The concept of blogging regularly and keeping a journal-like thing is
totally beyond me. I keep doing stuff and seeing stuff and thinking, Ã
gotta put this in my blog¨and it never happens.
Ok so what´s up with this spanish keyboard¿ nothing is where it should be!
The choir tour went really well. The concerts got better and better as
time went on, and who knows, maybe I´ll be able to write down all the
stuff i wanted to write about that.... however, right now I wantto
write my initial thoughts and feelings about being here in Spain,
while I´m still htinking and feeling them and they are real and
fresh....
I arrived 2 days ago in Barcelona, after a 20 hour bus ride from
Frankfurt (the details of which I would love to blog but now no es
possible) i then took another bus to Zaragoza, about 3 and a half
hours from Barcelona. Hector picked me up form the airport, and I met
his family, his brother, mother, stepfather, brother´s girlfriend, and
then we started moving furniture around. The apartment I´m staying in
is Hector´s and is right next to his family´s house. It´s a nice
place. There´s even room for a little garden. His family is very sweet
and accomodating, although when I first arrived everyone was sleeping
because it was siesta time :o)
Ahhh... Siesta :o)
oday we had Paella for lunch. Lunch and dinner are served outside on
the veranda and there is always enough food for as many people as show
up. Today it included Neisan from Bilbao, Santiago (who has actually
been around for the past 2 days, although I understand his mom lives
close by in Zaragza) hector´s friend, Anna, Hector´s brother´s
girlfriend (although if you ask they will deny that they are together,
but it´s not rocket science to figure out that they are) she´s from
southern spain and I am told that I am not alone in being completely
unable to understand her spanish. Israel (hector´s brother) is often
called upone to translate her spanish into spanish for everyone else
to understand! and random other people...
During the gospel choir tour I found it necessary to choose between
eating meat or breaking my budget. Upon arrival in Spain I found it
necessary to continue as a non-practicing vegetarian. Ugh. I realise
how little i like meat, but if i refused to eat it, people would be
offended, and i would starve.
Anyway, must go now.... siesta calls.... more later.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Friday, July 02, 2004
Amsterdam. WOW.
You know, you hear stories about Amsterdam. You hear the word Amsterdam and what immediately comes to mind is sex and drugs, all legal. I don't know about anyone else, but this never put a mental picture in my mind. It was just words. Last night we got on a train and went to Amsterdam to see for ourselves what it was about. There were 5 of us. 3 guys, 2 girls. The rest prefer to remain anonymous.
We set out at about 9:15ish, after a wonderful meal in the Japanese restaurant in the hotel... they cook the food in front of you, juggle knives and flip food around and set it on fire for you... the whole shebang. Anyway, all full and ready for the night, we headed out, got second class round trip train tickets and headed for the platform. We had a little difficulty finding it so I eagerly enlisted the aid of a 3 very pleasant, very friendly Dutch guys. Our train was a nicely equipped double decker, very new, with plush seats and plenty of space. We watched a long beautiful sunset over the countryside and enjoyed the scenery... canals, windmills, fields, community gardens, cows, sheep, horses, everything. We passed Den Haag (the Hague) on the way as well.
We arrived in Amsterdam with no directions or any idea of where to go. We wanted to see the red light district in the flesh (so to speak). We were only told that we'd know it when we saw it. Oh wait, first let me tell you about the bathrooms. After the Japanese food with plenty of green tea and the train ride, we needed a bathroom when we got to Amsterdam. There was a WC at the train station for 50 cents. So the girls went to the women's and the boys go to the men's and we paid the money and went through the electronic doors - and found ourselves in the same place! Hahahahhahaha!!! It was like an entry area, and the stalls on the left were for men, and the right was for women... it was bizarre! When I came out a woman was chasing down her little girl who was wandering off towards the men's section where the urinals were... yikes! Speaking of urinals... another bizarre thing.. outside the area where the clubs are there's this port-a-poty type thing... but it's a port-a-urinal. Basically, it's a standing wall, with 4 sections, and a hole in each sections (imagine looking down from above and seeing an X shape with a o in each intersection of the X) anyway, I'll take a picture. But there is nowhere to wash hands, and basically these guys are standing there peeing in public! It's like a sanctioned peeing wall. I guess if guys are going to do it anyway, they may as well give them somewhere to do it instead of dirtying the city. What was funny was seeing 2 tall guys standing there peeing, chatting and watching the game over the top of the wall....
So we left the bathroom in the train station and headed outside. There were cafe's everywhere. The smell of various kinds of marijuana permeated the air coming out of the cafes and every third person we passed was smoking a joint. It was crazy. Every place that wasn't a cafe was a bong shop. We kept walking. The city itself is beautiful. The architecture was gorgeous and there are canals and bridges. Tomorrow we have a concert there and we will be able to see the tamer parts of the city during the day. But last night, we had a purpose.
We crossed a bridge and went down another cafe laden street, and there it was. Neon signs, red lights and an inordinate amount of floor-to ceiling windows with subdued red or blue lights in them. THis was it. There was a canal down the middle, and bridges over the top, some parts of it were how I imagine venice to be, but this wasn't Venice! In these windows were women posing, dancing, sitting whatever... dressed in bikinis, lacy undergarments, costumes... whatever. Overall, it was far more tasteful than I had thought it would be. There were no naked people (except on the posters and videos outside the places advertising live sex shows), and if you didn't think about it as you walked, you could have been walking past any lingerie store showcase, but the mannequins were live. It was easy to forget that when guys walked up to these window and the women inside opened what turned out to be a big glass door, they would negotiate a price (most commonly heard was 50 euros) the curtain would close in the window and the beds often seen in the background would then serve their purpose. It was fascinating, and appaling. When we first got there, I was just looking around in wonderment. The other girl and I were both relieved to see that instead of gross looking crack ho's that we thought there'd be, these were actually very nice looking beautiful women. But when I walked and started to think a little, it really started to upset me. These women thought nothing more of themselves than not only to sell sex for a living, but to stand there and be gaped at to advertise themselves. ugh. All of this surrounded by cafes full of people escaping reality with weed and mushrooms.. We went to a pizza place for a midnight snack and a break from it all. It was there that I had the single most delicious slice of pizza that I've ever had. The crust was perfect. They used Dutch cheese instead of mozarella. It was great! We walked around a bit more, had enough of it and went home.
The train ride home was actually the highlight of my night.
Unlike the train coming to Amsterdam, the 1:43 train to Rotterdam was an old smelly one. I guess the fact that the people on it were coming from a night of degradation in Amsterdam was the cause of the smell. The ratty seats were probably because it was an old train. We got on at the back end, and the first 2 compartments were nasty and smelly so we kept going. The next section was booths, we figured these were 1st class. Next was a reasonably empty, and therefore less smelly car, so we sat and made ourselves at home. THe conductor came by about 15 minutes later, and announced to us that we had 2nd class tickets and therefore should not be sitting here in first class. Oops! He showed us where the little 1 and 2 were to indicate the class of car we were entering. All the second class cars were crowded and smelly. We walked forward further and further until there was no more forward to walk. We were in a space where there were 4 doors. The one going forward to the conductor's little thing where he drives the train, the 2 side doors for entering and exiting, and the door back into the nasty smelly car. We stood there. I spotted a guy in the corner sitting on a chair that folded down from the wall, next to him was another seat. The seats were small... I asked him if he minded he said no. So I sat. This guy was gorgeous. Even the spike sticking out of the piercing in his lower lip, the 3 earrings in each ear, and, I was later to find out the tongue piercing, did not detract from his beauty. Beautiful squinty eyes, strong jawline, long ponytail, but neatly shaved on the sides.... tall lean and well built... so nice! The other girl and I chatted with him and he was quite happy to chat with us. After a few minutes he offered her a seat too, and slid over to reveal a 3rd fold down seat. The 3 of us crowded in there and had a fun time learning useful Dutch phrases, and talking to Mitch (Mitchell) born and bred Dutch hottie. I am truly impressed by him and his kind. The guys found seats inside, and at one point one of them fell asleep. He didn't fall into a peaceful silent sleep, though. He started to snore loudly, much to the amusement of everyone around him. A lady obliquely opposite and facing him, was talking on her cellphone. She chattered away in Dutch, probably describing to her friend the loudness of the snoring, then held the phone towards him so her friend could hear! It was a hilarious ride.
Mitch got out at Den Haag and wished us a pleasant trip. We said goodbye, in Dutch... and had an uneventful ride home.
Holland is truly not what I expected. I'm already looking forward to visiting here again!
We set out at about 9:15ish, after a wonderful meal in the Japanese restaurant in the hotel... they cook the food in front of you, juggle knives and flip food around and set it on fire for you... the whole shebang. Anyway, all full and ready for the night, we headed out, got second class round trip train tickets and headed for the platform. We had a little difficulty finding it so I eagerly enlisted the aid of a 3 very pleasant, very friendly Dutch guys. Our train was a nicely equipped double decker, very new, with plush seats and plenty of space. We watched a long beautiful sunset over the countryside and enjoyed the scenery... canals, windmills, fields, community gardens, cows, sheep, horses, everything. We passed Den Haag (the Hague) on the way as well.
We arrived in Amsterdam with no directions or any idea of where to go. We wanted to see the red light district in the flesh (so to speak). We were only told that we'd know it when we saw it. Oh wait, first let me tell you about the bathrooms. After the Japanese food with plenty of green tea and the train ride, we needed a bathroom when we got to Amsterdam. There was a WC at the train station for 50 cents. So the girls went to the women's and the boys go to the men's and we paid the money and went through the electronic doors - and found ourselves in the same place! Hahahahhahaha!!! It was like an entry area, and the stalls on the left were for men, and the right was for women... it was bizarre! When I came out a woman was chasing down her little girl who was wandering off towards the men's section where the urinals were... yikes! Speaking of urinals... another bizarre thing.. outside the area where the clubs are there's this port-a-poty type thing... but it's a port-a-urinal. Basically, it's a standing wall, with 4 sections, and a hole in each sections (imagine looking down from above and seeing an X shape with a o in each intersection of the X) anyway, I'll take a picture. But there is nowhere to wash hands, and basically these guys are standing there peeing in public! It's like a sanctioned peeing wall. I guess if guys are going to do it anyway, they may as well give them somewhere to do it instead of dirtying the city. What was funny was seeing 2 tall guys standing there peeing, chatting and watching the game over the top of the wall....
