Domestic Psychology

pink and blue

// January 31st, 2010 // 2 Comments » // flickr

LOST thoughts

// January 30th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // television

Finally! After the world’s longest hiatus, LOST is back. The final season promos have been almost entirely composed of scenes from previous episodes. There was ONE shot of a familiar character in a brand new scenario, but that disappeared quickly, so I don’t think we’re supposed to have seen it. It changes that particular character’s group on the island and adds credence to some popular theories about the less explained characters. Today, we got something old and something new. Click here only if you want to see it, but be warned that I am going to talk about it now. If you don’t want to know, stop reading.

Did you watch the last part twice to check the background? Did you read the first few comments? Notice the authenticity of the source? So, my initial reaction was that it’s a tease. A dream or imaginary scenario of what Jack thought was going to happen. This was immediately followed by a disbelief that the show has any time left to waste on dream realities, the history of Jack’s tattoos or Nikki and Paulo. Besides, Jack smugly enjoying his triumph is also the end of Rose’s happily ever after.

My guess for now is going to be that what we saw the very first episode of LOST, was not the very first time that has happened. We just jumped in to watch the latest round of an ongoing game. A game with characters that learn and react differently each time. The latest round may have some of the characters on a plane, but they are still on the board and very much in play. Maybe this season will be the one that finally resolves the game. Maybe I am completely wrong. The show’s creators have promised that at the end of this episode, we will have all the clues needed to understand the big picture and see the finish line. I take that to mean that I will spend Tuesday night formulating a new theory instead of sleeping.

Tuesday night, I won’t be able to start watching until the children are all tucked in bed. That means I’ll be an hour behind everyone else. In anticipation of your live blogging/tweeting/facebooking, I’ll have to power down the computer until I’ve seen the entire LA X. When I return to the computer, I expect several declarations that people have “figured it all out” as well as a lot of confused and frustrated viewers. I plan to be completely entertained and amused for the last section of the LOST roller coaster. Well, unless the show echoes a pessimistic, apocalyptic Cloverfield ending. If that happens, you’ll be watching a video of me burning the series DVDs that we own. I don’t think that’s the direction it’s going. I expect LOST to end with a very open-to-interpretation finale that will keep everyone talking and wondering.

late night snowball fight

// January 30th, 2010 // No Comments » // Doug, flickr, weather

snow day

// January 29th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // school, weather

I know that it is 2:10 in the afternoon and the roads and skies are clear. School could have released one hour early instead of being closed the entire day. However, the looks on faces when school was canceled last night, were absolutely priceless. Sparkling eyes and contagious giggles electrified the air. There was even a little happy dance. I think the joy outweighs the risk of running out of allotted snow days. The giggling, dancing teachers clearly needed an unscheduled play day.

keep them behind a locked gate

// January 28th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // health, home, local, mental health, politics

After meeting opposition at every proposed site, the plan to create permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless all over Knox County has ended where so many wanted it to be, Lakeshore. Pessimistic voices argue that this keeps the mentally ill homeless near mental health services. Optimistic voices argue that Lakeshore is lovely and one of their favorite places to go for a walk. How many of those voices have ever been inside the locked buildings at Lakeshore? How many had no idea there are still patients at Lakeshore? How many understand that Lakeshore is not an out-patient medical center, but a crisis stabilization facility? How can they miss all the news reports that identify Lakeshore as the forensic facility for people whose dangerous crimes may have been connected to personal illness?

Do I take my children to the trails at Lakeshore? Of course I do. The difference is that those buildings with locked doors aren’t invisible to me. I am constantly aware of their presence and the seriously ill people inside them. People who are struggling to survive. People in very real pain. People who have been victimized by their extreme vulnerability. Human beings in locked rooms, in locked buildings, behind locked gates. Lakeshore is a hospital and no matter how much they have to sell their land to stay in business for the people who desperately need care, it is still a place where sick people go to get better.

Is permanent supportive housing a place for people with special needs who lack the support systems needed to fully function in society? If so, why isn’t it being put in neighborhoods with other people? Group homes belong among other homes. Apartments cluster with other multi-family housing facilities. Where are the other families living at Lakeshore? They are not there. Where can the PSH residents go when they need a cup of sugar? Shall they knock on the hospital door? Even the Lakeshore chapel was sold to make additional parking for soccer moms. That’s not a community. It’s a business. It’s not a business that will hire them though.

Oh, ha-ha Cathy. You’re so stupid to claim Lakeshore is not a community. Look at all the people walking their dogs and watching children play soccer. If a crowd of strangers decided to let their dogs poop on my street, they would not make this a community. Community is the all of the neighbors who know each other. Community is the ability to walk next door for a cup of milk or collect a neighbor’s mail when they are on vacation. Community is knowing that everyone in this neighborhood recognizes my children and keeps an eye on what they are doing just as I know and watch over their children. Community is not a place surrounded by gates and designed for lock-down protocol. Not gates to keep the scary out, but gates to control the residents and keep them inside the facility. Gates to keep the mentally ill and now the homeless out of sight and out of mind.

