home owner

So I guess the time has come to officially change the profile here on ExpatNomad.com, time to take out the references to being a wandering fool and searching for the best burrito. It turns out that I have found my home and it is in New Mexico. And based on some facts that are observable in my life, it appears as though the nomad is no more.

Since starting my job at the Bosque School, I have found myself increasingly more and more happy. I found a school that I love where the kids are great, the community is small and interactive, and my superiors trust me to be a good teacher and don't check up on me in the slightest (it doesn't hurt that my classroom is on the outermost edge of school either). I am coaching volleyball and working with the girls makes me happy. The teachers with whom I work with are a good bunch and that makes me happy. The campus is beautiful and it makes me happy. What else to say, my career is work but it ... makes me happy!

My personal life has also made a change for the better. Married life is a challenge and while my wife does have her fair share of difficult moments, she is a part of my life that brings joy to me. She will be the mother of our children someday and while I do occasionally worry about what she will teach them (she has some unusual perspectives on things), I know she will be a great mother and do her best when it comes to raising our children. And before people get all caught up in that last sentence thinking that I won't be around to help out, y'all know better than that and know that I'll be around as much as possible as my child(ren) grow up. But kids are a future thing and we have to conceive one first and then I'll worry about how to raise them.

One item in my life that is recently changed is the fact that I am now, for the first time, a home owner. The getting married thing was grown-up but a lot of people still get married too young. Home ownership, that's something truly "responsible" and it signifies quite a bit for me. First off, no more wandering. Ya just can't walk away from a mortgage (unlike the last people who lived in this house) and travel the world. For the last 35 years or so of my life, I have been a nomad and seeing the parts of our globe that others may miss. I am extremely grateful for those experiences and wouldn't trade them for anything. But now I have the responsibility of a mortgage and after we have a child, all of the other bills are set on my shoulders. Nothing like putting the weight of reality on me but I think I'm finally at a point in my life where I'm ready for that challenge. Perhaps the wanderlust of the last 3 1/2 decades has led me to here and now my brain is ready to accept the responsibility that my peers have endured for quite some time. Ahh, always the late bloomer I guess.

Our home is awesome although moving in is going to take some time. The majority of our stuff is in the house, we just have to sort it all out now. The space for children is available and the process of starting a family has begun (just waitin' on some fertilized eggs to go!). The last year has been chock full o' changes but that's just fine with me. Here's to the next 40 years being as good as the first 40 were!

wonderfully dreary

One of the things that I love about living in New Mexico is the weather. Most days the sun is shining and the humidity is low, making most days just very tolerable. Sure there are some hot ones (close to 100 F), cold ones (below freezing), windy ones (gusts over 50 mph), but rarely do we get the kind of day that we had yesterday and again today. Overcast and rainy - and I'm appreciating every minute of it.

I am sitting here looking out at what I can see of the Sandia Mountains and the sky is painted a lovely shade of gray. The clouds are covering most of the mountains and the rain is soaking our desert ground with much needed precipitation. It is on days like this that I am reminded of my years of living in Ohio when the rain was a common occurrence and days like this were far too frequent for my liking - the years in Holland were even worse. But it is with a fondness in my head that I sit and watch the raindrops fall as they bring back some memories of the greenness of Ohio and the humidity I left behind.

During my years of college, I had many jobs that I had to pay my tuition, room & board, and pizza expenses. One of those jobs was working as a laborer putting up tents during the summers while living in Akron. For three years I put up and broke down tents of all sizes. From our small 10x10 to the massive 80x440, I worked out in the elements of NE Ohio summers. Some mornings were fabulous - cool and brisk, crystal blue sky overhead; staying beautiful all day. Others started off hot and muggy, the water hanging in the air and smothering you like a thick cloud of smoke and conditions usually got worse as the day went on. Some days sunblock was only a charade of an attempt to beat back the searing sun.

Then there were mornings like today - the sky covered with a low layer of gray linoleum clouds that shrouded the sun, rain falling from above in random patterns of intensity. A rain jacket worked for days with the intermittent drops, full suits for those of constant downpour. Respite from the rain only came during lunch or in the truck between installations.

I was the 20' King, meaning I was in charge of putting up tents that were 20' on one side. The most common tent was a 20x30, some 20x20/40s thrown in for variety. Occasionally a 30x30 would sneak into the mix but mostly 20' stuff. I was the driver and I brought along another man to help with the installations. One person could put the tent up solo but driving stakes was much easier with two guys on "The Whacker"; a lawnmower engine welded to the top of a stake driver, it was an unwieldy device. The high center of gravity meant you and your partner needed to be on the same page but communication was difficult when you have an engine running next to your ear and the loud pinging of the metal driver as it crushed the rebar stake into the ground just below that. When it would rain, the water would flash to steam on the top of "The Whacker" as the engine heated up. Rainy days always seem to make the cacophony less obtrusive for whatever reason.

While I reflect on those days from college and the interesting summers I worked, I enjoy my summers much more now. It is amazing what a masters degree will do for a teacher's break from school.

tied the knot

Now that the event is done and over with, I can take a moment to reflect on the day of the wedding and everything that transpired before it. While I truly enjoyed the day and all that happened, some tense moments were a part of the final stages; what wedding would be complete without them?

With two exceptions, one major and one minor, the wedding was perfect. Our friends and family showed up casual (as we asked) and ready to enjoy the occasion. Shorts and flip-flops, sundresses and golf shirts, khakis and sandals, our guests were definitely comfortable. Margaritas and beer in hand, our wedding and the subsequent party were just that - a party. Our glitches for the event were the screwing up of reservations (every person at the wedding got two double beds in their room, including us - but that was quickly fixed) and having an overpriced keg of pretty gross beer (Bud Light is bad to begin with but this tasted exceedingly bad). Aside from those two bumps in the road, our wedding was perfect in my eyes and I couldn't be anymore content than I am. I have a wonderful wife and the prospect of an amazing future with her. Life is good.

Our wedding itself isn't what I am truly happy about, it is the next 40+ years that has me really thinking. I've always been one to live in the present and enjoy all that life has to offer at the moment. Living overseas helped me to develop that outlook and I still do it everyday. I try my best to not focus on what could be but rather what I have and how amazing it is. But I can't helping thinking of the future and all the wonderful experiences there are to come. A home of our own (we rent currently) is something we are working towards and should be able to put a down-payment soon. We are off the pill and on our way to starting a family - something that I've wanted for years. Two examples of what we hope is to come and while today is a great day, tomorrow seems like it has so much more to hold. I often try to not look to far into the future but my optimism for it is overwhelming and as the Pointer Sisters say, "I'm so excited that I just can't hide it."

getting close

So a lot of things are coming to an end here shortly and while some of it is familiar, other aspects are a bit on the unknown side. It got me to thinking about what changes my life is about to undergo and how that will affect me. In the next 60 days, I'm set up for quite a bit of "newness" and I feel like I'm ready for it. Good thing I've been in the process of getting myself ready for change in the last few decades of my life!

