i've only been at cambridge for a little over two weeks, but i have already made quite a mental compendium of all the strange inefficiencies of the institution. i have not seen enough of the rest of the island to allow the following generalizations to carry over to the rest of england.
1) muddled in unncessary detail
2) cumbersome/inefficient
3) hell bent on ritual
you see this at:
- the bank--HSBC, Lloyd's TSB (my bank!), Barclay's, etc. the queue is just massive, at all hours of the day, and not even just the line for new accounts...
- the dining hall aka the "slops" where i always feel like i am speaking a different language.
i have quite a few annoying stories. they're not at all funny, so maybe you'll just be annoyed if you choose to read any further, so perhaps i'll spare everyone.
but, i attribute england's inefficiencies to:
1) the lack of sun
2) the rain
3) the incessant blowing of the wind
in fact, everthing can be in some way or another attributed to the weather. it has shaped an entire culture!
- I walk into Marks and Spencer the other day, looking for a pair these so called tights/hoisery/stockings/leggings that i see all the women wearing (you see, this is how one manages to wear shorts and skirts all year around. and here i thought that stockings and its close cousins were a thing of the past, and that women just wore pants when it got cold. but really, where's the fun in looking like men?). the department store (which is a grocery store as well...strange, no?)
the following are pieces of british words vernacular that i've since or soon will (inadvertently and maybe even unwillingly) adopt:
- rubbish-- used extremely liberally, good for replacing all sorts of words and phrases including: nonsense, stinky cheese, dirt, trash, low grade, bs, bad prices on foodstuffs, or just plain bad.
- keen-- eager. "get keen"
- dodgy-- shady, sketchy, questionable, dubious. can be used to describe anything from a bad ankle to a bad character
- balls-- fancy word for dances
- knickers--undies.
but then again, if cambridge were not all these things--the good, the bad, and the just plain funny--would it still possess it's old school charm? unlikely. take this as a lesson in appreciating something/someone for what it is/who they are. =D the finer qualities of life are not so conveniently had.
Anyways, life is good.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
long overdue
so i haven't posted a single entry since august, and that post wasn't even about events that occured in august. anyways, everyone knows i'm awfully bad at this blogging business so i won't continue to state the obvious.
recap of August: visited Anacapa island (one of the five Channel Islands off the Southern California coast).
here is a lovely photo at sunset overlooking the two western islets of the three-islet island. needless to say, it was absolutely gorgeous. the only area available for camping was on eastern-most island, which was only about 1.4 mi long and 1/4 mi wide, meaning not very much land at all. a volcanic island, the waves erroded its edges, creating a steep (and precarious!) "cliff" island with no beach access except the port and landing dock through which we arrived by ferry. to make a long story short: the experience was certainly all you would expect from being on an actual island, where at certain points, you could see clear across to the other side and feel the confines of the vast, engulfing ocean. but the sunset was the most marvelous and sublime, and really, no picture can do it justice. for perhaps a couple-hours time, i felt an astounding out-of-body experience that was both pacifying and invigorating. the timelessness and fleetingness of such powerful displays of natural forces was perhaps the most elegant paradox. oh, and the stars, did they put on a dazzling show. with the light pollution of the LA basin kept at bay by the ocean's divide, every celestial body stepped out for an evening's stroll. and that was that.
continuing through august and september: I hit every beach along the coast this summer. i know i'll miss them all, even some of the dreadful ones like huntington, with a fine backdrop of industrial plants and smokestacks. my cousin and i, on the day before his triathlon, managed to bike a good stretch of the pacific coast highway--from venice beach to a bit beyond malibu. IT WAS SPECTACULAR. sometimes i forget why i love california, but seeing the ocean at about 25 mph, with the wind in your face and the taste of salt on your tongue, it is transforming. i wanted nothing more than to spend my days doing this very thing: cycling along the coast and feeling absolutely ageless. speaking of biking, i am missing my bike sorely at the moment.
