Lost Thoughts of RWP

NEW BLOG LOCATION

2010-04-01T08:12:00.002-05:00

Please go to my new blog at http://rypace.blogspot.com. Thanks.

Charleston part I

2009-03-06T19:34:00.002-05:00

So here is part I of a series about Chucktown. It was 75 degrees today and there are palm trees. Come visit us.

Duke

2009-01-18T19:10:00.002-05:00

Megan and I just got back from visiting Kelly, who is in her second year at Duke getting her Doctor of Physical Therapy. We had a great time. We went to the Duke vs. Georgetown game which was a lot of fun. I have never been to a college game at a Division I school. My high school games had more energy than the couple of William and Mary games that I went to. It was a lot of fun to go jump around and watch all the tradition at work.

The New Year

2009-01-11T09:38:00.007-05:00

Christmas break was great. I am feeling relaxed but not at all rested. This break was a bit exhausting. Over break I visited a large portion of my family spread over Virginia and now Maryland. It was great to see everyone however short the time seemed. With a lot of assistance from my dad, Megan and I built two Windsor chairs for her parents. Megan and I went to New Year's at Becca and Luke's place hanging with Jesse, Marshall, Matt, Sandy, Katrina, Sam, Becca's dog and others (For pictures see bottom 3 pics on Jesse's blog). The next day, I made the ten hour drive north to Jay Peak (VT)to ski and goof off with Chad, Jonathan, Scudder (newly engaged to Jonathan), Rob, Nancy, Adam, Lindsey, Mike and Laura. Good times, nice glacier. As everyone went back to there lives, Chad and I traversed to the Adirondacks (not far from where my mom's people are from). It was a lot like the good ol' days (no real plans, little sleep but a lot of fun). We spent a day back-country skiing and another ice climbing. Using Ice climbing boots for a vertical achievement is where it is at; they suck for back-country skiing. Now I am back to the land of shorts and flip-flops. It was in the 70's yesterday.

Land of palm trees

2008-10-04T22:02:00.004-05:00

Life is cruising by at a scary pace; it seems like Megan and I just moved to Charleston. It was over a month and a half ago. I am into my second round of exams. By the way, I am back in school completing the courses necessary for medical school. I am also volunteering in a Roper Hospital, a top notch hospital in Charleston. I am really enjoying living in Charleston. A couple of weeks ago, Jesse, Chad, Marshall and Matt all came down for a great weekend (Beer feast, the beach, walking throughout the town, etc.). Ralph and Meghan Fairbrother both also came to hang out.

Jesse online

2008-07-21T18:57:00.004-05:00

This is one of the many pictures my buddy Jesse had published on the Climbing Magazine website. Check it out.

The camp

2008-07-21T18:51:00.003-05:00

Just got back from my family reunion in upstate New York. It was a very relaxing trip. It was great seeing all the family. I had forgotten how nice it was just paddle around the lake and how bad the bugs are. If only getting to the camp was easier than a flight plus a 4 hour drive each way.

We have piles

2008-07-09T13:14:00.003-05:00

The past few weeks have been fun. I traveled back to VA for Allison Baker's ( a friend from home) wedding. It was a great time. All wedding tables need to have grapes on the table. Other than that, I have been reading a lot and going through MCAT stuff. Today we are heading to Charleston to try to find our next home. Next weekend, I am going to a family reunion in upstate New York at the family camp on a lake near the Canadian border. It should be a really fun time.

PLAYING WITH FIRE

2008-06-29T21:37:00.004-05:00

Will we be burnt again?

Back at it again

2008-06-21T15:17:00.003-05:00

I am back in Nashville with Megan. It is a good time. Megan is working a lot trying to finish up her dissertation. I broke down and bought an MCAT book and started studying it. It amazing me that people still ask me what I am going to do next considering that it tends to change every other week. This month I am going to go back to medical school; this is an idea that I have been flirting with now for some 6-7 years. But now I have the book and have begun to go through the biology sections. I am still completely enthralled with cellular respiration. It is the 5th time that I have "learned" about the Kreb cycle and the electron transport chain and yet it seems so completely novel and new. It really makes me wonder why it was so important that I memorized the entire process the previous 4 times. Always been a conceptual person that supports open book tests.

THE WISE GUYS

2008-06-20T15:03:00.000-05:00

Ol' Hickory

2008-06-10T08:10:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, Megan and I went to visit the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's residence. It was very interesting to learn about Andrew Jackson who was a leader in shaping America in the early 1800's, which still has profound impact today- I am not sure that we should take a lot of pride in that-after all, he was instrumental in Indian relocation but justified it saying that it would protect the Indians from U.S. laws and the diseases and aggressions of the whites. He was so anti-British and European that he had the front of his beautiful Federal style home transformed into Greek-revival, which means painting the bricks white, something that I have never been able to appreciate. During his lifetime, he accumulated two great fortunes that were quickly spent by his adopted son. The man was not truly qualified at anything except being a lawyer yet he did very well as a farmer, businessman, soldier, and politician. At one point, Richard Lawrence approached Jackson and fired two pistols at Jackson. Both misfired. Despite a lifetime of porkchops, failed assisinations and being shot numerous times including carrying a bullet in his lungs after a duel (he took part in 13 duels), Jackson finally passed away of chronic tuberculosis, edema and heart failure at 78. How does he fit into the PC model of clean living for a long life?

Lessons to bring me into a new phase of life.

2008-06-03T19:13:00.005-05:00

Last coupe of weeks has been a world of dial-up internet and little time. I have no knowledge of the world outside a 50 mile radius-I once again believe the world is not screwed. Knowledge acquired over the past period of time in no particular order:

3) beer only improves your will but not your ability to sing
4) mountaintop thunderstorms cool you off and calm the nerves
6) friends never mature - if they had, would we still be friends?
7) living at your parents home does not get easier - hopefully, them moving into yours is better
9) unemployment only means you work for free
1) there are many methods to put in crooked fence posts in the ground so they are level (apparently some are more right than others)
9) if you only visit the dentist every 6 years and do not floss, you can really get your money's worth sitting in the hygienist's chair
11) you can not talk to 180 people and dance your dinner away in six hours - weddings should be week long festivals, I am sure the Italians have done this, it seems they have more holidays than work days and yet still claim the 7th largest economy in the world)
5) indiana jones still has it
2) sometimes the best thing to do is sit back and let others take control
8) my eyes are attracted to flashy metal objects on my fingers
10) marriage changes little about your relationship but greatly increases the array of kitchen equipment at your disposal - I guess now we may have to expand our culinary resume to include something more than boiling pasta and heating sauce in a frying-pan

Update

2008-05-08T12:56:00.002-05:00

I am staying with my folks right now with dial-up internet and very little time. I have been helping get the house ready for my wedding. It is really starting to look good.

