Category: travel

dog days

Well. It’s been almost a month. Sorry about that.

My MacBook arrived. I love it. I doubt I’ll ever buy another PC, though I’ll undoubtedly have to use them for work, etc., in my future life. Whatever that happens to be. I’m so impressed with the Mac’s elegance and ease-of-use, with the included software, and, of course, the aesthetics. The transition was remarkably easy — probably because the interface is so intuitive — and where Windows comes with Solitaire and not much else, the Mac comes with a boatload of fun (and sometimes even useful) software to play with. I have daily fantasies of discovering that I am a natural at creating beautiful movies — and even soundtracks to accompany them — and have only been lacking the software with which to do so. My sister has discovered that there is no better way to spend a quiet Massachusetts afternoon than by taking one’s own picture with the built-in camera over a hundred times.

And that’s where I am now — Massachusetts — enjoying another quiet afternoon. Jancey and I came up Sunday afternoon for a few days of relaxation before the semester starts next Monday. It’s dreamy here. Our aunt lives due east of Boston, across the bay, on a tiny spit of land called Hull. It’s a small town where the police blotter in the local paper contains true small-town fare:

12:28 p.m. Caller reports she is on U St. with a confused, elderly female. O/Colligan detailed and reports the woman lives on Manomet Ave. Family members said she sometimes forgets to take her medication. She had gone out to have her hair done…

9:53 p.m. Waltham St. caller reports a loud group of youths. O/Dunn detailed and reports the kids were chasing a skunk and have been sent on their way…

6:21 p.m. Beach Ave. Caller reports finding a bike on his lawn. Wil leave it for maintenance to pick up…

On the other hand, last night we took a half hour boat ride into Boston for some big-city shopping (literally — Urban Outfitters), and an evening with Johanna, one of my oldest friends. I mean the friendship is old; she’s my age. We had a lovely dinner overlooking the Fort Point Canal, then walked, trained, and bussed to Johanna’s apartment where we spent a mellow couple of hours.

I’m not a city girl, but I enjoy having friends to visit in fun places. This was the third city I’ve visited this month — DC for the Corcoran and Potbelly sandwiches, Pittsburgh for sushi, beer, and one of the best breakfasts of my life, and now, of course, Boston. When I visit cities, I try to imagine myself living there. (Don’t worry, Mom, I think I’ll probably stay in Harrisburg.) I started the month thinking Boston was my favorite, then DC, and then, well, Pittsburgh wasn’t even on my radar. But I really liked Pittsburgh. It could use a subway (I don’t know why, but I love subways), but the cost-benefit analysis reveals it to be a no-brainer. Let’s review:

  • Convenient to Harrisburg
  • Full of college/university students
  • Rife with interesting restaurants
  • Coffeehouses on every block (well, almost)
  • In the midst of an impressive-appearing revitalization
  • Etched with not just one but THREE rivers
  • Green green green
  • Low crime rate
  • Outpost for a gaggle of tech companies I’d love to work for though I’ll never be qualified for anything useful
  • Cheap

So, really, that’s everything I need. Maybe an integral school would be nice.

Anyway. That’s a fantasy as real as the possibility that I’m a genius musician whose latent talent will become blindingly obvious as soon as I take the time to really play with GarageBand. Actually, I suppose Pittsburgh is a whole lot more likely than that.

This was a fairly boring post after such a hiatus. I know you were thinking I’d have some incredibly insightful thing to say about all the issues I’ve been silent on — Lebanon, Cuba, Iran, JonBenet, etc. Sorry about that. Maybe later.

For now I’m off to enjoy the rest of a lazy afternoon on the porch, one hand occupied with a book, the other with a cat.

integral travels

Last night my father and I drove to Manhattan’s Upper West Side to meet Ken Wilber. My dad was invited because he’s made some posts to the Integral Education online forum, and the email he received said something like, “Ken’s making an unprecedented visit to meet the NY integral community.” The address given was for a private apartment. That was all we knew.

We did, of course, know that no one in their right mind drives to Manhattan. For a variety of reasons, we decided to ignore this bit of common sense. I should probably say right here and now that I had never been to New York City. However, I ended up doing all of the city driving. Had we not allowed a full two and a half extra hours in our itinerary, it would have been a very stressful experience. As it was, we were both able to remain calm even when we realized, immediately after emerging from the Lincoln Tunnel, that we were as lost as one can be in Manhattan. The highlight for me was when, while most of my mind was occupied with not running over pedestrians, I realized that we were driving through Times Square. To me, Times Square looks like a wall of people conspiring to keep me from making it through the intersection before the light changes. But.

