Cars and Dogs

An earlier post from early December that I forgot to post:

It feels good to be back driving my car again—and it feels so big after driving a small rental car while my poor Magellan was in the garage receiving a new fuel pump and a fuel line replacement. Guess that would be like a heart transplant and cleaning out the aorta in human terms.
It’s amazing how quickly humans adjust to size and space…. In a matter of days I had adjusted to driving a small little car close to the ground, while my older model car is an SUV (by no means posh or luxurious—just basic and very functional because I can haul “stuff” in it!), and sits higher up. I like the visibility of driving a “higher up” car, but most of all, I noticed that I drove a lot differently in a smaller car.

Small cars are a lot like little dogs --- they scoot and scamper around quickly, just like I found it so much easier to drive faster in that little car. You know how little dogs are always running and barking trying to grab attention while bigger dogs will just lie down and be still? That’s what this small car driving experience reminded me of--- small dogs and big dogs. Bigger cars are more like bigger dogs—they are aware of their size and so often act more mellow, and while they have power and speed, they don’t feel the need to show off. There’s a comfort level between my car and I. Magellan has been my trusty “big dog” and companion since 2003. He doesn’t demand much attention and takes me where I need to go. I don’t drive too fast when I drive Magellan, and the slower pace is definitely much safer.

Closing Out 2011

Only a few hours left and 2011 will be history. I am way behind in updating this blog, and since my New Year's Eve will be spent at home with the telly, I hope to muster the strength to update this blog.

I always look forward to the break between the holidays and have great plans for doing lots of things-- but tend to forget how time consuming it is to pick up this one at the airport, take that one to the bus, train, or whatever... not that I mind, but I just forget how running other people around takes me away from things I had planned to do. That's parenthood-- I don't ever want to NOT do that or be there for my children-- no matter how old or grown up they are.

It's also been a challenging week because the day after Christmas I developed a whopping cold-- head and chest-- and am coughing and wheezing like an old bicycle. This draws me back to my youth in Holland when I would always get sick with bronchitis and my aunts and uncles were busy tending to me and offering various remedies (such as hot toddies and piling on the blankets) to make me "sweat it out."

This week I've been using modern medicines in the form of over-the-counter drugs to quelch my cold-- and I think all I've done is make the drug companies richer and provided my cold with gourmet appetizers! None of them seem to be helping- so guess what? It's NYE and I am not going anywhere so I may just try that hot toddie and blanket remedy this evening.

I'll let you know how it goes... Cheers!

Hotel Chambermaid

I love the word “chambermaid” because it sounds dignified. As my mother and grandmother used to say, everyone has a place and role in life. Chambermaid is the place and role of the woman I met yesterday as I went back into my hotel room to fetch my laptop. (Even at a conference, my work continues, especially when I’m teaching an online class). As I was about to go into my room the chambermaid and I literally bumped into each other as she was about to service my room. She was an interesting woman to look at because her face pigmentation was strange—it was as if half of her face had a light pigmentation and part of her face had dark pigmentation—almost like a mask that extended over her forehead. We began talking (her accent was very heavy and she really had limited command of English), as she told me that she was “a Coptic lady” (she showed me the cross tattoo on the inside of her wrist), and said she again that she was a Coptic Christian from Egypt. In her broken English she began to talk and talk… about how bad things were for Christians in Egypt now, and about how “the Muslims hate everybody and everything.” Her statements and feelings were very strong about this. Then she asked me if I was Christian—Baptist? (This is the South) Katholiek? When I replied, she smiled a big smile and said something I really couldn’t understand, but whatever-- it must have been pleasing to her because she thought I was wonderful. She acted like I made her day… and I just thought about how hard life must be for her.

Nashville in December

Nashville, Tennessee is the home of country music, and I had hoped to see some of the country music sites while here attending a conference. My son, Michael, had told me about Nashville because it was the place he and his friends would go to attend concerts when they were college students at UGA. However, conferences being what they are, it’s is difficult to get out, especially when the distances are so far and taxi is the only way to get around. Compounding my ability to do any sightseeing is that it has been raining, cold, and generally not the kind of sightseeing weather anyone would prefer.