The other day I went to Gold Cup, the horse and terrier races. It was a great time; I saw a lot of people that I had not seen in a long time. Afterwards, I went up to Winchester to hang out with Jesse, Chad, Matt and Marshall. It was great seeing the crew again.

The road ahead

2008-04-15T12:50:00.006-05:00

I went to visit the journalism graduate programs at the University of Missouri in Columbia and Northwestern University near Chicago. I needed to decide which of the two schools I wanted to attend. Both schools had there pluses and minuses. For example, Northwestern is near Chicago but the program is not exactly what I was looking for while Missouri is the program that I am looking for but is in a small town in the middle of Missouri. In the end, it came down to vibes. I got a great vibe at Missouri while Northwestern kinda creeped me out; their open house seemed more of a sales pitch than an actual information session. After a couple days of going back and forth, Megan and I ultimately decided that Missouri was a better fit for me. I faxed in my formal acceptance. So in August, we are packing up and heading to Columbia, Missouri for about 2 years. At the end of the week I am going home to help out the family get the house ready for my wedding. I feel pretty lousy about not being home to help out, especially since the big hurry is about me. Look forward to seeing the family and some of my Rappahannock and college friends some of which I have not seen for 5 months to a year. I may even be able to make an appearance on Jesse's Blog again.

Past couple of weeks

2008-04-06T12:25:00.004-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been really good to me. I have been in Nashville with Megan working on several things. I have completely revamped my website. I have put in several sections under projects that photos of my trips to China, Italy, Scotland and Haiti. The actually photo essays need to be cut more but it is a start. Also, I have included a portfolio. If anyone has any ideas or comments please let me know. I am still trying to work on the very slow loading speed. I also need to add a preloader. So the site is not finished but it is a decent start I feel. Sorry if you are using dial-up.

Megan and I celebrated our first holiday together at our own place. It was a lot of fun. Megan saw this thing where people used Peeps to make their own Peepshow; Megan made her own Dread Pirate Peeps.

Since then, we have gone hiking a few times in nearby parks, watched a few movies (The Bank Job is worth seeing), seen a couple of music shows (nothing too great) and done a lot of work.

Today I leaving on a 9-10 day roadtrip to look at journalism programs at The University of Missouri-Columbia, Northwestern in Chicago and then University of Indiana-Bloomington. I have to make a decision by April 15th. So we shall see.

Back in Nashvillle

2008-03-16T15:08:00.003-05:00

After about a month on the road, I am back home in Nashville, with Megan. The time away was good but it is nice to be in my own bed. I spent 3 weeks in Haiti, and about a week in Williamsburg doing experiments. In Haiti, I shoot over 10,000 pictures so going through all them now that I am home is daunting. Plus, the program I normally use (Aperture) keeps crashing so I had to download a trial version of Adobe's LIghtroom and transfer all my files in. I promised Medical Missionaries, the non-profit that runs the hospital where I stayed, that I would send them a bunch of pictures for a fundraiser dinner in April so I am having to deal with that now.I am also working on improving my website. because the one up now needs work. Once it is up, I would really appreciate feedback and criticism.

Today's walkabout

2008-03-01T19:45:00.004-05:00

Today I went with Ashley, a recent college graduate who is taking the year to volunteer at the hospital before going off to medical school. We went back into the countryside in order to talk to a family about paying for one of her children to attend school. As we walked to the house, kids would come up and ask us to visit their homes. We would. Our trip to one house turned into many. The kids loved showing us everything. One of the kids had a radio so we were walking around listening to Shaggy and Sean Paul in rural Haiti. It was trip.

More Haitian children

2008-02-29T09:07:00.003-05:00

After the storm.

2008-02-26T10:31:00.005-05:00

The baby above was born in the clinic during the U.S. surgical stay. When she was born, she was not breathing. The doctors, nurses and helpers quickly spun into action and revived her. A couple of days later we went to visit her at her house. She was doing well. It was great to see. The pictures below are from a walk I took with Ashley, a recent college graduate that is attending med school next year but is now living full-time in Haiti this year. We went by a house where this lady was weaving reeds together.

Next, we walked up to a house where a lady was with her children. She said that we could take a couple of pictures. I took a few of the girl in the doorway and then tryied to take one of a little girl. As I focused, she began to get agitated. I backed up and she relaxed. It was the second Haitian kid I made cry with my presence. Earlier, I made a little boy cry in the hospital.

Later, we passed a man cutting sugar cane. When Ashley asked if I could take his picture, he eagerly agreed and began cutting the cane with great energy. Afterwards, we talked and it came up that I had never had sugar cane. He asked if I wanted some. Ashley said that we had no money to buy any. His reaction was almost one of being insulted; he insisted that we had some. He took out a knife and removed the outside off the sugarcane and handed it to me. He gave me about 5 feet of cane and began to prepare more for Ashley. We told him that we would split the piece he had already prepared between the two of us. He said okay. I ate about a foot of it before the sugar started to turn my stomach. I gave it to one of the kids who make up the entourage who always accompany us if we are about town or the countryside. THe last picture is of a shelture where the sugar cane cutter may stay during the day. I was told that it is not a house necessarily but he will rest and eat there. We went to a hilltop and watched as the sun set. As dusk began to turn into night, we walked back to the hospital. On the way back, we stopped at a house because I had promised one of the boys that I would. He was not there but we were asked to stay. One of the girls who was studying math by moonlight on a cloudy night. She offered up her chair to me. I said that I was okay but she insisted. Her mother grabbed two more chairs. One for Ashley and another for the girl studying. The hospitality of Haitians is amazing.

