Backsliding, and other things

No morning pages or yoga, but I slept for a change so it was all worth it. Thanks, Be Good Tanyas, you make great lullabies! (Window open helped too, although I think I've finally killed one of my African violets in the process.)

Caught the tail end of an interview with a survivalist who lives north of Toronto. He said something about how we haven't had a war on North American soil in recent history so most people don't believe it can happen here (apropos of what I'm not sure, I missed that part).

I tend to disapprove of survivalism as of most extreme reactions to things. I think it's extremely paranoid and also very pessimistic. I was wondering, though, is it an exclusively North American phenomenon? Or are there also Europeans and Asians out there stashing away canned food and radiation suits in bunkers? They certainly have cults, so I don't see why not. Would research this but, oh yeah, I'm at work...

Was also reminded of a minor event in my childhood... it was at Kestrel Manor school so I would've been 7 or 8, our headmistress was telling us about World War II and how Hitler wanted to eradicate everyone except people with blond hair and blue eyes. (I was one of about three blue-eyed blondes in the entire class... everyone looked at us, I remember feeling uncomfortable and vaguely guilty.) She repeated that just so we could be sure. Then she read us a passage about the effects of an atomic bomb. Then everyone went out to play. I felt sick, so I stayed in. Maybe some people never get over that intense, sick, terrified feeling. Maybe that's what drives them to do everything they think is necessary to protect themselves. If so, I understand it... but it's a child's reaction, I think, to a feeling of helplessness. Or maybe just one appropriate reaction among many, what do I know?

Holy cow!

OK, this is my old school. (Kestrel Manor, in Nairobi, see previous post.)

It's obviously changed a LOT. Although the buildings look the same... I remember I used to be in the classroom in the background of that picture on the home page... but it used to be tiny! I had to leave after Standard 4 because they didn't offer anything further! (I was 9.) Now they have a secondary school and special ed and riding and ballet and tae kwon do...

Wonder if they still have the lunch tables painted to look like mushrooms? And the menagerie? And the jungle gym? Wonder what happened to Mrs. Byrne and family? Do they still plant gardens?

Wow.

Mood: nostalgic and boggled, only I can't get to that page at the moment

and in a similar nostalgic vein...

...this is the website for Braeburn Primary School, where I went next.

The uniforms seem to be the same. I had the very first one.

Have to admit, things aren't looking quite as familiar as on the Kestrel Manor site. I do remember some of these things, but not as vividly... it's as if they're all from different angles somehow, and some of the buildings don't ring any bells at all. I know I spent loads of time in the library. And I certainly remember the bloody playing field... field hockey, ugh. And the pool. The girls had swimming in the morning, when it was cold, and PE in the afternoon, when it was hot. The boys had it reversed. Seeds of feminism right there, I tellya.

Was going to go look at the Braeburn High site next, but there's something screwy about their page.