Do you support safety, education, and a good economy?

I am on the list of the Republican National Party because of my relationship with the OU College Republicans. I receive mailings pretty frequently asking for donations and encouraging me to be a good Republican. I will clarify my political affiliation:

I have Republican printed on my voter's registration card. In the state of Oklahoma, our primaries are closed. So, if you want to vote in the primaries, you have to vote for a particular party. Rarely in Oklahoma does anyone run outside of the two major parties. So, am I a Republican or a Democrat? Well, I think the lottery is stupid. I support more fiscal responsibility and less government involvement in individual's lives, and I believe that the Republicans are more that way than the Democrats. In Oklahoma, Republicans have been very smart in working to protect the rights of Home Schoolers, while Democrats are still trying to understand why anyone wouldn't want to give more money to Public Schools. I've volunteered for the Republican Party in many elections, even if the candidate does not perfectly match my views because I like volunteering. As long as I keep my views about homosexuality, the war on terrorism, Republicans' actual record of fiscal responsibility, and the No Child Left Behind act to myself, I'm good to go. I think Democrats are just as flawed in their positions on the above issues (save, maybe, for gay marriage), but then I disagree with them on Abortion, on Iraq, on taxes, and many other things. Without a doubt, this is a "lesser of two evils" situation, but I'm not even sure I'd call it evils. I believe that both sides are guinuinely interested in protecting the American way of life, but have different ways of policy-making on how to do so.

Anyway, I received a "Republican Party Census" with 18 questions about major political issues. Of course, on must fill out the form and return it with your donation or with $11 "to cover the cost of tabulating" the survey. Well, I start to read some of the questions, and I begin laughing. Are people really paying $11 to let the Republican party know their opinions on these "issues"?

Do you support President Bush's initiatives to promote the safety and security of all Americans? Yes or No or Undecided. You've got to be kidding me. No, I only like initiatives that promote the saftety and security of some Americans. Or, heck, let's eliminate safety and security altogether. How about a real question like "Do you support the PATRIOT Act?" or "Do you support the right of the U.S. Government to indefinitely detain and/or to torture prisoners who are believed to be terrorists or associated with terrorists?"

Do you continue to support increasing the amount of security at airports, train stations and all government buildings including monuments and museums? Yes or No or Undecided. Damn it, do they not understand that some people just like that terrorists have easy access to killing large numbers of people all at once? I mean, seriously, who is really going to say "No" to this question unless that have some concept of what kind of increased security we're talking about here. Even then, you'd have to come up with a really stupid suggestion to make this sound like a bad idea.

Do you support President Bush's pro-growth policies to create more jobs and improve the economy? Yes or No or Undecided. lol! No! If we don't have poor people and unemployment, what the hell else can we argue about? Improving the economy... who would think of such an absurd idea?

Do you think Congress should focus on cutting the federal budget deficit by reducing wasteful government spending? What?!? The government has wasteful spending!?! My God, this changes everything!

Do you support President Bush's plan to make our schools more accountable to parents and restore local control of education? No, as we've seen with the CIA and Guantanamo Bay , accountability is a bad idea. I mean, the truth might come out and that's just not good for anyone. And, wait a second, the President of the federal government is going to give education back to local control? What, by federalizing a system of accountability? This is so much more confusing than I anticipated.

Should students, teachers, principals and administrators be held to higher standards? Higher standards? And then our children might actually be expected to learn something! Heavan forbid! They might go out and get jobs and improve the economy!

Do you agree that teaching our children to read and increasing literacy rates should be a national priority? Oh my God, I can almost not joke about this anymore... Is there a single person in the world that disagrees with the above statement?

Do you support President Bush's initiatives to allow private religious and charitable groups to do more to help those in need? No... Charitable groups should be kept from being charitable, or at least under some circumstances.

Do you support the President's effort to save Social Security for future generations? I thought we covered the economic security thing? I mean, if old people aren't dieing because they can't afford to buy food, then really, what else can fill in the gap on slow news days? And wasteful spending, too! There's nothing like knowing that all those taxes we paid for so many years could just waste away to nothing.

