Waiting

Christmas is the season of anticipation, whatever your persuasion. You could be cranky, like Garrison Keillor, railing against Unitarians and Jews as killers of Christmas, but still looking forward to singing the old carols. You could be beside yourself with anticipation, like a six year old who still clings to Santa Claus as the bringer of all good things. You could be old and disinclined to celebrate, but awaiting a visit from your son and his wonderful wife on Christmas Day. You could be a secular Jew who looks forward to the eggnog and fireplace and celebratory atmosphere. You could be a homeless person who hopes to find a good meal for a change at the Union Gospel Mission.

Or you could be me, waiting for Joe College to return safely from India so that we can all decorate the tree, fight about the distribution of the ornaments, and fulfill the old family tradition of going to the movies on Christmas day. Can't wait.

Pie pumpkin

OLGS and I share a membership in a CSA farm. We get a huge bag of veggies every week. The last couple of deliveries have included small pumpkins. Last year I used all the pumpkins for decoration, including the one labeled "pie pumpkin". This year, because Kevin, our Chinese students, said he loves pumpkin pie (and I don't think my cooking always hits the mark, although he is too polite to say so), I resolved to use the pie pumpkin.

A revelation--it's not that hard. Just cut the pumpkin up, take out the guts, and steam it for a while. Then peel off the shell. It is sweet, rich and flavorful and tastes nothing like an insipid butternut squash or something else along those lines. I can see why it's called pie pumpkin.

Never again will I use a pie pumpkin for a jack o lantern. Sometimes you just have to learn from your mistakes.

And then we can have pie for breakfast.

Fall update at domtran

So many things going on, and I save them up for publication on Domtran rather than posting them as they occur on Facebook, like many of my pals. I guess I'm old fashioned.

Anyway, here are the current matters that contribute to domestic tranquility here in the city of lakes (aka Mineapolis):

-Joe College is having a great time in India. See photo.
-Household cats hate each other. See Mitzi's Journal.
-Love being back at Findlaw. Former colleagues think I'm nuts.
-Chinese student, Kevin, scored high on his TOEFL test. Today: SATs. He wants to go to NYU. When asked why, he responded, "I can't get into Columbia." Of course, I couldn't get in now, either. Weren't the 70s wonderful?
-Ceramic tile installed in kitchen. Looks gorgeous. Now we'll have to fix everything else to match.
-The First Snow. Looks lovely. However, one has to wonder why anyone lives here.
-Gophers playing down the street. Parking now impossible on our street on game days. Much anguish and chit-chat on the neighborhood listserv. And we can hear the play-by-play even with the windows closed, so no need to shell out $100 for a ticket.

Family resemblance

OLGS's cousin Herb came to visit. Herb has the energy of a man half his age, and he's 74 next birthday. He was full of sage advice about academic careers, law school admissions and much more. He knows everyone in the academy and has great stories.

He doesn't look much like OLGS--after all, they are only second cousins. Herb is short and voluble and has a thick head of white hair. OLGS, in contrast is way over 6 feet and quiet and has almost no hair. But as they sat at the kitchen table plotting career moves, there was a fleeting moment when they looked like brothers. Funny how that works.

Back to school

It's that time again. No more vacation, no more lounging around on the patio, no more lying in bed until hunger calls. It's back to school. Even for those of us not on the academic calendar, this seems like the time for change. So I up and quit my job at Globe University and am heading back to the lawyers at Findlaw. Many reasons to do this, but the most important one: it's a better fit for me. The cynicism and manipulation of the law match my personality better than the earnestness of Globe. I feel like I've been sitting on my hands, or in this case biting my tongue, for many months. Let's see how long I last this time.

I feel incredibly fortunate that I have a choice and can afford to indulge myself. Few people in this economy get that opportunity. In other news, Joe College grad went back to teaching first grade, this time in Minneapolis, Joe College starts school in India, and Joe High School Grad starts his career as a gopher at the U of M. And OLGS begins his 27th year of teaching undergraduates. I feel like the odd person out--the only person in the family not seeking or providing mental and spiritual improvement. Oh, well. Someone around here has to work.

From "Kek Duna" to "Father of the Waters"

by OLGS, guest blogger.

