…myself. That can be good, such as in not having to rush into the office for someone else’s time clock. That can be unnerving, too, when I am the one who has to do it all-marketing, making management decisions, spending the company’s money, and deciding which vendors to use. Overall, I cherich being able to do this; I cherish living in this country, where we have the freedom to dream and excerise our minds and monies to do something one has never done before. No one in my family runs his own business. I love serving as the role model for my daughters, who are in their 20s and starting to see that ole Mom is able to do quite a bit!

ChefZee, Please add me to your list: starkids2@hotmail.com….please! JBoylynn

Believe it or not, I also tried my hand at being a paralegal in California for about four years after I returned to America after teaching English as A Second Language in Japan (Now, THAT was fun, as in “Book Material” fun.) I did not care for that as much as teaching. The attorneys seemed not to respect what we collectively accomplish, but only wanted me to complete an assignment for them, i.e., processing court documents. Yes, and I am absolutely enthralled by the comments submitted here today. I can fantasize how wonderful to would be to hold a soiree somewhere and meet all these fabulous contributors! Wouldn’t that be a blast! Hey, here is another wild thought… how about the educators amongst us putting together some kind of manual of sorts for the incoming President to consider for the new Education Secretary? With all our experience compiled, it would certainly be worth considering….we all know No Child Left Behind is not worth any more of our nation’s time or money.

So that’s it!! It is just a NATURAL that you should have been a teacher. It suits you. From today’s entry and others you have contributed, I envy your students. I can easily imagine that from time to time you encounter one of them, and when you do, they regale you with the “I remember whens”. I too served as a teacher, and for me, it WAS fun, and a job at the same time!! Work, certainly, but fulfilling for the most part. Teaching has changed a great deal since I began in the 70s. Unfortunately children cannot be children anymore, and their parents do not seem to know how to parent. Today I own and operate my own tutoring company, still believing in the ability of children to rise to challenges when they are presented in a loving and patient way. Very few students leave my classes unsuccessful—most, infact rise at least one grade level in about four to six months! I am always very proud of them and rejoice with them. Faith in them and their willingness to work hard makes it rather easy to come to the office each day. I still find education very satisfying.

More realistically, I enjoy using my Prius for transportation around my city. I live about forty-five minurtes from my place of work, so I can’t walk. I admire the intelligence of the Japanese in manufaturing the Prius. It is probably the best car made to date. I find it entertaining, and always try to better my mileage from one week to the next. At present I am at 49.3 miles to one gallon of gas. Nice. BTW, do any of you think we COULD possibly create a fast, reliable, and clean national railroad, or is this country just too big?

Christina, Fantastic! I wish I could catch that site, so as to print it in a more “print friendly format.” (It is a little long here.) ….Tell me why that sounds a little fishy?? I guess I am going to find myself in a line suddenly, in a queue for enrolling in a computer class…Lily, are you out there? :)

I know this is likely subverting the question, partly because it could be conceived to fall under “public transportation”. but my absolute favorite mode of transportation is the bullet train in Japan. It is so much better than the daily commuter trains I commented on the other day, and much, much faster! It gets a rider from Tokyo to Kyoto in a very short time, in an elegant style. I surely wish this country had the equivalent, but I realize they did it with public tax money, and this country could probably not afford it. Other than the bullet train, I enjoy walking.

Oh, fun! Frank, May I cut in on the dance here? I’d love to not only dance down the hall, but across these rooms. I add my adulation to you— a fine, wise, sensible, and loving man. Thank you for contributing to our pages. You’ve made it something I HAVE to do when I first come into the office in a day—-check what is on WOW, and “Has Frank had anything to say on that?” Continue on in great health, Frank!

“None, thank God” is my feeling on this, as well. I usually feel sorry for those getting married, thinking they (usually) have no idea what they are getting into. Most young ones getting married haven’t realized the sacrifice and selfabnegation marriage entails. I don’t go to many weddings because I am not invited, and don’t really think I am missing much.

Wishing you blessings on the surgery. I too have lived with hearing loss, since I was five, and know how hard it is to live like this—-always missing out on jokes, until someone kind enough explains why everyone else was laughing; learning to read lips so that no one can tell you can’t hear; and having to sit in the front at every forum or talk, so you (hopefully) won’t miss something important. I know this was not exactly answering the original question, but here we are talking about beneficial and necesary surgery. Hope your pain is minimal and the joy of renewed hearing is a joy for you. (You may find out just how LOUD the world is again!)

I so agree with Cavalli: so many of the images of women today in many places show much too much. Where did our sense of modesty go? Why is Sex and the City such a big thing? What I have seen of it, it may be what launched the trend of show too much, then the music world added to that, and now young girls and young women (under 30) think it is ok to show all. Why the cleavage? Why show us the midrift? A woman’s sexiest item is her eyes. What she thinks, and thus does, is what makes her sexy! Maybe it is up to us “olders” to call an end to the vulgar clothing styles, and show class and taste in what we wear. Happily, it seems to be getting better! Tell me I’m wrong!

Carol, I’m sorry, but your question made me laugh. I have lived in Japan for three years and I know that what happens at the next station the people on the outside of the car literally fall out of the train at the next stop. They, hopefully, wanted to get out there. If not, they try again to get back in. The people on the inner portions of the train are, by design, intending to go further along on the line. Mind you, too, this is not every train, every day. Did you notice the color of the train? This is the Chuo line, in Tokyo, if I remember correctly, and it is well known for its crowded lines, especially at rush hours. Most people try to scatter arrival times at work, so as to avoid the shoved crowds. But if you DO have to make that trip on a particular day, you just know that everyone is uncomfortable, and you bear it. (And it DOES hurt. One time I made the mistake of trying to support or defned myself against the leering men coming what I thought was a little too close. I tried to get next to the door, and ended up with a very sore wrist, because it was shoved up against the opposite door very forcefully. I kept hoping it wouldn’t break, and luckily got off at a near station. I did love living in Japan, though. I generally would make my way around Tokyo quite easily, and enjoyed the challenges of life there. I found the people wonderful and generous. I would go back to live in a heartbeat if 1) I could find an apartment, 2) could be sure of a job, and 3) my husband could acclimate to life there. We were back last summer, and to my delight, the language came back after thirty years being gone, but my husband would not even try speak the easiest Japanese. I would not want to be married to a hena Gaigin (Wierd foreignor). Thanks for the stirring of wonderful memories.

Frank, Please, don’t be so condesending! How can you presume to know what “many here” look like? Are you speaking of your city in particular? You really should not speak so poorly of your sisters! Be careful.

Good for you!! Keep it up! Not only will you show the young one you are the parent, but you will also teach those around you (suffering through the tantrum they did not really want to experience) that the parent is in control, can be, and should be. Too many of today’s younger parents somwhow need to learn this.

As someone has said before me, sorry, but I have not watched the show, so cannot imagine which I would be like. I don’t even care for the name of this program! Was it meant to be inviting or enticing?