Do you think U.S. troops should have to serve under United Nations' commanders? I'm not entirely sure I understand this question: Do you mean that in times where the UN and the U.S. are working militarily in the same area that under no circumstances should an American soldier serve under a UN commander? That the US will make it a policy to never have cooperation with this international organization militarily because we make it policy to never have our troops under UN commanders? Or that every U.S. troop should be obligated to follow the orders primarily of the UN commanders? That UN military policy dictates U.S. military policy? There is no "Yes" or "No" answer to this question, but I am definitely not "undecided" about my opinion on this issue.

Should the U.S. continue work on building a defense shield against nuclear missile attack? No! I like waking up every day and thinking, "Ah, today could be the day the world comes to an end." I mean, it takes away the suspense. Seriously, though, apparently this is a trickier issue than we thought. I had someone tell me we were under a treaty that disallows any nation to build a nuclear defense shield. The idea is that no single nation should have a defense against nuclear weapons over other nations. I just don't get it... The idea is that nuclear weapons are bad, right? If we build a nuclear defense shield, then we are removing the affectivity of nuclear weapons, right? So, wouldn't be a better deal to say, "If you make one, you have to share it." Then, rather than simply disarming with an uncertainty whether or not there is another nuclear missile floating around somewhere, we would have a defense system that could protect any population on earth from the possibility of a nuclear missile attack.

But, like I said, it removes the suspense. ::rolls eyes::

Final question:

Do you support the election of Republican candidates across the country and rebuilding our majorities over the next ten years? After questions like these? Oh, geez, it's a good thing I'm moving to France.

Beth

Recently I've been having a bout of reminiscence. You see it's been playing out in all sorts of peculiar ways such as my last post. Last week I drove to my parents' house by going down Morgan Road to Wilsure to Piedmont Road to Cornwell. There is never anyone on Morgan and on Wilsure at 12:30 a.m. So many times I'd return down that road from OKC to Yukon and collect my thoughts. Such places become holy to an individual because they represent so many ideas that you developed in your life. Driving is a place to think and, therefore, where you drive is where you think.

"Well, one time Beth and I," my mother would always begin and then start giggling. She'd laugh for another five minutes before she could finally get the story out. Beth was my mother's childhood friend. Neither of them were highly responsible in their youth and so the stories they created are legendary. The most famous is the hitchhiking story. I think my mom said they were fifteen when they decided to go from Denver, Colorado to Amarillo, Texas. So, like any reckless pair of youth, they decided to hitchhike there. From seeing the severed thumb of a truck driver to spending a period of time in jail, the story carries a mythic quality to it. Nobody really does that, do they?

Apparently they do.

It's been over a decade since I last saw Beth. She never really seemed like a real person to me because her presence in my life was only brought through my mother's stories. She was in Norman tonight and my family met up with her. It was bizarre sitting there and realizing that she looked like an average human being. I could have seen her at Wal-mart and I would have never known the difference. But in my mind Beth represented courage, recklessness, adventure, mischievousness, laughter mixed in with a little stupidity. She wasn't a person, she was a lifestyle that for so long I had never engaged in.

Before we left to meet up with them tonight, my mom said, "Watch her. This is what Cassidy will be like when she's 40." Cassidy, of course, is my hippie, free-spirited roommate who stands in stark contradiction to my more conservative and intellectual way of living. She has also been the sort of influence to encourage me to be a little more free-spirited. I watched Beth, and my mother was absolutely right. I watched my mom and Beth laugh about things they had done. I realized that that was what I wanted. I want to remember things about my life that make me laugh. I realized that I have been creating that with my friend Cassidy and other people I've begun knowing throughout college in much the same way my mother has done with Beth. The Beth ideal, which had for so long been incubating and festering in my realm of desire, has finally broke loose in my life. It's broken loose in a slightly more intelligent and responsible way, but nevertheless, it is very much here and in action on a day to day basis.

