The last couple of times I've gotten gas, I've stopped at this place on the way to school in Detroit. It's a pretty ramshackle place. Most things seem to be falling apart. But the pumps work.
Inside everything that can be concealed easily is behind the counter , which is protected by several thick layers of whatever. You have to slide your card to the guy under the glass.
It's kind of a little grocery store. You know, the essentials, toilet paper, toothpaste, bread, etc. I've heard that the city of Detroit only has one grocery store within the city limits. That may not be true, but I do know I've never seen one.
Anyway, back to the story. Everything is behind glass. But you don't have to prepay for gas. I'm not sure if the people of Detroit just haven't figured out yet that you can steal gas by pumping it and driving off, or if the theives generally don't drive or what. It's strange though. You have to prepay for gas in the nicest gas stations in Tucson.
At least I thought it was strange the first couple times, then this last time I noticed that everyone else does have to prepay. Everybody else has to take their money inside, I just stand there for a second and the guy turns on the pump then I go in and pay when I'm done.
I'm not completely sure, but I think this might be a sad testament to the state of the city and its racial fault lines.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Driving
I normally take I-96 home to Ann Arbor. It's about five miles shorter than I-94 and it has lighter traffic and the speed limit is higher. I don't really understand why people take I-94. But I have to ride on I-94 for about two miles to get to the 96. There are only two exits, but the traffic is usually pretty heavy.
So yesterday I was driving home. The traffic was really bad because for some reason I decided to leave during rush hour. And I was tired and a little out of it. I was listening to Marketplace (which incedently is my favorite show on NPR other than the funny ones on the weekend.
So I got off the highway and realized I had taken the wrong exit onto another highway. So I had to get off that and get back on and then get back to I-94. Then I did it again. I got off at the next exit which still wasn't the right exit. And i had to drive around to get back on the freeway. I couldn't believe that I did it twice in a row. There are only two exits that I have to pass and I got off on both of them.
So I got back on I-94, then I missed my exit. I ended up having to drive all the way back on I-94. It took me more than an hour to get home.
Moral of the story...pay attention when you drive
So yesterday I was driving home. The traffic was really bad because for some reason I decided to leave during rush hour. And I was tired and a little out of it. I was listening to Marketplace (which incedently is my favorite show on NPR other than the funny ones on the weekend.
So I got off the highway and realized I had taken the wrong exit onto another highway. So I had to get off that and get back on and then get back to I-94. Then I did it again. I got off at the next exit which still wasn't the right exit. And i had to drive around to get back on the freeway. I couldn't believe that I did it twice in a row. There are only two exits that I have to pass and I got off on both of them.
So I got back on I-94, then I missed my exit. I ended up having to drive all the way back on I-94. It took me more than an hour to get home.
Moral of the story...pay attention when you drive
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Studying
I'm having trouble motivating myself to study. I always seem to have this problem. I can only go over the same information so many times before I get bored. So I've reaced this point where I don't really know if I'm prepared or not, but I don't really want to study anymore.
Monday, August 20, 2007
On hands
It was interesting today. We started dissecting the hand. Up until today the hands were in a special plastic wrapping. It was strange. I can't really describe it, but somehow when we unwrapped the hands and started dissecting, the body suddenlt seemed more...human, if that makes sense. It had more personality, it was more real.
You have to understand that the face and head are still in a special wrapping. We don't get to that section until unit two. Up until now we've only seen the torso and arm.
Anyway, it was interesting to grasp in a not so intellectual sense, the significance of the hand. Our hands are one of only a few body parts that really set us apart from animals. Our upright posture is dictated by our hands.
I don't know, like I said, it's not something I can describe, but it gives me a little more appreciation for Paul Brand and his quest to save the hands of people with leperosy.
You have to understand that the face and head are still in a special wrapping. We don't get to that section until unit two. Up until now we've only seen the torso and arm.
Anyway, it was interesting to grasp in a not so intellectual sense, the significance of the hand. Our hands are one of only a few body parts that really set us apart from animals. Our upright posture is dictated by our hands.
I don't know, like I said, it's not something I can describe, but it gives me a little more appreciation for Paul Brand and his quest to save the hands of people with leperosy.
On Umbrellas
I don't like rain. It's been raining for two days now, and I'm sick of it. Where is the sun?
I saw something I've never seen before. I saw an umbrella bent backwards in the wind. I always thought that was a bit of movie exaggeration. But today I saw it happen. This lady was walking down the street with her umbrella and pop, it inverted in the wind and she was left holding a useless umbrella.
I saw something I've never seen before. I saw an umbrella bent backwards in the wind. I always thought that was a bit of movie exaggeration. But today I saw it happen. This lady was walking down the street with her umbrella and pop, it inverted in the wind and she was left holding a useless umbrella.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
On overactive glands
It rained all day today. In fact it is still raining. This is the first day like this we've had in Michigan. We were supposed to go to a picnic on Belle Isle held by a group dedicated to supporting the families of medical students. It got cancelled though, or rather postponed until furthur notice.
So instead we went to game night. I think I wrote about us going a few weeks ago. It's at the house of Luke's boss's house every Sunday night. Since it was raining we played dodgeball in the barn. It was great.
But I think that the physiology of my body adjusted to the air in Arizona. Whenever I play sports or work out here I get ridiculously sweaty...way more than the people around me. Today for example everything I had on was soaking wet and my hair was wet and everything. It was humid from the rain and I obviously ran a lot and played hard, but still...
Anyway we had a great night.
So instead we went to game night. I think I wrote about us going a few weeks ago. It's at the house of Luke's boss's house every Sunday night. Since it was raining we played dodgeball in the barn. It was great.
But I think that the physiology of my body adjusted to the air in Arizona. Whenever I play sports or work out here I get ridiculously sweaty...way more than the people around me. Today for example everything I had on was soaking wet and my hair was wet and everything. It was humid from the rain and I obviously ran a lot and played hard, but still...
Anyway we had a great night.
On Rocks and Dirt
So, we just moved into our condo. our little miniature backyard is pretty standard. There were a few overgrown bushes and it was edged with that black plastic stuff that keeps weeds from growing and makes it easier to edge. Anyway, my aunt, Ginger, was here and Adrienne asked her what she should do with the garden.
So Aunt Ginger reccommended taking out the black plastic lining and edging, and also removing the gravel that covered the plastic. She had a great plan which involved Adrienne Putting the gravel into plastic buckets and driving over to her house where the gravel could be emptied into the driveway behind the boathouse and then filled with dirt from a pile there. So Adrienne jumped into the project with gusto. She Spent her two days off last week taking the black lining out and trimming the bushes. Then she began the process of switching gravel for dirt.
She managed to fill four buckets before tiring. The buckets sat full of gravel in the yard for a week. Then on Saturday she decided to take them over and dump them. I was studying. A little while later she came down and asked for my help. She wasn't sure what to do with the dirt and her back hurt from carrying the buckets of rocks.
So I came upstairs and found to my suprise......... four buckets of wood chips.
The moral of the story:
1. Garden in small managable bits, unless you happen to be a professional gardener.
2. My wife needs a bit more guidance in gardening than most.
So Aunt Ginger reccommended taking out the black plastic lining and edging, and also removing the gravel that covered the plastic. She had a great plan which involved Adrienne Putting the gravel into plastic buckets and driving over to her house where the gravel could be emptied into the driveway behind the boathouse and then filled with dirt from a pile there. So Adrienne jumped into the project with gusto. She Spent her two days off last week taking the black lining out and trimming the bushes. Then she began the process of switching gravel for dirt.
She managed to fill four buckets before tiring. The buckets sat full of gravel in the yard for a week. Then on Saturday she decided to take them over and dump them. I was studying. A little while later she came down and asked for my help. She wasn't sure what to do with the dirt and her back hurt from carrying the buckets of rocks.
So I came upstairs and found to my suprise......... four buckets of wood chips.
The moral of the story:
1. Garden in small managable bits, unless you happen to be a professional gardener.
2. My wife needs a bit more guidance in gardening than most.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
On old movies
There's something different about old movies. They seem to move at a snails pace sometimes. In life today it seems hard to appreciate those extra spaces.
We watched Rebecca, the Best Picture of 1940 according to that little golden man. It's an Alfred Hitchcock film. I really enjoyed it. It's been a while since I've watched an old movie. It's been a while since I watched any movie at all actually. But Adrienne isn't really one for old movies. She almost turned this one off because it was in black and white. There were a number of things I enjoyed:
1. Dialogue--how often do you see a movie that actually contains any. There are a few, mostly cult hits, that have a fair amount, but not intelligent.
2. Language--they actually used big words. Movies don't use language your average high school dropout can't understand. They used to though.
3. Suspense: Hitchcock was a master at building suspense. "He didn't use any blood or, at least in the films I've seen, sudden action to induce fear. He built suspense slowly, with carefully doled out information, hints, and a little music. And the great thing is, that from the first scene in the movie you know what's going to happen. Unbelievable.
4. Unexpectedness: The plot twists are so unexpected as to be nearly impossible to predict. He is able to build the movie up so much in one direction that when an alternate explanation of events becomes apparent it floors you.
ANyway, we had a good night. We walked down to Dominos and got a Pizza and then watch a good movie on TV. It was great. And now it's Sunday so I don't have to study for a whole day.
We watched Rebecca, the Best Picture of 1940 according to that little golden man. It's an Alfred Hitchcock film. I really enjoyed it. It's been a while since I've watched an old movie. It's been a while since I watched any movie at all actually. But Adrienne isn't really one for old movies. She almost turned this one off because it was in black and white. There were a number of things I enjoyed:
1. Dialogue--how often do you see a movie that actually contains any. There are a few, mostly cult hits, that have a fair amount, but not intelligent.
2. Language--they actually used big words. Movies don't use language your average high school dropout can't understand. They used to though.
3. Suspense: Hitchcock was a master at building suspense. "He didn't use any blood or, at least in the films I've seen, sudden action to induce fear. He built suspense slowly, with carefully doled out information, hints, and a little music. And the great thing is, that from the first scene in the movie you know what's going to happen. Unbelievable.
4. Unexpectedness: The plot twists are so unexpected as to be nearly impossible to predict. He is able to build the movie up so much in one direction that when an alternate explanation of events becomes apparent it floors you.
ANyway, we had a good night. We walked down to Dominos and got a Pizza and then watch a good movie on TV. It was great. And now it's Sunday so I don't have to study for a whole day.
On oil
I hate getting my oil changed (or rather, my car's oil). Here's an expert taking care of something which is very important to me, but which I know nothing about. And everyhing costs a lot of money. I don't know what a dirty air filter looks like. How do you know when to change it. The guy comes up to my window and says, "your air filter is a little dirty, do you want to change it?" and he holds it up next to a clean one for me to inspect. On what basis do I make that decision. Or when the other guy comes up and says, "your engine needs to be flushed every 15,000 miles and it's looking pretty dirty. It's only 49 dollars to flush it." Then what do I say. If I follow all of their reccomendations I walk out paying 300 dollars for an oil change. Dealing with a new car is even worse. My old car, which I got new, was always up to date on everything. I kept track of it all and when the guy came up and said your moojoo fluid needs to be changed every 31725 miles I could respond, no I just had it done last time.
It's like the dentist. For the last 8 years or so, every time I've gone in to the dentist, they've told me to get my wisdom teeth pulled. But that's what they tell everyone. It's a standard procedure now. Btu do you really need to pony up the cash for it? I may end up sorry that I didn't get it done. Just like I might end up sorry that I didn't have them change the transmission fluid today.
When an expert is trying to sell you something, how do you know that you need it? Especially when they reccommend the same thing to every person they encounter. I watched the guy at the oil change place. He reccommended the same thing to every customer. He didn't even bother looking at the engine before telling them. But we all trust that guy. He's taking care of our car. All four people who followed me bought into what he said.
I hate getting my oil changed.
It's like the dentist. For the last 8 years or so, every time I've gone in to the dentist, they've told me to get my wisdom teeth pulled. But that's what they tell everyone. It's a standard procedure now. Btu do you really need to pony up the cash for it? I may end up sorry that I didn't get it done. Just like I might end up sorry that I didn't have them change the transmission fluid today.
When an expert is trying to sell you something, how do you know that you need it? Especially when they reccommend the same thing to every person they encounter. I watched the guy at the oil change place. He reccommended the same thing to every customer. He didn't even bother looking at the engine before telling them. But we all trust that guy. He's taking care of our car. All four people who followed me bought into what he said.
I hate getting my oil changed.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
On dogs and doors
I've never done this on purpose, just so you know.
So whenever I come home it's a good idea to let the dog out to go to the bathroom and such nonesense. Usually the sliding glass door is closed but the screen door is open, so I just slide the glass open and he walks out. He's gotten used to it to the point where he doesn't really check, he just sees that I've opened it and walks through.
Every once in a while however the screen is closed. This results in the dog running directly into the screen, then turning around with a very perplexed look on his face.
Hilarious
So whenever I come home it's a good idea to let the dog out to go to the bathroom and such nonesense. Usually the sliding glass door is closed but the screen door is open, so I just slide the glass open and he walks out. He's gotten used to it to the point where he doesn't really check, he just sees that I've opened it and walks through.
Every once in a while however the screen is closed. This results in the dog running directly into the screen, then turning around with a very perplexed look on his face.
Hilarious
Gas
The car I drive to school can make it about 4 trips back and forth to school before it needs a fill up. But it's pretty close. 4 trips is about 320 miles and the range on the car is about 340 or thereabouts. So if I drive it at all other than to school it endsup being a pretty close run. But me being me, i always think, no I can push it and make it.
Invariably when I try to push it this is what happens: the gas light comes on with 15-20 miles to go to my destination. Now I know that cars now generally give you a good 30-40 mile warning, but that doesn't reduce my stress level. As soon as that gas light comes on I'm a nervous wreck. I can't concentrate on anything other than on "Is my car still running?" This happened this morning, so my normally relaxing, stress free drive was disrupted and instead of getting to school in a relaxed state I'm a little discombobulated.
On top of that I'm mad. The old Corolla I had consistently got 38-40 mpg. This one gets 30-31. That means this car costs me about $500 more per year than the other one.
Invariably when I try to push it this is what happens: the gas light comes on with 15-20 miles to go to my destination. Now I know that cars now generally give you a good 30-40 mile warning, but that doesn't reduce my stress level. As soon as that gas light comes on I'm a nervous wreck. I can't concentrate on anything other than on "Is my car still running?" This happened this morning, so my normally relaxing, stress free drive was disrupted and instead of getting to school in a relaxed state I'm a little discombobulated.
On top of that I'm mad. The old Corolla I had consistently got 38-40 mpg. This one gets 30-31. That means this car costs me about $500 more per year than the other one.
Monday, August 13, 2007
On Universities
This is amazing:
Students: You were initially assessed at the 2006-07 tuition/fee rates if you registered prior to July 31, 2007. The 15.8% tuition increase and additional fees were assessed after that date. This was AFTER financial aid disbursements and refund checks were generated. You must pay the additional tuition/fee charges from your own resources unless you are a financial aid recipient and plan to request a student loan increase. Other fee adjustments includen the addition of a new $1,059 fee - the Budget Contingency Fee.
This is from an email I got. It is amazing to me that a school can even consider raising rates after most people heve already paid. It's like going to the grocery store, paying, and then as you're walking through the parking lot having the cashier run after you..."Excuse me sir we just raised the cost of your groceries."