DomTran and I are safely returned to Minnesota after a long day's travel. I am proud to say that I managed, in Hungarian, to convince our taxi driver that he had taken us to the wrong airport and that he had to take us to the correct one if we wished to make our flight to Amsterdam and there make connections to Minneapolis. The mystery was why the hotel staff at the very elegant "Lanchid19" hotel told the driver the wrong airport, "Ferihegy 1."

DomTran was dubious about my insistence that the driver had made a mistake, but felt a bit relieved when we left the pre-war Ferihegy 1 (pictured above) and saw the new jetport at the second one, Ferihegy 2, pictured below.




In one day, we left the "Kek Duna" (Blue Danube) for what President Lincoln called "the Father of the Waters" when referring to the Mississippi River. We are glad to be home after a memorable vacation.

Budapest sightseeing

by OLGS, guest blogger.

We are staying at the Lanchid Hotel, right next to the Chain Bridge across the Danube,and center stage for the Thursday night fireworks celebrating St. Istvan Day. The fireworks were sensational and the crowd or a million people or more on both the Buda and Pest sides of the river were appreciative.

Yesterday (Friday), Domtran and I did a tour of the city and had a leisurely dinner at a Buda sidewalk cafe. Today we plan to visit more sites, before returning to the U.S. tomorrow (Sunday the 23rd).

Bratislava...Adventures at the *Hotel Kjyiev*

by OLGS, guest blogger.




DomTran and I left Vienna Sudbahnhof on the 14:28 for Bratislava. We arrived right on time less than hour later. The trip reminded us of the commuter train from South Station Boston to Worcester, but a little shorter in distance and duration. We took a taxi to our hotel, the "Kiev," which I booked for us on the Internet. DomTran and I knew that the hotel was an old, unrefurbished 1970s communist hotel; we had also read quite a few reviews, most of which noted the shabby carpets and fixtures, but some praising the good breakfast, included with the room.


The "Kiev" is old-fashioned in giving guests a key rather than a card for locking and unlocking the door. The key (shown against the doorlock) weighs about a pound or two and it makes sense to deposit it at the front desk when out and about. Our main critique of the "Kiev" is that only one of the two ancient elevators was in service and as we stayed on a high floor (# 14), we had some lengthy waits. The view, shown at the top, is quite lovely of a European capital that relatively few Americans visit.



By the way, DomTran took care that we always knew the whereabouts of the key. Guests at the "Kiev" are warned of the many possible fines that await them for abuse of property at the hotel. A lost key costs 50 Euros. We were also careful not to vomit in the bathroom, bedroom, or indeed anywhere in the hotel because of the steep fine schedule (see below).






DomTran and I are in Budapest tonight for the Hungarian National Day celebrating St. Istvan and the establishment of the old Hungarian kingdom in the Carpathian basin. We had quite a full afternoon, but must leave now for the Danube-side fireworks. Details tomorrow.

Nein Bruno; more Jugendstihl; from True Maria to Red Vienna

by OLGS, guest blogger.

Well, we did not make it to the late show of "Bruno" the other night. But yesterday (Tuesday) morning, we did set out for the Secession building and saw the 1902 Klimt frieze honoring Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Here's how the *Guardian* arts reporter described it when it was on tour in Liverpool last year. We also liked the sculpture of Marc Antony outside the Secession building, pictured above.

In the afternoon, we explored our neighborhood around the hotel and discovered the Maria Treu church from the mid-18th century.





It rivals KarlsKirche in Baroque gold-leaf and other features. Outside the church is one of the many "plague columns" as a thanksgiving to mark the end of an epidemic, this one the deadly 1713 outbreak. DomTran seems healthy aside the plague column.






Finally, in the evening, we went off to explore one of the "Red Vienna" neighborhoods, built by the Social Democrats in the 1920s. Here is a photo of your correspondent at EngelsPlatz.







This afternoon, we leave Austria for Slovakia. Bratislava is only 35 miles away, where we will post later tonight or tomorrow.

A visit to the Leopold Museum

by OLGS, guest blogger.

It is hot in Vienna today. DomTran and I spent as much of the day as possible out of the heat in the air-conditioned galleries of the Leopold Museum, located in the Museum Quarter, near the old Hofburg Palace grounds. I mistakenly thought the museum was named for some Leopold Hapsburg king or prince or other, but instead, it is named for a Dr. Leopold, a Vienna eye-doctor who collected 20th century Austrian Art. The permanent collection is especially strong in the work of the impressionist painter Egon Schiele. His works in his early 20s, between 1910 and 1914, included a number of haunting self-portraits, including the one above. He died of the Spanish flu in 1918, just a few days after his wife (and model) died of the same epidemic. His last act as an artist was to sketch a portait of his wife as she lay dying. His last act as a human being was to ask a photographer friend to take his portrait as he expired. That's it below, the artist dead at just age 28.






