going through more of my mom's stuff a few days ago, i was reminded of how much she expected of us. of all of us. and how difficult it is to meet someone else's expectations of you, especially when the two of you are so different and value different things.

i was reminded again about how i knew next to nothing about her. in the car last thursday on our way to visit the grave, i mentioned to my uncle that she never told us stories about her childhood. oh that's because she was so busy. busy doing what, uncle? well our dad died when she was 10... and somehow the conservation ended after i asked how our grandpa died. it seemed like such an important conversation, how'd i get distracted?

jess and i made a trip to the dump today. jess loved it. we were the only two women out there -- everyone else looked like a professional and was male. she loved it so much, she wants to go back tomorrow morning (i think she's just eager to throw things away :). and what a relief to get rid of some trash. we have so many more dump trips to make. and goodwill trips. and craigslist postings. and god knows what else.

i've been watching so much tv. i have it on all the time as background noise, when i'm eating, while i knit, hanging out with jess. never really idling in front of the tv; always doing something. little fingers busy, busy. the other night on king of the hill some kid was wearing a "praying is not a crime" shirt, which at first i took to be a nod to the EFF. though doing a search on "is not a crime" seems to indicate that anything and everything can be tied to this phrase so who knows.

so i've almost completed my 2nd week of leave. i haven't gotten as much done on the house as i thought i would. and i haven't started studying my korean again, but i started writing again and going to the gym regularly again. two out of three isn't bad, and i still have over 2 weeks to go...