Universities in this country are a racket. They spend all sorts of money in crazy ways that heve nothing to do with education at the whim of those in charge, then they stick it to the students. And most of the students don't pay attention to the real cost because they're paying for it all with loans anyway, and the the loan agencies love it because they charge huge rates and make most of their money back before the student even graduates, because the federal government subsidizes the loans.
Students: You were initially assessed at the 2006-07 tuition/fee rates if you registered prior to July 31, 2007. The 15.8% tuition increase and additional fees were assessed after that date. This was AFTER financial aid disbursements and refund checks were generated. You must pay the additional tuition/fee charges from your own resources unless you are a financial aid recipient and plan to request a student loan increase. Other fee adjustments includen the addition of a new $1,059 fee - the Budget Contingency Fee.
This is from an email I got. It is amazing to me that a school can even consider raising rates after most people heve already paid. It's like going to the grocery store, paying, and then as you're walking through the parking lot having the cashier run after you..."Excuse me sir we just raised the cost of your groceries."
Universities in this country are a racket. They spend all sorts of money in crazy ways that heve nothing to do with education at the whim of those in charge, then they stick it to the students. And most of the students don't pay attention to the real cost because they're paying for it all with loans anyway, and the the loan agencies love it because they charge huge rates and make most of their money back before the student even graduates, because the federal government subsidizes the loans.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The Sabbath
I have decided. I will not study on Sundays. I am going to take one day every week and not devote it to school. Even if I have a test on Monday (I don't think they do that) . One of the things I am seeking in life right now is balance. Medical School is important to me, but I don't want it to be the only thing in my life. So here's to God, and to my wife and to my sanity and to all those other things that depend on me not devoting every minute to one thing.
The Voice
Sitting in church this morning I realized..."I miss The Voice." The Voice is raw. The Voice is unpolished. The Voice is passionate...even through a microphone. The Voice never even hints at performance...it is pure, an offering given up in brokenness. The Voice invites participation, it defies definition. It is beautiful, it is rare, it is an incredible gift to those blessed by it. It is the most inviting voice I have ever heard in church, and I miss it.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Lab today
One thing I like about lab is that the instructors really encourage us to explore and not go strictly by the book. My table has become the table everybody comes to to see what they should do next. And the great thing is that it's not just because I'm there. I mean that's part of the reason, but whenever the lab instructors come over to tell us what a great job we're doing (they actually say that--the most common adjective applied by them to our dissection is beautiful) and start asking us questions everyone at the table answers. I think the biggest reason for that is that as we dissect we quiz each other. It's like a little competition.
Today we had a mini exposition. Most of the people in the lab came to see our dissection over the course of the lab with the statement, "I heard you had a beautiful..."
We opened the back today. We skinned it, then reflected the trapezius and latissimus dorsi to get a better view of the underlying muscles. Then we cut the rhomboids and the deltoids (It cracks me up that so many body parts are named by their shape).
Our group managed to find all of the arteries and nerves that we were supposed to find (the instructors have to explain to most groups what their looking at, so they're always a little suprised that we have already found it all.)
Then we cut back to see the deep back muscles around the spine. It was fun, I am really enjoying Gross Anatomy
Today we had a mini exposition. Most of the people in the lab came to see our dissection over the course of the lab with the statement, "I heard you had a beautiful..."
We opened the back today. We skinned it, then reflected the trapezius and latissimus dorsi to get a better view of the underlying muscles. Then we cut the rhomboids and the deltoids (It cracks me up that so many body parts are named by their shape).
Our group managed to find all of the arteries and nerves that we were supposed to find (the instructors have to explain to most groups what their looking at, so they're always a little suprised that we have already found it all.)
Then we cut back to see the deep back muscles around the spine. It was fun, I am really enjoying Gross Anatomy
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Today
Three days in and still going strong.
On the first day in anatomy lab as we were finishing up this other guy and I started talking about what we had seen and doing a quick oral review. We were done a bit early and so had some time to kill. We started drawing the structures up on the blackboard (every wall is covered in blackboards for our use). I wasn't really paying attention, but when we had finished I looked up and there was a crowd of about 20 other people standing around in a circle watching us. Then they started asking questions...
Medical school is a lot of type A people all trying to out-type-A each other. Everyone is hyper-organized, and very busy looking. The instructrs pass out class notes that they follow pretty closely. There's not a whole lot they say that isn't in the notes. But every time I look around most of the class is hunched over their desks furiously taking notes...I often wonder what it is they are writing...then I start to think, maybe I'm falling behind. And maybe I am...I hope I don't flunk out.
On the first day in anatomy lab as we were finishing up this other guy and I started talking about what we had seen and doing a quick oral review. We were done a bit early and so had some time to kill. We started drawing the structures up on the blackboard (every wall is covered in blackboards for our use). I wasn't really paying attention, but when we had finished I looked up and there was a crowd of about 20 other people standing around in a circle watching us. Then they started asking questions...
Medical school is a lot of type A people all trying to out-type-A each other. Everyone is hyper-organized, and very busy looking. The instructrs pass out class notes that they follow pretty closely. There's not a whole lot they say that isn't in the notes. But every time I look around most of the class is hunched over their desks furiously taking notes...I often wonder what it is they are writing...then I start to think, maybe I'm falling behind. And maybe I am...I hope I don't flunk out.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
on cadavers
I had an inteeresting experiencethis week. Monday was the first day of Gross Anatomy lab, which means it was the first day of dissection. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it. I've never even seen a dead body that I can remember. So to not only see it, but feel it and probe it and cut into it was a disconcerting feeling.
But when it came time to do it, it wasn't that weird. I just opened up the plastic bag and started exploring and learning. It did take some getting used to. But by Wednes day I was doing well. It really is a lot more helpful than books and illustrations. You can really see why medicine didn't begin to progress until vesalius began digging up human bodies and trying to figure out what was going on inside.
It sure doesn't look like the pictures in my book though.
But when it came time to do it, it wasn't that weird. I just opened up the plastic bag and started exploring and learning. It did take some getting used to. But by Wednes day I was doing well. It really is a lot more helpful than books and illustrations. You can really see why medicine didn't begin to progress until vesalius began digging up human bodies and trying to figure out what was going on inside.
It sure doesn't look like the pictures in my book though.
Monday, August 06, 2007
On lectures
I have always had trouble staying awake in lectures. I have to move around a little and take notes to stay awake unless the lecturer is particularly interesting.
We're on break for our first lecture now. The subject is histology, the topic today is cells and organelles. I first learned this from Mr Campbell about 12 years ago and have had few biology classes without it since. It actually suprises me that they spend time on it here, because I have had fewer science classes than most.
Example: [picture showing several cells dyed pink with the nucleii dyed blue] "This is a nucleus, this too is a nucleus, oh and do you see this here--this is a nucleus, can anyone tell me what this is..[low indistinguishable murmur] yes that's right it's a nucleus.
To make matters worse the lecturer is this woman with a high pitched nasal voice. It reminds me of a Saturday night live skit for some reason. Good thing she's only lecturing today.
That said--I'm enjoying medical school so far.
We're on break for our first lecture now. The subject is histology, the topic today is cells and organelles. I first learned this from Mr Campbell about 12 years ago and have had few biology classes without it since. It actually suprises me that they spend time on it here, because I have had fewer science classes than most.
Example: [picture showing several cells dyed pink with the nucleii dyed blue] "This is a nucleus, this too is a nucleus, oh and do you see this here--this is a nucleus, can anyone tell me what this is..[low indistinguishable murmur] yes that's right it's a nucleus.
To make matters worse the lecturer is this woman with a high pitched nasal voice. It reminds me of a Saturday night live skit for some reason. Good thing she's only lecturing today.
That said--I'm enjoying medical school so far.
Friday, August 03, 2007
On organizations
I'm currently sitting in the Green Lecture hall listening to a long series of presentations by a variety of student organizations. The nice thing about this particular lecture hall is that the actual presentations are going on next door in the Jaffar lecture hall, and are being played on the screen in here. So I can sit and type while they present without being rude. It's spectacular.
Highlights
Amigos: an organization that volunteers at clinics to translate(Spanish) in Mexican town (no not Tucson, an area in Detroit) and also takes trips to South Carolina and Mexico to volutnteer at clinics. South Carolina has a law that allows retired doctors to practice as long as they don't get paid and their patients don't have access to other health care. Also holds classes in Medical Spanish at lunch.
Medical Students for Choice: I have often wondered how sick you have to be to make it all the way through medical school and still be able to perform abortions.
World Health Student Organization: sounds cool but I wasn't listening very well because I was writing about Amigos. You can learn about lots of diseases and they have trips around the world.
Asian health association (or something like that): Dedicated to promoting the health of asians.
Black health association: See above
White health association (oops that one doesn't exist)
Covenant House: volunteer at a homless shelter for young adults--mentor, tutor, play games
Co-curricular: a program that allows you to get one month off your senior year if you spent time volunteering your first two years. This would allow you to have a month to do another international rotation, or just not have to do anything for a month.
Highlights
Amigos: an organization that volunteers at clinics to translate(Spanish) in Mexican town (no not Tucson, an area in Detroit) and also takes trips to South Carolina and Mexico to volutnteer at clinics. South Carolina has a law that allows retired doctors to practice as long as they don't get paid and their patients don't have access to other health care. Also holds classes in Medical Spanish at lunch.
Medical Students for Choice: I have often wondered how sick you have to be to make it all the way through medical school and still be able to perform abortions.
World Health Student Organization: sounds cool but I wasn't listening very well because I was writing about Amigos. You can learn about lots of diseases and they have trips around the world.
Asian health association (or something like that): Dedicated to promoting the health of asians.
Black health association: See above
White health association (oops that one doesn't exist)
Covenant House: volunteer at a homless shelter for young adults--mentor, tutor, play games
Co-curricular: a program that allows you to get one month off your senior year if you spent time volunteering your first two years. This would allow you to have a month to do another international rotation, or just not have to do anything for a month.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
On a day
I'm sorry if I sounded bitter. I just hate having time stolen from me. It is a valuable commodity, and though I often waste it, I do value it and resent its theft.
Diversity training is, apparently, a rite of passage at the modern university. A lot of the people at the school went to Michigan so they're used to it. From what I hear, at the U of M you have to sit through entire classes devoted to this subject.
Michigan's state Universities are doing their best to skirt, bend and break the law that was recently passed by an overwhelming number of Michigan voters. In fact the executive vice dean (an old white male) said as much, and then gave us the little wink wink and said, "but none of is in jail yet, so that's good."
I'm sick of the meaningless platitudes. It devalues language. The diversity indusrty has taken a whole group of words and rendered them meaningless. When you sit in one of these seminars, none of it makes any sense unless you let your eyes glaze over a little and try to ignore the actual words. That's how you can tell all this goobledegook was invented by stoned teenagers in the 60's who couldn't be bothered to go to class and actually learn English. Now they impose their lack of sense on us.
Don't worry though, I don't have anything against any gender(though if I were female I think it might be ok to hate males), ethnicity, nationality (except Carthaginians, and sometimes Americans--thats ok isn't it), political party(except communists--oops, they're back in style now), religion (except sun worshipers and goat blood drinkers--are they a protected minority group?) (remember, its sheik to flout Islam{ha ha sometimes I crack myself up}), sexual orientation(just make something new up, it happens all the time), age (unless of course their under 9 months, then we can advocate death), or race (except the race for the cure--with one of the highest success rates I think its time to focus on curing a disease that can potentially affect more than fifty percent of the population)
curiously one of the things you aren't supposed to discriminate against was labeled "Other"
Everybody talked about how prejudice and discrimination shape our society and shared stories about how they've been discriminated against....well all the minorities got to talk about that--they didn't really ask me to speak.
Luckily there was a small coterie of relatively intelligent individuals who recognized this series of activities for what it was. We had a good laugh about it. This upset the facillitator but she wasn't from the University so its ok, she also wasn't quite with it enough to recognize sarcasm(Why is it that people who make their livings talking about diversity never seem to get sarcasm).
Diversity training is, apparently, a rite of passage at the modern university. A lot of the people at the school went to Michigan so they're used to it. From what I hear, at the U of M you have to sit through entire classes devoted to this subject.
Michigan's state Universities are doing their best to skirt, bend and break the law that was recently passed by an overwhelming number of Michigan voters. In fact the executive vice dean (an old white male) said as much, and then gave us the little wink wink and said, "but none of is in jail yet, so that's good."
I'm sick of the meaningless platitudes. It devalues language. The diversity indusrty has taken a whole group of words and rendered them meaningless. When you sit in one of these seminars, none of it makes any sense unless you let your eyes glaze over a little and try to ignore the actual words. That's how you can tell all this goobledegook was invented by stoned teenagers in the 60's who couldn't be bothered to go to class and actually learn English. Now they impose their lack of sense on us.
Don't worry though, I don't have anything against any gender(though if I were female I think it might be ok to hate males), ethnicity, nationality (except Carthaginians, and sometimes Americans--thats ok isn't it), political party(except communists--oops, they're back in style now), religion (except sun worshipers and goat blood drinkers--are they a protected minority group?) (remember, its sheik to flout Islam{ha ha sometimes I crack myself up}), sexual orientation(just make something new up, it happens all the time), age (unless of course their under 9 months, then we can advocate death), or race (except the race for the cure--with one of the highest success rates I think its time to focus on curing a disease that can potentially affect more than fifty percent of the population)
curiously one of the things you aren't supposed to discriminate against was labeled "Other"
Everybody talked about how prejudice and discrimination shape our society and shared stories about how they've been discriminated against....well all the minorities got to talk about that--they didn't really ask me to speak.
Luckily there was a small coterie of relatively intelligent individuals who recognized this series of activities for what it was. We had a good laugh about it. This upset the facillitator but she wasn't from the University so its ok, she also wasn't quite with it enough to recognize sarcasm(Why is it that people who make their livings talking about diversity never seem to get sarcasm).
On Diversity
How has prejudice affected your life?
>insert sob story here<
Would you rather be a single black female with three children or a sixty year old white aerospace engineer?
(oh yeah the she's a nulear physisist whose husband died in Iraq and he's a child molester)
>really deep and significant conversation about how people aren't what they seem here<
Diversity is good in and of itself.
>light applause and vigorous nodding<
As a arab muslim woman I am persecuted
>more head nodding, sympathetic looks, and grunts of agreement<
Blah Blah Blah
>insert sob story here<
Would you rather be a single black female with three children or a sixty year old white aerospace engineer?
(oh yeah the she's a nulear physisist whose husband died in Iraq and he's a child molester)
>really deep and significant conversation about how people aren't what they seem here<
Diversity is good in and of itself.
>light applause and vigorous nodding<
As a arab muslim woman I am persecuted
>more head nodding, sympathetic looks, and grunts of agreement<
Blah Blah Blah
On the beginning
I'm here, waiting for orientation to begin on the second day. Orientation is a slow tortuous process, that seems to be full of waiting for things to start, and waiting for things to end. Today is the feelings day. You know the one that is now mandatory in any university orientation. We get to talk about how everyone is different ad how everyone is the same, and how everybody matters, except of course for anyone who actually thinks something.
more later, We're about to start.
more later, We're about to start.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
On being out of shape
I pulled my quadricep...I think. I kicked the soccer ball and my leg complained loudly. Then I could hardly run for the rest of the game. Today it's killing me.
It was fun though. Playing with a nonfunctioning leg really forces you to use your head more and get into position. I did however miss a few plays because I couldn't get the force I needed to into the ball.
