May 28,29 2000...Memorial Day weekend

Time with Eden and her family...and it was a lovely two days.

She and Rob gave a party in their back yard for the garden club. The purpose was in part to gain new member and everyone on the street around them were invited, but in the end most were from around her and actually well acquainted.

About ten children of various ages played together in the sandbox, on the swing.

The couple that sold them the house and their daughter ...he teaches math at Emory....came...and I learned that the very swing set all the kinds were on had been built for this girl of 18...at five she had stood on the porch and seen it put up.

Especially interesting conversation by a local neighbor....actually just a few doors up across the street....no children, he and his wife just have a black cat. He had graduated from Druid Hills in 1969, put in 2 years at GA State, and since the 70s had had a record shop in Little Five Points...pointed out they still press records.

Interesting....I had been talking about the Dewey Decimal System (how they didn't Cutter at LGU)..with Mrs. Swett from 2 doors up...and he picked up on our conversation about how much trouble it was to have his employees alphabetize records properly.

He gave his take on Druid Hills in the 70s...over 300 in his graduating class...how they were Merit scholars, really bright kids...but then many did not seem to fulfill their potential later.

He was terribly funny ...saying how he would watch Marti running..with Rob and Jay....keeping up...trying to get the school bus...and he would cheer her on from inside his house, behind the window..."Run Marti, run...."

[Later Eden said that he was friends with people like REM..they would stay at their house while in town.]

.....

Interesting Sunday morning....Jay and Marti wanted to cuddle in bed with their parents, but were run off...Eden had worked the night before...

After playing several things, Jay got up a "tee shirt" plan...they drew pictures with grass, sky, sun, and then hockey fields (now...yes, I see...Marti copied Jay's exactly..) the man in the picture was Rob, the coach....then taped them on plastic bags, cut out arms and head...and then, at Jay's suggestion put numbers on the back...Marti was 1,000,000 and Jay 500.

Neat lunch out at Mick's ....M and J acted up, then R and E took Jay off to buy sandles and Marti cried and cried....walking aimlessly up the street...first Aunt Bettie followed, then Mr. Swett in his car to offer us a ride home. When she got back, Marti really showed off her newly gained bravery on the swing set, climbing very, very high and moving in all dirctions with skill and agility.

BN and I did a turn at the Dollar Store...bought 5 little dolls and cleaning stuff....

Then home..to a lot of email...old penpals.

I tried to concentrate on smells..rosemary at Mick's, the fig trees at Eden's already smelling of figs....

Decatur and its eateries and sidewalk cafe life is getting really terrific and when those condos are occupied on the other side of Church St....things should really start hopping. By contrast...Peachtree so quiet....



E-mails of the day

        

Message From: nl3ecke@webtv.net (N.L. Eckert) Date: Sun, May 28, 2000, 9:54am To: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian)

Subject: Re: wrong url Thanks for giving me this great idea.......

http://community.webtv.net/nl3ecke/MEMORIALTOMYDADAND   Message From: nl3ecke@webtv.net (N.L. Eckert) Date: Sun, May 28, 2000, 10:08am To: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Subject: Re: And now you are giving me ideas..

Hi, and thanx again for giving me such a great idea.......   no, I don't save a lot of email. Only certain ones that have special info. But, you are right, the Page Builder has lots of possibilities.   I've been keeping one going on my own little family, but haven't thought about doing a "family tree" Not a bad idea......

    One of my late wifes cousins, in Arkansas , is doing extensive geneology on the Holm (my wifes maiden name)family and we have been in contact a lot lately. Someone I didn't know existed till she started emailing for info on the family and now its like we've known each other all these years. Yet have not met....... Hurray for the Internet and WTV!!!! Later, N

http://community.webtv.net/nl3ecke/MEMORIALTOMYDADAND   Message From: christac@deuroconsult.ro (Cristache Gheorghiu) Date: Sun, May 28, 2000, 6:14pm (EDT+7) To: Cristache2000@yahoo.com Cc: goyo@mcsi.net, mavi@ip.pt, anne@cockburn.wa.gov.au, BeverlyCoates@webtv.net, bepperson@mindspring.com, TENORMAN84@aol.com, bobw@dove.net.au, budm303@member.afa.org, nys.goubert@skynet.be, Viaadare@aol.com, lumeki@nut-n-but.net, virsal@webtv.net, ivan@student.uni-kassel.de, dmaddock@clear.net.nz, edithf@webtv.net, marzetti@powerup.com.au, echristian@webtv.net, tabo@imaginativa.cl Subject: I am here! Hi!

