Where am I now?

As you can see, this blog hasn't gotten any love in many years... But you can now find me on my site jessicatravels.com.

29 April 2005

Twinkie Cake

The paper reported the 75th birthday of the Twinkie on Tuesday, and the photograph they had on the front of the Living section was of a birthday cake made of Twinkies with a "75" candle on top. Chris & I had flashbacks.

We love Twinkies. Unabashedly. We're both incurable sugar addicts. So for our funky, off-beat wedding party we had (in addition to our beautiful tartan-covered cake made by these wonderful folks) a Twinkie cake which my mother lovingly crafted out of day-old Twinkies. It didn't taste as good as if they'd been fresh, but the structure was more stable when they were a tad stale - we tested it.

You have to also understand, my mother is something of a cake architect. She's taken requests for my nephew's birthday parties since he could talk (it's her only grandchild so far, so you have to forgive the doting). In years past, she's made:
  • a house that was burning down (clumps of matches stuck in at various parts and then set alight) with Hot Wheels fire engines outside waiting to put it out
  • a police car with little flashlights for headlights and a toy car's siren that were embedded inside the cake and actually worked
This year he requested Minas Tirith, the white city of Gondor from the Lord of the Rings. My mother had no earthly idea what the hell he was talking about, so I sent her as many pictures I could find. The results were smashing. But you should judge for yourself:


It was made of stale store-bought cake, with cardboard at the center for stability. The "warriors" are made of slightly-warmed Tootsie Rolls, and each carries a toothpick for a weapon. You can't really see it well, but she even made a Mumakil out of Tootsie Rolls. Oh, and in the picture on the right you can see the "beacon" being lit... Then the little pyromaniac didn't want to blow it out... Posted by Hello

Teabag Tag

It's actually from yesterday, but I was swamped at the end of the day and wasn't able to post it:

"He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin!"
Horace (65-8 B.C.)

Me too! Me too!

I saw Jim playing this game last Friday (he's playing again today) and wanted to join in. So, here's my random ten - keeping in mind that I've only scanned a tiny portion of my CD collection into my work computer...
  1. Emm Gryner - Hello Aquarius
  2. Tanita Tikaram - Poor Cow
  3. Jane Monheit - Blame it On My Youth
  4. McKinley - Dorothy
  5. Emm Gryner - July
  6. Moby - Look Back In
  7. Ani DiFranco - Slide
  8. Joan Osborne & The Funk Brothers - What Becomes of the Brokenhearted
  9. Duran Duran - Of Crime & Passion
  10. Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - Summertime
Okay... First things first, while I'm pleasantly surprised at some of the songs that came up, I'm also aware that this isn't a very good representation of my collection - even the limited one at work. For instance, there's none of the moody Brit-rock I adore at all. Also, my love of jazz vocalists isn't very well represented (no Diana Krall, no Ella). And lastly, the Moby & Duran Duran aren't even mine... Moby is Chris', and Duran Duran was a friend's CD that I scanned while I had it just because I had it. Haven't listened to it since... (Seriously, what is this need I feel to justify these ten songs?!?)

On the positive side, I'm thoroughly pleased that McKinley pops up, as that CD is still one of my favorites - plus she's a local artist, which I like. I've not bought any of her major label releases, perhaps I should look into them. Also, the Tanita Tikaram made me smile - it's an album my roommates and I listened to incessantly in college (though back then it was a tape!). Ah, nostalgia...

28 April 2005

Gasp!

I just picked up the pictures from the beach weekend. At the place I took them, they usually print out a few 5x7s in the hopes that you'll want to buy them - normally, I politely refuse because I think it's annoying. If I want 5x7s, I'll come back for them, thankyouverymuch. But when they showed them to me this time, I was so ridiculously puffed up by my own sense of pride that any of the pictures came out at all, I bought all five!

Anyway, I haven't looked at the rest of the pictures yet, though I'm anxious to - the 5x7s I saw made me very happy indeed.

Then, as I was leaving, I passed by the tripods on display and stopped to look at them. I stupidly broke my tripod in class last night (dammit!), so I'm now in the market for a new one. Of course, the one I liked best (looked the sturdiest, went the tallest) was a whopping $200 - and that's before the headpiece you have to buy separately (an additional $150ish). I hope the salesman didn't notice my sharp intake of breath. I'll have to do some more research, methinks, and then probably revert back to hunting at my favorite "store," eBay!

Department of Corrections

My father emailed me today to tell me he likes the blog (aw, shucks!) and to correct some errors in a previous post about my family history. Here's that post again, with his corrections incorporated:

My dad was born in 1935 in Germany (Homburg-on-the-Saar, which is near the French border), so spent the first five years of his life with his family getting the hell out of the way of the Nazis. (Essentially, they were on the run.) The family was lucky - an aunt of my dad's had married a wealthy man with business connections in New York, which is what allowed them to get out of the country with a place to go. They actually went to France soon after Dad was born because his uncle also had factories in France. (His uncle also had Dad's father, my Opa, a man I never met, move money from Germany and France and the two of them built a business in New York in the late 30's so that by the time they finally got away from Europe in 1941, there was already a business.) My dad doesn't like to talk about it (though he tells me now he's ready anytime I want to listen!), so I don't know much - but I've been told that at one point they were smuggled over the Pyrenees into Spain with Basque gypsies. They got a boat from Portugal to New York, with a three day lay-over in Havana, and the rest is history. So to speak.

Thanks for setting the record straight, Pops! Hey, what didja think of that half-Jewish website? Quite the kick, eh?

27 April 2005

Who thinks of this stuff?!?

I discovered a colossal time-waster on this site, and I've been, well, wasting time on it all afternoon. I've barely scratched the surface, as I've been preoccupied with just changing the homepage repeatedly (there are 22 variations). I swear I've seen this part somewhere, but can't remember where. But seriously, who are the people who think up this stuff?!?

Apologies

So, I got an email from a friend about my "epic" weekend update post... He said, "I had no idea you were such a scribbler." Yes, well... My travel journals are lengthy; I try to capture as much as possible so that I'll have an easier time not only remembering the trip years later, but also when I'm trying to label my photographs! Anyway, I'm sorry (again) for the length of the post, and it's now apparent to me that the next skill I must try to master is summarizing.

26 April 2005

Word Garden

One of the shops at the coast had a Mary Anne Radmacher section - she's a local artist, and her greeting cards have been local favorites for years. This one in particular caught my eye, and I'm planning to frame it.

Weekend Update

So, I looked at this last night and decided I didn't have the energy to edit it. Forgive me for the lengthiness of the post... It was an action-packed weekend...

Friday
We left home a little before lunch, stopping at our favorite neighborhood cafĂ© on the way out of town for some iced drinks. It was an impossibly warm day – the radio said it was supposed to get to 75. Incredible. We weren’t as optimistic about the weather at the beach (it always seems the beach is the opposite of whatever it is inland), but either way was fine.

The drive was easy, and we got to the Stephanie Inn much earlier than we thought we’d be able to check in. We pulled in and Chris went in to ask if they could hold our bags for us until check-in time, and they said our room was ready already – so we checked in, got our bags into the room, and quickly changed into short-sleeves for a walk on the beach that was right outside our room!