Moral of the story: Stretch before you play sports.
It was fun though. Playing with a nonfunctioning leg really forces you to use your head more and get into position. I did however miss a few plays because I couldn't get the force I needed to into the ball.
Moral of the story: Stretch before you play sports.
Friday, July 27, 2007
On whirly ball
I played whirlyball last night. "What is whirlyball?" you ask. Good question. Basically it's a game where ou ride around on bumper cars and run into each other and try to get a little whiffle ball through a net. It's pretty fun, though it is hard on your body. It's basically one long nonstop whiplash session, with your body being thrown back and forth as yourun into people and they run into you. The worst is where the seatbelt runs across you hips. I've got these big red marks on my hips from the seatbelt.
That is of course preferable to not wearing the satbelt. During the first game I forgot to put my seatbelt on and almost went flying out of the car.
That is of course preferable to not wearing the satbelt. During the first game I forgot to put my seatbelt on and almost went flying out of the car.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
On atheism
About 3 years ago my grandfather joined with three other well-educated elderly men to discuss theology and religion in a weekly group. The stated goal was to examine theology and the central ideas of Christianity (and eventually other religions) and to attempt to find some rational basis for them.
As you all probably know, I myself am a little wary of rational proofs of the existence of God. Their pursuit has led many down the wide road that leads away from faith. In fact, the pursuit of rational foundations led me away from Christianity for a number of years.
The last time I came to Michigan was about two years ago. It was around this time that my grandfather was most involved and invested in the work of this group. I remember at that time that they had reached the conclusion that they needed to scrap everything and begin to build up sa new theology from the ground up by drawing in lots of different religions. They were very much into the Jesus Seminar and took every chance to question, and deny theological truths. I remember that on that particular visit my father was quite upset.
The group continued in this manner, and it eventually became clear that the other three members of the group were drifting (or conciously moving) towards atheism. They continued to ridicule and tear down religious ideas. About a year ago my grandfather began to separate himself from the ideas of he group and to attempt to build rather than destroy.
Due to his close friendship with the gentlemen in question he continued to attend the meetings, but became more and more forceful in his arguments for God. Today he went to his last meeting and told the other members that he would not be returning. Good for him. Now he is faced with the job of rebuilding a faith he has spent years tearing apart.
I know this place well. I have spent the last two years attempting to piece together a faith that I argued against for a long time. I ridiculed, derided, and generally laughed at Christian faith. That makes it more difficult now than it was before to maintain that faith.
There is a promise though, "those who seek will find, those who ask will receive and to those who knock the door will be opened." This has meant a lot to me over the last few years.
As you all probably know, I myself am a little wary of rational proofs of the existence of God. Their pursuit has led many down the wide road that leads away from faith. In fact, the pursuit of rational foundations led me away from Christianity for a number of years.
The last time I came to Michigan was about two years ago. It was around this time that my grandfather was most involved and invested in the work of this group. I remember at that time that they had reached the conclusion that they needed to scrap everything and begin to build up sa new theology from the ground up by drawing in lots of different religions. They were very much into the Jesus Seminar and took every chance to question, and deny theological truths. I remember that on that particular visit my father was quite upset.
The group continued in this manner, and it eventually became clear that the other three members of the group were drifting (or conciously moving) towards atheism. They continued to ridicule and tear down religious ideas. About a year ago my grandfather began to separate himself from the ideas of he group and to attempt to build rather than destroy.
Due to his close friendship with the gentlemen in question he continued to attend the meetings, but became more and more forceful in his arguments for God. Today he went to his last meeting and told the other members that he would not be returning. Good for him. Now he is faced with the job of rebuilding a faith he has spent years tearing apart.
I know this place well. I have spent the last two years attempting to piece together a faith that I argued against for a long time. I ridiculed, derided, and generally laughed at Christian faith. That makes it more difficult now than it was before to maintain that faith.
There is a promise though, "those who seek will find, those who ask will receive and to those who knock the door will be opened." This has meant a lot to me over the last few years.
I'm bored
We moved in, now I sit around all day twiddling my thumbs. I'm ready and anxious for school to start. Really I'm waiting for the weekend, because then all sorts of stuff will start to happen. I'll play soccer again, we'll go to church again etc. Then on Monday I start. but until then.....
The past couple of days have been difficult though. Floating. We don't have any routines or places yet. So I end up sitting around the house reading or watching TV. Drifting, without purpose, without meaning. I also tend to eat too much when I'm bored. It didn't help that it rained all day yesterday. I couldn't even go out for a bike ride or anything.
I did finish Harry Potter though. I thought it was an excellent finish. A good resolution to a great story.
Anyway, hopefully today I'll be able to find some purpose in life. And it's not raining...yet
The past couple of days have been difficult though. Floating. We don't have any routines or places yet. So I end up sitting around the house reading or watching TV. Drifting, without purpose, without meaning. I also tend to eat too much when I'm bored. It didn't help that it rained all day yesterday. I couldn't even go out for a bike ride or anything.
I did finish Harry Potter though. I thought it was an excellent finish. A good resolution to a great story.
Anyway, hopefully today I'll be able to find some purpose in life. And it's not raining...yet
1 Thessalonians 4:11
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you may not be dependant on anybody.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
On tires
I got out my bike the othern day
I used it to sort of explore the neighborhood. I rode it down all the paths around our house through the parks and everything to figure out the lay of the land in our general vicinity. It was a sort of a scouting mission for future bike rides and walks. I'm pretty confident now that I won't get lost on a walk in the future. And I pretty much always know the fastest way to get home.
Anyway...about halfway through my bike ride I noticed that my front brake wasn't working. I hadn't hooked it up on arrival...I took the front tires off our bikes to make the move and save space in the truck. But I didn't worry too much about it. It was a pretty leisurely ride. I didn't have any reason to need a front brake.
So yesterday I was going to take another ride. This time I rode down to a park that is a couple miles from the house where there is a little trail that kind of winds around the park for mountain biukes. I thought it would be fun.
So I decided to hook up the front brake before I left, but I couldn't get it to work. The two parts just didn't seem to want to meet up across the top of the tire...which is weird because it was hooked up and working fine up until I loaded it into the truck. So after fighting it for a good 15 minutes down on my knees in front of the bike, nose to the tire, I had had enough and I just went. I figured I could deal with it later.
So I got down to the park and had a good time. I have decided however that when talking about bicycle tires, hybrid really means neither. I got these tires a couple years ago that were supposed to be a cross between raod and mountain tires. I have found over the last couple years that they really don't work that well as road tires...and I found yesterday that they really don't work very well as mountain bike tires...my rear wheel kept slipping (which wasn't good since I didn't have any front brakes.)
As I was on my way back I noticed that the front wheel was making a sound I had never heard before. Thgen I noticed that it still had those little rubber things that new tires have but that generally wear off pretty quickly...then I noticed that it was an actual mountain bike tirem not one of the hybrid tires...then I realized that the reason my brakes weren't working was that I had put AAdrienne's front tire on my bike and hers on mine.
I used it to sort of explore the neighborhood. I rode it down all the paths around our house through the parks and everything to figure out the lay of the land in our general vicinity. It was a sort of a scouting mission for future bike rides and walks. I'm pretty confident now that I won't get lost on a walk in the future. And I pretty much always know the fastest way to get home.
Anyway...about halfway through my bike ride I noticed that my front brake wasn't working. I hadn't hooked it up on arrival...I took the front tires off our bikes to make the move and save space in the truck. But I didn't worry too much about it. It was a pretty leisurely ride. I didn't have any reason to need a front brake.
So yesterday I was going to take another ride. This time I rode down to a park that is a couple miles from the house where there is a little trail that kind of winds around the park for mountain biukes. I thought it would be fun.
So I decided to hook up the front brake before I left, but I couldn't get it to work. The two parts just didn't seem to want to meet up across the top of the tire...which is weird because it was hooked up and working fine up until I loaded it into the truck. So after fighting it for a good 15 minutes down on my knees in front of the bike, nose to the tire, I had had enough and I just went. I figured I could deal with it later.
So I got down to the park and had a good time. I have decided however that when talking about bicycle tires, hybrid really means neither. I got these tires a couple years ago that were supposed to be a cross between raod and mountain tires. I have found over the last couple years that they really don't work that well as road tires...and I found yesterday that they really don't work very well as mountain bike tires...my rear wheel kept slipping (which wasn't good since I didn't have any front brakes.)
As I was on my way back I noticed that the front wheel was making a sound I had never heard before. Thgen I noticed that it still had those little rubber things that new tires have but that generally wear off pretty quickly...then I noticed that it was an actual mountain bike tirem not one of the hybrid tires...then I realized that the reason my brakes weren't working was that I had put AAdrienne's front tire on my bike and hers on mine.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
On Evolution
The $27,000,000.00 Creation Museum was recently opened in Kentucky. I find this a bit depressing for a number of reasons.
1. Its foundation is ignorance. "Creation Science" is the easy way. It is the tempting way. It says here, you don't really need to pay attention in biology class. Just read this one chapter in the Bible and you will know all you need to know. A deeper study, however, of both the Biblical account of our origens and of the explanations offered by science leads to a much better understanding of the issue.
2. It is based on a lie. The fundemental reason for building a museum dedicated to Creation is a false dichotomy set up by certain members of the Christian community between creation and evolution. The idea that they are fundamentally incompatable was first posited by athiests in the late 19th century. It is a lie designed to do damage to the church. Creation and evolution are not incompatible. They can, in fact, work quite nicely together.
3. It is destructive. Religious debate is a very tempting thing. The idea that I can somehow convince you that this is true is alluring. It even works from time to time and can be a good thing. But it is often addictive and destructive. When our goal becomes to prove ourselves right rather than to discover truth, this type of debate destroys relationship and faith. And it is precisely this that a Creation museum encourages. "Here is how you can prove to others that they are wrong."
4. It is wasteful. When Jesus told the story of the sheep and the goats He didn't say "I thought I was once a monkey and you convinced me otherwise." He said "I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me." Think about how much $27 million could help advance one of these goal. It could be a serious endowment for longterm ministry projects around the country or world. Instead it goes to a fance museum. That doesn't even include the 5 million a year they hope to raise in ticket sales. (or for that matter the millions spent every year on phillip Johnson books)
5. It is exploitive. Taking $20 a person as an entrance fee to a second rate museum is just wrong.
It is really the fourth that gets to me the most. You can feel free to believe what you want to believe and argue about what you want to argue about. I don't think your salvation hinges on what you belive about creation/evolution. But I just don't understand how you could see this as the best use of 27 million dollars when there are so many people in the world, starving, naked, thirsty, without shelter, enslaved, refugeed, etc. I think it is sick that someone could be so blinded to the mission of the church. We are called remember, to make this place better, and to help those in need...not to get into petty arguments.
1. Its foundation is ignorance. "Creation Science" is the easy way. It is the tempting way. It says here, you don't really need to pay attention in biology class. Just read this one chapter in the Bible and you will know all you need to know. A deeper study, however, of both the Biblical account of our origens and of the explanations offered by science leads to a much better understanding of the issue.
2. It is based on a lie. The fundemental reason for building a museum dedicated to Creation is a false dichotomy set up by certain members of the Christian community between creation and evolution. The idea that they are fundamentally incompatable was first posited by athiests in the late 19th century. It is a lie designed to do damage to the church. Creation and evolution are not incompatible. They can, in fact, work quite nicely together.
3. It is destructive. Religious debate is a very tempting thing. The idea that I can somehow convince you that this is true is alluring. It even works from time to time and can be a good thing. But it is often addictive and destructive. When our goal becomes to prove ourselves right rather than to discover truth, this type of debate destroys relationship and faith. And it is precisely this that a Creation museum encourages. "Here is how you can prove to others that they are wrong."
4. It is wasteful. When Jesus told the story of the sheep and the goats He didn't say "I thought I was once a monkey and you convinced me otherwise." He said "I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me." Think about how much $27 million could help advance one of these goal. It could be a serious endowment for longterm ministry projects around the country or world. Instead it goes to a fance museum. That doesn't even include the 5 million a year they hope to raise in ticket sales. (or for that matter the millions spent every year on phillip Johnson books)
5. It is exploitive. Taking $20 a person as an entrance fee to a second rate museum is just wrong.
It is really the fourth that gets to me the most. You can feel free to believe what you want to believe and argue about what you want to argue about. I don't think your salvation hinges on what you belive about creation/evolution. But I just don't understand how you could see this as the best use of 27 million dollars when there are so many people in the world, starving, naked, thirsty, without shelter, enslaved, refugeed, etc. I think it is sick that someone could be so blinded to the mission of the church. We are called remember, to make this place better, and to help those in need...not to get into petty arguments.
Monday, July 23, 2007
On horses
So we went out to dinner with Grandma and Poppy and Sarah and Mark and Roger and Caroline. We went out to Dexter and saw the shop and then went to the pub next door. It was a lot of fun.
Anyway, the subject somehow turned to horses, and Grandma and Poppy told us an interesting story. Apparently the desire of their son at one point was to become a doctor in Montana and ride from call to call on horseback. I'd never heard that one before, but from what they said that was the goal of medical school at one point. Then everyone agreed that he has, in fact, always loved horses.
It's always interesting to see a new side of your parents. I can see it though. I wonder if it's true. I wonder if a certain occasional commenter on this blog could shed some light on the veracity of the story.
Incedently...welcome back from your trip
Anyway, the subject somehow turned to horses, and Grandma and Poppy told us an interesting story. Apparently the desire of their son at one point was to become a doctor in Montana and ride from call to call on horseback. I'd never heard that one before, but from what they said that was the goal of medical school at one point. Then everyone agreed that he has, in fact, always loved horses.
It's always interesting to see a new side of your parents. I can see it though. I wonder if it's true. I wonder if a certain occasional commenter on this blog could shed some light on the veracity of the story.
Incedently...welcome back from your trip
Sunday, July 22, 2007
on Wal-Mart
I was having a conversation recently and the person i was talking to said something like...Sam Walton is the Devil. Now there are all sorts of arguments for this position...Wal-Mart doesn't allow unions...they don't provide health care for employees...they drive product quality down...it drives small businesses out of business and destroyes local economies...etc...
Now I personally am not a big fan of Wal-Mart. The products tend to be a little cheap, they don't last as long as i would like them to, the stores are busy and confusing, and its difficult to get anyone to help you. So i don't really shop there much.
But arguing against Wal-Mart on principle, and trying to outlaw "big-box" stores is a pretty arogant thing to do. Wal-Mart is popular...even though the rich, well-educated people I tend to hang with and who tend to read this blog won't admit to liking it, it is popular. You don't get to be the biggest retailer in the world with a company bigger than the entire economy of Germany, without doing something right. WM provides a service that a whole lot of people want.
And the important thing to note is that it is very popular with lower-income people. It is popular with people who don't often have a say in public policy or opinion. But it is popular. So in saying "Sam Walton is the devil" basically what you are saying is that all those people who shop there and who make WM into a successful retaIler are too stupid to make decisions for themselves, sop we should just tell them what to do.
The thing is, WM has never forced anyone to shop there, or forced anyone to work there. They have never held a gun to my head and mugged me the way the government does every day. In fact WM has been harrassed, bullied, pushed around, insulted...by local, state and federal agencies across the country. Sam Walton actually seems like he must have been a very nice man. All he did was recognize a need and fill it. He did far more than anyone I know to feed the hungry,, clothe the naked, give shelter(I'm speaking of providing affordable goods for sale and bringing all sorts of products within the price range of normal or poor people.)...etc...than most people I know. And all he gets for it is people with their noses in the air saying things like "Sam Walton is the Devil"
Now I personally am not a big fan of Wal-Mart. The products tend to be a little cheap, they don't last as long as i would like them to, the stores are busy and confusing, and its difficult to get anyone to help you. So i don't really shop there much.