First up, my first year here at school will come to an end in about 2 weeks. I've been fortunate enough to land a job at a super school and while I do love my summer vacations, I am not eager for the year to be over. There have been plenty of years where I have counted down the days with my students in anticipation of the summer break but this year is definitely not one of them. I love my job and find myself teaching in what appears to be the perfect school for me. My kids are amazing and the people whom I work with are also pretty darn good as well. I think I've struck it rich here and I'm not so anxious to end the year. That's what happens when you like your job, right?

Shortly after school gets out, I embark on a venture that has been a long time in the making - marriage. I spent the last 20+ years being single and after years and years of searching, I've found a woman who I want to share my life with. While those years of being a bachelor had some advantages, I am looking forward to the prospect of starting something new. The last few decades of being single have been nice but the time to end that part of my life is almost over. I know there will be ups and downs in this long-term arrangement but I am ready to start this chapter in my life.

The future wife and I have also been looking at houses here in ABQ. I've never owned a house before so the prospect of not renting sounds like a great one to me. I can knock out walls, plant a garden, paint whatever color I like - all without having to ask permission. It also doesn't escape me that we will be responsible for all the repair and upgrade costs that go into home ownership but I want to take it on. The days of making payments for a place I can't build up equity in are almost over! Soon after the wedding we hope to get our first house and while it is a bit scary, I'm ready for the challenges it will bring.

As the summer winds down and school gets back into session, another landmark event will occur. The end of my 30's is not something I was truly looking forward to but hitting 40 doesn't seem like such a bad thing. I'm in decent physical shape, I'm active and mentally sound, and I've got a good medical system to support me. While many think that 40 was the beginning of the end and it is all downhill from that age, I disagree and think my 40's will be a great decade for me. I'll post in another 10 years and let you know how the reflection of that works out. ;-)

Last and certainly not least, I expect that my days of being without a child are just about over. The future wife and I have discussed the plans to start working on a family soon after our marriage and with a bit of luck, the birthday will come shortly before our announcement of starting a family (and hopefully the gap between the two will be very short!). I have known for years that I've wanted to be a father and now the prospect of being one has me excited. The stories of the first few years do have me a bit worried but if everyone else can survive it, I think I'll manage as well. Send me happy thoughts though, I'm sure I'll need it.

After all of that, I believe a cycle will begin again and the school year will start over. Volleyball will get into swing, the kids will grumble as they make their way back to school, and the temps will start to drop as summer wanes and fall wanders into New Mexico. But what a summer it should be!

if you plan it, they will provide funding

So I go off and say that I'm going to add more posts to the blog this year and then I disappear for almost 2 months. Way to follow through, right? Trust me, there has been enough for me to write about recently, I just haven't done it. My wedding is coming up in the next few months and I could be posting about that, but I haven't. The kids at school are amazing and I could be putting those interactions down, but I haven't. There have been plenty of times when I thought to myself about writing down what has been going on and then something distracts me from doing it. A friend of mine said that I might have a certain syndrome called ADOS - Attention Deficit 'Oh Shiny' - and I'm inclined to believe it. Technology does such a good job of distracting me...

Most recently I took a trip to Crystal River, FL with a group of 6 boys and 9 girls from my school. Like another school I've worked at, this school takes trips to various locations and approaches education from a different perspective. Some schools call it a Week without Walls, we just call it Winterim. The focus of our group was to travel to Florida and learn something about conservation of the environment while swimming with manatees. (It's a rough life, I gotta tell ya!)

The details of the trip are too vast to go into with just a single post but the entire experience made me feel very lucky for what I get to do with my life. I am a teacher and being around young adults can be enriching in so many ways. They bring so much to my life that it is hard to quantify just what it does for my soul. Teachers often say that the job pays more than just a salary and that definitely is the case. I am fortunate in that my profession brings me joy on almost a daily basis and my wrinkles from smiling have only increased since I started working at this school. Swimming with manatees was a very cool thing to do, something that I've not experienced before and it was amazing to be able to do so. But the jewel in the crown for me was not being able to scratch the back of a 800 lb. mammal but the interactions I had with the 15 students that I shared the experience with. Just a few of the moments that I have stuck in my mind include:

A group of 4 playful girls who ransacked the boys' bedroom and put chocolate syrup on the toilet seat in the boys' bathroom - all with teacher (mine) permission, of course.

Watching a small group of kids fish in the Crystal River. Kids who had never fished before and then seeing what they caught that day - two baby crabs and a horde of mosquito bites.

Helping various groups make meals for the days we were there. Some meals were fabulous while others were merely filling (none were bad, just some were better than others). Grilling steaks and burgers, baking chocolate chip cookies, frying up eggs and bacon, spraying whipped cream on to ice cream sundaes.

Finding them passed out from exhaustion in various positions throughout the house. A personal favorite is a 16 year-old boy who was curled up in the fetal position with a spoon of chocolate chip cookie dough in his hand. Priceless...

Jumping into a non-heated swimming pool and hearing the expletive as soon as his head rose above the water. I guess he didn't think of what 64 F (17 C) water would feel like on the skin.

Our last night before returning to ABQ, seeing the girls wrestle the boys and not backing down. Rug burns be damned, those kids had some fun. And I laughed the whole time it was happening.

I am reminded of the final scene from A Field of Dreams when James Earl Jones' character talks about why not to sell the property and keep the field. He says that people will visit and "the memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces." That's how I feel about dealing with students sometimes, they leave me with indelible memories that I will keep for a lifetime.

personalized america

In the time that I've been back in the States, I've noticed something that I didn't before I left - the desire to make everything a one-of-a-kind. No longer are Americans satisfied with having something, we've now found a way to take something and change it the moment it is out of the box.

I was gifted a car about a year ago, a 2000 Subaru Forester (thanks sis!) and as I drive it around, I notice other cars of the same year, model, and color. I feel a sense of kinship with those drivers, we all have the same car. We are a part of a small group and I often will wave at the other driver to acknowledge our bond. Aside from the fact that there are a bunch of Subarus on the road around here, our group has managed to hold on to our cars for a decade and not do much, if anything, to them. But as I scan around traffic looking for my brethren, I notice that there is another group of people on the road who have cars that look nothing like mine - or anyone else's for that matter.

