March 21, 2008
I Wonder
Sometimes I think about you
Wonder if you're out there somewhere thinking bout me
And would you even recognize
The woman that your little girl has grown up to be
Cause I look in the mirror and all I see
Are your brown eyes looking back at me
They're the only thing you ever gave to me at all
Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California
There's sunny skies as far I can see
If you ever come back home to Carolina
I wonder what you'd say to me
I think about how it ain't fair
That you weren't there to braid my hair
Like mothers do
You weren't around to cheer me on
Help me dress for my high school prom
Like mothers do
Did you think I didn't need you here
To hold my hand
To dry my tears
Did you even miss me through the years at all
Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California
There's sunny skies as far I can see
If you ever come back home to Carolina
I wonder what you'd say to me
Forgiveness is such a simple word
But it's so hard to do when you've been hurt
Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California
And just in case you're wondering about me
From now on I won't be in Carolina
Your little girl is off
Your little girl is off
Your little girl is off to Tennessee
March 20, 2008
我的美國朋友Jo
我的美國朋友Jo是個死忠民主黨員。父親、丈夫都是工會成員。
對共和黨，尤其是小布希恨之入骨。既然是工會成員，也當然對全球化有強烈意見，也絕對不開日本車。
但是，他們從來沒有對我開豐田表示不悅，也知道我們是中間選民，所以從來不在我們眼前談政治，或是全球化經濟 (天曉得，小布希連任成功那天，她跟同為民主黨的母親在電話上說了什麼難聽的話…)。其實我知道他們對中國廉價勞工搶走美國工人的飯碗極其不滿。我們隨然不是中國來的，但種族而言，也是個Chinese，所以也絕不在我們面前罵中國。
Jo 跟丈夫 Bill都是義務警察，受過一些訓練，常常跟專職警察出去維持交通、秩序。
2004年美國總統大選，小布希為了拉票，答應這來裡一間私立大學的畢業典禮致詞。
有一天在他們家，Jo說她那天負責維持交通，幫總統開路。她的用詞是：那個son of bitch要來演講，我得去維持交通，整個不爽的臉。
罵歸罵，不爽歸不爽，她那天還是去執行任務。
她知道，那天她的身份是義務警察，不是抗議選民。她痛恨小布希，但是她知道那一天，她要奉公執行任務。個人的喜惡先擺一邊。
Jo讓我看一個公民應有的態度，分清場合時機，什麼時候可以表達自己的意見，什麼時候甚至可以為自己口中那個「狗娘養的」政治領袖維持交通。
那天，她給我結結實實上了一堂民主風範的課。