Nothing to say to start the day...

This morning is really nothing but a continuation of last night since I haven't gone to sleep yet for it was the yearly meteorite shower! The newspaper said the peak would be right before dawn so my friend, teacher, and I stayed up (other people were out but left throughout the night) until then to see the big finale. We hiked up this cliff to get away from the city lights as much as possible but it was still a bit polluted with light. Saw a lot of 'em though...and saturated the night with good conversation and the search for constellations from the Belgium star map. As the sky became pinker, the other two headed back but since I was up, I decided to hike up the hill to see the sunrise. It was quite a trek, up and down cliffs and through farm country. I took this road that had a lot of manure piles...one heap had steam rising from it so, of course, I had to take a picture. Finally arrived up the hill while the sun was just showing over the city. Breathtaking! Quite possibly the prettiest sight I have ever seen. I took a roll of film of it, but unfortunately I left my UV filter back at the apartment. Hopefully, they will come out in some shape or form. The outline of the citadel and the city were just shrouded in colors of red, pink, and purple while birds meandered through the sky (it's quite a feat to spot birds on the island since everyone likes to shoot them during the day). Walking back, this old Gozitan man stopped in his car to see if I was lost and wanted to give me a lift back into town...I had to decline since walking was enjoyable, although I did get lost along the way :-0 but it's not hard to find your way back on the island. Crossing over the bridge to get into the village, I spotted some skin divers suiting up to pick up trash (on their own accord) that was floating around in the water. Went for a swim (this is around 7 AM) and snorkel run. Found some cool rocks and such, spotted some mudfish (???or whatever they are called-those fish that swim sideways and are camoed with the sand), and experienced the only kind of village life without the tourists! City sweepers, fishermen coming in from their morning run, Catholics (well, everyone is Catholic here) walking to church, people washing their cars, and the cafes preparing the tables and chairs for the morning "rush". By far the most interesting and culturally valuable time in Xlendi so far.


Oh, and yesterday I saw a JELLYFIIIIISH while snorkeling. While I was watching it, the tide pulled it away and my first instinct was to get closer to catch up with it.....But then I kinda figured the tide would bring it in even further so I swam away. I did see a jellyfish and that's good enough for me. :-)


Two nights ago was Gozo Beer Festival. Some band did a Kraftwerk cover. Pretty funny.


Anyways, this post is way too subjective---me, me, me. Blech, just didn't want to forget my day that's all. Anyways, I get in (hopefully) this Thursday at 11:30 PM. If you want to have a special, special place in my heart, please come with joint in hand, any good microbrew in the other, and some numptous Thai food. The very thought of all that makes me go something something.

wie vil ist aufzuleiden!

I'd love to let you all know just how much I'm learning from my classes. Unfortunately, the only source through which I've learned anything at all (besides going out on my own and learning from the locals) is this book a classmate let me borrow for the week. Science and Poetry by Mary Midgley... Already half way done, here's some good quotes from it:

"A poet once said, 'The whole universe is in a glass of wine'...There are the things of physics, the twisting liquid which evaporates according to the wind and weather, the reflections in the glass, and our imagination adds the atoms. The glass is a distillation of the earth's rocks, and in its composition we see the secrets of the universe's age, and the evolution of stars, what strange array of chemicals are in the wine? How did they come to be?...There in the wine is found the great generalization: all life is fermentation. How vivid is the claret, pressing its existence into the consciousness that watches it! If our small minds, for some convenience, divide this glass of wine, this universe into parts-physics, biology, geology, astronomy, psychology, and so forth-remember that nature does not know it! So let us put it all back together, remembering ultimately what it is for. Let it give us one more final pleasure: drink it, and forget it all!- Richard Feynman, The Feynman Lectures on Physics"

"Set your sail, O happy youth,' he cried, 'and flee from every form of education'"-Epicurus (Yeah, that's how I feel right about now)

"True piety lies rather in the power to contemplate the universe with a quiet mind."-Lucretius, Book V


Well, wish there was more to write about. A little angry at the moment and I don't want to allow myself to go on another furious tirade so I'll just leave it be.

Iva/le

Morning, y'all (or cyberspace...I have a feeling no one reads this...)


Sitting at the staff house after breakfast. A cool breeze crawls over the ocean in through the door and the sun shines intently. So many things to update on. I really need to start writing exactly what I do everyday because it all seems like a blur now. Let's see...