The people who don’t want this site discussed because they think this is the issue that will put someone in or keep someone out of the mayoral office are helping nobody. Constant media attention has made politicians completely ineffective people whose primary goal is their next elected office. The only decision politicians make that isn’t based solely on campaigning are the ones they make when they take off their britches. I know that the League of Women Voters could revoke my membership for saying that, but I suspect they recognize frustration and aggravation as the predecessors to focus and motivation.

Can I have a fill-in-the-blank?

// January 25th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // parenting, play

“Mom, can I have a clubhouse.”
<- insert tape #492 -> “Well, maybe this summer your dad can build something…”
“No, I mean a real clubhouse. Like in Up.”
<- blink, blink -> “Where?”
“Me and C are gonna make the empty house down the street our clubhouse.”
“No, you’re not. That house belongs to someone. You can’t go in there.”
“Nobody lives there. Nobody has ever lived there.”
“Someone did live there before you were born, but that house is still someone else’s house.”
“Well, they’re not using it. I think they lost it.”
“You might be right, but you still can’t play in it.”
<- sigh -> “Now we hafta find another clubhouse.”

you’ve got red on you

// January 23rd, 2010 // 5 Comments » // home, people

I realize that when I write about something as controversial as laundry I risk comments from the comprehension impaired, but I’m all about edgy topics like household chores. Aaaanyway, as I’ve said before, we have color-coded baskets for dirty laundry. The white basket is for whites. The bright green basket is for brights. The navy basket is for darks. This is not a complicated system. Everyone uses it to some degree. They just don’t use it equally. All the females in the house put red clothes in the basket for brights. All the males in the house put red clothes in the basket for darks. This begs the question, do males have rods and cones that “see” red differently than females or is this a gender based interpretation of the color red? Either way, since the woman is always right and all three females believe reds go in the bright basket, the men in the house need to adapt for survival.

before they pull it down

// January 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // music, people

Evan’s morning

// January 21st, 2010 // 1 Comment » // play, preschoolers

At the first sound of anyone in the house sitting up in bed or stretching their toes, bounce out of bed and make a beeline for Lego Star Wars. Blearily stare at the screen and click buttons until you smell an open box of cereal. Race to the kitchen and demand a specific bowl, spoon and seat at the table. Eat every last bite of cereal. Be certain to take multiple breaks from said cereal to retrieve matchbox cars, make sure nobody is doing anything interesting without you and randomly running a lap around the living room. Drink milk from cereal. Loudly announce urgent bodily function and race to the bathroom with hand acting as an emergency shut-off valve.

Make a quick inventory of every family member’s current activity before returning to room. In a short amount of time, play with small cars, Playmobile and Legos. Remove shirt because it’s too hot to wear shirts. Go sit in Mom’s lap. Start to have a conversation with mom, then suddenly break out in song. Never tell her where you learned the song. Always say, “I just know it.” When she asks you to get dressed, ask for another bowl of cereal. Eat three bites of cereal, type some secret code on Mom’s computer and examine the clothes that are sitting out for you. Go find a “better” shirt. Insist that you won’t be wearing socks until a different person asks you. Cheerfully put socks on while first adult stares at you both.

Before both shoes are tied, declare yourself “ready to go” and head to the car while the adults run around the house grabbing what appears to be random things, like keys, bags, lunches and jackets. Hop in the car and notice something on the floor that requires intensive study. Ask multiple questions about found object as adult buckles you in your seat. As the car begins to pull out of the driveway, announce the need for a potty break. As adult runs in the house with you on their hip, drop a microscopically small toy in the yard. Giggle when running adult awkwardly tries to pick the toy up without dropping you.

Magically make one of your shoes disappear while visiting the bathroom. After it reappears on the top of the fridge, in the attic or at the neighbor’s house, begin complaining because you are not at school yet. Once you are finally en route to school, refuse to talk no matter what the adult says to you. Make sure the adult doesn’t sing to try and cheer you up, because you don’t need to be cheered. You are very happy. You just don’t want to chat.

Upon arrival at school, run at full speed to the door. Refuse to enter the building if someone is holding the door open. Wait until the door is completely closed so that you can open it yourself. Slide through the stair railing even though you aren’t going to use the stairs. Leave the hallway and use the long bathroom to get to the other end of the hallway with your classroom. Don’t use the bathroom for its’ intended purpose. Save that for later. Run to classroom door and throw backpack, lunchbox and folder at nearest adult even though they are asking you to put things away for yourself. Race off to play with a classmate. If parent lingers to watch you for a millisecond, gruffly tell them you are busy and they need to “go away.” Grin sheepishly. Wave. Go back to playing.

Newscoma goes to Memphis

// January 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // blogging, politics, TN

One of my favorite people, Newscoma, is spending some time studying Memphis politics and the colorful politicians who play the game. Her words make me giggle as I nod my head in agreement.

“What I’m finding in Memphis, because I’m doing the same thing here I do at home and that’s just talk to people that I don’t know, yes, there is a level of polite but I’m finding that Memphians also will take their bullshitometer out and hit you in the head with it if they think it is necessary. I think Nashville, in some ways, uses their polite “voices” more than Memphians do. And Hoots, well that’s a whole other can of Spam but Memphis folks tend to just call it when they see it.

And they do it with a grin.”

Read the whole thing and know that I consider Memphis my home.