EmD

2008-06-23T13:18:00.003-05:00

Can you get any cuter and sweeter than this? (The correct answer here is 'hells no'.)

2008-06-02T10:47:00.002-05:00

As a post-celebration of Memorial Day, here is a bit of history from my dear Great Uncle Willie. Take from it what you will.

"My early childhood was passed in ignorance of Memorial Day. I first learned of Decoration Day, as it was then called, in 1935 after I moved to Washington. I remember seeing people with bunches of flowers, headed to the cemeteries to decorate graves.

I did not learn of Confederate Memorial Day until I worked in Southern's Payroll Dept. in 1950. I learned that the Southern States could not agree on which day to honor their dead heroes, so the paid holiday was observed on different days in different states. Lakeland was founded by southerners and most of those who moved there were southerners. It is odd that any observance was so quiet that I had never heard of it.

I learned that Florida did observe one Confederate date while I worked for Kress in Lakeland in 1943. I was in a drugstore (Liggett's?) for lunch on June 3 when I overheard the following conversation.

Male - The bank was closed.
Female - Why?
Male - Today is a holiday.
Female - What holiday?
Male - It is the birthday of Jefferson Davis.
Female - Who the Hell was Jefferson Davis?

We did have one Yankee teacher at Lake Morton School who made the mistake of playing Marching Through Georgia for us to enter school by. That was the only time I ever heard the hated music. The teacher was not fired, but she never played that march for us again.

Wikipedia has articles about Memorial Day, and Confederate Memorial Day. There is a note on the latter, "The factual accuracy of this article is disputed." According to it, Florida observed April 26. I was unaware of it in my childhood.

I question the common sense of spending over a billion dollars for the Mars Lander, particularly since the billion is borrowed money. Compared to the waste in Iraq, one billion is peanuts, of course.

I wrote Jason to tell him that Jody wishes to have lunch with the crowd on the 28th.

I sent birthday greetings to Christina.

No word from Muriel.

I walked. I ran the washing machine and drier. I was so tired by putting the sheets on my bed that I took a nap afterwards.

Love to all,

Will / Uncle Willie"

2008-04-14T09:28:00.001-05:00

Barack may be ready to save the world, but can he shoot whiskey like Hillary?

http://gawker.com/379370/hot-hillary-clinton-party-photos

2008-03-26T14:14:00.000-05:00

A morsel from my recent trip to Chicago:

2008-03-25T18:12:00.002-05:00

Please don't go to Walmart. It's so easy to just not shop there. Even Barack Obama agrees.

2008-02-26T11:32:00.004-05:00

In stores everywhere tomorrow: Backwoods Barbie, the ingeniously-titled new Dolly album.

That's one classy broad!

2008-02-25T14:36:00.004-05:00

Last night's top local news headline: Amish buggy accident.

What happened? Well, "the minivan driver didn't see buggy because of sun."

Someone should do something about that sun.

2008-02-20T14:51:00.002-05:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Whoever it was at Fox who said, "You know who would be great to judge our new singing contest? Paula Abdul." is both pure genius and crazy as a loon. Little did that man/ woman/ Number 5 robot know that the suggestion would eventually lead to this masterpiece.

And in case you missed round 1 of American Idol last night, the boys were pretty fantastic! That guy with the dreads had a pretty chill Jack-Johnson-feel, and I just want to squeeze that cute little one that Simon can't get enough of.

I propose an American Idol drinking game:
A drink every time Simon says, "you've just got it."
...every time Randy and Paula say, "it was a little pitchy in parts"
...every time Ryan acts like a tool...no wait, scratch that, you wouldn't make it through the show
...and every time the camera man randomly zooms in on someone in the audience for 5 seconds during the middle of a solo...

Let the games begin!

2008-02-14T06:16:00.005-05:00

From the NYTimes article about the fashion of the Westminster dog show:

And that's all I have to say about that.

In other news, if you didn't see the Grammys the other night, you missed a jewel of American music. Imagine: Beyonce and Tina Turner sharing the stage, singing Proud Mary and dancing the original coreography. It was disastrous, fascinating, wonderful, kitschy, laughable, and the best thing I've seen in a long time. Now that's entertainment. I can't decide which is my favorite part: when Tina and Beyonce run into each other, or when Tina does that awesome kick at the end. Who am I kidding? I can't get enough of that kick!

2008-02-05T11:24:00.001-05:00

Super Tuesday, get excited!

2008-02-01T08:27:00.001-05:00

Today's weather forecast for "Happy" Valley:

Today: Periods of freezing rain and sleet before 1pm, then periods of rain possibly mixed with freezing rain between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of rain after 4pm. High near 36. East wind 6 to 8 mph becoming south. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime ice accumulation of 0.2 to 0.4 of an inch possible. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

2008-01-31T15:09:00.000-05:00

Gawker.com has just published a remarkably entertaining list of the most ridiculous headlines from CNN.com. Among my favorites:

Report: Man divorces wife while asleep.

Tiny mom gives birth.

Cat adopts motherless puppies.

Boy, 6, talks books, love, armpits, and poop.

-And my personal favorite:

How hot is Phoenix? Hot enough to kill.

2008-01-24T14:36:00.000-05:00

If you've never heard of Richard Sandrak, well, your life may be a bit better for it. But now that you've heard the name, you've GOT to see the video. The first few seconds are normal, but then it gets freaky FAST. This is not ok.

2008-01-18T00:38:00.000-05:00

THE RAINY RIDDLE

When Maria and I were driving from Tucson to Albuquerque a couple weeks ago, we drove through this very bizarre desert mist. I looked like fog was rising up from the ground, which wouldn't normally be so strange except that, uh, we were in the desert where there is no water on the ground to evaporate. The fog stretched for miles and miles, and was almost like a rainbow in that we never seemed to get any closer to it (coincidentally, we did actually see the end of a rainbow. Seriously. You could see it in between where we were and the side of a hill in the distance, I'm not making that up.). We did eventually drive through the mist, but it was very strange and very white, we were both baffled by it. And then (and then!) Maria sent me this article from the Albuquerque Journal. My personal opinion is that we drove through the exhaust from a spaceship...

UPDATE: In case you can't read and need the article to be read aloud (and badly) to you, check out this very bizarre video. People are obsessed with the Rainy Riddle!

UPDATE 2: Maria says, "Wow. We started watching it and Matt said, "Maybe it's some kind of news-reading service for blind people." So then I forwarded to the last 30 seconds, and we saw that it was oh-so-much more than that!" If you haven't watched the last 30 seconds, it's worth it, I promise.