Yesterday (Friday, Aug 3) I stayed in town (Xlendi Bay is where we are staying). Sat down to eat some lunch (Gozo Country Salad..the sundried tomatoes here are absolutely ridiculous). Sketched some people sitting down and around. Friend and I went for a swim, sketched some more, and laughed over these four children bickering over fish they were catching. He and I were also talking about hitchhiking to the other side of the island and spending the night on the beach in order to watch the sunrise. Had photography class and then dinner.

Thursday (Aug 2) Went to Valetta with a big group. Had to take the ferry to the big island, Malta (I'm on Gozo) and then a hour long bus to the city. The buses here are very old...look vintage and pretty fascinating. No air conditioning but big open windows which catch the breeze (and also massive amounts of exhaust). First stop was the archaeological museum which housed artifacts from the various temples around the island. Booked a ticket to the Hypogeum, an underground temple/cave in Malta (look it up, really fascinating)...so I have to go back to Malta next Saturday. Looked around the city on my own, found a record shop with traditional Maltese and Gozo music. The owner was very surprised I wanted to buy them, saying it used to be all over the island when he was growing up but now its all rock and roll. By the way, my project is traditional music. They gave me a place to check out on Gozo. Tried to go to the music school in Valetta as well but they have half days and close early. The rest of my time I sketched people, especially these taxi drivers waiting for customers. Quite proud, really. Came back to Gozo, had dinner, and drank with everybody on the rooftop . I was the last one left towards the end with my two teachers who were really fascinating to talk to. Philosophy, books, art, history, music, science...pretty much everything. We talked for hours and so didn't get home until late.

Wednesday (Aug 1): We went to a certain bay which is quite famous for the Azure window (probably could look it up). Checked out the fortress. On the way there we hitched a ride on a beer truck. It was pretty cool.

Tuesday (July 31): Checked out Victoria (main city in Gozo) and met some locals who were really funny. Everywhere around Gozo and Malta, the old men sit outside cafes and talk/drink. I sat down at a cafe and one man came to me and we were talking...then all his friends came. Really funny guys. Talked for quite some time and then gave me a ride back into town (before trying to take me around the island and for swims and the like).


There's more stuff but I had to really rack me brain for all that.

No one has e-mailed me. Quite disappointing. *shrugs*

So today we're going to see a festa in Qala. I'm going early to observe the band set-up and the like.

yup.

Finally arrived in yesterday (without my luggage). Hopefully, it will be here today. The program directors are a lot younger than I thought, which is good...seem like a lot of fun. First day of fieldwork today. Last night we sat on the roof of the staff house and drank wine...trying to get to know one another. There are ten students in all (including myself). Mostly America, though there is a guy from Dublin, dude from Zurich, and a lovely lady from Rome who makes us all coffee. Well, I'm going to go smoke. Write me...it'd be nice to hear from you all. shev_isyrfriend@yahoo.com

Comfort at the Comfort Inn

Wow.



Quite a journey so far. I'm taking a flight out tomorrow at 8 PM and going to Manchester, then Munich, and finally Malta. So, I'll be two days late for school.



Had to call around for a hotel room, finally found one. The shuttle driver was a little creepy. He told me he got into massaging because he had a foot fetish. "Yeah, you have sneakers on so I can't see yours." Thank God for that.





and, oh yes, I have a jacuzzi in my room. What the fuck?

SAVE ME!

What a fucking day!

I have not arrived at my destination. Instead, I'm stuck in the Philadelphia airport. It's 12:17 AM. I'm going out of my mind.


So, everyone is on the plane in San Fran....we are on the freakin' runway when the plane stops and we're informed there's a storm in Philly and we'll have to wait until further notice. We wait on the runway for an hour and a half. We're cleared, we leave, fly for five and a half hours, arrive OVER Philly to a closed airport because of the storm (which has closed pretty much the entire Eastern seaboard). The plane had to circle around and land in Pittsburg. Wait in the plane for another hour and a half. Get clearance to go to Philly, another forty minutes in the air (while there are thunderstorms going all around the plane...), land (and yes, it was raining), stay in the plane for thirty minutes, and finally deboard. At this point I was relieved: I can get a hotel, take a shower, and sleep like a baby. No, no, no. Governmental bureaucracy is still alive and well in the wee hours of the morning. Got sent to "Customer Service" to get the next flight to Munich. They don't say where the hell it is, spent fifteen minutes walking around looking for the damn line which is, by the time I find it, an hour long. Wait there for forty minutes, listen to some cracked out, drunk soldier (yes, TWO terms in Iraq) try to hit on some middle-aged woman behind me (who was also trying to cut me in line). This guy was OUT of his freaking mind. These are the guys we're giving guns to. Fucking awesome. Brilliant. "I fuckin' hate terrorists. This line is their fault. That's why I fuckin' hate 'em."

