Feliz Navidad! Here's a post...finally!

Yes I know I have been remiss for oh about a month or so. But since it is Christmas and I refuse to do any work this entire weekend, I have time to finally let you all know what I have been up to. So prepare yourself now for an epic entry...sorry no photos cuz my internet is still a slow POS...see sidebar for a link to photos I uploaded while at Starbucks (yes sometimes that evil international corporation can be good for something)!

First was my amazing, spectacular, breathtaking journey through Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Chile (Patagonia) with my fellow volunteers Laurie (Montreal, Canada!) and Calla (Massachusetts). Before I left I couldn't believe I was going and now that I have been it feels like it was all a dream and not real. We left Santiago at 11pm at night and of course I was stopped at the airport because my tripod looks like a gun in a holster...honestly not the best design ever. Arriving in the "madrugada", approximately 3am in the morning was the cheapest option but not necessarily the most comfortable. There were no buses running, we didn't have a hostel to stay in, so we stay in the rock hard chairs of the Punta Arenas airport, eating trail mix, taking silly pictures, and being stared at by the airport staff.

For some reason (ahem, Calla) we decided to take a taxi early to the "bus station", which turned out to be the office for one particular bus company and not open so we huddled outside, putting on all our layers and standing in a circle to warm ourselves from the wind. But by 8am we were finally on our way to Puerto Natales.

A small and uninteresting town, Puerto Natales is made beautiful by the water and snow covered mountains that surround it. After dodging the persistent people in the bus depot, all of whom owned “the best and cheapest” lodging in town, we proceeded to wander around, lost in search of the elusive Kawashkar hostel. The locals were so friendly and helpful in giving directions that as we stopped one old man for directions, another man from across the street ran over to assist us. The only sign marking the building as a potential crash pad (the actual words describing the place on hostelworld.com) for backpackers was the random North Face tent sitting on the sidewalk. Superficially, the hostel was like most hostels throughout the world; however the owner Omar and the awesome people we met there set it apart. Omar showed us to our rooms, provided us with all the info we could possibly want and THEN set up an info meeting for us to learn more about the trail in Torres del Paine. We didn’t fully realize how eager Omar was to help us until we arrived 40 minutes late to the info meeting from walking around town and were thoroughly ashamed that they had waited 30 minutes for us! At the meeting we met Scott, a lanky and blonde fellow Canadian of Laurie’s, who was not only staying our hostel but would end up being one of our trip companions.

Although it was still yet spring, the sun shone down until 10pm as we scurried through town doing some last minute errands for more trail mix, a Nalgene bottle for Calla, and some yummy dinner at a touristy café (the soup was delish!). Another early morning but we were lucky the bus came straight to our door to pick us up (tickets care of the lovely Omar). We had just barely started off when we hit Chilean roadworks that slowed us down at least an hour or more. The scenery, however, more than made up for the delay. Of further interest was the man sitting next to me, who turned out to be a Chilean guide/sherpa. Our conversation covered an interesting mix of subjects and was for the most part in SPANISH. He told me about his job (Americans and young British people are the best tippers), his daughter (studying animal husbandry), life in Southern Chile (how 99% of the people in Puerto Natales have never been to Torres del Paine though it is only 3 hours away because it is too expensive) while pointing out interesting aspects of the scenery (including a little visited valley that has cool fossils) and the animals (guanacos and flamingos!). He also expressed a great admiration for the black men of New York and their street lingo but we won’t go there. All chit chat came to a screeching halt when we arrived at the vista of the Torres.

The rest of the day, besides an uneventful stop to pay the entrance fee, consisted of one amazing vista after another: from the bus, from the catamaran, from the window of our refugio. While most people preferred to stay inside drinking their cups of “hot chocolate,” Calla and I braved the cold and short bursts of rain to stare in awe at the Cuernos and the Paine Massif as we cruised along Lago Pehoe in a catamaran. Laurie had decided to save money by taking the bus further to another ranger station and walking with Scott and Tom, an American who we also met at our hostel. Blisters and spells of driving rain aside, the three of them described their hike as the equivalent of walking in Middle Earth to which the picture below can attest.

Up the trail, Calla and I unloaded our packs at Paine Grande Lodge (we decided not to rough it AND carry our food by staying in refugios but if I were to do it again I would save the money and stay in a tent) and walked toward Lago Grey and Glacier Grey. Just as we were leaving the sun came out, making the hike rather hot and uncomfortable. Two hours later the Glacier came into view….we took plenty of pictures so we can look back fondly when they have all melted. We met up with Laurie and Tom (we passed Scott on his way up Glacier Grey a total of 10 miles walking with full gear and wool pants…crazy Canadian) at the Lodge, had a horrible lasagna dinner, and partook of our free pisco sours (the signature alcoholic beverage of Chile…think you might like it Jules). Lying in bed that night, our two German roomies (I heard more German and English on the trail than Spanish) came in, exclaiming how it always been their dream to sleep with 3 girls. They turned out to be nice but eccentric guys who actually requested we stay with them at the next refugio. The landscape, we would come to find, was not only interesting in its beautiful scenery but the strange and mostly delightful people we met along the way. I don’t think I had talked to so many on any of my other trips, and often in Spanish!

Bright and early, mas o menos, 10:30am, we finally left the lodge. The sun was high, bright, and piercing…Calla and Laurie laughed at my huge sombrero but I didn’t get sunburned. We made lots of stops to drink water, take in the scenery, fix Laurie’s blisters (she was also very glad I brought my First Aid Kit…I felt like a total nerd while packing but as it turns out better prepared then not), and talk to more Germans, this time an old couple who first walked the W trail 40 years ago…they told us it has not changed except for the number of people. The still air and heat of the sun as well as the frequent stops (and a bad rash I had developed) meant it took us about 2 hours longer than it should have to get to Refugio Los Cuernos. The next day was meant to be for a side trip up into the French Valley and a spectacular view but we were so tired and injured and out of shape we decided to take a break. Good thing too because it clouded over and rained but we had clear enough views of the valley to see several avalanches.

The next morning I woke up early and headed down the trail sola, to make sure my rash didn’t slow anyone else down. I had my own Middle Earth moment, looking up the mountain covered with a thin layer of fresh snow, the trail stretching forward without a person in sight. I could have sworn I was walking into Mordor…if New Zealand had not worked out, they could have used Patagonia. The morning was crisp and overcast…perfect for walking. I ended up being an hour and half ahead of Laurie and Calla but waited up them at the crossroads to the Torres and Refugio Chileno with the condors (they were huge!) and Andrew, a nice Australian who we had met at the last refugio. From that point onward, the trail was pretty much straight up and as I reached the pass it started to snow, which didn’t bode well for viewing the Torres the next morning. Met some interesting people including a nice Dutch couple from Utrecht (woot woot Davey!) and a friendly Chilean waitress who practiced her English with us. Arriving sin reservaciones, we had to rent a tent. The Chilean helping us set up the tent assured us that all 3 could fit in a two man tent. I have never been so cold or felt so claustrophobic as I did that night! Needless to say, we did not get up at the planned hour of 4am to hike and see the sunrise over the Torres.

Instead, Laurie and I left the close confines of our tent around 6:30 for the Torres, braving the stiff wind and occasional snow flakes. Passed Tom and Scott on their way down, having already seen the sunrise on the Torres, those lucky so and so’s! As luck would have it, after hiking for 2 hours and then climbing a steep boulder field we arrived at the top in the middle of mini blizzard. Defiantly waiting for all of 10 minutes, we slid back down the boulders, ran back to camp, packed our bags, ran down the rest of the mountain in an hour, and grabbed the 2:30 bus back to Puerto Natales.