However, I did book a little see the Christmas Lights tour on Sunday evening, and so I saw the suburban neighborhoods of Brentwood and the historic town of Franklin. These houses are amazing—I have not seen the likes of them where I live! To say they are macmansions is an understatement—these houses are twice the size of macmansions. Interestingly enough, the tour guide said that most of these homes belong to executives in the health care industry.
We also stopped at a historic Civil War era house called the Lotz House. It was featured in the Battle of Franklin. A Civil War cannon on the front lawn marks the property. This house was built in 1858 by a German carpenter, and then shelled during the Battle of Franklin and also used as a hospital in that time. Although a nice sized house by today’s standards, it must have seemed really huge when it was built. The woodwork obviously shows skilled craftsmanship. No matter where they are, I always do enjoy seeing historic homes, and my favorite ones are in old New Castle, DE.
While the tour itself was OK and the Christmas lights and decorations were pretty, this tour was not a resounding “You must do this!” kind of thing—it’s more like a “It gets you out of the hotel” kind of thing.

Rearranging the Furniture

Even though the temperature has been mild (in the 60’s) it’s beginning to feel like winter. The leaves have almost all fallen from the trees, and this morning it’s a brisk 38 degrees!
Fall and Spring always signal a new furniture arrangement in our kitchen. It may sound odd, but when headed towards winter I always rearrange the table and a small sideboard so that the sideboard is placed in front of the window and the table goes East-West. For Spring and Summer the sideboard is placed along the wall, so that the windows are easily opened and the table goes North-South. What started many years ago as changing the arrangement out of practicality (because the window is on the North side of the house and so that wall is very cold), has now become our family’s signal for doing other things, such as getting the house ready for the holidays, etc.
Funny how doing something for one reason winds up becoming a signal for something else entirely…

Snow, Hard Frost, and Halloween Ball in October!!!

Brrrr.... Saturday morning snow brought huge snowflakes and by Sunday morning snow covered cars, grass, and rooftops! Snow in October??? This was record setting.

While Mother Nature was busy blanketing us with snow, I was busy trying to keep the yellow bungee cord which was strung around the outside of my car in an effort to keep the front door of my car tied to the back door so I wouldn't fall out while driving! The mechanic was able to get the door closed, but said I shouldn't be taking any sharp left turns at high speeds! The way to get into my car was through the passenger side door and climb over the console. Can you just imagine how graceful I looked while doing this Saturday night all dressed up to go to a Halloween Ball?

American Klompen: CROCS!!!

I've made a GREAT discovery!!! CROCS are the American version of klompen!!!

Klompen are Dutch wooden shoes that are great for wearing out in the garden. They get wet and muddy and you simply just hose them off. I've often thought of buying them for my family, but travelling with carry-on luggage changes the way you do things. Plus, klompen aren't cheap!

Now I know that CROCS have been around for a while, but they are ugly, and I just didn't see the sense in them until recently.

I discovered CROCS down at the beach-- there's actually a CROCS outlet store. We now all wear our CROCS outside, and leave them at the door. Three cheers for the American version of klompen!!!

More on Sit-A-Spell

Very quickly the weather has turned from a balmy 80-plus degrees in the morning to a cool fifty-something. Drinking coffee outside now requires wearing a sweatshirt or jacket. How quickly things change! I've also done a little research on the origins American Southern expression meaning to sit with someone and visit. Since I first heard the expression in the US North, I dub this more as an American colloquialism, rather than a "Southernism." In any event, I do enjoy those minutes outside while Fawn goes

parktime and I drink my cofee and sit-- gathering my thougts and enjoying the sunflowers :). Some of the trees are already losing their leaves, and the Old Farmer's Almanac has forecasted a wet and stormy winter season for Winter 2012-- so we will wait to see what's in store for us.

