following the example of God Himself. Of course, the interesting thing about acts of love is that they tend to stoke our affections to heights that we were not aware existed.
I am my father's son, and the result of my mother's patience and constant love. I am the product of a handful of mentors and teachers who did not merely punch a clock when they came to school...but who chose to invest in me their time, wisdom, care, concern, discipline, and knowledge of God and His universe. I have been marked and defined by the friends that I have been honored to develop relationships with, over years and across the world. I am the man I am today in large part because of the woman I fell in love with, and the son that we share.
All these are the gifts of God...unquantifiable, immeasurable, and priceless.
This Christmas has been different for us. This Christmas, we went no-where. We invested in some few, larger, family oriented gifts (such as Odysseus), and ultimately, I had exactly one present with my name under the tree (my dear wife feels bad about this...I don't mention it to suggest that I feel unloved or overlooked, as I will explain in a moment...and besides, as the keeper of the check-book, it is difficult to avoid the feeling that I am buying myself a present--even though she makes more than I do!). I opened exactly two presents, allowing my wife to open the other couple of presents we received jointly as a family.
I cannot express how blessed I feel this Christmas.
This, perhaps, sounds cheesy and forced. I am not putting on a show. I have not always regarded actual presents under the tree with nonchalance; I love toys, I have a list of expensive ones I'd love to get, and we'd be better off if I cared less about stuff. I enjoy the whole gifting process: the getting, the giving, the receiving, the enjoying; it is ALL good.
I say this because I believe God, in His grace, has allowed me to transition into a fuller part of Dad-hood gracefully this past year. I used to wonder how my Dad could endure getting so few really good presents for his birthday and Christmas...let's face it, there are only so many times you can get cheese, or salami, or socks, or a home-made "whatever" before the gifts start to lose their novelty, right? My dad never seemed to mind, and I could never really understand it. Even when I pretended not to care about how good the haul was, I cared.
Until now. I cannot explain it...it sounds too cheesy, and a little prideful. Suffice to say...I am actually, surprisingly, content.
Why this tangent about gifts and Christmas? Glad you asked. See, one of the realities that has impressed itself upon me this Christmas is the great joy of giving gifts to those that we love. It is those people we love that I have been thinking about.
What I am thinking about, more than anything else, is the not so subtle ache that has been building since last night for friends and family that I have not seen, and perhaps won't really get to see again. Fortunately, that doesn't include most of my family...but too many friends to count are "gone" and I miss them. The missing is, if anything, punctuated by the occasional presence of those friends who are on the fringes (all too common at this time of the year), slipping out of regular contact, and becoming members of that class of friend that it takes real effort to be connected to.
Friendship is a difficult and important thing...but, oddly, missing friends and family is a good part of life. It is natural, it is appropriate...and it keeps us hoping for tomorrow, when maybe, just maybe, our old friends will once again be by our sides. It is the call of Heaven, when there will be no more goodbyes.
Until then, Christmas stirs in our hearts the need to show those that we can how important they are to us. To give as we have received to those that we have with us, to cherish them with the time that we have been given, and to reflect on how our temporal relationships are but images of the love that abides between our Creator and us.
Merry Christmas.
I am my father's son, and the result of my mother's patience and constant love. I am the product of a handful of mentors and teachers who did not merely punch a clock when they came to school...but who chose to invest in me their time, wisdom, care, concern, discipline, and knowledge of God and His universe. I have been marked and defined by the friends that I have been honored to develop relationships with, over years and across the world. I am the man I am today in large part because of the woman I fell in love with, and the son that we share.
All these are the gifts of God...unquantifiable, immeasurable, and priceless.
This Christmas has been different for us. This Christmas, we went no-where. We invested in some few, larger, family oriented gifts (such as Odysseus), and ultimately, I had exactly one present with my name under the tree (my dear wife feels bad about this...I don't mention it to suggest that I feel unloved or overlooked, as I will explain in a moment...and besides, as the keeper of the check-book, it is difficult to avoid the feeling that I am buying myself a present--even though she makes more than I do!). I opened exactly two presents, allowing my wife to open the other couple of presents we received jointly as a family.
I cannot express how blessed I feel this Christmas.
This, perhaps, sounds cheesy and forced. I am not putting on a show. I have not always regarded actual presents under the tree with nonchalance; I love toys, I have a list of expensive ones I'd love to get, and we'd be better off if I cared less about stuff. I enjoy the whole gifting process: the getting, the giving, the receiving, the enjoying; it is ALL good.
I say this because I believe God, in His grace, has allowed me to transition into a fuller part of Dad-hood gracefully this past year. I used to wonder how my Dad could endure getting so few really good presents for his birthday and Christmas...let's face it, there are only so many times you can get cheese, or salami, or socks, or a home-made "whatever" before the gifts start to lose their novelty, right? My dad never seemed to mind, and I could never really understand it. Even when I pretended not to care about how good the haul was, I cared.