Ok its 12 am Christmas day and I still have a ton more to write about but I have to get up early and make scones and pie so you will just have to wait for the next installment on El Calafate, Argentina. Happy Holidays to everyone and if you do feel inclined to write me (or send me anything…I would love some books in ENGLISH) my new address is

Del Huerto Sur 3561
Sector Parques de la Florida
Santiago, Chile

Abrazo y besos a todos!

Water polo in 3 languages!

Now I can say I have played water polo in 3 different countries in 3 different languages: English, Scottish (if you heard my coach you would swear it was a different language too), and Spanish. Last Thursday I went to my first practice with one of the 6 or 7 club teams in the whole of Chile...with boys around 15 years of age. Wow I felt old. Even though I am slow and out of shape, I can still pass and shoot and I even scored one goal! The boys were friendly and patient with my pathetic Spanish. The coach was really nice and even gave a speech at the end welcoming me to Chile and practice and telling the boys I was also a girl's water polo coach. The boys then clamored for pictures of the girls I coached....ohh teenage boys. Tomorrow night I am practicing with Stadio Italiano in Las Condes (the very rich part of the time) and it will be interesting to see how different that is.

Other important news: I AM GOING TO TORRES DEL PAINE!! I booked my tickets yesterday and I am off to see what could be the most beautiful mountains in the world (decide for yourself
or here) at the end of the world in Patagonia. We are going to trek the "W" trail and stay in bunk beds the whole...how civilized! There will also be a little side trip to El Calfate in Argentina to see some glaciers and get my tourist visa renewed.

Also here is a link to some more pics of Santiago de Chile.
Miss you all! You don't even know how much!

Pictures!

My flatmates: Laurie (Canada!), Naomi (Arkansas), Melissa (NY), Me!, Calla (Mass.), and Pam (Scotland!) laying across.

Pablo Neruda's house/museum in Bellavista.

Ok I was going to load more pics but the internet is being a bitch. More to come!

Bienvenidos a Santiago!

Hola mis amigos! I am Starbucks (you can not escape their evil empire) because they have free wireless and the wireless we scam off on in our apartment is crappy and kicks me off every five minutes. Phew this has been a very busy and draining week! After traveling for 24 hours (LAX to DC to Buenos Aires to Santiago), I was met by the lovely volunteer Annie who immediately started speaking to me in Spanish, which was very overwhelming since I still couldn't believe I was in SOUTH America and in the Southern Hemisphere...craziness! Annie drove me to the hostel, La Case Roja, in Barrio Brasil, where I met most of the other new volunteers (17 in total), most of whom were in the big dorm room I lived in for a week. There was a lot more drama than I expected (ie people missing home, people getting into sticky emotional situations etc.) but all in all we had a good time during the week getting to know the old volunteers, visiting the different institutions, learning the rules and how VE works, getting English teaching training etc. It was a very hectic and draining week with very little down time which is why I have not written earlier. On top of all that I didn't have a place to live after we checked out of the hostel so my new buddy Pam (she's from Scotland! We reminisce constantly) and I were also looking for a place to live. We ended up finding a great apartments, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms in Providencia (the "rich" part of town) which is literally on top of a metro station and grocery store.

Yesterday was my first day working in my hogar (orphanage), Residencia EntreTodas). The girls are around 9 to 21 years old and many of them are in school during the time I am there (2:00-6:30pm). VE wants me to start an English class there so if anyone has any suggestions for games etc for teaching English or just filling up time during the day that would be very much appreciated. The girls so far have been very polite and nice but there is an undercurrent of anger that is palpable and very sad. I felt a bit useless my first day because they literally have nothing to do after they come home from school besides doing homework or watching TV. I racking my brain trying to think of games etc. that we could do to stimulate them and to get them off their butts. I am bringing the game UNO today and I am going to try to teach them the colors and numbers in English. Among my other duties outside of EntreTodas, I will be helping with the VE newsletter and in charge of editing the VE intranet (help Andrew!!!).

There is so much more to describe about this amazing country but time is running short and I have to leave soon for my hogar. I will leave you though with some interesting things I have learned about Chile and Chilean culture so far:
1. Food- They are obessessed with hot dogs (cumpletos) and avocados (palta). There is an enormous section of every grocery store that is filled with all types of hot dogs and sausages. Also they put avocado on everything. Everything. I love avocados but I think I might get tired of them pretty soon. Oh and if you want say some jam or mayo or ketchup good luck because it comes in a bag! and is difficult to store after you use it the first time.
2. Transportation- I am officially in love with the metro here! It is the cleanest, most efficient, prettiest metro system I have ever seen. They have flat screen TVs everywhere showing music videos, news etc. They have artwork of all shapes and sizes decorating the metro. And best of all it is easy to use, on time, and rarely breaks down. The micros (buses) on the other hand, are another story. Usually, they are operated by crazy men that drive and dispense tickets and change at the same time, hit stop signs on sharp turns, ride the horn, and stop so hard and quickly that poor little old men topple over. They also sometimes lie about where they stop in order to get your business. Pretty shady.
3. Spanish errr Castellano- Chilean is pretty much a whole other language. It sounds different and they have complete set of their vocabulary. More to come on this later.

Off to work! Miss you all!

Volunteering in Chile

As some of you may know, I am off on an exciting adventure in 4 weeks to Santigo, Chile to work for a very cool organization called Voluntarios de la Esperanza (VE), a non-profit, non-religious charity that assists 14 independent orphanages, community centers and schools in Santiago in bringing equality of opportunity to Chilean children and ending cycles of poverty and child abuse. I am very excited to work with the kids, learn Spanish, help this organization grow, meet volunteers from around the world, and travel throughout South America. I will keep you all posted on my escapades here on my blog so check it out for updates, pictures and even video (sadly no more than 20 secs because my digital camera can't handle any more). Also if you have had a hankering to explore Chile, you are welcome to visit me...I will be there until April 1 (I get 2 summers this year!).

Part of going to work for this charity involves fundraising. I feel a tad guilty asking you all for help (monetary and otherwise) but it is for a very good cause and there is no pressure to read this section if you don't want to! A lot of the projects run by VE that I am looking forward to helping with, like their photography project, their reading program, and their football (aka soccer to my fellow Americans) league are run on money donated by cool and generous folks like yourselves. I know a lot of you are still in school or just started working so please don't feel guilty if you can't help out monetarily (if you still want to help, see below for other ways to aid our cause). I completely understand and I would be very happy to just receive an email wishing me luck and telling me of your own current adventures. If you would like to donate money, here's my secure fundraising site for their Vamos a Leer reading program (you all know how much I love to read so I thought it particularly fitting that I raise money for this program). VE is a registered non-profit in the U.S. (tax ID # 25-1923506) so your donation is tax deductible....yay!

If you are as inspired as I am to help out, there are other methods of aiding VE's cause! Here's a short list:
1. Email this to friends, family, neighbors etc. who might want to help our cause.
2. Recycle for charity- My family and neighbors are saving all their cans, plastic and glass, which I collect every week, turn in for money at a local recycling center, and will donate to VE online before I leave Sept. 1.
3. Donate Goods- Here is a link to a list of goods that the orphanages and community centers lack. Keep in mind, however, that shipping goods to Chile is not cheap. If you are in Southern California and have a used/spare digital camera or newish clothes or a functioning laptop or Spanish/English books for kids you would like to donate, let me know by leaving a comment and I will pick it up and take it to Chile myself . They just received 5 cameras from Pentax and they are especially hoping to expand on their digital camera collection for the kids.

Thank you for reading this rather long appeal! I am both excited to take on this challenge (probably my craziest endeavor thus far) and scared that I might fail in some way but I am comforted knowing that I have your support!

Leave a comment!

The GRE Sucks!

First, I want to thank my friend Adam for taking me on quite an interesting excursion the other day. I have not seen Adam for a few months since he goes to school in Utah so I was looking forward to seeing him two weekends ago. He was going to pick me up and he promised me an "adventure". Adam sure knows how to surprise a girl... he took me to Bruce's Salvage Yard. While Bruce remained elusive, we did see lots of cans, several airplane parts, a pile of bright copper pieces and a BBQ made from what looked like a metal oil drum.