2008-01-17T00:25:00.000-05:00

This is not your average chocolate phone.

2008-01-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

2007-12-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

Seroiusly? People have pet bar mitzvahs? That's out of control. So is wiping up your cat's bottom when they do a "stinky boom boom." Outrageous.

2007-12-04T00:31:00.001-05:00

The first of the bbq trail videos are up and ready to knock your socks off. Sam is a documentary genius. Maybe have a few tissues ready, cause it's so beautiful...it'll make you cry. Please to enjoy.

Carl's frozen custard, Fredericksburg, Virginia

Bill Ellis' BBQ, Wilson, North Carolina

2007-10-29T21:08:00.000-05:00

To Porter!

2007-10-23T12:38:00.000-05:00

Drop your sword: A contest for my generation. Have fun storming the castle!

(On the flip side, how could this possibly be the 20th anniversary of The Princess Bride? Inconceivable! Boo! Booooooo!)

2007-10-21T01:09:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness me, I can hardly wait for Tuesday! This album is gonna rock the house, no doubt about it. I keep thinking that I need to get over my obsession with Alison Krauss, but then she comes out with a roots-rock duet album with the lead singer of Led Zeppelin. Now how can I get over that? It's just too good...

2007-10-02T11:52:00.000-05:00

This is so disturbing, on so many levels. Who keeps a leg in a cooker?

2007-10-01T11:26:00.001-05:00

I vow to be a better blogger. In the meantime, contemplate how much a person has to love Bruce Springsteen to tattoo this on his back:

2007-09-04T23:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Things my Dad has taught me:

- How to waterski (this was a very vital skill in my childhood)
- Roman numerals (I have no idea why I remember that)
- How to write an outline (a dying art, I fear)
- How to tie a uni-knot, bait my hook, cast, set the hook, land the fish, and release (and yet, I still let him do all of those steps for me, aside from the casting and catching)
- The joy of a well-told story (stay away from smartweed!)
- The importance of altruism
- Ethics
- That even the slightest Southern accent can't hide behind the phrase "right nice white rice"
And so, so much more. Thanks, Dad, for setting such a great example for life. May your birthday be the best yet!

2007-08-26T16:28:00.000-05:00

After a great week with the family in Albuquerque, I headed to the Snowbird Resort outside Salt Lake City, Utah for Holly and Michael Pierre's wedding. It was quite the treat to be in such a beautiful place with good friends. I gotta say, having a wedding at a resort is a genius idea! We didn't have to leave the grounds the whole time, it was like a mini-hideout spot. And because everyone was staying at the lodge, I ran into wedding folk everywhere I went (that is, the pool or happy hour), so I got to know more of the bride's friends, some of the groom's friends, and even family members! It was a great way to bring everyone together. And have you ever been to a wedding where you get to spend the morning of the wedding day hanging out pool-side with the bride and the wedding party? I don't think you have. And even if you have, was your pool-side-bride hanging out time in the middle of the mountains? I don't think it was.

Morning of the wedding day: Leah (friend), Holly (bride), Emily (narrator), and Kristen (sister o' bride) handing out in the hot tub.

(This is the first time in my life that I've gone to a pool surrounded by pine trees instead of palm trees.) Holly and Leah:

Kristen, Eric, and Holly: less than half of the Riedelbach children.

Such a relaxed bride and groom, just hours before the ceremony.

So pretty.

And just because I can, another great video of Simon:

2007-08-24T18:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, alright. Sorry about the long blog hiatus! Here is what I have done with my non-blogging time:

1. Returned from Europe
2. Washed clothes
3. Flew to Colorado, spent a few days with the Lanes and some Austin folks in Durango
4. Drove to New Mexico with the Lanes
5. Spent a week in ABQ with the whole family
6. Flew to Salt Lake City for Holly and Michael Pierre's wedding
7. Flew to State College
8. Washed clothes
9. Drove to New York City, picked up Sam, spent night in McLean, VA
10. Drove to Southeastern North Carolina
11. Ate BBQ
12. Took a census of wild horses
13. Ate BBQ
14. Ate BBQ
15. Attended a Durham Bulls game
16. Ate BBQ
17. Ate BBQ
18. Drove through Asheville, was underwhelmed
19. Ate BBQ
20. Drove back to New York City, hung out for an evening with Columbia gals at the Heights
21. Drove back to State College
22. Piled dirty clothes on floor, as yet unwashed

I have been busy! And I actually under-reported the amount of BBQ that I ate, how you like that? There will be lots of blog updates to follow about all of that insane traveling that I have done, and for now I'll share pictures from the first trip: DEN-ABQ.

First stop, Garden of the Gods in Colorado. That was some kind of landscape! We were there just in time for sunset: great for viewing, not so great for photographing.

Next, a week in Albuquerque with the whole family. We ate at Frontier Restaurant again, one of my ABQ favorite spots. Yum, huevos Rancheros. Yum, John Wayne.

What's up with the unattended buns in the middle of the street? I'll watch those, sir.

You know, I've never really had any interest in owning/ displaying a cow skull on my wall, but maybe that's because I had never seen one that was BEDAZZLED. Talk about classy!

And, of course, I spent some quality time with the family. Simon is always a hoot, and Mom and Dad aren't far behind.

Check out the size of the zucchinis that Maria grows! This one is almost as big as sweet lil Si!

To further illustrate the giantness of the zucchini, and to test blogspot's new video feature (that's right, you better prepare yourself for some fantastic videos), for your viewing pleasure, I present Simon Versus The Zucchini, a film that reflects on the genius of miraclegro, home gardening, and the impending terrible twos. Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

2007-07-29T11:08:00.000-05:00

I am back from an uber-relaxing week in the highlands of the Czech Republic. I spent the time at my extended family's cottage relaxing, sunbathing, eating, drinking, walking, bonding with cousins, brushing up on my Czech (I can now say "delicious!" and "I'm full!" - both very useful in my family), and enjoying myself immensely. There is not much to the tiny town of Odranec other than tasty fresh veggies and rolling hills, but I couldn't have wanted anything more. And apparently I was the talk of the town - Silva contends that I may very well be the first American to ever visit the village, and the townsfolk were quite curious about me. The neighbors told Beata that they wanted to say something to me, but they were scared. And as Silva and I rode through the town on bikes, a couple asked Silva, "Is that the American?" That's good stuff. But the best part, as usual, was getting to know my extended family better and catching up on the goings-on. It always amazes me how deeply you can love people who you barely know, all because they're family. But enough gushing, time for pictures. First, the cottage in Odranec:

The courtyard inside had plenty of room for sunbathing, reading, or lounging near all that chopped wood!