Until now. I cannot explain it...it sounds too cheesy, and a little prideful. Suffice to say...I am actually, surprisingly, content.
Why this tangent about gifts and Christmas? Glad you asked. See, one of the realities that has impressed itself upon me this Christmas is the great joy of giving gifts to those that we love. It is those people we love that I have been thinking about.
What I am thinking about, more than anything else, is the not so subtle ache that has been building since last night for friends and family that I have not seen, and perhaps won't really get to see again. Fortunately, that doesn't include most of my family...but too many friends to count are "gone" and I miss them. The missing is, if anything, punctuated by the occasional presence of those friends who are on the fringes (all too common at this time of the year), slipping out of regular contact, and becoming members of that class of friend that it takes real effort to be connected to.
Friendship is a difficult and important thing...but, oddly, missing friends and family is a good part of life. It is natural, it is appropriate...and it keeps us hoping for tomorrow, when maybe, just maybe, our old friends will once again be by our sides. It is the call of Heaven, when there will be no more goodbyes.
Until then, Christmas stirs in our hearts the need to show those that we can how important they are to us. To give as we have received to those that we have with us, to cherish them with the time that we have been given, and to reflect on how our temporal relationships are but images of the love that abides between our Creator and us.
Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Canis Lupis Gaseous
We have a dog!
He's wonderful.
He's a Basset Hound/Mix puppy, and when we got him, he had just turned 11 weeks, and weighed 21 lbs.
He is white with orange-ish brown spots.
He is quiet, he is gentle, he sleeps a lot (at different intervals, he's fallen asleep leaning against a large stuffed animal, on one of our couch pillows, resting his head on a book I was reading and had left on the floor, etc...all picture perfect if only our camera was working), and he is already using the "doggie door" (in quotes, because it is actually a cat door...but it functions as a doggie door until he grows...we'll try to replace it before then, but for now, we're broke and it works...).
When he walks, his naturally odd build makes him really funny to watch.
He loves Aiden, Sheri and me, and is very happy to curl up and sleep next to us in the living room.
He's a perfect addition to the family.
His name is Odysseus...and we call him "Ody" for short.
We love him a lot...and there's only one area in which we wish our special guy was different.
The books mention that Bassets can be...overly prone to clear a room when they get a little too relaxed...they let their guard down...and a silent cloud of death quickly spreads throughout the immediate area.
Ody is no exception to this rule.
Wow, is he NOT an exception.
It gives a new meaning to the idea of a stinky dog. When not afflicting us in this manner, Ody smells pretty good (we did just give him a bath, but still...he's soft and nice smelling...unless he's destroying your sense of smell with an SBD...)
Still...he's awesome. We have a Christmas puppy! So exciting!
He's wonderful.
He's a Basset Hound/Mix puppy, and when we got him, he had just turned 11 weeks, and weighed 21 lbs.
He is white with orange-ish brown spots.
He is quiet, he is gentle, he sleeps a lot (at different intervals, he's fallen asleep leaning against a large stuffed animal, on one of our couch pillows, resting his head on a book I was reading and had left on the floor, etc...all picture perfect if only our camera was working), and he is already using the "doggie door" (in quotes, because it is actually a cat door...but it functions as a doggie door until he grows...we'll try to replace it before then, but for now, we're broke and it works...).
When he walks, his naturally odd build makes him really funny to watch.
He loves Aiden, Sheri and me, and is very happy to curl up and sleep next to us in the living room.
He's a perfect addition to the family.
His name is Odysseus...and we call him "Ody" for short.
We love him a lot...and there's only one area in which we wish our special guy was different.
The books mention that Bassets can be...overly prone to clear a room when they get a little too relaxed...they let their guard down...and a silent cloud of death quickly spreads throughout the immediate area.
Ody is no exception to this rule.
Wow, is he NOT an exception.
It gives a new meaning to the idea of a stinky dog. When not afflicting us in this manner, Ody smells pretty good (we did just give him a bath, but still...he's soft and nice smelling...unless he's destroying your sense of smell with an SBD...)
Still...he's awesome. We have a Christmas puppy! So exciting!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
A Full Christmas
We've had a lot of blessings. It is bizzare to reflect on the last 4 years, and to have my son tackle me every day when I get home...of late, Aiden has taken to spontaneously expressing his affection for both Sheri & I.
What more could I want...but, well, more?
What more could I want...but, well, more?
August will be a good month.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
I Moved Into a Burning Ring of Fire...
It was the Summer of 2008 when we moved from La Mirada, our home for the first five years of our marriage, my home since I left the Philippines in 2000 to go to college at Biola University.