US Surgical team in Haiti

2008-02-23T07:48:00.002-05:00

Another trip to Haiti

2008-02-14T19:48:00.003-05:00

So I am off to Haiti again; this time I am going for three weeks. I am photographing another surgical team at the clinic. Afterwards, I am going to stay and photogrph the surrounding area as well as the full-time staff. I may also try to travel some as well. We shall see.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Dominican Republic. One is the bus in Santo Domingo. The other is from the the cave where St. Francis of Assisi (in Italy) was allegedly born. The Dominicans ignore the simple geography problem associated with the scenario. Either way, I watched a barefooted, 70+ year old lady (pictured below) walk up the side of the mountain in order to pray at the shrine.

Off to Haiti once more

2008-02-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

I am leaving this weekend to go back to Haiti with another surgical team. I am going to photograph the team and then stay for another two weeks to shoot the Haitian doctors at work as well as try to get into the town as well. When I get back to the States, I go back to Williamsburg for a couple "last" experiments. How many times have I talked about doing my last experiments? I am beginning to laugh whenever I say that "my last experiments." Since I have been back in Nashville, I have had the week-long flu, some type of food poison, read three books, say a hockey game (with one ridicuous fight), helped Megan's buddies move, as well also been worked on developing a "proper" Flash website.

http://www.rylandpace.com

2008-02-04T14:27:00.001-05:00

So right now I am working on setting up a website; hence why it has taken so long for this post. I am new to this whole website deal and I am doing it by myself, so please be patient as I am in the process of getting it all up and running. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. The address is: http://www.rylandpace.com

Haiti

2008-01-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a medical mission in Thomassique, Haiti. Ralph, my mom, Dr. Snyder, Katie Snyder, Kendal Blaser, a dentist and his hygienist also went with our team. I had a great time. I am going to break it up into several posts. These are some pictures taken at a Catholic school in Thomassique.

Scotland

2008-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Megan and I went to Scotland for 10 days. Scotland was one of the only countries that fulfilled my preconceived expectations - rainy, cold and foggy, good beer, fatty food and barely understandable but friendly people. Arriving into Glasgow via Amsterdam, we immediately bolted out of the city to Sterling. Sterling was beautiful. Saw the castle and Argyll's house. Then afterwards, we went out into Sterling for fish, chips and beer.

The next day was Inverness and Urquhart castle on the Loch Ness. The lady decided to head home a half an hour early so we were stranded in the cold, dark night (it was 1600 by then--the sun starts going down at 1500). Luckily a bus stopped and picked us up an hour and a half later. We were the only ones on the bus so we talked to the man the whole way back. It was interesting how many Scots would ask us about the Primary Elections. People who heard our accents would just ask us all about it. So after our ride back into Inverness, and train ride back to Sterling; we went out for some food. However, no food except take-away was available after 1800 hours ( or 6:00 pm for those of you, like I, who apparently need to go back to 1st grade to learn how to subtract 12 from bigger numbers) so we ate pizza made by some Iranian immigrants who promised the best pizza in Scotland - compared to the other joint maybe but I never had the deep-fried pizza so my expertise is somewhat limited. But the beer was good and plentiful.

Next day off to St. Andrews to see the castle and cathedral. The castle completely blown apart by cannon fire had a series of tunnels or mines dug by the attackers who were trying to collapse a wall and then some counter-mines dug by the defenders to get to the attackers before they could get under the wall. Afterwards, we went to the Cathedral, which was huge but again almost completely destroyed.

After seeing St. Andrews, we took a bus into Edinburgh. With no plans, we called and got a room at the first place in the guide book. Lessons to be learned: Look at the place before you pay. While there was nothing really wrong with the place, it looked like a 1970's Indian Bathhouse. It was in a great part of town; apparently it was also the gay part of town, which might explain both the Indian bathhouse and why the people were so nice. Edinburgh was great. We say the castle. A simply amazing place. Afterwards, we caught up with Mary, Megan's fellow history buddies studying in Edinburgh and caught some of the other main attractions including Mary King's close, a side alley were more than 600 people once lived. The close was also one of the busiest markets in Edinburgh; it was less than 6 feet wide. We also went on a ghost tour around town and then through some underground vaults- the tour and the guide were great. Then, we went and ate a deep-fried Mars bar. Megan was at a conference in Edinburgh so I had a lot of free-time to walk around and just shoot pictures.

After Edinburgh, we went to a small town called Roselyn. Roselyn had this little chapel, featured in The De Vinci Cole, that was really intricately carved inside and out. It was cold, foggy and rainy, which really gave it a beautiful feel. Unfortunately, the chapel was covered by a canopy to dry it out and no pictures were allowed on the inside. Afterwards, we walked down a footpath to a castle, again destroyed by cannon fire by the British.

Next, we went to Glasgow to fly out. But before we headed out we walked around Glasgow, a much more industrial city with a city center feeling like Washington, D.C. We went and saw the H.M. Glenlee, a steel-sail ship build in the 1890's. It was really cool.

A rare moment

2008-01-07T08:47:00.000-05:00

During my stay at time home over Christmas break, I rarely saw my mom actually sitting down. She was busy at work, taking care of my grandmother in Alexandria, and doing the things that hold our household together. One day we were able to spend the morning and afternoon together; it was a great time. Now I am off to Scotland for a bit and then onto Haiti. I hope to be able to keep in touch along the way.

The past half

2008-01-05T12:59:00.000-05:00

I had a great Christmas break. I went to Vermont with Megan's family for Christmas. I was able to do a bit of skiing and hang out with her extended family. Then, I was home for a bit-always great to see the family. New Years was a tame one at Jesse's cabin. Last night, Ralph, Max, Tony Starks, and I went out to see William Walter and Co. at Sine in Richmond. Berkley caught up with us. It was great to see her. Today I am going up to Megan's folks. On the 7th, Megan and I are off to Scotland for a bit more than a week; once back, I am off to Haiti with Mom and Ralph on a medical trip. I hope to post some in Scotland.

Back again

2007-12-16T00:41:00.001-05:00

So I am back from Nashville until the end of January. I am in Williamsburg finishing up my last experiments. On the way back, I jumped off 81N around Lexington because the highway was fast becoming a parking lot. I took 60E to Richmond, which wanders through Buckingham Co. and Appomattox. The improvement in the view and the break from the trucks was well worth the extra time that was required by windy turns and a few stoplights.