Right down the road, we picked cherries off the tree. I ate so much that I got a little sick, but I couldn't help myself. I felt the sick coming, but I kept on eating.

Bea and I took a walk to watch the sun set over the hills.

Speaking of hills, check out this idyllic landscape:

In addition to picking cherries for the first time, I also learned all about picking potatoes....

....and picking mushrooms! I trekked through the woods with my cousin, Silva, and two of her childhood friends, Lenka and Katka, searching for edible wild mushrooms. We didn't find very many, but we managed to come out with a few of them. It was great walking around in the forrest, but I realized very quickly that I couldn't last a day in the woods if I was stranded. Stick me out in the ocean for a few weeks with nothing but a piece of driftwood and I might get by, but I'd be dead after 2 hours in the woods, no doubt. Here are Lenka and Katka on the way to pick mushrooms:

Silva shows off a good looking mushroom.

And although we had planned a "sport week" at the cottage, we mostly lazed and went to the pub. We did cycle 20 km one day, but by the end we were just cycling from pub to pub, and I'm not sure if that actually counts for anything. The gals at the hospoda in Kukla:

(This is a picture from one of our "pit stops" during our cycling trip.)

We really get along so well, it's a shame that we see each other for 3 days every two years. It's just not enough!

I'm already dreaming about going back for another visit. (Cue cheesy music, roll credits.)

2007-07-17T02:34:00.000-05:00

Sunday was a great day! It was a perfect, hot summer day - great for a bbq. Nico and Martin cooked us up some delicious lamb sausages (very flavorful but not overpowering) and skewers, complemented by my new favorite summer beverage: a mixture of beer and Sprite. I know that sounds disgusting, and I'm usually the first one to reject any bastardization of beer, but it's a delicious summery treat. It's like a wine spritzer, but with beer! Try it, you'll be amazed. Mary and Nico tending to the grill:

Our yummer meat (this pic's for you, Sam - and by the way, you MUST find some lamb sausage):

Emily and Nico:

In Germany, when the fat from the meat drips onto the coals and catches on fire, you put out the fire with beer. It's the German way! Martin demonstrates his fine fire-dousing techniques while Nico dances excitedly.

The smell of the beer mixing with the meat is fantastic! Or, as the Germans would say, fantastik!

The neighbor girl came over to show us the kittens that their cat just had. So little! There are three of them in that suitcase (yes, she carried them around in a plaid suitcase).

So wee!

The afternoon continued at the Theaterhaus where we saw an incredible jazz performance by McCoy Tyner, legendary jazz pianist and former member of Coltrane's band. Check out the cute kids taking in the music.

It's been a great summer. I sure am going to miss these guys!

2007-07-13T06:09:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned how great all our German friends are? I speak the truth! Here are some pictures from a picnic that they hosted in honor of all of our birthdays. We hiked up to a park at the top of one of Jena's many steep hills and had a delicious feast, all topped off with a beautiful sunset. They even carried decorations all the way up to the top of the hill! Here is Christina with the Happy Birthday sign.

Mary helped fire up the grill and cook delicious German meat, yum.

Check out all this food...

Christina, Anika, Mary, and Inga.

They even bought us birthday presents! Mary and I were sehr excited.

And if presents weren't enough, they made us cake! Individual cakes! Anika and Nadine light the candles.

The birthday girls: Uli, Mary, Emily, and Inga.

I had such a hard time coming up with a wish - is that a good thing or a bad thing?

The view of Jena from the Park:

Great scenerey!

And a beautiful sunset to end the evening. Vielen Dank!

2007-07-08T15:57:00.000-05:00

Finalmente! Here is the last installment of the Portugal/ Spain journey (don't cry). First things first: let's discuss spanish food. In one word: delicioso. In two words: muy delicioso. The paella was out of this world, the gazpacho melted in my mouth, and the jamon was...deliciously salty. Our first big meal was at the oldest restaurant in the world, Sobrino de Botin. It was a cute little place (a little rickety, but I suppose that comes with the territory of being the oldest restaurant in the world) complete with a mariachi band (who knew?), an alluring atmosphere, and yummer sangria (though not as good as the sangria that we drank at the flamenco show, but that's a whole nother story...).

Ok, this ham leg is a little bit disgusting, but the jamon is so delicious that you can forgive the unappetizing slicing of the meat.

Such a charming place!
In case ham leg picture didn't convince you that Spain is very serious about their ham, check out the Museum of Ham. I'd like to think that this is what heaven is like.

Oh my goodness, it's so much ham. My mouth is a'watering!

Although the food was certainly a highlight of the trip, the other facets of Madrid aren't too shabby either. The views alone are worth writing home about. First case in point: our view of the Prado museum from the hotel.

The weather was so fantastic that we spent some good time just hanging out on the balcony of the hotel and taking in the view. What's prettier, Diana or the view?

Another of my favorites in Madrid was the main park, el Parque de Retiro. We strolled through on the first day and jogged through on another (and by "jogged" I mean walked). Our first stop in the park was the rowing lake, which is very similar to the one at 72nd street in Central Park.

Next stop in the park: the Crystal Palace. Check this place out! It must get so insanely hot in there. The building actually reminded me quite a bit of Berlin because a lot of the governmental buildings in Berlin are entirely transparent; the clear glass is the government's way of demonstrating to the German people that they have nothing to hide. But seriously, that's gotta get steamy. This part of the park reminded me of something out of Dr. Suess book. Such funny little hedges...
Next stop: the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace). Hi, Mom!

The Palacio was really spectacular. I've visited a few castles in Germany (and we saw some in Portugal), and they all really showed their age. Though many of them were furnished with period pieces, it was hard to imagine what they really looked like in their glory days. The Palacio, however, retains all of its splendor and majesty. I really don't think that I can justly describe it, so I won't even try. But if you happen to find yourself in Madrid, go to the Palacio, it's definitely worth it.

A view of the Palace grounds:

This church, the Cathedral of our Lady of Almudena, wasn't completed until 1993. The artwork and stained glass on the inside are entirely modern (and very angular) - almost Picasso-like. The colors were all so bright and bold, it was quite a contrast to every cathedral I've ever seen. Again, if you're in Spain, be sure to hit this up.

A final stop: The Plaza Mayor, home to many a fiesta, bullfight, execution, and revolution. It doesn't look like much in these pictures, but the square was dripping with history and intrigue, creating an almost mystical feeling.