But arguing against Wal-Mart on principle, and trying to outlaw "big-box" stores is a pretty arogant thing to do. Wal-Mart is popular...even though the rich, well-educated people I tend to hang with and who tend to read this blog won't admit to liking it, it is popular. You don't get to be the biggest retailer in the world with a company bigger than the entire economy of Germany, without doing something right. WM provides a service that a whole lot of people want.
And the important thing to note is that it is very popular with lower-income people. It is popular with people who don't often have a say in public policy or opinion. But it is popular. So in saying "Sam Walton is the devil" basically what you are saying is that all those people who shop there and who make WM into a successful retaIler are too stupid to make decisions for themselves, sop we should just tell them what to do.
The thing is, WM has never forced anyone to shop there, or forced anyone to work there. They have never held a gun to my head and mugged me the way the government does every day. In fact WM has been harrassed, bullied, pushed around, insulted...by local, state and federal agencies across the country. Sam Walton actually seems like he must have been a very nice man. All he did was recognize a need and fill it. He did far more than anyone I know to feed the hungry,, clothe the naked, give shelter(I'm speaking of providing affordable goods for sale and bringing all sorts of products within the price range of normal or poor people.)...etc...than most people I know. And all he gets for it is people with their noses in the air saying things like "Sam Walton is the Devil"
On Michigan
I played soccer yesterday. I don't re,e,ber the last time I played soccer on grass rather than dirt. It was interesting, something I didn't really have in Arizona. A group of people you get together every week to play a game. It's great excersize... and nobody kept track of the score. We just played until everybody was tired then we took a break and then we played some more. I'm definitely out of shape. It was the hardest i've run in years. I don't really have a second gear when it comes to sports. I pretty much run myself ragged. Even when I'm exhausted and can hardly breathe I find the energy to chase down the ball. I don't really save my energy very well either. So i was worn out well before the end of the game.
It was a good time though. I think I'm going to play again next Saturday. I also found a park to ride to and ride around...there's a little trail there.
It was a good time though. I think I'm going to play again next Saturday. I also found a park to ride to and ride around...there's a little trail there.
Friday, July 20, 2007
hmmm
Did you know that Mexico is so mountainous that if you spread it all out flat it would cover Asia.
That sounds incredible, but i'm not sure if it means anything. There are a lot of mountains in the US. If you spread us out like butter would we cover the world?
That sounds incredible, but i'm not sure if it means anything. There are a lot of mountains in the US. If you spread us out like butter would we cover the world?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
On the end and a new city
The end is near. I finished painting the last couple rooms today. Our place looks great. We're down to the last few boxes to unpack...mainly decorations and things that really can't be unpacked until everything else is in place. The living room is green. The kitchen is blue (the same shade that we used for the stripe in out bedroom at the old place. Then a very light brown starts in the kitchen and winds its way along the wall that separates the living room and kitchen, and winds up in the office, where one wall is a darker shade of brown. The bathroom and bedroom are both a light beige color. It's really quite nice.
Now all that reamains is to put everything away. Tomorrow we're going down to the MVD to get new driver's licenses and lisence plates and such. It's funny to me that you can't be a legal resident as far as the school is concerned for tuition rates, but if you don't change the plates on your car its big trouble.
So in Ann Arbor, if they fix the sidewalk in front of your house they charge you for it. I've never heard of that before. Do they do that in Arizona? My grandparents actually had to go out and find someone to fix the sidewalk where the city marked it. And in another case the city decided to improve a road. They paved it and put in sidewalks and hooked everyone up to city water and sewer. They didn't ask any of the residents. They just did it. Then they sent the bill to the people that live there. To the tune of 80-100 thousand per house. Some of the people liked the dirt road and the taste of well-water. On top of that city property taxes are astronomical...where's all the money going. It's hard to believe it could be corruption in a place like this...I just don't get it. Maybe city hall has gold-plated toilets or something
Now all that reamains is to put everything away. Tomorrow we're going down to the MVD to get new driver's licenses and lisence plates and such. It's funny to me that you can't be a legal resident as far as the school is concerned for tuition rates, but if you don't change the plates on your car its big trouble.
So in Ann Arbor, if they fix the sidewalk in front of your house they charge you for it. I've never heard of that before. Do they do that in Arizona? My grandparents actually had to go out and find someone to fix the sidewalk where the city marked it. And in another case the city decided to improve a road. They paved it and put in sidewalks and hooked everyone up to city water and sewer. They didn't ask any of the residents. They just did it. Then they sent the bill to the people that live there. To the tune of 80-100 thousand per house. Some of the people liked the dirt road and the taste of well-water. On top of that city property taxes are astronomical...where's all the money going. It's hard to believe it could be corruption in a place like this...I just don't get it. Maybe city hall has gold-plated toilets or something
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Where have all the bloggers gone
So apparently everyone is out of town or just not writing at the moment. Steven is the best with a measely one in the last ten days. Mark hasn't posted since I was in Spain. As it is written "and the pot shall call the kettle black"...you're all bums
So let this be an encouragement to you. Write more.
So let this be an encouragement to you. Write more.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
On consumption
IKEA is the consumer's dream (or nightmare) come true. We are a consumeristic society, at least some people think so. So we usually don't think twice about buying things. But there are those of us who try to limit our consumption to conserve resources (like green paper).
In most stores spending more than you intend takes a fair amount of justification ($200 isn't that much, right, and we really do need a pink laundrybascket that sings christmas carols) . It is usually only when we walk into a store that sells something we are passionate about that we go off the deep end.
But in Ikea it is all so easy. Walk into the store and you will soon need things you didn't know existed. Everything in the store is so...practical...and cheap. It's almost impossible to say no. You suddenly need everything. And it all seems so cool. It's like a little club. Everyone there is in on the secret (we're going to spend a lot and consume a lot because it feels good, makes sense, and...) And so you find yourself wrestling a cart full of heavy boxes and lots of little packages filled with all your new cool stuff. Then you begin to realize...wait theres no way a dresser could fit into a box that small.
2 hours later you're on the carpet in you living room surrounded by piles of little pieces--screws, nails, brackets, gizmos, gadgets, slats, slits, slices, slabs, hunks, doodads, and a hundred other things.
The breakdown begins...yeah it was cheap, but not if I pay myself $20 an hour to put it together...I might as well have gone to a real furniture store. Whats this piece-oh that's nothing...where is that darn piece...oops...it doesn't look like the picture...is that drawer suposed to go there...
Then it ends up in the dumpster...true consumerism. You didn't even have to use it to buy and discard it. The ironic thing is they have this program where they try to get you to buy reusable bags to save the disposable ones...ha, one more thing for the trash.
In most stores spending more than you intend takes a fair amount of justification ($200 isn't that much, right, and we really do need a pink laundrybascket that sings christmas carols) . It is usually only when we walk into a store that sells something we are passionate about that we go off the deep end.
But in Ikea it is all so easy. Walk into the store and you will soon need things you didn't know existed. Everything in the store is so...practical...and cheap. It's almost impossible to say no. You suddenly need everything. And it all seems so cool. It's like a little club. Everyone there is in on the secret (we're going to spend a lot and consume a lot because it feels good, makes sense, and...) And so you find yourself wrestling a cart full of heavy boxes and lots of little packages filled with all your new cool stuff. Then you begin to realize...wait theres no way a dresser could fit into a box that small.
2 hours later you're on the carpet in you living room surrounded by piles of little pieces--screws, nails, brackets, gizmos, gadgets, slats, slits, slices, slabs, hunks, doodads, and a hundred other things.
The breakdown begins...yeah it was cheap, but not if I pay myself $20 an hour to put it together...I might as well have gone to a real furniture store. Whats this piece-oh that's nothing...where is that darn piece...oops...it doesn't look like the picture...is that drawer suposed to go there...
Then it ends up in the dumpster...true consumerism. You didn't even have to use it to buy and discard it. The ironic thing is they have this program where they try to get you to buy reusable bags to save the disposable ones...ha, one more thing for the trash.
Monday, July 16, 2007
On Michigan
We're here. We unloaded everything on Wednesday and took off for the cottage. We had a great time up there. I will probably post more on our time there including pictures later.
Now we're back at the house and I am using the laptop to piggyback off someone else's wireless internet. Adrienne is painting with Lori. Eric and I are hanging out unpacking boxes and stuff. they're actually almost done with what they're going to paint today.
Moving is a lot of work. Not only do you have to deal with all the obvious stuff--boxes et cetera. But yo9u also have to deal with all sorts of other stuff. Geting internet and phone service...setting up[ a new bank account...getting a new driver's lisccense...registering a car...learning your way around a new place...meeting new people...
But we are doing well....so far
Now we're back at the house and I am using the laptop to piggyback off someone else's wireless internet. Adrienne is painting with Lori. Eric and I are hanging out unpacking boxes and stuff. they're actually almost done with what they're going to paint today.
Moving is a lot of work. Not only do you have to deal with all the obvious stuff--boxes et cetera. But yo9u also have to deal with all sorts of other stuff. Geting internet and phone service...setting up[ a new bank account...getting a new driver's lisccense...registering a car...learning your way around a new place...meeting new people...
But we are doing well....so far
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Moving
The last few days have been a flurry of activity. Packing, loading, cleaning, packing, loading, trying to spend every possible second with friends and family.
Thursday we went down to Nogales and saw Mom and Caroline and Dad and I got my physical done for Medical school and we had a great lunch and then talked for a few hours.
Friday we got the trucka and started loading it after using it to deliver a few articles of furniture to friends around town. Mark came over for dinner and we went to the Seneca house for dinner then went to Lori and Eric's place and played a game.
Yesterday Ryan and Ron came over and helped me load up the moving truck. It's a very large one, big enough to fit two of our houses in. Eric came just in time to see us done and brought lasagna for us to eat. Then Mark and Steven and Dad came over for a while. Then we went to the Seneca house for dinner with Eris and Sue, and Kevin and Ginger and Lori and Ryan and Ron and Michael (Eric had to work). It was a great time. We sat and talked until late then swung by to see Eric before Starbucks closed.
Today we found that loading the last 10 % of the house takes about three times as long as the first 90 %. I spent most of the day in the truck or shuttling between the house and truck. Adrienne's dad came down and helped us all afternoon. We got to see Steven at Starbucks this morning which I enjoyed. At church they prayed for us and Ron read a poem that he wrote about us which was great. Then we finished loading the truck with a lot of help from our friends.
And tomorrow we're leaving. It is a sad day, full of mourning. We will miss this place and these people. I think it is good to name them.
Steven just so you know since you didn't come over to get your duvel glasses, Ron has them so just call him if you think you can handle having them in your house again.
Dad, there's some dogfood on the back porch that you should take home with you. Also the bolts for the bedframe are in the dresser drawer, as is the box that you are mailing for us, and if I remember to put them there tomorrow morning the spare keys.
Thursday we went down to Nogales and saw Mom and Caroline and Dad and I got my physical done for Medical school and we had a great lunch and then talked for a few hours.
Friday we got the trucka and started loading it after using it to deliver a few articles of furniture to friends around town. Mark came over for dinner and we went to the Seneca house for dinner then went to Lori and Eric's place and played a game.
Yesterday Ryan and Ron came over and helped me load up the moving truck. It's a very large one, big enough to fit two of our houses in. Eric came just in time to see us done and brought lasagna for us to eat. Then Mark and Steven and Dad came over for a while. Then we went to the Seneca house for dinner with Eris and Sue, and Kevin and Ginger and Lori and Ryan and Ron and Michael (Eric had to work). It was a great time. We sat and talked until late then swung by to see Eric before Starbucks closed.
Today we found that loading the last 10 % of the house takes about three times as long as the first 90 %. I spent most of the day in the truck or shuttling between the house and truck. Adrienne's dad came down and helped us all afternoon. We got to see Steven at Starbucks this morning which I enjoyed. At church they prayed for us and Ron read a poem that he wrote about us which was great. Then we finished loading the truck with a lot of help from our friends.
And tomorrow we're leaving. It is a sad day, full of mourning. We will miss this place and these people. I think it is good to name them.
Steven just so you know since you didn't come over to get your duvel glasses, Ron has them so just call him if you think you can handle having them in your house again.
Dad, there's some dogfood on the back porch that you should take home with you. Also the bolts for the bedframe are in the dresser drawer, as is the box that you are mailing for us, and if I remember to put them there tomorrow morning the spare keys.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Happy 4th of July
May your burgers be juicy
and nights full of light
but don't forget the day
that gave you the right
to slurp that watermelon
without fear or fright
and forget not those men
who are ready to fight
to keep you from harm
and protect your birthright
So wave that flag high
and with all of your might
for we've a great country
that turned out all right
so remember the day
as you take that first bite
and nights full of light
but don't forget the day
that gave you the right
to slurp that watermelon
without fear or fright
and forget not those men
who are ready to fight
to keep you from harm
and protect your birthright
So wave that flag high
and with all of your might
for we've a great country
that turned out all right
so remember the day
as you take that first bite
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
On Blood and Diamonds
I wrote about the movie Blood Diamond several months ago and was fairly critical of the concept behind the movie. Well I finally got around to seeing the movie today.
What I said before holds true. The buzz surrounding the movie, the lessons drawn from it, and the underlying intended purpose of it are misleading. The idea that war in Africa is a result of our indulgence is ridiculous. And the idea that if we didn't buy diamonds...or gold or oil for that matter...from Africa, the wars would go away is even more so.
That said, I enjoyed the movie. Suprisingly the blood diamond theme was relatively subdued save for a few highly charged dialogue scenes. It is a story of evil and redemption. It does portray war in Africa in a manner which, to my understanding, is accurate. War in much of Africa is a horrible, horrible thing (though I suppose the modifier "in Africa" isn't neccessary) that tears the social fabric apart and is tremendously destructive. Massacres of entire villages are not uncommon, children are abducted and transformed into monsters, taught to destroy and kill and even deny their own parents. Refugee camps overflow. Government forces are often no better than rebel forces.
And the fire of war is fed, not by ideas...freedom, nation, oppression, exploitation...but by the personal gain acheived by the leaders of the war. When war is conducted in this way there is no incentive for peace. The oppressed, the poor, the good, are displaced or killed, and the rich, powerful, and evil are left to suck the life out of society for their own personal gain.
The plot of the movie is also engrossing. It is led by Leonardo Dicaprio who, in my opinion, does an excellent job. The transformation and redemption of his character is painfully slow, and advances two steps forward, one back. But it is completed and in the end, as in any good story there is a degree of justice served.
All in all it was an enjoyable movie. A warning though...it is a tremendously violent movie with some incredibly disturbing scenes including but not limited to impromtu amputation, village massacres, the indoctrination of children and their subsequent vicious behavior, lots of death, the sack of a city, and several firefights.
What I said before holds true. The buzz surrounding the movie, the lessons drawn from it, and the underlying intended purpose of it are misleading. The idea that war in Africa is a result of our indulgence is ridiculous. And the idea that if we didn't buy diamonds...or gold or oil for that matter...from Africa, the wars would go away is even more so.