Stephanie Inn postcards, & a picture of our room Posted by Hello

(Speaking of the room, it’s wonderful in that same way the Fairmont was in Seattle – understated, not ginormous, just reasonable with nice touches. The jacuzzi tub is huge, takes up half of the bathroom (it’s about three times as big as the shower stall – I guess they expect more people will bathe than shower). The king bed seems huge compared to our queen. We’re on the first floor, and the patio overlooks the ocean and Haystack Rock is slightly to the right. Some of the nice little touches – there’s a teddy bear on the bed, a card was waiting for us wishing us a happy anniversary, there’s a rubber duckie on the edge of the tub, the robes are silk… Yum.)

So, we changed into short-sleeves and took advantage of the crazily warm weather with a walk on the beach. I brought my camera, and Chris learned how to be a photographer’s assistant – he diligently wrote down every shutter speed and F-stop entry as I called them out after each shot. What a help! I eventually taught him how to take a meter reading, and how to adjust either the shutter speed or aperture in order to get the meter where it wanted to be, so he now gets why I’m taking so long… But he was patient with me as the assistant, as well – I can’t (and won’t) complain.

We walked south on the beach to Mo’s, where we had a little snack – knowing we had dinner reservations at the Inn’s restaurant, as well as the wine thing beforehand, we didn’t want to pig out on chowder (as delicious as it is). It was such a gorgeous day, we were both too warm even in our jeans! We had no idea it was supposed to be that nice, or we would’ve packed shorts! Of course, the poor beach combers would have been “treated” to our pasty white legs, but you can’t please everyone, can you? Besides, Oregonians are supposed to be pasty white… It only makes sense.


Pink Anemones Posted by Hello

The tide was out pretty far, so we walked past the Inn after lunch and over to the base of Haystack Rock – the tidepools were full of tiny, pink-at-the-edges anemones, mussels, clams (they’d bored into the sides of the rock, and looked like they’d spring out of their holes any second – if they could move that fast), sea stars, limpets, seaweed and barnacles. Apparently, the Rock itself is covered with puffin nests – but to me they just looked like far away birds circling the Rock like vultures.

After our beach wanderings, we went back to our hotel room to change for wine and dinner. We’d heard that the dining room wasn’t really dressy, but we both like getting dressed up (especially me, with my uber-casual job setting) so we did. Of course, when we walked down the hall to the library I immediately felt awkward – most of the folks were still wearing their beach-combing clothes! That feeling soon left as we tucked ourselves into a corner conversation nook next to a globe that we soon discovered was horribly out of date (though I imagine it’s not as easy to update a globe) – the USSR and Czechoslovakia were still there! So strange. I know it wasn’t that long ago – I mean, I visited Prague when it was still Czechoslovakia in 1992 – but it feels like forever ago.

After two (!!) glasses of wine in the library, we walked upstairs to dinner. The dining room is much larger than the number of people who were seated in it – the only tables they’d filled were those along the windows. The Inn does a prix fixe menu, where the only choice you have to make is which of the two entrees you’d like (stress-free dining is a very good thing). We were told that after the salad and soup, the chef would come out to tell us about the entrees so we could decide which we wanted. But let me back up – I must tell you about the food, to make your mouth water as mine is as I type…

The salad was called “Prawn Caesar,” and was sooo garlicky… It was fantastic, we were just happy we were both eating it! The prawns were divine, and the crouton on top was light, crispy, and covered with roasted garlic. Lovely, lovely, lovely. The homemade bread was wonderful, too – Chris thinks it had sundried tomatoes in it (I don’t usually like them, but the bread was great). The soup was what I was looking forward to most when I first saw the menu – an asparagus soup with bacon bits. I mean, come on. Asparagus soup is wonderful by itself, why add bacon, you ask? Because, as any non-vegetarian knows, everything is better with bacon. No exceptions. Frankly, I’m pretty sure ice cream would be better with bacon. Not that I’m likely to try that anytime soon, I’m just saying.

The soup was, as expected, wonderful. Very peppery, though, and I would have liked to have been able to taste more of the asparagus. (It did make me yearn ever more for the opening day of our farmer’s market, when we’ll get to buy those tiny pinkie-width asparagus for ourselves.) Then out came Chef John to tell us about the grand choice of the evening – mahi mahi or duck confit? Really, probably not a bad option among ‘em. We opted to split the decision – I had the fish and Chris had the duck, and we were both very happy with our decisions. We each had a glass of wine with dinner, as well, though I was still feeling the wine from earlier. I love places that give you decent portion sizes – most Americans would have looked at our plates and said, “Is that all?!?” They’d have been more happy at the all-you-can-eat buffet, with dry chicken wings kept warm under lamps for ages. So, fine – they can have their dry wings. I’ll take my small portion sizes with no leftovers any day. Especially when the quality of the food is so good…

Chris said he wished more restaurants would do those prix fixe menus – it gives the kitchen a chance to focus on one or two things and get them really right. Both our entrees were great – I’m generally not partial to duck (too heavy), but Chris’ duck was almost chicken-like in its texture (though much richer in taste). I’m also not usually up for the experience of pan-seared fish that’s still raw in the middle – and this mahi mahi was cooked all the way through and still moist. So moist! It sat on a bed of couscous on a pineapple slice, and had a few veggies scattered around it – including sweet and crisp snap peas, a real treat.

For dessert, they served white chocolate cheesecake with fresh strawberry sauce. It was sooo good… Almost light (well, light for a cheesecake!), and with that wonderful sourness you really want in a cheesecake. And, just to demonstrate that the fact that it was our anniversary had trickled all the way through the Inn’s staff, “Happy Anniversary” was written in chocolate on each of our plates. Very sweet. And with dessert – because I hadn’t had enough alcohol yet – we had some dark Godiva liqueur. We’d never had any, and now we think we might have to get some at home… It didn’t even taste like alcohol (which, come to think of it, is probably a bad thing).

We stumbled back downstairs, got out of our finery (which hadn’t even seen the outside air!) and settled in to watch “Roman Holiday.” (Chris had never seen it – it’s a fun movie, though I think he didn’t like the ending much.) We opted to live really decadently and ordered milk and cookies midway through the movie – they delivered a plate piled high with chocolate chip cookies and two huge glasses of sweet milk to the door. It’s funny – this place specifically says that kids under 12 aren’t allowed, as it’s designed as an adult getaway, and yet the milk and cookies did nothing but make me feel like a kid. But perhaps that’s part of the point.

Just as we were going to sleep, we noticed some flashing lights outside and opened the curtains to take a look. On the horizon there was a massive lightning storm raging – on the shore there was not only no rain, there was also no wind and it was almost warm. But out at sea, I’d have hated to be one of the ships we saw out there! We pulled on our silk robes and sat out on the patio for awhile, watching the lightning bolts tear through the sky, putting on a show like natural fireworks. It was strange to see such a display of lightning with no thunder at all – I imagined that out on the horizon (however far away it was – Chris estimated the storm was probably 20 miles offshore) there was some fierce thunder. Onshore, it was just like a television show.

Saturday
We both woke up too early, especially as we had no reason to be up. I put on my “comfy pants” (every time I say that, Chris cracks up – but it’s true, it’s what they are) and actually wore my slippers up to the dining room for breakfast. I dunno, it just felt right. The buffet was great – way more food than we could have sampled, even if we were starving (which we weren’t), though we did our best. Irish oatmeal, scrambled eggs, sausage patties, granola, quiche, fresh fruit, homemade bread, scones, muffins – even some cheesecake from the night before! (I’ve never heard of cheesecake for breakfast, but I love the idea…) But honestly, the thing that made me happiest this morning was the sugar bowl on the table. It’s a small, clear dish – kind of shaped like a votive candle-holder – with a lid and spoon. And it’s full of large multi-colored granules of sugar! It’s a little rainbow of sugar in the bowl, and I don’t know why, it just made me so cheerful. That’s the kind of place this is – where even the sugar bowl can be such an unexpected delight.

