Isn't it lovely!?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Relaxen/Relaxing
What a perfectly splendid weekend. I don't recall what I did Friday evening, but I think it just consisted of typing up lab results and watching a few episodes of Numb3rs on my computer. Saturday morning I slept in, which was difficult to do after waking up early all week. I enjoyed a lovely brunch while reading, ate plenty of chocolate while typing up more lab results and writing a little report of what I did last week, then went for a jog to repent for the brunch and chocolate. It had been a rainy morning and early afternoon, but cleared up enough by late afternoon to make for a lovely jog.
When I got home I began knitting a winter hat. I had been contemplating for a while my need for a winter hat that sits snuggly on my head and has ear flaps to be tied tight under my chin. I already do own a winter hat with ear flaps, but it is too big for my head and ends up squashing over my eyes. So, last week I bought a couple skeins of yarn and needles with the idea of making my dream hat. I had made a winter hat last year, but it is too small for cold weather, so it can only be worn on chilly days. The head girth of this previous hat seemed right though, so I based my new hat girth on the old one. I also discovered last night through experimentation that I could knit the ear flaps right into the hat and not have to attach them after the body of the hat was complete.
To entertain myself while knitting, I watched a few more Numb3rs and NCIS shows. I am very surprised at how attached I am becoming to Numb3rs. I always thought it was a decently good show, but there's something about starting from the beginning of a series that gets me attached to characters. I want to see them and their relationships grow throughout the episodes.
The United States made me miss church this morning. I went to bed at a decent hour last night. I set my alarm to allow for plenty of time in the morning. And then I walked into the kitchen this morning and looked at the clock on the wall. It was an hour later than I thought the time should be. I returned to my room and checked my alarm to make sure those couple extra minutes I had laid in bed were really just a couple of minutes. Yup, they were. Then I checked my cell phone because cell phones are always correct to local time. Oh dear, it agreed with the clock in the kitchen. I pulled out my wrist watch just to make sure my entire clock collection disagreed, and sure enough it agreed with my alarm but not my phone. So, Sacsha to the rescue. He said that it is now SummerTime. I completely trusted him, but protested nonetheless that we had already had that a few weeks ago in the United States! Grrrrrr.
I didn't mind that the United States chose to have Daylight Savings Time early this year while I was in the United States, but when out of the United States it is a bit troublesome. At least these time changes are always done on Saturday nights so that people don't arrive late to jobs. I did want to try out this new church this morning, so that's a bummer. Next Sunday I want to go on a tour of the city's gardens and parks, so that leaves me to attend my first service at this church on Easter Sunday. This will give the congregation the wrong impression that I'm just there for the Easter Sunday service. Oh well, it's all the United States' fault.
With church out of the question, I prepared a little breakfast and observed my backyard.
My backyard and front yard really are quite lovely. There are lots of birds to adorn all the trees and they like to sing from dawn to sunset. Some of the birds are quite large for my standard of typical city birds. The sizes of the birds had such an impression on me that they played a leading role in my dream a few nights ago. I recall walking through a space with big birds sitting on railings and flying overhead. The ones sitting kept eying me and their beaks frightened me, but as I slipped by only inches from them, they didn't seem to be disturbed by my presence. A lot of the birds around here are black with yellow-orange beaks, others are brownish-gray with dark gray beaks, then there are the doves/pigeons (?), and finally the big bluish-gray and white bird that is perhaps a Blue-Jay. I just opened the curtain that typically covers the top half of the window so that I can have a full view of the backyard. I see a tiny little finch with a gray body, white underside, black head, and a white streak across his eye.
When I was in Jordan I had a field guide with me which I used to identify all sort of plants and a few animals. I had a lot of fun identifying everything. Perhaps I need a field guide of Bavaria, Germany so that I can identify all these birds. I never used to understand the joy of birdwatching, but I can see how it could be a fun, challenging game. Identification is especially difficult with the finches because it is all a matter of the presence or absence of such things as a white streak across the eye. I hope that the garden/park tour next Sunday will show me additional locations to view the birds and the bees in Erlangen.
I wanted to work hard on my winter hat today, but new that I needed some entertainment to keep me company. I decided to try out German television. Even though it was a Sunday, I found some entertaining, educational, and enjoyable programming. I first watched a program called “Frohliche Feierabend” which was like a modern Lawrence Welk show. Then I watched a hospital soap opera, which I must say was better than American daytime soap operas but worse than American evening dramas. And then there was a program visiting old mines in Germany. I began watching an American Western about an outlaw and his mute partner, but decided to check and see if there wasn't anything more entertaining on. I found a program in which a man was traveling around the Arctic with his dog. Then I found a kid movie which was quite fun. After the kid movie there was a Pink Panther short episode, and a fun educational show in which I learned about vision. Lastly, I watched a program called “Veterinarians in Africa”, which was about German veterinarians who have basically immigrated to African countries. I'm sure there were a few other shows mixed in there, but those are the ones that stand out in my mind.
If you're thinking, “wow, that's a lot of tv for one afternoon”, then I would agree, but it does take some time to knit a hat, sew it up with a hair pin (because I forgot to buy a knitting pin), and decorate it with chin strings and a fluff ball. I am very pleased with my result and consider it time well spent. After knitting all day, I was ready for some fresh air and exercise, so I went for a brisk walk along the Regnitz River floodplain. I found a lovely park where children were playing soccer and dogs were playing fetch. Along the river there were all sorts of fowl, including ducks, geese, pigeons/doves (?), among other birds I can't identify. Additionally, there was a muskrat enjoying the greenery of the river's island. I was very pleased with my walk, but wished I had a dog to join me. I watched so many tv shows today involving dogs and other animals, then I saw people playing with their dogs in yards and in the park, that I got really dogsick (it's like homesick).
When I got home I went to work sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming the house's communal floors because this is my week to clean. My experience at Potts Park was of great assistance to me today because I knew right off the bat how to mop with a German mop. I don't understand why the Germans and Austrians haven't moved into the 21st century and adopted the use of upright vacuums, but I managed with the annoying low lying with hose vacuum that it was. I was quite famished after all this walking and cleaning, so I cooked up a lovely little pre-packaged soup and added potatoes and bread for dinner and accompanied it with “Gong Radio” and “Anne of Green Gables”.
As always, I'm nervous to go back to the lab tomorrow and find out what I am to do next in the process of soil analysis. But, this wonderful weekend has put me in a happy mood and I am looking forward to learning Greek folk dancing tomorrow evening at the Erlanger Tanz Haus, so I will try my best to go confidently to work tomorrow.
When I got home I began knitting a winter hat. I had been contemplating for a while my need for a winter hat that sits snuggly on my head and has ear flaps to be tied tight under my chin. I already do own a winter hat with ear flaps, but it is too big for my head and ends up squashing over my eyes. So, last week I bought a couple skeins of yarn and needles with the idea of making my dream hat. I had made a winter hat last year, but it is too small for cold weather, so it can only be worn on chilly days. The head girth of this previous hat seemed right though, so I based my new hat girth on the old one. I also discovered last night through experimentation that I could knit the ear flaps right into the hat and not have to attach them after the body of the hat was complete.
To entertain myself while knitting, I watched a few more Numb3rs and NCIS shows. I am very surprised at how attached I am becoming to Numb3rs. I always thought it was a decently good show, but there's something about starting from the beginning of a series that gets me attached to characters. I want to see them and their relationships grow throughout the episodes.
The United States made me miss church this morning. I went to bed at a decent hour last night. I set my alarm to allow for plenty of time in the morning. And then I walked into the kitchen this morning and looked at the clock on the wall. It was an hour later than I thought the time should be. I returned to my room and checked my alarm to make sure those couple extra minutes I had laid in bed were really just a couple of minutes. Yup, they were. Then I checked my cell phone because cell phones are always correct to local time. Oh dear, it agreed with the clock in the kitchen. I pulled out my wrist watch just to make sure my entire clock collection disagreed, and sure enough it agreed with my alarm but not my phone. So, Sacsha to the rescue. He said that it is now SummerTime. I completely trusted him, but protested nonetheless that we had already had that a few weeks ago in the United States! Grrrrrr.
I didn't mind that the United States chose to have Daylight Savings Time early this year while I was in the United States, but when out of the United States it is a bit troublesome. At least these time changes are always done on Saturday nights so that people don't arrive late to jobs. I did want to try out this new church this morning, so that's a bummer. Next Sunday I want to go on a tour of the city's gardens and parks, so that leaves me to attend my first service at this church on Easter Sunday. This will give the congregation the wrong impression that I'm just there for the Easter Sunday service. Oh well, it's all the United States' fault.
With church out of the question, I prepared a little breakfast and observed my backyard.
My backyard and front yard really are quite lovely. There are lots of birds to adorn all the trees and they like to sing from dawn to sunset. Some of the birds are quite large for my standard of typical city birds. The sizes of the birds had such an impression on me that they played a leading role in my dream a few nights ago. I recall walking through a space with big birds sitting on railings and flying overhead. The ones sitting kept eying me and their beaks frightened me, but as I slipped by only inches from them, they didn't seem to be disturbed by my presence. A lot of the birds around here are black with yellow-orange beaks, others are brownish-gray with dark gray beaks, then there are the doves/pigeons (?), and finally the big bluish-gray and white bird that is perhaps a Blue-Jay. I just opened the curtain that typically covers the top half of the window so that I can have a full view of the backyard. I see a tiny little finch with a gray body, white underside, black head, and a white streak across his eye.
When I was in Jordan I had a field guide with me which I used to identify all sort of plants and a few animals. I had a lot of fun identifying everything. Perhaps I need a field guide of Bavaria, Germany so that I can identify all these birds. I never used to understand the joy of birdwatching, but I can see how it could be a fun, challenging game. Identification is especially difficult with the finches because it is all a matter of the presence or absence of such things as a white streak across the eye. I hope that the garden/park tour next Sunday will show me additional locations to view the birds and the bees in Erlangen.
I wanted to work hard on my winter hat today, but new that I needed some entertainment to keep me company. I decided to try out German television. Even though it was a Sunday, I found some entertaining, educational, and enjoyable programming. I first watched a program called “Frohliche Feierabend” which was like a modern Lawrence Welk show. Then I watched a hospital soap opera, which I must say was better than American daytime soap operas but worse than American evening dramas. And then there was a program visiting old mines in Germany. I began watching an American Western about an outlaw and his mute partner, but decided to check and see if there wasn't anything more entertaining on. I found a program in which a man was traveling around the Arctic with his dog. Then I found a kid movie which was quite fun. After the kid movie there was a Pink Panther short episode, and a fun educational show in which I learned about vision. Lastly, I watched a program called “Veterinarians in Africa”, which was about German veterinarians who have basically immigrated to African countries. I'm sure there were a few other shows mixed in there, but those are the ones that stand out in my mind.
If you're thinking, “wow, that's a lot of tv for one afternoon”, then I would agree, but it does take some time to knit a hat, sew it up with a hair pin (because I forgot to buy a knitting pin), and decorate it with chin strings and a fluff ball. I am very pleased with my result and consider it time well spent. After knitting all day, I was ready for some fresh air and exercise, so I went for a brisk walk along the Regnitz River floodplain. I found a lovely park where children were playing soccer and dogs were playing fetch. Along the river there were all sorts of fowl, including ducks, geese, pigeons/doves (?), among other birds I can't identify. Additionally, there was a muskrat enjoying the greenery of the river's island. I was very pleased with my walk, but wished I had a dog to join me. I watched so many tv shows today involving dogs and other animals, then I saw people playing with their dogs in yards and in the park, that I got really dogsick (it's like homesick).
