mary
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A Wanderer, a Dreamer, a Poet
Female
60 years old
YPSILANTI, Michigan
United States
Last Login: 6/11/2007
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mary's Interests
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| General | Travel: U.S., Canada, China, Mongolia.
Reading. Photography. Rock Hunting. Hitting fleamarkets, garage sales, used book stores. Going to movies, out to dinner, or just lounging around.
| | Music | Johnny Cash, Jimmy Buffett, Elvis, Patsy Cline, Don Williams, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Jim Croce, .
Favorite Songs:
"Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
"Walkin' After Midnight"
"Softly As I Leave You"
"Turn Out The Light and Love Me Tonight"
"Against the Wind"
| | Movies |
All Pirates of the Caribbean!
Original first 3 Star Wars (the rest kinda sucked),Lord of the Rings trilogy, Harry Potter movies, Indiana Jones, 40 Year Old Virgin, Sleeping in Seattle, Casablanca, Arsenic and Old Lace.
| | Television | Star Trek: the original, old Turner classic movies.
| | Books | The Hobbitt
Fav authors include: Tolkien, Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Clive Cussler, Elizabeth Peters, Jack DuBrul, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and J. K. Rowlings
| | Heroes | My dad Donald Mynning, Jr.
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| Groups:
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Writing and poetry exposed to agents and publishers (for serious writers and poets), Institute for Self Healing, friendly souls, Photography, travel lovers, World Travels, Wanderlust - A place for travelers, The Readers Circle
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mary's Details
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| Status: | Divorced | | Here for: | Serious Relationships, Friends | | Orientation: | Straight | | Hometown: | Dexter, MI | | Body type: | 5' 4" | | Ethnicity: | White / Caucasian | | Religion: | Catholic | | Zodiac Sign: | Libra | | Smoke / Drink: | No / Yes | | Children: | Proud parent | | Education: | College graduate | | Occupation: | Retired Teacher |
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mary's Latest Blog Entry
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China's "Golden Lotus Feet" - The Foot Binding Practice Explored
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Nanjing, a Hard Sleeper Train, and Naked Chickens
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Beijing to Shanghai, or the Death March of Bataan
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Walter Reed Hospital, Bldg. 18, Mold, Broken Elevator, Bad Plumbing & Home to Wounded Troops
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Two poems I had written for 2 sons, & one for Johnny then the man.
(view more)
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mary's Blurbs |
About me:
One day I got fed up with reading one travel adventure novel after another, watching National Geographic specials, and knowing my life was on automatic pilot. So I decided it was time to take a risk - quit my job, sell my old pick-up and head for the Orient. Beijing to be exact. Where I signed a one-year teaching contract as a "foreign expert" at the University of Science and Technology. New beginnings.
Blissfully I boarded the plane taking me to China. The mysterious Orient! Asia! The Silk Road.
On the flight over the Pacific I found myself hitting my head against the window with the horrible knowledge I was an idiot. I didn't know how to speak Chinese! I had exactly $125.00 in my purse, no travelers checks, no nice safe savings account in the bank at home . . . I must have experienced a nervous breakdown that was the only possible reason for why I was on that damn plane.
And then we landed and there she was - in all her centuries old splendor. Eagerly I explored the immensity of the Great Wall,
the faded beauty of the Forbidden City, and the almost sad, but stalwart, stone soldiers at Xian; all the while groping to understand this fascinating culture. And over the days and months not only did all my fears dissolve; I evolved. My world view changed, expanded, and was enhanced beyond what I thought possible.
Well, I didn't come home after my year's contract was up. Nope I continued to teach in China four years. Why? Because somewhere along the way, I discovered I didn't want to be a one-year tourist/teacher, taking photos, making snap observations and then scurrying home to amaze friends with funny travel stories.
No, I wanted to truly live in China, not for the wonder of continued exploration and the thrill of 'adventure' but to understand the country and her people. And I will be forever grateful for that journey which altered my life irrevocably.
I'm now back home, retired from teaching, and convinced that someday I may just write that photo/journal I'm always talking about - the one where I write about my experiences ranging from staying in tiny mountain villages where no white person had ever been, to spending nights in dark, smoke-filled Mongolian yurts trying not to vomit the salty yak buttered tea I was constantly offered.
And even though I haven't written that great travel book yet, it hasn't stopped me from still traveling as much as I possibly can. Been to Florida and Seattle within the last 3 years and plan on traveling some more. I love to meet people, experience life to the fullest, and gaze at stars from foreign shores.
Credit: Layout made by inxher_eyes
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Who I'd like to meet:
These are just a small sampling of the people I hope to meet in this, or another, world.
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So many who were, or are, lovely young men, talented and unique writers, and women I greatly admire.
| Photos I've Taken That Have Acted As My Muse |
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| Some Favorite Quotes |
"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. St. Augustine
Don Juan: What do you know of great love?
Have you ever loved a woman until milk leaked from her as though she had just given birth to love itself,
and now must feed it or burst?
Have you ever tasted a woman until she believed that she could be satisfied
only by consuming the tongue that had devoured her?
Have you ever loved a woman so completely
that the sound of your voice in her ear could cause
her body to shudder and explode with such intense pleasure
that only weeping could bring her full release?
Don Juan: There are only 4 questions of value in life, Don Octavio.
What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made?
What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for?
The answer to each is the same: only love.
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