So we left the bathroom in the train station and headed outside. There were cafe's everywhere. The smell of various kinds of marijuana permeated the air coming out of the cafes and every third person we passed was smoking a joint. It was crazy. Every place that wasn't a cafe was a bong shop. We kept walking. The city itself is beautiful. The architecture was gorgeous and there are canals and bridges. Tomorrow we have a concert there and we will be able to see the tamer parts of the city during the day. But last night, we had a purpose.
We crossed a bridge and went down another cafe laden street, and there it was. Neon signs, red lights and an inordinate amount of floor-to ceiling windows with subdued red or blue lights in them. THis was it. There was a canal down the middle, and bridges over the top, some parts of it were how I imagine venice to be, but this wasn't Venice! In these windows were women posing, dancing, sitting whatever... dressed in bikinis, lacy undergarments, costumes... whatever. Overall, it was far more tasteful than I had thought it would be. There were no naked people (except on the posters and videos outside the places advertising live sex shows), and if you didn't think about it as you walked, you could have been walking past any lingerie store showcase, but the mannequins were live. It was easy to forget that when guys walked up to these window and the women inside opened what turned out to be a big glass door, they would negotiate a price (most commonly heard was 50 euros) the curtain would close in the window and the beds often seen in the background would then serve their purpose. It was fascinating, and appaling. When we first got there, I was just looking around in wonderment. The other girl and I were both relieved to see that instead of gross looking crack ho's that we thought there'd be, these were actually very nice looking beautiful women. But when I walked and started to think a little, it really started to upset me. These women thought nothing more of themselves than not only to sell sex for a living, but to stand there and be gaped at to advertise themselves. ugh. All of this surrounded by cafes full of people escaping reality with weed and mushrooms.. We went to a pizza place for a midnight snack and a break from it all. It was there that I had the single most delicious slice of pizza that I've ever had. The crust was perfect. They used Dutch cheese instead of mozarella. It was great! We walked around a bit more, had enough of it and went home.
The train ride home was actually the highlight of my night.
Unlike the train coming to Amsterdam, the 1:43 train to Rotterdam was an old smelly one. I guess the fact that the people on it were coming from a night of degradation in Amsterdam was the cause of the smell. The ratty seats were probably because it was an old train. We got on at the back end, and the first 2 compartments were nasty and smelly so we kept going. The next section was booths, we figured these were 1st class. Next was a reasonably empty, and therefore less smelly car, so we sat and made ourselves at home. THe conductor came by about 15 minutes later, and announced to us that we had 2nd class tickets and therefore should not be sitting here in first class. Oops! He showed us where the little 1 and 2 were to indicate the class of car we were entering. All the second class cars were crowded and smelly. We walked forward further and further until there was no more forward to walk. We were in a space where there were 4 doors. The one going forward to the conductor's little thing where he drives the train, the 2 side doors for entering and exiting, and the door back into the nasty smelly car. We stood there. I spotted a guy in the corner sitting on a chair that folded down from the wall, next to him was another seat. The seats were small... I asked him if he minded he said no. So I sat. This guy was gorgeous. Even the spike sticking out of the piercing in his lower lip, the 3 earrings in each ear, and, I was later to find out the tongue piercing, did not detract from his beauty. Beautiful squinty eyes, strong jawline, long ponytail, but neatly shaved on the sides.... tall lean and well built... so nice! The other girl and I chatted with him and he was quite happy to chat with us. After a few minutes he offered her a seat too, and slid over to reveal a 3rd fold down seat. The 3 of us crowded in there and had a fun time learning useful Dutch phrases, and talking to Mitch (Mitchell) born and bred Dutch hottie. I am truly impressed by him and his kind. The guys found seats inside, and at one point one of them fell asleep. He didn't fall into a peaceful silent sleep, though. He started to snore loudly, much to the amusement of everyone around him. A lady obliquely opposite and facing him, was talking on her cellphone. She chattered away in Dutch, probably describing to her friend the loudness of the snoring, then held the phone towards him so her friend could hear! It was a hilarious ride.
Mitch got out at Den Haag and wished us a pleasant trip. We said goodbye, in Dutch... and had an uneventful ride home.
Holland is truly not what I expected. I'm already looking forward to visiting here again!
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Rotterdam, the Netherlands and preconceived notions debunked
We left London yesterday morning and flew on 3 separate flights to
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our hotel is in Rotterdam and is
absolutely gorgeous, I have no idea what they would have to do to get
upgraded from 4 to 5 stars, it is fabulous! Right in the heart of the
city. I thought that was an exaggeration, but literally any direction
you walk in from the hotel, you will find shops, clubs, cafes and
everything.
Before going on a trip, I usually go online and check out the place
and see what I want to do and see what the place is like. I didn't do
that for this trip. I thought I was coming in with no preconceived
ideas. I picked up a Lonely Planet on Western Europe in London and
skimmed through the Netherlands pages and didn't get anything.
Here are some notions I thought I didn't have until I got here and saw
the place (and this is Rotterdam I'm talking about. We are going to
Amsterdam tonight... me and the guys, we'll see what that's like!)
1. I thought the Netherlands was a big flat country full of tall pale
blond people who all look alike.
It's flat. The people are generally tall. That's about it. The
Netherlands is small. There are fields and windmills.... and cities.
Last night was the World cup game between Holland and Portugal. We
bought some orange scarves and hats and stuff and joined the
merrymakers to watch the game. A whole street one over from the hotel
was cordoned off and all the clubs on that street (about 7 in 100
metres of street) had tents out front and a jillion TVs and people
watching them. The people... it was unbelievable. How come no one ever
told me how beautiful Dutch people are? There were the tall blond
ones, yeah, but there were black peoople, white people Asian people,
Latin American people, Arab people.... and every single combination of
them you can imagine! And all of them were beautiful!!! The guys with us on the tour wholeheartedly agree.. it's not just the guys who look good, the girls too.
2. I guess I expected that even in a cosmopolitan city, there would be stratification among the races.
Seeing different types of people all together, but in a country where the natives are pale and blonde, without realising it, I expected prejudice and separation between the groups of people here. One thing we noticed at the nightclubs was that you would hardly see a group of people all together of the same race. Interracial couples seem to be the norm, in fact, I didn't see any couples with 2 people the same race, except for the Dutch people. From our limited observation on that night we also realised that they like black people. We weren't looking at racial tolerance here, it was more than that. I have seen an insane amount of interracial blending here, people of mixed races, couples, friends, groups... I didn't realise how unfamiliar this was until I saw it. It's sad that it's so obvious. It shows how much it is lacking everywhere else. We were talking about it the other day, and it is really an amazing feeling as a black person to be walking down the street and not feel antagonism or hatred or a sense of superiority from the people around you. How refreshing!
3. I thought all the cities we'd be visiting would look similar, or feel similar or something...
Rotterdam is so different from everywhere I've been. It's the biggest port on the face of the planet. But that's not the difference, in fact you can't even see the porty stuff from where we are. The interesting thing is the bicycles. They are everywhere. Everyone rides bicycles. There are thousands of them. Every street has a bike path, they even have their own traffic lights. There is a clean feeling in the air, probably because of the bicycle traffic instead of cars. The streets are clean, the air is clean. Everything is clean. The people are all fit and healthy. I've never seen so many healthy looking people! The thin people don't look anorexic and scrawny, just slim and fit. There aren't many fat people. The portion sizes in restaurants are normal, not crazy big. Everything about the place seems so wholesome. Out in the country all the animals are big. The horses are big. The cows are biggeer than any I've seen. even the pigeons and the seagulls are big. This plus the fact that the people, on average, are like a foot taller than everyone else I know, makes me wonder what this place does.... Maybe it's something to do with living 20 feet below cea level.....
Oh and the tap water tastes better than bottled water!
Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Our hotel is in Rotterdam and is
absolutely gorgeous, I have no idea what they would have to do to get
upgraded from 4 to 5 stars, it is fabulous! Right in the heart of the
city. I thought that was an exaggeration, but literally any direction
you walk in from the hotel, you will find shops, clubs, cafes and
everything.
Before going on a trip, I usually go online and check out the place
and see what I want to do and see what the place is like. I didn't do
that for this trip. I thought I was coming in with no preconceived
ideas. I picked up a Lonely Planet on Western Europe in London and
skimmed through the Netherlands pages and didn't get anything.
Here are some notions I thought I didn't have until I got here and saw
the place (and this is Rotterdam I'm talking about. We are going to
Amsterdam tonight... me and the guys, we'll see what that's like!)
1. I thought the Netherlands was a big flat country full of tall pale
blond people who all look alike.
It's flat. The people are generally tall. That's about it. The
Netherlands is small. There are fields and windmills.... and cities.
Last night was the World cup game between Holland and Portugal. We
bought some orange scarves and hats and stuff and joined the
merrymakers to watch the game. A whole street one over from the hotel
was cordoned off and all the clubs on that street (about 7 in 100
metres of street) had tents out front and a jillion TVs and people
watching them. The people... it was unbelievable. How come no one ever
told me how beautiful Dutch people are? There were the tall blond
ones, yeah, but there were black peoople, white people Asian people,
Latin American people, Arab people.... and every single combination of
them you can imagine! And all of them were beautiful!!! The guys with us on the tour wholeheartedly agree.. it's not just the guys who look good, the girls too.