That said, I enjoyed the movie. Suprisingly the blood diamond theme was relatively subdued save for a few highly charged dialogue scenes. It is a story of evil and redemption. It does portray war in Africa in a manner which, to my understanding, is accurate. War in much of Africa is a horrible, horrible thing (though I suppose the modifier "in Africa" isn't neccessary) that tears the social fabric apart and is tremendously destructive. Massacres of entire villages are not uncommon, children are abducted and transformed into monsters, taught to destroy and kill and even deny their own parents. Refugee camps overflow. Government forces are often no better than rebel forces.
And the fire of war is fed, not by ideas...freedom, nation, oppression, exploitation...but by the personal gain acheived by the leaders of the war. When war is conducted in this way there is no incentive for peace. The oppressed, the poor, the good, are displaced or killed, and the rich, powerful, and evil are left to suck the life out of society for their own personal gain.
The plot of the movie is also engrossing. It is led by Leonardo Dicaprio who, in my opinion, does an excellent job. The transformation and redemption of his character is painfully slow, and advances two steps forward, one back. But it is completed and in the end, as in any good story there is a degree of justice served.
All in all it was an enjoyable movie. A warning though...it is a tremendously violent movie with some incredibly disturbing scenes including but not limited to impromtu amputation, village massacres, the indoctrination of children and their subsequent vicious behavior, lots of death, the sack of a city, and several firefights.
On June
June was officially my most prolific month ever--16 posts.
It followed May, during which I posted exactly once.
It followed May, during which I posted exactly once.
The Trip: Cordoba Part 3
The mosque is the main attraction of Cordoba. Beyond that there is not a whole lot worth seeing. There is a crumbled Roman Temple, and a relatively interesting Castle. The castle was built by the Reyes Catolicos Fernando and Isabela (Ferdinand and Isabel) when they were conducting their campaign against the Moors in Granada. It later became a center of the Inquisition in the south for a few hundred years, then a prison. It has some beautiful gardens and you can climb up in the towers.
There are also a few museums dedicated to the Jews and their history in the city. They made it a center of learning in the 10-11th centuries. Incidentally noone guessed Maimonides as the Jewish Doctor/Philosopher I mentioned in an earlier post. His epiteph reads "From Moshe (Moses) to Moshe (Maimonides) there is no one like Moshe." He had to flee Cordoba when an intolerant group of Muslims came to power and eventually landed in Egypt where he was renowned as the greatest physician of his time (at a time when Arab physicians were the best in the world). He was also perhaps the greatest Jewish philosopher.
The highlight of Cordoba, outside the Mosque was the riverwalk. We say the statue of a man bathing in the river. I wonder what happens if there is a droght.
and got a great view of the city at sunset. The building in the center is the mosque with the cathedral rising out of it. To the right is the bell tower, within which is the old minaret. It is a beautiful city, go if you get the chance.
There are also a few museums dedicated to the Jews and their history in the city. They made it a center of learning in the 10-11th centuries. Incidentally noone guessed Maimonides as the Jewish Doctor/Philosopher I mentioned in an earlier post. His epiteph reads "From Moshe (Moses) to Moshe (Maimonides) there is no one like Moshe." He had to flee Cordoba when an intolerant group of Muslims came to power and eventually landed in Egypt where he was renowned as the greatest physician of his time (at a time when Arab physicians were the best in the world). He was also perhaps the greatest Jewish philosopher.
The highlight of Cordoba, outside the Mosque was the riverwalk. We say the statue of a man bathing in the river. I wonder what happens if there is a droght.
and got a great view of the city at sunset. The building in the center is the mosque with the cathedral rising out of it. To the right is the bell tower, within which is the old minaret. It is a beautiful city, go if you get the chance.
Monday, July 02, 2007
The Trip: Day 18 Part 2
Bullfighting is an old tradition in Spain. It was passed on to much of Latin America, and is even practiced in parts of France (or so I'm told). It began as a way to prolong the festivities surrounding the killing of a bull and the party that followed.
The first bull fighting ring was built in the mid-18th century in Seville.
From there it spread. Every step in a bullfight is ridgidly controlled and dictated by tradition. It is often likened to a dance, an alaborate ritual that will lead to the death of one or the other of the contestants. Each step is announced by the band and controlled by the president of the bullfight.
The first players are the Picadors. These are men on horseback with long pikes. When the bull charges the horse they stick it to make it bleed and thus weaken the bull. Before they added the protective covering many horses were killed by the bulls.
Next come the banderilleros. These in my opinion are the craziest of the bullfighters. They run right at the bull, jump up to reach over the horns and stick these colorful sticks into the bull's shoulder. This is to add to the show, and to make the bull mad.
Then it is the turn of the matador. He is the star of the show. There are three per bullfight and each fights two bulls. The most famous are household names throughout Spain. They guide the bull with their red cape. They display their bravery in two ways, by guiding the bull ever closer to them, and by moving their feet as little as possible.
As they guide the bull the crowd gets more and more into it. There is a fine line however, because if the matador plays with the bull too much the bull may tire and not be a worthy adversary when it comes time to kill it. 
The last step is the killing of the bull. The goal of the matador is to drive the sword into the heart. If done correctly it takes no more than a few seconds for the bull to die.
Occasionally they miss the heart. This results in a failed bullfight and dishonor. Generally though the thrust is successful.
After the fight it is up to the President of the bullfight to decide if the matador deserves a trophy. To earn a trophy the matador must have fought well and put on a good show. The audience participates in theis process by indicating that they enjoyed the performance by waving wight flags. When we went one matador earned a trophy. The trophies that they earn come from the bull. A good bullfighter earns an ear...a great bullfightes earns two ears, and the best earn two ears and the tail.
All in all we had a great time at the bullfight. I have wanted to go for a long time. I enjoy tradition and ceremony.
The first bull fighting ring was built in the mid-18th century in Seville.
From there it spread. Every step in a bullfight is ridgidly controlled and dictated by tradition. It is often likened to a dance, an alaborate ritual that will lead to the death of one or the other of the contestants. Each step is announced by the band and controlled by the president of the bullfight.
The first players are the Picadors. These are men on horseback with long pikes. When the bull charges the horse they stick it to make it bleed and thus weaken the bull. Before they added the protective covering many horses were killed by the bulls.
Next come the banderilleros. These in my opinion are the craziest of the bullfighters. They run right at the bull, jump up to reach over the horns and stick these colorful sticks into the bull's shoulder. This is to add to the show, and to make the bull mad.
Then it is the turn of the matador. He is the star of the show. There are three per bullfight and each fights two bulls. The most famous are household names throughout Spain. They guide the bull with their red cape. They display their bravery in two ways, by guiding the bull ever closer to them, and by moving their feet as little as possible.
As they guide the bull the crowd gets more and more into it. There is a fine line however, because if the matador plays with the bull too much the bull may tire and not be a worthy adversary when it comes time to kill it. 
The last step is the killing of the bull. The goal of the matador is to drive the sword into the heart. If done correctly it takes no more than a few seconds for the bull to die.
Occasionally they miss the heart. This results in a failed bullfight and dishonor. Generally though the thrust is successful.After the fight it is up to the President of the bullfight to decide if the matador deserves a trophy. To earn a trophy the matador must have fought well and put on a good show. The audience participates in theis process by indicating that they enjoyed the performance by waving wight flags. When we went one matador earned a trophy. The trophies that they earn come from the bull. A good bullfighter earns an ear...a great bullfightes earns two ears, and the best earn two ears and the tail.
All in all we had a great time at the bullfight. I have wanted to go for a long time. I enjoy tradition and ceremony.
The Move: Day 3
As anyone who is likely to read this blog knows, Adrienne and I are moving to Michigan next Monday, July 9. It is a difficult process packing up the house. There are so many memories tied up in it. I sometimes find my memory triggered by some random thing I am packing up and I am carried down memory lane. We have lived here for two years now--our entire married life.
It is hard too because we didn't expect it to be this way.
The house is a wreck right now. It's a good thing nobody is coming to look at the house. There are boxes everywhere and our things are strewn about the house.
Most of the packing is done. When you start packing for a move the boxes all have order. They contain a certain class of things and are all neatly labeled--"books-fiction-A-F", "Things from David's desk", "Pots and Pans". As you progress the labels become increasingly vague and tend to be labeled by room--"Leftover books", "Random office stuff". By the end they lose all coherence and labels become irrelevant--"Sort it out when you get there", "Stuff I couldn't fit in other boxes".
It is hard too because we didn't expect it to be this way.
The house is a wreck right now. It's a good thing nobody is coming to look at the house. There are boxes everywhere and our things are strewn about the house.
Most of the packing is done. When you start packing for a move the boxes all have order. They contain a certain class of things and are all neatly labeled--"books-fiction-A-F", "Things from David's desk", "Pots and Pans". As you progress the labels become increasingly vague and tend to be labeled by room--"Leftover books", "Random office stuff". By the end they lose all coherence and labels become irrelevant--"Sort it out when you get there", "Stuff I couldn't fit in other boxes".
Friday, June 29, 2007
The Trip: Day 20...and 21....and 22....and 23
We left Spain a little after 11 o'clock in the morning on Tuesday. Our plan was to arrive in Phoenix about 20 hours later at 10 PM and then drive down to Tucson.
The flight to Miami went well, but then things began to go wrong. I reported a passport lost a few years ago, and so when we showed up at the port of entry they shuttled us off into the little special room to await special questioning. They asked us all sorts of questions and generally pestered us. Of course my passport does have stamps from Cuba, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan...and it turned out to be an invalid passport. Inadvertantly I must have found the passport I lost and lost the new one I got and never realized the switch had been made (if you are familiar with my filing methods you won't be suprised). So they were a little suspiscious and kept us there for hours making us stand on nails, and dripping water on our heads, and giving us deep-muscle massages the old-fasioned way...actually no that's a lie, they just punched a hole in y passport and sent us on our way. They didn't even ask for another form of identification...no wonder terrorists have no problem getting into this country, though I guess my wife was a little scantily clad for the wife of a fundamentalist muslim...but it could all be a big hoax to fool the Great Satan.
Sorry I'm Rambling
So we continued on to New Orleans, where we were promptly told that our flight to Dallas was cancelled and we would have to wait in line to schedule another one. Two hours later we had a flight scheduled for the next day, but no place to stay, no vouchers for food, or accomodations...in short nothing that a reasonable company would offer. As we sat inline we watched the other airlines' flights to Dallas take off despite the weather.
We found a halfway decent place to stay, walked to Sonic for dinner, and bedded down for the night. The interesting thing about New Orleans is that no one makes any sense. They never tell you this when you see news reports...they all manage to find the one person in the city who can speak English. Most speak, Spanish, or French, or Creole, or English that is so mangled that I am confident most linguists would classify it as a different language.
We got to the airport the next day and waited for 6 hours as our flight was delayed, and delayed, and delayed...then we got up in the air, circled over Dallas for two hours, diverted to Austin, then halfway there, turned around and came back to Dallas where, upon landing we were informed that our flight to Phoenix had been cancelled. Again, no offers of explanations, or assistance, only the long wait for a new flight. Two hours later we had a flight scheduled for Friday afternoon and were comfortably ensconed in the Radisson. Thursday, we hung out all day, went down to the mall, hung out in Barnes and Noble, ate in the food court and watched Ocean's Thirteen...like the other two it was a humorous, and entertaining movie careful not to stray from the light side of life...and then returned to the hotel. In an interesting contrast the hotel shuttle was 15 minutes late picking us up at the mall so they offered us free dinner. I recommend the Radisson. We went swimming, ate dinner and turned in for an early night.
Today we got to the airport and got on the airplane with out a hitch and the pilot came on the intercom to say that there was a problem with the tire and a maintenance guy was going to come check it out. 30 minutes later the guy arrived checked the tire and gave us the ok to take off...it seems like in the world of modern aviation you would be able to get someone to the plane in less than thirty minutes...I mean there's a maintenence guy attatched to that gate or small group of gates.
Now we're here.
Moral of the Story: 1. No Passport, no problem...this is the United States
2. Never fly American Airlines
The flight to Miami went well, but then things began to go wrong. I reported a passport lost a few years ago, and so when we showed up at the port of entry they shuttled us off into the little special room to await special questioning. They asked us all sorts of questions and generally pestered us. Of course my passport does have stamps from Cuba, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan...and it turned out to be an invalid passport. Inadvertantly I must have found the passport I lost and lost the new one I got and never realized the switch had been made (if you are familiar with my filing methods you won't be suprised). So they were a little suspiscious and kept us there for hours making us stand on nails, and dripping water on our heads, and giving us deep-muscle massages the old-fasioned way...actually no that's a lie, they just punched a hole in y passport and sent us on our way. They didn't even ask for another form of identification...no wonder terrorists have no problem getting into this country, though I guess my wife was a little scantily clad for the wife of a fundamentalist muslim...but it could all be a big hoax to fool the Great Satan.
Sorry I'm Rambling
So we continued on to New Orleans, where we were promptly told that our flight to Dallas was cancelled and we would have to wait in line to schedule another one. Two hours later we had a flight scheduled for the next day, but no place to stay, no vouchers for food, or accomodations...in short nothing that a reasonable company would offer. As we sat inline we watched the other airlines' flights to Dallas take off despite the weather.
We found a halfway decent place to stay, walked to Sonic for dinner, and bedded down for the night. The interesting thing about New Orleans is that no one makes any sense. They never tell you this when you see news reports...they all manage to find the one person in the city who can speak English. Most speak, Spanish, or French, or Creole, or English that is so mangled that I am confident most linguists would classify it as a different language.
We got to the airport the next day and waited for 6 hours as our flight was delayed, and delayed, and delayed...then we got up in the air, circled over Dallas for two hours, diverted to Austin, then halfway there, turned around and came back to Dallas where, upon landing we were informed that our flight to Phoenix had been cancelled. Again, no offers of explanations, or assistance, only the long wait for a new flight. Two hours later we had a flight scheduled for Friday afternoon and were comfortably ensconed in the Radisson. Thursday, we hung out all day, went down to the mall, hung out in Barnes and Noble, ate in the food court and watched Ocean's Thirteen...like the other two it was a humorous, and entertaining movie careful not to stray from the light side of life...and then returned to the hotel. In an interesting contrast the hotel shuttle was 15 minutes late picking us up at the mall so they offered us free dinner. I recommend the Radisson. We went swimming, ate dinner and turned in for an early night.
Today we got to the airport and got on the airplane with out a hitch and the pilot came on the intercom to say that there was a problem with the tire and a maintenance guy was going to come check it out. 30 minutes later the guy arrived checked the tire and gave us the ok to take off...it seems like in the world of modern aviation you would be able to get someone to the plane in less than thirty minutes...I mean there's a maintenence guy attatched to that gate or small group of gates.
Now we're here.
Moral of the Story: 1. No Passport, no problem...this is the United States
2. Never fly American Airlines
Monday, June 25, 2007
The Trip: Cordoba Part 2
Cordoba was an ancient Roman city, but the height of its glory came under the Muslims. It became the seat of the Umayyid caliphate after they were kicked out of Damascus in the 800´s by the Abbasids. In the 900´s it was the biggest city in Europe other than Constantinople. It was a place of vibrant artistic, architectual and intellectual activity. One of the people who makes my top ten smartest people in history list was born there during this period. If you can guess who it was I´ll give you a dollar.
