Stay at Home

Yesterday we had a stay at home day which was extremely challenging for Caleb so he went out, twice. The rest of us sewed little presents for stuffed animals, video taped each other dancing, and played in the yard. After the kids went to sleep, Caleb and I were finally able to watch the last of our 5 Euro Intermarche movies, N'AYEZ PAS PEUR, which is about the life of Karol Wojtyla, who was pope for many years. As it turned out, it was also about Communism and its battle with the Church, particularly in Poland as that is where Wojtyla was from. I remember reading Lenin and Marx in one of my Sociology classes and Communism not sounding so bad, in theory, especially from the perspective of someone living in a Capitalist society, and seeing the way people suffer under this system. This is becoming much more prevalent in the U.S. as the jobs move out, and the people become more hungry. I don't have any connection with organized religion so that part wouldn't have offended me. In fact I am offended by much of organized religion so I might appreciate a society in which there was less of a Patriarchy and more morals for the sake of humanity rather than just to save one's own ass from a bad after-life. Of course if it takes a Totalitarian Regime to end the patriarchy, then it's not worth it. There was one part in the movie where a leader of a church in America comes before the pope and is chastened for his Communist like attitudes, and instructed to go back to more traditional work in his parish rather than trying to help the poor, (by spouting communist-like ideals and concerning himself with the poverty and suffering.) Then he returns to America, follows the advise of the Pope, and is shot and killed in his church. The Pope is very sorry, but then he himself is shot too, not long after and has other things to think about here in Europe.
I, myself, no pope, but still thinking a lot about the people suffering in the U.S. from lack of jobs, etc.... especially in Michigan. Reports from home suggest the reality of the situation, economy-wise has hit California now too with food prices on the rise and house prices taking a dive. For us the reality is all in the exchange at every purchase. Anja is using a calculator at the Playmobil store and dividing by 15 from Czech Koruna to US dollars. She does enjoy getting 100 Koruna a week here, but her allowance is going down to five bucks when she touches down in her homeland. Things are a lot cheaper here than they were in France, except for Playmobil. We have enjoyed some delicious Goulash out and some great Italian food that we wouldn't want to purchase in Italy, though I am sorry we didn't make it there this trip. Still Prague is beautiful, though the Lilacs continue to imbibe me with the sweet sensation that I am a child on a swing in my backyard and then I am rudely awoken to the need to buy another bottle of hair dye, to at least disguise this ugly business called aging. Anja has a grey hair too. She got it when she was eight about a year ago, and I instinctively grabbed it and yanked it out like any good mother would. But it's growing back and she says she will never dye her hair, not that I'd want her to, Yuck! She also will never have her head frozen and thinks the whole idea is creepy, and won't let me do it either because she wouldn't want to have anything to do with me as a thawed head in a dish. Where does she get these ideas. I didn't let her read that particular Roald Dahl book.