So how did we go about soaking up the enchantment of the Plaza? We drank a cerveza, of course. Some shots of me and the cousins:

Diana must have resembled some famous Spanish/ Portuguese person, because there were many times when people just stared at her. Like, stared and whispered. It was fun traveling with someone who is maybe famous. Maybe it was those rockin sunglasses (which I wanted to steal, but feared for my life).

!Mas cerveza, por favor!

And thus ends my recap of the trip. Good stuff, eh? I highly recommend going out and finding yourself a couple kickass cousins.

2007-07-04T07:34:00.000-05:00

So because I'm in a foreign land, I feel the necessity to be as obnoxious and American as possible today. I decorated our office with American flags and other red, white, and blue paraphanelia (thanks, Liz!) and I put on a temporary tattoo of the American Flag (you read that right, an American Flag tattoo). And now I'm blasting the hilariously awesome Dolly Parton CD, "For God and Country." Oh, the Germans are really loving me right about now.

In other news, pictures of Spain are up on pbase, and a new post about Portugal is listed below. Happy 4th, my friends!

2007-07-03T11:37:00.001-05:00

We spent one of our days in Portugal touring a few towns on the outskirts of Lisbon. Bill set us up with a fantastic driver, Gaspar, who knows more about Portugal than you could imagine. He was full of stories and random facts, and even stopped the car on the side of the road at one point and made us get out to inspect a cork tree (which was quite a relief, because I had just finished watching the season finale of the Sopranos and I was pretty certain that Gaspar was going to off us right there on the side of the road in nowheresville, Portugal).

The first stop of the trip was the Pena Palace in Sintra. The palace was so colorful that it looked like something out of a Disney movie (but much cooler). Evidence:

The Palace had so many artistic features. Not only was it colorful, it was also textured...

... and tiled ...We were also able to tour the inside of the Palace, which was especially cool because it was filled with random knick-knacks and tchotchkes. However, we had to find the entrance to the place first, and that proved harder to do than you would think. Theresa and Bill figured it out right away, and had no sympathy for our pathetic attempts at getting inside. They just smiled and waved at us:

Mostly we walked around the courtyard repeatedly...

And also around the parapet surrounding the castle...

(I look so small!) And took fun pictures....

But the view was incredible!

That's the Atlantic in the background.

After the Palace tour we headed back to the center of Sintra for some afternoon wine and cheese, which was followed up with delicious Portuguese pastries and port.

So happy! (yes, and pretty)

After a hearty (and oh-so-healthy) meal of cheese and pastries, Gaspar drove us to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in mainland Europe. As I stood at what was once the edge of the world, the ocean wind kicked up a bit of wanderlust and I thought of all the explorers who had stood at that exact point and wondered what lay beyond the great blue sea. It reminded me of the poem by John Masefield:

A wind is in the heart of me, a fire's at my heels,
I am tired of brick and stone and rumbling wagon wheels;
I hunger for the sea's edge, the limit of the land,
Where the wild old Atlantic is shouting on the sand.

Oh I'll be going, leaving the noises of the street,
To where a lifting foresail-foot is yanking at the sheet;
To a windy, tossing anchorage where yawls and ketches ride,
Oh I'l be going, going, until I meet the tide.

And first I'll hear the sea-wind, the mewing of the gulls,
The clucking, sucking of the sea about the rusty hulls,
The songs at the capstan at the hooker warping out,
And then the heart of me'll know I'm there or thereabout.

Oh I am sick of brick and stone, the heart of me is sick,
For windy green, unquiet sea, the realm of Moby Dick;
And I'll be going, going, from the roaring of the wheels,
For a wind's in the heart of me, a fire's in my heels.

There's nothing like the salt water to make you dream, eh? Or maybe it just makes you a little crazy. Either way, I was wishing I had a sailboat.

Cabo de Roca was beatiful, but a storm was rolling in, so we headed on out.

We made one quick stop on the way back to Lisbon in a small town called Cascais. We stayed just long enough to hop out of the car, look at the harbour, and take a few pictures. It reminded me of Naples, but prettier.

It was here that Theresa got out of the car and said, "Can you see this spot on my shirt?" Oh no, Theresa, that's not noticeable at all.

So much laughter...

I'll end the post with a nice family photo:

2007-07-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

Portugal & Spain, part 1.

I arrived in Lisbon, Portugal at 10:30 am on Friday morning. I made my way from the airport to the Four Seasons/ Ritz Hotel in downtown Lisbon and up to Vicky and Diana's room just as they were getting dressed and ready for the day. Realizing that they were just getting ready at 11:00, I thought to myself, "This is my kind of vacation." And my kind of vacation it was! We woke at a decent hour everyday, Diana and I usually went for a jog (I thought that I was running so fast and so far on the treadmill until Diana pointed out that the distances were in kilometers, not miles... a huge ego deflation), and then hit up the Ritz breakfast buffet. One day we got so many plates of food that the waiter asked us, very seriously, if we were really going back for more or if we were going to finally sit down. Apparently they don't see the likes of us very often in the swank Ritz breakfast crowd. We did some serious damage to that breakfast buffet, and laughed the whole way through. I think that we burned as many calories laughing as we took in at every delicious meal - not a bad way to spend the day.

Portugal is a remarkably beautiful country. It has the look of the Mediterranean coast and the temperature of San Francisco. We toured much of Lisbon, including the Sao Jorge castle, many busy streets, and a few gorgeous churches. One of the churches that we saw was just the remains of a convent that was destroyed in The Earthquake of 1755. Poor Lisbon was struck by a horrific earthquake, and what wasn't quaked suffered devastating fire, and what wasn't burned by the fire then had to withstand the horrendous flood that followed. Not much survived the quake/fire/flood of 1755, but the city remains strong and striking. Many of the buildings are decorated by the colorful tiles that Portugal is known for, giving the city a year-round festivity that I've yet to see anywhere else.

Portugal was beautiful and entertaining in itself, but without a doubt the highlight of the trip was spending time with my cousins and Bill, who proves to be a fantastic host and traveling companion. The Kost gals are fun, kind, energetic, better at the crossword puzzle than me, generous, and pretty (let's not forget pretty). It was great to get to know them better, especially because now I won't be so shy about inviting myself over for home-cooked meals during exams...

Ok, enough of the summary and family-love. Here are some highlight pictures of Portugal, but the full set is available on my pbase site.

Flying into Lisbon - the amazing Portuguese coast:

Lisbon from the air - note the giant statue that looks remarkably like the Christ the Reedemer cross that overlooks Rio de Janiero in Brazil. It is, in fact, a replica of the same statue.

