Win Or Lose

 Sometimes I ponder what it is about the way Americans are socialized that makes us so self-destructive of our relationships. One of the things that occurs to me is the American preoccupation with winning and competition. On the one hand, being part of a team and winning is a heady experience. On the other hand, it really does foster an "us versus them" mentality, and it starts young in America.

Introspection

 I've been thinking about the other thing I miss about growing up on the great plains. It was the ability to be truly alone with your thoughts. I know that there are people who can't stand the idea of being alone with their thoughts, but I am not one of them. 

Star Date

I was brought up on a dairy farm, getting up at dawn to go and milk the cows. My foster father believed that classical music made the cows give more milk, and so we listened to the only station that played classical music in our part of the Great Plains. Prairie Public Radio. The juxtaposition of little kids milking cows to a chamber orchestra isn't lost on me. 

Mannenwerk

 Here in the Netherlands a lot of the work is still divided into vrouwenwerk and mannenwerk. Each has its inequalities for the people doing them and make them wish that the other gender knew how hard they really work.