The Grace of Silence

Book Review
One of the joys of attending ASA is the new books I find among the book vendors at the conference. This year I found, and read on a cross country plane ride, The Grace of Silence, by NPR's Michele Norris.

Both history and research have shown that as time passes, significant events fade from memory unless something intervenes to keep the events in the forefront. Michele Norris’ family memoir uncovers family knowledge of experiences most family members know about but kept hidden, or silent, throughout the years. It was only after talking to her relatives that Norris discovers her grandmother once worked as an Aunt Jemimah doing pancake cooking demonstrations, and that her father had been shot by a white policeman shortly after he returned from serving in the Navy.
The strength of Norris’ storytelling is in the explanations, and explorations, of the context of the times. The Civil Rights movement changed American society for the better, and Norris’ descriptions of the times is a reminder of the struggles for equal rights. This book should be read by everyone under 25— hopefully, these lessons from the past will be remembered as the future generation forges society to its making.
For a more detailed complete book review, please see:
http://www.statesman.com/life/borooks/review-of-the-grace-of-silence-a-memoir-951794.html

Remembering 9/11

Sit-A-Spell

The warmth of summer days naturally brings us outside much more than the rest of the year. One of the joys for me is to sit outside and drink my coffee, sit outside with the dog close by, or just sit outside to ponder my thoughts.
That last phrase alone made me think about what it means to ponder one’s thoughts… does that mean:
• To think about thinking?
• To stare into space and think nothing?
• To gather one’s thoughts so as to plan a day, think through a problem, or think about something?
I guess it means all of these things. But then again, does one have to sit and think? Can I just sit and be? I wonder what others have to say about this.

While the weather allows and the mosquitos don’t bite I will continue to “sit a spell” and eventually work on an explaining of what that means and how I came by that phrase .

Dreaming in Hindi

I want to finish this book but it’s an exercise in discipline. That is not to say this is not a good book, and some of Katherine Rich’s insights and discoveries speak to me very clearly, but overall, this is not an easy book to read.
The storyline is as follows: a journalists who has experienced having cancer decides to ditch the high pressure life of Manhattan magazine publishing in exchange for a free-lance assignment which takes her to India. There, she lives with a local family and enrolls in Hindi language school.

In Dreaming in Hindi, She records her experiences living in India, and her experiences of learning a new language. Her amazing discoveries include realizations that in the learning a new language and new words, in order to fully understand the “meanings” of things in the newly acquired language, one must also grasp the culture.
Rich describes the difficulty of getting the tongue placement just so in her mouth so that she can pronounce the words correctly. This was most interesting to me since I also speak Dutch, my first language. And because I don’t speak Dutch to anyone anymore, I always go through and adjustment problem every time I go back to Holland. It takes a day or two before my mouth adjusts and I can speak clearly and fluidly.
Intertwined throughout her memoir of living in India and learning Hindi, Rich also weaves her interviews with linguistic experts whom she asked about how learning a new language affects, or changes, the brain. These segments of the book are scholarly and informative, but may not appeal to the average reader.
I will finish reading this book because parts of it speak to me, but note that this is not a travel book, nor does the book have a compelling storyline that engages readers. However, for second language learners or those interested in linguistics and second language learning experiences, this book does provide some validation about what it is like to learn another language so completely. Katherine Rich gives words to the confusing experience of being inculturated into another language.

Goodbye Irene!

Well, for us, Irene was not nearly as bad as it portended to be, and that's a blessing! We all prepared for the worst but the storm situation ended up much better than predicted. We did experience some rain water coming into our basement-- it appears there have formed some hairline cracks in the basement wall where the crawl space is. I suspect that is due to the 5.8 earthquake we experienced earlier this week, so I will have to have this insprected and fixed.
The most frightening thing last night was the many and frequent tornado warnings. You can't really prepare for a tornado except have a place to go in the basement. You can prepare for hurricanes, but not for tornados-- they are sudden events. Plus, the East Coast does not have an adequate not efficient tornado warning system as tey do in the Midwest. In the Midwest a specific system of tornado sirens lets residents know about the level of danger. It's idiotic that this system does not exist here.
The biggest challenge from Irene today is the impact f all this rain-- potential flooding for many people, but not us.