2. I guess I expected that even in a cosmopolitan city, there would be stratification among the races.
Seeing different types of people all together, but in a country where the natives are pale and blonde, without realising it, I expected prejudice and separation between the groups of people here. One thing we noticed at the nightclubs was that you would hardly see a group of people all together of the same race. Interracial couples seem to be the norm, in fact, I didn't see any couples with 2 people the same race, except for the Dutch people. From our limited observation on that night we also realised that they like black people. We weren't looking at racial tolerance here, it was more than that. I have seen an insane amount of interracial blending here, people of mixed races, couples, friends, groups... I didn't realise how unfamiliar this was until I saw it. It's sad that it's so obvious. It shows how much it is lacking everywhere else. We were talking about it the other day, and it is really an amazing feeling as a black person to be walking down the street and not feel antagonism or hatred or a sense of superiority from the people around you. How refreshing!
3. I thought all the cities we'd be visiting would look similar, or feel similar or something...
Rotterdam is so different from everywhere I've been. It's the biggest port on the face of the planet. But that's not the difference, in fact you can't even see the porty stuff from where we are. The interesting thing is the bicycles. They are everywhere. Everyone rides bicycles. There are thousands of them. Every street has a bike path, they even have their own traffic lights. There is a clean feeling in the air, probably because of the bicycle traffic instead of cars. The streets are clean, the air is clean. Everything is clean. The people are all fit and healthy. I've never seen so many healthy looking people! The thin people don't look anorexic and scrawny, just slim and fit. There aren't many fat people. The portion sizes in restaurants are normal, not crazy big. Everything about the place seems so wholesome. Out in the country all the animals are big. The horses are big. The cows are biggeer than any I've seen. even the pigeons and the seagulls are big. This plus the fact that the people, on average, are like a foot taller than everyone else I know, makes me wonder what this place does.... Maybe it's something to do with living 20 feet below cea level.....
Oh and the tap water tastes better than bottled water!
The Rest of London
On Tuesday we had our concert at Acton Town Hall in London.
As expected, attendance was low. There were about 200 people there.
With the tube strike on and the streets crowded with people using
above-ground transportation, it wasn't surprising.
The concert, however, went very well. We sang about 12 songs with a
short intermission about halfway. The spirit within the choir was
amazing. We had had a really good rehearsal that morning, and we were
really ready to perform. There were some little istakes during the
performance, but nothing so bad that the audience would notice. I was
surprised (though I guess I shouldn't have been) at how the audience
really wasn't getting into it, I mean, after all, it's gospel music
right? But at intermission we went out and talked with them. I saw my
friend Laura, who I had been staying with,, and she was also saying
that she wanted to get up and clap and dance but since no one was even
moving, she felt uncomfortable. I told her to do it if she felt.
The song I did a sol on was about 3 songs from the end, and it's the
first of 3 songs in a gospel medley, which is a really really upbeat,
dancing in the aisles clapping kinda music. It's the kind of thing
where even if you don't dance, you'.ll find yourself moving. Every
time we did it in practice, we ended up standing up and clapping and
moving and getting into it. Needless to say, when I was doing my
little solo (I sing "Come on everybody, let's..." and the choir sings
"Praise the Lord!" twice, and then we all sing "Praise His Holy Name!"
and we do that whole thing 3 times, then I rejoin the choir), so I was
so tired of looking out at a cadaverous audience, I prompted them to
clap along, then waved them to stand. Laura took the cue and jumped up
and before long everyone was dancing :o)
Adrienne Ewing-Roush (who sings a lot of the female solos on the We
Have Come to Sing Praises cd) sang her solo later on in the medley and
she was so dynamic! Everyone got right into it!
At the end of the performance, we reprise the last song and go into
the audience singing. It was such a great way to end, because by then
everyone is on their feet, the choir is mixing with the audience, the
audience is singing along... It was really really nice.
I am completely blown away by the spirit that is created when we sing
together. I knew it would be really cool singing spirituals and gospel
songs, but I didn't know it would be like this. I didn't grown up in
the A.M.E. or any of the churches with strong musical roots. My
parents were both Anglican and when I went to church with my granny,
it was always boring anglican stuff. I had heard about the other ones
and passed by them but never went. I can see how this music can make
you so receptive to the promptings of the spirit, or pretty much
anything that you experience during or immediately after it! During
rehearsals, we have to be constantly reminded not to sing at full oice
and strain ourselves. We are supposed to rehearse sitting down so we
don't get tired but sometimes, the music takes over, and before you
know it everyone is on their feet clapping and dancing, really really
feeling the music, jamming, ad-libbing, it's soooooo wonderful! We
have been moved to tears often as a group - just overwhelmed by it!
Also the fact that there are non-Baha'is in the group makes it really
really special. Joyce, our director is not a Baha'i. She has this
really amazing ability to get what is needed out of each choir member
and obviously knows what she is doing!
I really look forward to the day when I can go to a Feast or Holy Day
and this kind of music is being sung and this kind of experience is
being felt by the people who are taking part in it. When we read the
quotes on music at devotions (which we have before every rehearsal,
carefully planned and chosen readings and prayers) it seems obvious
that this should be included as the music in our Baha'i repertoire
because it does exactly those things that music is supposed to do.
We started the first rehearsal as strangers, but just singing these
songs together has bonded us in a way that I never imagined. I may not
remember people's names, but I feel so close to them because we shared
this.
I won't go on about this.... but it has been great.
As expected, attendance was low. There were about 200 people there.
With the tube strike on and the streets crowded with people using
above-ground transportation, it wasn't surprising.
The concert, however, went very well. We sang about 12 songs with a
short intermission about halfway. The spirit within the choir was
amazing. We had had a really good rehearsal that morning, and we were
really ready to perform. There were some little istakes during the
performance, but nothing so bad that the audience would notice. I was
surprised (though I guess I shouldn't have been) at how the audience
really wasn't getting into it, I mean, after all, it's gospel music
right? But at intermission we went out and talked with them. I saw my
friend Laura, who I had been staying with,, and she was also saying
that she wanted to get up and clap and dance but since no one was even
moving, she felt uncomfortable. I told her to do it if she felt.
The song I did a sol on was about 3 songs from the end, and it's the
first of 3 songs in a gospel medley, which is a really really upbeat,
dancing in the aisles clapping kinda music. It's the kind of thing
where even if you don't dance, you'.ll find yourself moving. Every
time we did it in practice, we ended up standing up and clapping and
moving and getting into it. Needless to say, when I was doing my
little solo (I sing "Come on everybody, let's..." and the choir sings
"Praise the Lord!" twice, and then we all sing "Praise His Holy Name!"
and we do that whole thing 3 times, then I rejoin the choir), so I was
so tired of looking out at a cadaverous audience, I prompted them to
clap along, then waved them to stand. Laura took the cue and jumped up
and before long everyone was dancing :o)
Adrienne Ewing-Roush (who sings a lot of the female solos on the We
Have Come to Sing Praises cd) sang her solo later on in the medley and
she was so dynamic! Everyone got right into it!
At the end of the performance, we reprise the last song and go into
the audience singing. It was such a great way to end, because by then
everyone is on their feet, the choir is mixing with the audience, the
audience is singing along... It was really really nice.
I am completely blown away by the spirit that is created when we sing
together. I knew it would be really cool singing spirituals and gospel
songs, but I didn't know it would be like this. I didn't grown up in
the A.M.E. or any of the churches with strong musical roots. My
parents were both Anglican and when I went to church with my granny,
it was always boring anglican stuff. I had heard about the other ones
and passed by them but never went. I can see how this music can make
you so receptive to the promptings of the spirit, or pretty much
anything that you experience during or immediately after it! During
rehearsals, we have to be constantly reminded not to sing at full oice
and strain ourselves. We are supposed to rehearse sitting down so we
don't get tired but sometimes, the music takes over, and before you
know it everyone is on their feet clapping and dancing, really really
feeling the music, jamming, ad-libbing, it's soooooo wonderful! We
have been moved to tears often as a group - just overwhelmed by it!
Also the fact that there are non-Baha'is in the group makes it really
really special. Joyce, our director is not a Baha'i. She has this
really amazing ability to get what is needed out of each choir member
and obviously knows what she is doing!
I really look forward to the day when I can go to a Feast or Holy Day
and this kind of music is being sung and this kind of experience is
being felt by the people who are taking part in it. When we read the
quotes on music at devotions (which we have before every rehearsal,
carefully planned and chosen readings and prayers) it seems obvious
that this should be included as the music in our Baha'i repertoire
because it does exactly those things that music is supposed to do.
We started the first rehearsal as strangers, but just singing these
songs together has bonded us in a way that I never imagined. I may not
remember people's names, but I feel so close to them because we shared
this.
I won't go on about this.... but it has been great.
a bit of London
Well here I am in Europe, in fact I've been here for a week already!!!
I didn't have time to blog from london so i'll post an edited e-mail I
sent to my parents... stuff in [square brackets] is explanation added
for the blog..
...
I have like 20 minutes to do all my online stuff at this internet
cafe. thanks so much for sending the stuff with Marie. The idea of
shopping is absolutely out of the question. [mom asked me to shop for
some stuff for her] We are all the way up in
Wembley. It takes about 15 minutes on the tube to get to Baker street
and another 15 minutes to Picadilly Circus. half an hour doesn't sound
like much, but since we've been here our longest break has been 2
hours and that barely gives us time to get something to eat.
This choir is unbelievable!!! The songs are amazing, the sound is
phenomenal. Me and Shirley and Marie keep saying how much Dad E [Dad
E, by the way, is the way my dad spells Daddy, which is what I call
him, even though I am 30 years old I still call them mommy and
daddy... mommy tries to ignore it in public, which makes me do it all
the more :o) Dad E took to signing his e-mails "Dad E." which caught
on right away. Mom E. hasn't really worked out so much...] would
love it! I wish he had been able to come, but I guess everything turns
out the way it's supposed to, right?
