Trump's Inauguration Celebration

Trump's Inauguration Celebration
Sad, Bigly Sadon the National Mall
Washington, DC 
January 19, 2017 


It was eerie, dull and sad.  Few people were there and it felt as if they were there in obligation rather than celebration. There was no energy to the moment at hand.  Mostly high school students attended and it appeared as if they were only looking for a place to hang for the afternoon.


There were musical groups who were unknown to me.  At one point, The Rolling Stones were piped in to the audio system and we watched a blank screen offer subtitles to "Let's Spent The Night Together" and "You Cant Always Get What You Want". I wonder if they picked this songs on purpose.

The event started around 4:00PM and we stayed until 6ish, just as Trump got up to speak.  But by this time, much of the crowd was leaving in boredom. After his quick speech, there were fireworks. But lots of people didn't even stop to watch them.  We hurried off to the metro and headed home.

We walked in to the enclosed area on the Mall at 4 and this was the crowd.  The event started at 4.

There was plenty of room for everyone.

An hour in to the event and there still is a strong sense of emptiness.

The Washington Monument

Much of the crowd left before the sun set.

WAWA

WAWA
East Coast, USA


I love WAWA.  It is the greatest convenience store in the world.  I can get gas there and coffee and a newspaper and a sandwich and a quart of milk for my coffee in the morning.  I can use their clean restrooms. I can use my debit card at their "no fees" ATM machines.  They have pretzels just like the kind I used to get in grade school.  Their sandwiches are tasty.  They have a turkey bowl that has roasted turkey, stuffing and cranberries in individual serving. So if I am in the mood for a taste of Thanksgiving, I can get it here.

They are opened all the time.  I don't think they even close for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I can count on them all the time. And because they are always busy, it isn't scary to stop in there in the middle of the night, on the way home from somewhere.

They have the best coffee and they have a Free Coffee Day that is now considered one of my annual holidays.  Thousands and thousands of people come through their doors on these days and hoard coffee and no one passes judgment.  That's life.  that's how we do Coffee Day.

A friend of mine was in from Germany again.  She was with her family. He son wanted to know, "What is WAWA?"  She responded, "It's a place you go to a few times a day."

Cow Invasion

Cow Invasion
Varanasia, India
July 2015

He stood right outside my hotel and his presence frightened me.  I don't know cow behaviors and I don't know what ticks them off so much that they might charge at me.  This cow blocked my way and I turned around and found another way to the market.

My Top 10 Favorite Places In The World

My Top 10 Favorite Places In The World

1- My mother's house- It was always nice to go home to my mother.  she greeted me every time with kindness.  She was always happy to see me.

2- India- I love this country.  It is full of extremes of colors, smells, food, people, cows, monks, incense, prayer offerings,

3- Long Beach Island- my family owned a home on this island for 30 years.  And my uncles owned homes there as well.  So I got to see lots of my extended family during the summer months.

4- Penn State- I have three degrees from PSU so I spent a lot of time there. It's like going home when I go back there.  Zeno', The Phyrst, and the Rath Skeller are my favorite bars.

5- WAWA- This store is the greatest store chain in the world.

6- England- It is so easy for me to travel to England and wander around with ease.  I love the theatre, the museums, high tea and the pubs.

7- The Bryn Mawr Film Institute (BMFI)- I could go here everyday.  This movie house shows nothing but great movies.  They mostly show foreign films or indepemndet films and all of them are great.  There is a coffee show right there which is a great place to meet before or after the movie.

8- China- I don't think China is a particularly beautiful country but I have fallen on love with the people.  I've taught there twice at a university and my students are delightful.

9- NY, NY- I always love going to New York even though this city intimidates me. It is too expensive and too fast paced for daily living.  But going there for an afternoon or a weekend is great fun,  I like to go the the 1/2 priced theatre tickets.  I live to go to a deli for a huge pastrami sandwich and a beer.  And there are plenty of museums to capture my attention.

10- Reading Terminal- Philadelphia, PA- I love to go here for lunch and to shop for cheeses.

Advice From My Father

Advice From My Father
Philadelphia, PA
1975


As I was approaching my 21st birthday and about to become a legal drinker, my father offered me some very sage advice.  "Lookit", he told me, "whenever you go to the bar with a group of friends and you are ordering pitchers of beer, always be the first to order the beer.  Buy the first round.  You see, as the night moves on, everyone remembers who bought the first round but no one remembers who bought the other rounds.  So, you get excused from buying the next round. If you play it right, that may be the only round you buy.  Always buy the first round."

Marching For Our Immigrants

Marching For Our Immigrants
PHL Airport
Philadelphia, PA
January 29, 2017


I marched in Washington, DC last week in the Women's March and that moment was joyful, hopeful  and filled with good will.  It was a high.  After 10 dreadful weeks after our disastrous election, I finally found my voice again.  I was surrounded by like-minded people who said, "ENOUGH, we aren't going to take it anymore."

But then just a week later, the idiot passes a ban on immigration for some people from certain countries.  So I find myself at the Philadelphia airport, along with 5,000 other people, to protest yet again.  But this time, it was different.  There was no joy here today.  I only felt fear.  Unlike the Women's March, which was dominated by black and white women, I saw men and women of every race, color, country, religion, ethic group.  I spoke to citizens whose families could be or would be affected by this ban.  I saw a large Jewish presence which shoveled a message. of the hateful Hitler and the Holocaust, in our faces.

I saw an America that I did not recognize.

Don't Eat

 Don't Eat

Johnnie's Sushi House

Perryville, MD

October 2014

This showed up on my plate at Johnnie's Sushi House. I'm glad the waiter told me not to eat this carrot sculpture because I was going to take it home and eat it later.  "No, no, just decoration, Many parts glued. Not good for you," he warns me.