When I got home I went to work sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming the house's communal floors because this is my week to clean. My experience at Potts Park was of great assistance to me today because I knew right off the bat how to mop with a German mop. I don't understand why the Germans and Austrians haven't moved into the 21st century and adopted the use of upright vacuums, but I managed with the annoying low lying with hose vacuum that it was. I was quite famished after all this walking and cleaning, so I cooked up a lovely little pre-packaged soup and added potatoes and bread for dinner and accompanied it with “Gong Radio” and “Anne of Green Gables”.
As always, I'm nervous to go back to the lab tomorrow and find out what I am to do next in the process of soil analysis. But, this wonderful weekend has put me in a happy mood and I am looking forward to learning Greek folk dancing tomorrow evening at the Erlanger Tanz Haus, so I will try my best to go confidently to work tomorrow.
Really?
I learned two interesting things from Sacsha, one of my German housemates, in the last 24 hours (Friday to Saturday).
Yesterday evening, as the weekend lay before us, we discussed our plans for these much anticipated two days. He mentioned that he would be visiting IKEA to look for a sofa for his new apartment. Amidst the discussion of items he said he would need to purchase for his apartment, he mentioned that the kitchen came with appliances. I was confused and it was not the fault of language this time. It was my impression that every apartment one rents, and not buys, comes with a stove and refrigerator. He said that this was not the case, at least in Germany. Please correct me if I am misguided in my thinking, dear Americans, but don't apartments and even homes which are rented always come with stove and refrigerator included? Sacsha said that after he has worked at a real job for a few years he will move into an apartment where he buys his own kitchen appliances. He looks forward to this because he likes technical gadgets and wants to choose his own fancy schmancy stove/oven. Apparently there exists a stove top with magnets built into the burners that only functions when an associated magnetic pan sits on top of it. Sacsha excitedly told me that the pan heats up very quickly, but the burner is safe to touch once the pan is removed. It sounds like a nice stove to have if you are a clumsy, absent-minded person. I know a few people who could benefit from this invention...
This morning I was skimming the newspaper, Der Bild/The Image, and noticed that in parenthesis after every human being mentioned was a number, which appeared to be their age. I found this very odd. So, I asked Sacsha if this was normal in German newspapers. He said it was! I can see how the age of newsworthy characters is important in some situations, but in every situation? And wouldn't this be a problem for people who hate to give out their age? I supposed these people would have to be very careful to not make the news. At the same time that the ages of everyone is being given out, there was a photo of an electrician suspected for a crime whose top half of his head, where his eyes are, was covered with a black rectangle. The newspaper is kind enough to protect the visual identity of some people while still giving out the full name and age!? Fascinating.
Yesterday evening, as the weekend lay before us, we discussed our plans for these much anticipated two days. He mentioned that he would be visiting IKEA to look for a sofa for his new apartment. Amidst the discussion of items he said he would need to purchase for his apartment, he mentioned that the kitchen came with appliances. I was confused and it was not the fault of language this time. It was my impression that every apartment one rents, and not buys, comes with a stove and refrigerator. He said that this was not the case, at least in Germany. Please correct me if I am misguided in my thinking, dear Americans, but don't apartments and even homes which are rented always come with stove and refrigerator included? Sacsha said that after he has worked at a real job for a few years he will move into an apartment where he buys his own kitchen appliances. He looks forward to this because he likes technical gadgets and wants to choose his own fancy schmancy stove/oven. Apparently there exists a stove top with magnets built into the burners that only functions when an associated magnetic pan sits on top of it. Sacsha excitedly told me that the pan heats up very quickly, but the burner is safe to touch once the pan is removed. It sounds like a nice stove to have if you are a clumsy, absent-minded person. I know a few people who could benefit from this invention...
This morning I was skimming the newspaper, Der Bild/The Image, and noticed that in parenthesis after every human being mentioned was a number, which appeared to be their age. I found this very odd. So, I asked Sacsha if this was normal in German newspapers. He said it was! I can see how the age of newsworthy characters is important in some situations, but in every situation? And wouldn't this be a problem for people who hate to give out their age? I supposed these people would have to be very careful to not make the news. At the same time that the ages of everyone is being given out, there was a photo of an electrician suspected for a crime whose top half of his head, where his eyes are, was covered with a black rectangle. The newspaper is kind enough to protect the visual identity of some people while still giving out the full name and age!? Fascinating.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thank You
I want to thank everyone who has been reading and commenting on my blog. It means a lot to me to know that people are interested and care. Please continue to enjoy yourself as much as I am enjoying myself.
Geomorphology Lab (Photo 6)
If you click on the photos, then they will blow up in size and you can read my captions. Enjoy your tour through my week in the Erlangen Geomorphologisches Labor.
Water, Water Everywhere
There's a store in town called “Kaufland”, which is very appropriately named because it means “Buyland”. The store's contents follow a similar theme as Meijer, with everything from bikes and yarn to movies and food. What makes this store amazing and noteworthy is it's dedication to drinks: an entire level of the building is filled with juices, sodas, carbonated water, beer, and a vast variety of alcoholic drinks! I went down to this room to get a bottle of orange juice and found myself in what felt like a storage room. Seeing all of those bottles of 'flavored water' reminded me of something that was recently brought to my attention: soda companies, like Coca-Cola, use a lot of water in the manufacturing of their products. And, since they use so much water, they are trying to develop practices in which they waste as little as possible. As I stood in that huge basement filled with thousands of 1 liter bottles of what is basically water, I was overwhelmed at how much water is put into the drink industry.
I think that my activities in the lab this week are best described by my notes on the photos from the lab. A quick summary of my daily activities would be as follows: Monday was sieving, Tuesday was soil color identifying, Wednesday was weighing samples and making aluminum foil bombs in preparation for Carbon-Nitrogen analysis, Thursday was weighing to prepare for measuring PH and actually measuring PH, and Friday was more measuring of PH.
I have gotten to know the other students who are working on soil analysis projects and the lab manager a bit this week and they are all very nice and friendly. A good group of people to be around. Having done a little bit of work in each of the rooms in the lab, I am becoming comfortable and at home. Something that truly amazes me about the lab is how clean it is. Everyone in there is working with soil samples, which you'd think would make a terrible mess, but with sieving being done in a separate room, the lab itself is very clean. The sieving is done in a separate room from the lab because it does cause so much dust in the air and gets everything dirty, which isn't good for the pricey analysis machines in the lab. But outside of extreme dust conditions, it feels like the tabletops should be a little grimy or the floor a little rough from spilled soil, but it's all clean enough to eat off of (not that I would recommend it since chemicals are used in the lab). Everyone is very neat and tidy, which keeps the place in tip-top shape.
I think that my activities in the lab this week are best described by my notes on the photos from the lab. A quick summary of my daily activities would be as follows: Monday was sieving, Tuesday was soil color identifying, Wednesday was weighing samples and making aluminum foil bombs in preparation for Carbon-Nitrogen analysis, Thursday was weighing to prepare for measuring PH and actually measuring PH, and Friday was more measuring of PH.
I have gotten to know the other students who are working on soil analysis projects and the lab manager a bit this week and they are all very nice and friendly. A good group of people to be around. Having done a little bit of work in each of the rooms in the lab, I am becoming comfortable and at home. Something that truly amazes me about the lab is how clean it is. Everyone in there is working with soil samples, which you'd think would make a terrible mess, but with sieving being done in a separate room, the lab itself is very clean. The sieving is done in a separate room from the lab because it does cause so much dust in the air and gets everything dirty, which isn't good for the pricey analysis machines in the lab. But outside of extreme dust conditions, it feels like the tabletops should be a little grimy or the floor a little rough from spilled soil, but it's all clean enough to eat off of (not that I would recommend it since chemicals are used in the lab). Everyone is very neat and tidy, which keeps the place in tip-top shape.
Dark Chocolate Experiment
I did another experiment tonight. I like experiments. So, I bought the 33 cent dark chocolate bar and the 35 cent dark chocolate bar tonight while at the grocery store. I wanted to taste-test the two cheapest dark chocolate bars against each other. Bar number 1 was extremely good on my first bite! Bar number 2 wasn't so good on the first bite. But, bar number 2 was very good on the second bite! I went back to bar number 1...and it wasn't so good anymore : ( After 2 more bites of bar number 1, it was good again! I think that they probably both taste good, but good in different ways because of their unique brand flavors.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Dance, Dance, Dance
I had such a wonderful time yesterday evening dancing with the “Erlanger Tanz Haus”. We danced from 7:30-10pm with a break around 9pm that lasted perhaps 15 minutes. We learned Italian folk dances from several regions of the country and then learned a few dances from the Catalan region of Spain. I polka-ed with a very enthusiastic polka dancing man and everyone thought I did so well! I had never polka-ed before tonight, so that was a lot of fun! We did all sorts of dancing with lots of energy and smiles, so I am eager to go again next week. There are opportunities to dance on both Monday and Tuesday next week! What fun!
Mmm, Language
Speaking a foreign language, namely German, is like trying to talk with food in the mouth. I have an idea of what I want to say, but I have to figure out how to shape my mouth and tongue so that the correct sounds come out in a comprehensible manner.
In some situations, the verb comes at the end of a German sentence. I am amazed at how often I actually remember this when speaking. It’s like my brain feels that the sentence is missing something and it yells, “The Verb! The Verb!”. All the other essential sentence components are assembled, but the verb makes them make sense. Verbs are like vowels. Sure, you could assemble a whole bunch of consonants, but they don’t make much sense without vowels. If I wrote, “Spn”, no one would know if that’s Spin, Spun, Span, Spoon, or even Spine. Similarly, with verbs, I could write, “I apple”, but my relationship to the apple is unknown! Did I kiss it, bite it, touch it, kick it, or just look at it? Verbs are so wonderful and beautiful.
In some situations, the verb comes at the end of a German sentence. I am amazed at how often I actually remember this when speaking. It’s like my brain feels that the sentence is missing something and it yells, “The Verb! The Verb!”. All the other essential sentence components are assembled, but the verb makes them make sense. Verbs are like vowels. Sure, you could assemble a whole bunch of consonants, but they don’t make much sense without vowels. If I wrote, “Spn”, no one would know if that’s Spin, Spun, Span, Spoon, or even Spine. Similarly, with verbs, I could write, “I apple”, but my relationship to the apple is unknown! Did I kiss it, bite it, touch it, kick it, or just look at it? Verbs are so wonderful and beautiful.
Identity
I feel like I am looking for a child who has run away from home. I keep asking myself, “Where would Laurie be apt to go? Where would she feel in good company and enjoy herself?”. These questions point to my identity. I am in a new city and will be here for enough time that I should make myself at home. But, who am I? What do I need to do to feel at home? Words that come to mind include: Evangelical (reformed) church, dance, dog, book, cozy bed, running, nature, t.v., movies, and extracurricular learning in the form of museums, tours, and lectures. I think I can fill these posts with time.
