Nearly one year since my last post

*sigh*

in March of 2012 my husband and I bought and started moving to a condo downtown.

Down-sizing we call it.

Getting ready for old-age.

I LOVE LIFE DOWNTOWN

But we are still moving in... Still building shelves and bookcases as we feel the need for them.

We left stuff in the basement of our Murray home and took just the bare essentials to the condo.

If we feel we really need something, we go get it.  If we feel we don't need it, it stays in Murray 

and will be gotten rid of one way or the other!

We have very little in the condo amazingly. 

I never realized how minimal of material goods you really need to still be very comfortable.

The rest is just a collection of junk substituting for memories that take up space and freedom since you have to maintain and clean them and 

How the heck did we end up with so much stuff after 35 years in the same home?

but

everyday I choose to ride TRAX to and from work in Murray

so I see a lot of people on the train everyday.

and

downtown draws a lot of different people to it.

Terry and I love to play tour guide.  

Anyway

since I ride TRAX so much and walk around downtown so much

I thought it would be fun to try and write down, everyday, (that is a lofty goal for me) who I meet or see or just whatever occurs in the days ahead as I commute back and forth.

What started this idea was Halloween, this last one in 2012.  On TRAX comes a rather tall man with a mask on that looks like a red devil.  All he does is stare at people and rub his long goatee.  

People are so uncomfortable with him. 

I mean uncomfortable!

My husband has his back to him and hasn't noticed him yet.  

So I tell Terry, "turn around and look what's behind you"

Terry jumps a bit and then bursts out laughing.  

You can tell the devil is laughing because even though his facial expression doesn't move, his head bounced up and down as with laughter.

As we get off the train, we must pass in front of the red devil and I say, "Thanks and have a fun evening".  The red devil bows with a sweeping arm jester like what you would expect from the three musketeers.

Then there was the older man in the dirtiest pair of overalls, face and hands I have ever seen (since Terry was a painter).

His work helmet hung from a backpack - looked like probably a cement worker by the color of dust and dirt encrusted on his being.

He opens a bag from Carl's Jr. and begins to voraciously consume with his toothless mouth a hamburger and fries.

He sees all of us around him watching so he says, "I didn't get no lunch and I can't wait any longer to eat".  No one doubted what a hard day this man must have had and no one bothered him as he inhaled the burger.  Taking a fist full of fries with his caked dirt hands, he drops a couple on the floor of the train.  Everyone is mesmerized as he bends over and grabs the errant fries off the floor. 

I knew he was going to eat them. 

My husband said he knew he was going to eat them. 

But

He just sits them neatly back into the empty bag and continues on gumming the rest of his dinner.  Burger and all we gone in less time than it takes to go from Gallivan Center to City Creek stop.

So work starts back on Jan. 2.  Maybe you will hear about yourself if you ride TRAX and the blogger sees or talks to you.

Why are there no Female Scientists, Mrs. Wright?

The lesson one day last week was on the history of the atom over time.

How have the scientists since the Greek Democritus

added to our knowledge of the atom and to our

models of atoms today?

Seems simple enough.

And it usually is.

I list the scientists on the board and tell what they added to the growing knowledge of the atom up to today.

But there are no ladies in the list.

After 21 years of teaching, this week one little voice said, 

"Mrs. Wright, why are there no women scientists"

I had to stop and look at the face behind the voice.

I have been wanting someone to start this subject for a very long time.

of course the thought was distracted, or maybe just punctuated by a boy shouting out

"because they are not as smart"

but 

when I looked him straight in the eyes, he quickly added, 

"they weren't allowed to go to school"

I said, "that's a better answer!" 

and then proceeded to tell this class of how I wished to take Chemistry in

high school and how the counselors tried to talk me out of it and said that it was probably better if I took shorthand, or

typing for the jobs that I was going to be doing after I graduated.

I said, "I would never take a job that required shorthand and therefore I will never took the course."

It wasn't until we moved to Richfield HS my senior year that I was able to take Chemistry.

I may have been the only female in the class, I can't rightly remember.

but I went on to take Chemistry at Utah State University.

I told this 7th grade class that one of my college professors, when I asked for help in better understanding a concept, that he answered quite surly, 

"Why do you need to know this when all you need to know is how to get dinner on the table on time!"

A couple of the 7th grade girls actually gasped at the air and said, "Is that true!"

