Today a teacher brought his dog's puppies to school, in an effort to give them away. There were four Rhodesian Ridgeback/ Black Lab pups in the bed of his truck, all 6 weeks old, and if I was less sensible I would have taken one home in an instant. After New Zealand, Andres and I will get a pup for sure. I have always loved Australian Cattle Dogs, but I'm open to anything . . .

My uncle died over a year ago, on December 2, 2006. That was such a bad time for so many reasons. I'm just grateful to be where I am now.

Andres' mom loaned me The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman. It's about a Hmong child with epilepsy, and the culture collision that occurred when her parents sought treatment at a California hospital. So far, it's captivating. The author says about herself in the preface:

"I have always felt that the action most worth watching it not at the center of things but where edges meet. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. There are interesting frictions and incongruities in these places, and often, if you stand at the point of tangency, you can see both sides better than if you were in the middle of either one."

I like that perspective.