After breakfast, we got cleaned up and decided to head into the downtown area of Cannon Beach. We thought we might want to do a bit of shopping, and we also wanted to locate the restaurant where we were supposed to be having dinner (the Inns’ restaurant was booked, so they’d directed us to their sister restaurant in town and made reservations for us). We found the restaurant, and then parked the car to wander around. We strolled in and out of shops, up one side of the street and then down the other – Cannon Beach is aesthetically very well designed, as the shops don’t all look the same and there are little nooks and crannies behind some shops with other shops behind. The pathways look as if they’re secret, when clearly they’re not. The shops are fun, though after awhile it’s more of the same. The clothing stores were more “hip” than we were expecting, but also more expensive; while one art shop in particular was much more reasonably priced than we would have thought. (We contemplated buying one painting, but couldn’t figure out where in the heck we’d hang it in our house – I still feel a twinge of guilt that there are already several framed prints stacked in the unused office in our house, homeless pieces of art. Very sad. It felt wrong to add to the pile.)

In one of the downtown parking lots was a pickup truck with a bunch of signs and placards on the back. On each side there was a table set up under a canopy, and over the truck was a large sign that read, “Haystack Rock Awareness Program.” The tables had T-shirts and caps for sale, as well as clear plastic tubs with seawater and some examples of sea life in them, and volunteers stationed at each tub to tell you what you were looking at. Some of the things could be handled as well. It was as if the aquarium had a low-key mobile unit. One of the more interesting things we saw in the tubs was a living sand dollar. Now, I dunno about you, but we didn’t previously think of the sand dollars we see on the beach as being what’s leftover when the organism living inside it dies. And they’re not even so much the shell of the creature, rather its skeleton. The volunteer picked the little guy up, and exposed the thousands of tiny “feet” underneath. It looked like the legs of a millipede or something, only lots of them and with no bug attached. The volunteer said that they’ll scoot along the sandy floor, looking like they’re drifting; they also use the “feet” to feed – they’ll stand themselves up on one side in the water and grab at floating plankton with the “feet,” herding them into the mouth at the center. Fascinating…

Eventually, the cloudy weather we’d woken up to gave way to rain. We made one last stop at the espresso bar we’d seen earlier, mainly because the sign said they sold gelato. The gelato was mediocre (not great, but ice cream in any fashion is hard to screw up entirely) and the service was painfully slow, but it gave us a chance to wait out what we figured was the worst of the showers. We were wrong. It never poured, exactly, but the rain was pretty steady as we hustled our way back to the car. I had my hood to keep me covered, but Chris’ jacket was hoodless and so he was getting pretty wet. Geeks that we are, we’d already pocketed our glasses to prevent spotting. Man, we’re old.

Back in the car, we wondered whether we’d be better off staying indoors for the rest of the night. Even if the restaurant was booked, we could always do room service, right? And besides, that way we could have as much wine with our meal as we wanted, not having to worry about driving back from the restaurant in town. Oh, and we could watch a movie while we ate. Yeah, you can see where this is going. We wanted to veg out, and justified the decision to ourselves all the way back. When we got back to the room, we called the restaurant to cancel. Perhaps next time.

We borrowed “The Motorcycle Diaries” from the Inn’s extensive DVD library and settled into our “comfy pants” again. I figured we’d nod off, having gotten up so early, but we made it all the way through. It’s a good movie about two young friends (one of whom happens to be a young Che Guevara, though that almost seems incidental) who set off from their home in Buenos Aires to see South America on a motorcycle. It’s interesting watching it turn from the road trip of a couple of boys to a turning point in two mens’ lives. Just another example of how a simple excursion (okay, even if it’s supposed to cover 10,000+ kilometers) can turn into a life-changing event. Travel is wonderful.

After the movie, Chris began his new book, Ruth Reichl’sGarlic and Sapphires” (his anniversary gift) and I began writing this diary. We listened to the Jack Johnson CD as we worked quietly, both really enjoying the excuse to do nothing. At home, there’s no excuse. There’s always dishes or laundry to be done, homework that we’re behind on… And even if there’s none of that, there’s a television program we’ve recorded and which we really “should” watch. This “dolce far niente,” as the Italians call it, is really sublime.

We went to the wine thing again this afternoon, bringing our books and tucking into our corner by the globe again. I finally managed to finish “Long Way Round,” which is good because it’s due back to the library in two days – and it means I can pick up one of the books in my bedside pile. I do love that moment when I’m finishing one book and I’m not yet sure what I’ll be reading next. It’s like when I get home from one trip and I’m looking forward to beginning the planning of the next one. It’s a fun state of limbo, knowing no choice is a “bad” one, and not sure where the next adventure will take me.

We’re now lounging in the room again; the screen door cracked, we’re listening to the surf. We’ve had our fill of the cookies from the jar at the front desk, the scones by the tea caddy in the lobby, as well as a few soothing mugs of tea. I honestly feel as though I’ll never be hungry again in my entire life. Chris noted the time when I said that (6:05pm) and said, “Just wait, that’ll change.” It’s now an hour later, and nothing’s changed. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve felt hungry all day. If this isn’t decadence, I’m not sure what is. (And I’m still thinking a nice bowl of soup will suffice this evening, thankyouverymuch.)

We played an Italian language game, called “Who is Oscar Lake?” for a bit, and then watched “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.” We did end up getting room service – a sandwich, soup and salad and a half-bottle of Domaine Drouhain Pinot Noir – and that was more than enough for the evening.


Stephanie Inn Tulip Posted by Hello

Sunday
Again, I woke up earlier than I’d intended (8am) – but in the end, it was a good thing. It wasn’t supposed to be nice weather, it was supposed to rain like Saturday. But as I lay in bed Chris opened the curtains to reveal a beautifully sunny day! Low tide was at 8:25am, so we thought we’d take advantage of the weather and go look at the Haystack Rock tidepools again.

As we walked toward the Rock, we realized the Haystack Rock Awareness Program truck that we’d seen in “downtown” Cannon Beach the day before was there. As we were wandering around the tidepools, we saw they’d set up signs reminding people to only walk on sand or bare rocks, as there were living creatures everywhere, and there were a couple volunteers circulating among the beachcombers answering questions. One gal came over to talk to us, and we said we’d seen them the day before – she said that was for Earth Day (which was technically Friday). We still don’t know if they’re out at the tidepools on a regular basis, or if it’s just sporadic, but the gal was so helpful. We’d been wondering what the bizarre trails we’d seen in the sand were, and she said they were probably snails darting around underwater (though now that I think about it, “darting” probably isn’t the right word to describe something as sloth-like as a snail). We’d also noticed what we thought were jellies washed up as well, and she confirmed that they were probably juveniles, that they’re a variety that’s related to the Portuguese man-o-war, but that they probably wouldn’t sting (because they were undeveloped juveniles, and because the tentacles were likely to be underneath the bodies rather than on top where we might touch them). Still, “probably” wasn’t good enough for me, so despite her encouragement to try to find the “fin” on one and place it in the water to see the cobalt blue undersides, we decided we’d rather not.

