Movin'

I'm on the road, tapping this out on my smartphone, which I've now had for about a month, and which has been invaluable for NaBloPoMo. It's the fancy phone of the moment (for those not in the Android camp, anyway) and is shiny, lovely, and almost certainly habit-forming. It's quite the upgrade from my 3.5-year old dumbphone--though I'm pretty sure it wouldn't survive a fall off a bridge into a semi-frozen puddle, like the latter.

David and I are heading to Hermiston from Walla Walla, where we were celebrating my grandma's 80th birthday (with more than a few Alert Readers!). It seems that we may be hosting the next gathering at the Blueplex; we shall see.

In any case, it was wonderful to see tons of family, and I was sad to have to head out a bit early so that we can get David prepped, packed, and ready to head to Mpls tomorrow for a week of work out there. At least we were able to fit in a rousing round of sibling and cousin Scrabble; it was the first game of my life in which I (with teammate David) had not one, but TWO bonus words. We'll ride that momentum the whole way back to Oregon.

 

Bonus words: reechoed and gaiters

Stormy Weather

David and I had just started eating dinner this evening when the wind storms that had been raging all day knocked the power out. There was a little bit of daylight left, so we lit a bunch of candles, finished eating, and called the power company to report the outage. They estimated we'd be back up by 8:30, so we decided to carry on our plans for the evening, just without electricity.

(Aside: when I lived in Auburn, where I spent my last two years of grade school and four years of high school, we lost our power all the time. Not because we had crazy weather, necessarily;* more because we apparently had a spectacularly unstable power grid. The slightest wind storm would cause a blackout. [When I lived in Nebraska, where they have tornadoes, we lost power ONCE: when a tree fell on the power lines right outside the house. They had us back up and running within a couple of hours.] Anyway, in Auburn it was rather festive, because we would light a fire in the fireplace and maybe make soup on it, and generally have a jolly time. Tonight was the first time I remember having a nighttime power loss since then, and I realized once again how we're living in THE FUTURE. Not only were we able to call the power company on our cell phones, but David could still get the Internet on his phone, my gas furnace still worked to heat the place, and I was able to use both my stove top and my oven! I guess the latter two are not so much living in the future as using natural gas... but whatever.)

Our evening plans involved making an apple crisp from the box of Honeycrisps my mom sent out with David's parents, so we just baked it by candlelight. We'd peeled too many apples to fit into the crisp, so I peeled a few more and made a big pot of applesauce.

And then--back to living in the future--we started a movie on David's netbook, which has a most impressive battery.

Anyway, our lights are back up again, after an hour more than estimated of candlelit living. It was actually quite delightful.

*though this notable exception comes to mind

More Japan: Monday

Monday, the guys had to return to work, but we ladies took advantage of the beautiful weather to explore the area at the heart of Tokyo, the Imperial Palace Gardens and their surroundings. Sadly, I hadn't charged my camera battery, and it bit it after barely an hour. Sniff. April kindly offered me the use of her camera, but I don't have those pictures yet.

We explored the outer gardens, got a snack in the incredible, massive, deli/food court/market/bazaar hidden under one of the tall office buildings, explored the Imperial Palace East Gardens, and had a lovely (vending machine) tea time on the lawn. After that, we headed over to Akihabara, the tech district, which was a sensory overload onslaught of flashing lights, electronic music, and crushing crowds. We sought refuge in a seven story technology and entertainment store that was something like what you might get if you mashed together a Radio Shack, Best Buy, maybe a Sharper Image (remember those?), a comic book/game store, and a street fair. Despite being crowded with an overwhelming array of gadgets and associated paraphernalia, and a jingle that repeated constantly on all the floors and made us wonder how anyone could endure working there, it really was a relatively quiet respite from the bustle outside. (Which was fascinating, if one could find a patch of sidewalk from which to watch at a bit of a remove; I saw a couple of Bo Peeps and a few other confection-like pastel costumes, as well as a dude in tails and a top hat.)

In the evening, we took a long train ride out to Yokosuka, where the guys work, to meet them for dinner at a fantastic little Thai place. Yokosuka, which is the site of the Navy base, housed quite a few more Americans than we'd been used to seeing, as well as such institutions as a T.G.I.Friday's. I asked for the yellow curry, requesting "no meat, no fish," and was thrilled that it arrived with fried tofu, which I hadn't even seen on the menu. It was AMAZING.

(Early this year, far before I even knew I'd be heading over there, I'd been talking to a professor at the U about her time in Japan, and her difficulty as a vegetarian. "No one is vegetarian there," she told me. "Everyone eats fish. True vegetarianism just doesn't exist." We did see a very few places that were billed as vegetarian, and even at dinner at one of them, Saturday night, I found one tiny shirasu amongst my noodles. [You can Google that, but I can't say I'd really recommend it.] In my real life, I'm a pretty strict vegetarian, so I did miss out on eating most authentic Japanese cuisine, which I'm sure is to my detriment. Etc.)