I spend a lot of time daydreaming about the various jobs there are in this world. When I stand on the street corner and watch the numerous bus' go by I think, “That person looks youthful and nice. I could be a city bus driver.” Or when I'm in the grocery store and I see the friendly produce person stacking the fruit I think, “That might be nice working with food all day.” And then there's the clothing store employees who are always wearing nice clothes. I don't think too seriously about their jobs because there are so many horrible articles of clothing out there and I would have to sell them nonetheless. The worker I really enjoy studying is the cleaning lady for homes, professional buildings, and schools. These people are so important to our lives and they look so comfortable in their positions. They just plow ahead with their work at a steady pace until everything is complete. I like the idea of jobs in which there is something specific to be done and then when it is done, it's done. There's no thoughts about the work left nagging in your brain. It's over. It's such a romantic idea...
But do you know who my role models are? They are two people who never seem to stop working. Monday through Saturday they can be found plodding away at their jobs. I think that if I like my job, then I won't mind working on it all the time. I think it's just plain silly for people to have jobs which they hate. I mean, come on: It's your existence! Your life! Your reason for getting up in the morning!
I remember teachers giving us the assignment in elementary school to write about our role models. I hated the assignment and I still think it was stupid of those teachers. Seriously, how many people did they think I knew at that young of an age? And I was supposed to pick my best role model from those few? Silly, stupid idea. Only now that I am older and have met a good number of people am I beginning to piece together the person I want to be and the role models I can try to sculpt my life after.
It is raining and windy outside. I think that cozying up in bed sounds excellent right about now. I fear that I will have to take the bus tomorrow morning if it is still raining hard. I don't want to take the bus because it costs something like 1.20 Euros. Additionally, I want to be able to whip around on the bike tomorrow evening to find the Tanz Haus, where I will be social and learn how to dance like they do in Catalan! Maybe if I go to bed early, then the rain will stop before I wake up...
I spend a lot of time daydreaming about the various jobs there are in this world. When I stand on the street corner and watch the numerous bus' go by I think, “That person looks youthful and nice. I could be a city bus driver.” Or when I'm in the grocery store and I see the friendly produce person stacking the fruit I think, “That might be nice working with food all day.” And then there's the clothing store employees who are always wearing nice clothes. I don't think too seriously about their jobs because there are so many horrible articles of clothing out there and I would have to sell them nonetheless. The worker I really enjoy studying is the cleaning lady for homes, professional buildings, and schools. These people are so important to our lives and they look so comfortable in their positions. They just plow ahead with their work at a steady pace until everything is complete. I like the idea of jobs in which there is something specific to be done and then when it is done, it's done. There's no thoughts about the work left nagging in your brain. It's over. It's such a romantic idea...
But do you know who my role models are? They are two people who never seem to stop working. Monday through Saturday they can be found plodding away at their jobs. I think that if I like my job, then I won't mind working on it all the time. I think it's just plain silly for people to have jobs which they hate. I mean, come on: It's your existence! Your life! Your reason for getting up in the morning!
I remember teachers giving us the assignment in elementary school to write about our role models. I hated the assignment and I still think it was stupid of those teachers. Seriously, how many people did they think I knew at that young of an age? And I was supposed to pick my best role model from those few? Silly, stupid idea. Only now that I am older and have met a good number of people am I beginning to piece together the person I want to be and the role models I can try to sculpt my life after.
It is raining and windy outside. I think that cozying up in bed sounds excellent right about now. I fear that I will have to take the bus tomorrow morning if it is still raining hard. I don't want to take the bus because it costs something like 1.20 Euros. Additionally, I want to be able to whip around on the bike tomorrow evening to find the Tanz Haus, where I will be social and learn how to dance like they do in Catalan! Maybe if I go to bed early, then the rain will stop before I wake up...
Monday, March 23, 2009
Photo Reminder
Remember to check on Flickr for all of my photos. I am only putting extra special highlights here on this blog. On Flickr you'll find everything. So look there for the good, bad, and the ugly, but mostly the good.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larriettasimon/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larriettasimon/
Aktivitäten/Activities
This city has a variety of religious congregations to choose from, including a wide variety of protestant churches. Located in central Erlangen is the Evangelische Reformierte Huggenotten Kirche (Evangelical/Protestant Reformed Huggenott Church). It was actually the Huggenotts who played a big role in founding this city back when they fled France in the late 1600s. As to finding a church, the word Evangelische can be distracting when trying to find a Protestant “Reformed” church because it is in the title of any protestant church, whether it is Methodist, Lutheran, or Baptist. As usual at a German church service, the congregation was very small in a big, old church. The service itself involved a lot of singing, but the songs were all very slow. You could say it was like reading the Psalms with the addition of varied rhythms and notes. The sermon was nice. The pastor spoke slow and he enunciated as he preached about Psalm 23. Next week I may go to a different church that I just learned about this afternoon. It is apparently another evangelical church in the religious tradition of the Huggenott Church, but I am under the impression that the service is more lively and the congregation younger. But, perhaps I will research this church during the next week and find out that I don't want to go there after all. We'll see.
Traditionally, German cities lie in a coma on Sundays, but when I came out of the church around 11:30am, tents were being set up in the square in front of me and lots of people were milling about. I figured I had to check out what was going on before I went home. I discovered that today was “Erlangen Fruhling”(Erlangen Spring), which is one of four days in the year when stores are open on Sunday and there is a bit of fest in the central shopping district. There were tents selling baked goods, confectionery treats, bratwurst on bread, handmade goods, locally made goods, and used books for 1 Euro each. Then there were tents for groups advertising “causes”, events, and the activities of their group. And, what German fest is complete without the folk band freezing their bare fingers as they play traditional marches and waltz'?
I was very pleased with my luck of stumbling upon this event. I found three German books at the discounted book tent. They definitely cross the gamut of difficulties and genres. I first chose a children's book of short detective stories (with about half of the mysteries being solved by me!) called “Gauner, Gangster, Geistesblitze” (Swindler, Gangster, Flash of Genius) by Wolfgang Ecke. I then found a novel by a French author, Bernard Werber, called “Die Ameisen” (The Ants). The last book I chose was called “Heimweh, Kitsch, und Co.: Die ganze Welt liebt deutsche Worter” (Homesickness, Kitsch, and Co.: The whole world loves German words) by Andrea Stiberc. When I go into libraries or bookstores, I have no idea what I want to read about, but these books succeeded in attracting my attention.
I love detective stories (Did you notice my favorite tv shows?) and short detective stories are the best. According to the frontcover and backcover of “The Ants”, this novel is a crazy tale of intelligent ants trying to take over human civilization. There are only four sections to the book and there are a variety of writing formats in the text. It looks like one of those great masterpieces that authors spend years constructing. “Homesickness, Kitsch, and Co.” sounds incredibly fascinating. There are chapters on German words being adapted to a variety of languages ranging from English, Russian, and Turkish to even Japanese! I was excited to come away from that tent with three intriguing books.
At another tent I was given a pamphlet on tours that are given in the city with various themes by the tourism office. The two tours that sound most interesting to me are “Mit dem Fahrrad-die Geschichte der Erlanger Garten” (With the bike-the History of the Erlangen Gardens) and “Von der Ackerburgerstadt zur Medizinmetropole-1007 Jahre Stadtgeschichte” (From the Agricultural Citizen City to the Medicine Metropolis-1007 Years of City History). The garden history tour visits various parks and protected lands in the city by way of bicycle, telling the history of which lands were appointed to be “gardens” and which ones just ended up that way. I am attracted to the 1007 Years of History tour because it connects the old history of the city to its present day context. We'll see if I end up attending these tours.
The tent that got me really excited was for a local group called “Erlanger Tanz Haus” (Erlanger Dance House). This group sponsors free and very low cost social folk dance lessons/sessions. Among the variety of programs they have, there is a free dance program that teaches folk dances of a different heritage each Tuesday evening. This coming Tuesday is dance from Catalan (a region of Spain). Another free program which happens the first Monday of every month also does a different heritage each session. Examples of the dance heritages which I could end up learning are Balkan, German/Franken, Irish, French, Greek, Israeli, Franken/Provence, and Scottish! I am very excited about participating in this program! I just hope that there are at least a few young people in attendance and not all old people.
My brother Paul and I used to joke that he needed to build homes for us that only had rounded corners because we were always running into the corner of a wall between our bedrooms and the bathroom. On Friday night, and then immediately again Saturday morning, I was reminded of this need for a home that is gentle on the body. You see, Friday night I bent over to throw something away in the garbage can under the desk when I got smacked in my right cheek bone by the pointy top of my desk chair! I considered putting some frozen veggies on it to ensure no bruising, but then I was curious if it would bruise, so I went to bed without any nursing. It turned out that as painful of a blow that it was, the faint darkness that has developed is only something that I would ever in a million years notice. Saturday morning came and I was nearly ready to leave for meeting Bernhard when I walked around the corner of the bedroom cabinetry and whacked my leg on a pointy corner. As I cursed the pain, I contemplated the idea that my room was out to get me! Now that I am aware of these dangers, I have been very wary of the desk chair, and we'll see how I do with that cabinet's corner tomorrow morning when I am trying to hurry myself out the door.
It's back to the lab tomorrow. Crushing clumps of soil between my fingers, sieving, weighing, noting, and bagging. If I work at a good pace, then I can also begin labeling soil colors tomorrow as well. As usual, I am a ball of nerves as to whether I have been recording the proper information about the samples I sieved and bagged on Friday. I would feel horrible if I had to redo anything.
Traditionally, German cities lie in a coma on Sundays, but when I came out of the church around 11:30am, tents were being set up in the square in front of me and lots of people were milling about. I figured I had to check out what was going on before I went home. I discovered that today was “Erlangen Fruhling”(Erlangen Spring), which is one of four days in the year when stores are open on Sunday and there is a bit of fest in the central shopping district. There were tents selling baked goods, confectionery treats, bratwurst on bread, handmade goods, locally made goods, and used books for 1 Euro each. Then there were tents for groups advertising “causes”, events, and the activities of their group. And, what German fest is complete without the folk band freezing their bare fingers as they play traditional marches and waltz'?
I was very pleased with my luck of stumbling upon this event. I found three German books at the discounted book tent. They definitely cross the gamut of difficulties and genres. I first chose a children's book of short detective stories (with about half of the mysteries being solved by me!) called “Gauner, Gangster, Geistesblitze” (Swindler, Gangster, Flash of Genius) by Wolfgang Ecke. I then found a novel by a French author, Bernard Werber, called “Die Ameisen” (The Ants). The last book I chose was called “Heimweh, Kitsch, und Co.: Die ganze Welt liebt deutsche Worter” (Homesickness, Kitsch, and Co.: The whole world loves German words) by Andrea Stiberc. When I go into libraries or bookstores, I have no idea what I want to read about, but these books succeeded in attracting my attention.
I love detective stories (Did you notice my favorite tv shows?) and short detective stories are the best. According to the frontcover and backcover of “The Ants”, this novel is a crazy tale of intelligent ants trying to take over human civilization. There are only four sections to the book and there are a variety of writing formats in the text. It looks like one of those great masterpieces that authors spend years constructing. “Homesickness, Kitsch, and Co.” sounds incredibly fascinating. There are chapters on German words being adapted to a variety of languages ranging from English, Russian, and Turkish to even Japanese! I was excited to come away from that tent with three intriguing books.