She also pointed out some puffins flying off the Rock, which was great because we wouldn’t have seen them otherwise. As soon as she pointed them out, they were – of course – immediately recognizable. They flapped their wings so quickly in comparison to the gulls and cormorants around them that they looked like hummingbirds. Their bodies are also more stocky, and they have basically no necks. We weren’t able to get a glimpse of them on the Rock itself, as they apparently nest on the west (ocean-facing) side. It was fun to look, though, and I got what I hope will be some good pictures of the other occupants around the Rock – sea stars, anemones, and mussels.

After our morning walk, we went back to the Inn for another spectacular breakfast. I swear, I love me a big, out-of-the-ordinary, over-the-top breakfast. I’m glad I hardly ever get them – they wouldn’t be so special if they were everyday occurrences, and I’d probably weigh quite a bit more than I do already! When we’d finished breakfast we brought coffee, hot chocolate and (I know, I can’t believe it myself) a piece of cheesecake back to our room to enjoy while we got packed and ready to leave. We opened the patio doors and sat out there one last time, watching the ocean. (It seems strange to me that the sound we all associate with “ocean,” waves crashing onto the beach, is really the sound of the beach. Out at sea, in the middle of the water, it doesn’t sound like that at all.)

We got ready slowly, not wanting to leave (I said, “Checkout’s at noon? I don’t want to leave here one second before that!”). Sure, it wasn’t the kind of place we’d have stayed had we not had the gift certificate, and it’s way more than we would spend on a weekend getaway in general – but it was so nice, and we had such a great time, that it all felt worth it. And actually, the weekend ended with a bit of comedy – let’s just say we had a toilet malfunction, and had to call housekeeping for an emergency intervention. I have never in my life seen a toilet impersonate a geyser quite so well. It all ended peacefully, and we had a good laugh about the whole thing with the housekeeping gal. Perhaps they’ll add plungers to the in-room amenities in future.

On the way home, we stopped in outer Beaverton for a treat we used to have quite a bit of – bubble tea. We weren’t hungry for lunch (surprise, surprise), but we were in the neighborhood and it’d been quite awhile since we’d had our beloved bubble tea (it was a real favorite the last time Chris’ family came to visit, and they’ve talked about it often since). Then we stopped at Target and got gas at Costco at the new Wilsonville mega-plaza. It’s crazy, and visually really unappealing, but it’s certainly good for saving time running errands. Then, it was finally time to go home.

We turned right around and did a mammoth grocery shopping trip, and then Chris ensconced himself in the kitchen. He’d decided he was in the mood for coconut cream pie, which he then decided he wanted to make himself. And then when we couldn’t find unsweetened coconut shavings in the baking aisle, Chris went off to see if the Asian food aisle might have them. I continued on with the shopping, and after awhile he returned – holding two whole coconuts. I looked at him in disbelief, and he just shrugged and said, “I thought I’d give it a try myself.” Uh-huh. He spent about an hour opening and peeling the coconuts just to get the meat out – crazy man. I think the pie’s in the fridge setting now, and I hope it turns out well or he’s going to be very unhappy…

So, tomorrow it’s back to work and back to reality. I’ll be shadowing my boss at one of his mediations on Monday, to see what it’s like from the neutral’s side of things. Wednesday is my last photography class. And in two weeks we’ll be in New York for my aunt’s birthday party. Man, I cannot believe it’s already nearly May… Where on earth does the time go?!? I really need to get my China-researching butt in gear!

Monday
I shadowed my boss for a mediation which unfortunately didn’t settle. I say “unfortunately” because I would have liked to see the process as it worked its way through to resolution. Perhaps next time.

Also, I forgot something earlier when I mentioned that I was between books. I brought two new books to the beach with us, in case I finished the one I was reading, and because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to read next. The two choices were “A House Somewhere,” a collection of short stories and excerpted works about living abroad, and “The Wall,” a fictionalized account of the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII. As I think about these options, I can’t believe I could have been in a mood to read one or the other – they’re so very different, how could they both be produced from the same book interim?? Who knows. In the end, I didn’t end up picking either one over the weekend. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I chose “The Wall,” though I haven’t started it yet. I don’t know what it means that I picked the depressing one, we’ll see if I have the fortitude to stick with it for long.

25 April 2005

Quick Note

We had a great weekend, and I've written quite a bit about it on the laptop (which is at home). I'll try to edit it down to a reasonably-sized entry, and post it here tomorrow. I also snapped 3+ rolls of film, which I'm very interested in developing. Chris proved to be a fantastic photographer's assistant - I think I'll keep him.

21 April 2005

Weekend away


On the bluff overlooking Tobermory's harbor, & what we refer to as the "money shot" - photographs by John Wilshire Posted by Hello

Chris & I are gearing up for our beach getaway this weekend to celebrate the second anniversary of our Scottish nuptials (pictures above). The weather is actually supposed to be nice as well, which is quite strange (you understand what I mean if you've ever tried to plan anything on the Oregon coast). We were almost hoping for rain, which would keep us indoors - reading, watching movies, drinking wine, relaxing... Now we'll have to force ourselves to relax! Oh, well. We could have worse problems, I suppose...

I'll be bringing my camera, and Chris has agreed to be "photographer's assistant" and write down all the shutter-speed and F-stop information for each shot. If anything looks remotely postable, you'll see it here later.

Honestly (as an aside), I'm having trouble getting used to all the manual settings on my camera. Last night in class, the project was to take "portraits" of a fellow classmate we were paired with. Of course, basically none of us know one another, so there's that awkwardness to overcome. And then if you get two people in a group who are sort of shy, you're doomed. As I've stated before, I often have trouble getting my camera out in certain situations, so it wasn't exactly an easy project... And on top of that, I'm so used to the auto-focus that I was actually waiting for the little beep my camera makes when it's in focus so I could push the button. Oops! It feels like it takes forever to set up the shot now, and then to focus on top of that - I swear, if I ever manage to take a picture, it'll be something worth talking about.

20 April 2005

Italian homework pt II

I just found another site, and though I haven't translated much yet, I did find what I think is a whole list of "popular misconceptions about chocolate," which they then debunk. If I'm reading this right (and there is every chance in the world that I am not), they're saying that despite what we might think, chocolate does not cause acne or tooth decay (among other things). Hmmm... I'll keep reading and let y'all know.

Italian homework

Honestly, this should be a fun assignment. But I think the word "assignment" automatically makes it un-fun.

We're supposed to check out Italian websites about chocolate and be prepared to talk about one aspect of chocolate in class on Thursday. I've chosen this site, and the topic of chocolate as medicine. If I learn anything worth sharing, assuming I haven't mistranslated something, I'll share it.

Music


X&Y Posted by Hello
Ooh, happy happy me... A fantastic new Coldplay single is out, and the new album isn't far behind. In the meantime, I'm enjoying Jack Johnson.


In Between Dreams Posted by Hello
Also, when we were in Seattle a colleague of Chris' recommended a new radio station (well, new to us) in lieu of what feels like the over-commercialized The End - a station we had both really loved in the past. This new-to-us station is KEXP, a public radio venture (no commercials - woohoo!) by Paul Allen (the "EXP" is an homage to the Experience Music Project, his other music-related Seattle baby). KEXP is streaming online, and they apparently have enough out-of-state listeners that they give away tickets to shows in New York. Anyway, it's quite varied and interesting, and we've already heard some great new music we probably wouldn't have otherwise. Check it out.