It could have been a lot worse. It was, admittedly, overwhelming at the time, but now that I am a safe distance from trying to figure out how the hell to get onto Broadway without having to make a left turn, it seems more exhilarating than scary. But.

I don’t plan to drive into Manhattan again any time soon.

Once we found our destination and parked in the garage I’d found online, we found the building where we were to be at five (half a block from the garage), and crossed the street to spend the next two hours in Central Park. It was not really warm enough to spend two hours in Central Park, but it was lovely in the sun, and tolerable even without. We watched a young woman dancing on rollerskates, an elderly woman exercising, and hundreds of people just walking through; we listened to a saxophonist, and, not far away, a trio of cellists. I used a surprisingly clean but still absolutely disgusting bathroom. Mostly, we sat on park benches and absorbed the New Yorkness until it was time to find the specified apartment.

When we arrived, a few minutes after five, the living room of the apartment was full — FULL — of people. Maybe 40-50. Ken Wilber was seated facing the group. My dad and I found our nametags and took two of the last remaining seats. Because we missed maybe the first minute of Ken talking, I still really don’t know what he was doing in New York. Oh well.

The evening turned out to be kind of a group conversation. After the hour-plus spent on everyone introducing themselves to the group (“Hi, I’m Julia. I’m from Harrisburg, PA, and a student at McDaniel College in Maryland. A few years ago, my dad said to me, “You should really read this book A Theory of Everything. We’re involved with a self-proclaimed Integral school in Harrisburg.”), Ken talked about what he’s been doing, about some ideas from his upcoming book, and some thoughts apparently sparked by things people had said during the introductions. A lot of it was really abstract, and I have to admit I got a little lost for parts of it. We left at 9:30, after four and a half hours of that; it looked like it could be continuing for hours more. Part of me wanted to stay longer, but by the time we pulled into the driveway of my parents’ house at 1 AM, I was glad we’d left when we did. Also, my brain was full.

Hm. I keep starting a thought and then deleting it. I think I’m not done processing some of the mini-epiphanies I had last night and have had in the meantime enough to commit them to writing. Also, part of me is probably afraid you’ll all think I’ve lost it. On the other hand, I want to say something that will inspire you, my dear reader, to start thinking about Integral theory.

I’m at a loss. Wikipedia has an article, though, that might make for a good jumping off point. It’s here. Also, if you’re really motivated, A Theory of Everything, also mentioned above, is a good introduction. I’m told A Brief History of Everything is an even better introduction, but I haven’t read it, so I can’t, in good conscience, recommend it.

i’m a pepper

I forgot one thing:

In Baltimore, we ate at Chipotle. This is noteworthy because a few weeks ago, Fred Otteson, who frequently complains about the “Mexican” food in the Harrisburg area, suggested the Chipotle in Frederick, MD as the localest best option. I’d been to the one in Seattle, but hadn’t considered the possibility of finding one on this coast. And then, just days later, I was in Georgetown with some friends, spotted a Chipotle, and forced everyone to eat there.

Yesterday’s visit to Baltimore was with much the same crew I’d gone to DC with, and as soon as we saw the Inner Harbor Chipotle, all our arguments about where to eat were instantly resolved. It was beautiful.

But really, the main point here is that you should read Fred’s most recent post about squirrels, guns, and consistency in political thought.

visions

I have successfully acquired the signature of the Fencing professor and am now in the McDaniel computer lab with an hour to spare before my next class (Shakespeare). I could go listen to the news podcasts I downloaded this morning or read the feminist theory book a prof lent me (actually way more interesting than it sounds), but instead I shall tell you about my trip to Baltimore yesterday. But first, I’ll show you.

Baltimore

That’s Connor, Gabe, Ben, and Cassandra. Missing from the picture are Jancey and Julia.

Anyway, we went to Baltimore yesterday to visit the American Visionary Art Museum. My parents go there occasionally, so I’d heard of it, and even quite a bit about it, but I’d never been myself. There was a big part of me that would have preferred to sleep through the afternoon, but the sister convinced me it would be worth it, and so we embarked.

It was worth it, no question. The range of quality is greater than in most museums I’ve visited, but the cool stuff is *really* cool, and there’s a fair amount that’s cool in a mind bogglingly absurd kind of way. Like the 16 foot model of the Lusitania made entirely out of toothpicks. Or the matchstick man, whose creator said things like, “Each matchstick represents a human being.” There is something beautiful about that idea, but it’s not your typical art museum fare.