It's A Waiting Game- Irene

What are the chances of being hit by 2 major natural disasters in a week? Earlier in the week the East Coast experienced a 5.8 earthquake and now we're preparing for Hurricane Irene! Hurricane warnings have been issued for our area, so now it’s a waiting game. When hurricane warnings are issued it means that the storm is expected within the next 36 hours.

This is a slow-moving storm so it grows as it moves north. The hope is that it will slow down as it hits landfall in North Carolina. Where it is expected to hit is not too far away from Virginia Beach, where we lived in the 1980's and where Sophia was born. I can only imagine the extent of flooding they will be likely to experience!
My sister lives on Cape Cod, and they are also expected to be in the path of this hurricane. Ironically, Irene is one of her middle names!!!
In the meantime, we try to prepare as much as we can. Yesterday, Ed drove to Kentucky to be with his mother, who is not doing well and has most recently been in and out of a coma, so I am guarding the home front with Lili and Phil. Today I’ll do some cooking and prepare food that will taste good even when cold. We are expected to lose power for several days. I do hope it won’t be as bad as they say it might be on TV, but then again I’d rather prepare for the worst and hope for the best!
For more details about this storm see the article in the Wall Street Journal by clicking the link below:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904787404576532171799510228.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Heat Waves, Earthquakes & Hurricanes

I left Las Vegas when it was 111 degrees and the weather channel posted a heat advisory. That’s when you know it’s hot! The East Coast experienced a good sized earthquake on Tuesday, and now I’ve come home to prepare for a potentially large hurricane.
The last hurricane we experienced was Floyd in 1999, and that one caused us to have to replace our roof as the storm damage tore up the shingles the gutters from the house.
Today I filled up my gas tank, bought groceries, and replenished the flashlight batteries. Tomorrow I’ll put away the yard furniture and secure anything outside that could possibly fly away in the wind.
People living or vacationing along the coast have been told to evacuate low lying areas. Luckily we live on higher ground, but the ground is saturated because we’ve had a wet August and so flooding is predicted. As of right now, the weather channel predicts that we will experience the worst Saturday evening into Sunday.
I’ll try to keep you updated as we go along…

2011 ASA Annual Meeting

Each August approximately 5,000 sociologists from all over the world gather to engage in dialogue about social topics, disseminate new research results and knowledge found through disciplined inquiry, and share experiences of best practices in teaching sociology and sociology related subjects.

This conference is big, because the American Sociological Association (ASA) is big, and usually occupies 3 hotels, or 2 hotels and a conference center. This year in Las Vegas, the conference took up a part of Caesar’s Palace, which is huge.
I always look forward to going to this conference, even though some might say that is too big to really get to know and meet many fellow sociologists. Even though we are still strangers, I’m starting to see familiar faces year after year in the crowded halls and escalators as we greet with that courteous nod acknowledging “the other.”

The sessions are great! I love being able to attend so many sessions and having such a wide choice to choose from. New sessions occur every 2 hours beginning at 8:30 AM. The sessions are surprising, because some sessions I think might be boring wind up being interesting and then some I thought would be interesting wind up being boring.
My favorite sessions are the ones in which the speakers present their research—these are paper sessions and the challenge for the session organizer is to keep all 4 speakers to a time limit as the first one usually goes long which then crowds the other speakers and does not allow for enough time for discussion. The premise of these paper sessions is based on sharing one’s work and sharing the time available for all the speakers to present. The challenge occurs if one of the speakers is a non-USA presenter because they usually tend to go more slowly and take a very long time to present their work. The discussion at the end is usually the most dynamic part of the entire session, as questions and answers provide those “ah-ha” moments.

