I changed the time format on my computer so it should read my time of posting. I had tried changing it earlier, but it didn't work, so I'll have to watch it for the next few posts. All previous posts are behind by 16 hours.
*edit* Oh woa, no way! Blogger changed all the times automatically, so they all now say the times of publication in my reference frame. (Except for the first few which were published from Chicago).
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I live on the ocean
"I live on the ocean"
by Luther Flagstad
by Luther Flagstad
I live on the ocean, yeah the ocean
Where the land meets blue
And the mountains kiss the sea.
My time waits and radiates
A love of that’s ancient and grey.
I sing to the ocean, yeah the ocean
And take another drag.
Where moonshine tastes like sweet rice cakes
And reflects off the wavetops to me.
I smile for the ocean, yeah the ocean
With its roaring surf and unknown deeps.
The sun it soaks into me.
My bicycle takes a hundred wakes
And keeps on lickin’ and tickin’.
It’s over now for a thousand hours
Till heat grabs me and bakes.
I stand by the ocean, yeah the ocean
Who dares defy me with her.
I know it and then it scares me again
Till I go begging on knees.
I fancy the ocean, yeah the ocean
Please take me down someday.
For there’s no other tow I’d rather pull
Than the final one left for me.
Grandpa
Ok wow, I just spent the better part of my late evening watching "vlog" posts on YouTube and I've realized that I am way behind. Maybe it's the fact that I'm 24 and from the baby boomer generation for the Internet or maybe it's the fact that I hate computers, but wow am I behind. Just today I figured out how to make links go through words that I type (they turn blue and get underlined!) and I thought I was cool. And now I'm watching "vlogs." I had never even heard of the word before this evening.
I did get a computer camera for my Birthday this past November, so maybe I'll have to dust it off and try it out sometime soon. I think it would be pretty cool to jump on the video blogging train. (hee hee...vlog).
I did get a computer camera for my Birthday this past November, so maybe I'll have to dust it off and try it out sometime soon. I think it would be pretty cool to jump on the video blogging train. (hee hee...vlog).
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Whaling
Here's a great article on the Japanese position.
This article describes my stance on this issue as well. Currently the Japanese are hunting whales under the classification of research with approval from the International Whaling Commission. They are continuing to test for numbers in order to make a final decision on reopening commercial whaling. The Japanese are going about their whaling in an appropriate and responsible manner. There is no threat to the sustainability of the species they are hunting. The Minke whales are at "Lower Risk" status, and while the Fin whale is "Endangered," the Japanese fleet is only taking a planned 50 per year from a population estimate of 50,000.
The efforts being made by the Greenpeace ship near Antarctica are a waste of time and ideology. If Greenpeace were really concerned about the environment and the sustainability of our species through the preservation of foodstuffs they would be reallocating their energy to the issue of bluefin tuna depletion. Greenpeace has published a report on the increasingly dire situation but more needs to be done.
If I'm left scratching my head over Greenpeace, I'm fearful of groups like Sea Shepherd. Sea Shepherd also has a ship in the Southern Ocean, but this ship is not intended for protest only. It is there to seek and destroy Japanese whaling ships. The leader of this group, Paul Watson, has rammed ships in the past, and he is trying to do it again. These people value the lives of whales over the lives of humans, and they won't hesitate putting people in danger if they think it will help save the life of an animal.
Other groups that I've found on facebook and the internet are downright despicable, and I won't quote them here because they are unnecessary, illogical and offensive.
This article describes my stance on this issue as well. Currently the Japanese are hunting whales under the classification of research with approval from the International Whaling Commission. They are continuing to test for numbers in order to make a final decision on reopening commercial whaling. The Japanese are going about their whaling in an appropriate and responsible manner. There is no threat to the sustainability of the species they are hunting. The Minke whales are at "Lower Risk" status, and while the Fin whale is "Endangered," the Japanese fleet is only taking a planned 50 per year from a population estimate of 50,000.
The efforts being made by the Greenpeace ship near Antarctica are a waste of time and ideology. If Greenpeace were really concerned about the environment and the sustainability of our species through the preservation of foodstuffs they would be reallocating their energy to the issue of bluefin tuna depletion. Greenpeace has published a report on the increasingly dire situation but more needs to be done.