Apparently Adam's folks helped to save a lot of money for the kid's tuition by taking their cans to Bruce. Brilliant idea! I think I will implement such a plan to help raise money for the charity organization I will be working for in Chile (you will be getting an email about that soon). Moving on...

According to my Kaplan GRE test book those who whinge and complain about the GRE tend to do poorly. It says I should look on it as a challenge to my intelligence...its turning out to be more of a challenge to my willpower and time management to actually study for this test. It is even more frustrating because I am not even 100% sure I want to go back to grad school. I made flashcards but I don't think they are helping that much since the words/roots I don't know, I still don't know after looking through them 15 times or so. I even tried studying with my brothers to see if it might help. They helped me to remember a few words. One was "enervate", which kept tricking me...I kept thinking it meant to energize (hey they look kind of similar!). When I asked my brothers if they knew that word, I was surprised when Andrew immediately responded, saying that "enervate means to weaken". "How did you know that?" I asked to which Andrew said: "DAOC (Dark Ages of Camelot, a computer game, for you normal people), duh! My Shadow Blade character "Aslan" uses a lesser enervating spell (or poison if you will) to weaken my enemies." My brothers then went on to use this to repudiate (oooh a GRE word I know) my constant claim that their computer games don't teach them anything. Another gem was when I asked them the definition of "dilettante". Andrew's definition was short and alliterative: a dilettante is a "d-bag".

So then I decided maybe I should list some words (from the top 100 GRE words list) I have had trouble with/gotten wrong on practice tests and see if you guys can come up with any memorable sentences/examples that could help me on the test. Unfortunately d-bag has such a myriad of different definitions and connotations I don't think I can memorize it as being synonymous with dilettante. But I won't be forgetting enervate! I look forward to your creativity! Any other advice regarding the GRE would be welcome!

Donnybrook- This was a word on the practice test and obviously skewed to test takers of Irish descent. And I didn't even know it.
Peregrination
Propitiate
Puissant
Ineffable
Imprecation
Opprobrium
Noisome (apparently not noisy!)
Aggrandize
Chicanery
Dissemble
Inchoate
Intransigent
Soporific

Germany lost and Andrew's gained 500 pounds

As we speak my brother is stuffing his face with cheese and triscuits at 3 in the afternoon. His rationalization, "Germany's lost and I will gain 500 pounds". My other brother, Tim, rather than eating, has taken a more angry tact: "Marion! Why did you have to root for Italy? Your negative vibes cost Germany the game." I never would have thought that when I started watching the World Cup a few weeks ago that my brothers would become so involved. They've even showed interest in seeing FC Barcelona play Chivas in Los Angeles in August. Wow! The funniest moment though was when we were watching the Germany v. Argentina game (of course my brothers wanted to Germany to win and I wanted Argentina to win) and the commentator noted that the goalie Lehman played for "powerhouse Arsenal" and my brother immediately said, thinking this was the entire name for the team, that's a bit of overkill for a team name. Despite his mistake, my brothers would shout "powerhouse Arsenal" anytime the ball got anywhere near the German net. Too funny.

Above: Vindication! Or Andrew crying like a little girl.

Since water polo hardly never gets picked up on TV and is such a small sport in comparison, I think I am just going to have to become a football fan (I keep finding similarities between football and water polo which makes it even more interesting to watch), especially now that I have lived in the UK and will be living in Chile soon. Cricket was completely out the question as a viable option (who gets that game?), baseball is still too boring to watch and despite Stuart's best efforts, rugby still lies just beyond my comprehension.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!! (or Thanksgiving if you are Stuart! This time leave a comment! OH and Julie I think we need to make Stuart an "oficious seeing eye bitch" t-shirt now too!)

The fly-fishing will continue until morale improves

I have the weirdest tan right now. Zig zags across the tops of my feet from my Chaco sandals. Raccoon eyes and stripes across the side of my face from my sunglasses. Dark hands from holding a fly-rod. White arms from wearing long-sleeve shirts. Besides increasing my skin cancer risk ten fold through prolonged exposure to the sun,I had a great time fly-fishing in Jones' Hole (its a stream you dirty people) and along the Green River. As much as I complain about my dad's obsession with fly-fishing and is unrelenting hope that my brothers and I will take up the sport with as much fervor, these trips have allowed me to see beautiful places like Alaska, Canada, Montana, Wyoming, and Scotland. I have also found that I as grow older and perhaps a tiny more patient, fly-fishing is rather relaxing and lets you take your mind off everything besides your beautiful surroundings and your floating fly.

We (my brother Andrew and my dad's ex-grad student/postdoc, Tim) left for Vernal and Jones' Hole via Las Vegas that sweltering den of inequity. Dining at the BK Lounge in Cedar City (home to a Shakespeare festival no less) we were entertained by a mother and her son who apparently visit there daughter at her place of business every day to take advantage of her employee perks (make that a larger whopper combo!). The Foundry Grill in Sundance could not have been more different. All the waiters are struggling actors and for the most part very attractive. No Robert Redford sightings unfortunately. I did find a t-shirt for 58 dollars. Tempting but it didn't say "I went to Sundance and I all I got was this dumb t-shirt". After hitting a bird (I had to clean bird remains off the windshield) and driving about 50 miles per hour, my brother finally got us to Vernal, essentially nullifying the good time I made between Las Vegas and Sundance. A poor German tourist was unable to get a room because all the hotels in Vernal were booked. First, I wondered why he wasn't in Germany watching the World Cup, then I wondered how could all the rooms in VERNAL be full? Oil boom!

The next two days were spent fishing Jones Hole, a spring fed creek that lies below a fish hatchery and flows into the Green River. If you avoid the obnoxious rafters who occassionally climb up from the Green River, it is a very picturesque canyon. Deep red and orange walls enclose stands of fragrant junipers, sagebrush and dusty cacti while along the river stands of cottonwoods shade the stream and stinging nettles catch those unfortunate enough to wear shorts (not me this time!!!). There are a few pictographs to check out as well as an ancient deluge shelter for those who are more inclined toward the cultural than the natural. It is, the fishing, however, that has drawn my dad and brother and subsequently me to this cold, clear stream. Andrew calls it the happiest place on earth. Probably because he is able to catch fish on the first cast and not get his fly caught in every tree, bush, rock, [insert obstacle here]...

Left: Looking up at the canyon walls. Above: Andrew blocks the trail down to Jones Hole

That was the case the first time I came here two years ago, causing such frustration that the next day my friend Kelly and I decided to see the highlights of Vernal and the surrounding area. Armed with 5 1-day tour brochures from the Best Western "Antlers", we packed them all into 4 hours. We saw some pictographs covered with grafitti with offerings of soda cans and cigarette butts strewn along the ground. A large American flag painted on a canyon wall by some crazy patriots of the "Great War" was another highlight. Then there was Dinosaur National Monument, which is sadly in need of funding. It is a dual time capsule: pressed into the wall are remains of many different dinosaurs while the building and explanatory signs are dull reminders that the 1970s was not a great decade for architecture and interior decor (orange....shiver). Our final stop in the tour was the Walmart superstore, where it was possible for me to have my tires changed, my hair cut, my banking needs met...you get the picture. This time we did try to find a good restuarant in town. I even talked to the lady (calling her the concierge would be a bit of stretch) in the lobby who gave me another brochure (they sure do have a lot of brochures for a lot of nothing in Vernal) for the local restaurants. I asked her which was her favorite and we ended up dining at the 7-11 Ranch Cafe. I knew we were in for a treat when I spotted the cow skin table cloths. I made the mistake of ordering a BLT which arrived drowned in mayonnaise. Tim's pork ribs were accompanied by overcooked beans and "scones". Praise the lord Clare was not with us. She would have had a fit if she saw these so-called "scones" which ended up being little more than fried bread. None of the food looked as though it had escaped the lard can, prompting Tim to comment, "no wonder people in the Mid-West are so corpulent".