We moved up to Santa Clarita, almost exactly 50 miles from where we once lived. On the whole, though I miss many dear friends from our old home, I love our new place. We have a house, we are settling in, we will get a dog (SOON!!!) and it has been a good time.
Something I didn't realize, as we were making our move, was that we were moving into the area where all the Fires happen. Today, we're cut off from home...because of massive fires everywhere.
I didn't realize it until I looked outside today and the sky was orange. Cah-razy
We moved up to Santa Clarita, almost exactly 50 miles from where we once lived. On the whole, though I miss many dear friends from our old home, I love our new place. We have a house, we are settling in, we will get a dog (SOON!!!) and it has been a good time.
Something I didn't realize, as we were making our move, was that we were moving into the area where all the Fires happen. Today, we're cut off from home...because of massive fires everywhere.
I didn't realize it until I looked outside today and the sky was orange. Cah-razy
Monday, September 15, 2008
I Miss My Wife, or Why Having Your Wife at Home is Better Than Almost Anything Else
Sheri is taking the Nursing Boards today.
Its been a long, long two weeks of September.
We moved up to Valencia in August. I work up here now. Sheri still works down there (right next to Angel stadium). The gas alone was killing us...and she had to find time to study for the boards...a serious problem.
Then, out of the blue, we had friends that offered to put Sheri up at their house down in Brea during the week, or whenever she had a stretch of days when she needed to be down in that area for work, etc. It was an unlooked for blessing.
It has meant that I am getting a taste of being a sinlge parent. I am alone, in a house that still needs a lot of work to get it "right"...I don't have a car (we are still a one car family). I have been getting into the school year, getting Aiden to school, starting the football season as "headcoach" (ridiculous...but fun)...and I don't sleep well at all when my wife is not at home.
On Friday, I had to go home because I had a such a bad headache...because I am just not getting enough sleep. The boy misses mommy and is sad at night. So many things are not right...and its all because she's not home with us.
Fortunately, this will be done, completely done, by the end of September. Until then...two more long, long, long weeks of September left...
Its been a long, long two weeks of September.
We moved up to Valencia in August. I work up here now. Sheri still works down there (right next to Angel stadium). The gas alone was killing us...and she had to find time to study for the boards...a serious problem.
Then, out of the blue, we had friends that offered to put Sheri up at their house down in Brea during the week, or whenever she had a stretch of days when she needed to be down in that area for work, etc. It was an unlooked for blessing.
It has meant that I am getting a taste of being a sinlge parent. I am alone, in a house that still needs a lot of work to get it "right"...I don't have a car (we are still a one car family). I have been getting into the school year, getting Aiden to school, starting the football season as "headcoach" (ridiculous...but fun)...and I don't sleep well at all when my wife is not at home.
On Friday, I had to go home because I had a such a bad headache...because I am just not getting enough sleep. The boy misses mommy and is sad at night. So many things are not right...and its all because she's not home with us.
Fortunately, this will be done, completely done, by the end of September. Until then...two more long, long, long weeks of September left...
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Beautiful Ordinary
One of the nice things about getting up early to go work is that you get to kiss your wife goodbye while she's still asleep.
Sleeping may not make you the most attractive person to the rest of the world...but there's something wonderful about being the one that gets to kiss her goodbye while she's still dreaming.
Its enough to make me smile even after being at work for 4 hours.
Sleeping may not make you the most attractive person to the rest of the world...but there's something wonderful about being the one that gets to kiss her goodbye while she's still dreaming.
Its enough to make me smile even after being at work for 4 hours.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
We have an announcement...
Well, now that Aiden is about to turn three, and Sheri's nearing the end of school, we've decided that we are able to allow our family to grow. We have been coming to this decision for the past three months or so...and today seems to have been the big day.
Friends, I'd like to announce that we're going to be having two additions to our family. Pictures to come soon, Reepicheep and Peepiceek are the newest inhabitants of the house. We were initially planning on getting a hampster, then talked about a Guinea Pig, but it finally became clear that rats were the way to go. Not ugly, vicious sewer rats...these are cute, curious, albeit somewhat poopy rats. Seriously, a ton of fun. Sheri and I are acting like new parents again...checking in on them every few minutes. And hopefully, Aiden will get the opportunity to learn how to care for animals.
Fun times with Reep & Peep.
