On The Present

I'm reading "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" right now, a book of essays by Annie Dillard. It's both easy and hard to read, but I'm really enjoying it. Below is a passage that really struck me:

" This is it, I think, this is it, right now, the present, this empty gas station, here, this western wind, this tang of coffee on the tongue, and I am petting the puppy, I am watching the mountain. And the second I verbalize this awareness in my brain, I cease to see the mountain or feel the puppy. I am opaque, so much black asphalt. But at the same second, the second I know I've lost it, I also realize that the puppy is still squirming on his back under my hand. Nothing has changed for him. He draws his legs down to stretch the skin taut so he feels every fingertip's stroke along his furred and arching side, his flank, his flung-back throat.

I sip my coffee. I look at the mountain, which is still doing its tricks, as you look at a still-beautiful face belonging to a person who was once your lover in another country years ago: with fond nostalgia, and recognition, but no real feeling save a secret astonishment that you are now strangers. Thanks. For the memories. It is ironic that the one thing that all religions recognize as separating us from our creator--our very self-consciousness--is also the one thing that divides us from our fellow creatures. It was a bitter birthday present from evolution, cutting us off at both ends. I get in the car and drive home."

Lying Is Not Okay

The U.S. presidential election is starting to really get me down. The Hillary vs. Obama fight seems like an incredibly distant and (in retrospect) relatively wholesome memory. I didn't feel compelled to talk about the election until McCain went and chose Sarah Palin. Maybe I got too comfortable thinking that Obama was a sure thing, or maybe I just overestimated yet again the intelligence and tolerance of Americans. Even now, I instinctively think that the Democrats should keep their hands clean and heads held high with the security of knowing they are running a fair and respectful campaign. And then I realize that the Republicans have no problem with blatantly lying in every form and through every medium. They even lie through misquotation (e.g. Katie Couric, FactCheck.org).

I felt disgusted by Sarah Palin's speech at the GOP convention. Before seeing that catty and belittling performance, I was feeling skeptical about her stances but also a little proud that a woman was on a ticket, even if it wasn't the ticket I was voting for. But now I'm embarrassed that somebody who has exhibited such intolerance and extreme ideological views is connected to me in any way, even if it's just in anatomy. Even more embarrassing is that many women seem to swooned by Palin for the very same tenuous connection. At the end of the day, she is an ideological fanatic. Strong words? Maybe. But look at how little human experiences have shaped her choices. I don't see any evolution in understanding exhibited by her. Yes, I'm going to talk about her personal life. If you and your daughter both get pregnant as teenagers before marriage, wouldn't you reconsider abstinence-only education as the only option? Shouldn't you even entertain that thought given the fact that you might have benefited from slipping a condom or two over a banana when you were 15? Hey, maybe both you and your children would have benefited because you could have had a few more years to learn something about the world before changing diapers and finding yourself newly married.

But back to abstinence-only education - it's a nice idea in theory that if you can control the flow of information, you can control the subsequent actions, but isn't that just one of the most un-American ideas ever? Shouldn't you go live behind the Great Firewall of China if you believe information should be suppressed instead of freely exchanged? And how can Palin delude herself into justifying abstinence-only education when she was most likely getting busy between the sheets at 15 and 16 already anyway? What are we "sheltering" our kids from if they are already doing the thing we don't want them to do? And speaking of un-American, why is it okay to tout small-town values and make fun of community organizers in the same breath? Watching all those cookie-cutter Republicans nearly frothing at the mouth with each cutting remark couldn't make me more anxious about the future of America.

Okay, I have to go to sleep, but more thoughts on the election to come....