A more cheery traveling exhibit is some Jugendstihl works by the artist Josef Maria Auchentaller. He was Austrian-born but moved to Munich in the 1890s to join the "Jugend" magazine group. He returned to Vienna and joined the "Secession" group and helped edit their magazine. He and his wife took up another line of work, hotel-keeping, on the Adriatic coast after 1904 and the poster shown below literally promoted his family business. He and his wife Emma were chased out of Italy after that country and Austria-Hungary went to war in 1915, but after the peace, they returned to the Italian coast and resumed their hotel business until World War II. He died in his bed, unphotographed, at age 84.




Tonight, we plan to go see "Bruno" the film, thinking we might as well see it for its Vienna scenes and listen for how the locals react. Details tomorrow.

Sight-seeing in Vienna

by OLGS, guest blogger.

DomTran and I did a thorough bus tour of Vienna yesterday. Actually, we did three bus tours for one price: the first was of the 19th century Ringstrasse, the second of the Prater (think *Third Man*--Ferris Wheel scene) and the Danube; and the last tour was of the Hapsburg summer palace, Schonbrunn. We also strolled from the Opera to St. Stephan's Platz and had tortes and iced drinks at "Cafe Mozart" near the Opera. That's DomTran pondering the many choices on the summer menu at "Cafe Mozart." Very appropriate for a hot day in Vienna.

Mozart Requiem at Karlskirche

by OLGS, guest blogger.

DomTran arrived safely in Vienna yesterday afternoon, and after a short nap, we set off for a night of music at the Karlskirche. The program was Mozart's *Requiem* and we enjoyed the music and the setting. Charles VI had the church built after a plague in 1713 and spared no expense, judging by the amount of gold leaf widely applied. The top photo is of the altar and high backdrop. The bottom photo is of the ceiling, some fifty meters high.

Next stop Vienna... for DomTran and OLGS

by OLGS, guest blogger.

I complete my four weeks of language class at the U. of Debrecen tomorrow, Friday the 14th, and immediately set off for Vienna (Bécsi in Hungarian) to meet Domestic Tranquility herself. We plan a leisurely trip along the Danube with five days in Vienna, one in Bratislava, and four in Budapest, before returning to the Twin Cities.

The laptop is fixed, sort of, so we will be able to blog together, and just in time to celebrate the Haydn bicentennial in Vienna.

A Bécsi következő (next stop, Vienna).

They come back

Although OLGS is enjoying the fleshpots of eastern Hungary, our house does not lack for summer camp elements right here in ol' Minneapolis. There's Joe College grad, who says he has a housesitting gig, and Joe College, who is supposed to be leaving for India in three weeks, and Joe High School grad, who starts at the U of M shortly and is engaged with his parents in a lengthy discussion of dorm vs. apartment. The fact that both parents have nixed the apartment idea means little to him. He keeps trying. His persistence speaks well -- he will probably go far, but not into an apartment right now.

Light blogging until I go to "MediaMarkt"

by OLGS, guest blogger.

My laptop computer is not accepting a charge from the electrical adapter. For whatever reason, the laptop refuses to recognize the adapter (original equipment) as a genuine Dell product.

So I will have to go to MediaMarkt and see if someone there can help fix the problem. Until then, I will only blog irregularly...

A day trip to Oradea, Romania (formerly Hungarian “Nagyvarad”)

by OLGS, guest blogger.



The diakok (students) of the Debrecen Summer Institute boarded two buses early Saturday morning. Destination: the Romania border city of Oradea, or in Hungarian, “Nagyvarad” (aka Great Castle). Oradea is about 35 miles east of Debrecen, but there is still a border checkpoint and non-EU visitors, such as your correspondent, must show a passport. It’s even more of a hassle to return to Hungary from Romania, as the Hungarian border guards search some vehicles for contraband cigarettes. It took up an hour each direction to cross the frontier. The accompanying photo shows the line, about half-way through our wait. If/when Romania becomes a full member of the EU, the border control will be disestablished.