Having sucked the place dry (in the immortal words of our neighbor Matthew after walking around Rome for 1 day) the first time, I decided to try my luck fishing for two days. I caught 4 nice rainbow trout the first day and managed not to lose an flies to the incoveniently placed trees and bushes. Using the same fly minus one of its "wings" which had come off the day before (its called Dave's Hopper if you were wondering which I am sure you were), I decided to tackle this deep pool of water underneath the small wooden bridge that spans the stream on one section of the trail. Now this pool is fished by everyone so no one really catches anything there because the fish are really spooky. But I had blisters from my sandals and I didn't feel like walking farther down the trail that day so I gave it a shot. After catching everything in and outside the river besides a fish, I was about to give up when I thought I caught hung up on a big rock. But then it started to move! I fought that baby for 5 minutes trying to keep it from going over a waterfall and I in the end I won. Of course I didn't have a camera and no one was with me to verify this but I swear it was a good 20 inches which is BIG for Jones Hole. Of course my dad, my brother, and all our fishing guides on the Green didn't believe me but it doesn't matter because I KNOW I caught that fish all by myself.

Left: Melissa and I in front of Red Creek Rapids, laughing as I almost fall on my ass in the river.

The afternoon of my big fish we left for Dutch John near the Flaming Gorge dam (better known as Butch John and Flaming George to my family) to meet up with my dad, my brother Tim, and Andrew's girlfriend Melissa for 3 days of floating down and fishing the Green River. I laughed for about 10 minutes when Big Tim (as we like to call him to distinguish him from my brother Tim), walked into the room Andrew, Melissa, and I were sharing in the middle of night, in the dark and said "oops I thought this was the bathroom". I tried to get Andrew to go out to the living room later and lay down on the bed with Big Tim and say "oops I thought this was the bathroom" but he was a big pussy. Further hilarity ensued when the next night Andrew made the mistake of putting dish washing liquid into the dishwasher. I had opened the dishwasher right after he started the wash to add another dish when I noticed the yellow liquid. I told Andrew he put the wrong liquid in there but he didn't believe me until he grabbed the bottle of dish soap and read the label out loud: "Not suitable for dishwasher use". Melissa and I mopped up as much as possible and ran the washer. 10 minutes later Andrew goes into the kitchen and starts screaming "Bring towels". We thought he was joking but then we saw the floor covered in bubbles and instead of getting towels we started laughing hysterically, prompting Andrew to scream even more shrilly for more towels. After an hour or so of running and re-running the dishwasher and constant mopping using the hotel towels, we finally got rid of the bubbles.

We fished for 3 days on the Green River with our guides Doug, "Boomer" (who is proud of his loud and copious farts) and Gordon, whose caustic wit and humorous stories have made this and past fishing trips all the more enjoyable. I caught tons of fish and Gordon even commented that my casting was significantly improved although I have not fished for two years since he went rafting with us. The time passed too quickly and soon we were packing up for the long drive home.

Left: Gordon tries to make me kiss the fish. Poor fish.

We left early hoping that we could avoid the Sunday Las Vegas traffic but I have decided that all of Southern Nevada is cursed. When I was 8 years old my Grandpa ran out of gas just 20 miles outside of Vegas. Two years ago my old car broke down twice near Las Vegas. And last year Andrew saw a dead body along side the I-15 just outside Vegas. This year they closed the ENTIRE southbound freeway outside of North Las Vegas. It took us on hour and a half to go 2 miles in 119 F heat. Tim took us on a roundabout way through the Mojave, Joshua Tree and 29 Palms to get back to southern CA, which took us another 4-5 hours. Cursed.

Now its back to work until our next fishing trip in Montana in August to make some more money for my journey to Chile for 7 months. Remember to keep checking my blog for updates on my Chilean adventure starting in September!!! "Inconceivable!!" I love The Princess Bride and my brother just got the Dead Pirate Edition so I have to check it out. Leave us comments, precious!

Hapa

Remember that story in my last blog about how my cousin Jenny and I couldn't be cousins because I am "white"? Well the LA Times just published an interesting article about people who are half Asian, half white/black etc. (hapas). While references to hapas being more attractive and more genetically "fit" are somewhat disturbing reversals of valuing racial purity, it is interesting to hear the stories about how hapas craft their own identity as well as how much more difficult it is for other people to distingush "what they are" based on how they look. Anyway I am pasting the article below if you are interested.

Mixed-Race Asians Find Pride as Hapas

A new book and an art exhibit in L.A. reflect an evolution in perceptions of a multiracial group historically made to feel like outsiders.

By Teresa Watanabe, Times Staff Writer
June 11, 2006

In Chinese restaurants, he was the kid who was always given the fork. In his largely white Covina public schools, he was the one beaten up and taunted as a "Chinaman" and "burnt potato chip."

Kip Fulbeck, a Santa Barbara artist, filmmaker, athlete and art professor who is of Chinese, Irish, Welsh and English descent, was born at a time when several states still banned mixed-race marriages and the children of such unions were routinely stigmatized.

But 41 years later, as interracial marriages have exponentially increased, Fulbeck is now celebrated as one of the nation's leading artists focused on work about mixed-race Asians, known as "hapas." He recently published a book on hapa identity, "Part Asian 100% Hapa," and this weekend opened a related photographic exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo.

The exhibit reflects an evolution in the perception of multiracial people from the bizarre freaks and "tortured mulattoes" popularized in film and literature a century ago to simply normal. Hapa — originally a derogatory Hawaiian word for half-breed — has been embraced as a term of pride.

"Before, people would look at you like you were a science experiment," said Fulbeck, a lanky Fontana native who sports a surfer's tan and a waist-up Japanese tattoo.

"Now, we're everywhere."

Hapas number 1.6 million in the United States, according to the 2000 census, which for the first time allowed people to claim more than one race. Nearly one-third of the nation's hapas live in California, 11% of the state's total Asian American population and the largest concentration of hapas outside Hawaii.

Hapas and other mixed-race groups have their own websites, social clubs, campus groups, films and literature. Their ranks include golfer Tiger Woods, actor Keanu Reeves, supermodel Devon Aoki and musician Sean Lennon. Lennon, son of the Japanese Yoko Ono and the British John Lennon, wrote the forward to Fulbeck's book.

One international newsmagazine proclaimed Eurasians "the poster children for 21st century globalization" a few years ago, touting their ability to bridge cultures in marketing, advertising and entertainment.

And, turning racist ideas of "hybrid degeneracy" on their head, Psychology Today magazine earlier this year featured studies finding that Eurasians were regarded as more attractive than whites or Asians and healthier because of their genetic diversity, associated with a lower incidence of some diseases.

All of which makes Fulbeck squirm just a bit.

It's bad enough that hapas share the common stereotypes of Asian Americans as "model minorities" who are expected to be smart, diligent and well-behaved, he said. "Now we're expected to be superior genetically too?" asks Fulbeck, chairman of UC Santa Barbara's art department.

Although most hapas tell him they're proud of their mixed-race heritage, Fulbeck said, he still gets e-mails from those who write despairingly of rejection and angst.

One parent, for instance, recently wrote for advice about his Korean Mexican child, who had suffered so much social rejection at school that he joined a Cambodian gang.

Paul Spickard, a UC Santa Barbara history professor, said three major factors during the 1960s laid the groundwork for today's multiracial baby boom. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the anti-miscegenation laws that remained in 16 states (California eliminated its law in 1948).

In addition, the civil rights movement and new immigration laws began liberalizing public policies and social attitudes on race.

Fulbeck's exhibit features 80 of more than 1,100 photos he shot across the country of hapas of all ages, sizes, occupations and ethnic mixes.