19 April 2005

Family history

I've always said the best thing about being Jewish is the great sense of humor. (The worst is the food.) Of course, I'm only half-Jewish (dad is, mom isn't) by heredity, and not at all Jewish by upbringing or religious practice. But as my dad's a New York Jew, he got more than his fair share of the humor gene, and was kind enough to pass it along to me.

My dad was born in 1935 in Austria, so spent the first five years of his life with his family getting the hell out of the way of the Nazis. The family was lucky - an aunt of my dad's had married a wealthy man with business connections in New York, which is what allowed them to get out of the country with a place to go. My dad doesn't like to talk about it (though I sincerely hope he changes his tune on that subject eventually, as it's family history that ought not be lost), so I don't know much - but I've been told that at one point they were smuggled over the Pyrenees into Spain with Basque gypsies. They got a boat from Spain to New York, and the rest is history. So to speak.

I've always had trouble watching footage of the WWII concentration camps. In high school, I recall having the eerie feeling that I was looking for people who looked like me. I still have never been told if any of the family died in the camps - it felt like it was almost an involuntary reaction to the films. When Chris & I visited the Holocaust museum in Washington DC several years ago, I began crying as soon as I got off the elevator, and didn't stop for hours after leaving the building. I bawled my way through "Schindler's List" (though who didn't?). I'd forgotten about these gut-level reactions until Saturday evening, when Chris & I watched Rick Steves' program on Poland's two big cities, Krakow and Warsaw.

There's something a little strange in thinking that Auschwitz, a former concentration camp, is now a tourist destination. Rick points out that survivors want it that way - they want people to see, to experience, to remember - and to never let it happen again. It just feels a bit weird. At any rate, as I watched Rick walk through the buildings at Auschwitz, I felt a familiar lump in my throat. "I can't believe I'm going to cry during a travel show," I thought. And I managed to keep the tears at bay. The program made me realize something, though - I really need to see these places for myself.

So, I'm going to check out some books on Poland from the library and start thinking about what kind of trip it could be. I've never been to the town where my dad was born, and somehow that also feels like something I should do.

"Deep thoughts" followup

I got an email from a friend about my mental jottings regarding what exactly travel is, and I liked what he wrote. So I'm sharing it:

... is it travel to go somewhere nearby? I think yes, absolutely. Last week I took the yellow line to the end just for the hell of it ... and I saw all kinds of cool things and people. ... Maybe travel is whenever you go out of your routine? Is travel whenever one is forced to pay attention?
I think that's a good way to look at it - because, clearly, when we're commuting to & from work or running to the post office or grocery store, we aren't really paying attention to our surroundings (beyond the necessary making-sure-the-stoplight-is-green kind of stuff). At least I'm not. Maybe thinking about travel this way will help me to pay attention on a more regular basis, and that can't be a bad thing - even if no one else wants to call it "travel."

Picture book

Just some pictures I've taken lately... From the lovely spate of spring weather we had here in March, and then at the bike race down at Kings Valley (which I posted about earlier).



Spring flora, including my favorite tulip tree across the street from the office Posted by Hello


Just watching the wheels before they go round and round... And Chris pre-race Posted by Hello

18 April 2005

Baby showers bring May flowers


Mommy-to-be & me at her baby shower Posted by Hello

I went to the baby shower over the weekend of a friend I've known since 1980 - my longest-running friendship by far. It was surreal to see her in maternity clothes. We've not been terrific about keeping in touch over the years, but there's never any animosity about it. When we catch up again, it's like nothing happened. No one holds a grudge. Very nice.

That said, I do want to make more of an effort to stay in touch now. She's bringing another life into the world, for Pete's sake - I want to know this little person... I mean, I have all kinds of dirt on his/her mother, and it'd be a pity for it to go to waste...

Teabag Tag

Oooh, it's a good one today...

"It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction." - Pablo Picasso

15 April 2005

Photography Class

I'm now halfway through the photography class at the local community college, and I've officially become more optimistic about learning something. The first photography class I took ages ago was horrid - the teacher was a good photographer, and an abysmal teacher. (I understand it's a very difficult thing to teach, and yet I can't help but think it's not impossible to find someone who's not only good at his/her craft but also a good teacher.) This time, I thought the same thing after the first class. Now that we've had a second class, I'm no more confident in this guy's teaching ability, but at least we're doing some hands-on stuff which we'll be able to see the results of by the next class. This, my friends, is a very good thing.

I picked up my first batch of in-class pictures yesterday, and let me tell you - they make for some really interesting viewing. I would venture a guess that there have never been finer shots of a high school hallway, nor of a spinning disco-ball in a dark classroom.

Yeah.

So, sarcasm aside, I won't be posting these gems here - though I hope the knowledge I gain in the class will help me post better pictures in the future of things we all might actually want to look at.

Teabag Tag

I don't have tea every morning, so don't expect these to be regular things, but since I'm having tea again today... From the tag on my teabag:

"Too many wish to be happy before becoming wise." - Susanne Necker

14 April 2005

Travel with Rick Steves

I'm listening to Rick's radio debut via his website (since my local public radio station doesn't yet carry his show), and thought I'd pass this along in case anyone feels inspired and wants the possibility of winning some free schwag.

Rick's trying to get folks involved in his shows, so toward that end he's introduced three ways for people to contribute:
  • "Where I Live" is a chance for you to brag about your hometown.
  • "Audio Postcards" is all about the sounds of a place.
  • "Haiku with Rick Steves" is an outlet for the poet in all of us.
Now for the fun part - if your work is chosen for any of these to be played on the radio show, you'll get a $20 gift certificate to the Rick Steves Travel Store. And then one lucky person per year will get a free trip to Europe. Yahooga.

Italian proverb

Found on the tag of my teabag this morning:

"Once the game is over the king and the pawn go back into the same box."

A sad day

Chris & I have talked about this before, and I think now we're going to push it.

The Oregon Supreme Court today nullified all the gay and lesbian marriages which were performed in Multnomah County last year, in an apparent landslide of a victory for the other side. (There's a more complete story here.) I understand that the County probably overstepped its bounds in issuing the marriage licenses in the first place - the Court's opinion apparently indicates that this is a "state concern," and therefore the County couldn't jump the gun. I get that, really I do. I also think that we need people/organizations/institutions to push the envelope in some issues if we're going to make progress anywhere. That being said, I'm now concerned that with such a victory for the other side, it may actually have backfired and it could now take longer to get back to where gay/lesbian marriages might be seen as no big deal.

So, since we didn't have a religious ceremony, we aren't "married" either. Don't need to be. If "marriage" is a religious word, then I don't want to be "married" anyway.

Therefore, we will now make a concerted effort to refer to each other as Civil Partners.

The Governor has introduced legislation to make civil unions legal. I really hope that works out.

13 April 2005

I can't handle it

Is it just me, or is Babies "R" Us a foreign country?

Sour Toe


Sour Toe Cocktail, from Yukon Hostels.com Posted by Hello

We watched the new Globe Trekker episode on Western Canada last night, and I was genuinely alarmed when the host got to the Yukon and ordered a Sour Toe Cocktail. Here's a bit about the drink from WriteYukon.com:
Stroll into Dawson’s Downtown Hotel, belly up to the bar in the Sourdough Saloon and order the infamous Sour Toe Cocktail. It’s the only place in the world you can. The Sour Toe is the drink of your choice garnished with a genuine, alcohol-preserved, human toe. The original toe supposedly came from the frost-bitten foot of a stampeder who traversed the Chilkoot Trail, but that toe is long gone. Every few seasons another accidental “toe swallower” seems to come along, and luckless Downtown Dick has to find himself another digit. Partakers of the Sour Toe Cocktail receive a certificate for their achievement (swallowers are severely chastised).
According to the Globe Trekker, the idea is you have to finish the drink without swallowing the toe, but the toe has to touch your lips. They had five toes to choose from, the most popular being the largest and darkest. And the toenails are still there on all the available toes. Ick.