There are remains of a large castle built in the 13th century *after* Genkhiz Khan and his soldiers sacked the city, not that such a fortress would have stopped the Great Khan. The castle was rebuilt in the 16th century against the Turks, again unsuccessfully as the Sultan occupied the city from 1660 to 1693. The Hapsburgs built a third castle on the same site in the mid-18th century, presumably against the Russians, but maybe still the Turks. Anyway, the surviving barracks are now largely empty except, oddly, the Department of Art & Design at the University of Oradea takes up one building. The large windows probably make for good studio space.



The glory of the city is its judgendstihl/art nouveau architecture.



Some of the work rivals what I saw in Prague last year on UWEC’s Central European Travel Seminar. Some of the buildings are also in terrible condition. We asked our guides why this was as we walked around the city. Their answer, as best as I understood it, was that the Romanians were too incompetent to realize the development potential of the city to international tourism. We heard the same refrain from the Hungarian representatives to the City Council. They greeted us at City Hall and talked at some length about their minority status. Too bad most of the students tuned out, due to the heat, fatigue, or hang-overs from the previous night’s “buli."



My personal favorite building was not art nouveau, but rather a simple late 18th century church known as the “Moon Church.” The steeple has a gizmo (not the technical name) that rotates to show the phase of the moon. I checked that night and the gizmo, made in 1795, is still accurate.

Travel weekend; photos forthcoming

by OLGS, guest blogger.

I went traveling over the weekend to former Hungarian cities, one in Romania just over the border, and one in Slovakia, just over the border. Both have wonderful late Hapsburg art nouveau/jugenstihl/secessionist architecture. I'll make a longer post when I have time to organize my photos, but now I must prepare for language class. Rather: Prepare for language class ! (as we are studying the imperative today).

Tamás Vásáry and the "Zoltán Kodály World Youth Orchestra" play Debrecen

by OLGS, guest blogger.

Tonight, the University of Debrecen and the City of Debrecen and the Ministry of Culture hosted conductor Tamás Vásáry and a student group he founded called the "Zoltán Kodály World Youth Orchestra," in honor of an earlier Hungarian composer. Here is Tamás Vásáry's home page.

The students met their conductor twelve days ago and planned a program of two Kodály pieces, one an excerpt from an opera "Háry János" that includes a folk song taught to Magyar language students in the summer program. Very timely.

Next, the conductor escorted to the stage the pianist Tamás Erdi to play the Ferenc/Franz Liszt "A-dur zongoraverseny." At this point in my report to readers of *Domestic Tranquility* I have to note that at Hungarian concerts, no printed progams are distributed. Instead, somebody gives a mini-lecture at the beginning and announces the pieces to be performed, so I might well have gotten it wrong and it was actually Liszt's Sonata in B Minor. Mr. Erdi has made a recording of this piece, available on the "Hungaraton" label, but unfortunately, not available in the U.S.



After intermission, the youth orchestra played the "Csajkovszkij" (English: Tchaikovsky) Fifth Symphony. I expect that maestro Vásáry has conducted this piece numerous times, but he put such energy into his conducting and brought such a response from the student musicians that the large audience applauded and applauded for ten minutes until finally the orchestra played an encore, fittingly, of one of Brahams's "Hungarian Dances."

Quite a night for Debrecen to honor its most famous living artist.

Magyar Film Klub, Part II: "Merry-Go-Round" 1956

by OLGS, guest blogger.

Last night, the Magyar Film Klub screened a 1956 movie, "Körhinta" ("Merry-Go-Round"). The Internet Movie Database has a short summary.

The film is set in the fall and winter of 1953-54, somewhere in the Hortobagy countryside near Debrecen. The opening scene took place in the fall, harvest carnival time in Debrecen, although I could not recognize the locale.

The Hungarians are very proud that "Körhinta" took second place at Cannes in 1956, although I must say that the film has not worn nearly as well as last week's "Somewhere in Europe." Our student group laughed aloud at the klunky Romeo-and-Juliet storyline. Also, rather than swoon at the leading man, Imre Soós, our crowd hooted when, lovelorn, he knit his forehead and his eyebrows overlapped! One interesting detail: the Juliet character, played by the actress Mari Töröcsik, has a family surname in the film of "Pataki." I never made the connection between that surname and the former governor of New York.