So, thank you, Beth, for the spirit that you bequeathed to my existence. It will always be remembered with smile.

Today is a Good Day.

I am going to post a warning here. Many of you have already found that there are things on this site that express parts of me that you do not enjoy. I understand that, but at the same time this is a place for me to express myself in a way I do not feel I can in person. These postings liberate my mind. Somehow sharing my thoughts, even the ones I sometimes am nervous to share, gives me a sense of peace. In the following paragraphs I am going to outline some of my sexual experiences and substance experiences. If you are going to be offended, don't read on.

I know you are going to anyway, so when you do, don't be upset that it is what I told you it was going to be.

In the Fall of 2004, I attend OU for the first time. I took Botany that semester, and the seating was set so that everyone would have the same lab partners every class. I was assigned to a wonderful person, a very attractive young man from Maryland. He was shy, but so was I, and I was almost instantaneously attracted to him. I had been determined for a long time that I was not going to date as a means of finding my husband. However, I moved away from that position when I was in Missouri. There was a young man at College of the Ozarks who I was also attracted to, but he made his move the day before I was returning the Oklahoma. So, I had never been on a date, and I was extremely inexperience on how to get a boy to ask me out. Here I am in Botany every day wishing that he would talk to me, wondering why it was that I was unsuccessful in my endeavor. I finished my class, gave my lab partner my phone number and said, "We should hang out sometime next semester." He replied that that sounded great and he'd give me a call. I never heard from him.

I began hanging out with my brother and some of his friends that next semester. They were everything that I promised myself I would never get involved with during high school. These people were sexually active, physically involved with each other, drinkers, smokers, etc. But something had changed in my life and I began to believe that experience was not a sin if I did not do it for the wrong reasons. I did not think that all of my brother's friends were making their choices for such careful though processes as I was, but there were a way of finding the experiences that I wanted to have. I went to a few of there parties and it was from my select social experiences in early 2005 that lead me to have my first party at my apartment.

It was the night of March 5th that we held my party. My friends brought great music, lots of alcohol, and a determination to remove the stick I had up my ass for a little too long. I drank a lot that night. It was the first time I was ever drunk. My friend brought a Hookah to my apartment, which I had smoked once before. It was the first thing I had ever smoked. I had my first cigarette and cigar that night. I flirted and flirted some more and by the end of the evening, one guy asked me out. I was getting somewhere. I was so happy in my success of widening my realm of social experience.

It was the following Monday that I was waiting in line for pizza that I met my first boyfriend. There is something about success with one guy that leads to sexual confidence that exudes and creates sexual success with a lot of people. I flirted and set up what would become my first date.

It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. We talked about books, movies, personal histories, and so one. We kept dating from walking dogs to playing racquetball, and I did everything in my power to hide my inexperience. I am not sure to what point this young man knew how inexperienced I was, but if he knew, he did not speak of it much.

Then it happened, the next major step, the first kiss. I have to say it was not lightening or fireworks. He was a little drunk and we had been talking on his bed when he said, "I want to do this before my buzz wears off." Then he kissed me. It turned into a rather long make out session, in which the entire time I was completely terrified. I had no idea what was going on, and I don't remember it that pleasantly. But, I remember thinking, "Hm, I could see how this could be fun if I developed some skill at it." So I did. I made out with him again a few days later. Shirts came off the next time and then I asked him if he would consider becoming exclusive with me. He agreed and I enjoyed practicing with him as frequently as possible, and I a found as time went on that I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

What I did not realize was the degree to which I attached myself to him. After a month of being with my first boyfriend, he broke up with me. I was stunned. I did not understand why it was that he had been interested in me and then he was suddenly not interested in me. I was devastated. I tortured myself thinking about it for the next couple of weeks. I got blackout drunk for the first time the weekend after we broke up. I was so sick that I sat in my French class the following day while the room spun around me incessantly. I returned home and crashed on the floor without moving for hours. The girl who is now my roommate was there at the time and she found it funny. That weekend was without a doubt the darkest in my life. Not only was I frustrated by my circumstances, but I allowed my circumstances to manipulate my ability to make good decisions. I have never done that since.