12 April 2005

Gettin' Comfy in the Client Lounge

Here we are, still sitting in the client lounge of the printshop, waiting for the word that things are ready to be signed off on. Nothing yet. We got here around 9:30am, and it’s now 12:20pm. (Sigh.) I just wish we could have slept in…

…fast forward to 3:50pm…

The printer said a proof was ready, and the boys were going back to check it, when Hubby said I should come along. I tagged behind, just wanting to see what it was all about. Quite interesting – lots of noise and the smell of ink and gasoline. As the boys were checking the proof, the printer guy gave me a tour. The machines are huge, almost as long as a tractor trailer truck.


Sheetfed offset Heidelberg press, from Heidelberg.com Posted by Hello

The one Hubby’s project is on is an 8-plate Heidelberg, and the printer explained it’s offset printing – the plate (an aluminum sheet) transfers the image onto a rubber roller, which transfers the image onto the paper. Each plate has a different color on it, so of course everything has to line up perfectly as it goes through from roller to roller. Another machine they have runs continuous rolls of paper instead of the poster-sized sheets on the 8-plate machine. The paper-roll machine also prints on both sides of the paper simultaneously (the 8-plate machine only prints on one side, so they have to let the ink on that side dry for 24 hours before they can print the other side), then goes through an “oven” to heat-set it, a cooler to cool it back down, and finally a section that cuts and folds it. And all this happens so fast you can’t even see words on the pages as they fly by – you’re lucky to see fuzzy streaks of color.

This part of the building feels like a warehouse; there are two of the big 8-plate machines, one giant roll-paper machine (that one was easily twice as long as the 8-plate machine), and a few smaller less-automated machines. The place is spotless, not what I would have expected, and extraordinarily noisy. There’s an earplug dispensary on the wall just before you go through the doors. I can’t imagine working back there for a whole day – fifteen minutes after I went back there, I had to escape back to the client lounge to give my ears a rest. It’s impressive how much of a sound barrier the two sets of doors are, though – you can’t hear anything once you get into the lobby.

After a few minor adjustments, they decided the last tweaking could be done without Hubby, so we left. We got pizza at a place that’s been given a V.P.N. designation – that’s like the D.O.C. designations for wine regions – and then got gelato at Gelatiamo (it was closed yesterday when we finally found it). It’s such a cold and windy day – and it’s made even more so because of the wind coming off the water. It’d be okay walking along the streets downtown that run parallel to the waterfront, but as soon as you’d come to an intersection or have to walk toward or away from the water, you’d be absolutely chilled. I was thankful for my pashmina scarf…

We went from Gelatiamo (and yes, I realize the ridiculousness of getting ice cream in cold weather, but if Pacific Northwesterners didn’t eat ice cream in cold weather we’d hardly eat ice cream – and that’d be even more ridiculous) to Border’s to pick up the new Garbage album, and we grabbed a CD of Nek’s greatest hits as well. Then we hit Macy’s for a bathroom break before hitting the road for the long drive home.

So, while we didn’t get to “see” much of the touristy stuff of Seattle (we drove past the E.M.P. and Space Needle, neither of which I’ve ever been in), it was a nice getaway. And hey, if someone’s already paying for the hotel that Hubby’s going to stay in, I’ll tag along any day. (Besides, as Hubby pointed out yesterday, with me along he can use the H.O.V. lane, which saves loads of time. Glad I could help.)

Swanky Hotel

So, after awhile at the printer yesterday, we got lunch and then checked into the hotel.


Swanky hotel room (one of two TVs in the room) Posted by Hello

I’d have liked to go out and window shop a bit, but I was so tired from such an early morning that I just sacked out. The hotel was really nice, much more swanky than either of us is really used to. This is the kind of place where the New York Times, not USA Today, awaits you outside your hotel room in the morning. The desk had a small leather (or leatherette, probably) folder in which I found a tiny mobile office – a teeny stapler and highlighter, tape dispenser, sharpened pencil and packet of paper clips. Adorable.

Anyway, I ended up sleeping for an hour and a half, and only woke up when Hubby called to say he was on his way back. We walked around the shopping area near the hotel for a couple hours (Hubby bought a couple nice dress shirts at Macy’s), changed into something a little nicer, and went to Wild Ginger for dinner. Wild Ginger had dishes from a number of different cuisines, and some fun cocktails. We both had something called a Mango Mojito – Malibu Mango rum, mango puree and mint. Soooo good. And I swear, I couldn’t feel any of the effects of the alcohol, which is really unusual for me – normally I have one drink and I’m pathetic. I’ve decided that it’s likely the vodka in those apple martinis I love which puts me under the table. Apparently rum doesn’t have the same effect. (Good to know.) We had mandarin chicken, fragrant duck, potstickers, oysters wrapped in bacon, and mango sticky rice for dessert. We’re looking forward to coming back next time we’re in Seattle.

One funny aside in the boy-we-don’t-stay-in-places-this-nice category – as we were getting changed for dinner, we both heard a very faint knocking sound. We both thought the other was knocking on something, so neither of us moved (Hubby was in the bathroom, I was in the “lounge”). Then all of a sudden the door to the suite opened and the maid started walking in! Hubby had to run over and shut the bathroom door, which was in direct eye-sight of the door to the room. The maid was asking if we needed the bed to be turned down. I said no, mainly because I had no idea what the heck that meant… I asked Hubby when he got out of the bathroom, and he said, “I dunno – I think they straighten out the bed, fluff the pillows, maybe put a chocolate on the pillow.” Chocolate?!? I thought… Get those maids back here!

11 April 2005

Seattle

Woke up at 5am this morning (and I won't go into how wrong that is) to drive up to Seattle today. Hubby and I now sit in the "client lounge" of a printing press up here, waiting for proofs of a project he's dealing with for work. I'm just along for the ride (and the free WiFi hookup).

Really, with a hotel room paid for, it seemed like a good excuse for a mini-getaway. So, after the printing work is done (we assume that'll be at about 4 this afternoon) we can have a little fun. We're hoping to have a nice dinner tonight, and Hubby found a gelateria up here which we must try. The one in Portland near Powell's is unbeatable (in our humble opinions) outside of Italy, but I don't mind doing a bit more market research to confirm that... I mean, bad ice cream is still pretty doggone good.

10 April 2005

Red Hills

Ooh, I almost forgot to write about dinner on Saturday night (can’t believe I forgot this, it was so great). We finally got together with friends we’d been meaning to see for ages. (Sadly, this dinner was their collective birthday present – and their birthdays are in January!)

We went to Red Hills in Dundee, which we’d heard much about and never been. It was fantastic – really cozy dining room in what I assume is an old house, full of dark wood built-in cabinetry and picture rails. When we got there at 6:30pm it was nearly empty – I was concerned we’d be self-conscious about the volume of our laughter. Then the place filled in, and we had to raise our voices to be heard.