The pictures I took Monday before my battery died (album here):

H1N1

I just returned from being vaccinated against Swine Flu. I generally get a seasonal flu vaccine; the U gives them out free and encourages all of us to "Do it for the Herd!" Especially when I was TAing and interacting with hundreds of undergrads a week, it just made sense. (And last year I got to help set a Guinness World Record!)

This year, they ran out of seasonal flu vaccine very early on, and let us know they wouldn't be getting any more. They also had low supplies of H1N1 and were only vaccinating high-risk groups. They've apparently come into quite a large quantity of the vaccine recently, however, and are now encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.

Several months ago, I had been hesitant about receiving the vaccine. Wasn't the whole H1N1 thing just another big scare, inflated by the media? Sure, it was a little daunting that it was the young and healthy who seemed to get the sickest, but did we really all need to freak out?

And then I heard this on NPR, the title of which pretty much sums it up: "Debate Over H1N1 Vaccine? There Shouldn't be One." Physician Douglas Kamerow, former Assistant Surgeon General and research scientist, explains concisely and clearly why the vaccine is safe, an effective defense against a dangerous disease, and the responsible option for public health. He convinced me--as, I'd like to think, scientific evidence and respected authority generally do. Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned low supplies, getting the vaccine earlier wasn't an option for me. Now it is, but I probably wouldn't have thought about it if I hadn't heard, again on public radio, public health officials encouraging people to get the now-widely-available vaccine.

I booked an online appointment at the student health center, where I was told I could get either the standard injection or the nasal spray. Not having a particular fear of needles (though I do if they contain a tetanus booster), I was happy to leave the spray for those who do. However, I was assured that there was plenty of each and that I was free to choose either. Figuring it was a no-brainer, I chose the nasal spray and was directed to a friendly nurse who had me blow my nose before she stuck a little wand up each nostril and dispensed a puff of vaccine. I got to remain fully dressed, sustained no puncture wound, and won't have any bruising.

What blows my mind, though, is that at least half of the people around me seemed to be opting for the injected vaccine! I think these nasal vaccines are the future; I'll take that option any time.

Anyway. This is National Influenza Vaccination Week, and I think it makes sense to be vaccinated, whether you opt to be poked or to inhale. The most intelligent and trustworthy sources I know are encouraging it, after all--and who wants to get sick, anyway?

Travelin'

Happy December, all!

It's extra happy here today, because David was offered a position at what amounts to sort of his dream job. It's a controller position, so he won't have the pesky tax season he's dealt with for the past several years in public accounting. His office is also in the Warehouse District of downtown, which, in addition to being generally awesome, is only a few miles north of my house and forms a neat little triangle with my East Bank office. (Yes, I've already become a total pansy this winter as far as biking is concerned--but it's so hard to turn down free rides, and when I don't have to bike I get to wear nice clothes!) Needless to say, after three months of rather daunting unemployment (curse this economy--as I told him this evening, he's a frikkin' accountant, after all, not a beat poet!), this is a huge relief. To terminate his unemployment with such an exciting prospect and great people feels extra fantastic.

We just got back from the west coast last night, after driving back through the gorge and flying out of PDX. David and I didn't get to sit together on the plane, but we did both have window seats, and it was one of my most memorable flights in recent memory. It was a gloriously clear day, and the view of Hood was spectacular. I was wishing I could identify all the peaks (Adams? Jefferson? Three Sisters?) when it occurred to me that as I could see clear across Oregon to the south, I might be able to see Rainier to the north. I actually gasped when I turned and saw it, larger than life and perfectly framed in the windows across the aisle. Amazing! It was especially interesting to follow our path east along the gorge, having just come the opposite way that morning. I recognized the dams and phalanxes of wind turbines (visible in the full-sized version of the photo), and even thought I could see Multnomah Falls, where we'd stopped briefly on our way in.

Tomorrow I board another plane, this one bound for Las Vegas. I get in late and then have Friday by myself before meeting up with April and Chris Saturday morning. We run early (6:15 a.m.! the pain!) Sunday, and if you feel like tracking us, you can find details about that here. I had thought at one point about running the full marathon, and I am very glad that I talked myself out of that rash plan and registered, along with the other two, for the half. I'm already feeling so much less stressed! My usual race voodoo--what I can and can't eat, what I wear, how I sleep, etc.--is significantly calmed when I know I'm running 13.1 miles, instead of 26.2. I'm not too inspired at the moment, having been on the ground in my home timezone for only slightly more than 24 hours and not particularly anxious to leave again, but I'm sure I'll be excited soon enough.

One inspiration: AirTran (for all their other, significant flaws [i.e. I fly through Atlanta on my way from MSP to LAS]) now has wifi on all their flights! It's not free (yet), but still--we're living in the future.

Streamin'

Believe it or not, I am not only typing, but actually publishing, this from a vehicle speeding down I-80 in Iowa! I feel like I'm living in the future, and it's amazing. (Who was it who said that sufficiently advanced technology always feels like magic--?)

