Errands, Odds & Ends, and Too Much Work

September 24 – 27th, 2008. Wednesday and Thursday I had my Ford Focus cleaned and touched-up for sale. When we sell the car, Sara and I will be getting rid of our last worldly possession of any significance. Sara remarked that it “feels a little weird.” We literally own our clothes, our computers, and some odds-ends in a storage unit in Lakewood, Colorado. Not much.

Friday and Saturday were big work days. I’ve been spending entirely too much time at the local Panera here in Ankeny, Iowa. I can say that I’m not alone – it’s incredibly popular. There are people coming in and out pretty much all day (at least that was the case on Friday and Saturday when I was their). Unfortunately, I don’t have much exciting news to report.

I keep joking about our status as gypsies. Make no mistake – we have every intention of returning to the ‘normal’ world at some point – where we’ll own a home, a couple of cars, a dog, etc. – but for the next 6 months or so we won’t have much in the way of ‘normal.’

In honor of the gypsies (whose identitiy I have co-opted for comic effect), I have decided to list some interesting gypsy facts.

1. The word “gypsy” is thought to be a variation on the word Egypt, as earlier Europeans believed the gypsy people came from Egypt.
2. Commonly, the word “gypsy” refers to the Roma people, whose modern-day home is known as Romania. However, scientific evidence shows that the Roma people can trace their lineage to India.
3. Gypsies have been scapegoated in the past – since they were a traveling bunch, whenever they reached a new country (mostly visiting Europe and North America), they were often ostracized and discriminated against.
4. Historically, Gypsies were known for their dancing, music, and “magic” skills such as fortune-telling.
5. The Gypsy people believed in various superstitions, likely leading to the myth of the “gypsy curse.”

This photo of a gypsy family shows just how little Sara and I have in common with these fine, proud people.

In short, Sara and I have little in common with actual real gypsies. We’re not Southern European or Indian. We don’t believe in curses. We don’t have much musical skill, and I’ve got no idea how to perform even the simplest of magic tricks.

Still, it’s fun to joke about. Hopefully we haven’t offended any real gypsies.