what else...ah, more beach. this time with friends and surf and lost frisbees in the tall grasses of the marshes. celebrating amber's farewell at newport was a great opportunity to re-live the high school years. it definitely felt as if we never left the Heights, the way we laughed, bantered, and threw each other into the pool. yes, nothing has changed one bit. except, a few of us were more adventurous with trying vegan sausages that didn't actually taste like sausage.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
wwoofing on Harmony Hill, Exeter, CA
So i wwoofed (world wide opportunities on organic farms http://www.wwoof.org.uk/home.html) for two weeks in september, in a bold attempt to accomplish a myriad of things: 1) get away from my over-bearing father; 2) learn some permaculture; 3) be around "hippies" (i use this term loosely, and NOT at all in the pejorative sense) and like-minded individuals; 4) milk goats; 5) feel the earth between my toes and smell the manure in the morning air; 6) meet quirky new people; 7) exchange ideas; 8) eat, drink, sleep and be merry
luckily for me, i accomplished a great many of those things: 1) i got away and was able to appreciate home for what it was even before i returned home (afterall, it is too easy to take luxuries and love for granted); 2) i saw some amazing gardens brimming with nature's bounty and discovered that jerry baker (http://www.jerrybaker.com/) is a funny guy who knows a lot about organic gardening and whisky; 3) i got to know an amazing woman and keeper of the farm/ranch, Elena Broslovsky, who once attended Pitzer College in the early1960s and has since lived a most abundant and extraordinary life (more about this later); 4) i certainly milked some lovely goats, or at least assisted in the process, since contrary to whatever popular belief circulates amongst city-slickers, it is not a piece of cake; 5) unfortuately, i did not run around barefoot, but i scooped several pounds of horse manure every morning at dawn with the morning moisture still lingering in the air. 6) oh, i met tons of quirky people and got to see small-town living in Central California. 7) ideas: harmonious living is a beautiful thing, simplicity, contentment comes from within; 8) i was, for the most, happy. spending a goodly amount of time to properly contemplate and prepare the next meal is a important exercise. for some (and a historically dwindling number), this is done daily, for others--those dwellers of a more heavily "built" society--it ought to be done occasionally, lest we forget that our breakfast does not come from the supermarket shelf or freezer section, but from the hearth of our fire and the backwoods of the country, to very loosely paraphrase Aldo Leopold.
so just randomly: i learned how to prune trees, make goat's cheese (even though i abhor goat's cheese, i still ate some of it), make all sorts of things out of prickly pear fruit (which have nasty microscopic pricks), make fig jam, cook GOOD meals, groom horses, put the saddle and bridle on a horse, pick horse crap and rocks out of horses' hooves, find live music on a saturday night, lure alpacas, chase chickens, find chicken eggs, plant garlic, hull almonds, etc.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
tour de california
in a mid-sized sedan
so my family and i drove up the ENTIRE length (or nearly) of the california coast, beginning in LA and ending in Brookings, OR, for a whirlwind tour of northern california. first, let it be established that being confined in a car during the majority of the daylight hours over the course of many days is not my idea of a quality vacation--and what's the point of vacationing if it's stressful!? the fact is that my dad enjoys driving and i abhor it; the story is the same for all of our vacations. i suppose it is better than nothing--that is, trying to absorb natural beauty and small-city charm through the little frame of a car window and moving at speeds of 45 to 60 mph. But i argue that it is rather worse to be tempted at so close a proximity than to simply anticipate the unattainable wondrousness it all from the distance that being at home necessitates. it is only tragic to defer a dream that seems well within an arm's reach. alas, i've only pictures and postcards.
day 1-big sur. though a bit scorched during my visit, it proved, indeed, to be the greatest meeting of land and sea. i would love to live in monterey and contemplate all the angles of all the gnarled branches of all the englemann and coast live oaks in all the rolling acres of the oak savannas. though, the abundance of the abominable and pestilent poison-oak in both vine and bush forms deterred me from taking to the hills immediately.
day 2- the monterey bay aquarium! OMG is all i have to say. SF chinatown was sweeeet, especially the food. i absolutely love real, bustling metropolises; they provide further reason for bemoaning the disgrace that is Los Angeles. then we set off for a late-night, fog-laden viewing of the golden gate bridge. drove past san rafael and stayed in Marin county.