At Fulbeck's request, all of his subjects bared themselves from the shoulders up and wore little or no makeup, glasses or jewelry. The subjects aren't identified by name but by their striking responses to the question: What are you?

It's a question that many hapas constantly confront. Sometimes, other people try to tell them what they are — or aren't.

Victoria Namkung, 29, a Brentwood writer of Korean, Jewish and Irish descent, still recalls a painful moment when she was 5, watching a St. Patrick's Day parade while wearing a button that said, "Kiss Me. I'm Irish." A man bent down and told her: "You're not Irish, honey. You're Oriental."

Meanwhile, some Koreans have told her she's not Korean because she doesn't speak the language or go to a Christian church. And although Jews have assured her she's Jewish, Namkung has figured out her own identity: "100% hapa, my whole mom's side and my whole dad's side."

In his project, Fulbeck asked all of his subjects to define themselves. Their responses roamed from baby scrawl to the succinct ("Queer Eurasian") to existential statements about being "millions of particles fused together." There are confessional writings about discomfort with curly hair and constant internal debates over which heritage is "better." Some defined themselves as what they are not: not exotic, not foreign, not half-and-half but fully whole.

One boy wrote: "I am part Chinese and part Danish. I don't usually tell people I am Danish, though, because they think I'm a pastry."

To the Japanese American National Museum, hapas represent the community's future — a key reason it decided to sponsor Fulbeck's exhibit, according to spokesman Chris Komai. Nearly one-third of Japanese Americans are of mixed heritage, the largest such proportion among all major Asian ethnic groups, according to the 2000 census.

"Our community is changing and we need to recognize that," Komai said. "The definition of what it means to be Japanese American has to be different than it was 60 years ago, if it wants to perpetuate itself."

Komai said the museum and a growing number of other Japanese American organizations are liberalizing ideas about who belongs to their community.

Japanese American youth basketball leagues, for instance, have shifted their standards on who can participate in order to accommodate the community's rising number of mixed-race children. Over time, the rules have been liberalized from allowing children whose parents were both of Japanese ancestry in the 1950s to those with one such parent in the 1970s to those with at least one such grandparent today, according to Dan Nakauchi, commissioner of the 29-team Pasadena Bruins basketball organization.

In fact, he said, someone with no Japanese ancestry would be eligible if he or she were significantly influenced by the culture — an adopted child, for instance, of a Japanese American parent.

"It's a history and culture we want to perpetuate, not a bunch of people of the same race," said Komai, whose four nieces and nephews are all hapa.

Eric Akira Tate, a 36-year-old Palo Alto attorney, can attest to rapidly changing attitudes among Japanese Americans. The son of a Japanese mother and African American father, Tate said his encounter with UC Berkeley's ethnic politics in 1988 first made him sharply aware of what he was — or wasn't.

Asian American campus groups handing out recruitment fliers would ignore him. A Japanese American woman complimented him on his skilled use of chopsticks. Small things, he said, but "palpable."

With two other students, Tate decided to start the Hapa Issues Forum, a groundbreaking group to raise awareness of mixed-race Asian Americans through conferences, community events and social gatherings.

Today, Tate is president of San Francisco Japantown's largest community group, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California.

"In 1992, we had to take the initiative to get a place at the table," he said. "Now we've moved to the head of the table."

Fulbeck too found his voice as a hapa activist in college — in his case, as a UC San Diego art major in the late 1980s. Stunned by three traumas during that time — the death of his best friend, a family conflict and his failure to make the Olympic swim trials — he poured all of his angst into a narrated video project for school. It was the first time he had gone public with his hapa identity conflicts. To his shock, the whole class applauded.

Since then, he has written a novel, staged numerous performances and made several films about the hapa experience, including the 1991 "Banana Split," which boosted him into the public eye.

His latest book, aimed at celebrating the diversity of hapa identity, is particularly personal.

"This is a book," Fulbeck said, "I wish I had as a kid.

I'm Lazy

Julie did such an awesome job of summarizing our holiday (with pictures of course!) that there is nothing I can possibly add to it except the two very amusing Adopt a Highway signs we saw...one section of our beautiful Pacific Coast highway has been adopted by "Cambria Republican Woman" (this is a blue state after all) and another by "Tim the Volunteer". I have a picture of Julie w/ the Cambria Republican woman but it has not been developed yet. You know why. Here's Julie's entry if you have not perused it yet. I will also throw a photo in for good measure:

Jellyfish at Monterey Bay Aquarium
I think this photo would make anyone jealous of the jellyfish- just floating along.

Now I am trying to get some actual work done. I realized two nights ago as I lay in bed that I have a ton of research work to do for my job, that I need to fill out all my applications for next year and take the GRE before I go to Chile, that I have a bunch of things to prepare (ie visa and immunizations) before I got to Chile, and I still don't really know what I want to do for a REAL job (and what can I be besides a professor if I get my PhD in history?). I am hoping to get an internship in DC after my sojourn in Chile just to procrastinate a little longer. Ah well...encouraging comments are welcome!

Anyone hear of a band called Devotchka? I heard one of their songs in a movie called "Everything is Illuminated" which is awesome and you should all see it. Julie and I plan to make t-shirts that say "Oficious seeing-eye bitch"---see the movie for an explanation. Anyway the song "How it ends" was in the trailer and part of the movie and I ended up downloading a bunch of their other stuff. This section, besides recommending a good movie and band, was also to prove to Eamonn that I do listen to "new" music and not just "old" music like jazz, swing, and classic rock.

Oh amusing story! My cousin Jenny (well i guess technically she is my 2nd cousin, her grandfather is my grandmother's brother....all part of my complicated and extended Chinese family) is going to study abroad this summer as well as her roommate. Seemingly random but important backstory: First, Jenny is Chinese and looks...well...Chinese. When I studied abroad in Scotland 3 years ago I sent some pictures of my year back to the UC study abroad program and last year Jenny sent me a letter with the latest study abroad brochure and lo and behold there I was with my buddies Shona and Lizzie in front of the stone marking the border of Scotland beside the highway. So Jenny's roommate went to a info meeting about studying abroad with two other friends and they were shown a slideshow of all those cool people who studied abroad including ME! Jenny's roomie says to her friends "Hey that's Jenny's cousin!" And her friends' response: "Do you have your glasses on? That girl can't be Jenny's cousin. She's white!" My white half thought that was hilarious and my Chinese half thought it was a sad commentary of racial stereotypes today. And the other Valley girl half though OMG I am a total study abroad celebrity! You do the math.

Time is money and I just spend like 30 minutes on this dang entry because it took me that long to think of interesting things in my life currently and I could have spent it making a chart of Pacific trading vessels from 1785-1825 for money! So the least you could is leave a comment and let me know that you are alive and that this was time well spent.

What passes for literature

So my friend Kelly and I were perusing the aisles of Barnes and Noble the other day before we went to see Mission Impossible III, when we cam across this "book" entitled "The Notebook Girls". Essentially four high school girls published notebook entries that normally would have been passed in class as notes. It even has a crappy diagram of the social structure of their elite high school (nothing new...your standard jocks, nerds etc.). Awesome. I still have some of my notes somewhere. My chem notes too. Maybe I can get them published. Because everyone will want to read about who has a crush on who and like all the inane feuds that like teenage girls get into with like other teenage girls. Like, who pays for this crap? Just go look through your junior high and high school yearbooks if you want to reminisce about those bygone days.