*****************************
Another update..."Peep" is no longer Peep. After some study, we discovered that Rats can actually learn to respond to names. Reep and Peep sound alike. Not good. So now, its Reepicheep and Basil...as in Basil of Bakerstreet. And yes, Lindsay...Ratatouille IS too French...even though I loved the movie. :)
Friends, I'd like to announce that we're going to be having two additions to our family. Pictures to come soon, Reepicheep and Peepiceek are the newest inhabitants of the house. We were initially planning on getting a hampster, then talked about a Guinea Pig, but it finally became clear that rats were the way to go. Not ugly, vicious sewer rats...these are cute, curious, albeit somewhat poopy rats. Seriously, a ton of fun. Sheri and I are acting like new parents again...checking in on them every few minutes. And hopefully, Aiden will get the opportunity to learn how to care for animals.
Fun times with Reep & Peep.
*****************************
Another update..."Peep" is no longer Peep. After some study, we discovered that Rats can actually learn to respond to names. Reep and Peep sound alike. Not good. So now, its Reepicheep and Basil...as in Basil of Bakerstreet. And yes, Lindsay...Ratatouille IS too French...even though I loved the movie. :)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Update in Brief...
I am working at ECCU. I am working at Starbucks. Sheri's in school. We're busy. We're poor. We're happy. Aiden turns three in 10 days. He's amazing. I have decided what I want to focus on in my MA...if you want to know, e-mail me. Now I get to start studying for the GRE's and applying to schools. Life is good. God is God. I just wish I could blog once and a while...
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Time of His Life
Last night my son was treated to a trip to Disneyland. Sheri & I were unfortunately unable to take him, but his babysitter took him for the evening. When we got home, they were back, safe and sound (thank goodness; I had to give my first "If anything happens to him, I'll kill you" speech to the driver and even to our sweet babysitter) and the boy had, of course, gone straight to bed after watching a parade, riding Winnie-the-Pooh, Smallworld, and Buzz Lightyear, and I believe even getting to see some fireworks.
Well, this morning, we woke up early to take Sheri to work and Aiden was still very tired as he pry-ed his eyes open...but the first words he said were "POOH! AGAIN! POOOH!!!"
I told Sheri that likely the worst thing that might come from letting him go last night would be that he would want to go again and we would be unable to accommodate him because we no longer have passes.
I was, as usual, completely correct.
Well, this morning, we woke up early to take Sheri to work and Aiden was still very tired as he pry-ed his eyes open...but the first words he said were "POOH! AGAIN! POOOH!!!"
I told Sheri that likely the worst thing that might come from letting him go last night would be that he would want to go again and we would be unable to accommodate him because we no longer have passes.
I was, as usual, completely correct.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
I need a tropical vacation!
We're taking Aiden to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific today. He loves to stare at the fish, the seals, the turtles, the "SHARK!", etc. I enjoy myself too--I have always loved aquariums; especially the shark exhibits. We travelled to Monterrey Bay when Aiden was about 5 or 6 months old because they had managed to keep a Great White in their tank for about a year (its gone now). It was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen--that shark is literally built for killing. There were other sharks in the tank, lemon sharks, hammerheads, etc., but the White was unlike an of the others. Where they were formed with graceful curves and delicate arcs, the White was sturdy and streamlined; like a stealth bomber in the water, designed for one thing: speedy killing. It was amazing. But I digress...
We're taking Aiden to the aquarium. And apart from the pleasure of seeing the wonders of the ocean in safety and convenience, there is one other sensation I always have when we visit the aquarium; namely, a certain amount of discontent and a longing to travel.
You see, every year about this time, the fact that I have lived nearly half my life in the tropics flares up with the regularity of a California wildfire. And I miss the tropics; I miss the rain, the smell of the earth, the warm oceans...I miss a lot of things. And when we visit the aquarium in Long Beach, oddly I get transferred out of the industrial city, back to a tower on a building that overlooked a lake named Calirya. From the tower, uncreatively referred to as the Crow's Nest, you could see all the outlining valleys, the enormous green hill behind the building, where caribou (Philippine oxen) would be grazing.
Sunsets from the Crow's Nest were pretty much the best in the world.
I miss the tropics...I'm glad we're going to the aquarium today.
We're taking Aiden to the aquarium. And apart from the pleasure of seeing the wonders of the ocean in safety and convenience, there is one other sensation I always have when we visit the aquarium; namely, a certain amount of discontent and a longing to travel.
You see, every year about this time, the fact that I have lived nearly half my life in the tropics flares up with the regularity of a California wildfire. And I miss the tropics; I miss the rain, the smell of the earth, the warm oceans...I miss a lot of things. And when we visit the aquarium in Long Beach, oddly I get transferred out of the industrial city, back to a tower on a building that overlooked a lake named Calirya. From the tower, uncreatively referred to as the Crow's Nest, you could see all the outlining valleys, the enormous green hill behind the building, where caribou (Philippine oxen) would be grazing.
Sunsets from the Crow's Nest were pretty much the best in the world.
I miss the tropics...I'm glad we're going to the aquarium today.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
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