So, yeah, then they have one of their employees make some bunk announcement (only five people heard her out of the mile long line) that everyone flying internationally would have to wait at GateC28 for "further instructions". Yep, still here....been waitin' for quite some time with all the other International folk. Sure they're having the greatest of times in our country.

And yes, all the hotel rooms are booked.


Fuckin' hilarious.

Mysterious Mose.

Goddess Eris has a sinister gleam in her eye this morning. Taut airport relations, vexed employees irritable and easily provoked, (((in case of emergency, please check and follow our orderly and therefore, 'highly logical', list of government approved stages of evacuation))) , expeditious answers which don't really solve anything, miles of labyrinthine coils unfurling surly suitcases ....yes, Eris (the loveable goddess of discord, confusion, buracracy, and international relations) is surely lurking around every security checkpoint and ticket counter, giggling decisively. The Department of U.S. Homeland Security assures the safety and security of you (yes, you!), as well as all your bags, children (bags always come first you know), loins, even that Starbucks coffee cup that you paid double the price for in Terminal Three (but as stated in Section 3.678, you MUST leave all personal belongings and carry-ons on the plane in case of emergency. We are fully aware of how much your things mean to you....certainly the fate and destiny of America depends on them. But we are also aware that you come first; after all, you still have plenty of money and labor that we'd love to exploit!) Still, the security level IS at orange-so be careful!


Anyways....besides my barrage of inopportune words (or rather, complaints), it has been an interesting ride so far. San Francisco is covered in a pallid cloak of fog, turning the sun into the moon. Above the fog, I was lucky enough to have found myself in a window seat, taken aback by the blanket of clouds; tempted to pull it up to my chin and take a long, much-needed nap. As of right now (and for some time), I am seated at ::insert diner name here::, quite possibly irritating my waitress by picking at my food, typing on my computer, and drinking Fat Tire at 8:43 in the AM. Also, I was sure to swipe the headphones on the plane and am now listening to some Radiohead (My Iron Lung). Yes, yes, yes. It has been quite the interesting ride.

Well, really no news. I found some nice quotes you might all enjoy:

"Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world. In our endeavor to understand reality, we are somewhat like man trying to understand the mechanism of a closed watch. He sees the face and the moving hands, even hears its ticking, but he has no way of opening the case. If he is ingenious he may form some picture of a mechanism which could be responsible for all the things he observes, but he may never be quite sure his picture is the only one which could explain his observations. He will never be able to compare his picture with the real mechanism and he cannot even imagine the possibility of the meaning of such a comparision."
Written by Albert Einstein in 1938, quoted in "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" by Gary Zukav

Hmmmm, let's go deeper?

"Boethius says nothing is more fleeting than external form, which withers and alters like the flowers of the field at the appearance of autumn; and what would be the point of saying today that the abbot Abo had a stern eye and pale cheeks, when by now he and those around him are dust and their bodies have the mortal grayness of dust (only their souls, God grant, shining with the light of that which will never be extinguished."

"The young no longer want to study anything, learning is in decline, the whole world walks on its head, blind men lead others equally blind and cause them to plunge into the abyss, birds leave the nest before they can fly, the jackass plays the lyre, oxen dance. Mary no longer loves the contemplative life and Martha no longer loves the active life, Leah is sterile, Rachel has a carnal eye, Cato visits brothels, Lucretius becomes a woman. Everything is on the wrong path. In those days, thank God, I acquired from my master the desire to learn and a sense of the straight way, which remains even when the path is tortuous."

Both quotes from 'THE NAME OF THE ROSE' by Umberto Eco.

I'll let you guys decide whether or not there is any subtle synchronicities inherent among these quotes and above text. Who knows?

And now: a picture or two. :)

1.2.3.

Wanted to see how reliable the page is on uploading photos; what better way than to use pictures of last year's Burning Man? Some of you have seen them, some of you haven't. Take care.