Update: new photos from new camera

by OLGS, guest blogger.

Well, the new Nikon "CoolPix" digital camera from MediaMarkt is easy to use. I'm posting the first photos I snapped, taken of the "Furdo Strand" today. I particularly like the smashed-in window over the letter "H" on the big sign. It's where the docent/security guard assigned me for my changing space yesterday.

It's almost 5:00 p.m. in Debrecen, "Akcio" (sale or discount) time, so I've convinced several of my classmates to go for an afternoon swim.

Visszontlatasra!

A swim at the Strand

by OLGS, guest blogger

One tram stop away from the University of Debrecen is a group of run-down thermal "furdok" (bath spas). The one most popular with the students is the "Strand" which has a forbidding concrete exterior. The photo, taken from the spa's website in winter, incredibly, makes it seem warm and inviting, compared to its actual shabby fortress-like appearance. With my new camera, purchased at MediaMarkt, I will take a picture of the Strand on a future update to this post.

The Strand shows the same suspicion of people that seems endemic in post-Communist Central Europe, that is, people will try to take advantage of you if you are not careful. Exhibit "A" is the ticket sales. The Strand has a very good deal with reduced admission of 500 forints ($2.50) after 5:00 p.m. until closing at 8:00 p.m. The ticket booth is in bullet-proof glass with one of the ubiquitous non-functional microphones to communicate (or shout through the glass)with the bored ticket-seller inside. Upon payment of 500 forints, the ticket recipient walks five meters to the entrance and has the ticket checked by the next official. The Strand can't be too careful about people who might want to bypass the ticket booth! The same mentality is even evident at the University: a diner at the college cafeteria has to present a ticket to a student monitor. Otherwise, who knows? Any bum off the street might come in and dine on cafeteria food.

Back to the Strand-- once inside, I found three pools outside: the thermal pool, very warm at 99 degrees F; a kiddie pool with a rickety-looking waterslide; and the "Aquaticum" which was a wonderful, clean, low-chlorine pool, half-roped for laps and half open. I entered the Aquaticum and began my laps, thinking I would swim ten laps, the same as the former Joe High School swam competitively for Minneapolis South High. On my eighth of ten laps, an official shouted something at me in Magyar. To my delight, and his, I actually understood it: move to the right-hand lane, the open part on the other side of the pool. Got it, did it. Then after I finished my laps, I realized that the Debrecen "Orkakok" (Orcas) were training set aside for lap-swimming.

I resolve to go purchase some goggles this afternoon and visit the Strand again.

A visit to a palinka factory

by OLGS, guest blogger.

The Debrecen summer program took an overnight weekend excursion. Three buses full of students set out early Saturday morning for Kceskemet, a country town southwest of Debrecen and southeast of Budapest. We visited three folk-art museums, but the highlight for most students was a Saturday night visit to the Zwack family distillery, makers for more than a century of "Barack" palinka. No, the family did not anticipate the election of an American president by that name. "Barack" means "apricot" in Hungarian and the Zwacks annually turn out thousands of gallons of apricot brandy.

Sunday was a long day, with a side-trip to Budapest and an evening stop at a winery in the "Bulls Blood" region on the way back. The alcohol-soaked theme continues tonight with a Debrecen-region palinka tasting, but I have too much homework, so I will hit the books, not the bottle.

Alas, my old Kodak digital camera went kaput just a few photos into the trip. I'll continue blog-posting but without my own photos.

A visit to the Nagy Templom

by OLGS, guest blogger.

I went with my classmates to view the inside of the main Calvinist church, the "Nagy Templom" or literally the Great Church. Inside, it very spare. The walls are whitewashed and the windows are plain. Above the Isten Asztal ("Lord's Table" or altar) there is some beautifully carved wood for the pulpit and also for the organ loft. However, there is no crucifix or other religious display to distract the worshipper from making a direct connection to God. Very impressive and very Reform, unlike, say, St. Giles in Edinburgh which was very Presbyterian but not very reformed, at least when we visited in 2006.

Magyar Film Club: "Somewhere in Europe"

by OLGS, guest blogger.

Last night, the Debrecen Summer Program sponsored the "Magyar Film Club" and showed a 1947 film, *Valahol Europaban* ("Somewhere in Europe). There is a nice review at www.moviehabt.com. I was charmed by the film, especially the 25 orphan children who played their own lives as actors. I also was pleased how much of the Hungarian I could understand, with the help of the English sub-titles for context.