day 3- next morning we drove to Napa valley to rent a car because something was fishy about the transmission in the accord. then we headed past Willits, Eureka, Garberville, Trinidad, Orick, and the City of Klamath alllll the way to Cresent City, CA, a sleepy, abandoned town just north of the Del Norte Redwoods State Park.
day 4- hiked around on some easy trails, but was able to immediately appreciate the stunning beauty and timelessness of an old growth forest. i felt transformed. it was a te
leportation to an alternate universe where Ents shepherded trees and the air tasted of mist and mint. but because my dad was on a mad quest for fresh seafood and was possessed by inane ideas as well as an insatiable drive to take our car to every remote corner of this globe, we drove further north towards brookings, OR where my dad tried to pump his own gas, only to be scolded by the attendant who informed him that he was breaking a state law. we found seafood all right, lots of gross, deeply fried seafood.
day 5- we visited the lady bird johnson grove in the early, early morning. we were the only hikers on the trail. where, in nature's cathedral, i became willing witness to forces greater and grander than those of humankind. the scattering of beams of light in minuscule, suspended droplets of mist is a phenomenal thing. we then visited fern canyon along the coast. my father complained about driving off-road the entire way there, but he soon realized that it was well worth it. i am unsure whether i could remark that the beauty of the canyon would trump the tallest organisms in the world, but the maiden-hair ferns that covered every inch of the 20-30 feet high canyon walls produced a serenity and splendor unparalleled. the scene seemed to arise out of a novelist's imagination. it became my closest encounter what can be considered nature's paradise. i also saw the most perfect specimen of a pulmonate--the banana slug in all its gooey glory.
that night we slept in this tawdry place in Orick, nestled between two state parks, called the 'world famous' Palm Motel that seemed oddly reminiscent of the late 1970s, complete with astroturf, wooden lawn furnishings, and flamingoes. i only needed to don a pair of bell-bottoms and a psychedelic mushroom shirt to complete the picture. the gaudy neon sign for the motel featured a bikini-clad reclining woman. talk about juxtapositions (we were in a national park!). i was weirded out by the 80-year old woman manning the motel lobby.
day 6-we drove down to eureka for a cheap chinese buffet and i visited the most amazing co-op featuring cashew butter in barrels. i forgot what happened the rest of the day, or could care less. i didn't think we spent nearly enough time in the state parks.
day 7- we visited napa valley, which was sorta anticlimatic after seeing the redwoods. we went on a few tours and encountered all sorts of yuppies at wineries with unpronounceable names like v. sattui. i learned about the enterprise that is wine-making and the ingenious method for removing yeast from champagne without releasing the bubbles. i also saw a lot of expensive cheese and even more hands exchanging money.
day 8- sacramento to visit the ext. fam. they're an interesting bunch, but also neurotic. i guess that makes things interesting...
day 9- the LONG drive home. i baked alive in the backseat and lamented all miles of trails my legs never hiked on because of the god-forsaken automobile and its domination over my father.
so my family and i drove up the ENTIRE length (or nearly) of the california coast, beginning in LA and ending in Brookings, OR, for a whirlwind tour of northern california. first, let it be established that being confined in a car during the majority of the daylight hours over the course of many days is not my idea of a quality vacation--and what's the point of vacationing if it's stressful!? the fact is that my dad enjoys driving and i abhor it; the story is the same for all of our vacations. i suppose it is better than nothing--that is, trying to absorb natural beauty and small-city charm through the little frame of a car window and moving at speeds of 45 to 60 mph. But i argue that it is rather worse to be tempted at so close a proximity than to simply anticipate the unattainable wondrousness it all from the distance that being at home necessitates. it is only tragic to defer a dream that seems well within an arm's reach. alas, i've only pictures and postcards.