The crown jewel of this period is the mezquita (Spanish for mosque, not mosquito). It is a classic example of the simple elegance in architecture practiced by early Muslims. You walk into the patio del los naranjos, a courtyard dotted with the orange tree native to Southern Spain (yes its name is naranjo, not naranja) laid out in a grid like pattern, watered by an interconected series of small ditches in the pavement that are in turn fed by the fountain in the middle.
The interior of the mosque itself is supported by hundreds of pillars (at one point there were more than 1200) that support a series of arches. Each arch is made of alternating red and white stone. It gives the impression of walking into a forest. The lighting is ingeniously done so that it comes through windows and lights up certain areas
The mihrab is perhaps the most elaborate I have seen, with a horsesho arch and a dome going up above it. And the ceilings are made of carved wooden beams.
When the Christians conquered the city in the 13th century they used it as a church, but did little to change the interior. In the 16th century though, with gold from the new world flowing through Spain, they ripped out the center of the mosque and installed a cathedral replete with soaring gothic arches, gold altarpiece and elaborately carved walnut choir stalls.
Most of the old mosque remains, but the giant Spanish cathedral in the middle destroys much of the simple elegance of the original design.
The crown jewel of this period is the mezquita (Spanish for mosque, not mosquito). It is a classic example of the simple elegance in architecture practiced by early Muslims. You walk into the patio del los naranjos, a courtyard dotted with the orange tree native to Southern Spain (yes its name is naranjo, not naranja) laid out in a grid like pattern, watered by an interconected series of small ditches in the pavement that are in turn fed by the fountain in the middle.
The interior of the mosque itself is supported by hundreds of pillars (at one point there were more than 1200) that support a series of arches. Each arch is made of alternating red and white stone. It gives the impression of walking into a forest. The lighting is ingeniously done so that it comes through windows and lights up certain areas
The mihrab is perhaps the most elaborate I have seen, with a horsesho arch and a dome going up above it. And the ceilings are made of carved wooden beams.
When the Christians conquered the city in the 13th century they used it as a church, but did little to change the interior. In the 16th century though, with gold from the new world flowing through Spain, they ripped out the center of the mosque and installed a cathedral replete with soaring gothic arches, gold altarpiece and elaborately carved walnut choir stalls.
Most of the old mosque remains, but the giant Spanish cathedral in the middle destroys much of the simple elegance of the original design.
The Trip: Day 18 Part 1
El Escorial is a palace/monastary built by Phillip II because he promised it to God in return for victory. It is just outside Madrid on our side of town, so we went to see it on Sunday morning. The funny thing about churches in Europe is they hardly ever have services, even on Sundays some of them are open for visits.
The palace part of the monastary was added to house Phillip´s rather extensive art collection. He had more than 1100 paintings there at one point. Some of the paintings were good, others rather second-rate. If you´re not into art it´s not really worth the walk through. I enjoyed it though.
My favorite part however was the basillica. It was by far my favorite Spanish church so far. Most Spanish churches are awash in gold. The place above the alter is almost always a mountain of gold. As I may have mentioned I´m not that into gold as a decorating motiff. This church was different. The main decoration, as befitted Phillips obsession, was painings. The ceilings are painted with religious scenes, and behind the alter are a series of wooden pillars, carved out of a beautiful dark wood, and in between the pillars are paintings. It was a beautiful piece of religious art.
Coming in Part 2....the bulls
The palace part of the monastary was added to house Phillip´s rather extensive art collection. He had more than 1100 paintings there at one point. Some of the paintings were good, others rather second-rate. If you´re not into art it´s not really worth the walk through. I enjoyed it though.
My favorite part however was the basillica. It was by far my favorite Spanish church so far. Most Spanish churches are awash in gold. The place above the alter is almost always a mountain of gold. As I may have mentioned I´m not that into gold as a decorating motiff. This church was different. The main decoration, as befitted Phillips obsession, was painings. The ceilings are painted with religious scenes, and behind the alter are a series of wooden pillars, carved out of a beautiful dark wood, and in between the pillars are paintings. It was a beautiful piece of religious art.
Coming in Part 2....the bulls
Saturday, June 23, 2007
The Trip: Cordoba part 1
I haven´t really mastered the art of the blog. I recognize that a blog works best when it is updated regularly and the entries are kept short. So I am going to divide my writings about our journey south into relatively small segments.
My favorite part of this trip was our journey to Andalucia in the south of Spain.
We headed out early Monday morning for Córdoba on the train. I thought it moved fast when we went to Toledo, but this train was much faster. It was a longer trip so there was time to really pull out all the stops. It must have been going close to 200mph on the flat stretches.
Every old city in Spain has a Juderia, o Jewish quarter. Up until 1492 when they were expelled the Sephardic Jews formed an important part of Spain´s cultural and intelectual life. The JuderÃa have small winding streets,
perhaps 10 feet across at the wider points, and buildings that are tall enough to provide shade. The streets are cobblestone, and every building has a central courtyard, which, if you can catch a glimpse of it,
is often the most beautiful part of the building. Because the streets are laid out haphazerdly, they meet at odd angles of fail to meet. The curve so that you lose sight of which way is which. Due to this there ar a lot of plazas and squares. You can be walking along this narrow street and all of the sudden it opens up into a small laza with four or five streets coming off it. Invariably in these plazas there are several cafés that have their chairs and tables spread out into the street. They make wonderful places to sit for a moment and have a cup of coffee or a quick snack.
All of this is true, to a lesser extent of, not just the Juderia, but all of the old city that was within the city walls.
When we arrived we walked from the train station and found a nice hostel in the Juderia. We left our bags and began our exploration of Cordoba....
My favorite part of this trip was our journey to Andalucia in the south of Spain.
We headed out early Monday morning for Córdoba on the train. I thought it moved fast when we went to Toledo, but this train was much faster. It was a longer trip so there was time to really pull out all the stops. It must have been going close to 200mph on the flat stretches.
Every old city in Spain has a Juderia, o Jewish quarter. Up until 1492 when they were expelled the Sephardic Jews formed an important part of Spain´s cultural and intelectual life. The JuderÃa have small winding streets,
perhaps 10 feet across at the wider points, and buildings that are tall enough to provide shade. The streets are cobblestone, and every building has a central courtyard, which, if you can catch a glimpse of it,
is often the most beautiful part of the building. Because the streets are laid out haphazerdly, they meet at odd angles of fail to meet. The curve so that you lose sight of which way is which. Due to this there ar a lot of plazas and squares. You can be walking along this narrow street and all of the sudden it opens up into a small laza with four or five streets coming off it. Invariably in these plazas there are several cafés that have their chairs and tables spread out into the street. They make wonderful places to sit for a moment and have a cup of coffee or a quick snack.All of this is true, to a lesser extent of, not just the Juderia, but all of the old city that was within the city walls.
When we arrived we walked from the train station and found a nice hostel in the Juderia. We left our bags and began our exploration of Cordoba....
The Trip: Day 16--evening
Last night we went to dinner at a different neighbor´s house. It was a birthday party of some sort. Dinner is a relatively light affair in Spain and begins late--anywhere from 10-12 at night. Generally the main meal is lunch--around 3-4 in the afternoon.
Anyway, dinner last night was empanadas of various sorts cut into basically bite sized pieces and set out around the table so that the plate was pretty much optional. The most interesting and I think tastiest was the morcita. It contained pigs blood and onion, sauteed together then stuffed in the empanada. Also interesting was the dessert...leche frita. To the bast of my knowledge that translates as fried milk. And that´s exactly what it tasted like. It was pretty good, though not my favorite. I didn´t know you could fry milk.
The Spanish have mastered the art of the long meal. We got there around 9:30 and were there for at least 3 hours. And most of that time is spent sitting around talking.
Anyway, dinner last night was empanadas of various sorts cut into basically bite sized pieces and set out around the table so that the plate was pretty much optional. The most interesting and I think tastiest was the morcita. It contained pigs blood and onion, sauteed together then stuffed in the empanada. Also interesting was the dessert...leche frita. To the bast of my knowledge that translates as fried milk. And that´s exactly what it tasted like. It was pretty good, though not my favorite. I didn´t know you could fry milk.
The Spanish have mastered the art of the long meal. We got there around 9:30 and were there for at least 3 hours. And most of that time is spent sitting around talking.
Friday, June 22, 2007
The Trip: Day 16
A few notes:
-I aapreciate your comments, even if I don´t always respond to them
-I´m still not clear if Jane called my mother over-spiritualized or not
-I´ve been on the village website a number of times, but nobody´s ever on it
-I´ve never seen that episode of Seinfeld, or maybe I have
The last couple of days we have gone down into Madrid in the morning and relaxing here in the afternoon. Last night we hung out with an old friend of Adrienne´s and his girlfriend. He is a stuntman at Warner theme park and she is a magician. He also does commercials and appears in one running in the US for AXE that has the running of the bulls. Anyway.
We went to the Palacio Real today. One thing I never realized is that Real means Royal. Anyway, I´ve decided I´m not a big fan of Palaces in general. I think gold is ugly. It really doesn´t impress me. So we walked around through the rooms of the palace and it was interesting, but the decoration just doesn´t impress me like it is supposed to. I get the same feeling in Spanish cathedrals. They are all stuffed to the brim with little chapels, each of which has a huge gold altar piece.
Yesterday we went down ot Madrid and walked across town. Madrid is really a pretty small city. It´s difficult to imagine being able to walk across a city of 3 million people in the United States. We walked through Retiro the main city park. It´s kind of like Central Park...A huge oasis of Green in the middle of the city. It has its own little lake and a variety of monuments.
We also ended up by the Temple of Debod. Madrid seems an unlikely place to come across an ancient Egyptian Temple, but there it was on the top of a hill in the middle of a different park. It looked alot like other Egyptian Temples I´ve seen. It was saved from the rising waters of Lake Nassar upon completion of the Aswan Dam in the 1970´s and transported block by block to Spain...kind of like the london bridge in Arizona.
Other than that I don´t have a lot of news...I´m ready to be headed for the States...
-I aapreciate your comments, even if I don´t always respond to them
-I´m still not clear if Jane called my mother over-spiritualized or not
-I´ve been on the village website a number of times, but nobody´s ever on it
-I´ve never seen that episode of Seinfeld, or maybe I have
The last couple of days we have gone down into Madrid in the morning and relaxing here in the afternoon. Last night we hung out with an old friend of Adrienne´s and his girlfriend. He is a stuntman at Warner theme park and she is a magician. He also does commercials and appears in one running in the US for AXE that has the running of the bulls. Anyway.
We went to the Palacio Real today. One thing I never realized is that Real means Royal. Anyway, I´ve decided I´m not a big fan of Palaces in general. I think gold is ugly. It really doesn´t impress me. So we walked around through the rooms of the palace and it was interesting, but the decoration just doesn´t impress me like it is supposed to. I get the same feeling in Spanish cathedrals. They are all stuffed to the brim with little chapels, each of which has a huge gold altar piece.
Yesterday we went down ot Madrid and walked across town. Madrid is really a pretty small city. It´s difficult to imagine being able to walk across a city of 3 million people in the United States. We walked through Retiro the main city park. It´s kind of like Central Park...A huge oasis of Green in the middle of the city. It has its own little lake and a variety of monuments.
We also ended up by the Temple of Debod. Madrid seems an unlikely place to come across an ancient Egyptian Temple, but there it was on the top of a hill in the middle of a different park. It looked alot like other Egyptian Temples I´ve seen. It was saved from the rising waters of Lake Nassar upon completion of the Aswan Dam in the 1970´s and transported block by block to Spain...kind of like the london bridge in Arizona.
Other than that I don´t have a lot of news...I´m ready to be headed for the States...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The trip: Day 14--Segovia
I skipped a few days I know...we mainly hung out around the house and relaxed. It was good.
Today we went to Segovia. Segovia was an important part of the Roman imperial network and pretty much every major power to occupy this part of Spain since then. There are three main things to see in Segovia...the aquaduct, the cathdral, and the alcazar (alcazar is derived from the Arabic word for castle...it will emerge again if I ever get to describing our trip south.)
The old city of Segovia is a fortified area on the top of a hill. So to get a regular supply of water the Romans had to build a sixteen kilometer aquaduct from the surrounding hills. The most impressive part which is all that remains soars over the valley to the east of the city. It is over 100 feet tall, and is made entirely of granite blocks put together without any mortar in the truly impressive Roman style. Its double arches rise above the ground in a way that is difficult to describe. farther away from the city where the aquaduct is relatively close to the ground you can actually climb up onto it and see the channel where the water ran. IT is suprisingly small.
The cathedral is a fairly typical Spanish Gothic cathedral with imposing pillars and lots of gold. Because it was the last gothic monument built in Spain in the 16th century it was influenced by Renaissance styles. It is suprisingly well lit for a gothic cathedral with plenty of high windows. My favorite part of the cathedral was the view from the outside down the street where we ate lunch. It´s exterior is rlatively simple and presents a beautiful view when constricted by the smallish streets.
The Alcazar is amazing. Walt Disney must have come to Spain at some point or seen a picture of the castle, because it is the spitting image of the classic Disney castle in Disneyworld that was I think part of the Sleeping Beauty story. You know when in a disney movie at the beginning, the fairy does the little swirly thing over the castle and the Walt Disney logo appears...this is that castle.
It is built over a bluff and must have been virtually impregnable when used as a fortress. We walked down the hill and through the gardens to get a view of it from the front...and I can tell you I wouldn´t even think of attacking it without modern artillery.
It was a fun trip. Adrienne and I took Juan the son with us since he didn´t have school today. He hasn´t really seen any of Spain except for Madrid and the Coast...except for Toledo, to which he went with Adrienne and her Dad a few years ago...so it was fun to see him enjoying it. It´s always fun to see a castle with a kid who is really into it. He really knows alot about architecture. I think he studied it in school this year. He was telling me all about the cathedral and he was right about it.
It was a good day, and a ridiculously cheap trip from Madrid.
Today we went to Segovia. Segovia was an important part of the Roman imperial network and pretty much every major power to occupy this part of Spain since then. There are three main things to see in Segovia...the aquaduct, the cathdral, and the alcazar (alcazar is derived from the Arabic word for castle...it will emerge again if I ever get to describing our trip south.)
The old city of Segovia is a fortified area on the top of a hill. So to get a regular supply of water the Romans had to build a sixteen kilometer aquaduct from the surrounding hills. The most impressive part which is all that remains soars over the valley to the east of the city. It is over 100 feet tall, and is made entirely of granite blocks put together without any mortar in the truly impressive Roman style. Its double arches rise above the ground in a way that is difficult to describe. farther away from the city where the aquaduct is relatively close to the ground you can actually climb up onto it and see the channel where the water ran. IT is suprisingly small.
The cathedral is a fairly typical Spanish Gothic cathedral with imposing pillars and lots of gold. Because it was the last gothic monument built in Spain in the 16th century it was influenced by Renaissance styles. It is suprisingly well lit for a gothic cathedral with plenty of high windows. My favorite part of the cathedral was the view from the outside down the street where we ate lunch. It´s exterior is rlatively simple and presents a beautiful view when constricted by the smallish streets.
The Alcazar is amazing. Walt Disney must have come to Spain at some point or seen a picture of the castle, because it is the spitting image of the classic Disney castle in Disneyworld that was I think part of the Sleeping Beauty story. You know when in a disney movie at the beginning, the fairy does the little swirly thing over the castle and the Walt Disney logo appears...this is that castle.