Joining sections in ASA is a great way to specialize and develop collegial relationships with other professionals with similar interests. I am a Council member of the Section on Sociological Practice and Public Sociology, and this year was the Roundtable Organizer for our section. Twenty scholars presented their papers in groups of 5 scholars with similar interests. Since I’m also the section’s newsletter editor, I will be contacting each one of the presenters to ask them to write a reduction for the October newsletter! The papers presented were about conflict, disasters, public sociology and applied sociology.

Sociologists are a neat bunch—among them are quirky ones, “academic” ones, and those who seem rather “normal.” As a whole, they are approachable, talkative, interested in others and circumstances, and are prone to strike up conversations anywhere and everywhere. Attending a professional conference is exhilarating and rejuvenating. I always come away with new ideas, new friends and colleagues, and feel recharged.

Staying at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas

This opulent hotel is a tribute to the Roman gods and Roman splendor! The place is enormous, and it takes a brave soul to explore all of it. I tried but after 3 hours walking explored only one side of the hotel. However, this was the side with the Forum shops- which affords world class shopping and a décor to match!

The beautiful feature of the hotel is the many statues of Roman gods, all of which are full-size marble replicas. The outside gardens boast both statuary and highly manicured gardens with fountains.

It gets hot here in Vegas, as in 104 degrees at 7 PM kind of hot! I know everyone says it’s a dry heat- but hey, 104 degrees is 104 degrees and it’s hot! However, you can still sit outside and enjoy a libation of choice (as I did this afternoon) under several outdoor bar-tents which also spray a cooling mist on the perimeter.

Perhaps the best part of Caesar’s Palace is its location. It’s in the center of the “strip” and also takes up the most space! It’s hard to miss Caesar’s Palace! The sheer size of the place from the outside is impressive.
Some weaknesses about Caesar’s Palace are the rooms and lack of amenities so many of us have become used to. The rooms themselves are dated, and there are no refrigerators in many of the rooms. The rooms that do have them charge for every cup of coffee you make! I’ve stayed in 2 different rooms and found them both to be “old” and in need of a “refreshening.” My mattress was saggy. I also found out this evening that housekeeping did not clean under the night stands.
You can’t walk through the hotel without being assaulted by the noise of the slot machines and cigarette smoke.

Guess that’s part of staying here.
The bathrooms in the rooms are great—spacious and luxurious! I love the roomy shower and the great soaking tub. The toiletries are also high quality.
The greatest negative about Caesar’s Palace is the lack of being able to get what you forgot from home without being SOAKED by the hotel. Charging $2.95 for a small bottle of Aquafina is extreme, and there is no convenience store or drug store nearby.
All in all- staying here was a joy and offense (the casino noise) to the senses, but also expensive.
Viva Las Vegas!!!

The Atomic Testing Museum

It’s hard to imagine but it was true—during the Cold War Nevada was a test site for nuclear weapons testing and because the test site was so close to Las Vegas, nuclear weapons testing became a tourist attraction.

Tourists would come from all over to stand and watch the mushroom cloud of weapons testing in the distance. The weapons testing program was so popular with the locals that they even created a Miss Atomic beauty pageant!

You might ask- how does she know this? Well, among other things, Las Vegas is home to the Atomic Testing Museum, which I happened to find out about from another sociologist!

I managed to take a local bus (even though it wasn’t far, walking in 107 degree heat is a bit much!), and toured the museum. The exhibits are informative and tell the story of the development of atomic energy and atomic weapons testing.

It struck me as I toured the place that most people don’t know about this, and it is a piece of history that may soon be lost. Critics of atomic energy abound, but they fail to realize the good it has created along with the power of destruction.

Harnessing nuclear power is one of mankind’s most amazing accomplishments—but along with it comes a sobering responsibility.

Viva Las Vegas!