day 1-big sur. though a bit scorched during my visit, it proved, indeed, to be the greatest meeting of land and sea. i would love to live in monterey and contemplate all the angles of all the gnarled branches of all the englemann and coast live oaks in all the rolling acres of the oak savannas. though, the abundance of the abominable and pestilent poison-oak in both vine and bush forms deterred me from taking to the hills immediately.
day 2- the monterey bay aquarium! OMG is all i have to say. SF chinatown was sweeeet, especially the food. i absolutely love real, bustling metropolises; they provide further reason for bemoaning the disgrace that is Los Angeles. then we set off for a late-night, fog-laden viewing of the golden gate bridge. drove past san rafael and stayed in Marin county.
day 3- next morning we drove to Napa valley to rent a car because something was fishy about the transmission in the accord. then we headed past Willits, Eureka, Garberville, Trinidad, Orick, and the City of Klamath alllll the way to Cresent City, CA, a sleepy, abandoned town just north of the Del Norte Redwoods State Park.
day 4- hiked around on some easy trails, but was able to immediately appreciate the stunning beauty and timelessness of an old growth forest. i felt transformed. it was a te
leportation to an alternate universe where Ents shepherded trees and the air tasted of mist and mint. but because my dad was on a mad quest for fresh seafood and was possessed by inane ideas as well as an insatiable drive to take our car to every remote corner of this globe, we drove further north towards brookings, OR where my dad tried to pump his own gas, only to be scolded by the attendant who informed him that he was breaking a state law. we found seafood all right, lots of gross, deeply fried seafood.
day 5- we visited the lady bird johnson grove in the early, early morning. we were the only hikers on the trail. where, in nature's cathedral, i became willing witness to forces greater and grander than those of humankind. the scattering of beams of light in minuscule, suspended droplets of mist is a phenomenal thing. we then visited fern canyon along the coast. my father complained about driving off-road the entire way there, but he soon realized that it was well worth it. i am unsure whether i could remark that the beauty of the canyon would trump the tallest organisms in the world, but the maiden-hair ferns that covered every inch of the 20-30 feet high canyon walls produced a serenity and splendor unparalleled. the scene seemed to arise out of a novelist's imagination. it became my closest encounter what can be considered nature's paradise. i also saw the most perfect specimen of a pulmonate--the banana slug in all its gooey glory.
that night we slept in this tawdry place in Orick, nestled between two state parks, called the 'world famous' Palm Motel that seemed oddly reminiscent of the late 1970s, complete with astroturf, wooden lawn furnishings, and flamingoes. i only needed to don a pair of bell-bottoms and a psychedelic mushroom shirt to complete the picture. the gaudy neon sign for the motel featured a bikini-clad reclining woman. talk about juxtapositions (we were in a national park!). i was weirded out by the 80-year old woman manning the motel lobby.day 6-we drove down to eureka for a cheap chinese buffet and i visited the most amazing co-op featuring cashew butter in barrels. i forgot what happened the rest of the day, or could care less. i didn't think we spent nearly enough time in the state parks.
day 7- we visited napa valley, which was sorta anticlimatic after seeing the redwoods. we went on a few tours and encountered all sorts of yuppies at wineries with unpronounceable names like v. sattui. i learned about the enterprise that is wine-making and the ingenious method for removing yeast from champagne without releasing the bubbles. i also saw a lot of expensive cheese and even more hands exchanging money.
day 8- sacramento to visit the ext. fam. they're an interesting bunch, but also neurotic. i guess that makes things interesting...
day 9- the LONG drive home. i baked alive in the backseat and lamented all miles of trails my legs never hiked on because of the god-forsaken automobile and its domination over my father.
Friday, August 15, 2008
slovenly
it's been about a month since i last posted. quite too long, indeed. i think i've been spending more time brooding and not writing. the question is whether i've gleaned any gems of insight from my (mis) adventures of the past month.