As I started to think about it, cars are not the only things that are customized in this country. Cell phones have covers in a myriad of different designs, laptops mirror them with colors and/or stickers to show the owner's personality. Sports jerseys are adorned with a person's name, not the player, on the back. Cars have decals on the back window to identify the chronological order of the family members or children's names and the sport they love the most. Heck, even key chains and water bottles are venues for a person to give a "shout-out" as to who they are. For every purchase that Americans make, we probably spend even more money on the aspect of making it personalized.

This idea makes me wonder - why do we all have to show just how unique we are? Is there some general feeling of inadequacy in our country that makes people want to prove just how special each one of us is? Do we need everyone to see just how great we are with our accessories? Is that the true meaning of it all? Is it a national Napoleonic complex? With the fact that America's global influence is waning, is this attributing to our people wanting to make their own identity? Being American not enough? Or is there something else?

Growing up in "Brand America", I was constantly barraged with images from Timberland, Nike, Jordache, Calvin Klein, Revlon, etc., about how their product would make me more beautiful, popular, and athletic. But in this day, the corporate logo is starting to take a different look. A person can order a specific type of shirt with a specific logo and tell the brand what s/he wants to wear. The fashion is coming to us from a certain company but we still have the say on what the final product will look like. Perhaps this isn't a Napoleonic complex but rather a realization by industry that customer service means giving the customer exactly what they want. Maybe manufacturers have deduced that a person will buy their product if they just let the customer say what they desire it to be. Have we reached the point where the substance of making a personal statement is bigger than the prestige of owning a name? Are the days of kids bugging their parents for status jeans gone and the days of personalized jeans here? Could the idea of buying a brand for the brand name numbered? One thing is for sure, we seem to be able to afford it. Oh wait, we can't. That would be a reason for last year's financial crisis...

Generation X grew up in "Brand America" and many of us are still label oriented. I know Pipes will buy purses from Coach on them just because they say that they are from Coach. There's nothing wrong with that (aside from the fact that I can't understand paying that much for a purse) but I see that my students do not operate on the same wavelength. Coach purses are valued to some but not most. Generation Me would rather make their statement in another way and the personalization of their gear seems to be more important than who makes it. Part of me applauds that idea - that substance is more sought after than prestige. But part of me is also concerned that this trend could mean a fractured community - if the things that bonded my generation together are not present for this generation, what will bring them together? Is this the beginnings of the fracturing of America? While I doubt it, I still wonder what our new customization fetish will yield in our future.

not bad, not great

As readers to this blog will note, 2009 was a bad year for posts. Looking back, there are very few things that I wrote about and I believe that it came from a general lack of desire to write anything down. 2009 wasn't a great year (aside from a few points) and I think I didn't want to dwell on some of the uncertainties of the year, hence why there were very few posts. But now that 2010 is here and things are looking better, I've made a verbal commitment to myself to put some more posts up this year. My friends have told me that they like my writing style (I still don't see why) but I do enjoy writing things down and letting those who do venture here read some of the thoughts that go on inside my head.

2009 had some highlights and going in chronological order seems like the best thing to do. First off, my future wife and I met in 2008 so that doesn't count as a lack of good things in 2009. Although our relationship was relatively new (we started dating around Thanksgiving 2008) at the onset of 2009, it doesn't count as a 2009 item. Before I lose you, my beloved reader, I'll move on.

January - ran a half marathon in January in Austin, TX. I must admit, I'm glad I signed up for it and even happier that I completed the distance. It wasn't as difficult as you might think.

February - got a hand-me-down Subaru from my sister, now nicknamed the Lesbaru. Great car and I look forward to passing it on to my kids when the first one turns 16.

March - Pipes' birthday (she was out of town when it happened). I also decide to move in with Piper and make a serious go at our relationship.

April - First job interview for a teaching position here in ABQ. Nothing became of the interview but at least I got the ball rolling.

May - Two more interviews with local schools, one for a science position and one for a social studies position. What to say, I guess that AA degree I got in Social Sciences got me something!

June - Got a second and third interview with an independent school here in ABQ, later that would turn into a full-time science position (Physics and Chemistry) at a wonderful place called the Bosque School. I also worked summer school for little kids at Sandia Prep as well as continuing at REI. Part-time employment is good but I was so happy to get the full-time position at Bosque and return to the classroom.

July - Even though my hours waned significantly at REI, I am not worried. I know that I can survive until the first paycheck at Bosque. Most of July I'm just passing time and looking forward to being back in the classroom to do what I am best at - teaching.

August - I quit REI and start work at Bosque. Along with regular classroom duties, I start working with the volleyball program as an assistant JV coach (volunteer). I had coached before but I knew that it was going to be different in the US. Months later, I truly understood that idea. No regrets though, I love coaching and I love being out there with my girls.

September - Piper begins to wonder where her boyfriend is as I spend a LOT of time on the road with my girls. She understands though and is happy that I am happy. It takes a lot of work but I never complain as doing something you love never seems like work. My life is hectic but the school is turning out to be my Panacea, I love my job.

October - While life is good and I'm am extremely content with my job, I decide to take my personal life to heart and make some changes. Piper is out as my girlfriend and in as my fiancee. I ask her to marry me one Friday night after ABQ's International Balloon Fiesta and she says yes. I am excited to be engaged to this woman and excited to move on to the next part of our relationship. Our wedding date is decided and while she doesn't have a ring that night, I would take care of that small detail at a later time. I feel like a logo on a t-shirt, life is good.

November - The volleyball season comes to a disappointing end but I am proud of our program and what we accomplished. The Varsity girls (whom I helped as an assistant as well) go farther than they ever have before in the playoffs, making it to the top 8. While they are crushed with their loss to Rehoboth, I am happy for their success. The conclusion of the season means Piper gets to see me again and I am glad for the downtime. As much as I love coaching, it does take its toll and I'm grateful the season is past. Of course, I can't wait until next season starts but I'm good with anticipation.

December - My hockey team reaches the championship game and you can read the previous post if you want more details on that. I travel to Tulsa to be introduced to my future in-laws and all goes well. The year is concluded with a New Year's Eve pajama party at our house and we end 2009 in subdued but fun fashion.


With 2010 now here, I'm fulfilling my verbal commitment to myself and posting something to begin the year. My goal is to post at least once a week, so feel free to check back when you can to take a gander at my latest thoughts. Next up, what I plan to do in 2010.

championship game

One of the things that I've been up to since moving to ABQ has been playing hockey. Friends will recognize that this sport has been something I've enjoyed for over a decade (not including living in places where there is no ice - such as Peru) and it brings me a lot of joy to be out on the ice. I am a goaltender and everyone says that goalies are a little strange for putting on the pads and standing in front of slapshots but there is nothing like it, at least in my mind. The challenge of stopping the opposition is what fires me up and the desire to do my best is what keeps me coming back season after season.

