At Last

What a day.

Just before she went to bed my daughter told me, "I feel so safe now that Obama is president."

I like that she feels safe. I feel a little safer too, but I know there are still many hardships for this country to overcome.

I was teaching the first Intro to Japanese Culture class of the semester today from 11 to 12:30 and I took the class into the language lab next door to watch the swearing in and the new President's speech. As we embark on a semester of learning about another country's culture it seemed important that we experience this huge change happening in our own and to see where we stand at this moment in time and what we stand for. I wouldn't understand half as much about myself and my culture as I do now if I hadn't spent so many years abroad. Sometimes you need a foil to see what it usually as invisible as air.

I feel like I learned a lot today about who we are as a country and how we are beginning to succeed in taking it back and making it for everyone. The President quoted George Washington about faith and virtue. Seems like it's high time for a return to virtue.

Yay!

"Awwwwww!!" enthused the girl. "He's wearing the hat you made him for Christmas! That's so cute!"

So said my girl as we drove home from school and she spied my 13-year old nephew walking down the street with a bunch of friends on this cold sunny afternoon wearing the hat I knitted for him for Christmas. He did look cute in it and I was happy to see that I had made the right choice for his hat.

Diversity in New England?

I decided to stop dropping too much money on mall store bras that cost too much and don't really fit or spending 3 hours trying on every bra in Macy's and then finally grabbing a couple of things that will suffice because I can't bear to leave empty handed after all that time invested. There's a nice little boutique in the area that advertises its bra-fitting expertise, so I decided to suck it up and go get myself some undergarments that will do the job, and do it well.  

Friday morning seemed like a safe time to make a visit. Probably wouldn't be too busy or anything, I figured. I made my way down the treacherously icy sidewalks of Exeter and walked into the shop to find an old guy with a balding pate and a long white ponytail who appeared to be wearing quite a bit of makeup chatting with the pretty blonde sales clerk as he made his purchases. Since my whole purpose to be there was to get a proper fitting I just killed time poking through the racks of merchandise while this guy continued on with whatever it was he was talking about. After about five minutes he left and the clerk came over to me, very flustered. I really wasn't phased by the old dude buying himself expensive lingerie, but the poor woman who worked there was a little shaken up. She was really cute and gave me a hug and apologized when she found out it was my first time to visit the store. I've seen all kinds of stuff and thought it was pretty interesting to see that type of diversity in a conservative little New England town.

(I also got some very nice items that fit and look kind of fabulous. It's part of my ritual to psych myself up for the end of my winter hybernation and my reappearance at the head of the classroom in a week.)