July
LACMA on a lazy sunday afternoon, the 20th--after bickering indecisively about how to best spend a Sunday off, my family and i drive on the 10w, north on fairfax, and enjoy a scrumptious lunch in little ethiopia. who needs desert when there's juice-soaked injera near the end of the meal? my belly protested as the injera continued to expand well after the meal. i worked a bit of it off during an afternoon spent emulating the cultured of los angeles: gazing with quizzical, admiring, or disapproving expressions at works of art (or products of human ennui)--needless to say, all expressions bore the intensity and seriousness that is expected of the learned ;) despite the air of yuppie-ness that art museums typically exude, it was thoroughly enjoyable. the Price collection of Japanese art (mostly Edo) captured my imagination and stretched my understanding of the beautiful. i came to recognize elegance in empty space and unparalleled grace in the few carefully placed brush strokes.
philanthropist Eli Broad donated a large sum of money for the construction of LACMA's newest building, the broad contemporary art museum. i thought it ironic that Broad, striking it rich through the success of KB homes (AAAAHHH urban sprawl, feel my wrath), donated millions to house the work of artists who use their canvasses and whatever odd mediums to criticize capitalism, overgrowth of production, blind consumerism, sensationalism. unless, of course, warhol and other artists, meant to celebrate commercial art. i see it as critique. i mean, what else could a corner-ful of gaudy, x-tra large brillo boxes mean? i was impressed with Jeff Koons's Michael Jackson and Bubbles gold statue. and shiny-big-balloon-animal-dog-thing by Koons was also sweeeet.
hiked mt. baldy on the 24th--finally. because the lift wasn't in operation on weekdays and we couldn't locate the trail-head from the lift parking lot that was supposed to take us to the notch, andrew and i hauled ourselves up the mountain, making straight for notch and following any
semblance of a trail directly under the ski lifts. it was grueling to say the very least; within a few minutes, i felt like i'd been on the stairmaster at the gym for an hour. i swear the incline was at least a deadly 35 degrees. anyways, pretty soon i felt lightheaded and we were creating mini landslides in our wake. once we finally reached baldy notch, i felt as if i should have been at the summit. too bad we hadn't even reached the trail head. well, the rest was history: we came, we saw, we conquered, and had delicious tomato-sharp cheddar-avocado croissants for lunch. i was even daring enough to stand upright on the lion king pride rock. i stood aghast at the sheer majesty of the landscape...and the vastness of its sea of noxious pollutants.
saw mike, carol, james, tom, and fredy on the 26th. there was an hour or so prelude of college-years-reminiscing at Carol's place and then a most exquisite dinner at a Thai restaurant. then, DNB, which was an odd mixture of depressing and entertaining. carol and i killed globlins and ghastly, human flesh-consuming creatures until the house of the dead 3 machine killed us so that it could eat more of our money. we cocked and shot guns with a never-before-seen ferocity.
then, i went on to defeat the boys in cut throat at the pool table. beginner's luck and 'seeing what happens' exposed the throat of every unsuspecting victim--especially mike's! then good-byes and I'll-see-you-next-time-i-see-yous all around. =(
an "august" post is forthcoming.
July
LACMA on a lazy sunday afternoon, the 20th--after bickering indecisively about how to best spend a Sunday off, my family and i drive on the 10w, north on fairfax, and enjoy a scrumptious lunch in little ethiopia. who needs desert when there's juice-soaked injera near the end of the meal? my belly protested as the injera continued to expand well after the meal. i worked a bit of it off during an afternoon spent emulating the cultured of los angeles: gazing with quizzical, admiring, or disapproving expressions at works of art (or products of human ennui)--needless to say, all expressions bore the intensity and seriousness that is expected of the learned ;) despite the air of yuppie-ness that art museums typically exude, it was thoroughly enjoyable. the Price collection of Japanese art (mostly Edo) captured my imagination and stretched my understanding of the beautiful. i came to recognize elegance in empty space and unparalleled grace in the few carefully placed brush strokes.