I met up with everyone on Saturday morning. I had to take a taxi to
the hotel since there is no way I would have been able to carry my
bags on the tube! Everyone had arrived by 2, so i checked in and then
went downtown to hang out a bit. If I had gotten the note and stuff
from Marie, I could have gotten your stuff then, but I didn't get it
until later. We had a meeting at 8 p.m. and then a short rehearsal.
finishing up at about 10:30.
Yesterday we went to the Guardian's grave in the morning. I had never
been before. My last trip here, the day I was planning to go I started
coming down with the flu, and it was pouring, so it didn't happen.
This time, I was supposed to meet Laura and Marco and go, but there
was a big group having breakfast and I finished too late to meet up at
the scheduled time so I got directions and planned to go on my own.
What ended up happening however, was that someone asked if I was
going, I said yes, and so we decided to go together, then there was
another group leaving at the same time, we all ended up together. 9 of
us. They had no clue how to use the tube, what tickets to buy, what
english money was, and instead of just figuring it out, they spent the
whole time talking loud, holding up coins like "what's this?" etc...
it was quite embarassing! I ended up leading them around "like
ducklings" according to one person in the group.... One of the tube
stations where we were changing was closed, so we had to take a bus to
the next station and catch it there, coming back i worked out an
alternate route (much to the wonderment of some of the people in the
group). When we got out, it was about a 15 minute walk to the
Guardian's grave and people were
complaining the whole time! It was unbelievable, 15 minutes on a flat
road... these people wouldn't last 2 minutes in Haifa! hehehehe
Anyway, we got there, the day was beautiful, it was really nice.
Laura and Marco came while were there. While walking from the tube
station, we ran into some people who were also going. I was way at the
back because I stopped at a Turkish grocery store to buy cherries and
speak Turkish. As we got closer to the gravesite, I realised that I
recognised the walk of one of the people in front of us. When we were
in the Baha'i information room, I saw him close up and gave him a big
hug. It turned out to be Dick Grieser (the second) whose family I
became very close to on pilgrimage 2 years ago, especially his son,
Aziz (a.k.a. Dick Grieser the third) It was great seeing him again,
and we took pictures together. All said, the visit was really nice.
There are some well-known Baha'is buried there as well. Time was
running short though, and we had to return for the rehearsal.
Coming back, I basically said, I'm leaving now, if anyone is
ready right this minute let's go. 2 people were ready, and about 6
people were like just a minute. I left with the 2 that were ready, and
some caught up, others went in another group, i guess. I was really
frustrated by then because I knew if we left any later we wouldn't get
back in time, so amidst all the complaints about the walk, people
trying to stop at the store, people looking the wrong way and nearly
getting knocked down crossing the road, etc, 6 of us got to the train
station together. We made it back just in time for the rehearsal which
went from 1 to 5.
The rehearsals have been out of this world. 80 people who have never
sung together singing songs that are so uplifting... and all
together... it's amazing. the spirit is just unbelievable. Van
mentioned that he's done these songs with other choirs including the
voices of baha, and it wasn't like this. When we stood up to sing a
song, everyone was moving, there was expression... it's different,
and good :o). Some of the songs have moved me to tears hearing them
done in the group. It really is soul-stirring.
We rehearsed again from 6:30 to 9:30 and then went to bed. (I had a
bubble bath first)
This morning's rehearsal was from 9:30 till 12:15. I got stuff for
lunch from the supermarket, and came back and had crumpets with smoked
salmon and mozarella and avocado. With some bing cherries and
kiwifruit. Nice :o)
We met back again at 2:15 and just rehearsed until 4:30. We just had
dinner, and I'm here now at an internet cafe around the corner from
the hotel, and we have to be back at 6:15... Time is short, but the
choir is going to be great. We perform tomorrow night and I think
we're going to blow them away :o)
Unfortunately there is a tube strike tomorrow though so attendance
will probably be low.
Oh yeah, before I go, I got a solo in one of the songs in the gospel
medley... we had auditions before dinner break :o)
shirley and marie [the other choir members from Barbados] have solos too :o)
I didn't have time to blog from london so i'll post an edited e-mail I
sent to my parents... stuff in [square brackets] is explanation added
for the blog..
...
I have like 20 minutes to do all my online stuff at this internet
cafe. thanks so much for sending the stuff with Marie. The idea of
shopping is absolutely out of the question. [mom asked me to shop for
some stuff for her] We are all the way up in
Wembley. It takes about 15 minutes on the tube to get to Baker street
and another 15 minutes to Picadilly Circus. half an hour doesn't sound
like much, but since we've been here our longest break has been 2
hours and that barely gives us time to get something to eat.
This choir is unbelievable!!! The songs are amazing, the sound is
phenomenal. Me and Shirley and Marie keep saying how much Dad E [Dad
E, by the way, is the way my dad spells Daddy, which is what I call
him, even though I am 30 years old I still call them mommy and
daddy... mommy tries to ignore it in public, which makes me do it all
the more :o) Dad E took to signing his e-mails "Dad E." which caught
on right away. Mom E. hasn't really worked out so much...] would
love it! I wish he had been able to come, but I guess everything turns
out the way it's supposed to, right?
I met up with everyone on Saturday morning. I had to take a taxi to
the hotel since there is no way I would have been able to carry my
bags on the tube! Everyone had arrived by 2, so i checked in and then
went downtown to hang out a bit. If I had gotten the note and stuff
from Marie, I could have gotten your stuff then, but I didn't get it
until later. We had a meeting at 8 p.m. and then a short rehearsal.
finishing up at about 10:30.
Yesterday we went to the Guardian's grave in the morning. I had never
been before. My last trip here, the day I was planning to go I started
coming down with the flu, and it was pouring, so it didn't happen.
This time, I was supposed to meet Laura and Marco and go, but there
was a big group having breakfast and I finished too late to meet up at
the scheduled time so I got directions and planned to go on my own.
What ended up happening however, was that someone asked if I was
going, I said yes, and so we decided to go together, then there was
another group leaving at the same time, we all ended up together. 9 of
us. They had no clue how to use the tube, what tickets to buy, what
english money was, and instead of just figuring it out, they spent the
whole time talking loud, holding up coins like "what's this?" etc...
it was quite embarassing! I ended up leading them around "like
ducklings" according to one person in the group.... One of the tube
stations where we were changing was closed, so we had to take a bus to
the next station and catch it there, coming back i worked out an
alternate route (much to the wonderment of some of the people in the
group). When we got out, it was about a 15 minute walk to the
Guardian's grave and people were
complaining the whole time! It was unbelievable, 15 minutes on a flat
road... these people wouldn't last 2 minutes in Haifa! hehehehe
Anyway, we got there, the day was beautiful, it was really nice.
Laura and Marco came while were there. While walking from the tube
station, we ran into some people who were also going. I was way at the
back because I stopped at a Turkish grocery store to buy cherries and
speak Turkish. As we got closer to the gravesite, I realised that I
recognised the walk of one of the people in front of us. When we were
in the Baha'i information room, I saw him close up and gave him a big
hug. It turned out to be Dick Grieser (the second) whose family I
became very close to on pilgrimage 2 years ago, especially his son,
Aziz (a.k.a. Dick Grieser the third) It was great seeing him again,
and we took pictures together. All said, the visit was really nice.
There are some well-known Baha'is buried there as well. Time was
running short though, and we had to return for the rehearsal.
Coming back, I basically said, I'm leaving now, if anyone is
ready right this minute let's go. 2 people were ready, and about 6
people were like just a minute. I left with the 2 that were ready, and
some caught up, others went in another group, i guess. I was really
frustrated by then because I knew if we left any later we wouldn't get
back in time, so amidst all the complaints about the walk, people
trying to stop at the store, people looking the wrong way and nearly
getting knocked down crossing the road, etc, 6 of us got to the train
station together. We made it back just in time for the rehearsal which
went from 1 to 5.
The rehearsals have been out of this world. 80 people who have never
sung together singing songs that are so uplifting... and all
together... it's amazing. the spirit is just unbelievable. Van
mentioned that he's done these songs with other choirs including the
voices of baha, and it wasn't like this. When we stood up to sing a
song, everyone was moving, there was expression... it's different,
and good :o). Some of the songs have moved me to tears hearing them
done in the group. It really is soul-stirring.
We rehearsed again from 6:30 to 9:30 and then went to bed. (I had a
bubble bath first)
This morning's rehearsal was from 9:30 till 12:15. I got stuff for
lunch from the supermarket, and came back and had crumpets with smoked
salmon and mozarella and avocado. With some bing cherries and
kiwifruit. Nice :o)
We met back again at 2:15 and just rehearsed until 4:30. We just had
dinner, and I'm here now at an internet cafe around the corner from
the hotel, and we have to be back at 6:15... Time is short, but the
choir is going to be great. We perform tomorrow night and I think
we're going to blow them away :o)
Unfortunately there is a tube strike tomorrow though so attendance
will probably be low.
Oh yeah, before I go, I got a solo in one of the songs in the gospel
medley... we had auditions before dinner break :o)
shirley and marie [the other choir members from Barbados] have solos too :o)
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Intruder in the House!!!!
It's after 4 a.m.
Ten minutes ago I almost had a heart attack.
The house is silent, not a sound except me and the keyboard and Ben
Harper quietly in the background. I've just finished reading Vi's
blog, and chatting, scanning pics, and getting stuff done. It's time
to sleep. I hear a loud noise downstairs. Something fell. The windows
are closed, there's' no breeze. What's down there? Violetta's
cockroach blog is fresh in my mind and I hoping it's a cockroach - I
can handle those. So I cautiously descend the spiral staircase,
switching on every light in the house as I go. I reach the bottom of
the stairs and hear a rustling noise and then scraping. There is a
plastic bag on the ground with some of the wrapping paper from mommy's
birthday gifts. Something is in there rustling. I'm hoping it's
something small and rodential, because it sounds too big to be
insectile, so if it's an insect, it's going to kill me. Tap tap tap
rustle rustle. My heart is now going at a rate of about 200 bpm... tap
scratch. I go back upstairs and knock on parents' door. This is too
much for me to handle alone. Or maybe I just want someone to know what
hapened when they see my devoured remains on the living room floor
tomorrow....