After the breakup, my first though was, "Well, dating sucks ass, I'm never doing that again," but that was short lived. Something had changed that could not be undone. I had not had sex, but I had certainly gone quite far sexually. It leaves an imprint on you, and, well, damn it, one will certainly want more after a time. I kissed a few guys here and there, and then it happened. I made out with a friend of mine one night while we were both pretty drunk. He thought we were going to go much farther than I thought we were going to go. However, I remembered the "next morning feeling" from my blackout night, and I was not going to make the same mistake twice. I stopped myself, and therefore him as well, and called it a night. I am pretty certain that he was unhappy about this, but it was not his right to have me if I did not want to give it.

My memory of this time frame is somewhat muddled. First off, let me state that I began partying since the party I first held. I would meet up with friends, drink a little and hang out. Now that I worked with people my own age, I would hang out and get drunk pretty frequently. I smoked cigarettes and cigars often then and had no qualms any longer about kissing people for the hell of it. I know I made out more innocently with several other guys after then. I also kissed a couple of girls, not to discover any sexual capacity within me, but because girls’ lips are not that different from guys, and hey, it's fun!

At some point, I began to believe that dating was a good idea again and started going out with some different men. I went out with several very amiable guys, but it was my co-worker that would sweep me off my feet. It all began with the question, "Do you like swinging?"

I wrote first dating Andey in the post "a couple of nights". Dating Andey was wonderful. I do not think he'll ever know that our relationship was one of the best things that ever happened to me for romance. It started off slowly, because I did not think it would go anywhere. He was a liberal, a Mormon, bicycle riding, hippyish sort of a guy without a lot of clear ambition in his life. He was focused on his mission for his church, but not really about a future career or intellectual achievements like I was. This is the last person in the world that I would ever consider having a long term relationship with. But he could date. And he was amazing at it.

He asked me out by walking up to me at one point and saying, "Do you like swinging?" I had no idea what that question entailed. It could mean a lot of things, but he meant it quite simply as going to a park and swinging. I agreed, and then I stood him up. I don't think I ever told him that I stood him up so I could smoke with my friends. Regardless, he was persistent and I entertained his persistence until we went out the first time.

He picked me up from my apartment with a new plan: He was going to take me to downtown Norman and we'd walk from building to building climbing the ladders to the roofs. I took my camera with me and we talked while I took pictures. Then we saw there was a Harvest moon and so we parked in the parking lot of the Norman Transcript and talked late into the night. It was so much fun! The next time we went out, he took me to Lake Thunderbird where we set off waterproof fireworks in the lake. Every time I was with him, we’d do something unique and exciting, and there was nothing physical about it. Finally, I realized our relationship was going to become something different when one night he told me how much he thought I was amazing and that he knew I was seeing other people, but that he just appreciated the time that he had with me. Andey had a way with words that made me feel as if I were the only thing he cared about in the world. Here’s some concept of what he would say to me. He posted this on his blog about me before we became official, before we had even been dating for some time:

“Hilarious, Sensitive, Adventurous. She knows I have a blog now, but she doesn't know where, So I'm going to post with continuing impunity. This woman is amazing. She's smart, confident, smart, fun, adventurous, smart, joyful, and gorgeous. I deserve someone like this, I really do. She probably deserves someone way better. I mean I'm a very strange mess.

I'm definetly taken back by her, you can tell you're taken back by a woman when the idea of her smiling or speaking seems like a glorious tribute to beauty and all poetry. The funny thing is, I don't feel exclusive. I'm spending time with someone I like a whole lot, but I don't see us going anywhere, and for the first time ever I prefer it that way. It's just a lot of fun without fear....”

I loved that feeling. And I agreed on the point on non-exclusivity and the notion that it wasn’t going anywhere, but it was great! It was poetry and adventure and romance and great kissing and everything else you want with a romantic partner.