Which brings me to the other annoying moment of the week: annoying lady in the movie theater. As the green screen appears heralding my favorite part of the movie, the previews, a lady sitting nearby announces for the ENTIRE theater to hear, "Start the movie already!!! We've been sitting here for 45 minutes waiting." No, madam, you are an idiot for coming to the movie theater 45 minutes early, before "The Twenty" even starts. And this was only the beginning. Perhaps she had some sort of disorder but in any case I doubt she has ever had occasion to use her "6 inch" voice. As much as I like to comment on movies as I watch (in this case to say things like Philip Seymour Hoffman is one scary villain, or how Tom's on screen wife looks eerily similar to Katie Holmes), I don't believe anyone else besides my obliging friends (Katie when are you back in the bubble so we can go see some movies?) wants to hear. What would have turned this annoying moment into true entertainment was if someone had confronted her and told her to shut the hell up.

And now for something completely different

Doesn't Aragorn look FABULOUS??? I promised Clare I would post some of my latest knitting projects so here they are. Aragorn is sporting a very trendy handbag w/ bamboo handles, which is also REVERSIBLE! Its, like, totally two bags in one! Looks HOT with a forest green coat, tunic, bow and quiver or bring it out for more casual, everyday use when not on an epic quest to save Middle Earth. And on below we have Ms. Marion sporting a very cute Jayne hat in purple. A Must Have this season especially for all the cold weather we've been having in California. Brrr.

Now I know you are all wondering, how can I look and be this awesome? Start knitting. Girls can make their own fashion statements. And for you guys, everyone knows "Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills." That's a fact. Knitting needles are a lot easier to use than nunchucks or bows yet can also be substituted as deadly weapons in a pinch (see Jules for tips).

Favorite knitting moment: All the Angus House Krew guys and gals (minus Tryste and Jules) sitting around knitting for Kristin's blanket, and someone commenting (Joe? Olley?) "So this is a Stich n Bitch...when are we going to start bitching?" Good times.

For lack of a better imagination

Not that Duncan doesn't have a very fertile imagination but yes I am copying one of Duncan's posts. Why? Because I don't want to do my work and I can't think of anything original to write and this will satisfy all who complain I don't write often enough. So there!

Go to your music player, set it to shuffle/random, and answer the following questions with the title of the FIRST song that you skip to each time. No cheating!

If you reached the top of Mount Everest, you would scream:
"Gimme a pigfoot (and a bottle of beer)", classic blues song by Bessie Smith...I think in reality I would settle for just the beer. And one for my sherpa.

The next time you stand up in front of a group of people, you'll say:
"Wand'rin Star" by Lee Marvin....That's me especially now since I will be leaving for Chile soon to live for 6 months! This song is from a great musical also starring Clint Eastwood of Dirty Harry fame...yes he can sing...sort of. Well its amusing and my dad actually likes and stayed awake during this movie and thats saying a lot.

Your favorite thing to say when drunk is:
"Mama said" by the Shirelles...hahah!! If I had listened to what Mama said I wouldn't be drunk =P.

Your message to the world:
"Gypsy" by Fleetwood Mac....lame...

Your deepest secret:
"Soul Kitchen" by the Doors...I like soul food? Now you know.

Your innermost desire:
"Loving you" by Elvis Presley...doesn't everyone want to be loved?

Your oldest memory makes you think:
"Change your mind" by The Killers...must not be a good memory.

Somewhere in your wedding vows, you'll include:
"Give me one reason" by Tracy Chapman. I think I am going to need more than 1 reason.

On your deathbed, you'll whisper:
"Tempus Vernum" by Enya. Since when do I know Latin?

Your friends say behind your back:
"Lola" by the Kinks...I do NOT talk like a man! I resent the implication.

You say behind your friends' back:
"Moving to the Ghetto" Wojciech Kilar (The Pianist soundtrack)...all the way to Compton, Eamonn.

Your opinion of LiveJournal:
"All my love" Led Zeppelin...got lots of friends over there even though eblogger is wayyyyy cooler.

When you wake up in the morning, you mutter:
"Fotografia" by Juanes. Because dreaming in Spanish is much sexier. =)

If you found yourself lost on a desert island, you'd yell:
"Across the Universe" by The Beatles, which includes the lyric "nothing's gonna change my world" a statement very appropriate to the desert island scenario.

Right now, your feelings are:
"Wild as the Wind" by Nina Simone. Although she's talking about love (when is ol' Nina not talking bout love?), I think it applies to my feelings right now as I try to figure out stuff. See that hows wild it is, can even pin down what the "stuff" is.

What's your excuse for reposting this meme?:
"I don't know enough about you" by Peggy Lee....yes so now its your turn to answer this meme! Otherwise we will remain mere acquaintences and that would be a shame.

Your life's soundtrack:
"But I might die tonight" by Cat Stevens....sounds kinda morbid but really about finding your own way and not settling for just anything.

P.S. I had to leave out some of my classical music songs because reading that Your friends say behind your back: Suite #1 in G, BWV 1007, Prelude by Bach would make you guys sound like weirdos.

OH AND I DO HAVE GOOD NEWS:
Besides Jules coming to visit in one week, I was accepted to be a volunteer with the Voluntarious de la Esperanza organization that oversees a bunch of orphanages and community centers in Chile. Looks like I will be living down Chilean way for 6 months. Hasta luego mis amigos y escribame un comentario.

HAPPY BDAY CLARE!!!

I am very bad w/ sending gifts but don't worry its coming in the mail soon. Hint: one item involves time travel AND Jane Austen...I just couldn't pass that up!
In other news I had my first phone interview w/ Voluntarios de Esperanza, an orphanage in Chile. Hopefully I will be volunteering there for a few months this year or next. I find out at the end of the week so fingers crossed.
Mexican feast tonight for my cousin Jenny B's bday wish you were all here for margaritas and homemade salsa (I'm making your favorite beans Jules).
Hasta luego!

What European City do you belong in?

This thorough 6 question quiz decided I should live in Dublin: "Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town." http://www.blogthings.com/whateuropeancitydoyoubelonginquiz

"Tell me more and more and then some"

My new counter shows me that people are coming to this page. Yet no one except Bjork, Julie, Duncan and Daniel (who I have never even met) leave comments! For shame! In the words of Nina Simone "tell me more and more and then some" and I will satisfy your need to know the minute and boring details of my daily life. Promise! Well, maybe.

Its Wednesday night and I spent it shredding mail because after I didn't respond to the first 15 Mileage Plus Visa card they must have thought, "oh man maybe she still wants one." NO! I wonder how many trees are needlessly killed to fill my mailbox with junk mail? You hear that Capital One? I don't want you!

So as promised I will give more details of my trip to the UK. After getting my award (and my money) I hung out with my friends Lizzie and JP in Edinburgh for a few days. I love Scotland but I think its hilarious that 5 inches of snow was enough to close all the trains running north of Edinburgh and shut down roads and other public transport. Everyone would be living in CA if they couldnt clear 5 inches of snow. I spent another week or so in St. Andrews catching up with old friends, visiting my old haunts, and getting drunk with Duncan, Bjork and Eamonn.

I took the train down to Darlington from St. Andrews to see my friend Clare. I was knitting on the train and getting weird looks from the alpine yodeler clone sitting across from me. Clare would text periodically and predicted where I was exactly. She took that train way too often. The next day, Clare whisked me off to Whitby, a cute seaside town reputed to be the final resting place of Dracula and also possessing a very fine wool shop. We had lunch in Robin Hood's Bay (no men in green tights...quite a disappointment) and then stopped in Scarborough. Picture the tacky English equivalent of Atlantic City. The cultural highlight was Anne Bronte's grave...dead like the rest of this poor city. Clare was continually warning me to avoid eye contact with all the crackheads and fourteen year old mothers. When we asked one shopkeeper where the wool shop was she replied "wall shop? never heard of it." The Lake District more than made up for the disappointment that was Scarborough. No wandering poets but plenty of picturesque hills covered in snow and sheep.

