What is Life?

 We attended a play called "In the Red and Brown Waters" Sunday night. It was unique, the actors saying their stage directions before their lines. The cast was almost all African American, the story depicted from an African American Project in a some state. The story circled around Oya, a young fast runner who skips out on a college scholarship because her mother was dying, and her options ran out. She lives with one guy, a seductive, but fierce soul, and then he leaves for the army. She lives with another, sweet, but boring to Oya, and she can't help but wonder why she hasn't become pregnant again. She slowly loses the things she wants and the things she loves. She goes crazy on her front porch, wanting a baby. When the first love comes back from the army, but impregnates another girl, Oya comes out of the insanity closet. She cuts off part of her ear and gives it to him. I liked the play very much. It was edgy and rough, and had the culture of African Americans in the inner city down. I could feel it. There was sexual references, and swearing, but I came prepared for this, and so I could look past that distractions, and the plot was unpredictable as they come (hello! Who knew Oya was gonna pull a Van Gogh on us?) Not everyone in the group liked it. Several of my houesmates are rather conservative, but I know Jess liked it, and Corrie liked parts of it.
I rode back with Corrie. We went "sightseeing" and found the Peace Corps and the NPR buildings. Nobody comes to DC to see those, but we did. That's right. We're awesome. I was processing with her; each of us were talking about our weekends. I, getting to talk to Zach, but knowing that it won't happen again for a long, long time, and Corrie spent her weekend on snowy roads to metal concerts, but did some really great problem solving with Parveen. Corrie is my cooking partner and my driving buddy.
(I just typed 'bundle' but everyone would be creeped out by that...)
Today at Wilson High School, a man in his mid-thirties came to speak to the students about his experience in prison for committing manslaughter. He was sixteen when he was coming out of a party and a guy pulled a gun on him, and he also had a gun, and Eddie (this guy) shot him in the neck and the other guy died a couple hours later. It was in self defense, but he still got tried as an adult, and was sentenced to twenty two years (fifteen of which he served). Eddie started out in the DC jail, but after it closed, he traveled from super max prison to super max prison until he finished out his sentence. I asked him why he was in a super maximum prison, because it didn't seem to fit his crime--he didn't maliciously kill this man, and he told me that he was put in a new prison by luck of the draw, and since he was in a super maximum at one point, he couldn't go down a level. Some of his fellow inmates had longer sentences than he did, and got into maximum and medium facilities. So instead, Eddie served in one prison that had solitary confinement, he served in the prison in Colorado that also holds terrorist suspects (which Jess said are some Arabs that had bad luck). It was a great story. He said that being tried as an adult sacved his life, because he hadn't changed from his old ways by the time a normal juvenile sentence would have been over. Now Eddie is working in a law firm, mentoring former inmates, helping those who have gone through similar situations. It was a great story. I appreciated what he had to say.
When I was waiting at the bus stop, there was a delightful man who looked to be in his eighties, named Mundy. He had a few teeth, a personality, and told me he was an artist. I asked him what advice he would give to some kids.
He said, "Behave."
I asked, "What if they misbehave?"
"Give them a spanking."
It was hilarious.
I made Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie for part of the afternoon when no one was home. It was a great Grace-talks-on-the-phone-with-Mom-time, and clean the kitchen's crumminess time.
I Skyped with Janelle today. That was fun.
My quote of the day that made Jess spit out her water in laughter:
"Do you have experience with an ipod touch?"