If I'm left scratching my head over Greenpeace, I'm fearful of groups like Sea Shepherd. Sea Shepherd also has a ship in the Southern Ocean, but this ship is not intended for protest only. It is there to seek and destroy Japanese whaling ships. The leader of this group, Paul Watson, has rammed ships in the past, and he is trying to do it again. These people value the lives of whales over the lives of humans, and they won't hesitate putting people in danger if they think it will help save the life of an animal.
Other groups that I've found on facebook and the internet are downright despicable, and I won't quote them here because they are unnecessary, illogical and offensive.
Friday, January 11, 2008
The Gender Factor
Read this article:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/10/america/women.php
I am sure that gender is a factor in this primary season. No doubt people view Hilary differently because she is a woman. No doubt people are asking different questions. No doubt people are throwing down new bolts of criticism. This is happening and will continue to happen, and I think it should be addressed with formidable discussion. I'm just sorry to see the discussion moving in the wrong direction.
There are people that look at Clinton and say they won't vote for her because she is a woman. This is wrong. But it is almost as equally wrong to vote for her because she's a woman, which is the demographic that pulled Clinton into the lead in New Hampshire this week. The discussion so far about gender ends with Election Day. We must look farther.
I say that voting for Clinton because she's a woman is "almost as equally wrong" because I do believe there is symbolic power in having a woman president. I think it will be positive motivation and positive precedence for better gender equality throughout the U.S. However, when we vote for someone based on their gender rather than their abilities, we are making a grave mistake.
The question is not"is a woman capable of leading the United States?" The question is "who is capable of leading the United States?" This is what we must be discussing, analyzing, and debating as we move towards November.
http://www.iht.com/articles
I am sure that gender is a factor in this primary season. No doubt people view Hilary differently because she is a woman. No doubt people are asking different questions. No doubt people are throwing down new bolts of criticism. This is happening and will continue to happen, and I think it should be addressed with formidable discussion. I'm just sorry to see the discussion moving in the wrong direction.
There are people that look at Clinton and say they won't vote for her because she is a woman. This is wrong. But it is almost as equally wrong to vote for her because she's a woman, which is the demographic that pulled Clinton into the lead in New Hampshire this week. The discussion so far about gender ends with Election Day. We must look farther.
I say that voting for Clinton because she's a woman is "almost as equally wrong" because I do believe there is symbolic power in having a woman president. I think it will be positive motivation and positive precedence for better gender equality throughout the U.S. However, when we vote for someone based on their gender rather than their abilities, we are making a grave mistake.
The question is not"is a woman capable of leading the United States?" The question is "who is capable of leading the United States?" This is what we must be discussing, analyzing, and debating as we move towards November.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Back Baby
I've lost the will to read. I think my facebook profile says I'm reading 9 books right now or something like that. I just don't have it in me right now. Maybe I'm just in shock from being back. I realized here just a day ago that I am really here for the long haul. That this is my home now. When I was back in America over winter break it felt like the past 5 months in Japan were a vacation. I lived in America, I went to Japan for 5 months, then I came back to America. But wait, what? Now I'm in Japan again. How did that happen? What am I doing back here? Oh yeah - those 2 weeks in America, that was my vacation. Now who knows, I might not see my homeland again for a year-and-a-half.
I remember singing "O Home Beloved" in Brazil (over 2 years ago now!) and crying, thinking about my home so many miles away. And that was only after being gone for 10 days. The Odyssey rings more true in my mind now too, thinking about Odysseus' longing for his homeland. During his 20 years abroad that was his continuous thought - Ithaca. Man has such a longing for his birthland, his people, his origins.
On my harrowing journey back to Kambara from the airport in Narita I stood behind a guy who was wearing a backpack with his name in sharpie marker across the back. His last name ended in "stad" and it made me keep reading through his address....Norway! The guy was Norwegian! It made me very happy because he looked like me. Norwegians are awesome because we are very strong and good at the javelin. I'm going to practice the javelin throw and get very good because I've got all the potential in the world backing me up.