David and I are nearly two weeks into our roadtrip, and will be arriving back in Mpls Thursday evening. We'll spend the weekend there, attending my neighbor's wedding, picking up the rest of my summer luggage, cheering friends who are running the inaugural Mpls Marathon, and will then head back west. I'll be spending the summer in Walla Walla, attempting to write the third chapter of my dissertation (not that chapters one and two are written yet; the whole project is theoretical, on multiple levels). Oh, but hey, good news in the dissertation department: I was awarded the fellowship I mentioned a few posts ago! That has given me some encouragement about the whole mess, so I'm very thankful for that.

The past weeks have been the pleasantest of blurs, filled with friends, family, food, wildlife, hydrothermal landscapes, and even, at the beginning, a surprisingly excellent academic conference. We've uploaded around 2200 photos, not all of which to which I will subject you, though I do hope to post a representative sampling.

I haven't checked in on the Internet very frequently on the trip; although accessing it in the car is pretty awesome (when we're on stretches of road that offer cell coverage) it also seems to add to the disorientation of long-distance travel and hasn't been particularly alluring compared to the company and scenery. Also, it's kind of giving me a headache. So I'm going to stop here, but will try to fill in the gaps before too long--and to see what some of you Internet Friends have been up to!

Protesting

So David and Erin both asked about the RNC and protesting. I wish I had more to say about that. Blame it on trying to write my prospectus, not wanting to get arrested, or general laziness, though, but all I did was try to spot Republicans downtown Saturday night (they were wearing blazers and lapel pins!); attend the Liberty Parade and concert on Sunday; and participate in Take Back Labor Day on Monday. I'll go ahead and tell you about my limited experience, anyway.

Take Back Labor Day was the only time I was in St. Paul during the convention. We biked over, and traffic wasn't bad at all, until we got close to the Xcel Center. Then it was just weird; they had installed these black cyclone fences around the convention center, and between the sidewalks and the streets. There were cops everywhere, many of them from out of town; I heard people complaining that streets had been inexplicably blocked, and that none of the cops could even give directions of how to get around.

Take Back Labor Day was on Harriet Island, and because they had closed the bridge we wanted to take, we ended up taking the High Bridge over. It was a serious climb (Wikipedia says it's 160' tall), but had plenty of room for bikes, which was nice. On the other side, we took a breather and looked at the city. A mom and about six kids unloaded from a van and shared the view with us; the kids were most excited by the "boats with machine guns on the front"--in fact, the Coast Guard was patrolling the Mississippi.

The event was in a big park right across from the Xcel Center. Security there felt much calmer than on the other side of the bridge; there were a few patrols of people in T-shirts from some security company, but not the hordes of officers we'd just left. There were lots of tents set up with food and different events, but the big attraction was the main stage, where we heard, among others, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, Atmosphere, and Mos Def. The event was primarily about workers' rights, which was a fitting protest to the RNC. We made a lot of noise, and I'm sure Republicans outside the Xcel Center could hear us, although I'm sure it was plenty quiet inside.

My friend and I were taking a look at the tents on our way out when we saw crowds gathered along the riverbank. As we looked, we saw a yacht with a banner that said "Stop Torture," being pursued by probably five Coast Guard boats and two or three smaller sheriff's boats. It was making quick movements and seemed to be outfoxing its pursuers, which we all cheered. Across the bank, I could see a wall of people in black, apparently officers. It looked like there were 50 or 60 of them, and I couldn't figure out what they were doing; protecting the bank in case the yacht's occupants wanted to protest torture on land?

A guy beside me nudged me and said, "Did you see the snipers?" Sure enough; as I looked, I saw two unmistakable figures standing on a building beside the Xcel Center. You can see them in this picture my friend took. It was only later, looking at this guy's photo set on Flickr, that I realized that what we'd been seeing on the other bank was the police surrounding detainees. Creepy.

We left shortly thereafter to head home. As we got back to the High Bridge, however, we were dismayed to see police cars blocking the entrance. An old man watching from the sidewalk told us we'd have to detour to the I-35 bridge, miles away. Thankfully, however, as we watched, we saw that the cops were letting pedestrians and cyclists through. We had the bridge entirely to ourselves! Although I later realized that the closure appeared to be another heavy-handed gesture to control protesters (read: freedom), gliding down that silent bridge, I felt like I was in a dream. I snapped a camera phone picture of what felt like The Future.

Later, as we crossed another bridge into Minneapolis, passing a patrol car and officer on the Saint Paul side, I felt, more than I ever had before, how really separate the two cities are--and it was a relief to be home.

As much as I heart Jon Stewart, I have to respectfully disagree with his characterization of St. Paul as "so much better than Minneapolis. Minneapolis is Danny DeVito to St. Paul's Schwarzenegger." I don't know where he was in each city to come up with that comparison... but I'm glad to live on the right side of the river (the left one).