Now that I have recovered from my CSI addiction (yes I finished all 5 seasons + I shred my mail= big loser w/ no life), I can look forward to Jules' visit!! Renaissance Pleasure Faire, Disneyland, Hearst's Castle, Monterey Bay Aquarium, San Diego (Sarah!) and In N Out are just a few of the exciting attractions on the itinerary. And maybe even shredding mail! I know that is making all you who have not yet visited me jealous enough to immediately go to orbitz and buy a ticket. I know you read this blog Stuart, Eamonn, Olley, Jon, Tryste, Natalie......!!!

And now to be completely unoriginal and post the events, births, and deaths that occurred on my birthday (thanks Duncan and Julie):

Feb. 15th

Neat facts: 1965- A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada. (and this did nothing to obscure the fact that it is the 51st state of the U.S.) Thats pretty much the only "exciting" event of Feb. 15th.

Births:
1564 Galileo Galilei, el era un cientifico y vivio en Italia
1820 Susan B. Anthony, ella era una feminista y vivio en Los Estados Unidos
1964 Chris Farley, "yo soy un motivational speaker. yo vivo en un van cerca del rio"

Deaths (I guess the 15th is a cursed day for the musically inclined):
1965 Nat King Cole, American singer and musician
1621 Michael Praetorius, German composer
1857 Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer
1974 Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer
1981 Mike Bloomfield, American musician
Karl Richter, German conductor
1984 Ethel Merman, American singer and actress
1999 Big L, American rapper

Karma

Chris came for a quick visit this past Sunday. I picked him up from the airport, drove him around, had dinner with my fam and hung out. Early the next morning I had to take him to his astronomy workshop so there wasn't much time for sightseeing (which is ok since Chris believes museums to be a "waste of time") nor was there time for a quick stop at the Indian casino for some poker (though Chris hoped there might be a bus service to the casino nearby his hotel). But remember how Chris was always whinging about how he HAD to go on all expenses paid trips to beautiful Hawaii while really he just meant to rub in our noses (we forgive you of course Chris =P). Well good ol' CA gave him a rather damp welcome....yup its been cold (well not Scotland cold) and raining. Karma baby. Anyway I hope all you guys out there in the wide world come for a visit too and soon! I've become addicted to my mom's CSI dvds and it has really put a damper on my social life. Save me!

Beamed

"Holyrood business halted by beam"
Proceedings at the Scottish Parliament were abandoned for the day after a 12ft-long wooden roof beam came loose in the debating chamber.

The beam hung down, just missing a glass panel, and was left swinging over the seats of Conservative MSPs.
First Minister's Questions was postponed and votes on earlier debates will take place at a future session. The beam was removed on Thursday evening and an inspection will be carried out on Friday morning. The parliament will await advice from structural engineers before the chamber is reopened.An urgent investigation was launched by parliament safety officers into the cause of the incident. The section where the beam fell is normally occupied by Tory MSPs, but there were few members listening to the debate from there at the time.

While it is a relief that no one was hurt, it is still disturbing that there were so few people there DURING a debate. This fun little incident meant that the Scottish Parliament had to meet in the venue scheduled for my award ceremony so it was postponed until April 27th when, of course, I will not be in Scotland. The trustees, however, were kind enough to take me out to lunch and to give me my award, award money (which was promptly spent...the UK is too expensive), and a book entitled Think Global, Act Local, which one of the trustees asked if he could sign twice. ummmm Sure, as long as I get my 100 pounds biotch! Actually they were 3 very sweet old men and they had some very interesting stories that were probably more entertaining than sitting through an award ceremony, the vast majority of which was for urban planners...boring!

More to come once I develop my pictures.

Oh and spring has sprung here. My daffodils, lavendar, poppies and jasmine are blooming like crazy. Sneeze.

Onyx

I am just looking on Chris's computer in Angus House and I see that the only song downloaded on iTunes is Onyx's "Slam" the theme song for the Angus House Krew last year. Eamonn downloaded it at the farewell party back in September and I am pretty sure Chris has not listened to it since because Eamonn played it 24 times (thank you play count) at the party!!!

I am sorry (Bjork and Daniel) that I have not written in so long. Bjork gave me a hard time today about my lack of new entries at Northpoint (yay St. Andrews!). So I am putting this entry in. Satisfied? Probably not. But next entry will include details of my return to St. Andrews/Scotland, my 3rd job, plans for the future, lack of motivation, what vegetable samurai used to tattoo on their penises. Yes all that and more to come.

Schokolade aus Deutschland

My brother and I received a German care package full of German candies and chocolate just in time for V-day. Look how excited my brother is...what a dusseldörke! Do these wafers look familiar Julie? We only ate about a bag of them a week. And you know what, they are still damn good! Mwhahah. Danke schöen Robert und Sandra!

Captain Corelli's Mandolin, worst movie of all time?

Everytime I used to go to my grandma's house I would always wander through her video collection, which I believed rivalled that our local Blockbuster. I was at grandma's this past weekend for her birthday and I thought I would look through the ol' VHS collection and see if there were any movies I still needed to watch. I borrowed some old favorites (Anne of Green Gables....I almost spelled Anne without an e!) and then I came across Captain Corelli's Mandolin (which is actually on DVD...my grandma has moved on to expanding her DVD collection now). I thought ok yeah this movie looked absolutely ridiculous in the trailer and it bombed at the box office and the critics hated it. But I am sort of obsessed with the Greek landscape and I want to go back some day soon to visit the islands. So I borrowed it, thinking I could just put the mute on and look at the scenery and pretend it was National Geographic video or something. In the end I left the sound. And boy was it amusing. What a freakish assemblage of accents and actors. A Spanish woman playing a Greek woman. A Welshman playing a Greek fisherman. A balding American playing an opera loving, make love not war Italian. I even listened to the commentary a bit because I was curious to hear what the director would have to say about such a crappy movie. He talked about camera angles, lighting, set design, music pretty much trying to avoid any public admission that his movie was a big pile of poo. Well I will say the landscape was very beautiful but the director could not possibly take credit for that. And that was where reality ended. They could not convince me that Penelope's character would ditch Christian Bale (ok so hes illiterate!) for owl eyed Nicholas Cage because he can play a mandolin (thats like guitar for beginners). And apparently the incident where Italian soldiers were massacred by German soldiers on Cephalonia (I think thats how its spelled) is based on true events...its so sad that this movie had to bring attention (to those few who saw it) to that tragic fact. Well thats my rant on CCM.

Um Your Quiz is Wrong Bjork!

Ok according to Bjorks Disney character quiz I am Goofy, who is described as follows:
Your alter ego is Goofy! You are fun and great to be around, and you are always willing to help others. You arn't worried about embarrassing yourself, so you are one who is more willing to try new things.
Um yeah. I hate embarrassing myself and I am not THAT willing to try new things (like seafood ick)
Try and see which wrong character you will end up with: http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=3049

Sweet News!

I won the Sir Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust Award for Category 2B, best postgraduate dissertation for my Masters dissertation on Robert Moyes Adam!!!!! Not only will it look good on my CV but I also get some cash...100 quid! Woohooo. Maybe I do have a shot at a career in academia. Just maybe.
There is also a big award ceremony thats going to be held off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh by the Scottish Executive and my prof. and I have been invited. If my parents help me with the plan ticket I will be very tempted to go and accept my award and bug all my British friends. Any excuse to go back to Scotland!

SOOOOOOOO excited!

Avert your eyes if you hate books or ice cream

Ice cream section at the Tillamook Cheese Factory...I am sure you all know why I had to try this flavor.

The picture could not even contain all of Powell's books.

Sign from the Sci Fi/Fantasy section of Powell's Books, Portland.