It is built over a bluff and must have been virtually impregnable when used as a fortress. We walked down the hill and through the gardens to get a view of it from the front...and I can tell you I wouldn´t even think of attacking it without modern artillery.
It was a fun trip. Adrienne and I took Juan the son with us since he didn´t have school today. He hasn´t really seen any of Spain except for Madrid and the Coast...except for Toledo, to which he went with Adrienne and her Dad a few years ago...so it was fun to see him enjoying it. It´s always fun to see a castle with a kid who is really into it. He really knows alot about architecture. I think he studied it in school this year. He was telling me all about the cathedral and he was right about it.
It was a good day, and a ridiculously cheap trip from Madrid.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
The Trip: Day 11
Sunday...The day started slowly, like most days here. It was another cold rainy day. This was the source of much disappointment. We had tickets to see the bullfight in the evening. Even though it was not raining by the time the fight was scheduled, it had rained enough over the weekend to make the ground in the arena soggy. And, a bullfighter that can´t move his feet is a dead man.
So we got our money back and bought tickets to go the Sunday that is coming.
The big event on Sunday was la paella. A big party, the centerpiece of which is paella...a rice dish with various seafoods in it. The fun started around 2 in the afternoon. We began setting up tables in the neighbors´garage. Juan pulled out all the sawhorses and all the boards. People started showing up. It was a neighborhood party. There were 8-10 families there by 3:30. Everybody brought something. There were grilled red peppers, anchovies on toothpicks with olives, some other sort of fish, smoked meat (of which I have written already) of both the sausage and sliced varieties, and fried minnows (actually I don´t think they were minnows but they looked like them and I didn´t recognize the name) fried (and eaten) whole.
The paella was cooked in an enormous pan. It was two inches or so deep and a full yard in diameter if it was an inch. It was so big it had its own special gas burner. It came out and everyone st down and began to eat (well began to eat is a little misleading...most of what I mentioned before was gone by this point). When the paella was gone the desserts came out--at least five different types. And everyone sat around and talked. By the time we left it was pushing 10.
So we got our money back and bought tickets to go the Sunday that is coming.
The big event on Sunday was la paella. A big party, the centerpiece of which is paella...a rice dish with various seafoods in it. The fun started around 2 in the afternoon. We began setting up tables in the neighbors´garage. Juan pulled out all the sawhorses and all the boards. People started showing up. It was a neighborhood party. There were 8-10 families there by 3:30. Everybody brought something. There were grilled red peppers, anchovies on toothpicks with olives, some other sort of fish, smoked meat (of which I have written already) of both the sausage and sliced varieties, and fried minnows (actually I don´t think they were minnows but they looked like them and I didn´t recognize the name) fried (and eaten) whole.
The paella was cooked in an enormous pan. It was two inches or so deep and a full yard in diameter if it was an inch. It was so big it had its own special gas burner. It came out and everyone st down and began to eat (well began to eat is a little misleading...most of what I mentioned before was gone by this point). When the paella was gone the desserts came out--at least five different types. And everyone sat around and talked. By the time we left it was pushing 10.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
The Trip:Day 10
I realie that I´m about three days behind, but whatever, I´ll catch up.
Saturday was a cold rainy day. It was our first day back in Madrid, so we mainly spent it relaxing and staying inside.
Juan, the father of the family, has two big dogs. Urco and Tyson. Urco is a boxer, full of life. Tyson is a mix. He is a new breed that is still relatively young and so has lots of problems with inbreeding and such. I may have mentioned before that he is deaf. When he is asleep at night you can walk right up to him baging pots and pans and he won´t wake up.
Rain or shine, Juan takes the dogs on a walk in the morning and at night. They live in a small development about 45 minutes outside of Madrid, and there is plenty of open space in the area. Spanish development tends to take place in small densely packed developments even when there is plenty of space to build. Single family homes with a backyard have no market here. You will be driving through fields of open space and rolling hills and come upon a high rise apartment building.
The walks take anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours. Weekend walks take longer. I have taken to going with him when he walks the dogs. We walk out of the development and across an ancient Roman bridge that spans the river then along the river for a while then up the hill. From the top of the first hill you get a view that is exquisite. You can see to the East, between the hills, Madrid. And down in the valley, the river as it flows over rapids. This view is, I think the reason he takes thes walks. He seems to visibly relax as we climb the hill and when we reach the top of the rock that marks the summit he never fails to exhale in wonder. The tension of life flows off of him in a way that equires no words. It is palpable.
Then if there is time we descend the hill to an even older Roman bridge. It is a single arch that soars up and over the river. It is steep enough that he has to give the dogs a boost up the first part. Then we climb the next hill and walk along the ridge, sometimes as far as the newer, third bridge.
It is amazing to me that in half an hour we can walk out into wild untamed land. On one of the first walks I took with Juan, I collected a bouquet of wildflowers for Adrienne. By the time we returned to the house I had more than thirty distinct species of wildflowers in my hand.
Saturday it was cold and threatening rain. But it was still beautiful. We could see the clouds descending on nearby hills. As we turned towards home it began to rain. We were drenched by the time we returned.
As we climbed the first hill, Urco decided to go to the bathroom. As most dogs do he squats, pointing his rear to the ground. Unlike most dogs, he is so excited to be out that he can´t help walking forward while he goes. On this particular walk he was constipated. So there he was doing his squat-waddle up the hill for like five minutes. Finally he had had enough and he threw himself down on a sandy patch of ground, Exhausted by his effort, he just plopped down. It was quite funny.
Saturday was a cold rainy day. It was our first day back in Madrid, so we mainly spent it relaxing and staying inside.
Juan, the father of the family, has two big dogs. Urco and Tyson. Urco is a boxer, full of life. Tyson is a mix. He is a new breed that is still relatively young and so has lots of problems with inbreeding and such. I may have mentioned before that he is deaf. When he is asleep at night you can walk right up to him baging pots and pans and he won´t wake up.
Rain or shine, Juan takes the dogs on a walk in the morning and at night. They live in a small development about 45 minutes outside of Madrid, and there is plenty of open space in the area. Spanish development tends to take place in small densely packed developments even when there is plenty of space to build. Single family homes with a backyard have no market here. You will be driving through fields of open space and rolling hills and come upon a high rise apartment building.
The walks take anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours. Weekend walks take longer. I have taken to going with him when he walks the dogs. We walk out of the development and across an ancient Roman bridge that spans the river then along the river for a while then up the hill. From the top of the first hill you get a view that is exquisite. You can see to the East, between the hills, Madrid. And down in the valley, the river as it flows over rapids. This view is, I think the reason he takes thes walks. He seems to visibly relax as we climb the hill and when we reach the top of the rock that marks the summit he never fails to exhale in wonder. The tension of life flows off of him in a way that equires no words. It is palpable.
Then if there is time we descend the hill to an even older Roman bridge. It is a single arch that soars up and over the river. It is steep enough that he has to give the dogs a boost up the first part. Then we climb the next hill and walk along the ridge, sometimes as far as the newer, third bridge.
It is amazing to me that in half an hour we can walk out into wild untamed land. On one of the first walks I took with Juan, I collected a bouquet of wildflowers for Adrienne. By the time we returned to the house I had more than thirty distinct species of wildflowers in my hand.
Saturday it was cold and threatening rain. But it was still beautiful. We could see the clouds descending on nearby hills. As we turned towards home it began to rain. We were drenched by the time we returned.
As we climbed the first hill, Urco decided to go to the bathroom. As most dogs do he squats, pointing his rear to the ground. Unlike most dogs, he is so excited to be out that he can´t help walking forward while he goes. On this particular walk he was constipated. So there he was doing his squat-waddle up the hill for like five minutes. Finally he had had enough and he threw himself down on a sandy patch of ground, Exhausted by his effort, he just plopped down. It was quite funny.
On Withdrawal
All of my readers know that I have a relatively active mind. I´´m generally going on at least three tracks at once. Processing information and formulating thoughts. So for me not having anythingto occupy my mind is a form of torture. My mind goes around in circles over and over again. I can´t stop it.
I have a number of contol mechanisms that help me counteract this propensity when I am at home. I read a lot. I read the economist every week, National Review every two weeks, The Tucson Weekly every week, National Geographic and Christianity Today every month, most of what is posted on National Review Online and nytimes.com every day, as well as 3-4 books a week when I am not working. Besides that I do work around the house, build things, talk to friends etc. All of these things help me occupy a part of my mind so that I can remain focused. It narrows me down to one free train of thought so that I can focus on one thing at a time.
Here I don´t have any books or magazines and only sporadic access to the internet, I don´t have access to any tools and all my conversations have to be in Spanish except those with my wife (who is the only one keeping me sane).
Up until today we´ve been busy, moving from activity to activity so I didn´t notice...but today I´ve been going crazy. Today after lunch everybody went to sleep, but I couldn´t sleep. I slept a lot last night and my mind won´t stop. And my journal was in the room where Adrienne was sleeping...ditto the only book I brought. So I just sat there and drank like three cups of coffee (trust me it didn´t help) and I couldn´t focus on any line of thought and so I sat like a Zombie allowing my mind to run in circles around itself.
Welcome to the mind of David
I have a number of contol mechanisms that help me counteract this propensity when I am at home. I read a lot. I read the economist every week, National Review every two weeks, The Tucson Weekly every week, National Geographic and Christianity Today every month, most of what is posted on National Review Online and nytimes.com every day, as well as 3-4 books a week when I am not working. Besides that I do work around the house, build things, talk to friends etc. All of these things help me occupy a part of my mind so that I can remain focused. It narrows me down to one free train of thought so that I can focus on one thing at a time.
Here I don´t have any books or magazines and only sporadic access to the internet, I don´t have access to any tools and all my conversations have to be in Spanish except those with my wife (who is the only one keeping me sane).
Up until today we´ve been busy, moving from activity to activity so I didn´t notice...but today I´ve been going crazy. Today after lunch everybody went to sleep, but I couldn´t sleep. I slept a lot last night and my mind won´t stop. And my journal was in the room where Adrienne was sleeping...ditto the only book I brought. So I just sat there and drank like three cups of coffee (trust me it didn´t help) and I couldn´t focus on any line of thought and so I sat like a Zombie allowing my mind to run in circles around itself.
Welcome to the mind of David
Friday, June 15, 2007
The Trip: Day 9
We´re back
We went to Granada, Córdoba, Sevilla and to Solibreña. I will write about each city individually rather than all at once. It was a lot of fun.
The south of Spain is called AndelucÃa. It has a different character from the rest of Spain. The people are more laid back, and it has a more Muslim character despite five centuries of Christian rule. It was the last area to be conquered by the Christians. Granada fell last in 1492. It was there as she was surveying her new dominion that Isabel granted permission to Columbus to search for a new Western route to China.
It was in AndelucÃa that the Jews were the most influential, before they were expelled in (you guessed it) 1492. The Sephardic Jews (as they are known) spread out across Europe and the Middle East. They were very influential in sparking various aspects of the Renaissance.
It was sometimes difficult to travel with a new person. One thing that Adrienne and I do well together is travel. We tend to agree about where to stay, where to eat, what to do. So it was a little difficult for us to travel with someone else. We had to find hostels with private bathrooms, and before sitting down in a restaurant we had to look at the menu to make sure the food was acceptable.
But in the end of course it is worth the trouble. Angie, Adrienne´s friend from high school with whom we saw AndelucÃa a great. We had a lot of fun.
Angie carried a book by this guy Rick Steves everywhere. I think I may have mentioned it. Anyway, we had to deal with "well Rick says..." The thing is that he has a lot of interesting tidbits about the things we saw. It was frustrating to me only because I have a hard time being around someone who knows more than me even if he is in a book. It´s a window into my nature that I am even competitive with a book.
Overall the trip was great. We saw all sorts of cool stuff that I will write more about later...
We went to Granada, Córdoba, Sevilla and to Solibreña. I will write about each city individually rather than all at once. It was a lot of fun.
The south of Spain is called AndelucÃa. It has a different character from the rest of Spain. The people are more laid back, and it has a more Muslim character despite five centuries of Christian rule. It was the last area to be conquered by the Christians. Granada fell last in 1492. It was there as she was surveying her new dominion that Isabel granted permission to Columbus to search for a new Western route to China.
It was in AndelucÃa that the Jews were the most influential, before they were expelled in (you guessed it) 1492. The Sephardic Jews (as they are known) spread out across Europe and the Middle East. They were very influential in sparking various aspects of the Renaissance.
It was sometimes difficult to travel with a new person. One thing that Adrienne and I do well together is travel. We tend to agree about where to stay, where to eat, what to do. So it was a little difficult for us to travel with someone else. We had to find hostels with private bathrooms, and before sitting down in a restaurant we had to look at the menu to make sure the food was acceptable.
But in the end of course it is worth the trouble. Angie, Adrienne´s friend from high school with whom we saw AndelucÃa a great. We had a lot of fun.
Angie carried a book by this guy Rick Steves everywhere. I think I may have mentioned it. Anyway, we had to deal with "well Rick says..." The thing is that he has a lot of interesting tidbits about the things we saw. It was frustrating to me only because I have a hard time being around someone who knows more than me even if he is in a book. It´s a window into my nature that I am even competitive with a book.
Overall the trip was great. We saw all sorts of cool stuff that I will write more about later...
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The Trip: Day 4
We went to the Prado this morning. They rent out audio tours there so everywhere you go there are people standing around with these purple boxes held up to their ear. The other thing about the Prado is that it is so popular that tourists are dropped off by the busload. People who don´t even seem to care about art running around the museum as if they have a mental checklist of all the things they have to glance at before they go. As if once they´ve been in every room they can safely claim intimate knowledge of the Prado to friends back home. The worst are the Japanese. They walk around talking and shouting across the room, without actually looking at the paintings.
My favored method of seeing art museums is to give a fairly cursory look at most of the paintings and then return to the ones I like. I try not to look at the name of the painter until after I have made judgements about the painting.
Some highlights: My favorite section was the Northern Renaissance. This is a period I´ve never been much into, probably because it doesn´t translate well to book form. Anyway they had some spectacular tryptics and other wood panels that were beautiful in their intricacy and their detail. They also had a great self-portrait of Durer--the one from when he was younger with the beard. It´s definitely much better than in pictures.
They also have a great collection of Spainiards--in particular El Greco, Velasquez, and Goya. I gained a new appreciation for all three. I´ve never been a big fan of El Greco--and its hard to not prejudge the work because his style is so distinctive. Obviously you can´t walk up to an El Greco and think I wonder who painted this. Anyway, I really enjoyed a painting of St. Jerome that he did and that opened me up to enjoying some of his other work.
They also have a great deal of Titian--I think he moved to Spain at some point. I liked his work more than I ever have. It took me a while to figure ot who it was since his name in Spanish is Tiziano.
We had a barbecue today. It was a lot of fun. There were 10-12 people and at least 15 different kinds of meat. We set up the sawhorses and boards in the backyard and had a great time. There were four differen types of sausage, 5 different kinds of pork, chicken, chorizo, among others. We sat outside and talked then had coffee and sat outside some more. THe barbecue lasted a good 5 hours.
More later...
PS It may be a few days as we are going south for the week...I will try to at least post a short update.
PPS It appears we won´t be going to Paris...It´s just outside our budget. We were looking forward to it...oh well
More Later...
My favored method of seeing art museums is to give a fairly cursory look at most of the paintings and then return to the ones I like. I try not to look at the name of the painter until after I have made judgements about the painting.