The food was incredible – oysters, pate, filet mignon, lamb shank, salmon… Really spectacular. And with a local Pinot Noir to wash it all down, it was a lovely evening. Oh, and for dessert they had an interesting selection of ice creams – I had a wild honey and rosemary ice cream, which was an unexpected delight. I might have to dig out the ice cream machine again and prune our rosemary bush…

Deep thoughts... What is travel?

Saturday morning I got up altogether too early (especially for a Saturday, but really it was too early for damn near any day of the week) to go with Hubby to a bicycle race. He was racing, and as it happened to be located near my mother's house I decided to tag along, read a book while he rode, and then have lunch at Mom's afterwards.

I was doing just that, happily reading my book and getting sleepy enough to nap, when I heard voices - outside my head, thankyouverymuch - coming from a camper parked nearby. It was an older woman, full head of white hair, and a little girl - about 5, I'd guess. In that split second of a moment in which we all do this, I decided that the woman was the little girl's grandmother, and the person who was the generation between these two was in the bike race. This part wasn't so much brain surgery. It was when they started talking that I got really distracted.

It was clear from the get-go that the grandmother wasn't speaking English. Even in my sleep-deprived state, I could tell that much. The little girl, however, was speaking only in English. The conversation they carried on, therefore, was an odd-sounding one - the grandmother speaking one language, the granddaughter entirely another. And yet they seemed to understand one another perfectly. I instantly thought how lucky the girl was, growing up in a bilingual world.

Then I realized I was understanding bits and pieces of what the grandmother was saying. It sounded like Italian, but spoken with a heavy - almost Eastern European - accent. I could not figure it out, nor can I still. Hubby posited later that she might have been from a region of Italy that's close to Slovenia or something, or at the very least speaking a dialect of Italian I'm not familiar with. In any case, it was really fun to listen in on the snippets of conversation I heard, since I was understanding them. The most repeated snippet involved the grandmother trying to put a pink hooded jacket on the girl, who kept shouting, "No jacket!" (I chuckled when I saw them an hour later, the girl wearing the jacket with no audible fussing.)

So, all of this got me to thinking. Sure, we'd only driven less than two hours from our home, and yet why was it that this little trip wasn't what most people would call "travel?" What defines travel? Is it a certain distance one has to go? Is sleeping on a rented pillow one of the necessary factors involved? I really wonder - I mean, I started thinking that the definition of "travel" is far too narrow, and that what many of us do on a weekly (if not daily) basis could be considered travel - if we think about it the right way. (Hubby disagreed, but wasn't willing to come up with his own working definition. So until he does, mine stands.)

08 April 2005

I can't resist

I just posted, and I told myself I was done for the day and I should get some work done before I go home, but then I got an email from a friend who played the 123.5 game. Her contribution is too damned funny not to share with all y'all.

"'The ass has taught me nothing,' Hooke said."

Have a good weekend.

What the hell?

For those who thought it couldn't get any weirder:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - People in Florida will be allowed to kill in self-defense on the street without trying to flee under a new law passed by state politicians on Tuesday that critics say will bring a Wild West mentality and innocent deaths.

The Florida House of Representatives, citing the need to allow people to "stand their ground," voted 94-20 to codify and expand court rulings that already allow people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes without first trying to escape.

The new bill goes further by allowing citizens to use deadly force in a public place if they have a reasonable belief they are in danger of death or great bodily harm. It applies to all means of force that may result in death, although the legislative debate focused on guns.

There's more at Reuters, and I got all of it from This Modern World. Not that my distancing myself from this ridiculousness makes it any easier to laugh at, it just makes me feel better.

One More

Three cheers for me, I actually remembered to write down the 5th sentence on page 123 of the book I'm currently reading... And it's even a pretty good one:

"Knowing I mustn't be seen to lose my cool, and telling myself Charley would be all right, I wandered as casually as I could out to the garage."

Oooh... Intrigue...

07 April 2005

Superfluities

I found this on Jim's site the other day, and as I generally check these things at work and I have not one single book in my office, I had to keep remembering to put a book in my bag. I finally remembered today... First, the rules:

This from Superfluities:
A new book meme circulating around the sphere is going by the name “123.5,” and its rules are these:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don’t search around and look for the “coolest” book you can find. Do what’s actually next to you.

The two books on my coffee table were both China guidebooks, so that's what I grabbed this morning. I'll try to remember to jot down the 5th sentence on page 123 of the book on my nightstand. Anyway, here are the two sentences I have today:

"In China's more developed regions, it's no cheaper than travelling in Europe or the U.S.A."

and

"Zui quan (drunken boxing) also mixes hard and soft moves."

Wow. All this time, I had no idea there was an actual term for a bar fight that would make it seem like something more than, well, a bar fight.

06 April 2005

Healthy Discussion

I posted yesterday's "tirade" to the Boots N'All forum, and I have to admit I'm pleasantly surprised by the results. I was anticipating lots of people saying, "We're not tourists, we're travelers" - in a way that hinted they were somehow above tourists. On the contrary, to a person, they all said exactly the opposite. The consensus seems to be that unless one lives in another place, one is a tourist - and to call onself anything else smacks of being pretentious. It's still an interesting topic to me, and I'm still not sure there's a right or wrong answer. I particularly liked one comment, which said:

"I just think making all of these little subcategories is kind of silly; I mean, sure, all of us are gonna be guilty of judging people based on how they choose to travel, but the fact of the matter is that in my opinion, ANYone who ventures off to see a new place is at least trying to experience something different. Sure, we can all argue about everyones motives, and whether they *really* care about the culture they're visiting, and whether they're *really* stepping outside of their comfort zone..but whatever, I tend to agree w/ [other responder] that the backpacker culture is just as cliche and segregated as the tour-bus culture."

Well said.

05 April 2005

Is Kiev the new Prague?

I just saw an article in the New York Times Travel section (thanks, Jim, for sending me the link) that got me thinking. Here's the train of thought that ensued.

I'm currently reading, "Long Way Round," by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman, the companion book to the excellent television series. Ewan & Charley, both motorcycle buffs, decide to ride around the world in as straight a line as they can manage. In order to pay for this expedition, they get sponsors and turn it into a documentary - complete with cameras in their helmets.

(One small digression - the program had been playing on Bravo, for what I think is the second time, and we'd been recording the 4am showings and enjoying them thoroughly. It's a six-part series, and we'd gotten to the end of episode four when Bravo unexpectedly - and for no good reason whatsoever - decided to stop airing them. So, we were left with a cliffhanger and no resolution in sight. There's no VHS copy of the program, and there isn't currently a DVD that's formatted for American players. I borrowed the book from the library, so I'll get the story eventually, but we're still ticked at Bravo for pulling the plug so uncerimoniously. Buggers.)

At any rate, I've just gotten past the part in the book where they visited Kiev, and Ewan commented that the feeling in the city was that it was what Prague was like before it became over-touristy. Then I see the New York Times article, saying it feels like Kiev is the new Prague. Ewan was cautious about the comparison, saying he wanted to return to Kiev with his wife sooner rather than later - before Kiev turns into the tourist destination Prague has become.

So, after reading these two things, I'm confronted by a dilemma I've been thinking about quite a bit lately - do we rush to see things before other tourists, deriding the tour-bussed-in masses carrying their guidebooks and instamatics? Or do we acknowledge that we are, to some extent, the same kind of folks in different clothes?