On a related note, I went back to the Doctor's today for a requested follow-up to my checkup a month and a half ago. I was a little nervous, because I never fully understand what's going on with anything in the first place, and now they're telling me something about an irregular pulse and they have to test me after exercise. I kept checking my pulse the past couple days to see if I could notice anything irregular, but I didn't know what I was looking for, so I decided to just take some deep breaths and try to live healthily for the 48 hours before my checkup.
Again I show up at the wrong door of the Hospital and get personally redirected by a nice secretary to find the same non-English speaking nurses who don't really know what to do with me, so I get escorted around some more. The "exercise" consisted of walking up and over this box 24 times then laying on a bed where the nurse put a hundred clamps on my body and told me to lie still for 3 minutes. They had taken my pulse before the "exercise" as well, so I had a printout with several feet of jagged blip marks to show the doctor in the other room.
He told me that I had a slow pulse - fewer than 60 pulses after the exercise. Then he also said that my heart beats quickly for a few beats, then slowly for a few beats, then quickly again, then slowly. He showed me the map to prove it. He was right. There were a bunch of the lightning bolt things in groups spaced out by periods of.....encroaching death?
I was kind of worried though the Doctor told me "shinpai nai" (don't worry). I understood the Japanese, but I just don't really feel like being comfortable unless I can hear it in English. I had him repeat again and again that there was no problem with my slow heartbeat. I asked him if I would die early and he said no. I asked him if I could still play sports, and he said that "for example" a marathon would be fine because the slower the heartbeat, the better. If I'm actually totally fine, and slower is better, then I can't figure out why they called me back in for further tests. Why was I there? Why was I having this meeting if I'm totally fine? Why the serious demeanor? It's like, "Well, you're a freak, and this here on your chart looks pretty abnormal (let's circle it in red pen) and I'll have you in for some more tests, but you're totally fine! Don't worry about it!"
It reminds me of the Brian Regan bit about going to the eye doctor. The eye doctor says to Brian, "Did you know that your right eye is slightly higher than your left eye?"
"No, I didn't know that...is that bad?"
"No, it doesn't affect your vision at all."
And then Brian's like, "What was that? 'Oh no, you're fine, I just want you to feel self-conscious for the rest of your life.'"
So I was feeling pretty sorry for myself Monday and Tuesday this week. I sat in my house and literally did nothing. Well, I went grocery shopping and cooked dinner both nights, but other than that I sat on my but and felt culture shocked. I didn't even unpack my suitcase. It's finally hitting me. It started the week before coming home. Then I think I was just really ready to see my family and friends again. I was sick of being 10,000 km away and not being able to hop in a car and see people.
Wednesday morning I woke up and was standing in the shower when I recognized this as culture shock. Then I actually got happy. "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just culture shocked. It's totally normal. I think I can move on now." I got up the motivation and unpacked by bag and put away all my clothes Wednesday night. I don't need to feel perfect, I just need to know that I'm normal. (Besides my pulse, I guess, heh, heh). That things are going like they should.
Slow pulses might make good marathon runners, but I'm hoping that they also make good genski (scooter) riders as well. I'm buying one as soon as I get confirmation about the international driver's license law (I got one over break) and I find one for under $400. I've found that I could get a brand new one for under $1,000, but I'm looking for a slightly different model...like 8 years ago's model.
I remember singing "O Home Beloved" in Brazil (over 2 years ago now!) and crying, thinking about my home so many miles away. And that was only after being gone for 10 days. The Odyssey rings more true in my mind now too, thinking about Odysseus' longing for his homeland. During his 20 years abroad that was his continuous thought - Ithaca. Man has such a longing for his birthland, his people, his origins.
On my harrowing journey back to Kambara from the airport in Narita I stood behind a guy who was wearing a backpack with his name in sharpie marker across the back. His last name ended in "stad" and it made me keep reading through his address....Norway! The guy was Norwegian! It made me very happy because he looked like me. Norwegians are awesome because we are very strong and good at the javelin. I'm going to practice the javelin throw and get very good because I've got all the potential in the world backing me up.