This is a common message to all my friends and acquaintances, saying that I am still here after a week, while my computer was out of work. No much happened in the meantime, not even my problem of seeking for a publisher did not solved by itself. Maybe you have some news. Waiting for them, here is a joke, along with

my regards, Cristache

The Romanian government has a program in two stages for decrease the income tax. In the first stage the income is to be decreased.

Message From: dogb@webtv.net (BJ) Date: Mon, May 29, 2000, 7:22am To: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Subject: Memorial Day

I survived my long afternoon on my side. I had my bed moved so I could see the TV and watched a Mission Impossible marathon. I used to watch that TV show faithfully. I don't remember it being rerun before. Last night I watched three movies. Sixth Sense, my old favorite Beaches, and Sleepless in Seattle. I had watched You've got Mail Saturday and it is funny that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan don't look any different in those two movies even though they were filmed several years apart. Sixth Sense wasn't bad but I didn't think it was great enough to deserve the Oscar. Of course I rarely agree with the choices of winners for the Academy Awards. Sixth Sense did have a neat twist to the ending.

This morning I was awakened at 2:15 by the the sonic boom made by the space shuttle passing over as it was about to land. Even Heidi was awakened. I never would have known what the loud boom was if I hadn't had the radio on. I always sleep with the radio on as background noise. Justa checked on the covering the nurse had placed on my sore. Some time between last night and when Justa looked the covering had ripped off and the sore is open again. I have a call in to Fran. I think whatever happened just happened when Justa pulled me up because it hadn't bothered me before that. Fran had emailed me last night and was thinking the covering would stay for at least a week. This is rather disappointing because I had thought we were on the road to success. Fran was going to stop by for a visit this afternoon but now I'll have to put a call in for her to come sooner. Sunshine Smiles, Barb    Message From: jwestbrook@twu.edu (Dr. Lynn Westbrook) Date: Mon, May 29, 2000, 8:50am (EDT-1) To: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Subject: Re: Greetings..just read your article in Jan issues of J Aca Lib Elizabeth-- Thanks! So glad to hear I'm not a voice in the wilderness. Yes, the implications of the shift are the next issue to consider. I'm working on a piece which addresses those points.   The structure of service, the logistics of contact, and the mission must shift. My background is in academic librarianship so that's my context for thinking this through. What's yours? Cheers, Lynn Westbrook Elizabeth Christian wrote: Off Galileo actually...at an unreasonable hour. You are right on target. I only wonder if individuals in the academic community and in the public library patronage really do perceive librarians as the people they are likely to turn to for the variety of services needed to effectively locate, access, and manage their own information.   I wonder if some changes will need to be made in the physical environment of the library itself...the traditional reference and circulation desks do not lend themselves to instructing the "walk up " individual in setting up a citation system, confituring his/her own computer to manage multi format files, etc. Elizabeth    Message From: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Date: Mon, May 29, 2000, 7:45pm To: egrosso@webtv.net (irisdestar) Cc: echristian@webtv.net Subject: Re: Fwd: on being a mom I read this a couple of times..and trankly ...my answer is "no"....I really don't think motherhood is like this at all and I don't think my own daughter finds it like this. This sounds like something out of some 50s woman's magazine. I think that we have our own lives..own jobs, and while motherhood is important, it is just one more part of our lives. I would be interested in knowing if you got any feedback from others who you sent it too. I hope I have not offended you. I think that we do value and take care of our children, but are not constantly in fear of molesters, or anxious to be with our children ALL the time...when there is an interesting thing happening at work. Hoping..again this is a dialog and you are not offended. Elizabeth Delivered-To:    echristian@mailsorter-bryant.bryant.webtv.net From:    egrosso@webtv.net (irisdestar) Date:    Sun, May 28, 2000, 3:27pm (EDT-3) To:    echristian@webtv.net, lee@hhs.net, JMattdans@aol.com, m-andrews@mindspring.com, phillbigg@the-cia.net, LeChatManx@aol.com Subject:    Fwd: on being a mom Here's one that moved me. Hope you enjoy it - a belated mother's day thought. From:    MomCor2@cs.com Date:    Sun, May 28, 2000, 11:42am Subject:    Fwd: on being a mom From Sarah-from her friend Roxanne To:    marksbiscuit@webtv.net, egrosso@webtv.net, SSBeiser@cs.com From:    Winglog@aol.com Full-name:    Winglog Date:    Sun, May 28, 2000, 2:50am Subject:    on being a mom To:    thekey@cco.net, RoxHart@aol.com, heidi_ramos@hotmail.com, MomCor2@cs.com This is a bit long, but I thought it was worth sharing with each of you. Best if printed out and then read with a cup of tea. Hope you enjoy it. Roxanne If you're a Mom, you'll understand perfectly...if you aren't, maybe you'll understand your mother more fully!!! -   We are sitting at lunch when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family". "We're taking a survey," she says, half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?" "It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations...." But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of her discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years -- not to accomplish hers. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic. I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or a cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real, it actually hurts. My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reach across the table, squeeze my daughter's hand and offer a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. This blessed gift from God, that of being a Mother. Please share this with a Mom that you know or a future Mom you know.         "Author Unknown"    Message From: bsbk@webtv.net (Beth Steward) Date: Sun, May 28, 2000, 5:20pm To: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Subject: Re: Getting back in touch. Hi! Sorry your paris trip never happened, but I'm still interested in the house-trade info if you can put your hands on it. No upgrade for me yet---how about you? I'm hoping to go to Paris myself in Sept 2001....actually my best friend was born in Marseille (her mom was a french war bride) and much of her family lives in a town near Marseille called Quissac.   We've talked about going and decided we'd never go if we just kept talking. I have an idea---I'm thinking of buying francs this summer while they're relatively cheap (7 to a dollar right now--usually 5 to a dollar) as the franc is expected to be stronger next summer when I'd be going. Better than putting the $ in a CD or something boring, maybe. have fun in your travels....beth      Message From: kenme@telstra.easymail.com.au Date: Mon, May 29, 2000, 7:05am (EDT+14) To: echristian@webtv.net Subject: Sadly because I am now on timed calls ie I am some distance from a town I have ceased having a 'provider" for cruising web sites until I can find a cheaper source.   Yes I am what we call in the "bush" as far as our telephone companies are concerned which means the cost of long distances call which I would have to use if I wish to visit a web site is high,   I think there is a plan to connect us to local call lines in the near future so here's hoping. As to getting along with other people of political racial and religious persuasion I am of the opinion that we should get along with them as long as they mean me no harm, I care not whether that political system is not mine or not as long as the basic principles of humanity are kept, our democratic system that we love so much does not always work in some countries take Fiji for example,   I am of the opinion that we can bring change in these countries by helping them along the path we have taken by sharing the basics ie medical, food, housing, schooling, freedom of thought even freedom of expression BUT even then we have our limits as to what degree we take this too. Maybe I am contradicting myself BUT I do not believe we should approve and allow homosexuals to marry nor do I excuse criminal offender because they had a hard life as children, this freedom of expression I draw the line and no further. I guess I am saying that our conscience is our guide it is mine, I do not need a religion to teach me the law I have it inside me just as you have. I hope your trip goes well it will be good for you. I sometime need to take stock of my life and look and see what there is around me, travel is good to broaden the mind. As to radical groups am I not correct in saying some of these radical groups have done some wonderful things??? the Russian Communist were the first into space, they placed the first space station into space they invented the helicopter they were the first to bring in medical services for everybody freely, a thought hmmmmmm By now, when I have more photos developed I shall send them, Ken    Message From: davidcasley@davidcasley.eurobell.co.uk (David Casley) Date: Sun, May 28, 2000, 7:31pm (EDT+5) To: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Subject: Re: This is an experiment -https://members.tripod.com/~lucylucydear/horses.htm Hi Liz,         how are you? It was nice to hear from you earlier today. David and I had a look at the attatchement pics that you sent, they were very nice ones of the horses. Thank you.     Re your comments on forwarding junk mail... when I first had my computer, I forwarded everything and anything that was sent to me. Now I don't, just have a look and then most times delete the data. It eventually sunk into my brain that forwarding everything on, not only had the possibilities of carrying a virus, but would eventually loose me many friends through boredom...and this is something I definately DID NOT want happen....pass on a virus or loose friends.     I have sometimes took the way of sending email out enmass, but to be truthful in most cases prefere the personal touch of one to one. Mainly because it helps in getting to know each indavidual better this way...but of course that is my own personal choice and it works very well for me.     I like the idea you have on the webpage with what other people are interested in. It is a jolly good idea and should really be of interest to a lot of people. Hope you succeed with it. All for now, looking forward to hearing from you again soon. Take care, hugs from Yvonne.    Message From: rebelyell@mail1.scottsboro.org (Maggie) Date: Sun, May 28, 2000, 12:54pm (EDT-1) To: echristian@webtv.net (Elizabeth Christian) Subject: Sorry if I seemed rude. My husband says I have been too rude and I will never hear from you again.  I apoligize sincerely.  I am having a terrible week.  The Dr. has just told me I have an illness which I find hard to accept.  Please let us start again.  I also enjoy new friends and I love to write to them.  Can we start again?    Maggie