My parents are sound asleep. 3 sets of worried knocks later, I realise
that I am on my own for this one. Dad e, ever security conscious,
keeps weapons hidden around the house. We think it's a little
eccentric but tolerate it. I thank him silently as I pull out the
machete from the machete-hiding-spot.
I approach the plastic bag and use the machete to tap it gently. I
then realise that maybe I should open the door to allow the creature a
quick getaway. Done. I return to the last heard location and shake the
bag. Nothing. I know I didn't imagine it, so that means there's a
creature running around in the room. There's no furniture here, we
moved it out to the garage for the party and haven't put it back yet.
I see a movement to my right. There it is. The last thing I expected
to see, but I guess not unusual since we live near the beach.... a
crab. Just hanging out. I return the machete and lock the door. Take a
quick pic for the record, and later identification, and switch off the
lights and come up here.
I think it will scare my mom tomorrow morning :o)))))))
(Insert pic link here) (not as easy as I thought...)
Ten minutes ago I almost had a heart attack.
The house is silent, not a sound except me and the keyboard and Ben
Harper quietly in the background. I've just finished reading Vi's
blog, and chatting, scanning pics, and getting stuff done. It's time
to sleep. I hear a loud noise downstairs. Something fell. The windows
are closed, there's' no breeze. What's down there? Violetta's
cockroach blog is fresh in my mind and I hoping it's a cockroach - I
can handle those. So I cautiously descend the spiral staircase,
switching on every light in the house as I go. I reach the bottom of
the stairs and hear a rustling noise and then scraping. There is a
plastic bag on the ground with some of the wrapping paper from mommy's
birthday gifts. Something is in there rustling. I'm hoping it's
something small and rodential, because it sounds too big to be
insectile, so if it's an insect, it's going to kill me. Tap tap tap
rustle rustle. My heart is now going at a rate of about 200 bpm... tap
scratch. I go back upstairs and knock on parents' door. This is too
much for me to handle alone. Or maybe I just want someone to know what
hapened when they see my devoured remains on the living room floor
tomorrow....
My parents are sound asleep. 3 sets of worried knocks later, I realise
that I am on my own for this one. Dad e, ever security conscious,
keeps weapons hidden around the house. We think it's a little
eccentric but tolerate it. I thank him silently as I pull out the
machete from the machete-hiding-spot.
I approach the plastic bag and use the machete to tap it gently. I
then realise that maybe I should open the door to allow the creature a
quick getaway. Done. I return to the last heard location and shake the
bag. Nothing. I know I didn't imagine it, so that means there's a
creature running around in the room. There's no furniture here, we
moved it out to the garage for the party and haven't put it back yet.
I see a movement to my right. There it is. The last thing I expected
to see, but I guess not unusual since we live near the beach.... a
crab. Just hanging out. I return the machete and lock the door. Take a
quick pic for the record, and later identification, and switch off the
lights and come up here.
I think it will scare my mom tomorrow morning :o)))))))
(Insert pic link here) (not as easy as I thought...)
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Inside my head
I just "blog this"'d my Blog... Just wondering what would happen if... f it worked out, the link at the top of this blog will take you to my blog, so I guess you'll be right here....
Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. She's having a dinner party for 40-50 people. I'm doing decorations and seating, dad e is doing most of the cooking, I will be doing the dessert and food for non-carnivores....
As I've said before, mom and I think differently and we do things differently. That means things like planning a party. I'm doing the decorations, including centrepieces. so I ask her, last week, how many tables will there be? 10 she says, all round. I get enough stuff for 10 perfectly matched round tables. Tonight I'm setting up tables, and there are
11 round tables and 1 huge rectangle. ugh. They don't have to match, she says. ugh. I'm dying here. Call me anal, uptight, whatever you want, but just give me the right information!!!!!!!!!!! Now that there are enough tables to seat 10 more people, she mentions in passing that there will probably be somewhere between 50 and possibly as many as 60 guests. Okay, so this is a sit down dinner and we've already bought everything we're going to cook for it. How can you change the number the night before???? did 20 people call today and invite themselves??? I think not! she called them! she invited them! now i have to feed them and decorate for them.
all will be fine though inshallah.
Happy Birthday mom!
I just "blog this"'d my Blog... Just wondering what would happen if... f it worked out, the link at the top of this blog will take you to my blog, so I guess you'll be right here....
Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. She's having a dinner party for 40-50 people. I'm doing decorations and seating, dad e is doing most of the cooking, I will be doing the dessert and food for non-carnivores....
As I've said before, mom and I think differently and we do things differently. That means things like planning a party. I'm doing the decorations, including centrepieces. so I ask her, last week, how many tables will there be? 10 she says, all round. I get enough stuff for 10 perfectly matched round tables. Tonight I'm setting up tables, and there are
11 round tables and 1 huge rectangle. ugh. They don't have to match, she says. ugh. I'm dying here. Call me anal, uptight, whatever you want, but just give me the right information!!!!!!!!!!! Now that there are enough tables to seat 10 more people, she mentions in passing that there will probably be somewhere between 50 and possibly as many as 60 guests. Okay, so this is a sit down dinner and we've already bought everything we're going to cook for it. How can you change the number the night before???? did 20 people call today and invite themselves??? I think not! she called them! she invited them! now i have to feed them and decorate for them.
all will be fine though inshallah.
Happy Birthday mom!
Thursday, June 17, 2004
I went to town shopping with my sister, my mom, my dad, and my sister's boyfriend yesterday. It was like a whole family shopping trip... kinda strange. Warren (the boyfriend), my father, and I determined that we don't like hanging around waiting while other people shop, however shopping itself is not so bad, as long as we know what we want, go in, get it and leave. Exceptions for browsing include electronics, books and power tools. My sister and my mom agreed that hanging around waiting is not a problem, and that shopping is fun. Isn't it ironic, then, that mom and Liss did most of the shopping, leaving dad Warren and I to hang around waiting?
Shoe stores. I think you can tell a lot about a person by their shoe store behaviour.
My mom walks around, spots a shoe she likes, and the first thing she does is pick it up and look at the price, then immediately slips the display shoe on her foot. I don't get it. The display shoe can be anything from a size 5 extra narow to a size 10 super wide, and she will still put the shoe on her foot, and then stick her toe out in front of her to see how it looks. If I squeezed my foot into a shoe 1.5 sizes too small, I would not be waving it around to see how it looks. I don't get it. She then takes the shoe off, and goes to the next shoe and repeats the process. As there seems to be a vast number of shoes in every single shoe store, this can take a long while.
Melissa, my sister, who happens to wear the same size shoe as my mom, picks up a shoe, looks at the price, and if it's over say about $10, she puts it back. Her idea of shoes is quantity not quality. If she can get a pair to go with every outfit she has to wear, then she's good to go. I think she considers shoes a disposable item, hence the large number and low price. M'liss, after checking that shoe passes the "cheap test" (my phrase, not hers), then waves her hands and flags down a salesperson (poor salesperson who heeds her summons) and then asks for said foot apparel in her size. Salesperson goes into "the back" and for the whole time he or she is back there, my sister gives a rundown of the various items in her wardrobe that the shoe will match. When the salesperson comes back, she tries on the shoe, they invariably have her size, they invariably fit perfectly. She takes 2 steps in them, looks in the mirror, puts them in the box, and asks what other colours they come in. Adding stacks of the colours that match things she has, her pile of shoe boxes increases very quickly. Each time the salesperson goes to the back, she walks around a picks out another shoe to repeat the process. This continues until her stack contains all the shoes for under $10 in the store, at which time she goes to the checkout and we can finally leave. During the process however, my mom is faced with a jillion pairs of shoes in her size! This seems to fill her with extreme pleasure, as she puts one on, waves her toe, and takes off the shoe. Not actually buying anything.
Warren, though I didn't observe him much, seems to have some shoe staples in his closet. A brown sandal-type shoe, black sandal-type, sneakers, black formal, black casual, brown of same.... etc. He looks at them, decides he already has one of that category and moves on. When he sees something he likes, quickly and decisively, he buys. Melissa asks his opinion on every pair she tries and he seems to have some standard answers, all very short, all very supportive of whatever tone she asks "How does this look?" in. He's got her figured out.
My dad. He will only actually walk into the shoestore if the shoes he has are already falling off his feet and my mother has threatened not to take him home unless he buys a new pair. Needless to say, he only really has one pair of shoes at a time, and they must meet very specific qualifications, because, after all, they have to match everything he wears and be perfect for every possible occasion. The specifications change every time, rendering it impossible to help him choose. Yesterday was one of those days. The flip-flops he's been wearing have seen their last days and it was time for new shoes. They had to be open, as his feet seem to swell in closed shoes lately, not have plastic of any kind in the sole, not be different colours, be comfortable, and as they will also serve him as a walking shoe, provide support and be easy to walk in. "Impossible!" you say, and I agree. What the heck kind of shoe is he looking for really??? Fortunately the shoe store seems to carry just such a shoe, which we show him. He disagrees, we go behind his back and ask the frazzled salesperson helping my sister to grab a pair in my dad's size. He puts them on, walks around the store for half an hour (while everyone else shops) keeps on the shoes, pays for them and hands them his to throw away.