A view of Lisbon from the Sao Jorge castle - can you believe this view? Are you booking plane tickets right now to go visit? Cause if you're not, you should. Right now. Come back and read this later, it'll still be here. Seriously, go now.

An example of the festive Lisbon streets.

It looks like you could just walk right across the rooftops!

The fountain in the Restauradoras Square in downtown Lisbon. I don't have any photos of the main square in Lisbon that's right on the water (Commerce Square) because despite its reputation as the most beautiful/ memorable square, Diana determined its reputation is undeserved because, "it's just a slab of concrete with a bunch of tents on it. How is that pretty?" She's right though - we drove by it in a taxi and that was enough for me. Back to my pictures: fountain in Restauradoras Square...

Aw, it's true, we are pretty! From left to right: Vicky, Emily, Theresa, and Diana. Notice that Diana doesn't really have a seat in this car and is in no way facing forward. She injured herself on this cab ride, and Vicky's and my hilarious earth-shaking jokes kept her busted gut from healing for quite some time.

The Carmo Convent, lost to the earthquake of 1755. And the fire. And the flood.

Checking out the remains...

Another view from Sao Jorge castle.

And a view from inside the castle, looking out...

Check out this cool tile! I took this picture at the tile museum - yes, there is such a place, and I highly recommend it.

We were excited about the Port Wine Institute, and the port and cigars did not disappoint.

And what's a trip without an elevator ride (or 4) with our comfy Ritz slippers?

Part 2: Sintra, Cabo de Roca, and Cascais.

2007-06-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, it is taking so long to sort through these photos! I have succeeded in touching up all my Portugal pics, which you can see at www.pbase.com/edoyle/portugal. Note that there are three galeries: one for Lisbon, one for Sintra, and one for Cabo de Roca. Enjoy! More to come tomorrow!

2007-06-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

I have just returned from an incredible journey to Lisbon and Madrid with three of my cousins. We saw so much (and ate so much) that I will have to break the trip up into multiple posts, so check back often for updates. I'll post a few photos now in an attempt to whet your appetite, but it may take another day to sort through and edit all the pictures. Here are a few previews:

A view of Lisbon from the castle:

What do you get when you put three Kosts and a Doyle in the back of a taxi? Lots of laughter and a few pulled muscles. From left to right: Victoria, Emily, Theresa, and Diana

The castle in Sintra, Portugal:

Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in all of Europe. I suppose that before the discovery of the Americas, this was the edge of the Earth.

Emily and Victoria in the Parque de Retiro, Madrid.

More to come soon!

2007-06-19T02:15:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Isn't she so pretty? And she's sweet, funny, energetic, a little crazy (that's where I get it), and hands-down the best cook in town (regardless of the town). AND she's cool. I couldn't ask for a better mom of friend. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Happy Birthday!

Love you, Mom. Have a super-fantastic day!

2007-06-18T04:52:00.000-05:00

We took a day trip to Eisenach, a town in Thuringia that prides itself in being the birthplace of Bach as well as home to the famed Wartburg castle. The castle has been rebuilt over the years (including a restoration that was championed by Goethe) and doesn't look like a medieval castle anymore, but it's stone walls are steeped in history. St. Elizabeth lived there before devoting her life to service, and Martin Luther hid out there after being excommunicated from the church. I would tell you more about the history of the place, but the guided tour that we took was in German, and although I can now order a bratwurst with complete confidence, I cannot yet translate history lessons. However, the view from the castle needs no translation; the beauty of the German countryside speaks for itself:

Check out the windmills!

A view of the castle from outside:

A view of the castle from inside:

The Great Hall, where presumably the infamous mintstrel's competition took place (as told in Wagner's opera, Tannhauser.

This is Martin Luther's room, where he translated the Bible into German. The desk and chair are replicas, but the whale vertebra footstool (!) is original.

The road down the mountain...

A view out of one of the castle windows:

2007-06-11T12:24:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day, it's so exciting! (Don't piddle yourself.) I've uploaded my photos from last weekend in Berlin to my pbase photo album, which is much better suited for housing lots of pictures. The Berlin album can be found here. The trip was incredibly overwhelming, and I felt like Berlin beat me quite handily. I never got a good sense of the city, and perhaps that is because the feeling changes depending on which street corner you're on. There are (at least) 3 cultures in Berlin: East Berlin, West Berlin, and the strange overarching reunification culture of East mixed with West. Plus there's the Berlin nightlife (it's the hotspot in the EU these days, though I was too exhausted at the end of every day to actually go check it out), the enormous Turkish influence (man, those were some delicious Doner Kebaps!), and also the constant reminder of the War. There is construction everywhere, which gives the impression that Berlin itself is still trying to figure out exactly what it wants to be. But the architecture was quite impressive, the Reichstag was staggeringly powerful and beautiful, and I saw some great art (including my first gaze upon an original Brueghel which moved me more that I had expected) and mind-blowing archeological exhibits (including the Gates of Ishtar). Be sure to check out the pictures on the pbase site, but I will also include a few below just to highlight the confusion I felt in Berlin.

First stop in Berlin: Dunkin Donuts. That's right, you heard me. Sweet, delicious, sugary, creamy, Dunkin Donuts. America runs on Dunkin, and Lordy B, so do I.

It was my birthday, so I ate cake (or donuts) at every meal. Shake, shake, get some cake!

Here's some more intriguing German signage. This sign was located right near Checkpoint Charlie. I took a picture of it because I had NO idea what it could possibly mean.

Upon further contemplation, I realized that if you turned the sign upside-down, it was the picture of the East-German soldier jumping over barbed-wire. But why?

We toured an outdoor exhibit located along a portion of the Berlin Wall called Topographies of Terror. I was so exhausted by this point that I wasn't able to take much in, but they did have some incredibly cool maps of Berlin pre-WWII. Or, as the sign said above this particular sign, "Berlin bevor 1920." The Germans pronounce the "v" like an "f" so I suppose that spelling made complete sense to them. I thought of Maria, she would have like all the maps. After all, Berlin is her favorite city ("I should have been born German!" she has said to me more than once), and maps are her favorite pasttime. What is it that Pat Conroy said in The Prince of Tides? "My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call." Maria, vor you.

2007-06-11T05:19:00.001-05:00

Germans keep fantastic gardens! The long, steep walk from the bus stop to the concrete East German apartment housing that I live in (which is torture, I say!) is alleviated by the slew of beautiful gardens and window-flowers that line the walk. Some photos of the botanical beauties that greet me every morning and evening:

This is my favorite house to look at every day...