On a related note, I went back to the Doctor's today for a requested follow-up to my checkup a month and a half ago. I was a little nervous, because I never fully understand what's going on with anything in the first place, and now they're telling me something about an irregular pulse and they have to test me after exercise. I kept checking my pulse the past couple days to see if I could notice anything irregular, but I didn't know what I was looking for, so I decided to just take some deep breaths and try to live healthily for the 48 hours before my checkup.
Again I show up at the wrong door of the Hospital and get personally redirected by a nice secretary to find the same non-English speaking nurses who don't really know what to do with me, so I get escorted around some more. The "exercise" consisted of walking up and over this box 24 times then laying on a bed where the nurse put a hundred clamps on my body and told me to lie still for 3 minutes. They had taken my pulse before the "exercise" as well, so I had a printout with several feet of jagged blip marks to show the doctor in the other room.
He told me that I had a slow pulse - fewer than 60 pulses after the exercise. Then he also said that my heart beats quickly for a few beats, then slowly for a few beats, then quickly again, then slowly. He showed me the map to prove it. He was right. There were a bunch of the lightning bolt things in groups spaced out by periods of.....encroaching death?
I was kind of worried though the Doctor told me "shinpai nai" (don't worry). I understood the Japanese, but I just don't really feel like being comfortable unless I can hear it in English. I had him repeat again and again that there was no problem with my slow heartbeat. I asked him if I would die early and he said no. I asked him if I could still play sports, and he said that "for example" a marathon would be fine because the slower the heartbeat, the better. If I'm actually totally fine, and slower is better, then I can't figure out why they called me back in for further tests. Why was I there? Why was I having this meeting if I'm totally fine? Why the serious demeanor? It's like, "Well, you're a freak, and this here on your chart looks pretty abnormal (let's circle it in red pen) and I'll have you in for some more tests, but you're totally fine! Don't worry about it!"
It reminds me of the Brian Regan bit about going to the eye doctor. The eye doctor says to Brian, "Did you know that your right eye is slightly higher than your left eye?"
"No, I didn't know that...is that bad?"
"No, it doesn't affect your vision at all."
And then Brian's like, "What was that? 'Oh no, you're fine, I just want you to feel self-conscious for the rest of your life.'"
So I was feeling pretty sorry for myself Monday and Tuesday this week. I sat in my house and literally did nothing. Well, I went grocery shopping and cooked dinner both nights, but other than that I sat on my but and felt culture shocked. I didn't even unpack my suitcase. It's finally hitting me. It started the week before coming home. Then I think I was just really ready to see my family and friends again. I was sick of being 10,000 km away and not being able to hop in a car and see people.
Wednesday morning I woke up and was standing in the shower when I recognized this as culture shock. Then I actually got happy. "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just culture shocked. It's totally normal. I think I can move on now." I got up the motivation and unpacked by bag and put away all my clothes Wednesday night. I don't need to feel perfect, I just need to know that I'm normal. (Besides my pulse, I guess, heh, heh). That things are going like they should.
Slow pulses might make good marathon runners, but I'm hoping that they also make good genski (scooter) riders as well. I'm buying one as soon as I get confirmation about the international driver's license law (I got one over break) and I find one for under $400. I've found that I could get a brand new one for under $1,000, but I'm looking for a slightly different model...like 8 years ago's model.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
81-year old woman thwarts thief
81-year old Mabel Schmelmer of Concord, N.H. wrote a fairy tale ending today to her own story - a story that began in austerity. While leaving her regular Friday afternoon matinée, Schmelmer's purse was snatched from off her shoulder. As the bandit took his first getaway step, she stuck her foot out and tripped the man, sending him headlong down an escalator.
"I had just finished watching The Bourne Supremacy, so I knew I could do it," said Schmelmer to Channel 6 news, "I guess I just kind of reacted."
Adding to the thief's already bruised knees and crushed ego, his collar got stuck in the escalator stairs at the bottom allowing mall security time to apprehend him.
"I had just finished watching The Bourne Supremacy, so I knew I could do it," said Schmelmer to Channel 6 news, "I guess I just kind of reacted."
Adding to the thief's already bruised knees and crushed ego, his collar got stuck in the escalator stairs at the bottom allowing mall security time to apprehend him.
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