For me it's always the same. I go into the shoe store with a very specific idea of what I want. I find it. It's perfect! I first check the inside to see if it is comfortable and has arch support and soft padding. Then I check the size of the display model, which is always a size smaller than I wear. I find a salesperson (Melissa is actually by this time employing 6 people on a rotation so there's no one left really). When someone finally comes to my aid, I hold up the display one and ask for my size. They promptly inform me that the display pair is the last one, and in fact they are the only store in Barbados (or whatever country I happen to be in) who carry that line, but would I like something else? I survey the rest of the shoes and find something else that will do as a second choice. Saleslady's eyes light up as she knows that they have this one in the back. She goes to the back for 10 minutes and comes back with 3 boxes in her hand (this is scary I only can wear one pair). They don't have 8 and a half, however they have the 7 and a half and the 9 and a half, would I like to try them? After convincing her that I am not going to buy the one that I have to squeeze my foot into like a sausage (but since my mom wears 7 and a half she tries it on and waggles her toe in front of her before putting it back in the box) nor will I buy the pair that look like clown shoes when i put them on because there's enough room in there for another person... I ask what's in the other box. Oh this isn't the same, but it's your size she says. I try on the ugly granny shoe she has brought, thinking that maybe it will actually look less horrendous on my foot - it doesn't, and it has no padding and no supprt. No thanks. And I walk out dejected.
Melissa pays for her stack of shoes, mom wants all the boxes please - for storing photographs, daddy sees for the first time that his shoes were twice what he planned to pay but mommy gets them for him anyway, since he's already been wearing them all over the store for half an hour and at any rate, it would be too embarassing to get his old ones out of the garbage, mom says she'll come back for one that looked nice when she waggled her toe, but m'liss has already included it in the stack to surprise her, i am dejected at having found the perfect shoe yet again but not in my size, and Warren happily carries the 6 bags containing Melissa's shoes.
That's how my family goes shoe shopping.
Shoe stores. I think you can tell a lot about a person by their shoe store behaviour.
My mom walks around, spots a shoe she likes, and the first thing she does is pick it up and look at the price, then immediately slips the display shoe on her foot. I don't get it. The display shoe can be anything from a size 5 extra narow to a size 10 super wide, and she will still put the shoe on her foot, and then stick her toe out in front of her to see how it looks. If I squeezed my foot into a shoe 1.5 sizes too small, I would not be waving it around to see how it looks. I don't get it. She then takes the shoe off, and goes to the next shoe and repeats the process. As there seems to be a vast number of shoes in every single shoe store, this can take a long while.
Melissa, my sister, who happens to wear the same size shoe as my mom, picks up a shoe, looks at the price, and if it's over say about $10, she puts it back. Her idea of shoes is quantity not quality. If she can get a pair to go with every outfit she has to wear, then she's good to go. I think she considers shoes a disposable item, hence the large number and low price. M'liss, after checking that shoe passes the "cheap test" (my phrase, not hers), then waves her hands and flags down a salesperson (poor salesperson who heeds her summons) and then asks for said foot apparel in her size. Salesperson goes into "the back" and for the whole time he or she is back there, my sister gives a rundown of the various items in her wardrobe that the shoe will match. When the salesperson comes back, she tries on the shoe, they invariably have her size, they invariably fit perfectly. She takes 2 steps in them, looks in the mirror, puts them in the box, and asks what other colours they come in. Adding stacks of the colours that match things she has, her pile of shoe boxes increases very quickly. Each time the salesperson goes to the back, she walks around a picks out another shoe to repeat the process. This continues until her stack contains all the shoes for under $10 in the store, at which time she goes to the checkout and we can finally leave. During the process however, my mom is faced with a jillion pairs of shoes in her size! This seems to fill her with extreme pleasure, as she puts one on, waves her toe, and takes off the shoe. Not actually buying anything.
Warren, though I didn't observe him much, seems to have some shoe staples in his closet. A brown sandal-type shoe, black sandal-type, sneakers, black formal, black casual, brown of same.... etc. He looks at them, decides he already has one of that category and moves on. When he sees something he likes, quickly and decisively, he buys. Melissa asks his opinion on every pair she tries and he seems to have some standard answers, all very short, all very supportive of whatever tone she asks "How does this look?" in. He's got her figured out.
My dad. He will only actually walk into the shoestore if the shoes he has are already falling off his feet and my mother has threatened not to take him home unless he buys a new pair. Needless to say, he only really has one pair of shoes at a time, and they must meet very specific qualifications, because, after all, they have to match everything he wears and be perfect for every possible occasion. The specifications change every time, rendering it impossible to help him choose. Yesterday was one of those days. The flip-flops he's been wearing have seen their last days and it was time for new shoes. They had to be open, as his feet seem to swell in closed shoes lately, not have plastic of any kind in the sole, not be different colours, be comfortable, and as they will also serve him as a walking shoe, provide support and be easy to walk in. "Impossible!" you say, and I agree. What the heck kind of shoe is he looking for really??? Fortunately the shoe store seems to carry just such a shoe, which we show him. He disagrees, we go behind his back and ask the frazzled salesperson helping my sister to grab a pair in my dad's size. He puts them on, walks around the store for half an hour (while everyone else shops) keeps on the shoes, pays for them and hands them his to throw away.
For me it's always the same. I go into the shoe store with a very specific idea of what I want. I find it. It's perfect! I first check the inside to see if it is comfortable and has arch support and soft padding. Then I check the size of the display model, which is always a size smaller than I wear. I find a salesperson (Melissa is actually by this time employing 6 people on a rotation so there's no one left really). When someone finally comes to my aid, I hold up the display one and ask for my size. They promptly inform me that the display pair is the last one, and in fact they are the only store in Barbados (or whatever country I happen to be in) who carry that line, but would I like something else? I survey the rest of the shoes and find something else that will do as a second choice. Saleslady's eyes light up as she knows that they have this one in the back. She goes to the back for 10 minutes and comes back with 3 boxes in her hand (this is scary I only can wear one pair). They don't have 8 and a half, however they have the 7 and a half and the 9 and a half, would I like to try them? After convincing her that I am not going to buy the one that I have to squeeze my foot into like a sausage (but since my mom wears 7 and a half she tries it on and waggles her toe in front of her before putting it back in the box) nor will I buy the pair that look like clown shoes when i put them on because there's enough room in there for another person... I ask what's in the other box. Oh this isn't the same, but it's your size she says. I try on the ugly granny shoe she has brought, thinking that maybe it will actually look less horrendous on my foot - it doesn't, and it has no padding and no supprt. No thanks. And I walk out dejected.
Melissa pays for her stack of shoes, mom wants all the boxes please - for storing photographs, daddy sees for the first time that his shoes were twice what he planned to pay but mommy gets them for him anyway, since he's already been wearing them all over the store for half an hour and at any rate, it would be too embarassing to get his old ones out of the garbage, mom says she'll come back for one that looked nice when she waggled her toe, but m'liss has already included it in the stack to surprise her, i am dejected at having found the perfect shoe yet again but not in my size, and Warren happily carries the 6 bags containing Melissa's shoes.
That's how my family goes shoe shopping.
Monday, June 14, 2004
Back to the fact that time flew.
Next week I'm going to London. Oh, I got the tour itinerary. Here it is:
Friday morning – evening, June 25th
FLY from DEPARTURE CITIES to London
Saturday morning, June 26th
6:30 – Noon Arrive in London
Transport to
QUALITY WEMBLEY HOTEL
EMPIRE WAY
WEMBLEY (London)
HA9 0NN
8:00 PM - Evening Get-together/registration and Rehearsal
Sunday morning, June 27th
Some visit Guardian’s Gravesite on your own/ Others tour city/shop on
your own
1:30 PM Afternoon Rehearsal
Dinner Break
7:30 PM Evening Rehearsal
Monday, June 28th
Full Rehearsal day
Tuesday, June 29th
Morning Rehearsal
Afternoon/Early Evening Sound Check
CONCERT #1 at ACTON TOWN HALL in London
Wednesday, June 30th
Transport to airport for Flights to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Holland)
Bus to Hotel in Rotterdam (We will remain in this hotel throughout our
stay in Holland)
NH ATLANTA HOTEL
AERT VANNESSTRAAT 4
3012 CA ROTTERDAM
NETHERLANDS
Afternoon/evening FREE (may identify changes needed in concert)
Thursday, July 1st
FREE DAY
Friday, July 2nd
Afternoon Mini Rehearsal/Sound Check
8:00 PM - CONCERT #2 in Rotterdam
Prinsekerk (A beautiful 850 seat church)
Schepenstraat 71, 3039NC Rotterdam
Saturday, July 3rd
Afternoon Sound Check and mini rehearsal
8:00 PM - CONCERT #3 in Amsterdam
Willem de Zwijgerkerk (Concert Hall)
Olympiaweg 14
Amstersdam
Sunday, July 4th
Bus to Luxembourg
Luxembourg Novotel Hotel Tel: 352-4298481
6 Rue Du Fort Niedergrunewald
L-2015 Luxembourg
Monday, July 5th
Afternoon Mini Rehearsal/Sound Check
CONCERT #4 in Luxembourg
Luxembourg Town Hall
Tuesday, July 6th
Bus to Stuggart, Germany
Hotel ROYAL Tel: 49-711-628809
Sophienstrasse 35
D-70178 Stuttgart
Sing through/Review Acapella Music for possible use at House of Worship
Wednesday, July 7th
Afternoon mini rehearsal/Sound Check
CONCERT #5 in Stuttgart
Thursday, July 8th
Bus to Frankfurt, Germany
NOVOTEL ESCHBORN HOTEL Tel: 49-6196-9010
Phlipp-Helfmann-Strasse 10
D-65760 Frankfurt – Eschborn
Rest of day FREE
Friday, July 9th
Day for visit to House of Baha’i Worship
Langerhain, GERMANY
Saturday, July 10th
Afternoon mini rehearsal/sound check
CONCERT #6 in Frankfurt
Sunday, July 11th
EARLY RISE to fly to London and Home
Flights Home and to Departure Cities
So if you're going to be in any of those cities on those dates, let's get together :)
After the tour I'm going to Spain. Up until this point, I've been planning stuff pretty precisely because I had to, in order to let people know where I would be and what I'd be doing. It feels like everything after the part where I land in Spain is now a big question mark for me. I personally really like that. It leaves me open to the change that it will be. But it also makes me feel weird when people say "what are your plans after that?". I don't have any. Nothing concrete. Sometime in the next year or 2 I will be having the grand opening of a cafe, most likely in Salamanca. Everything from July 12 arrival in spain until that point, somewhere in the future, is blurry and open. I feel a lot of freedom with the blurry openness, but I'm getting the feeling from the reactions that people give me from the whole blurry and open response, that I'm the only one who feels that way. I'm tempted to believe that it's jealousy, in a way. I have also been told by a number of people (and some of the same people)that I'm living the life they'd like to be leading, so I really try not to take it to heart when they act like not having a concrete plan down to the minute is a bad thing, because what it comes down to, is that I'm living the life that I'D like to be leading. i'm really happy with the way my life is going, although I wouldn't have predicted it this way. But part of how I got here is because I leave myself open to change for as long as I need to.