philanthropist Eli Broad donated a large sum of money for the construction of LACMA's newest building, the broad contemporary art museum. i thought it ironic that Broad, striking it rich through the success of KB homes (AAAAHHH urban sprawl, feel my wrath), donated millions to house the work of artists who use their canvasses and whatever odd mediums to criticize capitalism, overgrowth of production, blind consumerism, sensationalism. unless, of course, warhol and other artists, meant to celebrate commercial art. i see it as critique. i mean, what else could a corner-ful of gaudy, x-tra large brillo boxes mean? i was impressed with Jeff Koons's Michael Jackson and Bubbles gold statue. and shiny-big-balloon-animal-dog-thing by Koons was also sweeeet.
hiked mt. baldy on the 24th--finally. because the lift wasn't in operation on weekdays and we couldn't locate the trail-head from the lift parking lot that was supposed to take us to the notch, andrew and i hauled ourselves up the mountain, making straight for notch and following any
semblance of a trail directly under the ski lifts. it was grueling to say the very least; within a few minutes, i felt like i'd been on the stairmaster at the gym for an hour. i swear the incline was at least a deadly 35 degrees. anyways, pretty soon i felt lightheaded and we were creating mini landslides in our wake. once we finally reached baldy notch, i felt as if i should have been at the summit. too bad we hadn't even reached the trail head. well, the rest was history: we came, we saw, we conquered, and had delicious tomato-sharp cheddar-avocado croissants for lunch. i was even daring enough to stand upright on the lion king pride rock. i stood aghast at the sheer majesty of the landscape...and the vastness of its sea of noxious pollutants.saw mike, carol, james, tom, and fredy on the 26th. there was an hour or so prelude of college-years-reminiscing at Carol's place and then a most exquisite dinner at a Thai restaurant. then, DNB, which was an odd mixture of depressing and entertaining. carol and i killed globlins and ghastly, human flesh-consuming creatures until the house of the dead 3 machine killed us so that it could eat more of our money. we cocked and shot guns with a never-before-seen ferocity.
then, i went on to defeat the boys in cut throat at the pool table. beginner's luck and 'seeing what happens' exposed the throat of every unsuspecting victim--especially mike's! then good-byes and I'll-see-you-next-time-i-see-yous all around. =(
an "august" post is forthcoming.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
79 and still going
Chelsea sent me this (i think, trite, and mis-representative) nytimes article about E.O. Wilson, a biologist/activist/writer i admire tremendously. having established himself in the scientific community as a leading expert in the fields of evolution, ecology, myrmecology, and "sociobiology," a branch of biology conceived and established by wilson, he has proceeded to become a self-proclaimed spokesperson for biodiversity and conservation. lately, he has also spearheaded a project of staggering scale: the encyclopedia of life.
you'd think that one person couldn't rack up any more life accomplishments, but lo and behold: wilson delves into fiction-writing and plans to apply his hypothesis of group-selection for eusocial insects to human behavior and evolution of human societies. topics like morality, religion, and altruism are almost never easily and satisfactorily tackled, and for a biologist to do it, the process may be be equally cumbersome. however, new angles are always worthy considerations, and if not plausible or convincing, they are certainly intriguing. i see both group-selection and the individual, selfish gene at play. i think morality and altruism are outcomes of individual selection, but have proliferated and rooted itself in societies as a result of group-selection. i see it as positive feedback that can only loop in a sort of proto-"society."
a part of me wishes that he'd stop trying to churn out Pulitzer prize winners at his age. however, though senile and a bit looney, e.o. wilson is still my hero.
you'd think that one person couldn't rack up any more life accomplishments, but lo and behold: wilson delves into fiction-writing and plans to apply his hypothesis of group-selection for eusocial insects to human behavior and evolution of human societies. topics like morality, religion, and altruism are almost never easily and satisfactorily tackled, and for a biologist to do it, the process may be be equally cumbersome. however, new angles are always worthy considerations, and if not plausible or convincing, they are certainly intriguing. i see both group-selection and the individual, selfish gene at play. i think morality and altruism are outcomes of individual selection, but have proliferated and rooted itself in societies as a result of group-selection. i see it as positive feedback that can only loop in a sort of proto-"society."
a part of me wishes that he'd stop trying to churn out Pulitzer prize winners at his age. however, though senile and a bit looney, e.o. wilson is still my hero.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
just too cute to pass up
whadda adorable beetle! (Chrysomelidae, perhaps? too bad insects don't wear little ID tags)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
just the sort of people to have dinner with
Monday, July 7th: dinner at the mirage with the Wright lab--former and present members.
caitlin, george, and i had dinner with Dr. Wright, Joanne, and Jeremy at the same restaurant for the first time last summer. on both occasions we gorged on middle eastern appetizers. i love how things come full circle.