I have to admit, when I read Ewan's diary entry about Kiev, I immediately thought, "Oh, we must go there, and soon! For it will shortly be overrun by Americans who wear Bermuda shorts and wonder why they can't enter the cathedral, yell in English in the hopes that they'll be understood, and complain when they can't get American food!" (Okay, I'm exaggerating for effect. Did it work?) Then I had an immediate follow-up thought that went something like this, "Wait, amn't I a tourist, too?" So, this is my dilemma. How does one 'tour' without being a 'tourist?'

I want to see the world - as much of it as I can - and I think that's a good thing. I think travel makes us smarter, both about our own country and the places we go to see. Travel enhances our ability to make broad decisions that we now understand will affect people on a grander scale than just our city or our neighborhood. Travel teaches us that really, at the heart of it, we're all the same. These are good things. Very good things. So why is the word "tourist" such a dirty word? Why do so many people who travel aspire to be something else? It reminds me of the word "liberal" - no one wants to claim it because of the perceived negative connotations, despite the fact that it's probably an accurate description of quite a few people. (Another small digression - you may have noticed from the link list that I'm a liberal, and I'm one of the ones who actually likes the word.)

This is my dilemma. I'm pretty sure there isn't a right or wrong answer, it's just my new issue du jour.

Why Go

To follow up on the April Fools Day "Serious Travel Warning," (which I thought was pretty damned good, wish I could take credit for it), the folks at Boots N'All sent out an email today saying that the reason they'd launched the phony "Don't Go" site was to introduce their new "Why Go" site - every day they'll post something that should inspire travel. Enjoy.

04 April 2005

Garden Images

Here are a few more images from the weekend trip to the Chinese garden...


Entrance to Garden Posted by Hello


Example of paving Posted by Hello


View of central garden lake, including Painted Boat in Misty Rain at the far edge Posted by Hello


Garden view, including the Moon Locking Pavilion Posted by Hello


Desk in Scholar's Study Posted by Hello

03 April 2005

Gallery? Salon? Whatever.

Today we are going to the show of a friend of ours (who we had over to dinner last night, as a matter of fact) – she’s a photographer. She photographed our wedding party, actually. She’s not had much in the way of shows, and this one’s at a hair salon, of all places, so it’s not exactly a gallery… But she’s very excited, and we’re looking forward to seeing her work. She’s got a great eye, and is totally self-taught. I told her last night that I’ve signed up for a photography class which starts this month, and she said, “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve given you that class personally for free!” So, I’m going to take the class so I can learn the language (which I’m hopeless at right now), and then schedule a time when I can just follow her around while she’s working. At the moment, the prospect intimidates me, but I think I’ll have to just get over that so I can learn more and progress to a point where I’m more confident about taking pictures.

02 April 2005

Better Late Than Never


Portland Classical Chinese Garden: Taihu Stone Posted by Hello

Hubby’s dad is in town this weekend for a brief business trip, and his Saturday was completely open to spend with us. We met him for breakfast downtown this morning, and then we were planning to split up – Hubby & his dad were going to go to the Nike outlet (his dad’s favorite destination out here), and I was going to go home for a nap… But then Hubby said, “Why don’t we go to the Chinese garden?” We’ve been meaning to go ever since it was built, and were only blocks away for breakfast, so we walked over and spent a lovely couple of hours in the garden.

It was built by artisans from our sister city in China, Suzhou – the “Venice of the East,” full of impressive gardens and canals for streets. And since it’s one of the cities we’re hoping to see in September, it was certainly a good idea to get a preview in our own downtown area. It’s one city block downtown, and even though you can hear (and sometimes see) the traffic outside – cars, trains, and boats – you still feel like you’re a world away from the city. It’s designed so that you can’t see the entire garden from any one vantage point, which makes it feel much larger than its actual size. We lucked out an a guided tour was leaving just as we arrived, so we joined it and decided afterwards that was a good thing – sure, we knew that in Chinese architecture everything would have a meaning, but we would have missed much of the significance of the things we passed without someone to point them out for us. Thankfully, I had my little digital camera in my purse, and so I was able to capture some images of the garden – nothing spectacular (I didn’t have my good camera, or any filters to make the sky bluer), but it was fun to be able to see the results immediately when we got home. We both want to return to the gardens again before we go to China, and Hubby’s also talking about having a company event there as well. It would be a lovely setting for a low-key party.

After we left the garden, the boys went on to Nike and I went to the camera shop to get myself a new bag for my SLR – I wanted something I could wear like a fanny pack (despite the fact that they’re unfortunately named and they are completely unflattering, they’re terribly convenient) for when we’re traveling and I don’t want a zillion things over my shoulder. This way, I can wear a small backpack for provisions (and extra film!), and have the camera around my waist, leaving my hands free. Brilliant. The only annoying thing is getting all this travel gear and travel research ready, and then not having a trip to go on right away! I do love the preparation, but I guess in reality I’m quite impatient… Although if I didn’t have the time to prepare, I’d worry about the lack of preparation. So, I suppose that the real truth is that I’m impossible to please!! Oh, well…

But it didn't feel like Beaverton...

One of the issues I have is that I get self-conscious about getting my camera out. For instance, on Friday night we went to the biggest local Asian market, and I kept wanting to get my little digie out and snap pictures of the contents of the shelves. Sure, I’m still in America, but if you looked at some of the shelves you’d never know! (I love going into that store – I really do feel as if I’ve left the country for a moment. My favorite aisle is the candy aisle – I love foreign candies. Sweets are a fun way to go shopping in another country without risking eating something too terribly strange. I mean, everyone loves sugar!) I don’t know if I’d be more comfortable taking pictures of a similar market in China – I hope so. I guess I always feel like I don’t want the people who are doing their regular shopping to think I’m treating them like they’re in a zoo. Not that I was even thinking of taking pictures of them, but to them it’s just their local grocery store. Would it make them feel strange if I whipped out a camera? Me, who’s totally obviously not an Asian person, so that I’m sort of a tourist in their market? I don’t know. Probably not. They’d probably look at me as strangely as if someone in my local Safeway was taking pictures of the cereal aisle. I hope in China I decide that I don’t care, because it’s not like I could go back the next day if I change my mind.

01 April 2005

Beijing City Guide

In anticipation of the China trip, Hubby borrowed the Globe Trekker “Beijing City Guide” from the library. We watched it on Friday night, and I’m more excited now about being there. The show spent five days there, I think, maybe six – and we’re looking at three-four days only, so clearly we’ll be more rushed and not see quite as much, but again – I’m looking at this as the first taste of what I hope will be future (longer) trips. I’ve got to get my feet wet first, right?

I’m excited about the markets, the ancient points of interest, and the points related to Mao’s regime. There’s apparently quite a long line to get in to see Mao’s embalmed body off Tiannenman Square, so we’ll have to see if time allows… I’ve never seen an embalmed body!

The Pope

Hubby & I took his sister to Italy in 2001, and while we were waiting for our tour to begin in Vatican City, the Pope came whizzing through the crowd in his bullet-proof Pope-Mobile for his Wednesday audience in St. Peter's Square. We were pretty far away, so all I have are pictures of the big screen that was broadcasting his movements, but it was still pretty cool. Even for a half-Jewish atheist. And as he's the only Pope I've ever known to exist, his imminent passing is a moment I'm not likely to forget.


The Pope (in his Pope-Mobile) on the big screen, cruising through the crowd Posted by Hello


The Pope waving from the Pope-Mobile Posted by Hello


The Pope-Mobile cruising up the steps of St. Peter's underneath the canopy Posted by Hello


The Pope addressing the crowd from the podium (on the big screen) Posted by Hello