It's 3:38 a.m. Good night. :o)
Next week I'm going to London. Oh, I got the tour itinerary. Here it is:
Friday morning – evening, June 25th
FLY from DEPARTURE CITIES to London
Saturday morning, June 26th
6:30 – Noon Arrive in London
Transport to
QUALITY WEMBLEY HOTEL
EMPIRE WAY
WEMBLEY (London)
HA9 0NN
8:00 PM - Evening Get-together/registration and Rehearsal
Sunday morning, June 27th
Some visit Guardian’s Gravesite on your own/ Others tour city/shop on
your own
1:30 PM Afternoon Rehearsal
Dinner Break
7:30 PM Evening Rehearsal
Monday, June 28th
Full Rehearsal day
Tuesday, June 29th
Morning Rehearsal
Afternoon/Early Evening Sound Check
CONCERT #1 at ACTON TOWN HALL in London
Wednesday, June 30th
Transport to airport for Flights to Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Holland)
Bus to Hotel in Rotterdam (We will remain in this hotel throughout our
stay in Holland)
NH ATLANTA HOTEL
AERT VANNESSTRAAT 4
3012 CA ROTTERDAM
NETHERLANDS
Afternoon/evening FREE (may identify changes needed in concert)
Thursday, July 1st
FREE DAY
Friday, July 2nd
Afternoon Mini Rehearsal/Sound Check
8:00 PM - CONCERT #2 in Rotterdam
Prinsekerk (A beautiful 850 seat church)
Schepenstraat 71, 3039NC Rotterdam
Saturday, July 3rd
Afternoon Sound Check and mini rehearsal
8:00 PM - CONCERT #3 in Amsterdam
Willem de Zwijgerkerk (Concert Hall)
Olympiaweg 14
Amstersdam
Sunday, July 4th
Bus to Luxembourg
Luxembourg Novotel Hotel Tel: 352-4298481
6 Rue Du Fort Niedergrunewald
L-2015 Luxembourg
Monday, July 5th
Afternoon Mini Rehearsal/Sound Check
CONCERT #4 in Luxembourg
Luxembourg Town Hall
Tuesday, July 6th
Bus to Stuggart, Germany
Hotel ROYAL Tel: 49-711-628809
Sophienstrasse 35
D-70178 Stuttgart
Sing through/Review Acapella Music for possible use at House of Worship
Wednesday, July 7th
Afternoon mini rehearsal/Sound Check
CONCERT #5 in Stuttgart
Thursday, July 8th
Bus to Frankfurt, Germany
NOVOTEL ESCHBORN HOTEL Tel: 49-6196-9010
Phlipp-Helfmann-Strasse 10
D-65760 Frankfurt – Eschborn
Rest of day FREE
Friday, July 9th
Day for visit to House of Baha’i Worship
Langerhain, GERMANY
Saturday, July 10th
Afternoon mini rehearsal/sound check
CONCERT #6 in Frankfurt
Sunday, July 11th
EARLY RISE to fly to London and Home
Flights Home and to Departure Cities
So if you're going to be in any of those cities on those dates, let's get together :)
After the tour I'm going to Spain. Up until this point, I've been planning stuff pretty precisely because I had to, in order to let people know where I would be and what I'd be doing. It feels like everything after the part where I land in Spain is now a big question mark for me. I personally really like that. It leaves me open to the change that it will be. But it also makes me feel weird when people say "what are your plans after that?". I don't have any. Nothing concrete. Sometime in the next year or 2 I will be having the grand opening of a cafe, most likely in Salamanca. Everything from July 12 arrival in spain until that point, somewhere in the future, is blurry and open. I feel a lot of freedom with the blurry openness, but I'm getting the feeling from the reactions that people give me from the whole blurry and open response, that I'm the only one who feels that way. I'm tempted to believe that it's jealousy, in a way. I have also been told by a number of people (and some of the same people)that I'm living the life they'd like to be leading, so I really try not to take it to heart when they act like not having a concrete plan down to the minute is a bad thing, because what it comes down to, is that I'm living the life that I'D like to be leading. i'm really happy with the way my life is going, although I wouldn't have predicted it this way. But part of how I got here is because I leave myself open to change for as long as I need to.
It's 3:38 a.m. Good night. :o)
Who'dda thunk it'd be this easy?
you can post comments now....
So here it is... my continued blog, but with the power of comment posting. I'll have you know that although as soon as you post a comment it shows up, I can delete any comments you want, so if your comment is gone, it's because I didn't like it. As I've said before.... this is inside MY head, and if you don't like it here, hit Alt +F4.
I love comments. They help me to sort out the stuff inside my head with fresh eyes and a new perspective. The more points of view we have on things, the better we can see them and understand them.
I love blogging. I love that I can type what I want when I want and I can also decide who I want to see it, if anyone, and I can talk for as long as I like. It brings out the verbal-diarrhea control-freak that I am.... Maybe not such a good thing, but oh well...
I have blogging friends too. If my friends who blog would like to share their blogs with my friends who read my blog, you can post your blog link as a comment to this blog. You follow? I like when a word is a noun and a verb, like blog. The possibilities abound for repetition within sentences, and I like that :)
you can post comments now....
So here it is... my continued blog, but with the power of comment posting. I'll have you know that although as soon as you post a comment it shows up, I can delete any comments you want, so if your comment is gone, it's because I didn't like it. As I've said before.... this is inside MY head, and if you don't like it here, hit Alt +F4.
I love comments. They help me to sort out the stuff inside my head with fresh eyes and a new perspective. The more points of view we have on things, the better we can see them and understand them.
I love blogging. I love that I can type what I want when I want and I can also decide who I want to see it, if anyone, and I can talk for as long as I like. It brings out the verbal-diarrhea control-freak that I am.... Maybe not such a good thing, but oh well...
I have blogging friends too. If my friends who blog would like to share their blogs with my friends who read my blog, you can post your blog link as a comment to this blog. You follow? I like when a word is a noun and a verb, like blog. The possibilities abound for repetition within sentences, and I like that :)
2 months goes by quickly.
They say time flies when you're having fun. I contend that time flies regardless. Maybe on a micro kinda scale, when you're bored or generally not enjoying yourself the minutes go by slower, however, it seems that the past 2 months have sped past me in a blur, although the vast majority of the individual days have been long and tedious. Did Einstein take this into account in his studies of relativity?
I have in my possession a one way ticket to London on June 23 - the fact that it is an e-ticket and the travel agent misspelled my name and my mom picked it up and didn't check the name and now I'll have to go through hell to have it fixed is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, in one week and 3 days, barring all airport troubles and stuff, I will be in London. 10 days.
I'm going to pause here, derail that train of thought and switch to a new gear. I just stopped and read my e-mail and I have this really amazing e-mail from Mara. It's cool because she mentioned some things I had brought up in my blog a few days ago. How is it that I have so many amazing people in my life? How is it that Mara has this knack for just putting things in perspective and being so... I dunno, cool??? Mark - you are a very lucky man (lucky, blessed, whatever...) I need one of those blogs that you can get answers posted to... her wisdom needs to be shared. I think I'll work on that now....
Thoughts on relativity and the fact that life as I know it will self destruct and cease to exist in 10 days can wait till later....
They say time flies when you're having fun. I contend that time flies regardless. Maybe on a micro kinda scale, when you're bored or generally not enjoying yourself the minutes go by slower, however, it seems that the past 2 months have sped past me in a blur, although the vast majority of the individual days have been long and tedious. Did Einstein take this into account in his studies of relativity?
I have in my possession a one way ticket to London on June 23 - the fact that it is an e-ticket and the travel agent misspelled my name and my mom picked it up and didn't check the name and now I'll have to go through hell to have it fixed is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, in one week and 3 days, barring all airport troubles and stuff, I will be in London. 10 days.
I'm going to pause here, derail that train of thought and switch to a new gear. I just stopped and read my e-mail and I have this really amazing e-mail from Mara. It's cool because she mentioned some things I had brought up in my blog a few days ago. How is it that I have so many amazing people in my life? How is it that Mara has this knack for just putting things in perspective and being so... I dunno, cool??? Mark - you are a very lucky man (lucky, blessed, whatever...) I need one of those blogs that you can get answers posted to... her wisdom needs to be shared. I think I'll work on that now....
Thoughts on relativity and the fact that life as I know it will self destruct and cease to exist in 10 days can wait till later....
Saturday, June 12, 2004
so i'm sitting here logging in, about to check my e-mail after 2 days... my parents had gone out for something or other, I was glad to stay at home and not be with them, and all of a sudden someone walks up next to me. My first thought was "what the HECK is someone doing in the house?!!!" a split second later I realised it was my sister :o) She and her boyfriend arrived from bermuda tonight. they all surprised me with it. The original plan was for her to susprise my mom, but they had gotten on the phone and decided it would be a surprise for me instead, to get back at me for showing up and surprising my parents last year i guess. It was really nice, though my mom is terrible at keeping secrets, so although I didn't consciously know it, I knew something was up, too much weirdness....
