Spring, glorious Spring

[sonia]

Spring in Portland involves cherry blossoms, daffodils - and intermittent hail. Fortunately most of my biking has coincided with the sunny bits.

Interesting to notice my attunement to the weather. Working at a co-worker's house, I said, "It's hailing!" He peered out uncertainly, and I said, "I can hear the ice against the windows!" He said he hadn't noticed the different sound.

I'm procrastinating on my taxes. I did renew my driver's license. My photo from 8 years ago looks like I was 20. The temporary printout of today's photo looks like I'm 50. Oh well, at least it will look like me until the next renewal.

Trip to DC went well. I didn't get any terrible headaches, which was a big surprise considering the plane flight, hotel stay, and the occasional co-worker walking by my desk exuding a plume of perfume chemicals. The singing workshop was fantastic, it was good to see friends, and staying with my sister for a couple of days went as well as could be expected.

We went to the Museum of the American Indian with the kids. It was built circa 2005. I asked about the name, and was told the donor of the majority of the collection wanted it called that, even though he knew it was problematic. "That's privilege for you," I said to the tall older distinguished-looking white man at the information desk. He nodded in pained agreement, and we shared an unexpected moment of alliance. The inside of the museum bore that faint stink of objectification, although there was also evidence that "We are still here!" in part by having a lot of Native American employees.

The Holocaust museum was amazing. Completely respectful in an understated way that didn't call attention to the amount of effort and thought that must have gone into it. Shifting topics and media helped keep it from being overwhelming (as much) without minimizing the truth. I went with my friend who is blind, and only choked up occasionally while reading information panels out loud.

A fact that was new to me: Americans mostly knew what was going on. The story I grew up on was that no one knew, and that's why no one did anything. Ordinary Germans must have known what was going on too, because there were concentration camps and labor camps everywhere. The map is covered with them.

Also there was a display about disabled children and adults being murdered that my friend was very interested in. I had known about that in a vague way, but the horror of it is much clearer to me now.

Fun bit of memory verification: I have a vague memory of the East Wing of the National Gallery being built and then completed. It's my favorite museum, with its majestic Calder mobile. We read about its history, and indeed it was completed in 1973, when I was 4 years old. 40 years later, they're repairing the stonework.

Okay, back to those pesky taxes. It will be good to have them done, since I have plenty of other things to focus on!

Comments

[laughingrat]

Somehow it doesn't surprise me that there was a lot of head-in-the-sanding about it. Glad you had a pretty good trip, though.

Your remarks reminded me to do my state taxes already!

[sonia]

Yeah, even if people do acknowledge that an atrocity is happening, there is this question of what exactly to do about it, and when.

State taxes! Oh lord, I hadn't even thought about that yet. Well, they're usually easier and faster than the federal ones. I did some slogging last night, but I'm definitely not done yet.

[laughingrat]

The thing about taxes is that I tried to figure out how my accountant had handled certain things last year, such as making sure I got credits for local taxes that I paid, and in turn, state taxes (and the state and federal levels, respectively), and I was completely baffled. There's this form and that form and this worksheet and that worksheet and some of it looked like she actually made up the sheet herself, etc. etc.

Now, I could have had her do it for me--and paid about $200, basically negating any gains I made in credits and exemptions. Or I could just do it my $&#*@ self, and eat the loss, but not pay anybody. You can figure which one I chose, but I can't help but feel annoyed. :-P

[sonia]

That sounds frustrating! It's hard to decide how to manage taxes. My compromise is to spend $40 on software and hope I'm putting in the right info.

Wouldn't it be nice if the IRS just took the data they already have, and sent us a (progressive, mostly taxing the rich) bill, and that was the end of it?!

[jesse_the_k]

Sounds like a lovely trip. One of the keystones of couple privilege is someone else to do the taxes (and they're done, phew).

I also remember the East Wing as new: not only was it a lovely display space, but it also sports the #1 underground fountain (it used to be at the end of a long ramp next to a snack bar).

Someday I may see one of the two new Smithsonian museums. Were none of the genocidal events documented in the Holocaust Museum mirrored in the American Indian museum?

I have, unhappily, read a lot about Aktion T4, the systematic murder of people with disabilities — it was a technical rehearsal for the Reich-wide death camps. When I understood the German medical profession united to support this, it provide important context to the anti-medicalized-suicide campaigners, like Not Dead Yet.

Do I detect a hint of a 51st birthday?

[sonia]

Nice. I glance enviously in the direction of your couple privilege, and I'm glad you have it.

Oh yeah, I remember that fountain. We didn't go down there this time.

No, the Museum of the American Indian did not mention genocide that I saw. Certainly not in the forthright way that the Holocaust museum does. Which is 20 years old by the way, so the example was there. *sigh*

Thanks for the Not Dead Yet link, and the context. I have Thoughts about that, maybe I'll post about it sometime.

You detect hints of an upcoming 44th birthday. I've always hung out with older people and looked young for my age, but that seems to have shifted this past year. It's an adjustment. I'm starting to snarl when people call me "young lady," too, even if they are 40 years older than me.

[jesse_the_k]

Wow, that silence re Native genocide is truly infuriating. Why bother if they're going to tell only part of the story? They could have called it the Nat'l Musem of Native American Culture and inflect less historical amnesia on the schoolkids of 2050.

I was always the youngest in my crowd as well: 25 − 30 y.o. grad students when I was 13, and so forth. I was last carded when I was 40 (I've got a baby face), seventeen years ago. I'm also finding myself wanting to be recognized in my cronehood, although at this rate gray hair will be a reliable indicator in around five years. (But then I'd have to stop wearing hats?)

I took pride at being the youngest (perhaps a signifier of genius). I've got two friend cohorts: my age-ish and 25- 30 y.o. former grad students. What does it mean? Prolly only that I need lunch.

[sonia]

Your proposed museum name is much more accurate (and respectful) than the current one! Maybe when the donor dies they can change it via an Act of Congress or whatever.

One of my theories is that there just aren't as many Gen X'ers around, so it makes sense I end up socializing with Baby Boomers. But it sounds like you had a similar pattern in a different generation, so who knows!