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If you want to go straight to Vol 6, you may do so now!
...
November was another busy month. Tim went away twice (Texas
and Arizona the first time and California and Oregon the second
time. Kasja and the children flew to Sweden for Bigitta's 40th
birthday. Thanksgiving happened. Snow fell in Sweden and Kalle
and Taltarni played in it. Taltarni began walking and running and
kept climbing. Almost all of the leaves fell off the trees and it
got cold. Tim bought the components needed to get the old
computer working (I've been typing all this on the laptop from
work!) Kalle had his report card. (Your child is obviously in
need of more TV time.) Taltarni got sick again and got better
again. Tim bought a digital camera (yours is on the way, Dad) and
so new photos will start to appear on these pages. The deer have
started to become scarce, although Tasha had great fun trying to
catch them the other day! The squirrels are starting to look fat.
They are probably just fluffy but they look fat. Tim bought and
ate an entire Sweet potato pie (over the period of a week), he
won't be doing that again.
Kalle, Taltarni, et al went swimming in Sweden. No, Kajsa was not testing their Viking blood by throwing them in frozen lakes, there is an indoor swimming pool in the sprawling megalopolis of Stigtomta. (Actually I don't know exactly where it is, but I anything big new and exciting always happens in Stigtomta!)
Thanksgiving happened at chez Doug Greenlaw and Anne Potter. I brought the ham. I took a lot of ham home. I real lot, like heaps. Maybe two months or more worth. Like most things American and food related, it was hugely over-catered but there were heaps of Australians there so we only have ourselves to blame. The day was fun though and even Tasha was allowed to come - she had turkey and gravy for dinner.
As for the travel. Arizona is nice. Big, but not as desolate as I expected. They have forests of cactus there so my brother Ben would love it. All different types of cactus, big ones, little ones, ones with really pretty flowers, ones with arms (which only grow in Arizona due to some local ordinance) and one with heaps and heaps of spikes. Talking of spikes. Snoopy's brother, Spike, must live in Arizona due to the cactus he lives near. I didn't see any tumbleweed though. Texas was a city. I didn't see more than that, no oils wells or tycoons or giants or even any ridiculous hats.
California was California. I went to Universal Studios for the first time. It was good. The Jurassic Park ride was wet, the Back to the Future ride was fun, the lines were long and lots of it all was cheesy. I think that the bit I liked best was probably the simplest, the trained animal show. The rang a tang (you reading this Thammie?) was great but it looked so lovingly at its trainer that it was sad. I wonder what the trainer thinks of the orangutan. I have visited San Diego a few times and never have I enjoyed myself as much there. I found the gas lamp area. God knows why I never found it before. It was great. Next time I travel I'll go to Arizona then San Diego! Oregon was ok, nothing to write home about but I was only there for a short time. I visited the largest Salem in the US (almost every state has one) and popped across the border to Washington state (state mascot - the Siberian Husky).
Kajsa and the kids have been doing exciting stuff but I don't think that I should write about it because I have only experienced it second hand. Suffice to say that a cow was born on Taltarni's birthday and is called Taltarni. A cow (gender neutral) who was born while Kalle was there is called Kalle. I just hope that it isn't a boy. Boy dairy cattle don't have very good prospects. On the other hand, I'm not sure what sort of effect having a cow (gender specific) named after you would have on a small boy.
No golf this month.
Now a little bit on gun control. You see I (the author, Tim) often think about how I would explain certain things to Kalle or Taltarni. I don't want to my explanation to be too in depth so that they can't understand (or get bored) but also I don't want to skip important bits or bend the truth too much. Sort of like:
"What happens when you die?"
Kalle's answer: "Batman comes takes you to the hospital and they make you better."
This obviously needs some work.
Tim's answer: "Well, they bury you in the ground and the worms eat you."
Not very philosophical and no theology involved. Short and sweet, well ... Kalle still thinks that Batman comes and takes you to the hospital though.
So I'm thinking - gun control.
"Pappa, is the government a bunch of fascist bastards because they want to deny the individual the right to bear arms under the constitution or, are they a bunch of fascist bastards because, by allowing gun ownership to be so widespread and prevalent among the lower strata of society, they are allowing, if not actively encouraging, them all to kill each other?"
Gee, that is a tough one. But at this point a new character arrives and I thinking - E. Emmet Walsh. Big, belly pouring over enormous pants which braces barely manage to hold up. Florid face, sweat.
"Now boy," (note that he is talking to Kalle, not me) "that is a question that trivialises the plight of our coloured brethren."
Coloured brethren?
"Black people, you know. You see, there is nothing more, that the African-American wants, than to go home." (He's got a southern accent and they talk with a lot of commas.)
I see, like ET?
"Precisely my point, sir. African-Americans, go home."
Alright I admit it, it isn't about gun control. It's about race relations. Whoa, what a topic.
America, land of the free, where any man, no matter his station can work hard and make something of himself. And the girlies can wear little skimpy numbers to emphasis their latest silicon enhancements (both of 'em) at the local Hooters (and don't forget to ask for a "pitcher" of beer). Yeah, right.
But back to race. There is a problem, in fact a number of problems. The biggest by far is that they don't think they have a problem. Perhaps they have reached some sort of consensus, but only so much as they have all agreed to ignore each other. I have seen two enormous groups at the Fourth of July celebrations, one white and one black and hispanic. Only the youngest children talked to each other. It was very weird.
The next biggest problem is that they are scary, I mean the African-Americans. Really scary. Many of them beg on the streets near the Embassy (by this a mean a few dozen not a large proportion of the African-American population) and one guy is so big and aggressive that I once almost gave him something out of pure fear. I resisted the urge at the last moment when I realised what I was going to do would only encourage his behaviour, and I wasn't going to hang around to debate the benefits of a more pleasant demeanour.
But he isn't the only aggressive one around. They are all aggressive in one way or another. I have had the benefit of sitting around at a number of sleazy bars at government expense and been able to watch the courting habits of the locals. They are all so aggressive. "#^<*! off you loser!" by the girl you've been mauling is usually regarded as an indication that you might have a chance. Now I may have missed the subtleties of mating rituals but if I got that response in Australia I'd be out of there, most likely out of the building. Not these guys.
Back to the original track, they are scary. They are also more poor, oh there are poor white people and rich black people but there are very few black people who have been rich for generations, even well off for generations. They are less well educated, due to the good old, "you get what you pay for". Brilliant. I can't pay you because I never got a chance and now I will pass this misfortune on to my children. And everyone around thinks, these guys just don't know how to work hard! Like I saw in a cartoon recently:
"Can you explain why you sell illegal substances for $200 an hour when you could be earning $6.50 at McDonalds." Note that McDonalds might not pay this but they don't get tips and so get a better rate than a lot of places. Social workers get $7 an hour.
I don't know how they are going to fix this problem but they are a long, long way from even starting.
Enough of that.
I hope that was more interesting that a list of what we have been up to recently. If not, oh well, it's over now!
So that is it for the month. Hope you enjoyed. There will be a short break in transmission as we enjoy the xmas holidays.
Keep your eye on this link to the christmas card page (wait for it, wait for it - give me time to get the original to you and I will activate this link close to Christmas). It will have all the previous cards as well as this year's. I hope that I have everyone's address and you get a proper card. If not, I humbly apologise and hope that you send me your address so I don't stuff up next year!