December 18, 2006

From Williamsburg

A quick update from the Governor's Green Resort in Williamsburg. Sarah and I arrived here Friday evening. It's really nice; we've got a 2 bedroom condo with a giant garden tub and plenty of room for visitors. Those we have had in abundance. We reunited with our friend Cale, who is now living in DC. He and his girlfriend came down Saturday and spent the night. Sarah's sister, Leanna came into town last night with her boyfriend and are staying until Tuesday. That's a cool thing about these timeshares -- there is enough space to accomodate visitors. Another nice thing is the kitchen. We've done a lot of cooking so far, which is fun and saves us money. Although before we leave we're going to have to try out one of the 195 pancake houses here in town. I wonder which one is the best?

Posted by Nakia at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2006

There's no place like the road for the holidays

Sarah and I are about to hit the road. Well, actually, we have already hit it. I'm typing this from the car; Sarah had to stop by the office for a bit and I realized I hadn't done an entry in a few days. Wireless is pretty nice!

Today we are headed up to Willaimsburg, VA. We have a week at a timeshare courtesy of my cousin Robbie. Sarah's sister and her boyfriend are coming out from Dallas for a few days. We're headed to Charlottesville for a day. And, we just found out our old friend (and groomsman at my wedding) Cale Harfoush now lives in DC, so he's coming down to say hello. That should be lots of fun, as we haven't seen him in a couple of years. We'll be back at the end of next week, then are going to Conway for Christmas.

I plan on updating as much as I can. I'll post my end of semester reflections and trip details. I also scanned in some ultrasound pics of Baby Girl Pope to share. So updates when I can! Hope everyone is having a good holiday season!

Posted by Nakia at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)

November 05, 2006

The bright side of being an idiot

My loyal readers will remember my priase at Northwest AIrline's feature that lets you download your flight times directly to Outlook. Well, I've discovered a minor wrinkle in that feautre -- everthing is converted to your local time. This resulted in me arriving at the airport for my 10:10 AM flight and being told by the computer check in that "your flight has already departed." That's right, my flight left at 7:10. the 10:10 time in my Palm was EST. CRAP!!!!!!

I am an idiot, of course for not realizing this earlier, or even checking the paper confirmation I had printed, which clearly said 7:10. I was rebooked on the 1:10 flight, but this meant I have 4 hours to kill in the Spokane airport and won't get into Charlotte until 10:00.

In a change of pace, I am going to try and focus on the bright side of all this. I am usually a "glass is not only half empty but filled with Sulfuric Acid" kinda guy, so this is a bit of a challenge.

1. I got a very good night's sleep. The 7:10 flight would have required me to get up at 4:30 or something.
2. I just had a nice breakfast at the Ramada Spokane Airport. They have free wireless, too (hence this post).
3. I should get a lot of reading done in The World Is Flat. I may even buy a magazine.
4. I have plenty of time to grade the extra credit papers I brought with me.
5. Sarah will have time after her open house today in case someone wants to go see another house or something like that.
6. I can watch one of the movies I brought. I wasn't able to watch one on the way over because I am having some battery issues with this machine.

That's all I got. Sure, I would rather get home at 5:00 instead of 10:00 and not have all this time to kill, but I am trying to keep a good attitude about being an idiot. Being pissy will only make the day worse.

Posted by Nakia at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

November 04, 2006

On Spokane

It's my third full day in Spokane and I am getting a little tired of it. It's not bad, per se, it's just I don't see a lot happening. There is a nice downtown, with some interesting resturants, but the highlight of downtown seems to be a mall. I am all in favor of downtown redevelopment and having stuff to do downtown; it's just that there is nothing in the mall I can't really find back home. The park on the river that one has to walk through to get downtown from our hotel is also pretty nice. There's an ice skating rink and an IMAX theatre, but nothing I am going to jump into really. So while there is nothing really bad about Spokane, there's nothing really outstanding about it, either, at least from the perspective of a guy without a car. If I lived here, though, it looks like there is lots of cool outdoorsy stuff to do nearby. And there is certainly more to do than in, say, Rock Hill.