The only drawback was the late start. The Magyar Film Club did not schedule the screening until 10:00 p.m., and even then, the film was preceded by a 40-minute introduction-lecture by the MFC host. We did not finish watching the film until about 12:30 a.m., and I am dragging a bit in language class this morning.

Update on Kalvin Janos's 500th birthday

by OLGS, guest blogger.

The Magyar Post Office has issued a stamp honoring Calvin's anniversary. The artist seems to have captured the subject's uncertainty about the fate of humanity as determined, make that pre-destined, by an almighty God. See for yourself. It only costs 200 forints (about one dollar).

Rain--just in time

It finally rained in Minneapolis. Our water deficit in the City of Lakes is many inches for the year. The lawn kicks up a dust cloud when the lawnmower is foolishly applied to it.

The nice folks at the U of M have mapped the drought and show it hovering around the Twin Cities. Fortunately some of the major agricultural sections of the state are only "abnormally dry", whereas here in the Land of 10,000 swamps, we are in a "severe" drought. Gotta love that scientific lingo.

Kalvin Janos, born 500 years ago

by OLGS, guest blogger:

In the United States, the big anniversary this year is the birth of Abraham Lincoln, 200 years ago in 1809. Elsewhere, and some places in the U.S., people are celebrating the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth. In Debrecen, known for many centuries as "The Calvinist Rome," this year marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of "Kalvin Janos," or John Calvin.

There is a big exhibit on Calvin's life and writing at the Reform (Calvinist) seminary, located just off Calvin Square. It is amazing to think about the speed with which ideas traveled across Europe during the Protestant Reformation, thanks to the printing press and to travelers carrying texts and letters. By 1538, the reform seminary was established in Debrecen, just two years after Calvin published his main critique of the established church. I only had time yesterday to glance at the exhibit and resolve to return to the Reform Seminary Library to study it in more depth, this time with my Hungarian-English dictionary in hand so I can better translate the labels.

First day of Language Classes

First Day of Language Classes
by OLGS, guest blogger


I awoke to good news in learning my placement in the Debrecen Summer School: I am in Level 13 (out of 23), quite a promotion from last summer when I placed in Level 5. My class is small, consisting of eight students. We are quite a mix: Rolph of the Netherlands, Norbert of Poland, Sarah and Camille, both of France, Fabiana of Italy, Tibor of England, and Robin, once of Campbelltown, Kintyre, Scotland, but now of Perth Australia. We meet for language class for three 90-minute sessions each day. Today's classes were review and grammar drill. The language is quickly coming back to me. We have a morning teacher, Rita (pronounced the English way), and an afternoon teacher, Kati (pronounced as a crow would say: "Caw-Tee"), who divide the teaching between them. Last year, I had a single teacher, Dr. Csaba for all the classes, but I learned today that is unusual. Kati declared herself today as "kegyetlen" which I think means she is the mean grammar policewoman, while Rita gets to do the fun things in the morning.

Tonight, the University Rector hosted a reception for us in the courtyard of the main academic building. Very good food, lots to drink, and a pop group that covered Michael Jackson songs.

Return to Hungarian Language Camp
by OLGS, guest blogger

Hello, loyal readers of "Domestic Tranquility":

DomTran has graciously allowed me to write guest posts to the blog as I am once again taking the Hungarian language course at the University of Debrecen.

I arrived yesterday afternoon after a long journey from Minnesota, with stops in Newark, Milan, and Budapest, before reaching the university campus.

This morning, I took my written and oral language placement test. The written part was difficult, despite my cramming on the planes and trains en route to Debrecen. I recalled the conjugations of the three key verbs in Hungarian ("van" "megy" and "jon") ok and most of the directional suffixes (e.g., Minneapolis-*from* go I Newark-*to* go I, Newark-*from* go I Milan-*to*...and so forth), but half-way through the test, I realized that I was being asked about the conditional tense. Wait a minute, I thought, last summer we barely covered the future and past tenses, never mind the conditional. The examiner who reviewed my test gently comforted me on my overall low score. I learn tomorrow morning my placement and meet my fellow students.