Some highlights: My favorite section was the Northern Renaissance. This is a period I´ve never been much into, probably because it doesn´t translate well to book form. Anyway they had some spectacular tryptics and other wood panels that were beautiful in their intricacy and their detail. They also had a great self-portrait of Durer--the one from when he was younger with the beard. It´s definitely much better than in pictures.
They also have a great collection of Spainiards--in particular El Greco, Velasquez, and Goya. I gained a new appreciation for all three. I´ve never been a big fan of El Greco--and its hard to not prejudge the work because his style is so distinctive. Obviously you can´t walk up to an El Greco and think I wonder who painted this. Anyway, I really enjoyed a painting of St. Jerome that he did and that opened me up to enjoying some of his other work.
They also have a great deal of Titian--I think he moved to Spain at some point. I liked his work more than I ever have. It took me a while to figure ot who it was since his name in Spanish is Tiziano.
We had a barbecue today. It was a lot of fun. There were 10-12 people and at least 15 different kinds of meat. We set up the sawhorses and boards in the backyard and had a great time. There were four differen types of sausage, 5 different kinds of pork, chicken, chorizo, among others. We sat outside and talked then had coffee and sat outside some more. THe barbecue lasted a good 5 hours.
More later...
PS It may be a few days as we are going south for the week...I will try to at least post a short update.
PPS It appears we won´t be going to Paris...It´s just outside our budget. We were looking forward to it...oh well
More Later...
Saturday, June 09, 2007
The Trip: Day 3
We didn´t do a whole lot today. It was a good day to relax and hang out around the house and get rid of the jet lag.
So we are staying in the guest room off the garge in the basement. We have ben promised that the dogs that live in the garage will keep us safe. The funny thing is that one dog sleeps in the kitchen because he is afraid of the dark and the other dog is deaf.
One great thing about Spain is what hppened tonight. We were hanging out on the front porch and some friends dropped by with meat for the barbecue tomorrow, and Juan began setting up dinner out in the street. He set out some sawhorses, and a board across them, then brought out the food. And it was a spectacular dinner. We had fried pork skin, canned calamari, oysters and octupus, olives, bread and smoked pork. And we sat out in the street for four or five hours just talking and enjoying one anothers company.
An interesting note: one of my favorite foods when I travel in Europe is smoked meat. You can´t buy it in the United States. But it is delicious. I know you can buy smoked sausage, but it has been cooked. The traditional method of smoking meat involves no cooking. It is well cured in a smokehouse. So remember, if you ever travel to Europe, seek out the smoked meat.
More later...
So we are staying in the guest room off the garge in the basement. We have ben promised that the dogs that live in the garage will keep us safe. The funny thing is that one dog sleeps in the kitchen because he is afraid of the dark and the other dog is deaf.
One great thing about Spain is what hppened tonight. We were hanging out on the front porch and some friends dropped by with meat for the barbecue tomorrow, and Juan began setting up dinner out in the street. He set out some sawhorses, and a board across them, then brought out the food. And it was a spectacular dinner. We had fried pork skin, canned calamari, oysters and octupus, olives, bread and smoked pork. And we sat out in the street for four or five hours just talking and enjoying one anothers company.
An interesting note: one of my favorite foods when I travel in Europe is smoked meat. You can´t buy it in the United States. But it is delicious. I know you can buy smoked sausage, but it has been cooked. The traditional method of smoking meat involves no cooking. It is well cured in a smokehouse. So remember, if you ever travel to Europe, seek out the smoked meat.
More later...
Friday, June 08, 2007
The Trip: Day 2
I have fulfiled a childhood dream. When I was a kid I used to love reading atlases and almanacs--the kind they make for kids with lots of pictures of what life is like in whatever country you´re reading about. Anyway, in the mid eighties, the new thing in Europe was the bullet train. Propelled by electricity it could travel at speeds in excess of 120 mph. I always wanted to ride in one. Now I have. They move pretty quick. Though now I want to ride in the ones that use magnets to travel in excess of 200 mph.
We went to Toledo. For those of you versed in literature and history, Toledo was long renowned for its steel armor and blades. Consequently every tourist shop there has a wide selection of swords and daggers. The city is built on a hill, so anywhere you want to go is uphill. It´s fortress was one of the most impregnable in Spain.
It was the capital of Visgothic Spain and is currently celebrating 1400th anneversary of the conversion of the Visgoths to Christianity (imagining the 1400th annaversary of anything is staggering). As with most premodern mass conversions it was accomplished by the gift of a mantle to a humble peasant by the Blessed Virgin.
The cathedral is one of the more magnificent that I have witnessed in my travels. Completed in the late 1400´s after 250 years (again, a 250 year building project is staggering) it is an outstanding example of late Gothic architecture. Gold presumably from Mexico is everywhere. The sacristry has a great collection of art including El Greco, Rubens, Carrvaggio, van Dyke, Titian and others.
Enough history...we had a great time. I am reminded of Mark Twain in the Innocents Abroad, or the Americans in Henry James´work, travelling around with their Badekers (sp?) The modern American tourist can´t go anywhere without a guidebook to explain everything. We traveled to Toledo with Angie, Adrienne´s high school friend who is staying with us, and Michael and his sister Adrienne, a friend of ours from Tucson who met up with us for the day. They are all great utilizers of Rick Steves, apparently the authoritative source for touring today. I personally prefer the Lonely Planet, which is light on explanation and description, and restricts itself to suggestions of where to stay and what to see. I see it everywhere I go in Europe--American tourists, nose in a book walking around great cathedrals and monuments, afraid to miss something worth reading about.
As we aproached Toledo, a relatively small town I could count no fewer than 20-30 cranes--the big construction site type, like giant crosses, though slightly off-center. Obscuring even the cathedral they presented an interesting contrast betwen the religion of yesterday and that of today.
More later...
We went to Toledo. For those of you versed in literature and history, Toledo was long renowned for its steel armor and blades. Consequently every tourist shop there has a wide selection of swords and daggers. The city is built on a hill, so anywhere you want to go is uphill. It´s fortress was one of the most impregnable in Spain.
It was the capital of Visgothic Spain and is currently celebrating 1400th anneversary of the conversion of the Visgoths to Christianity (imagining the 1400th annaversary of anything is staggering). As with most premodern mass conversions it was accomplished by the gift of a mantle to a humble peasant by the Blessed Virgin.
The cathedral is one of the more magnificent that I have witnessed in my travels. Completed in the late 1400´s after 250 years (again, a 250 year building project is staggering) it is an outstanding example of late Gothic architecture. Gold presumably from Mexico is everywhere. The sacristry has a great collection of art including El Greco, Rubens, Carrvaggio, van Dyke, Titian and others.
Enough history...we had a great time. I am reminded of Mark Twain in the Innocents Abroad, or the Americans in Henry James´work, travelling around with their Badekers (sp?) The modern American tourist can´t go anywhere without a guidebook to explain everything. We traveled to Toledo with Angie, Adrienne´s high school friend who is staying with us, and Michael and his sister Adrienne, a friend of ours from Tucson who met up with us for the day. They are all great utilizers of Rick Steves, apparently the authoritative source for touring today. I personally prefer the Lonely Planet, which is light on explanation and description, and restricts itself to suggestions of where to stay and what to see. I see it everywhere I go in Europe--American tourists, nose in a book walking around great cathedrals and monuments, afraid to miss something worth reading about.
As we aproached Toledo, a relatively small town I could count no fewer than 20-30 cranes--the big construction site type, like giant crosses, though slightly off-center. Obscuring even the cathedral they presented an interesting contrast betwen the religion of yesterday and that of today.
More later...
Thursday, June 07, 2007
The Trip: Day One
We have arrived in Spain. I have to say that plane rides are not my favorite thing in he world...neither is jet lag.
I think you have to see a transatlantic trip as one 36 hour day rather than as two short days, because it really is impossible to get decent sleep on a plane.
Funny side note: On the plane they gave a variety of health tips like stand up and do these excersizes. One thing that they said was to wear (not that anyone had a choice of what to wear once they got on the plane) natural fibers because they breath well and help your body cope with the flight. The funny thing is that the seats are made out of the most uncomfortable, prickly, SYNTHETIC fiber imaginable.
Anyway, I was disappointed that the plane didn´t have the individual movie screens on the back of the seat--if you have the choice fly British Airways or Virgin Atlantic rather than Iberian or one of the American carriers. Also the plane like most Airbus aircraft I have flown on was strangely deficient in the way of bathrooms. It had less than half as many as a decent Boeing jumbo jet--and te lines to use them were correspondingly long. Why can´t Europeans ever build enough bathrooms. The same is true in European cities. I always seem to end up running into McDonalds or Starbucks to avoid long lines and surcharges at other places.
For youo loyal readers of the Economist--Spain really is going through a constuction boom. Cranes litter the horizon in every direction. I have counted as many as thirty in view at one time and they are never out of sight.
More later...
I think you have to see a transatlantic trip as one 36 hour day rather than as two short days, because it really is impossible to get decent sleep on a plane.
Funny side note: On the plane they gave a variety of health tips like stand up and do these excersizes. One thing that they said was to wear (not that anyone had a choice of what to wear once they got on the plane) natural fibers because they breath well and help your body cope with the flight. The funny thing is that the seats are made out of the most uncomfortable, prickly, SYNTHETIC fiber imaginable.
Anyway, I was disappointed that the plane didn´t have the individual movie screens on the back of the seat--if you have the choice fly British Airways or Virgin Atlantic rather than Iberian or one of the American carriers. Also the plane like most Airbus aircraft I have flown on was strangely deficient in the way of bathrooms. It had less than half as many as a decent Boeing jumbo jet--and te lines to use them were correspondingly long. Why can´t Europeans ever build enough bathrooms. The same is true in European cities. I always seem to end up running into McDonalds or Starbucks to avoid long lines and surcharges at other places.
For youo loyal readers of the Economist--Spain really is going through a constuction boom. Cranes litter the horizon in every direction. I have counted as many as thirty in view at one time and they are never out of sight.
More later...
Monday, June 04, 2007
A review: 13 Conversations about One Thing
There are movies which leave the feeling that something important has been expressed. Some deep concept has been given. 13 Conversations about One Thing is such a movie. I am very susceptible to such movies.
The danger of course is that I leave the movie feeling good. I feel in on the secret. I have been let in on the deepness of the movie. The draw and strength of such movies is that everyone leaves feeling that way. I have known a great mysterious truth, even though I only have a hazy conception of what that truth is.
My solution for this is to attempt to define the message of the movie, and to expose the deepness to scrutiny. Then I can begin to determine if the message is a true one.
The title elicits the inevitable question: what is the one thing? I think the answer lies in the first scene of the movie when the professors wife asks him what is it you want in life? What everyone wants, he answers, to be happy, to wake up enthused.
The plot, such as it is, explores the different approaches to happiness and fortune. Each character moves through the story, happy, unhappy, lucky, unlucky, opptimistic, pessimistic...
There are three basic states of happiness: Those who are, those who think they are, ant those who wish they were. There are three basic approaches to fortune: those who don't worry about what happens to them, those to whom events are all consuming, and those for whom perspective changes through the movie.
The character Bowman is the model of happiness--he is consistently happy and does not relate that happiness to what is going on around him. His opposite is the physics professor, who is consistently unhappy and seeks happiness in events. He tries to manipulate his world to make himself happy and is left unfulfilled at every turn.
Ok this is going nowhere, so I'm going to cut to the chase: the ultimate message of the movie is that happiness is directly related, not to those things going on around us, but to our response to them. If we respond to events with a positive attitude, we will be happy. If we respond negatively we find unhappiness. A corollary to this is that the more we seek happiness the less likely we are to find it.
These ideas have tremendous implications if they are true. If we can in fact choose to be happy, then what are we waiting for?
Interestingly, the two happy characters are those who seek the good, both in others, and in their own lives. They enliven those around then and bring happiness to those with whom they interact. They influence those around them to seek the good and choose happiness. The unhappy characters seek happiness in destruction, and they spread unhappiness and death.
So we have portrayed in this movie a world in which people are deeply and intimately connected, even in seemingly trivial situations. A world in which fortune is fickle and true happiness really does come through our response to the world rsather then from the world itself.
These are old ideas, but I think in general, good ones. Similar themes appear again and again in ancient philosophy, but the clearest match, I think, is found in the ideas of Boethius in The Consolation of Philosophy. In this work Boethius comes to the conclusion that true contentment is not to be found in the fruits of fortune, which are transient and evanescent. True contentment is to be found in our response to the world and in particular our relationship with God.
If we keep close the truth that we have not earned anything, we can respond to what we have received in a healthy manner. We can find contentment in God, and maintain an attitude of thankfulness for what has been given to us.
13 Conversations about One Thing is a good movie. It is full of pithy statements, and great quotable lines. It contains moving emotional scenes that alow us to connect to the characters and find truth in the movie's message.
The danger of course is that I leave the movie feeling good. I feel in on the secret. I have been let in on the deepness of the movie. The draw and strength of such movies is that everyone leaves feeling that way. I have known a great mysterious truth, even though I only have a hazy conception of what that truth is.
My solution for this is to attempt to define the message of the movie, and to expose the deepness to scrutiny. Then I can begin to determine if the message is a true one.
The title elicits the inevitable question: what is the one thing? I think the answer lies in the first scene of the movie when the professors wife asks him what is it you want in life? What everyone wants, he answers, to be happy, to wake up enthused.
The plot, such as it is, explores the different approaches to happiness and fortune. Each character moves through the story, happy, unhappy, lucky, unlucky, opptimistic, pessimistic...
There are three basic states of happiness: Those who are, those who think they are, ant those who wish they were. There are three basic approaches to fortune: those who don't worry about what happens to them, those to whom events are all consuming, and those for whom perspective changes through the movie.
The character Bowman is the model of happiness--he is consistently happy and does not relate that happiness to what is going on around him. His opposite is the physics professor, who is consistently unhappy and seeks happiness in events. He tries to manipulate his world to make himself happy and is left unfulfilled at every turn.
Ok this is going nowhere, so I'm going to cut to the chase: the ultimate message of the movie is that happiness is directly related, not to those things going on around us, but to our response to them. If we respond to events with a positive attitude, we will be happy. If we respond negatively we find unhappiness. A corollary to this is that the more we seek happiness the less likely we are to find it.
These ideas have tremendous implications if they are true. If we can in fact choose to be happy, then what are we waiting for?
Interestingly, the two happy characters are those who seek the good, both in others, and in their own lives. They enliven those around then and bring happiness to those with whom they interact. They influence those around them to seek the good and choose happiness. The unhappy characters seek happiness in destruction, and they spread unhappiness and death.
So we have portrayed in this movie a world in which people are deeply and intimately connected, even in seemingly trivial situations. A world in which fortune is fickle and true happiness really does come through our response to the world rsather then from the world itself.
These are old ideas, but I think in general, good ones. Similar themes appear again and again in ancient philosophy, but the clearest match, I think, is found in the ideas of Boethius in The Consolation of Philosophy. In this work Boethius comes to the conclusion that true contentment is not to be found in the fruits of fortune, which are transient and evanescent. True contentment is to be found in our response to the world and in particular our relationship with God.
If we keep close the truth that we have not earned anything, we can respond to what we have received in a healthy manner. We can find contentment in God, and maintain an attitude of thankfulness for what has been given to us.
13 Conversations about One Thing is a good movie. It is full of pithy statements, and great quotable lines. It contains moving emotional scenes that alow us to connect to the characters and find truth in the movie's message.
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