a rugs life

There is a bell on the front door.

As it jingles, someone looks over their glasses from a desk in the back. You step inside politely, at once sensing the orderly chaos, the accumulation of paraphenalia, and the impression of a hey-day many years gone by.

Everywhere is stacked the detritius of the analog office. You see rolodex files, metal swivel chairs, and ball point pens. Am I visiting a well-preserved museum? No. This is the real thing. I relish its aura, breathing in the aroma of multiple carbon copies and white-out.

I’m in the presence of the great ancestor of Office Max: the pre-cursor to Staples. It is a small stationary store, a rare breed that is not quite extinct. It exists in a store-front sandwiched next to the oh-so-uber Middlesex Cafe and across the street from the bland body-sculpting palace.

In this store, I am transported to the 70’s. I want to get ribbon for my selectric typewriter. I want to pore over the weekly planners for 2007. Ah! here is one with a maroon cover and light pink pages which are separated by shiny crimson tabs.

I drool for a moment, salivating over the crisp unused pages and their fresh new beginnings.

Wistfully, I turn away.

I purchase my non-standard size envelopes and head back to my office with its state-of-the-art computer, its the palm pilot, its electronic annotation devices…

When Rada was 3 years old, I spent most of my free time on the playground. Rada craved fresh air, wide-open spaces, and the opportunity to play with other kids.

There were several parks we would frequent, and we got used to seeing familiar faces. Often, in the late afternoons, the children would be accompanied by their nannies or babysitters. The nannies would sit on the park benches chit-chatting while the children played. That is, all the nannies except one.

There was one young woman who tirelessly played wonderful, imaginative, games with her charges. Rada would often get interested in the games, and she’d be invited to join in. And I would find myself involved in the activity, too. I learned alot from observing how this nanny/babysitter involved the children in dramatic play and how she handled conflict between the kids.

I eventually met one of the parents who had hired this nanny and the mom could not say enough nice things about her. Since the family was preparing to move out of town, I decided, then and there, to find out if the nanny/babysitter was available for occasional evenings with my daughter.

She was. And the first time she came over, Rada jumped up and down with joy. “Rati!” she exclaimed. And from then until now, Rada and Rati have had their own special relationship which has endured over 3 years. I feel very lucky to have such a responsible and creative person looking after Rada.

Rati grew up in Nepal, and has not been home in 5 years. Today she has an appointment at INS to see if she qualifies for a green card. With a green card, she can enter and leave the country with confidence that her papers will not be questioned.

No matter how you feel about immigration, rest assured that this young person is everything that you want to see in this country. If you can send some good thoughts her way at about 1:30 this afternoon, I know she would appreciate it. And I would, too

Good luck, Rati.

…I can’t stop listening to it.

Its here (code monkey dance) and here.

My daughter was diagnosed with strep throat yesterday. I took her home and started a course of anti-biotics.

At one point in the afternoon she decided that she really really wanted to go play in the playground. I was surprised to see so much energy in a sick child but was willing to go out for a little while.

However, I needed a short rest. So I lay down for a few moments to renew my energy. My daughter was impatient. She wanted to go to the playground ‘right now’. She did not want to wait for 10 or 15 minutes of rest.

She sat on my bed complaining and whining for a while. Then she lay her head on my side, and was quiet. I lay there, relishing the silence, happy that she’d finally calmed down. A minute later I looked over and she was fast asleep. She slept almost 2 hours.

When she awoke it was dark and she was groggy. She ate some dinner, watched a video, and went back to bed.

I spent a delightful Thanksgiving in Illlinois with my sister and her family.

The weather was lovely with sunny days in the mid-fifties. We walked alot and went to playgrounds. We visited a real live prairie and participated in a uniquie Illini custom called the ‘turkey trot’. Isabel showed saintly patience towards the 6 year-old that shadowed her every move and Dede made chicken meatballs that were phenomenal.

Here are Rada and Isabel having fun on Isabel’s trampoline.

Isabel and I working hard playing music.

Rada and Dede got in lots of hugs.

And Oscar took the wonderful photos.