Rain, rain

Apparently my grandfather frequently commented on the tendency of Washington County, Maine, to be foggy, rainy and generally unpleasant, if you want to go to the beach. And it is all those things, as our recent week spent on Kenebec Bay proved. But you really don't want to go to the beach in Washington County. The water temp is generally in the low to mid 60s, so who really cares about the beach?

Roque Bluffs State Park is still one of the loveliest beaches, whether or not you go in the water. OLGS did for about 30 seconds.

One afternoon, when it looked as the the fog might burn off, we went for a quick walk. When we arrived, it was impossible to see more than 50 feet off shore. Within five minutes, the fog lifted, and all the little islands appeared. Then the fog returned.

As we were picking our way down the beach, a girl with a clipboard and a lanyard appeared out of the murk. She was taking a survey about why we visited Roque Bluffs, where we came from and how long we were staying. When I suggested that she had the best summer job in the world, she waved her hand toward the fog and admitted that it was not alway glorious. But she appreciated our Minnesota nice ways--apparently not all visitors to the beach welcome her questions.

Joe High School Changes His Name

Another--and my last--South High graduation. South High has been part of this family's life since 1997. No more. A new era begins. He is no longer Joe high School.

It was a well choreographed event, and a good thing that was, as another school--Edison High--was waiting to get in exactly two hours after for their own festivities. And the precision was despite the inevitable disasters. The class treasurer fainted. The honor song drum didn't show up on time. The principal neglected to introduce the superintendent. None of this took away from the charm of the event. The Pop Singers, an excellent acappella group, sang. The band/orchestra, in which Joe College played four years ago, was probably great, but we couldn't hear them because there were no mikes.

And Joe HS, who had wanted to skip commencement, seemed to be glad he attended. I sure was. But, predictably, he neglected to pick up his cap and grown on time, so did not have the fancy hood for honors grads. Oh well--it's the diploma that counts.

Who's the killer?

News reports say that many anti-abortion groups are backing away from the murder of Dr. Tiller, the abortion provider in Wichita who was gunned down in church. If you're in the anti camp, it makes a lot of sense to back away. The shots fired in the culture wars are becoming less frequent -- people become weary of battle, even those who are the most fervent fighters. And the actions of a crazy like Scott Roeder only reduce the credibility of the anti-abortion movement even further.

Still--there are those who are saying that Dr. Tiller brought it on himself by providing late-term abortions. They are getting attention because of the journalism-school mentality that asserts that there are always two sides to an issue. And there may be, but why give credibility to the kooks by suggesting that their hysteria is on a par with a reasoned complex opposition to abortion? This is like saying that Africans enslaved themselves or that people with aids deserved their fate. You get the analogy.

And has anyone noticed the irony that this devil incarnate was gunned down in church? Guess I'm behind in my study of church history. Last I checked, Lutherans were not devil worshippers. That in itself should give the yahoos pause--Christianity is not incompatable with being an abortion provider. As I recall, Jesus was particularly interested in inviting those whom society had rejected into his circle--money lenders, prostitutes, etc. Wonder what he'd say about abortion providers.

Enough irony. Where's the outrage? Muslims shooting, immigrants demanding rights--folks get mad and everyone thinks they are justified in doing something silly and violent. Respectable church going doctors getting gunned down in church? The anger is surprisingly muted, to say the least. It's as if people are not sure where they should stand on this and don't want to draw attention to themselves and their side of the argument by having the wrong opinion--so they have none.

And it's a cliche--but why are most of the anti-abortion leaders, spokespersons and shooters men? It can't have anything to do with the cracks in the facade of patriarchy, could it? Nah...

Our nation's capital

Another trip, this time to Washington DC for a family event. The event was lovely, but we had time to do a little touristy stuff as well, so we demanded a ride to museum row, aka the Mall. We were dropped off in front of the Smithsonian castle, which is adjacent to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art. The Sackler is an underground museum, with a stunning selection of Asian art on permament exhibition. A temporary display featured gifts to the Russian empire from Iran and Turkey. If you have a yen to see lots of emeralds, rubies, and tapestries woven from silver and gold thread, take a trip to the Sackler before September, when the exhibit ends. The Freer is a more traditional building and houses a much larger and diverse collection from all parts of Asia.

These museums are free--and there's not even a donation jar or a exhortation to pay something--even $.10, as one of the Joes did when he went to the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Operating these institutions (the collections were almost all donated, but operations are underwritten in part by the government) is one of the best uses of your tax dollars I can think of.