I enjoyed it while I could, but eventually those differences that made a long term relationship impossible became illuminated each day we were together. Among many other things, his commitment to his religion, which is nothing to be ashamed of, limited our physical relationship. I became frustrated by this and longed to be with someone different. At first I thought I could just ignore it. But he would never go out with me when I continued my Norman social activities. Being drunk and unable to be with the guy you are dating is a dangerous thing. When I briefly made out with someone else while I was still with Andey, I knew it had to end. He deserved someone who treasured his lifestyle and the choices he made. I could not give that to him.

We broke up, rather gently, and that was the end of it. I have hardly spoke to him since, but his memory has shaped my romantic experience since then. How could it not? Any time someone says, “Hey, so do you want to, like, hang out some time or something?” my initial thought is, “It’s not ‘Do you like swinging?’” Since Andey, I have sort of seen this one person on and off. My relationship with this person, however, has been extremely limited by the fact that his style of dating does not have the same romance, passion, and excitement that I became so adjusted to.

Regardless of my success in finding a boyfriend, I have adopted this new strategy of finding an occasional make out partner. This is something that is still in the experimental stages, but it’s not doing too badly for me. The first person I made out with after Andey, absolutely no one in the world except for him knows about it. (Well, this guy may have told his current girlfriend.) I had to hang out with my friends the next day, and they did not even notice that I wore a scarf around my neck the whole day. I had a hickey and I did not want anyone to know lest they guess who it was. It was the farthest I had ever been with anyone before. We did not have sex, although it was certainly an option, and we did about everything else except for sex. It was strange, though, and I wouldn’t want to be in that same situation again. But it is done and I certainly gained a great deal of experience from it.

Since then, it seemed my romantic life had come to a stand still. I just sort of accepted that I was not going to date before I went to Italy and France. I am now working both Friday and Saturday nights and that has significantly affected my ability to hook up with anyone.

And then the strangest thing happened. I went to an event at OU about American culture and religion when one of my classmates came around to sit with me. As he approached me, I saw his friend; it was my Botany lab partner. Almost immediately, I thought, “You know, I wonder what would happen now that I have gotten some grip on this whole dating thing?” As it happens, he apparently regretted having never called me and wanted to date me now. How convenient. As soon as I agreed, though, he said something I did not expect, “I am not very experienced with dating.”

It’s almost comical, I think, the way this has worked out. I started dating because I believed (and still do believe) that I was not enjoying all the pleasurable experiences available to a person making rational and correct decisions in there life. I no longer believe that physical relations outside of marriage are sinful and they are fun to have, so I have them. My lab partner was one of the relationships I thought I had missed out on because of my inexperience at reeling men in, but as it turns out he was just as inexperienced as me. I had been attracted to him at the time when I was inexperienced, but now that I am experienced and he is not, I am no longer attracted to him. We dated a few times the last couple of weeks, and it was fun on some level. But I had to explain everything to him! He did not know what questions to ask to get to know me that would not imply that he was thinking about marriage. He did not know when was the right time to kiss me. He did not know that a couple of dates and some very basic physical contact such as holding hands and laying side by side does not mean that you are boyfriend and girlfriend. He dropped me off at my apartment while I was drunk and clearly eager to make out with anyone in sight without even walking me to my door. I wonder if he’ll ever know that after he dropped me off, I spent the next few hours flirting with one of my other friends in person, and two other friends over the phone!

A couple of nights back I ended up messing around with another one of my friends and it was a blast. At the end, I asked him, “Any complaints or suggestions?” I know this sounds like a horrible thing, but I usually ask because these are my friends and they always have constructive criticisms that make me better at what I do such as, “Don’t open your mouth so wide” or “Be louder” and so on and so forth. This time, though, my friend replied, “Hell no.” I was so proud.

On the note of thoughts after my activity with this person, things are very much in the air. It was so enjoyable that I want to do it again. At the same time, going back might suggest the beginning of a relationship and I am not certain that I want to begin a relationship with him.

