Shalom

Me: Hey Rae, can you do something for me?
Rae: Sure
Me: Well, today is a Czech and Slovak holiday…
Rae: Do you need me to hit Lubka with a stick?
Me: No, but I am so glad you asked that! You can if you want to. It is Three Kings Day; it is the day when the wise men came to bring gifts to Jesus. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the wise men come by and write their initials in chalk above the doorway. Could you write in chalk or with paper " K + M + B" above your doorway?
Rae: Yeah, no problem. Is there anything else I should do?
Me: No, I don’t think so. Most of the time people dress up like the wise men and put the initials above the doorway, but you don’t need to do that.
Rae: Is there anything I should say, like ‘Shalom’?
Me: Yeah! Say ‘Shalom’ and then hit her with a stick!

Seven pages

Seven pages. Full pages. Back and front college ruled. This was my written essay that I had to orchestrate from three questions in two and a half hours. What do I have to show for knowledge obtained in my first month of graduate school for my Research Methods class? Seven pages. Full pages. Back and front college ruled. And with small print. Well, the first three pages were small print. Pages four and five had more cursive and short hand, but are, for the most part, neat print. Page six was when I realized I had twenty minutes to do the last essay. Page seven is the same handwriting I would use to write in my journal after a long day when, out of obligation, I would record basic information and then close my eyes to enter into my dream. Seven pages. Full pages. Back and front college ruled. The last paragraph on page seven started with the word ‘whith’. It was then crossed out, then written again, the same way, ‘whith’. I remember crossing out the second failed attempt. I started a new line and exhaled while slowing, concentrating and spelling out W-I-T-H. I wrote out a few more sentences that hopefully paraphrased my last page and a half of writing. Finally. I have finished. Seven pages. Full pages. Back and front college ruled.

Lavender and Lemon

If we are ever out together, and you notice that I smell nice and ask me what I am wearing, I will probably lie to you and tell you it is a new shampoo or body wash. What it will really be is Ajax dishsoap. This isn’t your normal orange Ajax that it is in every cafeteria around the world; not common dish soap for this girl! In fact it is called Lavender and Lemon and smells like a scene from Heidi.
I am going to buy some for myself…and my dishes.