I said "Yes"

and that

I left the professor, I had weak knees and was sick to my stomach and slowly over the next

few months, because of that statement and a few other happenings, I began to cave in and change my major from medical technology to

Liberal Arts

__________

Do the girls today realize what some women have fought for and done for their equality? 

It really isn't unusual to hear female students now who wish to grow up to be doctors or engineers.

  Do they know how precious that choice is?

I wish I would have had the courage to pursue my medical dream.

Instead, I let myself believe in their belief that I was a useless member of a useless gender.

However, as it usually is in life:

I didn't know that it wouldn't be over for me.  

The social mores were changing and I was standing, whether I knew it or not, on the front line. 

During my stay at USU, the early 1970's, it was the hot years of the Equal Rights Amendment campaigns. 

I was just at the right age and at the right time and place

and I needed a job during the summers while attending USU.

I was hired by the Federal government, Bureau of Land Management 

to fight forest fires.

I was the token female in a 5 person crew of 1 Native American, 1 Latino, 1 Female and 2 white males.

My parents said maybe I could just be the dispatch?

I was not going to give in this time. 

I not only lasted the season, but I hiked mountains on fire, slept out in tent's surrounded by fellow fighters, had men line up in front of me with their backs to me so I could squat and take a pee.

I was dropped out of helicopters, splattered by pink fire retardant, 

and have sharpened many a shovel and Pulaski.

I went back the next summer for a second season.

Some of the men in the BLM office would come out to me working in the yard and tell me viciously how I should not be there and should quit and why wasn't I married and on and on. 

I never had a better feeling than when the men had to come to me, the at the beginning of the season I did not return, and ask if I would at least come back and show them how to run the pumper truck.  

I laughed and said, "no way, you guys go figure it yourself like I had to".

Then in 1978, I was working as a supervisor in the Criminal Records Department for the State of Utah when I heard there was a job opening for a female narcotics agent

for a new undercover crew the State was assembling. 

I already had time in as a State employee, I had a college degree, I was 25 and I was single.

Perfect, Perfect, Perfect.

I got the job. 

First female undercover narcotics agent for the Department of Public Safety for the State of Utah.

Now the discrimination was palpable. 

I thought I had felt discrimination at college, I thought I had conquered it at the BLM.

No, working with over-sexed, over-stimulated, over-egotistical cops

can be the very best and the very worst of times.

I lasted 5 years undercover. 

I married my partner

who is still the one person in my life who always thought of  me as an absolute equal if not superior to him.  

He didn't push me to do things, he made me believe I could do anything I put my mind to.  

and I will always love him for that!

 ANYONE CAN DO ANYTHING THEY WANT TO 

as long as they want it bad enough to work for it!

oh, and P.S. - women in the sciences has made for some remarkable contributions to the base of scientific knowledge today!

Just a bit of winter depression, I think

So, it is the doldrums of winter. 

Doldrums - look it up.  

I don't need any optimistic "glass is half full" stuff. 

It is winter.

I went to Portland, Oregon last weekend to visit my oldest brother, his wife and only daughter, Char.

Well, Char was married Sept. of 2009, right while I was in the middle of a 

health crisis. 

My brother used to live here in SLC near me so we saw each other often. 

I saw Char grow up.  She was my child also, 

I thought.

I don't know why no one told me she got married.  

I hope it was because I was sick.

Sure, I got involved in life and sort of lost track of them since they moved to Portland but...

So when they told me she was expecting I was a wee bit shocked, 

anyway so they now have a new baby boy born end of this last October.

I don't want there to ever be any reason for my brother and his family to not be comfortable in having me in their life so when Char suggested I come up some weekend when the airplane fares were cheap and

meet her new hubby and baby

I took her up on it. 

My wonderful Aunt Lois says,

"the measure of a friendship is how far you will travel to see someone for 5 minutes."

I paid $250.00 for an overnight trip to see all my brother's family and it was wonderful.

I really hope to do it again, I had a wonderful time.

So what does this have to do with winter?

I'm trying to find ways to get through it without suffering so badly.

An unplanned trip was wonderful.  

But I came back to winter.

I feel the surgery spot in my sinus every time I take a deep breath through my nose,

My back hurts and now pain shoots down the back of my leg,

So, I bought a new goose down "sweater" from Patagonia.

That felt better.

My right shoulder is trying to seize up on me like my left shoulder did two summers ago, it hurts constantly but I must keep moving it or it will freeze up.

I play the piano and read instead of doing housework.

That feels better too.