I received an e-mail from my Botany lab partner. I broke the news to him a few days ago that things are not going to work out between us. I told him it was because we have a lack of common interests, which is true. I do not think that we share enough in common outside of just thinking that dating each other would be fun to justify me taking the time to teach him the ropes about relationships. He thinks he’s done something to offend me. He wants to know why things ended so quickly, and I don’t know what to tell him. Truth is that when I look at him I see the same person I was last year. I was eager to break with my rather sober activities, but I was a little late getting started as compared to my peers. It is definitely difficult breaking into the game, but if one is a quick learner, you can pull it off. I think I am going to tell him that it’s not going to work because he’s too inexperienced, but that he should keep at it. Learn from what I’ve told him so far and keep at it; it’s worth it! At the same time, I don’t want to make him feel that he is ill qualified to recommend himself to girls because he failed with me. I’m still trying to figure out what I am going to do and it is not easy.

So, why am I writing this? Because it’s March of 2006 and I can’t help thinking about March 2005 and everything that has happened since then. I have started dating, started smoking, start partying, started making out, started drinking, and so on. Somehow I am trying to process who I’ve become. This is a tribute to my victories and a study of my failures. It is a recognition of the things that I have learned and of the fact that there are still so many things to learn. Every once and a while, people need to take a step back from their lives and realize what is going on. If it’s not what they want it to be, then they should change their actions. If it is what they want it to be, then they should definitely pause before changing their actions.

So, I’ve taken my step back and let’s just say I think my actions are working quite well for me.

Hm, but that’s just with romance and sociability.

Now I need to think about politics, religion, school, and much more.

Those are other days.

Shades of Purple, Blue, and Green.

I went to the doctor today. I hate going to the doctor, but there are a few occassions that I find this task useful. Well, I went hiking in the Wichita Mountains this last Monday. I was over-ambitious with my rock hopping, and I hurt my ankle. My first thought was, "Blast, I'm not going to be able to hike anymore today with a twisted ankle." Well, that didn't happen. I wanted to watch the sunset from Mount Scott from a lovely position, so I hiked down a little ways. It hurt, but it was worth it as you can see.



However, this was Sunday. Today is Thursday. When I examined my ankle this morning, you should have seen it. Yesterday it was so swollen that I couldn't fit into my shoes. (Hence I called a doctor.) This morning, much of the swelling had gone down to be replace by horrible bruising all over my foot. You can see in the picture below the line of bruising where the tear is most apparent. What is difficult to see is that there is bruising up above the ankle, running down my ankle and then on top of my foot. Naturally, of course, it's still swollen to about twice the size of my other ankle. But, nothing is broken! I have yet to have a broken bone, and I do not intend to have one at any point in my life. Just a very serious sprain. The doctor issued me a rather medival looking ankle brace that I must wear for the next two weeks and then I must wear it any time I do any other intense physical activity for the next year!



In the past week, I have been accepted both to the study abroad program in Italy for the summer and then France for the next year. So, there you will see me, trapsing about Italy and France with my ankle wrapped up in some hideous black contraption. I should make up a story about why I have to wear it so I might make something useful out of my misfortune. Perhaps I'll say these ankle things are all the rage in the U.S. ::sighs::

Well, nothing says Spring Break like the lack of rapid mobility.

"Where Do Black People Go?"

I now work at a bar, which is a really interesting thing. It has brought me experience that I could not have obtained any other way. Last night, a couple approached me and asked me if I knew Norman well. I replied that I did and then the woman asked me, "Where do black people go?" You know, there are some things you don't hear very often, so you don't know how to respond to it at first; this is one of those questions. Instantly, I became very aware that they were black and I was not. I stood there silent for a moment, and as I processed the question, I grew a little disgusted by it. I stumbled over my words trying to communicate that we don't have segregated bars in Oklahoma. The woman responded, "Oh, so everyone sort of goes to the same places?" I nodded my head and she asked me, "Okay, so where do cool people go?" I made a recommendation and wished them a good night. However, this morning I was thinking about it and it really bothered me.