My favorite piece was a seven panel painting by James Franklin Snodgrass which, from a distance, looks like two (very abstract) reclining figures, and from less of a distance can be seen to be comprised of zillions of tiny detailed smaller figures. Some of them are just faces and bodies floating there, but others are doing things, like bathing, drowning, assembling in groups, etc. I could get lost in it for days, I think, but I’m not sure I’d come back with my sanity intact. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be any pictures of the piece on the net (not that it could even come close to capturing the awesomeness). So you should go and check it out for yourself.

All of the art I mentioned above is in the museum’s permanent collection; the current exhibit is “Race, Class, Gender ≠ Character”. Some of the exhibit was excellent, some was mediocre, and some was…eh. It’s accompanied by some interesting text, but you can read all of that on the exhibit’s website. It’s certainly worth visiting, though, if only to see some of the interesting things people are doing — like phenomenally intricate pictures from cutting and pasting colored papers, or the hundreds of dolls made from pipe cleaners. Also, some work by Rosie O’Donnell. I didn’t know she was an artist.

The current exhibit is there until September 3, 2006, but the Snodgrass painting is there all the time and it alone is probably worth the price of admission.

Fish On!

I’ve been meaning to blog this for weeks now, and I’m finally sick of seeing the business card on my desk.

Fish On! Restaurant in Lewes, Delaware is the bomb. The atmosphere is classy but relaxed, the service is friendly and gorgeous, and the food…Oh! the food!

I had the medium rare spice crusted grilled tuna with green beans, tomatoes, and smoked bacon. It was heavenly. The fish was sushi-fresh, the flavors complimented each other perfectly, and even the green beans, which I don’t usually like, were amazing.

My fellow diners were kind enough to share samples of their entrees as well, and they were equally fabulous. Just don’t ask me what they were.

So if you find yourself anywhere near it, I highly recommend stopping in.

***UPDATE***

http://www.fishon.bz/staffpoems.htm

I love these people.

off again

Given my recent posting habits, there’s probably no point in posting these AFK messages, since I could easily go an equally long (or longer) time even I were in town, but…

I’m off in a few minutes to spend some time with a great uncle in Tennessee. I may or may not have internet access there, and I may or may not be back in time for the Slam on Saturday.

But that reminds me, you should go to the Slam.

Pictures galore

Okay! I’ve reorganized all the pictures (sans those from yesterday and today) and uploaded them.

Seattle
Washington State
Oregon/Northern Cali
Bay Area
Winchester House
Nevada
SoCal
Tijuana
Arizona

I’ve been doing a little bit of writing while on the road but none of it is really ready to be posted. Next on my list of things to do is create a central page for all the pictures and words, but it’ll be a couple of days. Maybe even after I get home.

I’m writing right now from a little coffeehouse in Oklahoma City called Uncommon Grounds. I like this city, but it might just be that I like the coffeehouse. Battery dying, must go…

Moore & more from the road

First the boring stuff:

Article from The Daily Star encouraging a national dialogue before we create any new departments or cabinet posts or take any other related action. Nothing blazingly new, but makes some interesting points. I take it forgranted that we should have this kind of dialogue, but it’s become obvious that not the entire population feels the same way. I’m glad this author is calling for one in a largely non-partisan way. Thanks again to Kristin Dailey for the link.

‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ has been banned in Kuwait. This isn’t too suprising considering the film’s slant, but is yet another illustration of the danger of that angle. A working relationship with the Middle East is important and perpetuating the idea that involvement with Arab governments is tantamount to condoning terrorism will get us nowhere in the long run, even if it gets Bush out of office in November.

But on to the fun stuff!

I’m writing from the floor of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Literally, from the floor. LinuxWorld is happening here and while Kevin geeks out at a PGP key signing event, I’m using the free wireless to upload some pictures. The battery on my laptop was dead, though, so I had to find an outlet. This puts me in a hallway, back against the wall, watching the Linuxites as they trickle to their Birds of a Feather meetings. Fascinating, truly.

Anyway, I don’t have all the pictures ready to go, but since I don’t know how long I’ll get to sit here (or how long my legs will tolerate it), I’m uploading what I do have ready now. It’s a bit of Seattle, but mostly scenery as we travelled through Washington State. We took a ferry from Edmonds to Kingston, then followed 101 west and south to Oregon. I’ll have Oregon and California pictures up sometime in the near future.

http://www.sunsetchaser.net/pictures/wash20040730/

Enjoy!