Well worth the smile

2007-12-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

At a balmy 75 degrees, Christmas season is here at 2217 Belmont Blvd. Today we went out to get our tree. First, after 15 rejections Megan finally located a place that was still selling trees that you could cut down. After the 45 minute drive, we arrived to find some of the most hideous trees ever. They were cut to resemble the pyramids-they were about as wide as they were tall and trimmed at a 45 degree angle. Megan and I ran back to the shed, returned the saw to the hippie kid wearing a black tee-shirt with two skulls on the front and ran to the car. We went back to Nashville and bought a tree---look at Megan's smile. It was the best $49 we have spent since arriving here. Merry Christmas

The royal send off

2007-12-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

Just found some picture of the last night in WIlliamsburg with Ralph. It was a good time. Caught this picture of Ralph poring beer into his mouth.

To Dawn Row and Nashville's finest

2007-12-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

Having arrived in Nashville for a 8 month layover on my way to the unknown, I am excited about what the future holds. My first night was an excellent beginning. Megan, my father, and I went to a dive to watch a bluegrass jam session. We sent the first hour listening to the various musicians take their runs. I was amazed at how a few choice people dominated the scene while other simply sat back and played the rhythm. If a dominate figure stepped out for a drink or smoke, the gap was quickly filed without a word. It was first experience of the shameless politics of jam session.

After a bit of time and a beer or two, I excused myself for a well-deserved pee. When I returned, Megan and my dad were chatting with an middle-aged lady. Dawn was an aspiring writer who was in Nashville to researching bluegrass music for a book about a piece of land in North Carolina. However, I was somewhat confused on how bluegrass fit into the story and got the feeling that the book was an excuse for a middle-aged lady to bum around and listen to music. I tried to talk to Dawn but I was more interested in watching the power struggle evolve as people left and joined the jam session.

After a few hours of a great jam session and Dawn, we headed home. I drove. As I drove through a green light near our place, flashing blue lights began bouncing off the glass window store fronts all around me. I pulled over to get out of the officers way. Damn. I suddenly remembered that my front headlight was out. My heart began racing as I pictured by myself walking some arbitrary line protected from my feet by the blinding blue lights and my nerves. Shit then I thought about the ABC's.

When the officer reached my window, he had a conversation that I do not remember. He then walked back to his car. After some time, he returned with my registration wrapped around my license and told me to "replace the headlight tomorrow and have a good time in Nashville." I told him that I planned to do just that.

End of an era

2007-11-29T22:15:00.002-05:00

The time has come... Megan and I am moving from our humble abode in quite Williamsburg, Virginia. Our next stop is in Nashville for an 8 month layover while we figure out the next destination. The future is completely up in the air. All we know is that Megan wants to teach history in a college somewhere. As of now, I am just along for the ride trying to figure out what exactly I am going to do. For starters, I am going to both Scotland and Haiti in January. Getting hitched in May. The next year should be a fun and interesting ride.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was a great-food, company and spirits were great. All the family came home including Jeremy, Alicia's boyfriend. Megan was there; it was our first major holiday together. On Friday, Megan and I went up to visit her folks' place to see her family. It was a great time.

We are now back in WIlliamsburg getting ready to move to Nashville by next week. It is craziness. Lots to do, and not enough time.

Coming to an end

2007-11-12T17:33:00.000-05:00

Our time in Williamsburg is quickly coming to an end. I am wrapping up my work in lab. We are looking for a place to live in Nashville. We even began packing some of our books. Despite how much I am looking forward to moving out of this place, I will miss our walks through Colonial Williamsburg at night.

Dog sitting

2007-11-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

Back from San Diego. It was a great trip. Stayed in Petersburg last night with Megan who is dog sitting for some friends. They have a cool looking Huskey, a jack russel terrier, a dog with 3 legs and a deaf and blind dog. Last night was action packed; it was filled with two barfing incidents, at least two peeing episodes and whatever else that is yet to be found. So needless to say, it was a valuable lesson supporting my previous convictions that I am not yet ready to be a father of any kind, children or pets.

First two days of science

2007-11-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

We got into San Deigo on Friday morning, checked into our hotel and then went immediately to the Salk Institute to a conference on Motor Systems. The next morning we went to the same conference. I gave a talk about my work. Around noon, the conference ended and then we went to the big conference (so far their are over 30,000 people here).

Nerds in San Diego

2007-11-01T17:27:00.000-05:00

So I am off to San Diego for the week tomorrow. Giving a talk and presenting a poster. Catching up with family. Maybe learn something. I will bring my camera and see if we can't get some shots of the scientific life at conferences. I will try to update while I am on the road. Please keep posted.

Doctors and pikies

2007-10-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

Defended on Friday, went to bed on Saturday and slept on Sunday. Back at it again on Monday so that I can get a poster and a slide presentation together before I fly to San Diego on Friday. I think Chad snapped some pictures on my camera. Also check out Jesse's blog at http://vonfang.blogspot.com for some.

Peter Pan syndrome

2007-10-21T16:34:00.000-05:00

Williamsburg nights

2007-10-16T19:41:00.000-05:00

Glitter of life

2007-10-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

Much of the weight has been lifted; my dissertation is out the door. I will have revisions, like the typo in the second word of the title, but for now I do not have to deal with it. I am currently working on getting a paper out the door for publication, which is much more rewarding than writing and editing a dissertation. For starters, I would be surprised if anyone ever reads my actual dissertation once it is finished. I have never read a dissertation.

I went to a concert last night and am going to one this night. Michael Franti and Spearhead is always a good time. So right now, my life is great. I am starting to think about my next move. Lots of possibilities, not much keeping me from doing anything. I guess I will soon need to start the process of narrowing things down. Looking forward to the next six months and what they have in store. My life is going to cahnge a lot and I am excited.

An event not to be missed

2007-10-10T09:52:00.000-05:00

The hike through the woods

2007-10-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

Megan and I went up to Mary's Rock for a hike on Saturday. At the top, we watched as a storm came over the pass. Now, I am back to Williamsburg for a big week after my weekend of recover. Dissertation goes to the committee on Monday. Should be a great one.

Weekend in Williamsburg

2007-09-30T22:56:00.000-05:00

A gathering

2007-09-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

A little late but better than never. Here are some pics from Nic and Carson's wedding party in VA last weekend. It was a great time.

A thought

2007-09-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

"It is ironic to think of the number of people in this country who pray for the poor and needy on Sunday and spend the rest of the week complaining that the government is doing something about them."