And it could just be me. This is my third conference in five weeks, so I am kinda tired of travelling. I also think I am beginning to get a little of the "nesting buzz" now that we have a baby on the way. There's lots of things to do around the house that I can't do while I am in Spokane.

Posted by Nakia at 01:01 PM | Comments (0)

November 02, 2006

Where am I? What time is it?

The "where am I" question I know the answer to -- The Red Lion Hotel in Spokane Washington. Although I did seem to have difficulty with that earlier when I was stumbling around my room in the dark, sweating because I had the heat turned up too high and looking for a glass of water.

The "what time is it" question is a bit more difficult. My computer says it's 8:41. That's a perfectly reasonable time to be up and getting some work done. My room clock, however, says it's 5:42, which is damn early. It's double-damn early considering I arrived at the hotel at about 11:00 Spokane time and wen't to bed around midnight, which is three in the morning back home. So I am working on about four hours of sleep, which I have no doubt will come to haunt me this afternoon. That's okay, however, as I can take my "conference nap."

I am here until Sunday morning for AESA. The fact that I woke up at 4:30 local time has convinced me to do my best to remain on EST. I'll try to get to bed about 9:00 or so Spokane time and if I keep getting up at 4:30, fine.

Posted by Nakia at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2006

A Day In The Airport

I am resting in my room in the Union Square Mariott, just outside of Cincinnati. I am here for the National Network for Educaional Renewal conference. Lisa Johnson and I present a paper on technology, democracy, and education on Saturday. Unfortunately, we spent all day in the Charlotte airport. Our 9:20 AM flight was pushed back, then canceled. We were reassigned to a 2:30 flight, which was pushed back, then pushed back again. We finally left about 4:45, arriving here at 6:30 or so. A shuttle to our hotel would have been $60.00, so Lisa and I rented a car instead. We got a PT Cruiser, so that was pretty cool.

Posted by Nakia at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2006

A cool feature from Northwest Airlines

I just booked my flight to Spokane for AESA using Northwest's web site (And couldn't help singing "Straight Outa Compton" while I did). A cool feature that they offer -- after you've made your reservation you can download your flight info straight into Outlook or Google Calendar. A small but very handy and cool thing. I got a flight to Spokane for $426, which was pretty good, I thought. I fly through Minneapolis, which is a nice airport.

Posted by Nakia at 09:52 AM | Comments (2)

June 27, 2006

Back again from the Big D

It seems like all we've been doing so far this summer is travelling. I love to travel, but it's starting to wear me out a little.

I returned late (later than expected) Sunday night from Dallas, where Sarah and I travelled for her father's ordination as a deacon. Growing up in Protestant chruches, I didn't realize that becoming a deacon in the Catholic church was such a big deal. Roger and Marilyn attended classes for over five years, performed many hours of community service, and generally put in a whole lot of time, effort, prayer, and thought. The ordination ceremony Saturday may have been the most moving church service I've ever attended. Held in a beautiful cathedral (The Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe), presided over by the Bishop, and attended by all the parish priests and many of the current deacons, the service was amazing. I was especially moved by the Litany of the Saints, a part of the Mass I had never heard before. The service was also accompanied by a "mini-orchestra" and was musically led by a beautiful soprano voice.

I was moved by the service and proud and humbled by Roger and Marilyn's dedication to their faith and to each other.

Posted by Nakia at 08:46 AM | Comments (2)

June 21, 2006

Ph.D. = Please Help the Deaf

During my New Orelans trip, while "talking" to John, the pastor of the deaf church we were helping out, I mentioned that I was a professor. He asked (via Jerry, the pastor of the church in Knoxville that is fluent in sign but can hear) if I had my Ph.D. I told John "yes". John then remarked that Ph.D. stood for "Please help the deaf."