Since coming to ABQ, I've been playing in a rec league called NM Hockey. Its a bunch of guys and gals who get together to play some hockey and drink a beer afterwards. I was fortunate enough to play this previous season with some strong players and we made it to the championship game. Although the stakes are relatively low (it is a beer league in Albuquerque), I still got rather keyed up for the game, its not every day that you get to play for a championship and I wanted to lead my team to hoisting the cup in victory.

Before the game, I was a bit jumbled up. My stomach was queezy and I made several trips to the bathroom before I left the house. Once at the rink, I did my best to calm my nerves, making jokes and playful banter in the locker room with my teammates. It took until we were all dressed for us to admit that each and everyone of us felt the same, each with our own set of symptoms and each eager to do our best in the game. As we walked out of the locker room and filed on to the ice, each of us noted something a bit different about the arena - the fans in the stands. Eleven players on each team and each person probably brought 5 people to cheer them on. With over a hundred people watching, it was the biggest crowd I'd ever experience (aside from performing with the 110) and I was excited to give them a good show.

The game started out a bit less than spectacular. It seems as though the nerves affected our team in different ways and quickly we fell behind. Three minutes in, a goal on us; a few minutes later, the second. We got our heads about us but still managed to fall behind 3-0 in just the first period. I didn't want to lose like we did previously to this team (11-0, it was a nightmare) and I knew my team was better than this. Being as positive as I could be, I skated over to the bench during the intermission and calmly reminded my team that we had overcome deficits like this before and we could do that again. Put some traffic in front of the other goaltender and just keep playing hard.

The second period went a bit better. We got a goal back, making it 3-1 and flushing our nerves out. Second intermission, same pep talk. If nothing else, I was satisfied that it wasn't a shutout for the other goalie, now we just needed to step up and make the comeback. I knew we could, execution just needed to happen.

We come out strong in the 3rd and put a goal up on the board quickly, its now 3-2. I'm feeling confident and making saves, just hoping that my teammates will find a way to put in the equalizer and take the lead. I know I can post a shutout for the rest of the period, I can just feel it; its up to the offense now.

Our captain takes a time out with three minutes left in the game and we come up with a strategy. Shoot like crazy and I'll come off the ice with 90 seconds to go, giving us an extra attacker. Two minutes to go and we go on the man-advantage, a penalty against the other team. A few moments later, a mini-breakaway over the other goalie's shoulder ties it up. Now just to see who gets the game/championship winner...

Overtime works like this - five minutes of 4 vs. 4 and if it is still tied after that, a shootout. After scoring the tying goal and going to overtime, I'm confident that I can carry the team to victory and stop everything that comes my way. As we start playing, both teams are skating hard and trying to put it away as quickly as possible. We've all played enough to know that quirky goals can happen and no one wants to lose that way. The time ticks on and on, it looks like we are going to a shootout. Less than a minute to go and we are deep in their end, the puck squirts loose and the other team brings it down the ice. My defender goes into the corner with her man with less than 15 seconds to go. She ties him up despite giving up a foot of height and probably close to 60 pounds of weight. She pushes hard and he pushes hard back. The clock ticks closer and closer to the end of the overtime period. The other players know she has him and that a shootout is mere moments away. And then it happens - his longer reach allows him to push the puck past her and into open space. My other defender is thinking the game will go to a shootout and misses the pass to the other player. The opposition gets the puck with less than a second to go in OT and flicks a quick backhand towards the net. I drop to a butterfly position, like I have thousands of times, to stop the puck and send it to the next part of the game. Only problem is my timing. As my pads are dropping, the puck trickles underneath them and into the goal. I hear the horn sound and know that we've not made it to the shootout, the game winner is behind me. The season ends with me missing my last save opportunity, a championship lost.

The team is disappointed more with themselves than with me. Some players comment that they should have been down low to help out. Others that they were already thinking of the shootout and lolly-gagging around. No blame is placed on me - we won as a team all season and we lost as a team on the final shot. I'm sad to have missed it but know that I did everything I could to win it for us. My reactions just weren't fast enough this time - age must be getting to me. ;-)

click on picture for larger version

And as you can see, a photographer in the stands was able to catch the moment of defeat. The puck is going between my legs (hence why the footnote of going 5-hole by the photographer) and on its way to the back of the goal. While I'd like to have my pad in the right spot, I still think this is an amazing picture and give kudos to the photographer for having his finger on the shutter at the right moment. What can I say, I'd love to have taken this shot myself - the moment of victory.

Despite being a bit saddened by the loss, I am still grateful for the opportunity to play and being in the position that we were. I cherish the times I had with that team and the thrill of being in the moment. But the season is over and our team will be lumped in with the other teams as we are divided into new teams starting in January, the process beginning again. I look forward to making another drive towards another championship game, perhaps June will have me writing about the victory and not the defeat.

tired of the bashing

So I'm going to do my best and try to be as active as I can here on the blog. The last year hasn't been so good with staying up on my entries and I've even noticed that my main link to the page wasn't working (sorry folks!). If only I had logged on more frequently, I would have noticed that. Hopefully no one has issues with getting here. And just a note, this blog will be moving to blog.expatnomad.com here shortly.

My return to blogging has been predicated by the recent events that Republicans have been bitching about. I'm not mad at them but I'm a little pissed at the lack of patience they are having at this point in time. My parents are off at "tea-parties" and friends of mine are posting crap on Facebook about how this time will be known as the "Obama Misery". Frankly, I'm just a bit annoyed with all of it for a couple of reasons.

First - give the guy a frackin' chance to do his job. Nobody went after either one of the Bush boys when they had only been in office for six months, they understood that it was a time to grow and learn about how to be the President. Heck, Bush Jr didn't do crap until he was forced into action post 9/11. Obama has been in office for half of a year and Republicans are jumping down his throat saying that he is going to destroy the economy and wreak the health care program of the country. My take on those thoughts - give the guy a chance to do the job that he was elected for!

Second - over half the country voted for Obama (66M to 58M votes) and McCain/Palin lost, get over it. Protests were starting to be formed by Republican pundits almost as soon as he took office. Does the phrase "sore losers" come to mind? My parents listen to Rush Limbaugh and he was on his pulpit from the day after the election about how bad Obama was going to be. Some people are never going to be happy and that fat man is one who would only be happy if we ran the country as a fascist regime.