-William Sloan Coffin

Update

2007-09-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

My days in Williamsburg are coming to an end. I have begun working on my last chapter. While it will likely be the hardest to write, it seems to be coming along nicely. It is only in its prelimary draft stage and no one else has seen it or really even knows what its about. Hope others share my enthusiasm for its "brilliance". My experiemntal days are mostly finished. I may do a few more but the herculean push of the last couple of weeks is over.

Megan is also working hard writing her disseratation and is starting to finish up some of her chapters. She is beginning to look for jobs now. It is pretty exciting but let a bit scary, I suppose.

This weekend I had a bit more time to relax and enjoy myself as I was not in lab more than 12 hours a day. On Saturday, Megan and I meet up and ate dinner with Nathan and Meredith at Tequila Rose, a classic Mexican restaurant right outside town. It was a fun time, intersting/troubling to hear all about wedding planning stuff. A lot of the stuff they talk about having to do just does not sound appealing to me. All I thought we need was a preacher, music, food, friend and a lot of beer but apparently there is more. On Sunday, I played had a game in Sunday that ended in yet another tie. Megan and I spent the rest of the afternoon with Ralph in Richmond; it is nice having him near again. Last night, he came down for dinner and we went out to see 3:10 to Juma, which was a great movie that was very different than I expected.

Here are a few pictures of life in Williamsburg. Top pic was taken in colonial williamsburg; midlde is Megan reading and the bottom picture is of the rig that I do my experiments but now I am mostly finished with them.

From now til then...

2007-09-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

So you spent hours writing a paragraph only to scrap it and start over again. I am starting to see the light. It is still a ways off but none the less it is visible. Right now I am pouring over piles of papers written about a host of various topics in a large variety of experimental preparations. Afterwards, only one more chapter to write out; the end is getting near.

Also, I forgot to mention that after over a month on the road, my clothes - wet but fully accounted for - finally came back home. It is a long story but needless to say I now have a lot of clothes.

Attention Wal-mart shoppers

2007-09-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

So I lied - I promised that all the sappiness was done, finished and over but I just do not want some of my close friende to feel left out so well... a few more...

Once upon a time, I walked into my freshman room and all that was there was a backpack, and a box carrying a bike. A little while later, I meet the owner of the backpack and bike. He said that his name was Carson and talked a bit longer about a year he spent in Brazil, how he was from Washington but ranted about how Easterners can not pronouce Oregon correctly and how deisease, inequiality and world strife could be ended by putting Walmart out of business. This was my first encounter with the guy who would be my roommate for three years of college and marry Megan's roommate of 4 years Nic (see "So far..." and "The Red Dragon").

My friendship with Carson brought be to places and allowed me to experience things that I knew exsisted. For example, our senior year he brought Megan, me and bunch of college buddies to a remote Brazilian fishing island called Ille Grange-likely spelt completely wrong-to play bocce on deserted beaches. On the trip, we learned that 1 hour can mean 15 minutes or 4 hours, drank a mixture of lighter fluid and sugar, which Brazilians love and call cachaça, and bought ten ponds of fresh squid off a boat for $5 (but we tipped him an extra $5). It was a great time had by all.

For the past three years, Megan and I have been taken in by Carson's family during the Penddleton Round-Up in Oregon. Round-Up is more or less a PBR-style rodeo with many of the same riders and ropers but without all the glitter and expensive tickets. Like beach boce and cachaça, three days of drinking beer watching men and women in tight jeans and cowboy hats watch other men in tight jeans and cowboy hats try to ride bulls, tackle calves and milk hefers is something that all people should experience.

Who's cookin bacon?

2007-09-06T07:47:00.000-05:00

Work is going well. However, I am behind schedule as usual. Not that far behind; at least not as far behind as I usual am or I expected to be. The disseratation may even be finished in time. I am looking forward to the end. I am excited about afterwards. No idea what is going to happen next. My future is a bit like eating meat in China; you never know what you are going to get or when you going to get sick. I feel that luck favors me as I only got sick once in China and it was from some fruit.

Somewhere else...

2007-09-03T17:32:00.000-05:00

So stuff in lab is going well. I am beginning my last week of experiments. Afterwards it should mostly be writing; a few more experiments may be required to tighten up loose ends but for the most part they should be minimal.

I realize that the whole buddies post thing was coming across a bit sappy and emotional so I am just going to post pictures that I took in the past. This is a picture of some boats in Vernazza, Italy. I could figure out how to be a fisherman.

Brotherman

2007-08-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

You either love the guy or you hate him. As kids, we never stopped fighting. Less than 5 minutes into a soccer game, we would be fist fighting. Coaches would not let us be on the field together. What made it worse was that Ralph was someone who does not really feel pain when he is hurt so you could clogger him and he would come right back at you. My mom use to cry because she thought we hated each other. At the time, she was more or less right.

Sometime my senior year things really changed. I am not really sure when or what but something did. Now Ralph is probably my best buddy. This past May, he spent 2-3 weeks at our house in Williamsburg while he waited for his place in Richmond to open up. I was sad to see him leave.

Ralph is probably the most loyal friend and best brother that you could ever have. I have watched him take the fall for many things that he did not do. As kids,I was not sure if it is to protect the person or just to have someone pissed at him. However, he has mellowed out a lot since high school so I am sure that he is just jumping on the grenade so that no one else has to.

An adventure

2007-08-28T10:34:00.000-05:00

Many people dream that their life will one day be suitable for an article in Adventure magizine. Few of them really have what it takes or are not willing to try to the lifestyle. As long as I can remember, Chad has always ticked to a different drum. I talked to him a couple of weeks ago and he said that he had only been home 4 nights in the last 6 weeks. He was sleeping in his car that night.

My first-time climbing he dragded me up Devil's Tower on a multi-pitch trad climb, a feat well over both our heads. The pillar began a two year quest. Not sure what the quest was about or what we were after but it was a lot of fun. Despite being a full-time student, I spent more nights in a sleeping bag in bank, church, Wallmart, and truck-stop parking lots than I did in a bed. In a single semester, I put 15,000 miles on my car in a semester just traveling from Williamsburg to Harrisonburg so that we could go climbing or whatever.

Simply put the man is an alter ego. Someone that inspires me. He makes you feel alive...you are never sure what is going happen; epic adventures are always just around the corner. I miss the old days; I miss the open road ahead.