I've named these little garden people Josef and Ingrid. I don't know much German, but I like to say, "Guten Morgen, Josef. Guten Morgen, Ingrid." Josef smokes his pipe in return.

2007-05-31T05:54:00.000-05:00

Mary bought me a tasty bratwurst for my pre-birthday, and it was so tasty. It only cost 1.40 and was the most delicious bratwurst I've ever had. I don't know if I'll ever eat anywhere else for lunch.

2007-05-29T06:26:00.000-05:00

I spent Sunday night in the very fine company of Mary, Nico, Martin, and Mohini. We had cocktails at our favorite laundromat/ bar and then headed to the rustic (not rusty, a distinction we cleared up for our German friends) Kartoffelhaus, which literally translates to "potato house." We ate delicious potatoes of all sorts, including Mary's favorite, the kartoffelpuffer. The white asparagus with hollandaise sauce was especially delicious, and is a Thuringen specialty that you can only buy this time of year (Thuringia is the federal state that we are in). We finished the evening off with some special German Fischergeist, something akin to firewater. It was, in fact, on fire. We had to blow it out before drinking it. (Again, not making this up.)

From left to right, Mohini, Mary, Emily, Nico, and Martin enjoy the rustic Kartoffelhaus.

Mary's delicious Kartoffelpuffer and smoked salmon. Yummerific.

You can't tell that this digestiv is on fire, but it is. Martin is obviously excited.

Reactions to the Fischergeist...

Look at these cute little jugs! They were no more than 2 inches tall.

This weekend: Berlin for my birthday. Shake, shake, get some cake!

2007-05-24T06:28:00.000-05:00

I've finally sorted through the giant pile of pictures that I took in Munich, and here are the highlights. We had 4 days to spend there because last Thursday was the holiday of Ascension, which is one of the few national German holidays. Here it is called "Man's Day" and men, young and old, don their lederhosen and walk around the streets pulling carts full of beer and singing German songs. I'm not making this up. [Addition: I just got out of a meeting with Peter, one of the German grad students, and we were discussing the bizareness of Man's Day, and he said (you must read this to yourself with a thick German accent), "I think it is funny and also sad that on that day there are so many drunk men that are falling into the road like leaves in autumn." Seriously not making this up.] So we got off of school a day early and headed to Munich for a weekend full of sunshine, breezes, good food, and giant beers. Munich is a beautiful city and had some great sightseeing (we took in the sites astride sweet bikes on Mike's Bike Tours). About 50% of the city was destroyed during WWII, resulting in an interesting mix of old structures that have been half-rebuilt with new materials. But all in all, it was a great town - my favorite in Germany thus far! Here are some photographs of scenic Munich, our bike tour, and our trip to the Hofbrauhaus. First, general photos of Munich:

Marienplatz, the main town square, and the Old Town Hall:

This is an odd sign that we ran across in the City Center. What does this mean? No pedestrians? No mothers and children? Or maybe it's ok if you're a mom, but don't bring your kid? Maybe it means that you can have your kid, but you can't hold their hand...

Here's a picture of Andrea with our sweeter-than-sweet bikes that we rode around Munich. The bike tour was a little over 4 hours long, but there were plenty of stops and lots of cool things to see.

Here our group rides around a fountain. I realize this may not look like that much fun, but take my word, it rocked.

We stopped to tour the inside of a church (off the bikes, of course). Check this place out. I've never seen such intricate sculpting on the walls, and notice that there are no stained glass windows!

Here is the Munich "beach" which is not so far from where they "surf".

This is more like a ditch than an ocean, but the "surfers" have a constant wave to ride.

We stopped for a lunch break at the Chinese pagoda in the Englischer Garten. This is where I got that GIANT beer and GIANT sausage and yes, I finished both. And then I spiked my napkin. Maria, this one's for you.

Here I am, happy to have had so much beer and sausage.

And then I thought, "wow, I really loved that beer and sausage."

And then I was sad that the beer and sausage were gone.

But fear not! Our GIANT beer days were not over. We went to the Hofbrauhaus which was everything you imagine a German beer hall would be. Lots of men drinking and singing songs. I swear, I'm not making this up. This guy's t-shirt says it all.

And this guy's lederhosen says even more.

I'll leave you with one last oddity about German life. They label their trashcans so that you know what you should throw away and what you should recycle. It's nice that they put pictures up too, so that us stupid Americans know what's going on. For instance, you put your glass bottles here:

And you through your paper away here:

But did they really need to put pictures of trash on this thing? This is disgusting! No one wants to look at old cigarette butts, french fries, and what? Is that a cassette tape? Is it 1986? That's so outdated that I actually just had to look at dictionary.com to make sure that I spelled cassette correctly (and I hadn't).

And one more crazy thing: creepy, creepy dolls.

2007-05-21T06:05:00.000-05:00

I have lots to post about the fantastic trip to Munich this weekend, but no time right now. To tide you over:

2007-05-16T06:09:00.000-05:00

When I was living in Austin, I used to wash my clothes at the Washeteria laundromat. It was a fun place to be - pinball machines, ice-cream out of a vending machine, and a fantastic crowd when they aired American Idol - but I always thought it would be even better if there was a bar attached to the laundromat (Maria and Matt can attest to this). So imagine my delight when a group of German students asked us to join them for a beer and took us to THE LAUNDROMAT! "Wash - Lounge - Salon" is what they advertised, and there were indeed people enjoying a beer while washing their clothes. Genius!

Here are Sara and Nico enjoying their beer under the protection of Jesus (this is also at the Laundromat). In fact, there were many religious paintings on the wall, and I said to Andrea, "The only thing that's better than a laundromat with a bar inside is a laundromat with a bar inside and a picture of Jesus and Mary Magdalene on the wall." To which Andrea brilliantly replied, "The only thing better than a laundromat with a bar inside and a picture of Jesus and Mary Magdalene on the wall is a laundromat with a bar inside and a picture of Dolly Parton on the wall." Well said, Andrea. Well said.

And here are a few pictures of my (very small) room in the International Students dorm. I have a kitchen, a desk, a (very small) bed, and a bathroom. Just enough for the summer!