Third - during the campaigning, both parties claimed to be for change and now is the time that the change is going into effect. Obama is moving towards invigorating the economy by trying to inject some stimulus, just like Bush Jr did. Would McCain have just sat on his thumbs and done nothing? I doubt it; he was a proponent of change as well. If he just let things go and the economy didn't rebound, would they be the first to rally against him? Republicans are complaining about how Social Security & Medicare/aid costs are rising and Obama is going to drive the country into bankruptcy with his ideas. Excuse me but haven't analysts been telling us since the 2nd Reagan Administration that the program was going to go broke because of all the baby-boomers retiring? That was 20 years ago folks and no one, Republican or Democrat, has come up with a solution for it (aside from making the buggers work until they die). Obama won the election and is now trying to deal with the fiscal problem of paying for a program that was known to be a bust since the 80's. What would McCain do? He's currently in the Senate and no new legislation is in place to be voted upon to correct the problem - why hasn't he done that? If he was such an advocate for change, where is the help for the solution? Nowhere, people just want someone to blame.

I'm not a Democrat (although my Republican friends think so) and I'm not a Republican (although my Democratic friends think so), I'm actually right in the middle of the two sides. I agree with certain issues on both sides and what that means is that I'm willing to see both sides of the political spectrum and not shut out the other. I do occasionally watch Fox News and occasionally watch CNN to see how both sides of the media portray events. I understand that to be polarized towards one side or the other means you are closing off your mind to someone else's opinion and being disrespectful. When people are too centered on themselves, they fail to understand the greater picture and what we as a country can and must do. We are a union of two countries at the moment, fiercely divided on political lines. Right now the minority is pissed as hell that they lost the election and is doing everything they can to tell the world just how mad they are (and honestly, the rest of the world doesn't care, they're just glad to have Bush out of office). They're not even giving Obama a chance to do anything without putting up a huge fight, a sign of a poor loser. What I think they should do is this - show just how good they are without the bitterness. And here's how.

Republicans have long said that the goal of government is to govern as little as possible and let the people work it out - a good point to follow. In fact, hasn't Obama adopted this policy in some way by telling Americans not to wait for Washington to make their lives better but to do it on their own? How many times has the Commander-in-Chief come out and say 'don't wait for the government to solve your problems, make it happen yourself'? This message wasn't intended just for Democrats and their Green Agenda, it was put out there for the whole country to go out and be the instrument of change. Stop waiting for the government to tell you what to do, just go do it and be the example. Ride your bike to work because you know its good for reducing our dependence on foreign oil - don't wait for a stimulus package to be put into place for bicycle commuters, take that responsibility. Become more physically active so you are in better health because you know its good for lowering long-term health care costs - don't wait for a bill to go to Congress that will pay for your obese ass to get treatment, take that responsibility. Take an active role in your children's education because you know that parents are supposed to be integral in teaching the next generation how to act - don't hope that a law called "No Child Left Behind" will solve the educational issues our country has, take that responsibility. In other words, be a Republican and get big government out of your life and take a personal responsibility for your life and your actions - just like the Democratic leader told you to.

Stop the bashing of Democratic and Republican ideas and do the right thing - be a responsible citizen first and see what problems disappear. You might be surprised what the sides have common instead of what they differ on. I learned something a LONG time ago that serves me well to this day and maybe others should try it as well. 3 things to help you in life - 1. Ask questions 2. Keep an open mind 3. Trust your fellow man. I'd like to add a fourth, take responsibility for your life. Maybe if we all tried to be a little more open to ideas we'd not be as divided as we are. So give it a shot, try to not play the 'blame game' and see what good you can do on an individual basis. I think you'll be surprised. :-)

dance train revolution

I know its been forever since I posted and while I have the greatest intentions to put something up, there just isn't the time today (or most days for that matter). So with the promise that I'll get something up soon (aside from this video), here's something I found on Yahoo! that was filmed in the Antwerp train station in Belgium. Funny, this never happened when I was there...

Sound of Music Train Station @ Yahoo! Video

FINISHED!!!

FINISHED!!!
Originally uploaded by Expat Nomad

Here's a copy of a picture that Pipes took when I finished the Austin 3M Half Marathon. Read the entry entitled 13.1 (below) for the story.

13.1

I first started running because I was dared by a certain Romanian P.E. teacher to do a 10K in Lima. There were a lot of teachers from school signed up (mostly women) and the challenge was set down to complete the task. So I ran my first 10K back in November 2007 and in doing so, proved to myself that I could indeed be a runner and all those years of not doing it because of a knee injury were a thing of the past. It was after I completed that 10K that the thought of doing something a little farther entered my mind and after a bit of research, I found a half marathon in Austin, TX to satisfy my curiosity.

The plans were in my head for the better part of 8 months although the training regimen was not. When I first moved to ABQ, the altitude was a butt-kicker and I was off the wagon for a while. As the months went on and the day of the race drew closer, I started to feel a sense of dread. I left for Austin last Thursday night with my longest run to date being 7 miles in the thin air of the Sandia Mountains. Lucky for me, Austin is a lot lower in elevation and the thicker air would help my run. So on Sunday, January 25th, I tied my shoes up snug and walked on to the race course, not really sure what I had gotten myself into but with the determination to complete the 13.1 miles (22K) no matter what. The front of my shirt accurately reflected what was going through my mind. It read - "This seemed like a good idea 3 months ago."

The morning was cold, 38 F (3 C) to start the race and my friends and I were bundled for the race. Waiting at the start area was surreal at times, I knew I was there but didn't know what to expect. In some ways, it was like waiting for a plane to leave and take you to another country - you have no idea what to expect as you venture forward. So we traded bad jokes and guarded smiles as not one of the three of us felt prepared. The starting gun snapped us all into the reality of the situation and from there, we just took it one step at a time.

Our first few miles were easy. My friends from Lima and I took it at an easy pace, being sure to not over do it in the first few miles of the race. I was happy to be with them; they were something familiar in a very unfamiliar environment. The small talk we traded was enough to keep us going but we all knew that there was a decently sized challenge ahead of us. Eventually the chatter died down as the miles progressed; partly due to fitness, partly due to mental uneasiness. I ran with my two friends for the first 5 miles but then I felt like I had it in me to go faster and left them behind (we would meet at the finish hours later). I picked up the pace and started running how I felt comfortable and with 8 miles to go, I ventured out on my own to see what I could do.

My normal running pace for distance is somewhere around 10:30/mile but that had only been tested when I was running less than 7 miles. I was pleased to feel my feet finding a comfortable rhythm at my normal pace and I ran the next several miles at that tempo. Silly me, I stopped for water at mile 8 and felt that comfort disappear. My body finally realized that I had run farther than I ever had before and told my legs that same idea - you've not trained for this and you're going to pay for your stupidity. I walked for a bit, reassuring my legs that with a little rest, they could indeed go the rest of the distance and shortly thereafter, I started back to pounding the pavement toward the finish line.