Afterwards, Jeremy entertained us with his fortune-writing abilities. I had the best and most apropos fortune, of course: "You will meet a mega MITE. lucky numbers 7 18 10,421 21." yes, it's just oozing with cuteness. =)
(photo: clockwise from left: joanne, jeremy, george, me, prof. wright, anne, caitlin)
Monday, July 7, 2008
the stale taste of tourism
July 5th at Catalina island, off the coast near Long Beach: an infestation of the bored and wealthy
my family and i puttered around in a golf cart that was actually called a "Catalina Limo." while the vista overlooking Avalon was clearly gorgeous, the tourism was definitely stale, particularly in the eyes of a cynic. my brother and i shared a ginormous ice cream waffle cone dubbed the "big olaf." there were people packed on sandboxes (built to resemble a sandy shore) overlooking an equally packed dock. toddlers in lifesavers, middle aged tourists in open air bars at noon, disgruntled employees selling 5 minute showers for 2 dollars. i like people, but it's difficult to celebrate the glory of human civilization when observations of my surroundings only inspire the desire to snub out cigarettes of callous tourists, toss out the 1000 calorie desert i'm engorging, and swim home.
so there is a healthy population of bison on the island--about 200 of them. fourteen were introduced in 1924 to film some western movie and left there to procreate and wreak ecological disaster. but scientists always know how to take advantage of a crisis: the bison have not been eradicated so that they may serve as the premise for a long term ecological study.
I also swam around in the dive zone in the immensely frigid and salty water that was not at all pleasant to have going down the throat. that's too bad because open water swimming is amazing. i was able to catch glimpses of brilliant orange streaks intermingled with flashes of silver and copper. garibaldi are surprisingly difficult to catch with bare hands and nudibranchs equally difficult to spot without proper scuba gear. a scuba diver also asked me to retrieve a camera entangled in a bed of kelp. the rescue mission was a s
uccess!
my family and i puttered around in a golf cart that was actually called a "Catalina Limo." while the vista overlooking Avalon was clearly gorgeous, the tourism was definitely stale, particularly in the eyes of a cynic. my brother and i shared a ginormous ice cream waffle cone dubbed the "big olaf." there were people packed on sandboxes (built to resemble a sandy shore) overlooking an equally packed dock. toddlers in lifesavers, middle aged tourists in open air bars at noon, disgruntled employees selling 5 minute showers for 2 dollars. i like people, but it's difficult to celebrate the glory of human civilization when observations of my surroundings only inspire the desire to snub out cigarettes of callous tourists, toss out the 1000 calorie desert i'm engorging, and swim home.
so there is a healthy population of bison on the island--about 200 of them. fourteen were introduced in 1924 to film some western movie and left there to procreate and wreak ecological disaster. but scientists always know how to take advantage of a crisis: the bison have not been eradicated so that they may serve as the premise for a long term ecological study.
I also swam around in the dive zone in the immensely frigid and salty water that was not at all pleasant to have going down the throat. that's too bad because open water swimming is amazing. i was able to catch glimpses of brilliant orange streaks intermingled with flashes of silver and copper. garibaldi are surprisingly difficult to catch with bare hands and nudibranchs equally difficult to spot without proper scuba gear. a scuba diver also asked me to retrieve a camera entangled in a bed of kelp. the rescue mission was a s
uccess!