There's a vacancy

Joe High School will become, like his older brother, a Gopher. The University of Minnesota, accepting him before Christmas, is his destination next fall. His other picks were either too much of a stretch (ie, he didn't get in), or a fleeting fancy (ie, he couldn't remember why he applied). The U of M, being right down the street and a place where he has already taken classes and worked, makes sense. However, I do wish he had had more real choices. Staying at home, even if you live in a dorm, can make you feel as if there's not much urgency to the matter. We'll see how it goes.

College Crap Shoot

College admissions time is here. Joe High School has been admitted to two, turned down by one and waitlisted by one. One of the two admissions he doesn't want and has already turned them down. He applied to six places, so he's waiting for the last two. It's an odd process, and I'm glad that this is the last time I'll have to watch it unfold.

One of the remaining institutions, to deter over-eager students, announces in very large letters on its admissions website: "We will be sending out letters on April 1." In other words, don't call us, we'll call you.

The italian model

Joe College Grad just got a new job -- if all goes well, he will be teaching first grade next year in a Minneapolis charter school. It means a significant pay cut for him -- 50% at least. And he leaves la-la land for the sub-arctic climate of the Northstar state. Joe is really excited, despite the forthcoming change in his financial and environmental circumstances. It's nice to be wanted. They recruited him -- even better.

Ah, to be young and able to indulge your best self. Kind of inspiring. But unlike young Italian men, he will not be able to live in the parental house -- although I will probably cook for him from time to time. Mangia!

Update

When life seems dull and boring, make a list. Postings to domtran have been MIA in the past few weeks because there has not been much to say. Wrong, wrong....

--New kitten in the family (see Mitzi's Journal)

--Joe College Grad coming to Mpls today for an interview with a Mpls charter school on Monday. They paid for his ticket, so they must be interested

--OLGS slipped on the ice and tore three tendons. Surgery, bed rest, heavy drugs and a leg immobilizer. He's on the mend, but can't drive, can't cut his toenails, and can't even start PT for another two weeks. He's teaching his classes online, with some students trying to take advantage of the situation

--Joe College got picked up for driving his new car with bad tail lights. He now only drives it during the day (rather than have the lights fixed. I agree with him)

--Geese and ducks appearing on the Mississippi flyway


--Potholes appearing everywhere. Mud season is approaching

--Hungarian-speaking Transylvanians come to town, allowing OLGS to practice his language skills. One young man looks amazingly like Joe College grad -- throwbacks everywhere.
--

The end of the food experiment

Joe High School, who has been a vegetarian for nine years, became a vegan after the New Year. He ate power bars and drank soy milk. This lasted almost a month, until today. I believe the seed of change, so to speak, was planted by an innocent question I asked, which was whether he could eat honey on a vegan diet. I was having difficulty finding whole grain bread that didn't have honey. Even though it is an animal product, honey was apparently OK for Joe. Last week I mentioned that there are farms that raise animals humanely, and that we could probably find their products here in the land of 10,000 steakhouses.

Last night he indicated that he might be willing to consider such food -- milk, cheese and butter produced by pasture raised, grass-fed cows. Today, off we went to the food co-op. There we found cheese produced on an Iowa farm where they milk the cows by hand and pluck the thistles out of the pasture so that the beasts do not suffer if they mistake the leaves for something yummy.

This food is not cheap. In fact, it's extremely expensive. And Joe felt guilty for blackmailing us, as he put it. So he paid for 25% of the grocery bill. We now have some wonderful food for all to eat, and Joe is back in the land of the living.

I like it because it's local. I don't like it because it represents a way of eating that most people in the world cannot afford. Joe celebrated when we returned home with a slice of chocolate cake (butter, eggs, etc.) from the co-op bakery. And he's looking at chevre in a whole new way--it's hard to mistreat goats. They won't stand for it.

The president we need, not the president we deserve

Rather than the junk novels that I usually read, I've taken up President Obama's youthful autobiography, Dreams from my Father. It is a remarkable book, full of nuance and analysis. But what gives me hope is that there is none of the black vs. white, us vs. them, evil vs. good garbage that infested us for the past eight years. It's well-written, and he wrote it all by himself, something that our previous guy would have been incapable of doing.

Preaching to the choir? Probably, but some things bear repeating. Read the book.