Close To Departure

Well, I've been cleaning up my apartment for the last couple hours and packing for my trip! I thought I'd have an easier time packing but it turns out I like to pack way more for leisure than business. I'll email a picture of my packing skillz to my posterous page ;)

I watched Dark Knight on IMAX last night. I won't give anything away, but man, it was awesome. I was really worried that it couldn't live up to all the hype but it was just so well done. The acting by Heath Ledger was so good it was scary (and morbidly sad), and there were some visually breathtaking scenes as well. I would recommend seeing it on IMAX if you have the choice. I went to the showing at the Metreon at 8:30pm and there was already quite a line when I showed up at 7:30pm. Waiting in line wasn't too bad though, and they started letting people into the theatre around 8:05pm. I can't even imagine what kind of money they're going to make off the DVD.

Feeling excited and a little anxious about heading out tomorrow morning. I haven't been on a real vacation in quite awhile now, I suspect it'll take a few days to really decompress and start relaxing. Bought a red bikini at a great local SF shop called "Zoe Bikini" today though...my first non-black swimming suit! :) Zoe was super nice and very patient with my absolute indecision.

Okay, happy week to all!

Quick Update

I went to see Feist at the Greek Theatre last weekend, I thought she was awesome live! She's got a beautiful voice and had this manual light projector show going on in the background that was really cool. I think some might see it as too distracting but I thought it complimented most of the music really well.

Trying to squeeze in as much tennis and working out as possible before I leave on Saturday for vacation. I'm worried that I will turn back into a blob after 9 days of vacationing but hopefully there will be a lot of walking and healthy eating involved to make up for it. Except for Bologna, of course, where I plan to eat as much prosciuttio, truffles and burrata as possible! :)

I signed up for a posterous account today because my friend Prasanna suggested it and he takes beautiful pictures of his books that make me envious. You can check it at [my name].posterous.com :)

Hey Fly Clear, Aren't You Supposed to Make My Life Easier?

I had to call Clear support about a month ago to request that my primary authorization be changed from the fingerprint to the retina scan because my fingerprint wasn't matching most of the time. It took about 2 weeks to get the card made on their side, and I'm still waiting on actual delivery of it. What really pisses me off though, is getting my old card rejected while I'm trying to take my 4th flight of the week. The last thing I need right now on a Thursday afternoon is hassles at the airport.

On a lighter note, I heart Portland. I went there earlier this week and stayed the night in downtown. I love how walkable it was, it reminded me a little bit of Boston crossed with San Francisco. I tried to make it to Powell's bookstore but got sidetracked by Nordstrom's before dinner. Oops! Next time I will be sure to hit it though.

T-9 days until vacation takeoff!

Things That Make You Smile

I have to share this YouTube video because it made me laugh and smile like crazy. Hope you enjoy it!



Here's Matt's website if you want to watch more fun times, I really liked the outtakes too: http://wherethehellismatt.com

NYTimes wrote a great article about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/arts/television/08dancer.html

Planning a Vacation is Hard Work

I have spent so many hours researching Croatia, ferry routes, flight schedules, island cities, mileage points, credit card points, hotels, b&bs....aah!! I know, I shouldn't complain about planning a vacation, but damn it's a lot of work. I think I have figured out a way to use credit card points to pay for nearly all of my flights, which is awesome because airfare is ridiculously expensive right now. Here are the places I will hopefully be hitting: Bologna, Pescara, Hvar, Brac, Split, Trogir, Plitvice National Park, Zagreb. Too ambitious? Help me pare the list!

Also, I think I promised updates on a few things:
1) Hertz Lost and Found - I did get back my broadband card! They were willing to send it to me but I ended up having to drive through Orange County a couple weeks later so I just picked it up at the airport.
2) Buying from Zappo's was great. They upgraded the shipping method so that I received the shoes 3 days after ordering them online. I'm still on the fence on the shoes but I guess I need to decide soon whether they're a keeper.
3) Haven't received my bags from Tumi yet. I'm hoping that the backpack I bought will be enough for all my travels through Croatia though. :) Too ambitious? We'll see! If I do end up using just my backpack, I'll include a pic of my expert packing job in an upcoming post.

Big congratulations to my friend Brian who is newly engaged!

Next Stop: Chicago