I’ve been in hot, hot, hot Las Vegas right now attending and participating in the ASA conference. It’s been 104 degrees today, and tomorrow the weather forecasts 111 degrees! Even though it’s a dry heat, it’s still very hot. Staying inside the hotel doesn’t offer much relief, as you can’t walk anywhere without walking through the noisy, neon-light flashing,

bell-ringing, smoke smelling casino. It’s a relief just to step into the elevator for some quiet!

This is a place of contradictions, because in the midst of the noise and neon lights stand many large statues among flowing fountains and colorful frescoes.

The artwork engenders feelings of ancient Rome and the middle of card tables of blackjack and poker. Every once in a while the gleeful yelps of winners sound throughout the casino.
Caesar’s Palace is huge!

I haven’t the words to describe how big it really is except that it takes a full 20-25 minute walk at a brisk pace to reach the section of the hotel where the conference is held. Yesterday morning I walked around the hotel for 3 hours; just exploring and I haven’t seen it all yet. I did find that this hotel houses a complete two-story mall with a circular escalator.
This is a loud, noisy place where the neon lights glow 24-7. As Elvis Presley said, Viva Las Vegas!

Postcard from Assateague

My friend Judy sent me a postcard from Assateague—and I don’t know exactly why, but I’m so intrigued with this postcard! Think about it, postcard sending has become a lost art—these are the days of instant everything, phone calls, text messages, email… and so sending a post card is really a neat, out of the ordinary practice!

I remember sending out postcards to all of my friends when I travelled many years ago. One year I sent out a postcard to my parents every day—just to let them know where I was and where I planned to go next. This was my one summer in the Rocky Mountains and I was camping by myself. Of course, it goes without saying that this was in pre-cell phone days. By the time I got back my mother had saved all of my postcards and I could lay out my trip from end to end on the living room floor. It was kind of neat to see my whole summer’s travels before me…

Writing postcards has become such a lost art that you can even go online and see pages dedicated to How to Write A Postcard!!! http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Postcard

and the very subject has merited a column in the New York Times: http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/aug/02/what-ever-happened-summer-postcards/

Thank you, Judy, for your postcard. I aim to take up the cause and send out postcards as well—be sure to check your mailboxes!

My Movie Review of "The Help"

Rarely do good books become good movies, and The Help is no different, except that even though aspects of the plot leave gaping holes in providing depth and understanding of the characters, this is a likeable movie and may even be nominated for picture of the year!
The characters’ stories, (for which I would strongly recommend that you read the book first), because if you’ve read the book you will understand the depth of these women’s lives and be more forgiving of the shallow portrayal created by screenplay reductionism. The story takes place during the 1960’s in Jackson, Mississippi.

Historically, this was the time of the Civil Rights movement in the USA. The plot centers around the lives of African-American maids working for white families, and one young white college-graduate from Ole’ Miss, named Skeeter, seeking to establish her life as a writer.
Skeeter has returned to her family’s plantation after graduating from university and because her friends in Jacksonville are mostly her sorority sisters from college who make up the Junior League* Skeeter faces the uncomfortable challenge of trying to fit in with the crowd.

Unlike her sorority sister friends, Skeeter is tall, has frizzy-curly hair, has rarely dated, and aspires to be a writer.
The story opens with one of the Junior League’s most influential members, Hilly, proposing a new health and sanitation initiative which would proposes that African-American “help” have their own separate toilets.
Two of the maids, Aibiline and sharp-tongued Minny, form an unlikely alliance with Skeeter as they secretly meet and tell her their stories about their experiences working for white folks. While today this might not seem like such a “big deal”—it was a violation of the laws of the time for meetings between the races to occur in Southern Mississippi in the 1960s.

The acting is superb, as Viola Davis, who plays Aibiline, opens the movie with that look in her eyes that tells it all. Emma Stone’s performance as Skeeter is completely believable, and Octavia Spencer’s portrayal of the sharp-tongued Minny sets the tone for the tensions that ensue. Viola Davis deserves an Oscar for her performance!