At another tent I was given a pamphlet on tours that are given in the city with various themes by the tourism office. The two tours that sound most interesting to me are “Mit dem Fahrrad-die Geschichte der Erlanger Garten” (With the bike-the History of the Erlangen Gardens) and “Von der Ackerburgerstadt zur Medizinmetropole-1007 Jahre Stadtgeschichte” (From the Agricultural Citizen City to the Medicine Metropolis-1007 Years of City History). The garden history tour visits various parks and protected lands in the city by way of bicycle, telling the history of which lands were appointed to be “gardens” and which ones just ended up that way. I am attracted to the 1007 Years of History tour because it connects the old history of the city to its present day context. We'll see if I end up attending these tours.
The tent that got me really excited was for a local group called “Erlanger Tanz Haus” (Erlanger Dance House). This group sponsors free and very low cost social folk dance lessons/sessions. Among the variety of programs they have, there is a free dance program that teaches folk dances of a different heritage each Tuesday evening. This coming Tuesday is dance from Catalan (a region of Spain). Another free program which happens the first Monday of every month also does a different heritage each session. Examples of the dance heritages which I could end up learning are Balkan, German/Franken, Irish, French, Greek, Israeli, Franken/Provence, and Scottish! I am very excited about participating in this program! I just hope that there are at least a few young people in attendance and not all old people.
My brother Paul and I used to joke that he needed to build homes for us that only had rounded corners because we were always running into the corner of a wall between our bedrooms and the bathroom. On Friday night, and then immediately again Saturday morning, I was reminded of this need for a home that is gentle on the body. You see, Friday night I bent over to throw something away in the garbage can under the desk when I got smacked in my right cheek bone by the pointy top of my desk chair! I considered putting some frozen veggies on it to ensure no bruising, but then I was curious if it would bruise, so I went to bed without any nursing. It turned out that as painful of a blow that it was, the faint darkness that has developed is only something that I would ever in a million years notice. Saturday morning came and I was nearly ready to leave for meeting Bernhard when I walked around the corner of the bedroom cabinetry and whacked my leg on a pointy corner. As I cursed the pain, I contemplated the idea that my room was out to get me! Now that I am aware of these dangers, I have been very wary of the desk chair, and we'll see how I do with that cabinet's corner tomorrow morning when I am trying to hurry myself out the door.
It's back to the lab tomorrow. Crushing clumps of soil between my fingers, sieving, weighing, noting, and bagging. If I work at a good pace, then I can also begin labeling soil colors tomorrow as well. As usual, I am a ball of nerves as to whether I have been recording the proper information about the samples I sieved and bagged on Friday. I would feel horrible if I had to redo anything.
Saturday (in the Park)
What a good day. Ignoring the fact that my housemates came home late last night and then kept me awake for about an hour in the middle of the night, the day itself was very good.
Bernhard invited me to visit the Germanisches National Museum/Germanic National Museum with him and I gladly accepted. As the tagline for the museum says, “Alle Zeiten. Alle Sinne./All times. All meanings.” In case you misunderstand the name of the museum, it is a museum for the history of Germania and not necessarily Germany itself. And it's not a museum about German Nationalism either.
We spent a lot of time looking through the old history and artifacts of Germania. It was like looking through my Ancient History textbook again with all the maps showing which tribes lived in which regions at different points in time. I quite enjoyed looking at the Neolithic and Bronze Age objects because they are so elegant in their simplicity. It got me thinking that if a majority of the world's human population got obliterated, then civilization would probably actually be in a dumbfounded state. The majority of human society's have turned to the specializing of skills, so if we lose a good chunk of people, then we have lost a whole bunch of goods and services. Sure, we might still have the blueprints and directions on how to do everything, but who says that the remaining people will understand it all? Just like in those 'washed away on a deserted island' movies, we would be left weaving raw materials and using pins to keep our clothes together. As I stood in the museum looking at those chunks of roughly etched flint/chert from 600,000 years ago, I felt a little overwhelmed at how complex things have become.
The museum is located within the walled portion of the city! This was my second 'ancient walled in city' experience; the first being Jerusalem. We walked through the main pedestrian shopping center and I was yet again amazed at how many people were out and about in the 40 degree weather. I think Americans are weak when it comes to withstanding cold temperatures. Germans on the other hand sit outside at Cafes drinking coffee and walk around town with ice cream cones in their hands! We passed a fountain sculpture that was quite astounding. Bernhard mentioned the name Hieronymous Bosch and I think he was saying that the sculpture was either made by Bosch or was made in the image of Bosch's work because I think Bosch was a painter, not a sculptor, but please correct me if I am wrong. I took a few photos so that you could share in my open-jawed, astonished facial expression
Bernhard suggested I not mention this next matter, but I figure, you know it exists, so why not put it out there as a matter of observed culture. We wanted to walk along the inside of the wall before we exited to his car and...we found the red light district! There were approximately 10 buildings all in a row dedicated to this line of business. The first woman I saw was an older woman leaning on the open window ledge showing off her cleavage (in the geological sense, of course), but otherwise appearing sufficiently clad. The next woman I saw was also older but she was standing in the entry doorway to her building in a skirt much too short for someone her age. And then we got to the young women who were sitting in their buildings' windows dressed in underwear. I preferred to think of their attire as 'bikini style' bathing suites. Even though we did accidentally come upon it, I thought that the location of this red light district was nicely hidden, being there was only the ancient wall on the opposite side of the street. Next time I visit Nurnberg and want to see more of the wall, I will choose a different section. But, I wonder what else I might stumble upon that they are hiding against the wall...
When we returned to Erlangen, I decided to find the Schlossgarten that the map said should be in the region of the old city, which is the new central shopping district. The name Schlossgarten translates to “castle garden”, but in modern day it is basically a city park. The University of Erlangen-Nurnberg administrative offices are currently located in the castle. I bought some lunch at a bakery, which consisted of a typical German sandwich (Kaiser roll, cucumber, tomato, some sort of cheese, and some sort of meat), a big salty pretzel (I bought a package of 3 from the discount bin, but still soooo good), and a carbonated water, then went around the corner to find a place to sit in the Schlossgarten.
My lunch was delicious and the local entertainment was great. Many of the social facets of Erlangen were represented in the park on this cool, sunny afternoon. I took photos of the various societal representatives. My attention was first brought to the large group of punk youths dressed in black clothing, smoking, drinking beer, and privilege to having a female friend who can wear short shorts on a cold day! In contrast to this punk group, I saw the group of teens that I figure are the “cool kids” who smoked and drank, but had an appearance and manner which spoke more to mainstream “coolness” (How does one explain “cool kids”? They just are “cool” somehow.) In addition to the groups of freedom seeking youths, there were parents playing with children, young adult couples sitting close on benches and in love, dogs romping with their owners, and then the loners either working on projects on computers or reading. The only representative that I am sorry I missed photographing was a female musician, but she kept looking around and I didn't want to be awkward. In addition to missing the musician, I also missed a female duo chatting and a male duo chatting, but I am not so sorry about missing those representatives.
It's easy to get caught up thinking that this is some sort of amazing city where vast numbers of people are drawn to socialize in the park simply because they love the park. I think that there is more reasoning behind so many people concentrating in this one place. For one thing, most of Erlangen's residents live in apartments or homes without any yard space. Another thing is that there are only a few parks within the city. So, without private lawn space and only a few parks to choose from, people end up here de facto if they want to stroll on something other than a cramped sidewalk along a busy street.
Bernhard invited me to visit the Germanisches National Museum/Germanic National Museum with him and I gladly accepted. As the tagline for the museum says, “Alle Zeiten. Alle Sinne./All times. All meanings.” In case you misunderstand the name of the museum, it is a museum for the history of Germania and not necessarily Germany itself. And it's not a museum about German Nationalism either.
We spent a lot of time looking through the old history and artifacts of Germania. It was like looking through my Ancient History textbook again with all the maps showing which tribes lived in which regions at different points in time. I quite enjoyed looking at the Neolithic and Bronze Age objects because they are so elegant in their simplicity. It got me thinking that if a majority of the world's human population got obliterated, then civilization would probably actually be in a dumbfounded state. The majority of human society's have turned to the specializing of skills, so if we lose a good chunk of people, then we have lost a whole bunch of goods and services. Sure, we might still have the blueprints and directions on how to do everything, but who says that the remaining people will understand it all? Just like in those 'washed away on a deserted island' movies, we would be left weaving raw materials and using pins to keep our clothes together. As I stood in the museum looking at those chunks of roughly etched flint/chert from 600,000 years ago, I felt a little overwhelmed at how complex things have become.
The museum is located within the walled portion of the city! This was my second 'ancient walled in city' experience; the first being Jerusalem. We walked through the main pedestrian shopping center and I was yet again amazed at how many people were out and about in the 40 degree weather. I think Americans are weak when it comes to withstanding cold temperatures. Germans on the other hand sit outside at Cafes drinking coffee and walk around town with ice cream cones in their hands! We passed a fountain sculpture that was quite astounding. Bernhard mentioned the name Hieronymous Bosch and I think he was saying that the sculpture was either made by Bosch or was made in the image of Bosch's work because I think Bosch was a painter, not a sculptor, but please correct me if I am wrong. I took a few photos so that you could share in my open-jawed, astonished facial expression
Bernhard suggested I not mention this next matter, but I figure, you know it exists, so why not put it out there as a matter of observed culture. We wanted to walk along the inside of the wall before we exited to his car and...we found the red light district! There were approximately 10 buildings all in a row dedicated to this line of business. The first woman I saw was an older woman leaning on the open window ledge showing off her cleavage (in the geological sense, of course), but otherwise appearing sufficiently clad. The next woman I saw was also older but she was standing in the entry doorway to her building in a skirt much too short for someone her age. And then we got to the young women who were sitting in their buildings' windows dressed in underwear. I preferred to think of their attire as 'bikini style' bathing suites. Even though we did accidentally come upon it, I thought that the location of this red light district was nicely hidden, being there was only the ancient wall on the opposite side of the street. Next time I visit Nurnberg and want to see more of the wall, I will choose a different section. But, I wonder what else I might stumble upon that they are hiding against the wall...
When we returned to Erlangen, I decided to find the Schlossgarten that the map said should be in the region of the old city, which is the new central shopping district. The name Schlossgarten translates to “castle garden”, but in modern day it is basically a city park. The University of Erlangen-Nurnberg administrative offices are currently located in the castle. I bought some lunch at a bakery, which consisted of a typical German sandwich (Kaiser roll, cucumber, tomato, some sort of cheese, and some sort of meat), a big salty pretzel (I bought a package of 3 from the discount bin, but still soooo good), and a carbonated water, then went around the corner to find a place to sit in the Schlossgarten.
My lunch was delicious and the local entertainment was great. Many of the social facets of Erlangen were represented in the park on this cool, sunny afternoon. I took photos of the various societal representatives. My attention was first brought to the large group of punk youths dressed in black clothing, smoking, drinking beer, and privilege to having a female friend who can wear short shorts on a cold day! In contrast to this punk group, I saw the group of teens that I figure are the “cool kids” who smoked and drank, but had an appearance and manner which spoke more to mainstream “coolness” (How does one explain “cool kids”? They just are “cool” somehow.) In addition to the groups of freedom seeking youths, there were parents playing with children, young adult couples sitting close on benches and in love, dogs romping with their owners, and then the loners either working on projects on computers or reading. The only representative that I am sorry I missed photographing was a female musician, but she kept looking around and I didn't want to be awkward. In addition to missing the musician, I also missed a female duo chatting and a male duo chatting, but I am not so sorry about missing those representatives.