Get 'er done

2007-08-27T07:42:00.000-05:00

While some of the stuff I do in lab is really cool, the day-to-day work of an neurobiologist is not terribily fascinating to most people. For example, this past week I have been in lab nearly everyday for up to 15 hours. I found out that one of the drugs that I was using is no good, which means that 3 days of experiments must be redone. When not in lab, I have been working on writing.

Therefore, in order to keep the blog alive in the next few months while I finishing my work, I am going to write about my family and a few close friends. It will be more interesting than the daily actvities of my life for the next few months.

Day of the Red Dragon

2007-08-21T15:48:00.000-05:00

Carson and Nic got married and took their first ride together as Mr. and Mrs. Davis in the Red Dragon, a car graciously loaned to us by Carson's oldest brother Damon. Without power stearing and a top speed of 55 mph, it was a hit all week.

The wedding was a lot fun. It was great to see everyone in full form. People from all over...South Korea, Mexico, Virginia, etc. convereged on Bend, Oregon to celebrate Carson and Nic's big day. The ceremony was great. The reception better. I had a great time. Now, I need to detox a bit and get back to work. I took only a few pictures of the day but here are a few pictures that I did take of the Red Dragon along with some of the characters of the story.

Nic and Tobin, Carson's older brother, seeing the Red Dragon dressed up for the first time.

Carson's nephews, a lively bunch, next to Her Majesty's finest. Miles, on the far right, is trying to wipe the taste off his tongue. He mistoke the shaving cream for wiped cream.

The Red Dragon from behind.

So far...

2007-08-18T03:16:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day. I will write more about it later when I have more time. Here are a couple of pictures of the area surrounding Bend, the family playing music and Madeline, Carson's niece.

Packing made easy

2007-08-10T23:34:00.001-05:00

On my way back from Rome, the airline lost my bag with all my clothes...my first run in with the baggage department...polite and greatly unappreciated people. Also a first: no dirty clothes to clean when I got home. My elegant wardrobe is now mostly depleted; the shorts I made by cutting the legs off a $10 pair of pants my sophomore year of high school, the crochless underwear or the mismatched socks all gone. This means that clothes are worn and reworn quite very often. A plus: picking which clothes go to Portand is easy; all of them.

The balance

2007-08-09T08:45:00.000-05:00

Monday it is back out the door for another week. Megan and I are flying out to Portland for Nic and Carson's wedding. Two of our dearest friends are about to formalize what will surely be a lifetime together. It will be a lot of fun as all of my closest college friends, coming from Mexico, Pennsylavania, California, Virginia, etc., will be there. A grand time will be be had by all I am sure.

I have been on the road a lot lately and much work still remains to be be finished before I am ready to defend my dissertation on October 26. However, this week I am back in the game. I have gotten 9 experiments done in the last three days; last summer that would have taken me a week and a half at least. The ideas are flowing and I am begining to see how everything will shape up. I came to the realization today that what I thought would be one paper should in fact be two seperate ones. The ideas are just two hard and the story too complicated to combine into one paper. This means more publications but it also means that I have more experiments to do. So what to do...

I am beginning to enter crunch time and my time away and the resulting work unfinished is starting to accumulate. In Italy, I started to wonder if it would ever me possible to finish by October. I am sure that I will be able to...in the end everything always seems to have a way of working out. As I head out the door, all I can think is that I hope that it does...

Some more from Italy

2007-08-07T08:41:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple more pictures from Italy. The first one is of Megan in front of Santa Croce. The second is a boy fishing in Cinque Terre. Below are two pictures taken in a church right outside Florence.

Cape Cod

2007-08-06T14:53:00.001-05:00

Back from Cape Cod this morning. I love the Cape. Hanging out with Megan's family was great. I have been going for the past four years and everytime I have more fun. Most of the time, everyone moves in full throttle, moving from one activity to the other-swimming, walking on the beach, games, biking, kayaking, eating (the food is always excellent), etc. The weather was great. It was nice to get away from the heat for a bit. While the Cape is never stopping string of events, it somehow emits an extremelely tranquil and calming vibe.

Leonard: the newest family member

2007-08-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

back but gone

2007-08-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

After being awake for 50 straight hours, we arrived in Williamsburg-more asleep than awake. A long day of two experiments on Tuesday. Megan and I drove down to Sandbridge yesterday to hang out with my dad's family. It has been a blast. On Friday, Megan and I are going up to Cape Cod to see Megan's family.

open road ahead

2007-07-28T04:13:00.000-05:00

When I started this whole blog thing, I did not know what I really wanted to do with it. I thought that I would use it to express my thoughts and concerns about the world around me. After the first couple posts, my dad laughed and asked what the point of the blog was. My mom asked if I was depressed. They both had a bit of a point. I was being preachy. I am sorry about that. I think that what I have been doing since I got to Italy works. You see what I think is interesting and important through the subjects of my posts. Since I have gotten to Italy, I have gotten a lot of e-mails and calls from people saying they regularly check the site. But I am in scenic Italy so this is not so hard to imagine. I can only hope that I can keep it exciting enough to keep you interested when I get home.

While I still have most of the year’s work ahead of me trying to finish my dissertation, I am excited about what the next few months have in store - a couple days at the beach with my family (Sandbridge, VA), and then Megan’s (Cape Cod). In mid-August, we are off to Oregon for Nic and Carson's wedding; later in the month we are going to Josh and Me’s wedding in Pennsylvania. Afterwards, priority number one is finishing my dissertation. On October 26, the past three and a half years of work will culminate in my defense and a party signaling that “my work here is complete”.

Next year remains an open entry. There are a lot of things that I want to try and do. The only thing concrete is a move to Nashville with Megan. The future holds the excitement of uncertainty.

Jammin

2007-07-27T15:46:00.000-05:00

For the past two nights, we have gone down to Duomo to listen to this man play music---he just jams non-stop. Unlike most street performers, he seems to be truly happy to just play---tips are just a way to put food on the table. He also played in the afro-cuban band that I posted about earlier this week under “musicians.” This man is an artist who loves his craft. It is a lot of fun to watch someone enjoy what he is doing as much as he does.

The fashion queen

2007-07-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

And they march on...

2007-07-27T03:44:00.000-05:00

This place is crazy. Last night we went our for a walk down to the Duomo. Instead of seeing our usual street vendors, we ran across a procession of people dressed in renaissance outfits---I say ran across but we heard the drums five blocks away and ran to see what all the noise was about. It was pretty reminiscent of Williamsburg. Megan was supersiked---it took some work convincing her not join them. I wish that I knew more about what the whole process was all about.

