I worked with a lot of nurses from the Philippines when I was employed at a Childrens Hospital in San Antonio TX. Since there is such a shortage of RNs here in the USofA these nurses are recruited by companies who help them move and get a job. According to one such nurse, they are given a choice of studying either English or Chinese in the ( Read more... )

The sea darkens;
the voices of the wild ducks
are faintly white.

Basho

... you might not appreciate this story but here it is anyway ( Read more... )

If you ask a woman why she is limping she will reply, "Oh, I stubbed my toe."

If you ask a man why he is limping he will begin his reply with, "Somebody left a chair out in the middle of the floor ... "

Oh, the wonderful tricks our minds can play upon us. Once upon a time I got into an animated discussion with a friend about Walt Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice starring Mickey Mouse. We not only discussed the basic story but also spoke at length about the quality of the animation. I was particularly amused at the recollection of an army of ( Read more... )

Reed, in firing range
Phaser fires red strands of light
A tiny sunrise.

Think of a generic name for a pet dog or pet cat. Do the names "Rover" or "Digger" for a dog and "Stripe" or "Tiger" for a cat come to mind? If you lived in Japan you would have thought of "Pochi" for a dog (o as 'boat', chi as in 'cheese') and "Tama" for a cat (both a's are pronounced as 'ah'). Just thought you would want to know.

A dream. I am boarding a flight in some nameless metropolis. I am weary to my bones and lonesome for familiar surroundings as I board the plane and take my aisle seat. I look up to find an oddly familiar woman hurrying toward me with a worried expression on her face. She sits besides me and throws her arm around me, nuzzling me in a most familiar ( Read more... )

If you, gentle reader, have a moment or two head over to my LiveJournal page and check out my customized layout. My friend stillslyver got her creative juices flowing and did all that in just one day! Even more impressive? She had to work within the confines of a "Basic" LJ account.

Thanks, Sylvia!

Candle flickering
Sweet incense, spiraling smoke
Soft, satisfied sighs.