It's easy to get caught up thinking that this is some sort of amazing city where vast numbers of people are drawn to socialize in the park simply because they love the park. I think that there is more reasoning behind so many people concentrating in this one place. For one thing, most of Erlangen's residents live in apartments or homes without any yard space. Another thing is that there are only a few parks within the city. So, without private lawn space and only a few parks to choose from, people end up here de facto if they want to stroll on something other than a cramped sidewalk along a busy street.
...Anne...
I conducted an experiment tonight. I was highly curious to know how the text from a standard paperback book fit on a computer page with standard 1” margins. So, first I typed up a page of text from Seneca, Letters from a Stoic. And then, I typed up a page from Anne of Green Gables. The results amazed me! Each book page filled up 4” on the computer page. The implications of this are astounding! A 300 page paperback book really only requires 150 pages on the computer. Or in another light, a standard 10 page chapter is 5 pages on the computer. This makes a lot of sense when I think about authors submitting their chapters as short stories to magazines like “The New Yorker”. In school we were taught that 5 computer pages is the approximate length of a standard short story. So there you have it folks. For all your non-authors out there, the mystery is solved! (*This paragraph alone gets me half of a page in a paperback book!!!!*)
I began reading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery a few nights ago and I must say that I think Anne and I are going to be fast friends. Here's a few quotes:
“When we got on the train I felt as if everybody must be looking at me and pitying me. But I just went to work and imagined that I had on the most beautiful pale blue silk dress—because when you are imagining you might as well imagine something worth while—and a big hat all flowers and nodding plumes, and a gold watch, and kid gloves and boots. I felt cheered up right away and I enjoyed my trip to the Island with all my might. “
“It's delightful when your imaginations come true, isn't it? But those red roads are so funny. When we got into the train at Charlottetown and the red roads began to flash past I asked Mrs. Spencer what made them red and she said she didn't know and for pity's sake not to ask her any more questions. She said I must have asked her a thousand already. I suppose I had, too, but how are you going to find out about things if you don't ask questions? And what does make the roads red?”
“Well now, I dunno,” said Matthew.
“Well, that is one of the things to find out sometime. Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?”
“Listen to the trees talking in their sleep,” she whispered as he lifted her to the ground. “What nice dreams they must have!”
“When you hear a name pronounced can't your always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished. If you'll only call me Anne spelled with an e I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia.”
Anne is such a talkative, curious, and above all imaginative little girl of eleven years. I think she is a more effective daydreamer/imaginer than me. My parents are always wondering about things like “What makes the road red?” and when we bring up such questions over dinner an after dinner assignment is given to someone to find out the answer on the Internet (or when I was young we found the answer in our set of encyclopedias). I think I learned to personify the trees, like Anne is doing, and other creatures from my mother. My middle name is Anne, spelled for certain with an e. My mother and I agree with Anne of Green Gables that Anne with an e is much prettier than Ann without an e. My first name, Laurie, is also spelled in the prettier fashion. Laurie Anne. That's my name!
I brought the first three books of the “Anne...” series with me to Erlangen. They have been sitting around my childhood home for as long as I can remember. But, just as in most things, I am only now reading them because it took until now for me to want to read them. If you remember my two seat mates on the airplane ride over here, the father asked the professor for any advice on how to help his son improve on his writing skills. The professor replied that he had to confess that he didn't know how to help people improve their writing skills. I found this shameful! I don't know if anyone really paid attention to my advice, but I announced it anyway. I said that his son needs to write about subjects which interest him and then from there he could learn to improve his writing. The reasoning behind my suggestion is similar to my reason for just now after all of these years picking up these “Anne...” books. People do their best at things when they are being directed by an inner urge. It's not enough to say, “I should read an 800 page Russian novel”. Without the urge, then the reading of this novel will always go to the bottom of a to-do list. Sometimes I look back through my elementary school notebooks and I find horribly written paragraphs about what I did over the weekend. I think the teacher was on the right track with this individually directed assignment, but what would also really help someone learn to write is to provide questions which need to be addressed within the writing (I don't know if the teacher did this or not). With a topic of interest and some structure, I think that most people have the potential to construct sensible sentences and strings of thoughts.
I had my first real day of work today. I have a question: Why is it that geology/physical geography labs are located in basements? Is it for our own protection since we love to observe the out-of-doors and are easily distracted by the out-of-doors? I worked in a little closet of a room sieving soil samples. The process involved a lot of weighing, sieving out the >2mm clumps, stones, and grains, grinding up a small portion into fine powder, and repackaging everything in new bags. I enjoyed the work and the workplace. It was nice and quiet, albeit a little cool in temperature. I completed more than half of the samples, so I will continue with this activity on Monday.
I began reading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery a few nights ago and I must say that I think Anne and I are going to be fast friends. Here's a few quotes:
“When we got on the train I felt as if everybody must be looking at me and pitying me. But I just went to work and imagined that I had on the most beautiful pale blue silk dress—because when you are imagining you might as well imagine something worth while—and a big hat all flowers and nodding plumes, and a gold watch, and kid gloves and boots. I felt cheered up right away and I enjoyed my trip to the Island with all my might. “
“It's delightful when your imaginations come true, isn't it? But those red roads are so funny. When we got into the train at Charlottetown and the red roads began to flash past I asked Mrs. Spencer what made them red and she said she didn't know and for pity's sake not to ask her any more questions. She said I must have asked her a thousand already. I suppose I had, too, but how are you going to find out about things if you don't ask questions? And what does make the roads red?”
“Well now, I dunno,” said Matthew.
“Well, that is one of the things to find out sometime. Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?”
“Listen to the trees talking in their sleep,” she whispered as he lifted her to the ground. “What nice dreams they must have!”
“When you hear a name pronounced can't your always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished. If you'll only call me Anne spelled with an e I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia.”
Anne is such a talkative, curious, and above all imaginative little girl of eleven years. I think she is a more effective daydreamer/imaginer than me. My parents are always wondering about things like “What makes the road red?” and when we bring up such questions over dinner an after dinner assignment is given to someone to find out the answer on the Internet (or when I was young we found the answer in our set of encyclopedias). I think I learned to personify the trees, like Anne is doing, and other creatures from my mother. My middle name is Anne, spelled for certain with an e. My mother and I agree with Anne of Green Gables that Anne with an e is much prettier than Ann without an e. My first name, Laurie, is also spelled in the prettier fashion. Laurie Anne. That's my name!
I brought the first three books of the “Anne...” series with me to Erlangen. They have been sitting around my childhood home for as long as I can remember. But, just as in most things, I am only now reading them because it took until now for me to want to read them. If you remember my two seat mates on the airplane ride over here, the father asked the professor for any advice on how to help his son improve on his writing skills. The professor replied that he had to confess that he didn't know how to help people improve their writing skills. I found this shameful! I don't know if anyone really paid attention to my advice, but I announced it anyway. I said that his son needs to write about subjects which interest him and then from there he could learn to improve his writing. The reasoning behind my suggestion is similar to my reason for just now after all of these years picking up these “Anne...” books. People do their best at things when they are being directed by an inner urge. It's not enough to say, “I should read an 800 page Russian novel”. Without the urge, then the reading of this novel will always go to the bottom of a to-do list. Sometimes I look back through my elementary school notebooks and I find horribly written paragraphs about what I did over the weekend. I think the teacher was on the right track with this individually directed assignment, but what would also really help someone learn to write is to provide questions which need to be addressed within the writing (I don't know if the teacher did this or not). With a topic of interest and some structure, I think that most people have the potential to construct sensible sentences and strings of thoughts.
I had my first real day of work today. I have a question: Why is it that geology/physical geography labs are located in basements? Is it for our own protection since we love to observe the out-of-doors and are easily distracted by the out-of-doors? I worked in a little closet of a room sieving soil samples. The process involved a lot of weighing, sieving out the >2mm clumps, stones, and grains, grinding up a small portion into fine powder, and repackaging everything in new bags. I enjoyed the work and the workplace. It was nice and quiet, albeit a little cool in temperature. I completed more than half of the samples, so I will continue with this activity on Monday.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Restmüll
I just found out the meaning of one of those words whose meaning baffles you until you finally understand and then can't understand how the meaning was ever so baffling. Word of the day: “Restműll”. I have always known this word and knew that it meant “non-recyclable garbage”, but if “műll” was garbage, then what was the meaning of “rest”. What's stupid is that I even knew that “rest” in German was the same as “rest” in English! Only this evening when I was reading the posters in the kitchen about when the different types of garbage are to be put out for the garbage men did I find a writer who phrased the meaning in a way that clicked. The author stated something like, “the rest of the garbage that can't be recycled in the yellow sack or in the compost is to be put in the black container”. Ah hah! I think that my lack of comprehension is cultural in origin. In the United States, the Restműll is the main garbage container with the recycling bin serving a subordinate role. Amazing what cultural context can do for the understanding of vocabulary.
SENECA, Letters from a Stoic, Letter CVII
"Everyone faces up more bravely to a thing for which he has long prepared himself, sufferings, even, being withstood if they have been trained for in advance. Those who are unprepared, on the other hand, are panic-stricken by the most insignificant happenings. We must see to it that nothing takes us by surprise."
And, it is for this reason exactly that I daydream about all the possibilities that lie ahead of me in life. But, sometimes it takes me half of the day to prepare myself, which is a hindrance. I wish I were better at jumping in unprepared.
And, it is for this reason exactly that I daydream about all the possibilities that lie ahead of me in life. But, sometimes it takes me half of the day to prepare myself, which is a hindrance. I wish I were better at jumping in unprepared.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Der Dritte Tag/The Third Day
Beginnings are always so difficult, no matter what the activity. I have to figure out the right questions to ask whom, try to act as confident as possible when I don't know which way is up, and be patient that things will come together in a sensible manner.
Whereas on the first two days I felt amazing about my German comprehension and response skills, on the third day I feel beaten and unable to step up to the challenge of communication. So goes the roller-coaster of foreign language communication.
Bernhard provided me yesterday with an Analysis Plan which he had previously drawn up for how it is best to go about conducting the analyses he wants done on his samples from his various Jordanian sites. I was reading through the first three steps this morning in German but the dictionary got a lot of use. One important word that has stuck in my brain for its fascination value is “Stickstoff”. I already knew that “stoff” meant that this word stood for some sort of material, but I thought how funny it was to have a technical term that in English sounds like 'sticky material'. Apparently, Stickstoff is nitrogen! With another look in the dictionary I just found out that “stick” means 'stuffy'. So, does this mean nitrogen is a 'stuffy material'? Uhhhhh...
Another amusing vocabulary choice of the technical variety is “Lachgas”. Lachgas translates to 'laugh gas'. I was giggling over this yesterday when Ute, the lab manager was showing Bernhard and me around the lab. They explained that it is seriously called “Lachgas”. They think that it started out as a slang word, just like in English, but that with time it became the standard. Oh, how languages do crack me up.