My legs were numb and if ever there was an upside to that, it meant that I couldn't feel what I was inflicting upon my calves during the run. My head started to clear of thoughts and I just concentrated on the rhythm of my feet. Zen and the Punishment of Road Racing is going to be the title of my first book, I think. But I pushed on and my legs responded. "Just keep running, don't stop." I said over and over in my head. The power of gentle persuasion...

Mile 12 was a wonderful sign to see and I wish I could say that I enjoyed the last 1.1 miles of my journey. Truth be told, mile 12 was the most difficult of the race and I swear the part of the U of Texas campus we ran through was uphill (even though that part was in a valley). The lactic acid in my legs and arms gave me a painful reminder of what I was doing and I am very grateful to 2 young ladies from the UT cycling team who cheered me on that last half of a mile to the finish with their simple words - "You're looking strong and you're not going to quit now, right?!" Damn straight girls, damn straight.

I came around a curve and saw two policemen blockading the road. "You're almost there, can you see the finish line?" Yes officer, I can and thank you for those wonderful words. At that moment the throbbing of my feet went away, the burning of the lactic acid subsided, and a warm, soothing feeling filled me from top to bottom - a sense of accomplishment. With the finish line in sight, I knew I had to finish strong. The people along the side of the road egging me on, "Push it hard to the finish, you're looking great!"; it elevated me to run harder and faster. I crossed the finish line in my best sprint, smiling as the announcer called out my name and my girlfriend took a picture. It wasn't the greatest of times (2 hours 38 minutes) but that didn't matter, it was the simple fact of accomplishment that made it special for me.

The numbness in my legs soon subsided and my calves and quads have been reminding me ever since of what I did on Sunday. I waited at the finish line for my friends who crossed a bit later but it wasn't until Pipes and I retraced the race course later that night in our rental car that it really hit me with what I had done. 13.1 miles is not a huge distance but it is a satisfying one and that's all that matters to me.

a new hope

Like millions of Americans and millions more around the world, I tuned in today for the Inauguration of President Obama. I started off on NBC and was watching coverage there but soon got fed up with the constant babbling by the commentator and switched over to FOX. I was happy to watch coverage and appreciated the fact that Shepard Smith didn't talk all the time and frequently said, "Let's listen in and hear what's going on." Thanks Shep - sometimes its good just to live in the moment and not clutter it up with mindless background information on Nancy Pelosi...

This election was a strange event for me. Unlike many of my friends who knew exactly whom they wanted to vote for from the beginning, I took my time and it wasn't until 40 hours before the election that I figured out who I wanted to vote for. I didn't want to "drink the Obama kool-aid" just because he was a black man and I didn't want to vote for McCain just because he was a P.O.W. who has a hot wife. I took my time and weighed the pros and cons of each, eventually making my decision that I wanted the change that Obama promised and I wanted the possibility of a new, strong leader in the White House.

So today, Obama took the reigns from Dubya and I watched my TV as hundreds of millions of others did on this planet. The swearing in was fun - especially with both Chief Justice John Roberts and Barak Obama flubbing the oath - giving the situation a bit of levity. But what I really wanted to hear was President Obama's speech. I listened and was filled with hope as he said many things that I agreed with and I appreciated his ideas for how to make our country a better place. The "speech analyst" on FOX didn't think that his words said anything spectacular. I totally disagree - they spoke to the country and to the world about what America can do to be better.

I loved that Barak told us that it would be hard and difficult to make America a better place. The government isn't here to make our lives better; if you want a better life, do it for yourself. Don't look to the government for the 'easy life', do some hard work and follow in the footsteps that this country was founded upon. America is still seen as the place where anyone can be anything they want to be. Just ask the former bodybuilder who now runs the world's 4th largest economy in California.

The part of his speech that tickled me the most was his call for Americans to have a greater sense of responsibility. For far too long we, as a country, have relied on others to be our oversight and with morals constantly being shirked for the quick buck, we find ourselves in the situation we are in. Responsibility is something I try endlessly to get my students to understand and hopefully this new president will get a lot of other Americans to realize that we are all responsible for who we are as a country. Americans have seen been witness to plenty of our leaders not take responsibility for their actions; from Tricky Dick's "I am not a crook" to Slick Willy's "I did not have sexual relations", our role models have not exactly been worth following. I hope that Barak Obama's ideal of being responsible catches on - it certainly would set a great example, especially since America is the 'light on a hill' that many hold in high regard.

After the speech I came away with a sense of hope. I understand his message - its not going to be easy or quick but we all can make the United States a better place, if we all do our part in society. Unemployment may go up, the stock market down, war fronts move side to side. Old enemies may be new friends and new enemies may come from places we don't expect but we must remain true to our founding ideals. Nothing good ever came easy and make America a better place is going to be very hard but if everyone pitches in, we can all make this country what we want it to be.

And yes, I cried during the speech as I was filled with joy. Someone said that which I thought and didn't pull punches when he did so. He wasn't playing to a partisan crowd or trying to say the politically correct thing. For once, a politician came forth and laid out the truth for us to hear and I wasn't afraid. I know what my role ahead is and I am drinking the kool-aid that Obama is preaching. Now if only I can get another 300 million Americans to do the same... ;-)

looking back

Its that time of year, the time when the calendar changes from December to January and the numbers on the year go up by one. The TV networks usually do something like recap what has happened over the year and I tend to do the same thing, reflecting on a year that has been and what really stood out over the last 12 months of my life.

I started the year in Cuzco, Peru with a nice headache - and not from drinking. I was on vacation with friends from FDR and the altitude of the city was doing more damage to my brain than any drinking did but I was better off than another person whom I was traveling with - he would have to get the assistance of a doctor to get over it. I went to Machu Picchu with Rik and Laurie (and her son Connor), friends of mine from school. About a week later, I joined up with another group of teachers from FDR and hiked through the Colca Canyon - as much as we could anyways. Five days of adventure later, we split up and my friend Tim and I headed out on an epic adventure down South America. After almost two months of traveling and having gotten close to the southern tip of the continent, I headed home and prepared for my last semester of teaching abroad.

I knew from the end of the first semester in Lima that FDR wasn't the school for me and March was the beginning of the end of my tenure there. I struggled at times to endure the second semester but had some fun along the way, making a trip to Huancayo with three lovely ladies (and good friends), and doing my best to stay focused on getting everything done that I could while still enjoying Peru. I may not have enjoyed the school but I did enjoy the country. Like many places I have visited or lived in, there are pluses and minuses with each and Peru was a good place to be in a lot of ways. But my time there was limited due to my displeasure with my job so in June I packed up my bags and ventured my way to New Mexico.