I am not sure how much I accomplished while I was in New Orleans, but I certainly leared a lot about deaf culture. I learned a few signs to help me get by. (I know the ones for "bathroom" "work" "shower" "tired" "lazy" "hard" "angry" as well as a few more words and about 30% of the alphabet). I learned that "disability" is certainly a relative notion. When working with a group that is primarily deaf, I -- with my general lack of sign-language ability -- was the disabled one, not anyone who had been born without the ability to hear). I was forced to reflect on the experiential/epistemological difference between a hearing person and a deaf one. While we were at dinner one night, "Tiny Dancer" began playing on the restraunt radio. Pat, another volunteer who was able to hear, turned to me and said "Can you imagine going through life without ever having heard this song, or any song for that matter?" What does having no access to music do to your experiential framework? This is not a question of pity, but a question of philosophy. Much of the epistemology and philosophy of language I've encountered totally neglects the experience of a deaf person and their sign language. Are the rules different? How can they not be?

So thanks to all of the folks on the trip for helping me learn about deaf culture and giving me interesting food for philosophical thought. I enjoyed it!

Posted by Nakia at 09:33 AM | Comments (6)

June 15, 2006

"It's like the Old West"

Another anecdote from my New Orelans trip:

The same day as the encounter with the garbage men, I was performing my duty as an electrician's helper and son -- handing my dad the tools he needed to wire a junction box. While I was standing there, three guys come into the church fellowship hall where we're working. Since I am right inside the door, they direct a question to me: 'Hey, man, you guys got anyone doing the sheetrock work in here?"

"I don't know. It's a church and we're all just volunteers here for the week. I can go find out, though."

As I went to get the pastor, I heard the guy who had asked me about the sheetrock turn to one of his compatriots and say "gratis", as in we were doing all the work for free.

It took me a few minutes to find John and convey what was going on (he, and most of the people I tried to ask where he was, were deaf). But eventually we made our way back around to the fellowship hall. They sheetrock guys were nowhere to be found. I was puzzled, but really I was just naive. John explained to me (via interpreter) that LOTS of people will come by and say they're looking for work. While they wait for you to explain things, tell them no, or get the guy in charge, they are scoping out the job site for equipment. Later, they'll come back and steal all the stuff.

New Orleans post-hurricane makes me wonder if Hobbes was right. Deep down, we really are in a war of all against all; only a veneer of social contract keeps things from the state of nature. Home Depot keeps armed guards on site to help control crowds and prevent people from beating each other over sheets of plywood and 10 penny nails. My father's friend who lives just on the other side of the river told us how his neighbor, a guy who he knows and said hello to when they saw each other in the street, tried to steal gas cans out of his garage right after the hurricane.

Maybe misanthropy is the right attitude. I am just trying to be honest.

Posted by Nakia at 09:07 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2006

F#$% You, I Live Here

Last Thursday, two things happened that showed the nastier side of what's been going on in the Big Easy.

Thursday is trash day in the Lakeshore neighborhood where the deaf church is located. Trash pickup in New Orelans is now akin to mucking out the Augean Stables. There are piles and piles of junk everywhere, from normal household garbage to sodden clothes, to bulding waste. Picking up that stuff has to be hard. It has to suck. And it would seem to be a vital step in the rebulding effort.

I happened to be out by the curb when the trash truck rolled by on Thursday. I really wasn't sure what to do. There was a big pile of crap outside the church, with bags of trash, carpet remanents that had been pulled up, and other debris. Did I help them toss it all in the back of the truck or would I just be getting in the way? Would they even let me help? There may be insurance or union issues that would get them into trouble if I did anything. (Can you tell I overthink things?). I opted for the "stay out of the way" strategy, but commented to the first guy off the truck that I thought he had the hardest job in New Orleans.

I'm not sure if the guy heard me or not becuase he was wearing headphones. He did give me this look, though, a look that said, well, "fuck you". I can understand that, actually. No one with a job that hard and that crappy needs some punk professor telling him it's hard. He knows. I felt like an idiot for saying anything. Then I saw his shirt.

It was black. On the front was some odd symbol I can't remember and didn't recognize, along with the tag: "Fuck You, I Live Here." When he turned around to toss a bag of trash into the garbage truck, I saw the back of the shirt: "Judge Not, Lest Yea Be Judged" (from Luke 6:37). An interesting juxtaposition, but I got it. If you lived there and dealt with all the crap from day one of the whole Katrina debacle, you were tired of everyone hashing out your behavior, calling you stupid for not leaving, blaming you for looting, and now blaming you for not cleaning up fast enough. I think I "got" the shirt, but I am not sure I wholly agree with the sentiment. There are some moral issues there I really don't want to touch right now.