I can't work with the soil samples until Friday because they have to dry for 72 hours. I did go into the lab today though and do something productive. We had taken a few basalt rocks from the bedrock to compare their contents with that of their overlying soil. My task today was to smash a small amount off of these rocks and then put the bits in a machine to be crushed into a fine powder very similar to ash. Basalt is a very tough rock, so with my sludge hammer in hand, I had to find a place outside where I could provide enough force to smash my rocks into tiny bits without smashing up any bricks or pavement. I found a useless cement slab in a rock garden that worked pretty well as a base for the first rock, but it was split into three pieces by the time I needed it for the second rock. In addition to no longer having a good base, I think the second rock was stronger. After spending several frustrating minutes trying to persuade the useless slab and other inferior granite rocks to be my base, I decided to relocate to a place where I could smash at will. Not too much farther down the side of the building I found some extra bricks and one of them had already lost a quarter of itself. My second basalt rock finally broke and I was so filled with glee that even the passing gardener smiled with me.
The first rock had easily given me near powder to put into the decimation machine but the second rock only gave me angular pebbles. Bernhard showed me how to fill the little containers and work the machine, but I was left wondering if I created enough powder or if there should be more. He said there should an amount about equal to fill half a film canister, but I don't think I have that much. With the soil sampling and the rock smashing I had more than enough, and now with the rock powder I fear I don't have enough! This reminds me of the problem of trying to arrive at an appointment exactly on time, but always arriving either a little too early or too late. Who's perfect at these things? Not me. Get over it and go forth with confidence. Or, at least pretend to.
I find it amusing that I wear a bicycle helmet when I ride my very comfortable and safe bikes in the United States, and yet when I am in Germany traveling slowly on rickety bikes, I forgo helmet wearing. I can understand why some people are scared of riding bikes if they tried to learn on old rickety bikes or even uncomfortable new ones. When the tires wiggle, the seat's uncomfortable, and the angles of the legs are not conducive to maximum power exertion, then it is not fun to bike ride.
I am amazed at how many people pack into German cities and villages. The buildings and homes are nearly all attached and there are tall, dense apartment complexes. When driving on the expressway and looking around at the villages, it is a wonder to see the tightly nestled villages with farmland and forests all around. People here tend to not have individual yards. Rather, they go walking in the park or hiking in the forest. Even farmers tend to live within the confines of the village and not out in the middle of their fields.
All the streets of Erlangen are filled with people traveling by bicycle and foot. Grocery stores are scattered within walking distance of most living abodes and there are many other small scale bakeries, butchers, fruit/vegetable, drug, and necessity item stores just around the corners. The bus system in this city hits up most of the areas and comes by with decent frequency. Of course, all of this convenient transportation and purchasing business is only possible because this is a very densely populated city. This situation is certainly not the case in villages, which I know from the experience of having lived in an Austrian village where there was only one necessity item store and a bus which came through on a circuitous route several times each day. And from what the German Sacsha said yesterday evening when Yve said that he needed a car to get around the Swiss villages, German villages are just as inconvenient as Austrian and Swiss villages.
Whereas on the first two days I felt amazing about my German comprehension and response skills, on the third day I feel beaten and unable to step up to the challenge of communication. So goes the roller-coaster of foreign language communication.
Bernhard provided me yesterday with an Analysis Plan which he had previously drawn up for how it is best to go about conducting the analyses he wants done on his samples from his various Jordanian sites. I was reading through the first three steps this morning in German but the dictionary got a lot of use. One important word that has stuck in my brain for its fascination value is “Stickstoff”. I already knew that “stoff” meant that this word stood for some sort of material, but I thought how funny it was to have a technical term that in English sounds like 'sticky material'. Apparently, Stickstoff is nitrogen! With another look in the dictionary I just found out that “stick” means 'stuffy'. So, does this mean nitrogen is a 'stuffy material'? Uhhhhh...
Another amusing vocabulary choice of the technical variety is “Lachgas”. Lachgas translates to 'laugh gas'. I was giggling over this yesterday when Ute, the lab manager was showing Bernhard and me around the lab. They explained that it is seriously called “Lachgas”. They think that it started out as a slang word, just like in English, but that with time it became the standard. Oh, how languages do crack me up.
I can't work with the soil samples until Friday because they have to dry for 72 hours. I did go into the lab today though and do something productive. We had taken a few basalt rocks from the bedrock to compare their contents with that of their overlying soil. My task today was to smash a small amount off of these rocks and then put the bits in a machine to be crushed into a fine powder very similar to ash. Basalt is a very tough rock, so with my sludge hammer in hand, I had to find a place outside where I could provide enough force to smash my rocks into tiny bits without smashing up any bricks or pavement. I found a useless cement slab in a rock garden that worked pretty well as a base for the first rock, but it was split into three pieces by the time I needed it for the second rock. In addition to no longer having a good base, I think the second rock was stronger. After spending several frustrating minutes trying to persuade the useless slab and other inferior granite rocks to be my base, I decided to relocate to a place where I could smash at will. Not too much farther down the side of the building I found some extra bricks and one of them had already lost a quarter of itself. My second basalt rock finally broke and I was so filled with glee that even the passing gardener smiled with me.
The first rock had easily given me near powder to put into the decimation machine but the second rock only gave me angular pebbles. Bernhard showed me how to fill the little containers and work the machine, but I was left wondering if I created enough powder or if there should be more. He said there should an amount about equal to fill half a film canister, but I don't think I have that much. With the soil sampling and the rock smashing I had more than enough, and now with the rock powder I fear I don't have enough! This reminds me of the problem of trying to arrive at an appointment exactly on time, but always arriving either a little too early or too late. Who's perfect at these things? Not me. Get over it and go forth with confidence. Or, at least pretend to.
I find it amusing that I wear a bicycle helmet when I ride my very comfortable and safe bikes in the United States, and yet when I am in Germany traveling slowly on rickety bikes, I forgo helmet wearing. I can understand why some people are scared of riding bikes if they tried to learn on old rickety bikes or even uncomfortable new ones. When the tires wiggle, the seat's uncomfortable, and the angles of the legs are not conducive to maximum power exertion, then it is not fun to bike ride.
I am amazed at how many people pack into German cities and villages. The buildings and homes are nearly all attached and there are tall, dense apartment complexes. When driving on the expressway and looking around at the villages, it is a wonder to see the tightly nestled villages with farmland and forests all around. People here tend to not have individual yards. Rather, they go walking in the park or hiking in the forest. Even farmers tend to live within the confines of the village and not out in the middle of their fields.
All the streets of Erlangen are filled with people traveling by bicycle and foot. Grocery stores are scattered within walking distance of most living abodes and there are many other small scale bakeries, butchers, fruit/vegetable, drug, and necessity item stores just around the corners. The bus system in this city hits up most of the areas and comes by with decent frequency. Of course, all of this convenient transportation and purchasing business is only possible because this is a very densely populated city. This situation is certainly not the case in villages, which I know from the experience of having lived in an Austrian village where there was only one necessity item store and a bus which came through on a circuitous route several times each day. And from what the German Sacsha said yesterday evening when Yve said that he needed a car to get around the Swiss villages, German villages are just as inconvenient as Austrian and Swiss villages.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
THEY KNEW I WAS COMING
You know they put me in the correct room when these are the photos already hanging on the walls.
Der Anfang/The Beginning
How do I begin talking about the last two days? I know: grab a bag of dark chocolate M&Ms. 'Check' Sit in a comfy position. 'Check' Drink some water because I've consumed too many M&Ms. 'Check'
I flew out of Detroit, Michigan on the evening of Saturday 14 March. I was very lucky and grateful to be sitting between two very interesting people. Instead of trying to sleep during my six hour overnight flight, I chatted with my seat mates. The man on my right was 55 years old and a German-American German professor at Hillsdale College in Michigan. Mr. Professor has a girlfriend, but he winced when he said the word “girlfriend” because he didn't think people his age should use that term for their unmarried significant others, so he replaced that word with “friend”. He was returning to Germany for Spring Break. The man on my left was 41 years old and a Chief in the American Air Force. If I recall, his name was Chief Courtney Davis. (Now if he googles his name, he might find my webpage.) Chief Davis is an American native to Jamaica married to a German woman and they have two male children ages 9 and 14 who live in Germany. Apparently the 14 year old is a fantastic swimmer. Chief Davis is an airport inspector and travels to various locations around the globe fulfilling this role. Who wants to pretend to sleep or watch sappy movies like “The Secret Life of Bees” or “Vicky Christina Barcelona” when you have two much more interesting subjects right next to you?
'Pause' I may be eating too many M&Ms. But it's my fuel! My motivation! Pushing the bag out of reach. 'Check' After one last bite.
When I arrived at the Munich airport, Ms. Holst was waiting for me. Her son, an AFS student presently in Michigan, had sent her a photo of me the day before so that she could identify me. Ms. Holst graciously transported me and my stuff the hour and a half north to Erlangen. We ate lunch at a Gasthous (Guest house) where the food was quite tasty. I moved in to my home a little while later. The caretaker of the house was very friendly and helpful. This man is not the landlord, but a lawyer who rents a few rooms on the second floor for his office and lives in the house next door with his family. He showed me how to open all the windows and doors in my room which was surprisingly extremely helpful.
Besides the caretaker/lawyer, three other rooms are rented out. Next to me is a guy named Sacsha who just began working for Siemens two weeks ago after finishing college. By the way, Erlangen is the home of Siemens. The two big draws for people to come to Erlangen are the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg and Siemens. Upstairs, for only two more weeks, live Frank and Tve. Frank is in his last few weeks of a design internship and then he will return to his undergraduate program. Tve is from a French region of Switzerland but here in Germany for a three month long intensive German language program in addition to working at a swimming pool shop in the afternoons. Sacsha and I share a bathroom on the first floor while Frank and Tve share a bathroom upstairs. There's a kitchen we all share on the first floor and a clothes-washer in the basement. The backyard is full of wonderful bushes and trees. So far, I am pleased with my abode.
I rode the bus to the university this morning. I was a little confused at the point in my ride when I had to switch bus' because at first I forgot which direction I needed to head, but I found what I thought was the correct bus and then got confirmation from the bus driver before I got on the bus.
'Pause' Brush teeth before I get the urge to eat any more M&Ms. 'Check'
I found Professor Baumler's office in the Geography Department who then showed me to the soil lab where Bernhard Lucke was talking on a phone. While I waited for Bernhard to finish his call, the laboratory manager gave me a tour of the equipment. Naturally, I was in a state of aw at all the machines and their vast capabilities. We continued touring the lab when Bernhard joined us. The laboratory consists of four rooms. One of the rooms is a storage room where Bernhard showed me several containers full of his samples. Thankfully, only one of the smaller containers and a plastic grocery bag are my responsibility, which consists of about 50 samples. Today I emptied all of the soil samples into aluminum tins and placed them in the drying machine for three days at 40 degree centrigrade. The soils must dry before I may do anything else with them. The only laboratory work I must do in the meantime is smash up a couple of small rocks into fine grains so that we can compare the bedrock compositions to the overlying soils.
'Pause' My computer is not accepting electricity from the house. This is frustrating me greatly. Ooh, the battery just went up a little. My fiddling may have done some good. 'Check'
After touring the laboratory...Wait, I must interject. I was so excited to find out today that that German word for a lab is “labor”. Additionally, but not so interestingly, the word for laboratory is “laboratorium”. Even though it makes complete sense for the word lab to be “labor”, it excites me because the word “labor” is an English word that brings up thoughts of hard work and bodily taxation.