While I can understand that screenplays have to reduce an entire book into a manageable movie, and, therefore, need permission to take liberty with interpreting events into something a movie audience can interpret in a few split-seconds, I do think the screenplay missed opportunities to establish just how risky it was for Aibiline, Minny, and Skeeter to meet and write their stories. By not fully including the racial tensions of the day, this movie has missed an opportunity to add historical value so often provided by historical fiction accounts.
Even so—my recommendation? Run and go see this movie!!!

Bicycles and the Dutch: Social Interactions

I’ve driven a lot this week--- a trip to Georgetown, DE and another one to Dover on top of the normal going back and forth to work and running errands… I tanked up 3 times! The cheapest gas was found in Dover at $3.55 per gallon. The price of gas elsewhere has been hovering around $3.69-3.70. While my European family might think this is not very expensive compared to what they have to pay, let me just remind everyone that distances in the USA are farther apart, we don’t have a public transportation infrastructure, have no bicycle paths to use to get from point A to point B, nor do we have walkways that allow us to walk to a store that’s a half mile distant. So Americans drive… and drive… and drive. It’s rather insane!
I am convinced that all that driving creates an isolation of sorts—after all, many people driving are the only human beings in the car!
Ironically, I am a driver—I enjoy driving by myself and just having some high quality “think time.” However, I am also frustrated by the inability to ride a bicycle to the drug store just a half mile from my house.

Whenever I go to Holland I am always struck by the bicycles, and flash back to memories of bicycles trips with my parents. We rode bicycles everywhere—to visit grandparents and then ride home in the dark, in the rain, and against the wind. My sister sat on the back of my Mom’s bicycle, while I sat on the back of my Father’s bicycle. Our bicycles were our primary mode of independent transportation. My grandfather was in his 80’s and still riding a “brommer,” which is a motorized bicycle, to run errands.
In America we pave large parking lots around shopping malls, so that individuals can jump out of their cars and shop in the most efficient way possible. In Amsterdam or Rotterdam large spaces are devoted to open air markets and parked bicycles can be found in abundance!

Going to the market is also a social function connecting neighbors and friends, and contributing to social interactions between the buyer and the fishmonger or cheese merchant. After all, the ritual of buying at a market is to ask about the item you wish to purchase which always leads to a little chat!

I’m struck by the difference in social interactions between the two societies.
For a great New York Times article about the Dutch and their bicycles see: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/opinion/sunday/the-dutch-way-bicycles-and-fresh-bread.html?_r=3

Santiago Station-- My New Favorite Sauvignon Blanc

I've discovered a new favorite Sauvignon Blanc-- Santiago Station! It hails from the central Valley in Chile-- and since I spent some wonderful time in January 2006 studying in the hills outside Santiago-- this is my favorite wine (for the moment)! This wine has the crisp, fruity flavor of green apples. Plus-- like the white wines from New Zealand, it comes with a screw cap so it's easier to open!

I was in the Valle central in Chile in 2006. My doctoral program held a two week study abroad trip with the intention of studying without "normal" life's distractions posed by our jobs, families, etc. We studied Maturana and Varela, and talked at length about autopoiesis. Initially we were supposed to meet with Maturana and he was to be our guest lecturer, but at the last minute his handlers refused to meet unless we paid him a huge sum of money-- which none of us, nor GWU, could afford. The course for which we all got credit was Human Existence, and I was the TA (teaching assistant). Our classroom was situated in the Chilean countryside at a retreat place remotely situated an hour outside Santiago.

It was a glorious time-- we were all doctoral students full of energy and enthusiasm that we were learning something and capable of changing the world. We were studying in a different culture, experiencing a language barrier, and learning so much more about ourselves as we listened to our professors' lectures, engaged in discussion, and started our days with peaceful meditations and yoga.

The setting was perfect-- a small "country hotel" in the foothills of the Central Valley. In our group was a married couple who had the dubious pleasure of being greeted by a scorpion crawling up the wall in their room at night! The accommodations were very simple, and the hospitality was magnificent!