Albuquerque is not what I had envisioned, the city was different than I had expected but in a good way. I got here and decided to crash with my parents for a bit until something else came along. I thought that with my teaching expertise and ability to do just about anything that someone put in front of me, that getting a job in the States would be an easy prospect and I was in for a rude awakening. I came back to the country just in time for an economic crisis and the job market I was hoping to tap was a bit on the thin side. Some tough times ensued and I must admit that August and September were not good months as unemployment was not the most enjoyable of times for me mentally. Time off is good but the idea of not being a viable and/or usable commodity doesn't feel good for anyone's ego and I definitely fell into that category. Slightly discouraged but still optimistic, I trudged on. A glimmer of hope came from a surprising venue and a sand volleyball team led to an interesting turn of events.

I signed up for a co-ed sand volleyball team where I knew no one but I wanted to meet people in and around Albuquerque (ABQ). One of the people on the team was a teacher at a local private school and she got me in to substituting there. *The school will remain anonymous until I get a job there.* The school reminds me of the attitude that I enjoyed in Holland when working at AISR and I found that I really wanted to work there full time next year (09-10). The science department chair took a liking to me and subbing there has been a good way to get my foot in the door, hopefully it will pan out to something more in the following months.

The substituting also led to the fact that I needed a new pair of shoes and so I ventured into REI one afternoon to get me something more suited for the classroom. While walking in, I saw a sign that seasonal help was needed and so I applied. Sure enough, I got the job as a cashier and started working there around Halloween and have been enjoying the position ever since. Retail is never a ton of fun during the holidays but I gotta admit that working at REI is a whole lot better than if I was at Wal-Mart or something like that. And now with the holiday season over, I find myself being carried over as a regular part-time employee - a good thing indeed. So with employment being taken care of (sorta), I also had time this year to focus on something else - someone to start a family with.

Previous posts on here have told about my dating exploits and the problems that I have had with it. After some awkward dates, short-time relationships, and frustration with learning how to date again in the US, it looks like something has panned out. A young lady (11 years my junior) recently made her way into my life and while the romance is new (since Thanksgiving), I would like to report that all is well and progressing nicely. We share a lot in common and I would expect that readers here will here more about Pipes as we continue our relationship and I continue to blog here.

For me, 2008 was filled with a lot of news. I lost two members of my family (maternal grandmother in Feb and paternal aunt in Dec), I traveled most of the western coast of South America, I returned to my native country after 5 years abroad, and I learned what it was like to be an American once again. There have been a lot of ups and downs over the last 12 months but I am grateful for all that I experienced and cannot believe how wonderful my life is. My thanks to my family and friends for all their support and kind wishes with my return home. And here's to looking forward to 2009 and all that it may hold for me. What news will come out next? Tune in and find out...

veterans day

NNPSgrad92
Originally uploaded by Expat Nomad

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - the time to remember those who served their country and possibly gave their life to defend what they hold most sacred in their heart. I salute those who came before and after me and especially those who currently serving.

As a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, I am honored to have people remembering what I did for those years I was on active duty. But my sacrifice was small, not anywhere near as great as those who didn't return. My thoughts are with those who made the greatest sacrifice on the altar of freedom and those who are currently standing on the wall to defend us.

Thank you one and all for keeping America free from all enemies, foreign and domestic. No matter what branch of service and no matter what you do, thank you for keeping our country safe.

scrum-deli-icious

Galaxy Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by Whipped Bakeshop

Don't these cupcakes look amazing? I'm getting hungry just looking at them. I gotta go get some sugar in me now...

losing my religion

No, I'm not going to comment on the famous R.E.M. song or how it was written or anything like that. If you want that, go to the wikipedia page for it and read for it yourself. Instead, I'm taking a note from my dear friend Mozzy who has given me yet another wonderful idea to blog about.

The discussion that he started had to do with souls and whether or not animals have them. The original discussion was started with his mother and he did a fine job of recapping it for me in an email and it got me to thinking. My religion as of late has been ALL over the place, from agnostic to atheist and nothing in between but perhaps this view that Mozzy has will help me to define my spirituality. So after thinking about what he had to say, I've thrown off the previous notions of religion that I've had and decided to go with something that makes a lot more sense to me.

In his discussion with his mother, Mozzy brought up the idea of Star Wars and 'the force'. His idea was that all living things give off energy vibrations and those can be sensed by the universe. People who have ESP or paranormal senses may be able to pick up on the vibrations of previously living people that the rest of us are unable to tune into - kinda like how dogs can sense higher pitches of sound than humans. I found a connection between the two in my mind. This connectivity really struck a chord with me and after thinking about this for the better part of almost 2 weeks, I've come up with something that I can grasp in terms of spirituality.

As a Physics teacher, I see how the universe is described through the beauty of its simplicity. Newton's laws of motion, Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism, Einstein's mass-energy equivalence principle - they are all simple in theory and explanation. Much like Ockham's Razor, which is often paraphrased as "all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best", the description of everyday events by Physics are beautifully simplistic.

Current theories that are emerging from the field of Physics includes the idea of a unifying theory that will attempt to explain the way universe acts completely. Einstein searched for this, a grand unification theory, that would tie together the cosmos and the atom, his theory of general relativity with the realm of quantum mechanics. Don't worry if you don't know why those two don't work together, just know that they don't at this moment in time. Theoretical physicists have been working on a unifying theory, called string theory. It was when Mozzy said "vibrations" and "energy" in his discussion with his mother that my new spirituality became apparent.

String theory is the idea that the smallest particle of matter is actually not matter but a vibrating string of energy. Take the atom and break it down into smaller parts and you get protons, neutrons, and electrons. Break those down and you get quarks. Keep dividing subatomic particles enough and string theory predicts that you wouldn't have matter at all, rather a vibrating string of energy. Einstein's mass-energy equivalence principle (you all know it as E=mc2) fits perfectly into this idea (at least in my head it does) and how everything is interconnected.

For those of you whom have seen a movie called The Secret, you will note that the ideology put forth in the movie suggests that there is a natural harmonic to the universe and positive thoughts will yield positive results in life. While I don't subscribe to that specific philosophy, it does relate to the concept of interconnectedness of everything and has some aspects that I agree with. The book/movie talks about the 'law of attraction' where good thoughts attract good events/outcomes where negative ones will attract the same. While this sounds a bit hokey and many feel it falls into the realm of cult status, it does start to blend in scientific ideas with the parts of the universe we do not understand (the supernatural). Bare with me, let me try to explain.