'Pause' And it was only for a moment that this house liked my computer. Grrr.
Bernhard and I found bicycles for ourselves to borrow from the university guest house where he is living for the month he is here in Erlangen. I found out on my ride home this evening that my bicycle seat is horribly painful, but that's what you get from bicycle seats. We repaired the rear light on my bike so that I won't get a ticket from the police or get run over by a vehicle.
'Pause' Ah HAH! Apparently the power adapter only functions at a certain awkward angle, so I have enlisted the television's remote control to prop itself against the adapter in order to give this machine juice from the house. 'Check'
I have not acquired an official map of the city yet, so my bicycle ride home this evening included many feelings of being lost because all I had with me were a few Google maps of the area around my home and around the university. The maps almost overlap, but not quite. I also found a grocery store where I purchased the cheapest choices of everything I needed. After bicycling a couple more kilometers I found another branch of the same grocery chain very near to my home. Next time.
Many people in the United States and here have asked me whether I will be speaking German in the laboratory. Well, as it turns out, the lab manager claims to speak English horribly, so we will most definitely be speaking German with one another. I attempted to speak mostly German with Bernhard, who I had previously only spoken English with in Jordan, but there were several times throughout today when I had him repeat something in English or we discussed something completely in English because it was too important and complicated to leave a whole bunch of unknowns in my comprehension. One of the students who was working in the lab began a conversation with me in English, so when I need her assistance a few minutes later I spoke in English, but I think that normally we will speak German with one another. And with everyone else around here, I will speak German. I am quite surprised with myself at how much I actually understand. Of course, I have to concentrate really hard and sometimes people simply talk way too fast for me to catch every word. So, if they are speaking to me directly, I politely ask for a repeat and then most of the time I comprehend. People often think that I didn't understand the vocabulary when I request a repeat, but most of the time it is more so the speed or sloppiness of speech that is the problem. Please don't think I am being too picky for commenting on sloppy speech because it is a natural occurrence in every culture that takes everyone a lot of time for acclimation. Perhaps you noticed that I said “culture” and not language or country because the nuances of speech are local phenomena, no matter what language or country.
In addition to surprising myself at language comprehension from the mouths of others, I am also getting by with my own speech. I find that I am much more comfortable plowing through a sentence here in Germany than in the United States in a German class or otherwise. Here I know that I must communicate, and it is necessary and respectful for me to communicate in the language of the land, even if my words and grammar are imperfect. Every experience I have had with the German language thus far through living over here or taking classes has only served to improve my skills and I am looking forward to getting that confused look off my face sooner than later.
A Thousand Words
I wrote a lot last night and I was going to post it today, but I can't get the document to open on this school computer, so I will give you the gift of a thousand words.
Friday, March 13, 2009
SENECA, Letters from a Stoic, Letter CIV
"The story is told that someone complained to Socrates that travelling abroad had never done him any good and received the reply: 'What else can you expect, seeing that you always take yourself along with you when you go abroad?' What a blessing it would be for some people if they could only lose themselves! As things are these persons are a worry and a burden, a source of demoralization and anxiety, to their own selves. What good does it do you to go overseas, to move from city to city? If you really want to excape things that harass you, what you're needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person...But travel won't make a better or saner man of you. For this we must spend time in study and in the writings of wise men, to learn the truths that have emerged from their researches, and carry on the search outselves for the answers that have not yet been discovered. This is the way to liberate the spirit that still needs to be rescued from its miserable state of slavery...For the only safe harbour in this life's tossing, troubled sea is to refuse to be bothered about what the future will bring and to stand ready and confident, squaring the breast to take without skulking or flinching whatever fortune hurls at us...In any event what person actually trying them [things, activities] has found them prove beyond him? Who hasn't noticed how much easier they are in the actual doing? It's not because they're hard that we lose confidence; they're hard because we lack the confidence."
MAKE-BELIEVE
You know how on t.v. shows the main characters are always flirting with random service industry strangers like the waiter or the garbage man (I think it was a Sex and the City lady that ended up dating a garbage man)? Well, since I don't believe that real, genuine humans actually go about behaving this way, I make-believe that they do! In my head, when a male sales associate or customer service representative is being really nice, friendly, and helpful to me, I pretend that he totally digs me! Totally! Because you know, I look just so dashing and the couple of words that came out of my mouth were just so captivating! HAH! And this is why, my friends, Mr. Rogers taught me to make-believe.
PACKING
I pack up all the things I own
and head into the unknown.
Seneca keeps telling me that peace and happiness are from within
and not from without.
But my possessions ground me
while my surroundings astound me.
and head into the unknown.
Seneca keeps telling me that peace and happiness are from within
and not from without.
But my possessions ground me
while my surroundings astound me.
I AM
You know what I think about as a source of reassurance that I'll be okay in the activities I pursue? I know a lot of people who are more dense and slow than me who will pursue great things and survive. If they can do it, then so can I.
I am a hard worker.
I'm curious.
I'm analytical.
I'm patient.
I'm experimental.
I'm grounded in philosophy and religion.
I can do this.
I am a hard worker.
I'm curious.
I'm analytical.
I'm patient.
I'm experimental.
I'm grounded in philosophy and religion.
I can do this.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
SENECA, Letters from a Stoic, Letter XCI
“One thing I know: all the works of mortal man lie under sentence of mortality; we live among things that are destined to perish...So the spirit must be trained to a realization and an acceptance of its lot...There's no ground for resentment in all this. We've entered into a world in which these are the terms life is lived on...Resent a thing by all means if it represents an injustice decreed against yourself personally; but if this same constraint is binding on the lowest and the highest alike, then make your peace with destiny, the destiny that unravels all ties.”
IMAGES
I have a mirror hanging in my bedroom that is just big enough to reflect my narcissistic head. It is situated in such a location that I have the opportunity to look myself in the eyes each time I walk to my nightstand or get into bed. Taped to the top perimeter of the mirror's wooden frame is a rose with a pale blue ribbon tied up in a bow. Sometimes I forgo my narcissism to muse about the rose as I pass. This is no ordinary rose display. Rather, this rose has been dead for many years and it's age is quite evident: only a few dirty yellow petals cling to the shriveled brown stem. But, I love my rose. I find it a wonderful reminder of the natural cycle of life and death. Each time I accidentally bump off a brittle petal I think about the rose in the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast. If you recall, a witch put the Beast and his castle under a spell that would only be broken if the Beast learned to love and found someone to love him back before the last petal fell from the dying rose. My rose is not magical, but the slow deterioration it succumbs to works just as perfectly to remind me that I need to live a fulfilling life before my time on Earth is up.
I have two picture frames hanging on the wall next to my mirror. After looking at myself or the rose, my eyes shift to a photo of some of my best friends. This picture brings to mind good times spent together and things I have learned from them. The next photo my eyes come to is of myself. Oh yes, narcissism at its best. It is one of my favorite senior year of high school professional photos. When I look into my photographed eyes, I have thoughts of what that younger version of me is thinking. She asks me questions like, “Do you like who you saw in the mirror?” and “Are you who you want to be?”. And she reassures me, “I trust you to make me proud.”
I like walking past this succession of images. They challenge and encourage me daily. And what happens when the last rose petal falls? Well, hopefully I will have learned to love and found someone to love me back.
I have two picture frames hanging on the wall next to my mirror. After looking at myself or the rose, my eyes shift to a photo of some of my best friends. This picture brings to mind good times spent together and things I have learned from them. The next photo my eyes come to is of myself. Oh yes, narcissism at its best. It is one of my favorite senior year of high school professional photos. When I look into my photographed eyes, I have thoughts of what that younger version of me is thinking. She asks me questions like, “Do you like who you saw in the mirror?” and “Are you who you want to be?”. And she reassures me, “I trust you to make me proud.”
I like walking past this succession of images. They challenge and encourage me daily. And what happens when the last rose petal falls? Well, hopefully I will have learned to love and found someone to love me back.
INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS
Every human being has parents in some sort of sense and most parents wish the best for their children, which typically includes the wish that their children will find a spouse or a life partner. But do our parents really expect us to go out into the world and foster healthy intimate relations when they set such poor examples for us? It seems like most of my peers can tell tales of their parents' arguments and unhappiness'. Oh sure, not all marriages are depressing, but even those marriages that look pristine from far away are in fact brittle when the veil comes down.
Once children realize that their parents are providing them with poor examples of how to have intimate relationships, they turn to the fiction of movies and television to satisfy their needs. But, alas, television shows are only reinforcing the idea that successful intimate relationships are impossible. Several of today's most successful shows are actually using this theme to bring audiences back week after week. In some shows the main characters are presented as being so independent in mind and lifestyles that as much as they want to have intimate relations with their co-stars, they can't. Such shows as FOX's House, FOX's Bones, and the new ABC show Castle quickly come to mind as examples of this situation. Each of these shows has a male/female duo who week after week jitterbug around each other but never do the tango. Are these shows professing the truth that no matter how great two people seem for each other, they really shouldn't be an intimate couple because they would only end up making themselves miserable?
The home and television appear to be teaching the same lesson: intimate relationships are troublesome and to be avoided. But my mind screams, how can this be!? Unlike some other animals, humans are supposed to mate with one partner for life and our offspring are supposed to be raised by both parents.
I don't want our homes, movies, or television shows to revert to a “Father knows best” or even a “Mother knows best” attitude. Neither of these would solve the need for an example of two people peacefully, constructively, and lovingly working together.
Once children realize that their parents are providing them with poor examples of how to have intimate relationships, they turn to the fiction of movies and television to satisfy their needs. But, alas, television shows are only reinforcing the idea that successful intimate relationships are impossible. Several of today's most successful shows are actually using this theme to bring audiences back week after week. In some shows the main characters are presented as being so independent in mind and lifestyles that as much as they want to have intimate relations with their co-stars, they can't. Such shows as FOX's House, FOX's Bones, and the new ABC show Castle quickly come to mind as examples of this situation. Each of these shows has a male/female duo who week after week jitterbug around each other but never do the tango. Are these shows professing the truth that no matter how great two people seem for each other, they really shouldn't be an intimate couple because they would only end up making themselves miserable?
The home and television appear to be teaching the same lesson: intimate relationships are troublesome and to be avoided. But my mind screams, how can this be!? Unlike some other animals, humans are supposed to mate with one partner for life and our offspring are supposed to be raised by both parents.
I don't want our homes, movies, or television shows to revert to a “Father knows best” or even a “Mother knows best” attitude. Neither of these would solve the need for an example of two people peacefully, constructively, and lovingly working together.
WORRY
Sometimes I worry and worry and worry when I need not have worried at all.
Sometimes I worry and worry and worry when I need have worried a lot more.
Which is it this time?
Sometimes I worry and worry and worry when I need have worried a lot more.
Which is it this time?
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
I had this dream in my head during the months leading up to my freshman year at Calvin College. I envisioned myself getting up in the early morning hours and swimming laps in the school pool. I would be in that pool before dawn, before the world got busy. The intent of this regimen was to keep me healthy and embrace a fun way to exercise.
Of course, once I got to Calvin I stared at that big, imposing field house and didn't dare step foot in that swimming pool, let alone go there before dawn. (Just think how imposing that new building must be now to new students!) One afternoon I finally got up the nerve to take a swim and I found out that I hated lap swimming. So, there went that dream.