As I was trying to take Trash Guy #1's shirt in, Trash Guy #2 comes around the corner. He was more talkative than the first, to my consternation. The exchange went something like this:

Trash Guy: This your stuff?
Me: Um, it's the chruch's trash. I'm just here helping out.
Guy: Why you gotta pile all this carpet and shit on top of the bags? I ain't taking those bags.
(apparently the construction material or big waste was taken care of by different people.)
Me: Er, um, well, uh . . .
My dad (to my rescue): Well, we can pull the bags out from under the other stuff.
(we pull the carpet off of the bags of trash. Guy goes to get trash bags. They are heavy because they are full of random debris and stuff).
Guy: Shit, these are heavy. Fuck this.

Bags stay behind as truck moves on down the road. For all I know, they are stil sitting there.

I kept turning over that incident in my head for the rest of the day. I'm still trying to deal with it, really. On one hand, I don't know what it's like to live there, to be the guy that deals with all this crap everyday. I can understand that one would fell abandoned and powerless and the presence of all these people who are trying to help just reinforces that sense of powerlessness. On the other hand, I was kinda angry at this guy. Part of me want to say "Look, dude. I understand you have a crappy job and have been thorough the wringer. I don't know what that feels like. But I am here to help in whatever small way I can. You can be pissed at me all you want. But at least take the five minutes and the little effort to haul away a small part of the piles of trash that are lying here. Do that. 'Cause if you, who live here, don't show an interest in making things better then it's never gonna happen. Or worse, it's gonna happen and you are gonna be further marginalized and forgotten." But I just stammered, because all of this conflict welled up within me in the space of five seconds.

I'll get to the other thing that happened Thursday later.

Posted by Nakia at 09:38 AM | Comments (3)

June 05, 2006

New Orleans, Initial Impressions

I'm hanging out at PJ's coffee house in Slidell, LA. They are great because they have free wireless and good vanilla creme frozen drinks. I only have about 10 minutes before they close and am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the day, so I'll just post some random thoughts which I will elaborate on later.

-- In some parts of the city, it's hard to believe it's been nine months. There is still debris everywhere.

-- The big thing is just the sheer amount of trash and debris, piled on roadsides, in mounds in parking lots. It's almost post-apocolyptic.

-- Contribiting to the post apocolyptic feel are these spray painted messages on homes throughout the city. There are numbers, codes, and letters. There are SPCA messages like "6 dogs seen here on 10/17." It's like something out of The Stand.

-- If you want a job, move here, especially if you work in the service industry. Every place is hiring at what looks like good wages. I saw a Wendy's that said they are hiring starting at $9/hr (which is pretty good for fast food). Copelands had a big sign that advertised a $2400 signing bonus for experienced kitchen help.

-- There are maybe 75 people here from some churches in Kansas. It's like summer camp, with all these 14 and 15 year old kids running around. I don't want to disparage anyone's charity, but what can a 13 year old girl contribute to the clean up effort?

-- At what point does charity become pity? Or relief some form of voyeurism? Or travel into tourism? I'm wrestling with all of those, especially the second one. I brought the video camera and am taping stuff. But when we visited (very, very, very briefly) the 9th Ward today, people got out and immediately began taking photos. Dad remarked that, if he lived there, he would be angry at people like us, who just come over the bridge, park in the first parking lot, take some photos of the ruin (and it's just as bad as it looks on TV), and then turn around. I think I agree. I stayed in the car.

-- Right now I am also wrestling with how I am supposed to shower in a place that has 4 stalls for 80 people, only has HOT water, and has no ventillation in the shower trailer.

More tomorrow, as we return to Canal Blvd and a deaf church to rewire the altar and worship hall.

Posted by Nakia at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)

June 03, 2006

To New Orelans

Soon, I'll be driving to Knoxville. Tomorrow, my father, Andrew and I will be headed to New Oreleans. My dad's church is sending a group of about 20 people down to help rebuild and clean up a church there.

