as a group of women (and one man) gathered around the snack table, the beer cooler, the punch bowl, the expecting mother, one guest looked up at another and saw it, plain as day. the felony line streaking across her nose.
at a baby shower.
who does that?
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
yeah, you know, son of sam.
i dropped an ice cube into a cup of hot tea this morning. as i watched it crack there was a moment where i wondered if the little cube felt any pain.
throughout the 90s and into the beginning part of this century my uncle andy had a christian radio talk show on nyc's WMCA 570. it aired from 2pm-4pm monday through friday.
one sunny, summer afternoon i went to visit aunt kay. i arrived around 2 and uncle andy's show was on. she listened to her husband every day. i sat at the kitchen counter as she made us lunch. as we listened to uncle andy and had our own little conversation my eyes started to wander to the stack of mail sitting to my right. a plain, white envelope rested on top with the address type-written. the return address field read:
David Berkowitz
c/o Sullivan Correctional Facility....
it was addressed to my uncle andy.
lb: aunt kay?
ak: yeah?
lb: this envelope says that it's from david berkowitz...
ak: mm-hmm. you know. son of sam.
lb: yeah. i know who he is. why is uncle andy getting mail from him.
ak: oh, your uncle andy's had him on his show a couple of times. he's born again, you know.
lb: oh, no, i didn't know that.
ak: it's a really nice letter. do you want to read it?
lb: kinda.
ak: you know, your uncle andy got a lot of shit for having him on the show. but i don't know what people are so upset about. it's not like he's going anywhere.
lb: yeah. i guess not.
throughout the 90s and into the beginning part of this century my uncle andy had a christian radio talk show on nyc's WMCA 570. it aired from 2pm-4pm monday through friday.
one sunny, summer afternoon i went to visit aunt kay. i arrived around 2 and uncle andy's show was on. she listened to her husband every day. i sat at the kitchen counter as she made us lunch. as we listened to uncle andy and had our own little conversation my eyes started to wander to the stack of mail sitting to my right. a plain, white envelope rested on top with the address type-written. the return address field read:
David Berkowitz
c/o Sullivan Correctional Facility....
it was addressed to my uncle andy.
lb: aunt kay?
ak: yeah?
lb: this envelope says that it's from david berkowitz...
ak: mm-hmm. you know. son of sam.
lb: yeah. i know who he is. why is uncle andy getting mail from him.
ak: oh, your uncle andy's had him on his show a couple of times. he's born again, you know.
lb: oh, no, i didn't know that.
ak: it's a really nice letter. do you want to read it?
lb: kinda.
ak: you know, your uncle andy got a lot of shit for having him on the show. but i don't know what people are so upset about. it's not like he's going anywhere.
lb: yeah. i guess not.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
habitat for humanity
about a month ago a baby snail took up residence in my shower. i don't know how snails mate. the little slugger travels all up and down the shower walls, and sometimes across the ceiling. it leaves snail shit on the tile. i've watched him grow from a tiny little shell to a good sized little guy. he pops his head out and can move pretty quickly these days. i don't know what he eats.
when i went into the bathroom today i didn't see him. i got a little emotional for a minute, but luckily i found him on the back of my jar of face scrub.
slugs in bavaria are huge.
when i went into the bathroom today i didn't see him. i got a little emotional for a minute, but luckily i found him on the back of my jar of face scrub.
slugs in bavaria are huge.
Monday, January 15, 2007
the long weekend
my birthday is january 16. when i was in elementary school we would be dismissed from school early the wednesday during the week of martin luther king jr.'s birthday, january 15. his birthday was declared a national holiday when i was in first grade. this was the year that changed the observation of his birthday from early dismissal on wednesday to day off from school on monday. i had really wanted my birthday to be on that early dismissal, but now, aware of the possibility that i could have a full day off, i patiently waited for my birthday to land on a monday.
eleven years passed before that day actually came. i was a senior in high school. and i wasn't living in the united states. the u.s. holiday was not observed in southern germany. i was 29 before i actually was able to enjoy my birthday off from my state job.
although i was in germany the year my birthday fell on mlk day i did not have to go to school. i had slept for approximately 48 hours straight before waking the morning of january 16, 1995. i woke up, throat swollen, unable to walk. i crawled into the bathroom where my host mother was getting ready for work. it was about 7:15am.
host mother: "why aren't you ready for school?"
lb: "i'm really sick."
hm: at 7:45 you can go to the doctor.
lb: i don't think i can make it there on my own.
hm: when someone gets home they will go with you.
nobody went to the doctor's office with me. i went back to sleep. when my host sister, kerstin, got home from school she opened my bedroom door. i only remember hearing her scream.
the doctor made a house call.
it's about 9pm. the doctor is there. she has looked me over. shoved a swab down my throat.
dr: "du hast scharlach"
lb: was ist scharlach?
dr: es ist ein kinderkrankheit. (it's a children's disease)
lb: but i'm 18 today.
the frau doctor left me alone and my family went to an all night pharmacy to get my medication. i reached for a german/english dictionary and looked up "scharlach" ... the definition read "scarlett fever".
now, the only thing i ever knew about scarlett fever was that helen keller had gone blind and deaf from it. i thought that it no longer existed. i suddenly was afraid of dying in deutchland. luckily my fever was raging and i passed out again.
thank goodness those days are far behind me. my birthday lands on a tuesday this year, and i will not be at work.
i'm in my own country. i'm in nyc with the man i'm in love with. he just served me breakfast. i have a long weekend. i have paid vacation. we have movie plans today. it's martin luther king day. we have dinner reservations tomorrow. i don't have scarlett fever. i have a cat sitter and plans to go to the turkish baths tomorrow.
happy birthday to me.
eleven years passed before that day actually came. i was a senior in high school. and i wasn't living in the united states. the u.s. holiday was not observed in southern germany. i was 29 before i actually was able to enjoy my birthday off from my state job.
although i was in germany the year my birthday fell on mlk day i did not have to go to school. i had slept for approximately 48 hours straight before waking the morning of january 16, 1995. i woke up, throat swollen, unable to walk. i crawled into the bathroom where my host mother was getting ready for work. it was about 7:15am.
host mother: "why aren't you ready for school?"
lb: "i'm really sick."
hm: at 7:45 you can go to the doctor.
lb: i don't think i can make it there on my own.
hm: when someone gets home they will go with you.
nobody went to the doctor's office with me. i went back to sleep. when my host sister, kerstin, got home from school she opened my bedroom door. i only remember hearing her scream.
the doctor made a house call.
it's about 9pm. the doctor is there. she has looked me over. shoved a swab down my throat.
dr: "du hast scharlach"
lb: was ist scharlach?
dr: es ist ein kinderkrankheit. (it's a children's disease)
lb: but i'm 18 today.
the frau doctor left me alone and my family went to an all night pharmacy to get my medication. i reached for a german/english dictionary and looked up "scharlach" ... the definition read "scarlett fever".
now, the only thing i ever knew about scarlett fever was that helen keller had gone blind and deaf from it. i thought that it no longer existed. i suddenly was afraid of dying in deutchland. luckily my fever was raging and i passed out again.
thank goodness those days are far behind me. my birthday lands on a tuesday this year, and i will not be at work.
i'm in my own country. i'm in nyc with the man i'm in love with. he just served me breakfast. i have a long weekend. i have paid vacation. we have movie plans today. it's martin luther king day. we have dinner reservations tomorrow. i don't have scarlett fever. i have a cat sitter and plans to go to the turkish baths tomorrow.
happy birthday to me.
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