"Good price, good price"

2007-07-26T04:15:00.000-05:00

All over the streets of Florence, people illegally sell knock-off goods, including purses, sunglasses, watches, belts, posters, etc. Sometimes, the vendors will simply "hide" their goods while other times they pick-up and sprint off. On the otherside, sometimes the police simply drive by without doing anything or casually tell them to leave; other times they will run at the sellers in their cars almost hitting them and last night we say that they confiscated a bunch of purses. Nevertheless, it is an interesting realtionship to watch.

Musicians

2007-07-25T04:43:00.000-05:00

The music in Florence is diverse. On any given night you may run upon an orchestra, an Afro-Cuban band, a man and his wife playing Paul Simmon songs with their daughter waving a flag in the background, or the Florentine man playing Italian love songs on the Ponte Vecchio.

Street Artists

2007-07-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

This is our last week in Florence before Megan and I come home. My experiences here have been the focus of my entries for the past three weeks. I would like to shift the focus to the people of Florence that shape our experiences for the last week. I will exclude tourists as that would in fact shift the attention back onto myself. Instead, I will focus on the street artists, vendors and musicians. I will start first with the artists; most of these artists are simply amazing, such as the lady who uses pastels to to replicate masterpieces on the cobblestone streets.

France and Switzerland

2007-07-24T04:27:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Megan and I went up to Sergy, France, a suburb of Geneva, to visit some friends from college. Josh and Mel moved to France so that Josh could work at the physics powerhouse CERN. We had a great time. The first day we went to the Swiss town, Roll, to go wine tasting in their vineyards. In Roll, people grow the grapes in their front yards, and thenproduce the wine in their garages under their homes. It is kinda crazy. So basically, winetasting consisted of us drinking a bottle of wine with the owner in a small room also in the basement his house. In retrospect, I think that tastings were by appointment only but by the looks of our host, he had already had an appointment or two earlier so why not another one. Afterwards, we went back to Josh and Mel's house, ate dinner and drank more wine and played some competetive Harry Potter UNO. The following day, we hiked up Mont Sieve, a rather large mountain by Virginia standars (seen in the swan picture with the fountain). It was great fun. On Monday, Megan and I went to Geneva after first checking out CERN. In Geneva, we went to the Uniter Nations, which was really cool. Afterwards, we took the train back to Florence through the mountains. It was really pretty nice. It would be a fun walk if you had a couple of months.

Washing away last night's garbage

2007-07-20T03:20:00.000-05:00

So after all that complaining about the noise and heat, I slept like a baby last night. Woke-up this morning early so I got out and walked about before everyone was out and about. It is amazing how much this city transforms from the late night parties to accompany its family-oriented tousists the next morning. When I first got out, trash was everywhere (food, papers, lots of beer bottles). An hour and a half later the area is transformed, as the street cleaners and local shop workers cleaned up the mess. It is quite amazing.

If paradise is too hot, can you complain?

2007-07-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

It is a dry heat so that you sweat without knowing it. However, after consuming upwards of 6 liters of water a day without ever really peeing, you begin to question what is going on. After half an hour outside, you are completely wiped. Night here is even more exciting. The Red Garder is this karaoke bar next to our place that is filled with the American greek system so any night of the week, especially Tuesday (free beer-pong night). The Red Garder provides nights filled with slamming doors, screaming, puking, pissing all right outside our windows. It is quite exciting. Last night I woke-up to the sound of plates being broken; never really what figure out what was going on. One night, I woke up to a "gun shot", jumped up, told Megan to get down and ran to the window to see what was going on. I guess that reaction is not the reaction that your mother wants you have but it happened without me really knowing what was going on. The "gun shot" was the slamming of a metal door right outside our window; a guy had bust out the emergency door to puke. As time went on, we found out there are apparently a lot of emergencies at the Red Garder as that damn door slams all night long. However, we do not have it that bad. We often wake-up at 3:30 and look across the alley to the apartment across the alley to our neighbors 3 and 6 year old children running around with all the lights on.
Despite the lousy time trying to sleep, we also have a great time. Everynight we try to go out and see something new. These pictures are from the other day when we went to a spot that overlooks the city from the other side of the river.

The main sites of Florence

2007-07-18T08:34:00.000-05:00

Megan and I have been in Florence since last friday so not much new is going on. She is mostly in the archive and I am hanging out reading and I started doing more work on my dissertation. I guess it hit me the other day that I still have a lot of work to do and the time is running out. I looked at a calender yesterday morning and have been working since. So here are some generic pictures that show the places that people flock to see when they are here. When I say flock, I mean tons of people are here. You hear more English than Italian. We also live right near a karaoke bar that is filled with members of the American greek system. Man are they load. It finally quited down last night at 4 am. Megan and I just lay there sweeting and laughing at the whole situation. It is quite amazing. But anyways...

Here is the duomo, ponte vecchio, plaza vecchio and santa croce; all really beautiful places, with a lot of people right now.

Vernazza

2007-07-14T04:10:00.000-05:00

Last night, we got back from 5 Terre, a series of 5 towns that are linked by a footpath. We stayed in Vernaza, a really cool town that has been converted from a fishing village (?) into a tourist destination. The people are kind, smile and are in great shape. The town is on a really step hillside so to get from one house to another you may have to take 50+ steps but they are all stairs. Instead of showing the hike, I am only going to show pictures of Vernazza.

Where is the Tuscan sun?

2007-07-14T03:57:00.000-05:00

Megan, Kelly and I decided that after three days of museums (two in Rome and one in Florence) that we needed to get out of town and change the pace a bit. We decided to take a train to Chertaldo and walked to San Gimignano, a town that once had 72 towers before the plague hit. When we left, the weather was great and then about two miles into the walk, the thunderheads came in. Up until then, I had never seen any real clouds in Italy.

Relocating the marble

2007-07-10T16:23:00.000-05:00

Everyone looks at the Roman ruins and thinks man it would be amazing to live during the roman times. In fact we even heard a 10 year old boy say, "Mom, I wish that I were dead." As only a mother could so nonchalantenly ask, "Why is that dear?" "So that I could live with the Romans." I figured that was as good as any reason that I have ever heard and seemed like the most logical that I could think of.