My headache has been very bad this last week.  One 7th grade student asked me in class if I was 

all right because I had that "1000 yard stare" going on.

I showed a video in every class last Friday - that really helped

And, I sleep a whole lot more but

I can't get enough sleep at night because I wake up so often.

I just want to eat sweets and sit by an open oven door with the heat up to 400 degrees.

My right knee hurts, my skin is very dry and itchy. 

my feet hurt, especially where my bunion is coming back, 

I miss high heeled shoes.

I downloaded two new books onto my Nook, but I think I also need a new album from itunes - 

the NEW Bruce Springsteen will be out soon!  Will that help ??

I miss having a salad for dinner for a whole week and always losing 5 pounds.

Oh skip it, that is depressing even in summer!

It is the doldrums of winter, I can't stand it any longer.

Do not remind me that February is still to come and oh yeah, don't remind me that February is 

A DAY LONGER THIS YEAR!

it is so cold outside I hate to go out to play with the dog because I come back in and

have to put my hands in lukewarm water to get them back to a color other than white or blue.

I just want to sit in a chair without a blanket around my legs.

Did I mention I hate winter.

I just don't feel well in winter, it lasts too long. 

I think I'll go to bed.

Plug for a great little Restaurant in Syracuse, Utah - Cafe Limon

Last month my 2 nieces from two different of my sibs, and I went

to dinner at a little Peruvian restaurant.

Please, if you happen to be heading north out of Salt Lake through Layton area, perhaps going to Antelope Island 

(there is a whole other blog waiting to happen about Antelope Island somewhere inside of me)

then plan to stop at

it is owned by Ron and Amparo Alam

   located:  

973 West 1700 South Syracuse, Utah 84075 

  www.cafelimonrestaurant.com   

801-825-0219

The food is spectacular!  But don't fill up too full because the desserts are spectacular also!  

The flan was so thick and smooth and rich, I could have rolled in it and been in heaven.  

The rice pudding was 10x better than my Mother's

and I thought nothing could top Mom's - again way creamier and richer!

Look at their website - she has AWARD winning chicken from the food network!  That is what I ordered and I ATE the WHOLE entire thing MYSELF!

Just take the exit for Antelope Island -

head west to the city of Syracuse and then look for the address of 973 West.  It is at the west end of a little strip mall right there on 1700 South.

________________________________________________________________

Misc:

Just in the effort to be totally up front and honest with whatever readers there are -

I haven't yet started any new years resolutions! 

I don't want to get to eager and start before I am really ready.  

I'm flying off Saturday, Jan. 14th to Portland to see my oldest brother, his wife, my niece and her hubby
and their new baby Parker! 

I will return late on Sunday the 15th to rest up on the holiday on Monday and that is when I will start
in earnest on my new habits, along with starting 3rd term at school. 

All I want is 10lbs a term - is that asking too much? 

Maybe a little exercise thrown in there for good measure?

  (Do you know how much easier it is to read a Nook book when exercising?  

You don't have to hold the pages open!  Bingo! 

January and the first snow - which will stick longer; new resolutions or the snow

Ok, so I haven't done too well so far this year in the resolution department. 

But I am starting a contest at work.  

We borrowed the name of "Biggest Loser".   

I have to be down at least 20 lbs for my final appointment this summer with my brain/eye doctor. 

I can't go to the appointment like a 7th grader who procrastinated doing a term project!

  -just sitting there looking at my doctor trying for excuses as to why I can't seem to do the one thing that has shown to possibly get rid of the pressure in my head. 

It is like looking at a table covered with money that I am free to go pick up, instead I just sit there complaining;

"but it's all green and wrinkled! and can't you bring it to me?" 

How do you spell that sound that babies make?  Wa Wa or something?

But on a better note:

Did I ever rant on how much I hate wasting time on useless, poorly written books! 

My reading time is precious to me. 

Very precious. 

And I just spent an entire Saturday on a bad teen's book called Incarceron.

  I will not be reading the sequel.  

I spent money on these paperbacks.  

Money can be replaced, but MY TIME!  Please. 

I should have taken your comment on this book to heart Amy, but I had already spent the money! 

This is why, I think, that I don't write books.  I would be a crappy writer and people would say "what was the point" and "can't you describe any better than that", and "your characters were flat" and on and on... 

So to not prolong this point to a nauseating length,

I will just say good-bye for today and not ruin any more of any of my reader's time! let's all go back to reading a great book!