We took sidetrips through Valle Central- where we got the grand tour of the new Chilean wine vineyard started with French vines. The French studied the soil and the climate of the Central Vally for 10 years before commiting to establishing vineyards there. The new vinyards are a pleasant alternative to seeing sad, barren mountains having been deforested over time.

Now- several years later some of us are still plowing through "the process"-- and even though that part of it is frustrating-- the whole experience was life-changing!

A Collaborative Peach Pie

There’s nothing quite so American as a fresh fruit pie made with locally grown fruits. Of all the fruit pies, peach is my favorite. I’ve only ever made one peach pie, and that’s when I was 8 months pregnant with my youngest child in 1988. I remember standing at the kitchen counter with a 4 year old child, a 21 month old toddler running underfoot, and a pouty 11 year old peeling peaches. We had been invited to a neighbor’s house to enjoy their pool in what was a record breaking hot summer in Michigan! Our house was one of 3 houses in the entire development of 300 houses, with air conditioning. It was so hot that summer that people were dragging their mattresses down to their screened in porches so they could sleep where it was cooler.
On one of those very hot days and so very pregnant I made my first peach pie. It was a masterpiece! It was mounded with peaches and a latticed crust. As we walked out of the house to the car I asked my 11-year old son to carry it for me since I was afraid I’d drop it because had the baby on my hip. As he walked out the door into the garage- he tripped, and there went the pie.
I haven’t made a peach pie since--- until today .

Today’s peach pie was different because my younger son, who is a great chef, and I collaborated—I peeled and sliced the peaches, and he made the pie crust. It was the most beautiful pie ever and tasted delicious!

I like to think of today’s pie making effort as practice for making a very special peach pie when my older son comes home in September. Family togetherness deserves special efforts and great food.

The Help by Stockett

I can’t believe I’ve done it again— but with a little variance. I started reading this book last winter and read the first 9 chapters in Dutch while visiting my cousin on Holland.

It’s been in the back of my mind since it was an interesting book, but I didn’t want to carry a thick book back in carry-on luggage. Now, since the movie is due out soon, I thought I’d finish it. I started it yesterday and have 2 chapters to go—so it’s been another frenzied reading marathon because I need to get back to my dissertation work as well as my work-work!!
So what can I say about The Help? I’d say that you should read it. The novel is set in Mississippi in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s—right when the Civil Rights movement was taking place. It’s the story of life as told from the African-American maids’ perspective… they tell all in how it was to work for a white family, how they endured the stings, insults, and horrible accusations hurled at them. Yet all the while, the maids raised white children and loved them as their own, helped white women manage their households, and kept family secrets.

The story centers around Skeeter, a privileged white college graduate with ambitions to become a journalist, who convinces two maids to talk to her about what it is like to serve in white families. Aibilene, a mid-fifties maid, and Minny, a maid in her twenties agree to let Skeeter meet them in Aibilene’s home during the evenings, where they talk and talk about what it is like to serve in white women’s homes. Aibiline tells her story of loving white children until they get to an age where they develop social awareness of the social differences between white and black in Southern Mississippi. Minny tells her story of the time she was accused of stealing the family silver and how her former employer made it so that she couldn’t get a job with any other family.
Tension unfolds in the beginning of the story when Skeeter serves as editor of the junior league’s newsletter and is told by Hilly, the junior league president, social influencer, and one of many sorority sisters living in this small town, that she must publish Hilly’s editorial about the need for each white family to build separate toilets for the maids. Thus Hilly is quickly set up as the story’s villain, and Minny, who used to work for Hilly, has a secret that involves a chocolate pie as revenge.
The book is coming out as a movie next week—and while I don’t like movie theatres, I think I’ll be going to see this movie.
For more details on The Help see the book reviews in the New York Times and the Washington Post:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/books/19masl.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033103552.html