Anyway I'm going to go and spend some time with my family - all together for the first time since November '96... and for the next 2 weeks. Just when I was beginning to positively expire from utter boredom........ :o)
Anyway I'm going to go and spend some time with my family - all together for the first time since November '96... and for the next 2 weeks. Just when I was beginning to positively expire from utter boredom........ :o)
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Just before I left Israel, a bit further down in the posts, I had written a long blog, and was really angry that it didn't post. I'm getting over my anger, and I really feel that I need to say what was there, especially because I haven't found any other way to express it and be heard by the people who really count. And I know a couple of you are reading this :o)
I don't miss things like I think most people do. I have moved a jillion times in my life but I don't know what it feels like to be homesick. I meet wonderful people all over the place and bond and connect and when I leave or they leave, I don't feel like they're gone. I don't feel a big empty hole. I used to think this was a bad thing. I thought it meant that I didn't really love them or that I'm somehow emotionally deficient. When we were little, my best friend used to sleep over at my house sometimes, she used to cry for her parents. I always thought that was stupid. She would beg to spend the night, and then usually at some point, my parents would have to take her home or one of her parents would come and pick her up. I, on the othr hand, would happily stay for a night, or 2 or a week even, if my parents were away. I don't ever remember missing home.
When I meet someone I love, I don't see our meeting as a moment in time. I always like talking to people about where they were when... this or that happened. In my mind, our lives connect back in those spaces, and forward into the future, and it's not like a single point where I was with someone or in a certain place, but more like our lives were together and our paths crossed here, and they continue side by side with our paths crossing here and there along the way... or not.
So I guess I do miss people. Right now when I see a cool street sign, I miss Violetta, but not in a sad way. In a way that without her, I wouldn't have noticed the sign, and looking at it now, having met her and spent time with her and loving her, the crazy street sign connects my life to hers again. (as does everything artsy, borrowed french words, good movies, johnny bread, and pretty much everything else!)
When I'm driving along and see a hot guy (or even a not-so-hot guy)in a nearby car, I miss Aida. In a way that makes me smile and remember the many times we drove that long drive and everyhting that we shared along with it.
I was crocheting the other day and started laughing hysterically. Of course I couldn't explain to my mom what Mara would have said to me at that point... so I let her think I was crazy - no big deal.
The thing is, I feel like I am so fortunate to have so many fond memories of so many people, and it's like my quest to keep all these memories alive by connecting the things I do and see wherever I am to the people I love wherever they are. My major problem I guess is that because all this goes on in my head, I don't really express it well. I'm awful at keeping in touch. I read someone's e-mail and I'm so happy, and I think about it for days, and read it over and over and for some reason, months go by and there's no answer. That's so selfish of me. I wish I was different in that way.
Just because I'm not writing all the time doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you all the time....
I don't miss things like I think most people do. I have moved a jillion times in my life but I don't know what it feels like to be homesick. I meet wonderful people all over the place and bond and connect and when I leave or they leave, I don't feel like they're gone. I don't feel a big empty hole. I used to think this was a bad thing. I thought it meant that I didn't really love them or that I'm somehow emotionally deficient. When we were little, my best friend used to sleep over at my house sometimes, she used to cry for her parents. I always thought that was stupid. She would beg to spend the night, and then usually at some point, my parents would have to take her home or one of her parents would come and pick her up. I, on the othr hand, would happily stay for a night, or 2 or a week even, if my parents were away. I don't ever remember missing home.
When I meet someone I love, I don't see our meeting as a moment in time. I always like talking to people about where they were when... this or that happened. In my mind, our lives connect back in those spaces, and forward into the future, and it's not like a single point where I was with someone or in a certain place, but more like our lives were together and our paths crossed here, and they continue side by side with our paths crossing here and there along the way... or not.
So I guess I do miss people. Right now when I see a cool street sign, I miss Violetta, but not in a sad way. In a way that without her, I wouldn't have noticed the sign, and looking at it now, having met her and spent time with her and loving her, the crazy street sign connects my life to hers again. (as does everything artsy, borrowed french words, good movies, johnny bread, and pretty much everything else!)
When I'm driving along and see a hot guy (or even a not-so-hot guy)in a nearby car, I miss Aida. In a way that makes me smile and remember the many times we drove that long drive and everyhting that we shared along with it.
I was crocheting the other day and started laughing hysterically. Of course I couldn't explain to my mom what Mara would have said to me at that point... so I let her think I was crazy - no big deal.
The thing is, I feel like I am so fortunate to have so many fond memories of so many people, and it's like my quest to keep all these memories alive by connecting the things I do and see wherever I am to the people I love wherever they are. My major problem I guess is that because all this goes on in my head, I don't really express it well. I'm awful at keeping in touch. I read someone's e-mail and I'm so happy, and I think about it for days, and read it over and over and for some reason, months go by and there's no answer. That's so selfish of me. I wish I was different in that way.
Just because I'm not writing all the time doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you all the time....
Friday, May 28, 2004
I am now a Padi Open Water Advanced Scuba Diver.
Last night I dove my first night dive. It was amazing. The dive boat was a catamaran and there was a smooth ride out to the dive site at sunset. We hung out on the boat, chatted, then had a briefing as we waited for it to get dark enough to call it a night dive. Starlight reflected off the crests of the ripples in the watter as our instructor told us about the 4 wrecks we'd be seeing, and how to use hand signals with a flashlight. We giant strided into the dark atlantic ocean and entered another world. René, Phil and I were transfixed for the next 38 minutes, as we explored the nighttime world of Carlisle Bay. Wrecks appeared out of nowhere in front of us, starfish crawled magically across the sandy ocean floor, shrimp, crabs, a jillion varieties of fish and dozens of different corals appeared magically in the small cones of light produced by our flashlights. the highlight for me was answering our DM's summons and going over the top edge of a wreck to find myself face to face with a sleeping hawksbill turtle! I gasped in about half my tank of air, but the turtle slept on. Near the end of the dive, we turned off our lights and moved our hands through the water and watched as the water was lit up in blue sparkles like pixie dust, the phosphorescence of the photoluminescent plankton. It was magical. Swimming on our backs back to the boat at the end of the dive, we saw millions of stars and a small quarter moon above us. It was really the perfect dive.
Last night I dove my first night dive. It was amazing. The dive boat was a catamaran and there was a smooth ride out to the dive site at sunset. We hung out on the boat, chatted, then had a briefing as we waited for it to get dark enough to call it a night dive. Starlight reflected off the crests of the ripples in the watter as our instructor told us about the 4 wrecks we'd be seeing, and how to use hand signals with a flashlight. We giant strided into the dark atlantic ocean and entered another world. René, Phil and I were transfixed for the next 38 minutes, as we explored the nighttime world of Carlisle Bay. Wrecks appeared out of nowhere in front of us, starfish crawled magically across the sandy ocean floor, shrimp, crabs, a jillion varieties of fish and dozens of different corals appeared magically in the small cones of light produced by our flashlights. the highlight for me was answering our DM's summons and going over the top edge of a wreck to find myself face to face with a sleeping hawksbill turtle! I gasped in about half my tank of air, but the turtle slept on. Near the end of the dive, we turned off our lights and moved our hands through the water and watched as the water was lit up in blue sparkles like pixie dust, the phosphorescence of the photoluminescent plankton. It was magical. Swimming on our backs back to the boat at the end of the dive, we saw millions of stars and a small quarter moon above us. It was really the perfect dive.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Today was a busy day. There was a naming ceremony for a little baby in the community. Okay, so I promised myself I wouldn't use this as a complaining spot, but I know if I expressed my displeasure at this out loud vocally I would be a whiner. I understand that I'm in the Caribbean. I understand that people here are more easygoing, and I also consider myself easygoing. But, this baby naming thing was supposed to start at 10 a.m. I was playing the violin so I needed to be there a bit early to set up. I got mad at my parents for running late. I'm trying really hard not to get mad at them so much but it just seems to happen. But I only got mad at them in my head, not out loud, so that's an improvement right? So we find the place, arriving at about 10:05. There's one car outside. 15 minutes later my mom calls the mother of the baby being named. "sorry, can you let everyone there know we're running late?" ok so here's the deal. it's 10:22. you live 45 minutes from the place the thing is at, and you have the keys. you're still at home 22 minutes after the thing is supposed to start?????????? ARGH!!!! They arrived at 11:40. THe house had to be opened and aired, the chairs set up, the room prepared... readings had been chosen, but all the readers weren't there, a couple of performers who had committed to the event had also done the no-show. it started at about 11:58.
Does easygoing and laid back have to mean that everyone else's time is less valuable than yours? Am I being uptight because I don't want to sit doing nothing and waste 2 hours waiting for something to start??? is it a double standard if i say it's okay to be, say 15 minutes late, but not okay for half an hour, one hour, 2 hours?
This is one of the may reasons I can't live here. I can't deal wit hthe fact that although it started 2 hours late, everyone who was there at 10 was still there at the start, many people actually showed up between 11 and 12, not expecting it to have started yet, or maybe expecting to come in time for the ceremony to be over and lunch to be served.... i dunno. i can't handle it.
Does easygoing and laid back have to mean that everyone else's time is less valuable than yours? Am I being uptight because I don't want to sit doing nothing and waste 2 hours waiting for something to start??? is it a double standard if i say it's okay to be, say 15 minutes late, but not okay for half an hour, one hour, 2 hours?
This is one of the may reasons I can't live here. I can't deal wit hthe fact that although it started 2 hours late, everyone who was there at 10 was still there at the start, many people actually showed up between 11 and 12, not expecting it to have started yet, or maybe expecting to come in time for the ceremony to be over and lunch to be served.... i dunno. i can't handle it.
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