However, now image all those ruins covered in marble that has now been relocated into the richest city state in the world.

Trouble

2007-07-10T16:17:00.001-05:00

Our glorius closet

2007-07-07T13:52:00.000-05:00

Here is the apartment that we are staying in; small but big enough and well located. It has a kitchen, bathroom and a general living and sleeping room. The kitchen is huge compared to ours in WIlliamsburg so that is nice. We even cooked tonight; I think we ended up saving $30 USD on the penne arrabiatta. And it was good.

Now the best part (in Megan's view), the stairs and railing, both original, are from the 1300's, which really makes Megan happy. Can you imagine anything from the US being around after numerous plagues, even more wars and 400 more years of wear and tear? And across the street from us is a building once belonging to the Spinelli's the protagonist of Megan's current masterpiece.

Florence day 1-2

2007-07-06T15:12:00.000-05:00

The babe on Ponte Vecchio at night, when a gathering is watching the music being played. And as the Italians so suavely put it.

The glorious Arno river looks much better at night in the dark when the river rats are asleep.

And the Italians have finally figures out the main diference between men and women. Who said the Italians are not suave?

We are here and now well rested

2007-07-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

Megan and I caught up in the airport, a bit of an act of God considereing the half a million people roaming around complicating the fact that no plans about meeting had been made. Then, the uneventful train ride to Florence, the forty minute hike with a bunch of Megan's stuff and mine (80-100 lbs.). The place is great. 80 pounds lighter, we went off to a dinner of pasta and wine. Afterwards, we went back to the place to use the bathroom where I sat down for a minute and woke up 16 hours later. Then, I went out for a bit by myself, while Megan was at work. Pictures will follow.

Off to Italy for the month

2007-07-02T15:09:00.000-05:00

I am off to Italy for a month with Megan. We are going to based out of Florence. I will try to do better about posting while I am there. It is more inspiring than working in lab 16 hours a day I guess. The past two weeks in lab have been really busy and productive but hectic. Therefore, as long as I get internet, I will post some of the pictures. In the meantime, here are a couple to keep you excited.

Babe happy birthday

2007-06-26T09:51:00.000-05:00

Today is Megan's 26th birthday. It has really been a lot of fun these last four plus years. I have always dreamed of living my entire life out of a backpack on the road, Kerouac-style (minus the two-week benders), but living with Megan has made me really appreciate having a place. I have come to realize that my home is being with her, whether in Williamsburg, Nashville, Rappahannock or somewhere else.

Next week, Megan and I are going to Italy for a month-she is doing research and i am tagging along as a force of equalibrium-my job is to make sure that she stays true to the italian way; I make sure that she does not work to hard, and has a lot of fun-in return she gives me persepctive of my place in the world, she basically lets me know that everything will be alright-we are forces that maintain balance in eachothers lives...we tell eachother to stop, take a deep breath and say mananna-for that I am greatful.

Baby, happy birthday!

To my heros in SLC.

2007-06-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

To the beach. I am super stoked to see you this summer. I love you guys.

Packing

2007-06-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

Megan is going to Yale for two weeks on Sunday. Afterwards, we are going to Italy for a month so packing can be a little intense. Here is a picture of Megan trying to come to grips with the idea that she can not bring her whole library with her.

williamsburg nights at 25

2007-06-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

Williamsburg has been my home for 7 years. While slow at times, it is a a nice place to relaxand spend time with my grandparents, Nina and Bop.

Megan now lives with me, which has been a lot of fun. It is pretty cool to live with your best buddy.

Some nights, we even venture down to colonial williamsburg to check out what it was like 300 years ago, without the prostitutes, poverty, horse shit, and beggars..

Tribute to my old man

2007-05-29T10:30:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my friend Jesse and I were discussing the ability to tell a good story when he looked at me and says, "Ryland, look at our fathers; storytelling is in our blood." Over the years, my father has told me some pretty great tales about his life at my age - they sound like some pretty loose times. He played rugby, drank beer with his buddies, worked odd jobs while constantly hitching back and forth across country - his ticket being a smile, his humor, a valid drivers license, and sometimes even homemake cookies. It would have been fun to see him before the responsibility of having me came along. As my friends are getting married, having kids and making real career moves - experiences that I hope elude me a bit longer, it will be interesting, if not fun, to watch people change with their new lives. While last weekend gives me hope that some of you will never change, I am sure that my dad's old crew thought the same about him. As I watch my dad kick back with these buddies over a beer or so, I begin to see what he was like so long ago. While I really enjoy sitting back and discussing his newest scheme to build a new shop or my latest life plan, I would still have loved to hang out with my dad when he was my age.

What about you?

2007-05-28T15:49:00.001-05:00

While people are born equal, quality of life is definitely a continuum. The condition of humanity can not improve in a night, week, or decade, but the privilaged have a responsibility to start taking steps to provide the basic fundamental rights to all people; these rights include food, shelter, water, security, health care, and hope. Without these basic necessities, what would you be like?

What I learned along the way...

2007-05-28T07:20:00.000-05:00

Some people are made for lab research, but I am not. Nevertheless, I will say that it was pretty cool to be the one of the people to "discover" that a 15 year old theory that was practically considered dogma is in fact not so. However, it was scary the resistance I encountered despite very little actual casual data actually supporting the previous theory; remember, these are trained, "skeptical" scientists that we are talking about here. It is amazing to see what people will believe if they hear it enough. This experience was my most important lesson in grad school. Nothing is for certain so QUESTION EVERYTHING CONSTANTLY AND RELENTLESSLY.

This constant questioning requires that people are constantly viligiant and active; something that I am afraid most people are unwilling to do. I am not sure if it is easier to simpily follow directions because it is easier or "proper". Maybe, we truely believe what we hear is correct. Either way replacing individuality and independent thought with the "easier" mainstream is dangerous and irresponsible. While all your questions may not offer answers, they provide perspective of the world's complexity that eludes most people. In the days of "you are either with us or against us", it is important to stop, and question what is really going on. Put yourself in other peoples shoes and try to gain insights into their lives. The hard learned lessons of World War I and World War II must not be forgotten.

Giving it a try

2007-05-27T19:58:00.001-05:00

Here I am going to try a blogging experiment. The goal here is to simply open lines of communication so that we can share ideas about life and the world at large. Please make suggestions and let your thoughts be known.