I'll admit, I am a little aprehensive about the trip. While I am excited to hang out with my dad and Andrew and glad to be able to participate in the recovery effort, I am nervous about what things will be like. A lot of folks seem to have forgotten about the area. Recovery is going slowly, by all accounts. People are not really coming back. I wonder what it will be like to enounter all of this first hand. Plus, there is some general nervousness about going, working, eating, and sleeping for a week with a bunch of people I don't really know. This sounds a little petty, given what the people of the region are going through, but I'm just being honest.

I'm taking a wireless laptop, but have no idea how internet access will be down there. I hope to post some updates during the week. If I can't get on-line, I'll be back on Sunday with some reports. I can post date them and put them up when I get back.

Posted by Nakia at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)

May 24, 2006

Jet Lag Sucks

The reason I haven't updated since we've been back from Ireland is that I've been asleep for a week. Yeah, that's it.

Seriously, it did take me several days to really recover. East-West jetlag is always worse for me than West-East. With the later, especially with an overnight flight, you can tough it out on your arrival day, stay up, go to bed at a normal hour, and be fairly adjusted by day two. Not so with the return. We left Dublin at 1:00 Dublin time and arrived back in Charlotte at about 9:00. We got home and I was in bed by 11:00. Of course, I woke up at 5:30 (10:30 Dublin time) and spent the next few days just feeling crappy. It certainly didn't help that a gang of allergies were waiting for me at my house. I thought I had ditched them by going to Ireland, but they just hung around until I got back, then forcably kicked my ass Thursday and Friday. I think I've got them under control now.

Not sure why the East-West adjustment is so much harder than the West-East, but it is for me. I can't imagine what I'f feel like if I had to fly to China or somewhere in the Pacific. I felt bad enough when I was in San Francisco last year.

I've still got some stuff to write about Ireland -- a summary of our last couple of days there, some general reflections and juxtapositions, and an idea for a paper on travel, tourism, and education (or something). Those all should be forthcoming.

(almost finished with Cryptonomicon, btw. Good stuff!)

Posted by Nakia at 10:15 AM | Comments (8)

May 15, 2006

Mr. Dubalina, Mr. Bob Dubalina

Whew! A busy day hiting the major sites of Dublin. We tried to get an early start, but I messed up our wake up call (which turns on the TV automatically like some Poltergeist film), but we still made it out by 9:30. It was rainy and dreary. Our first stop was the Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells. We were worried about crowds, but arrived at a good time and were able to get right in. The exhibit was well done. We learned a lot about early Irish Christianity, illuminated manuscripts, and Christian symbolism. The book itself was beautiful, even if you only got to see one page.

Then there was the Long Room of the Library, which deserves its own entry. Wow.

We dropped off some postcards at the postoffice, then went to Dublin Castle. The castle has been swallowed up by the surrounding city, so you couldn't see much of the castle itself. Part of the castle has been turned into Chester Beatty Library. We spent some time examining the collection of manuscripts, including a papyrus copy of the Gospels from 250 AD.

We had lunch at Leo Burdock Fish and Chips, which is desrevedly famous.

Then, we hiked to the Guinness Storehouse. Sarah was really excited! The exhibit was pretty interesting, with cool stuff about the making of Guinness and it's advertising. The view of Dublin from the Gravity Bar at the top was wonderful -- the weather had cleared up just in time.

Posted by Nakia at 12:57 PM | Comments (7)

Causeway Photo

The Giant's Causeway -- we were there last Wednesday.

Posted by Nakia at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2006

Ireland Trip -- The Cider Goes Right to Your Head

Our first night out in Dublin was a pretty quiet affair. We walked down Grafton steeet to scope out some shopping for Sarah. Then, we swung through Temple Bar to see what was happening and try to find someplace for our nice dinner out (which we'll have tomorrow or Tuesday). We also found a couple of places where I could get a hot towell shave; I've always wanted one of those, but have yet to find a place in the states. We dropped into Ricks Hamburgers for dinner, because I was craving a burger. We couldn't decide if that was a tourist place or not; it was kind of a dive, had Pepsi, and called fries "fries" instead of chips. We decicded it was an attempt at an American burger joint that only partially succeded. We then stopped by the Stags Head for a pint.