2007-05-15T05:43:00.000-05:00

News of the week: I lost a tooth! Ok, not an entire tooth, but a chunk of a molar. And I didn't so much as lose it as swallow it. Something about my schnitzel sandwich didn't agree with my tooth, so it decided to unhinge itself and jump down my throat. I was a little nervous about visiting the German dentist, but she was very nice and charged me very little for the temporary fix (I'll get a new filling and part-of-tooth next week). My dad warned me that dentistry tends to be very expensive, so when the secretary asked me if I wanted Novocain, I nervously asked if it would hurt. She gave me the very vague reply that the procedure is painful for some people but not for others, so I asked the next logical question: is it expensive? She rifled through some papers and pulled out her calculator, which incited a bit of panic in me - what if novocain is really expensive? am I going to have to forgo the medicine and risk intense pain at the hands of a German dentist? - but after a few minutes, the secretary informed me that the novocain would cost a total of 9 Euros. Scheisse, I said, give me 4 of them!

**************

This poster always makes me think of Katie Day and our sweet Patrick Swayze poster from junior year at Columbia. But who needs Dirty Dancing when you can have Flirty Dancing?

2007-05-10T07:54:00.000-05:00

At long last, internet access from my computer! It's oh-so-exciting! I have only been without internet for a week, but it feels like forever. Things that I missed while not online: there is a new president in France, Tony Blair is leaving, and someone had the brilliant idea to do a study on the "5 second rule." It's great to have news again.

Germany is great! We arrived at 6:00 am on Saturday morning and were not allowed to sleep at all until that evening, in an attempt to lessen the effect of jet-lag. It was a good idea, but it meant that we were awake for over 30 hours before going to bed. Our German friends prodded us along through the day by taking us on a tour of the city and the campus, which is one and the same. They are quite fond of saying, "The city is the campus!"

Ok, some pictures. We were greeted by the sunrise at the Frankfurt airport.

We had a long ride from Frankfurt to Jena, during which we passed fields of gold flowers and dark German forests. I had forgotten about the fabled German forests (and the Black Forest, in particular), and I'm looking forward to doing some hiking and checking them out.

Here is a picture of Andrea and Mary in our new office at the Center for Applied Developmental Psychology (or CADS, as they call it). An interesting tidbit: the German word for developmental psychology is (drum roll please) Entwicklungspsychologie. They love their long words!

And a few shots of the town (more to come in later posts). Here is a shot of part of downtown, the Stadtzentrum (city center).

And the market place - they are setting up for a spring festival!

I took this picture because I couldn't help myself. What says, "I'm German" more than wearing blue suspenders and wielding a giant mallet?

To come in the next post: German inventions that they should have in America, and American inventions that they should have in Germany (Charmin could make a fortune over here!)

2007-05-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

Guten tag! I made is safely to Germany, but internet access has been quite sparse. I am writing from a borrowed computer, so you'll have to wait for pictures and stories. However, I can affirm that the beer is delicious, the food is yummer yummer yum, and the people are a hoot. Oh, and I was an auditory witness to a gunshot and my name is now on record with the Polizei. Not too shabby for the first 5 days...

2007-04-30T22:38:00.000-05:00

I finally buckled down and registered my car in Pennsylvania. I cried a little tear when I had to take off my Texas license plate. I sure did like driving around with a cowboy on both bumpers.

WARNING: This next picture is just plain nasty. A squirrel died in mid-stride in our yard at some point during this past winter. We didn't move it because, well, it's disgusting, and it didn't stink or anything because it was too cold to rot. But the snow melted, the ground thawed, the birds had their day with the squirrel, and now all that's left is fur and bones. Children, cover both your eyes.

Alas, it's finals time and we're all a little kooky around here. Tonight, Allison decided that she wished she had a pair of purple sunglasses while I practiced my moonwalk. The latter is not pictured because it's so hot that it'd burn your eyes out (unless you're wearing protective purple eyewear, pictured below). Did I mention that we're all a little crazy these days?

2007-04-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

Things that have transpired in the past two weeks:

Mollie Orshansky, the woman resposible for our much debated measurement of poverty, passed away. She actually died in December, but her family didn't tell anyone until a couple weeks ago. Strange, you might say. And you would be right.
I went to the Kost family reunion in Northern Virginia (that's my family, in case you're confused). We ate all the traditional Easter food - egg cheese, stuffed veal, kielbasa, fresh horseradish, fresh chicken soup, beer, champagne, and then beer again. I ate so much that I didn't even make it to the ham. It was great to see the cousins, of course. A photo of Mom and Dad Doyle with Luvy and her new boy Rocky:

If you missed this story about the swarms of starlings in Italy, it's worth the read. Actually you don't even have to read - just click on the multimedia link and the author will read the article to you while you take in the striking photographs.
We welcomed spring with open arms by having a Keys shin-dig. I made conch fritters, we wore beachy clothing, listened to Jimmy Buffett, and drank boat drinks. Not a bad way to spend an evening. Pictures below.

Prepping the conch fritters (which were actually corn fritters, on account of the fact that conch is a specialty food only found at Christmas in State College)...

Mmm, fritters!

Steph gives the fiesta a thumbs-up.

Lauren enjoys her yummer boat drink.

Steph, Heather, and Allison guard the table.

What fun is a party without piggyback rides?

All in all, a great couple of weeks. I'm swamped with work for the next week and a half, and then I'm off to visit the land of beer and bratwurst for the summer!

2007-04-09T11:38:00.000-05:00

Check out these fascinating photos of surgery on peeps! I promise it's worth your time. My favorite is the peep CPR in Phase 5.

2007-04-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

I saw a shirt the other day that said, "Meat is murder. Tasty, tasty murder."
Amen.

2007-04-03T23:08:00.000-05:00

I had a grand trip to Boston last weekend for an SRCD conference (Society for Research in Child Development). The conference was a great learning experience (although quite overwhelming at first), Boston gave us her best, and both ends of the trip were padded with fun road trips. The first stop along the way: Milford, PA, home of wunderkind Steph Anzman, the tasty Milford Diner, shops that tout both beer and soda (what more could a girl want?), and the ubiquitous Mr. Goldstein.

The conference began on Thursday afternoon, and there was so much to see that 4 days was hardly enough to scratch the surface. My brain got a little overloaded and confused, much like the sensation I get when I look at the picture I took of the conference escalators. I'm kind of glad that Holly Riedelbach wasn't at the conference, she never would have made it into the building.

SRCD was fun and thought provoking, but the real gem of the trip was the city itself. I took plenty of time to roam around and see what Boston had to offer, and she didn't disappoint. The State Building:

Cool afternoon shadows:

Great architecture:

A stunning melding of old and new:

But perhaps the best part of the trip was reuniting with my Texas peeps, Kate and Michael. We partied with the Penn Staters at a few bars on Boyleston, one of which served beer in buckets. You couldn't get a beer in a glass even if you wanted (we asked). Don't question the Boston bar scene.