The thing was they just wanted to go to a cool bar. The bar where I work is definitely a mellow, older environment. That's fine. When I go out, I don't go to Othello's either. Yet somehow, this woman decided to make race the primary source of her inquiry. Why? If she wanted to hang out at a cool bar, why not just ask where the cool bars are? I work hard every day to give her and her boyfriend respect. I chastise my friends because they will occassionally make a racially inappropriate comment. I get into arguments all the time explaining that just because one says that they are not racist does not mean that they do not act racist. What we have in America is a nation full of people who say they are not racist and yet they let racism breed in their hearts with little snide comments and trivial actions. And here I am staring this woman in the face who is doing exactly this thing that I have worked so hard to stop specifically for the benefit of the people of her race! Does she want me to cease my efforts? Does she want me to ignore the walls that society has built up between races? Does she to insist that there is a difference and I should always remember that?

Well, I do not care what she thinks. I know what is right and I will keep doing it.

A Curse on Reepicheep and his Kind.

So, I was originally sad that I had to kill a mouse a couple of weeks back, but then I killed a second one. Then there were more. And now I'm just pissed. Why my apartment? The only one(s) left are terribly clever and they keep eating the peanut butter off the trap before it snaps. Bastards. So now all I'm doing is fattening it (them) up. The apartment office offered me mouse poison, but I'm afraid of it finding a nice little hiding spot before it dies. Suddenly my roommate and I will think, "Hm, what's that smell?" Rotting mouse, that's what it'll be. No other choice but more peanut butter.

Any other suggestions?

The Shortest Pilot in the World

This semester I decided to volunteer for a program here called "Conversation Café." It's a program that helps English as a Second Language students learn English by spending time with normal English speaking students. Today was my first day, and I can't believe I didn't hook up with this program earlier. I was assigned three women to speak with, but none of them came. Instead, these two men by the name of Habib, one from Saudi Arabia and the other from United Arab Emirates, spoke with me for a while.

The man from Saudi Arabia told his friend that he should tell me a story. After some persuasion, Habib from UAE began telling his story. He said that when he was younger his father wanted him to become a doctor. However, Habib wanted to become a pilot. Everyone he knew said that he couldn't become a pilot because he was so short. Eventually his father gave him a large some of money and said, "Well, take this and study whatever you want." So, he went to study to be a pilot.

When he went to apply for his pilot's license, the man in charge said that he was not sure that he could let him have the license because he was so short. After some convincing, the man finally said, "Fine, I'll let you pursue this if you answer this one question. I'll give you one hour to answer: You are flying a plane and you see another plan flying towards you. There is no radio contact, what do you do?" So, Habib went home, prayed to God to give him the answer, and after 25 minutes he returned. He gave his answer and he was right.

Since then, he has traveled all over the world watching airshows. He's moved here with his wife to practice his English. However, I wondered silently how difficult it was for him, of Arab descent, to move to Norman as a pilot. He told me that he had to argue with the American government that he was not a terrorist. He said, "I told them that I do not have enough to be a terrorist. It's very expensive to be a terrorist." I listened to him give his reasons for why he wasn't a terrorist, and held back my laughter.

Anyway, while he was visiting a airshow in France, he was stopped by security. He tried to explain that he was a pilot, but they didn't believe him because he was so short. He pulled out his license and answered all the appropriate questions. However, despite proving that he had done nothing wrong, the security officer insisted that he take all of his information. Habib provided him with all the questions the security officer asked, and then went on his way.

A few weeks later, he was contacted by someone stating, "We're with the Guinness Book of World Records, and we would like to add you to our list as the shortest pilot in the world." His response was, initially, "What's the Guinnes Book of World Records?"

That is what I did today was listen to a man tell me about his life. For a few moments there, I felt as if I had left the U.S. My feeling of confidence about my ability to coerce was dashed to pieces because these men clearly had very different cultural mannerisms and rules of politesse. However, both of them were extremely appreciative that I was so patient and kind. Thay both took pictures with me (when I get them, I'll post them on here) and the gentlemen from Saudi Arabia bought me a bag of M&Ms.

It was a fine day.