A few years later I was supposed to be doing aerobic exercises a few days a week to supplement my PE class and I thought I would put swimming into the mix with my jogging. It worked out for a couple of weeks to lap swim once or twice a week in the afternoon, but it soon got to be too time consuming and distracting of an activity. I found myself having to pack extra clothes and towel before heading off to class, showering when I got home from swimming, and then consuming tons of food to rejuvenate myself after the exhaustion of swimming. I will admit that swimming is a wonderful aerobic workout. But, I couldn't spend half my afternoon dealing with swimming and its side-effects.
I tried to keep up the dream, but it just wasn't meant to be. Professor van Dijk actually lives the dream. She swims several days a week before coming in to school. Kathy lived the dream sometimes. I would come home in the afternoons to find her showering off the chlorine.
What is the point of this story? Why do I dwell on such a silly and meaningless dream? Because it is an example for me to learn from for other areas of my life. I have already confessed that I am an official daydreamer. I use daydreams to imagine what amazing things could be in store for me in my future activities. But, this experience with the pool and swimming really taught me that my dreams are just dreams and life will never be as wonderful and perfect as I wish it could be. I want to make starry-eyed plans for my life, but I know that most of my ideas are not conducive to what I really enjoy or am capable of doing. The difficulty is sorting out the bad ideas from the good ideas without having the opportunity to try them all out. And since I can't try them all out, I attempt to daydream my way through various experiences in order to see what ideas really appeal to me and what ideas I find appalling. It's mental role-playing. It seems like most of the time I just end up disappointed because none of my ideas work out in my daydreams. But I keep trying. Life keeps offering me new paths to play around with.
Of course, once I got to Calvin I stared at that big, imposing field house and didn't dare step foot in that swimming pool, let alone go there before dawn. (Just think how imposing that new building must be now to new students!) One afternoon I finally got up the nerve to take a swim and I found out that I hated lap swimming. So, there went that dream.
A few years later I was supposed to be doing aerobic exercises a few days a week to supplement my PE class and I thought I would put swimming into the mix with my jogging. It worked out for a couple of weeks to lap swim once or twice a week in the afternoon, but it soon got to be too time consuming and distracting of an activity. I found myself having to pack extra clothes and towel before heading off to class, showering when I got home from swimming, and then consuming tons of food to rejuvenate myself after the exhaustion of swimming. I will admit that swimming is a wonderful aerobic workout. But, I couldn't spend half my afternoon dealing with swimming and its side-effects.
I tried to keep up the dream, but it just wasn't meant to be. Professor van Dijk actually lives the dream. She swims several days a week before coming in to school. Kathy lived the dream sometimes. I would come home in the afternoons to find her showering off the chlorine.
What is the point of this story? Why do I dwell on such a silly and meaningless dream? Because it is an example for me to learn from for other areas of my life. I have already confessed that I am an official daydreamer. I use daydreams to imagine what amazing things could be in store for me in my future activities. But, this experience with the pool and swimming really taught me that my dreams are just dreams and life will never be as wonderful and perfect as I wish it could be. I want to make starry-eyed plans for my life, but I know that most of my ideas are not conducive to what I really enjoy or am capable of doing. The difficulty is sorting out the bad ideas from the good ideas without having the opportunity to try them all out. And since I can't try them all out, I attempt to daydream my way through various experiences in order to see what ideas really appeal to me and what ideas I find appalling. It's mental role-playing. It seems like most of the time I just end up disappointed because none of my ideas work out in my daydreams. But I keep trying. Life keeps offering me new paths to play around with.
FEAR
I spent the month of January in Jordan with a college archeology group. I was in Jordan to learn about the history of that region and to collect soil samples with a Professor from a German university. In a few days I will be going to Germany to analyze the soil samples in a university laboratory. I will stay there for 3 months to do this and then come home for my oldest brother's wedding in June.
I am super excited about this opportunity to apply both my interests in geology and German. I am also super scared. I'm afraid of being an idiot when it comes to laboratory work because I've never been very good at school labs. I'm also afraid of being lonely because I won't know anyone. I'm also afraid because the last decision I made to go somewhere and do something I thought would be great turned out to be a disaster-yes, I mean my failed bicycle trip last Autumn. I hate making choices and taking bold chances because there is so much room to screw up. When I play board and card games, I like to play the ones which are mostly up to chance. And that's also how I try to live my real life. I think that what it comes down to is I don't like taking responsibility, whether it be praiseworthy or disgraceful. One of the most difficult things about being me is that I live my life always with an eye to the future. And while this is definitely a good thing, it takes a lot of patience and snubbed desires. I have ideas of what sort of life I should live; you know, things like a goal income, goal living abode, pets, entertainment options, clothes, etc. I daydream of so many things that could give me instant gratification, but I know I must wait. All I may have now is dark chocolate and boy do I take advantage of that! I have applied to a German university grad school program called Environmental and Resource Management. The courses are all in English, which means I can actually succeed. This is what I want. I know it is. And yet, every morning when I wake up I curl up and hide under the covers and daydream that my life is completely different. People call me brave for all the different places I've been to and activities I've done; if only I felt so brave.
I am super excited about this opportunity to apply both my interests in geology and German. I am also super scared. I'm afraid of being an idiot when it comes to laboratory work because I've never been very good at school labs. I'm also afraid of being lonely because I won't know anyone. I'm also afraid because the last decision I made to go somewhere and do something I thought would be great turned out to be a disaster-yes, I mean my failed bicycle trip last Autumn. I hate making choices and taking bold chances because there is so much room to screw up. When I play board and card games, I like to play the ones which are mostly up to chance. And that's also how I try to live my real life. I think that what it comes down to is I don't like taking responsibility, whether it be praiseworthy or disgraceful. One of the most difficult things about being me is that I live my life always with an eye to the future. And while this is definitely a good thing, it takes a lot of patience and snubbed desires. I have ideas of what sort of life I should live; you know, things like a goal income, goal living abode, pets, entertainment options, clothes, etc. I daydream of so many things that could give me instant gratification, but I know I must wait. All I may have now is dark chocolate and boy do I take advantage of that! I have applied to a German university grad school program called Environmental and Resource Management. The courses are all in English, which means I can actually succeed. This is what I want. I know it is. And yet, every morning when I wake up I curl up and hide under the covers and daydream that my life is completely different. People call me brave for all the different places I've been to and activities I've done; if only I felt so brave.
DAYDREAMER
I am a daydreamer. It's a hobby. But it's not always a hobby which I am proud to claim. Sometimes daydreaming can be self-destructive. Journaling as part of daydreaming can be an evil activity because it promotes selfish thoughts. I suppose some people may have heroic or benevolent daydreams, but I am definitely not that kind of person. All of my daydreams are very, very selfish.
Daydreaming is sort of like thinking, except that the thoughts are put into stories with plots. By putting all of the thoughts into a manageable structure, it becomes easier to understand the causes and consequences of what is going on in reality. Our brains need to creatively vent, escape realistic pressures, confront fears in a structured environment, and bring us unrealistic joy. Just a few days a ago I dreamt that I was suffocating because I had some sort of lung disease that was killing me. Tonight I was daydreaming of working on a ranch out in Colorado or as a waitress at a restaurant near a nature park in Utah. Last night in my sleep I had a real dream that I had just acquired an adorable, loving little kitten. It seems to me that daydreams and sleep-dreams serve the same purposes.
I feel like daydreaming was probably a much better sport in the days before television, magazines, and even mass produced books. But, I bet my ancient ancestors (that sounds weird to say because I've never thought about my ancestors going back further than my great-grandparents) daydreamed about similar things as I do, even considering the significant cultural differences.
When I'm anxious about my life, I daydream of activities that are far from the reality of what I must do. This is why, on the eve of my departure to Germany, I am currently thinking about unavoidable death and jobs I could pursue. There was a period in my life when I was daydreaming terrible things all of the time, and that was no good. I had to run away from my scared self and get some confidence, which I did. So now when I am anxious and scared, I try to avoid daydreaming and instead make plans for how I can succeed. When I get really scared, then I reassure myself that if I make a mistake I can always push on, even if it is a different activity that I must start anew.
My one dream that hangs over my thoughts whenever I hold a camera, watch t.v., read paper advertisements, or see billboards is this: if I were to be granted a wish, such as by the Make-a-Wish Foundation, I would want to grace an advertisement with the presence of myself. Ever since I was a small child when I began flipping through the big JCPenny's catalog have I wanted to be a clothing model. I know I could never do it well and I will never pursue it, but it's just one of those things that you have to hold on to in order to keep insane. Yes, I said insane. Life requires way too much sanity from the brain, so it's important to have a few constant things that keep the brain crazy and dreaming.
Daydreaming is sort of like thinking, except that the thoughts are put into stories with plots. By putting all of the thoughts into a manageable structure, it becomes easier to understand the causes and consequences of what is going on in reality. Our brains need to creatively vent, escape realistic pressures, confront fears in a structured environment, and bring us unrealistic joy. Just a few days a ago I dreamt that I was suffocating because I had some sort of lung disease that was killing me. Tonight I was daydreaming of working on a ranch out in Colorado or as a waitress at a restaurant near a nature park in Utah. Last night in my sleep I had a real dream that I had just acquired an adorable, loving little kitten. It seems to me that daydreams and sleep-dreams serve the same purposes.
I feel like daydreaming was probably a much better sport in the days before television, magazines, and even mass produced books. But, I bet my ancient ancestors (that sounds weird to say because I've never thought about my ancestors going back further than my great-grandparents) daydreamed about similar things as I do, even considering the significant cultural differences.
When I'm anxious about my life, I daydream of activities that are far from the reality of what I must do. This is why, on the eve of my departure to Germany, I am currently thinking about unavoidable death and jobs I could pursue. There was a period in my life when I was daydreaming terrible things all of the time, and that was no good. I had to run away from my scared self and get some confidence, which I did. So now when I am anxious and scared, I try to avoid daydreaming and instead make plans for how I can succeed. When I get really scared, then I reassure myself that if I make a mistake I can always push on, even if it is a different activity that I must start anew.
My one dream that hangs over my thoughts whenever I hold a camera, watch t.v., read paper advertisements, or see billboards is this: if I were to be granted a wish, such as by the Make-a-Wish Foundation, I would want to grace an advertisement with the presence of myself. Ever since I was a small child when I began flipping through the big JCPenny's catalog have I wanted to be a clothing model. I know I could never do it well and I will never pursue it, but it's just one of those things that you have to hold on to in order to keep insane. Yes, I said insane. Life requires way too much sanity from the brain, so it's important to have a few constant things that keep the brain crazy and dreaming.
MOTION STUDY
I read the books Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, and then The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. It's actually quite interesting to read them one after another in this order. The father in Cheaper by the Dozen is really keen on “motion studies” in which he goes to factories and other places of work and then figures out ways for the employees to do their jobs more efficiently and faster. I should note that both of these books are set in the early 1900s during the American Industrial Revolution. In The Jungle, the poor main characters are victims of this efficiency and fast work pace in the factories of Chicago. What I find so fascinating is that the motion study obsessed father thought that by doing things faster people would in turn have more time to do the activities they love. What in fact happens though is that employees and individuals end up taking on more and more work that eventually exhausts them and no time is left over for pleasure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
