Archive for May, 2008
overheard on the soccer field
Tuesday, May 20th, 20087 year-olds saying goodnight:
“Caio!
…peace out.”
more chess
Monday, May 19th, 2008Poul is a grown-up. When I play chess with Poul, I really try to win. It’s tough to accept when he’s cornered my king and shakes my hand and says “good game”. I smile graciously, always the elegant loser, but inside I want to send my stealth weapons to bomb his backyard or stick out a foot and make him trip (not really, but you know).
When I play with Rada, however, its hard to take it very seriously. She jumps up and down when her favorite piece gets to move. She makes a face when I take her piece or growls when I do something she doesn’t want. And she has her king and queen play lovey-dovey while waiting their turn. Rada likes to win, but mostly chess is a just a way to pass the afternoon.
Though we appear all relaxed and easy going on the outside, Poul and I are deadly earnest, each in it to win. But Rada plays it as something to do: a diversion.
Fridge graffiti
Thursday, May 15th, 2008On the way to work
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008After dropping my daughter at school, I headed to work on my bike. As I cycled down the main road just past my house, I almost collided with another cyclist who had come out of a side street on the wrong side.
Furious, I considered the lunacy of people who ride the wrong way in that treacherous gutter between the cars and the sidewalk. I prepared to lash out at him with some terse words about: “making the streets unsafe for everybody” and worse: “drive on the right side of the street you jerk!”
And then I noticed him. I saw who he was.
With stained pants, teetering on a rickety bike, he was holding a huge plastic bag so packed full that it dwarfed him. It had the bulk and mass of what must have been 50 empty soda bottles. And then I noticed his swarthy face, and calm vigilant eyes, and saw that it was trash day and he was obviously bringing in a haul of soda cans for reimburse.
In that moment I realized he probably didn’t speak English, and that he could very well be getting cash for food for his family. And that he was, in whatever way he could, making a living.
In that split second, I decided to keep my sharp and righteous words to myself, swerved to avoid hitting him and continued on my way.