Friday, July 4, 2008
redux
June 28th- gloria and vincent visit! oh, delicious bowl of daikokuya ramen, we meet again! how delightful a reunion of good friends and gustatory sensations. the last time the three of us had a meal there was June 16th, 2007: a little over a year ago. it's bizarre how these little things seem to come full circle.______________________
July 2nd- vinita leaves and mini-pomona reunion at le pan quotidian
it's always pleasant--nay, uplifting--to see pomona friends again, even if only a mere month and a half after graduation.
on a completely different note: i want to attend a wedding. i've never been! someone get married, please.
a pondering
I am pondering hope, fortune, Sisyphus, and energizer bunnies. what keeps people chugging along, towards the vast unknown or the daily grind?
like in most situations in my life when i am at a lost for words, i seek those of an authority recognized as wiser than oneself:
Hope
like in most situations in my life when i am at a lost for words, i seek those of an authority recognized as wiser than oneself:
Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
- emily dickinson
Monday, June 23, 2008
overdue library books
i haven't used my LA county public library card in over four years and now the internet account is expired.
so, i have to now pour out a little part of my soul that has been tortured.
truth is, i spend a lot of time with my family. i don't neglect my friends because i desire it (note that this statement implies that i neglect my friends). there is this unfortunate responsibility of helping solve family issues (i'll omit the specifics) that i suffer from. it's an older child complex. it's not so much taking blame as it is shouldering responsibility. and it's been like this for years and i can't even remember when i last acted on brash, adventurous desires, which is more typical for people of this age, no? i'm sorry that things can't be happier in this respect. =( but i apologize for all the times i flaked out because i didn't want to go somewhere or decided to go home at an absurdly early hour.
so, i have to now pour out a little part of my soul that has been tortured.
truth is, i spend a lot of time with my family. i don't neglect my friends because i desire it (note that this statement implies that i neglect my friends). there is this unfortunate responsibility of helping solve family issues (i'll omit the specifics) that i suffer from. it's an older child complex. it's not so much taking blame as it is shouldering responsibility. and it's been like this for years and i can't even remember when i last acted on brash, adventurous desires, which is more typical for people of this age, no? i'm sorry that things can't be happier in this respect. =( but i apologize for all the times i flaked out because i didn't want to go somewhere or decided to go home at an absurdly early hour.
famous vegetarians
so carol, james, george, and i went to One World vegetarian restaurant yesterday and the walls featured photos of some famous vegetarians:
leo tolstoy
leonardo da vinci
albert einstein
forrest whitaker
george bernard shaw
tobey maguire
alicia silverstone
bob dylan!
charles darwin!
plato
steve jobs
shania twain
susan b. anthony
and...
dennis kucinich (thanks, james)
leo tolstoy
leonardo da vinci
albert einstein
forrest whitaker
george bernard shaw
tobey maguire
alicia silverstone
bob dylan!
charles darwin!
plato
steve jobs
shania twain
susan b. anthony
and...
dennis kucinich (thanks, james)
of mites and me
here are some mighty mites (red banded-juveniles; champagne colored- adults) i study and catch with an aspirator:
Chelicerata: Arachnida: Acarina: Prostigmata: Teneriffiidae: genus?: undescribed species
Chelicerata: Arachnida: Acarina: Prostigmata: Teneriffiidae: genus?: undescribed species
of pines and peaks
I thoroughly enjoyed the GMR (glendora mt. road--red) on a blistering hot sunday morning. the uphill ride was not too shabby, taken at a steady pace, but the descent was monstrously thrilling. the vista was nothing but pines and peaks. i felt like i was leaving los angeles long behind and the road celebrated with me along its marvelous twists and turns.
we passed a series of reservoirs along San Gabriel Canyon Rd (blue). I imagined myself leaping off the edge and into the waters with shameless abandon.
we passed a series of reservoirs along San Gabriel Canyon Rd (blue). I imagined myself leaping off the edge and into the waters with shameless abandon.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
first entry: test drive
i've been inspired to keep a blog, though i am unsure whether my life is blog-worthy. at the very least i will be able to share random photos, images, music, insults, musings, etc. independently of facebook. and besides, there is no better time to begin chronicling one's life for friends to read than after college, when oceans, internships, and our increasingly greater private lives become the vast divide.
so sally forth!
so sally forth!
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