A few nights ago, in Kinsale, I tried a Bulmer's Cider. It makes Woodchuck taste like cow urine and is stronger than beer. I really like the stuff, but even a pint makes my head feel a little funny. I was worried that it was a girly drink, but I've seen plenty of guys drinking it. I have to find some to take back with me.

At the Stags Head, Sarah had her nightly Guiness and I ordered a pint of Bulmers. As soon as we got our drinks, a group of rowdy guys mobbed the bar and one of them ordered a pint bottle of Bulmers and ice. I asked him if it was better that way; he promptly poured his glass and let me try it over ice. He then ordered me to try the next one over ice. Those guys got thrown out of the bar about 15 minutes later. They weren't picking fights or stumbling about -- they were just being loud. Apparently, these Dublin bartenders (especially at the nicer pubs) take no crap. But the Bulmers over ice was pretty good.

Also, the pint glasses over here have these numbers on them, one over the other: 164/05. I asked the bartender what they meant. Apparently, the top number is the batch number and the bottom number is the year it was made. The bartender explained that all real pint glasses carry these numbers because they are certified as true pints by the government. Glasses without numbers are illegal. Talk about taking your drinking seriously.

Okay, it's bed time. Big day in Dublin tomorrow.

Posted by Nakia at 05:53 PM | Comments (2)

May 11, 2006

St. Patrick Photo

Statue of St. Patrick at the Hill of Tara

Posted by Nakia at 01:29 PM | Comments (1)

May 10, 2006

Ireland -- from Letterkenny

Greetings from Letterkenny! We're at a cybercafe in this northern college town, so no photos yet. We'll have to find a spot with wireless next time. We drove here today from Carlingford via the Giant's Causeway, which was spectacular. Sarah and I spent a few hours there today, marvelling at the rocks, ocean, and general scenery. We could even see Scotland! The weather has been wonderful so far, with sunny skies all day. Our route from the Causeway took us through Portrush, Portstewart, and Coleraine, all in Northern Ireland.

Last night we stayed in Carlingford, a great little town right on the water. It had a ruined castle, a ruined priory, and a nice little pizza place (intact). Our hostess, Wendy, was great -- she's the one that persuaded us to see the Causeway instead of returning south.

Yesterday we arrived with little incident in Dublin, tired but ready to go after a good face wash and teeth brushing in the airport bathroom. We were offered an upgrade to an automatic transmission for only 10 euros/day more and gladly took it. Smart move, as the driving is harrowing enough without having to worry about shifting. I still got raped by the car rental people though, as the on-line price didn't include lots of things that, had I argued, I probably could have gotten out of. But who has the presence of mind to argue after 12 hours of travel?

Despite our fatigue, yesterday we did see the Hill of Tara, the Hill of Slane, Slane Castle (sight of the "Unforgettable Fire" video and other big concerts), and Monasterboice ruins. The later was full of Celtic High Crosses and very cool.

Tomorrow, we have a lot of driving, as we're headed back to Dublin to pick up Harper, then down to KIlkenny. After that, we're staying for two nights in Kinsale.

Hopefully, photos next time!

Posted by Nakia at 03:25 PM | Comments (2)

May 08, 2006

Ireland Trip: Leaving

The tickets finally came on Saturday, so that drama is over. I may have an ulcer now, which I blame wholly on Expedia. Just to remind you -- Don't Use Expedia Ever!

Now, the bags are 90% packed. Sarah has a meeting this morning with a real estate broker to talk about a job, but other than that, we're just hanging out until our ride to the airport comes at 11:30. We have a 2:00 flight to Boston, then on to the emerald isle.

We're taking the laptop, so plans are to update the blog from the road (hopefully with photos). Keep checking back to see what we're up to!

(Travel book is Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Been wanting to read that for awhile.)

Just added: Checked the news in Ireland. This is what I have to look forward to?

Posted by Nakia at 07:41 AM | Comments (4)