Kate and Michael became fast friends with my Penn State friends.... I know how to pick 'em!

Steph and Michelle yuk it up. Good times, good times.

When Michelle and I were in the Keys, we heard mention of Kewpie dolls, but for the life of us couldn't find anyone who could describe them to us. Little did we know, Boston is rife with Kewpie dolls. Michael demonstrates a Kewpie dance.

Yum, slurpees!

Don't mess with the Catholics in the North End. They know their Saints!

Boston has such great history. Check out this old cemetery.

A grocery in Beacon Hill:

The town certainly is not without its quirks. For instance, what is this item of clothing? Is it a dress? A quilt? A jacket? A robe? Perhaps a bathrobe? But what's with the pearls?

Kate, Michael, and I topped off a fun day of sightseeing with a delicious dinner in the North End and yummer desserts from Modern Pastries. Those Italians sure can cook!

The food was so good in the North End that I went back for dinner the next night with some Penn State gals. We ate a sublime meal at Monika's (26/27 stars from Zagat, wowzer!) before hopping in a Petty Cab to take us out for the evening. Here Michelle and Lauren flash their winning smiles:

Did I mention that we got to drink delicious margaritas? Cause we did. And they were delicious.

Sadly, the trip had to end and we drove the 7 long hours (in the rain) back to State College. The wanderlust has been satisfied for now, but no doubt it'll flare up again soon. A few final pics from the road:

2007-03-27T11:39:00.000-05:00

Things to get excited about:

Porter Wagoner's new album, Wagonmaster.

Alison Krauss's new album, A Hundred Miles or More.

Joan Osborne's not-so-new album, but new to my ears, Pretty Little Stranger.

Reign Over Me - I swear, it's much better than the previews lead you to believe. The writing is phenomenal, really.

I'm going to Boston tomorrow!

Woohoo, get excited!

2007-03-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

Spring is in the air! (It's 45 degrees and raining here - that's spring, right?) Tomorrow's forecasted temperature is in the 60's, and a barbeque is in order. I'm looking forward to some warmer temperatures, but I'll be sad to see the pretty snow go. Eh, perhaps not so sad.

A recommendation: Infamous, the "other" movie about Truman Capote. It tells the same story as the highly acclaimed "Capote" and was released just a year afterwards, but it is no less extraordinary or powerful. The story itself is riveting, the real-life characters are so, uh, full of character that they seem other-worldly, and the acting is outrageously good. Sandra Bullock's Nelle Harper Lee will blow you away. A.O. Scott of the NYTimes says that Sandra's "mellifluous Alabama accent, like the performance in which it is embedded, is a marvel of observant precision." Indeed, the movie may be worth watching just to listen to her accent. Her character has a much larger role in this movie than in Capote, and a good deal of the subplot is dedicated to Nelle's struggle to return to writing after the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird. There is a poignant scene at the end of the movie in which Nelle laments "the very American question, What's next?" She says, with intense solemnity, "But the next thing can be so hard because now you know what it demands..." The movie as hit me in the gut and I can't get it out of my head. That's some good cinema.

2007-03-19T13:38:00.001-05:00

Anyone up for a vacation?

2007-03-16T20:37:00.000-05:00

The Keys are a glorious, glorious place. Even though it was too windy to snorkel and fish, the fun ensued. We hit up a whole slew of Keys hots spots (and by "hot spots" I mean hole-in-the-wall traditions that have been around since the invention of air conditioning, yet have refused to take advantage of said invention). We had a good time showing Michelle around on her first trip to the islands, and she seemed to enjoy our (borderline) obsession with conch fritters.

First stop, Dade Corners: the meeting place. Need some gas? Stop there. Feeling like you want to sport a black leather vest with fringe? No problem. Broken CB? They'll fix it at Dade Corners. Just be sure to walk quickly so you don't get stuck to the floor.

Next up, crossing the 7 mile bridge in the Middle Keys.

A view of the old bridge:

We picked up Michelle from the Key West airport and headed out to do some sightseeing. When we pulled up to the Southernmost Point in the continental U.S., it looked like there were a lot of people who had the same idea. But no, the gaggle of tourists were really made out of plaster. Believe it or not, Michelle and I are the only two warm-blooded people in this photo. Why the fake folks? Don't question the island logic.

After posing with the fake tourists, we embarked on a conch fritter mission. First on the tour was B.O. - a shack near the half shell raw bar. It had some great local color and tasty fritters.

Lots of chickens in Key West...

We managed to spend some time on the water, despite the wind. We started out in Niles Channel and tooled around the Torch Keys. Is there anything on this planet more beautiful than the Keys flats?

We spotted a few dolphins playing in the bay.

After getting bounced around in the boat, we decided to hit up some Keys hotspots. We had fritters and beer at the 7 Mile Grill in Marathon, and then more fritters and beer at No Name Pub. No Name is famous (or perhaps infamous) for the thousands of dollars hanging from the walls and ceilings - all in one dollar bills. Michelle and I added our own dollar to the mix - complete with our favorite stats equations and a bid for Plasticity Forever!

Sadly, the vacation had to end. We traveled back home through Dade Corners yet again - the crossroads of the Everglades.

2007-03-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

I thought that dissertation titles were often unnecessarily long-winded, but these book titles take the cake. You can vote for your favorite one here. In the running this year:

''How Green Were the Nazis?'' by Thomas Zeller, Franz-Josef Bruggemeier and Mark Cioc.

''The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: a guide to field identification,'' by Julian Montague. (This one is my personal favorite.)

''Tattooed Mountain Women and Spoon Boxes of Daghestan,'' by Robert Chenciner, Gabib Ismailov, Magomedkhan Magomedkhanov and Alex Binnie. (Spoon boxes!)

''Di Mascio's Delicious Ice Cream, Di Mascio of Coventry, an Ice Cream Company of Repute, With an Interesting and Varied Fleet of Ice Cream Vans,'' by Roger De Boer, Harvey Francis Pitcher, and Alan Wilkinson. (Let's not kid ourselves, it's all about how cool your ice-cream van is.)

''Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Seaweed Symposium.'' (Really? They've needed to meet 18 times to discuss seaweed? I guess it's true that it can really gunk up your motor...)

''Better Never To Have Been: the Harm of Coming Into Existence,'' by David Benatar. (You think he's related to Pat Benatar? Maybe he's jealous of her success, and wishes he never was.)

As Sting said, it's a brand new day

2007-03-05T22:53:00.000-05:00

Just testing the waters. It's oh so exciting!