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.