Book Heaven

I have just returned from a very relaxing trip to Portland, Oregon where I visited with my buddy from St. Andrews, Lizzie. I stayed in her very cute 1940s duplex home, which has huge picture windows that look out on Mt. Hood. The weather was a bit grey and rainy (not unlike Scotland!) but that didn't put a damper on the trip...it was a nice contrast to all the sunny weather we're having in California (heheheh I just have to rub that in while I still live in CA). Besides catching up on old times, the highlights of the trip were Powell's Books and the Tillamook Cheese Factory. You can't imagine my excitement upon seeing Powell's Books...a whole city block taken up by a bookstore that sells used and new books and is not Barnes and Noble!!! It even provides you with a map when you come inside! We spent hours wandering the aisles and my stack of books slowly grew. We missed you Elizabeth, Daniella, and Natalie when we were perusing the romance section and reading the back covers aloud and laughing. I think the other more "serious" romance shoppers were slightly offended by our amusement at such titles as "Much Ado about You" and an entire section on "Paranormal Romance" most of which was set in the Highlands of Scotland (is there nowhere else romantic in the entire world?).

Besides being the home of Powell's Books, Portland is a pretty cool city with a great public transportation system (free in the downtown area), lots of bike lanes, great shopping areas, a beautiful public library, and some interesting museums. Oh and lots of whole foods stores where you can get wheat germ and all other assorted healthy, organic and free trade foods on a level that would even surpasses the crazy health stores in southern California. Hmmm perhaps there is a place in the United States after all where I might want to live.

On Saturday Lizzie and I drove along the Oregon coast, stopping at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, which was a surprisingly busy stop filled with families, visible lovers of all things dairy, and even some naval cadets. The factory was cool with all sorts of weird bits of machinery moving the cheese, cutting the cheese, packaging etc. I also highly recommend the Marionberry pie ice cream. After the cheese factory, we drove along the coast and the sun finally came out as we stopped in the town of Manzanita, a cute town with lots of little artsy shops. We drove back along the sunset highway, which lived up to its name, stopping only to wonder at the largest sitka spruce tree in the United States (somewhat underwhelming after seeing the redwoods and sequoias in Yosemite).

More good news though! I have another job as a research assistant to an old professor of mine, Dr. Igler, helping him to do research for his book on trade, disease, and natural history in the Pacific basin from 1770-1850. And I am getting paid! Maybe I should change the title of my blog now? Nah...people would rather read a blog with a more bitter sounding title. Ok back to work at my temp job...answering the phone when someone actually calls (the rate is approx. 1 call per hour).

Eamonn made my day!

I was not looking forward to another day at work (especially when everyone else seems to have the day off) when I checked my email this morning and received this link from my buddy Eamonn: http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/2005/HCR029.html
It looks to be for real but even if it isnt it is very enjoyable. My favorite ones: "WHEREAS, tater tots figure prominently in this film thus promoting Idaho's most famous export" and " WHEREAS, Napoleon's bicycle and Kip's skateboard promote better air quality and carpooling as alternatives to fuel-dependent methods of transportation."

Last night, after several failed attempts, my friend/cousin Jenny and I finally saw Mrs. Henderson Presents. We tried two times before to see this movie, which was playing at the local "artsy" cinema, but both times we were thwarted by a huge line of senior citizens that wound along the parking lot all the way to Trader Joe's. When we did finally get tickets and enter the movie theater on the 3rd try, the ticket collector held us up by regaling us with how wonderful Mrs. Henderson Presents was and how "it was the best movie this year on so many levels." As I stood in line for some overpriced movie snacks (5 dollars for a SMALL popcorn!!! WTF?? 10 dollars for a movie ticket? I remember when evening films were 5 dollars...I'm practicing this bit for my future grandchildren), this ticket collector proceeded to tell EVERY person that came in about Mrs. Henderson Presents: "have you seen it? its wonderful! best movie this year! the comic dialogue is spot on!" blah blah blah. By the time I got my drink I wanted to strangle him; with all this overhyping and all the effort I put in just to get into the movie theater I knew this movie could never live up to expectation. It was entertaining in the end, but not as much as the two ladies who emerged from the film accusing each other of being rude and almost getting into a cat fight. Good times.

Another interesting movie I saw this weekend: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. The plot was so vague and confusing at first I had to go online to figure out what was going one. Richard Burton played a very unglamorous, alcholic spy...the harsh lighting picked up every pockmark on his weathered face. Jenny and I didn't really like the film but we did learn a few valuable lessons: a) I could never be a spy...I have not the wit nor wiles even to figure out the plot of this movie (I can now cross it off the list of possible career options) b) you don't always get hot babes (exhibit A: very plain, card carrying communist lady vying for Burton's affections) c) apparently laughing in a girl's face about her life's passion is a successful way to pick up lonely women librarians d) if invited behind the Iron Curtain, decline politely because you never know you if you might be forced to testify in a mysterious trial, imprisoned and then shot as you try to escape over the Berlin wall.

Filling up space with random pictures

My dog Eowyn making the adorable beseeching face when you ask her if she wants to go for a walk.

Couch Potato

New Year Resolutions are crap. Since the beginning of 2006 I have only managed to be a couch potato, watching all manner of TV shows I received for Christmas including The Office (British version), Gilmore Girls and Firefly. I have not finished one application. I have not answered any emails. I can bitch and moan all I want about living at home but I will never get out at this pathetic rate. And I am going to receive a package of books in the mail any day now and that will be even more distracting and engrossing than the tv shows I have been watching. I ordered Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (I saw the movie Capote the other day, which was really interesting and made me want to read his book), Mary Austin's The Land of Little Rain (which I came across in my research for my undergrad honors dissertation but never got a chance to read) and Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I wanted to get Marc Reisner's Cadillac Desert (about water in the American west) but I didn't have enough money left over after buying a GRE prep book. I hate tests.

The couch potato has not been completely eliminated but I have taken to walking in the evenings with my friend Lauren, water polo has started again, and I have another temp job to fill. The weather lately has been particularly fine for walking although a bit chilly at night for water polo in an outdoor pool.

I got that package in the mail...plus another xmas gift from my buddy Daniella with two more books. Although I have work at the moment, I have managed to finished In Cold Blood and most of the Land of Little Rain (a particular quote regarding a stagecoach ride through the desert seemed very applicable to my current work situation and intellectual state: "of such interminable monotony as induces forgetfulness of all previous states of existence."). I was inspired to read Capote's book after watching the film about him starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. The movie was interesting (I had no idea Capote was a childhood friend of Harper Lee and prob. inspired the character of Dill!) and Hoffman was excellent but I found the book to be even better. I couldn't put it down. And I only did when I had to answer the phone at work and enter purchase orders lest they think I was not working. It was both fascinating and horrifying to read. I don't want else to say...read it and let me know what you think. Its too bad he only wrote a few novels and short stories...but I guess all the drinking and the crazy jet-setting lifestyle was not very conducive to writing.

In other news, I am currently working for an electrical rep company (they sell products from the manufacturers to other companies I guess) and pretty much the only cool thing about the place is that they have a poster of Napoleon Dynamite in the office. My first day after mastering the entry of purchase orders and answering the phone the ladies in the office cornered me and said isnt the job easy? Um (wondering if this was a trick question or if they were leading up to giving more work to do) yes I suppose so. Apparently they have had trouble obtaining capable receptionists...all that is required is to answer the phone and enter maybe 20 orders or so a day which takes me about 30 min. The rest of the day I read and pretend not to use the internet. There next question was, "so do you want to work here instead of just temping?" "No, I am going back to school to get my PhD most likely," I replied trying not to sound too ungrateful. According to these ladies, the electrical business is very fun and interesting and I don't need to go back and get my PhD. They would have to pay me a helluva lot to get me to stay and do this job from 8-5. Money they don't have (ok I know I am a snob). But I guess its nice to be wanted (and good to have a fallback plan in case it turns out I have no future in academia or anywhere else where an actual functioning brain is required). Oh and I still have not finished any of the applications I was supposed to finish ohhhhhhh last year. Couch potato syndrome? Slackeritis?

Well, thats all the news thats fit to print. Tschuss! (see I am practicing my German, Andrew)