If our body and mind is composed of energy, as E=mc2 demonstrates, and the energy we are composed of vibrating strings, then we each have a natural vibration - called a harmonic. Scientists over the years have also been great musicians as they believed that the universe was just a grand symphony, only out of our auditory range. Just like musical notes don't always work together well (dischord), people do not always get along. Is this due to the idea that their energies are disharmonious? Do people not have soulmates but rather have harmonious energies? If a person alters their mental energy by thinking different thoughts, do they possess the ability to change the energy that physically surrounds them? The Secret argues for this, I'm a bit more skeptical than that.

In a spiritual sense, this all ties together for me in cosmology - the study of the cosmos, not makeup application (that's cosmetology). There is a debate about the fate of the universe and the three possibilities are open, closed, and flat. Two of the three don't make sense to me (open and flat) but closed does. A closed universe suggests that the gravity of the universe will eventually pull everything back to one single point (a singularity) and the Big Crunch will possibly lead to another Big Bang. I like this idea. It says that the universe is like a giant balloon that is continually expanding and contracting, creating a universe over and over again in this process. It tells me that the entire cosmos is connected and comes down to a single moment of creation from destruction, life from death, the cycle of the Phoenix repeating forever. There is no God for everything is the creator and the created. Everything is interconnected. In essence, energy is divine and if we are all composed of energy, we are all divine.

Organized religion has bothered me in its pretense for years. Too many things are done in the name of an Almighty. Tithes are paid to build a church stripping money from people through guilt, a jihad is started to purge the land of infidels because of fear of difference, genocide is considered acceptable to attain a master race of genetic purity to reach a perfection. To me, organized religion is nothing more than people with charisma writing rules for people who don't think before they act. Why else would stoning by written into the Bible or jihad to non-Muslims in the Koran? People use fear to maintain an organized society and breaking the rules means punishment must be passed down. I think the basic premise of religion had it right - respect all life in all ways. And then man got his hands on it and found it a useful tool to control people to do what they wanted, altering meanings and using their charisma to convince the controlled that they were divine and beyond reproach. Organized religion is nothing more than a power play where people are instructed on how to live their lives because others deem it so. I've got plenty more I would like to say about that but that's for another post...

So it all comes down to this. Every creature, object, atom, whatever you want to look at, is the same at the basic level. The universe is energy and we are made of that energy. If a human has a soul, then so does a dog, a tree, your cell phone, a planet, and the Sombrero Galaxy. From the Big Bang, the cosmos was created and everything is a part of that creation, no matter how big or small, how warm or cold, how apparently life-filled or lifeless. You are connected to every person, bug, windshield, asteroid, drop of water, and star - whether you think you are or not. In cosmology it sometimes is overwhelming to think of how big the cosmos is and what is all out there, it can make you feel completely insignificant in the big picture. But that's not the way I see it anymore; I am a a part of this universe that is unique and will never be experienced again - the universe better enjoy me while I'm here just as I will enjoy it. And just maybe I'll see you all again the next time this universe is created once again. Hope to see ya on the flip side. :-)

something from my past

Wake Up & Smell the Fish!
Originally uploaded by Burt Youngsters

I was cruising around on flickr and came across this interesting shot of the Kubuswooning (Cube Houses) in Rotterdam. Cool place to take a tour of, if you get the chance but then again, not many people take tours of Rotterdam!

i <3 my minivan

It used to be the bane of my existence, my mom's Mercury Villager. "The Pickle" (its very green) was purchased new back in 1994 and has been my mother's prized possession until about a year ago when she bought a Honda Odyssey (I don't know about her fascination with minivans, we never had them when the kids lived at home). As a result of the addition of the Honda, the Villager became mine and I must admit that it has grown on me.

"The Pickle" was purchased in my waning days of my military service so I didn't see it much when it was new. A few years later I was given the keys to the green monster and sent off to my 10 year High School reunion. How embarrassed was I to show up to the reunion single, unemployed, having not completed my undergrad yet, and driving a minivan. I was mortified to have to take it but drove it because my normal car (Honda Accord) was in the shop getting work done on it. Who shows up for a reunion driving a minivan when they don't even need one? Talk about "ways to unimpress the chicks"...

This particular minivan has served the family well and we almost lost "The Pickle" about a year ago when my sister nearly donated it to some charity. It couldn't pass CA emissions and so she had no use for it. My mother knew that I was going to be returning to the States and would need transportation outside of my motorcycle. So she rescued the green beast and brought it back to NM where it awaited my arrival. I was being given "The Pickle" to use and I was gracious to accept it. I was (still am) in no position to look a gift horse in the mouth and drive my 'new' mode of transportation whenever the bike isn't a feasible option.

At first I was reluctant to take the beast out. I wanted to ride my motorcycle as much as possible and did so when I first came to Albuquerque. The summer weather was perfect and I had been sans scooter for the years in Peru and missing it terribly. Occasionally the need for driving "The Pickle" required that I use it to get places but I lived on that bike for the first 2 months I was here.

As the weather is starting to cool and the brakes on the bike are awaiting to be replaced, I've been driving my Villager a lot more. It is really starting to grow on me and not for the typical reasons. What I love about it is the fact that it is perfect for the utilitarian use that I need at the moment. I can easily throw in all my hockey gear without straining my back, I can change clothes in the backseat when I want to go for a run after work, there is a ton of open space (I took out the captain's chairs and only have the back seat) to lay down and sleep in the back if I want - this van completely serves my needs and I couldn't be happier with "MY Pickle".

This isn't to say that there aren't difficult moments. A packrat took up residence in it recently and chewed its was through a couple of sets of spark plug wires (he has been removed), the car has virtually no acceleration, the rust from living back in Ohio is starting to make its way to the surface, and the list goes on and on. I won't even go into the whole deal about being able to start it without keys in the ignition... But van accurately describes who I am at the moment and that makes me happy.

I have taken "The Pickle" out on dates and not been apologetic about it. I figure that if a girl wants a super fancy car and doesn't understand utility, then she doesn't understand me. My friend Gilles in Peru taught me that lesson well with his approach to life and I can't thank him enough for instilling that in me. In a way, the minivan and I have a lot in common. My rust is starting to show through, my acceleration isn't what it used to be, and I've needed to replace some of the things in life to keep me going. The key in the ignition? Let's just say that what starts me up at this point in my life has changed from what it was before - just like "The Pickle".

So yes, I do love my minivan for what it is, what it represents, and what it does for me. Unpretentious, utilitarian, and fun - is there anything better?

darth's gaze

darth's gaze
Originally uploaded by Expat Nomad

Today marks the end of Albuquerque's International Balloon Fiesta and unfortunately, there have been no launches this weekend due to weather conditions. So I decided to put something up to remember the occasion of this, my first of hopefully many, balloon fiestas.