Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Indiana Primaries
10:22pm EST - Exciting and very close primary here in Indiana. Supposed to have gone for Clinton, but the split is only 4%.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Work and... more work
Daniel and I are on our first "work" trip ever (the AZ Academic Decathlon competition didn't really count - we were there for all of 24 hours) - we're in Oro Valley (near Tucson) in Arizona hosting (he's hosting, I'm helping) the National Finals for the World Scholar's Cup.
It's stressful, but very amazing to see these schools coming from all over the country to compete in the competition, and the teams who score highest will be going to Korea next month for the World Finals.
We got discounted food (I was disappointed to not get food outright donated, but we got pretty good rates for the food we did get), and about 60 students.
We're doing some last minute planning tweaking right now. Be back later with more.
Tucson is very very pretty, but the roads and highway system is the most ineffective I've ever experienced (believe it or not, LA actually makes sense compared to Tucson).
It's stressful, but very amazing to see these schools coming from all over the country to compete in the competition, and the teams who score highest will be going to Korea next month for the World Finals.
We got discounted food (I was disappointed to not get food outright donated, but we got pretty good rates for the food we did get), and about 60 students.
We're doing some last minute planning tweaking right now. Be back later with more.
Tucson is very very pretty, but the roads and highway system is the most ineffective I've ever experienced (believe it or not, LA actually makes sense compared to Tucson).
Friday, April 11, 2008
Finishing the journey
After getting stranded in Dallas for a few hours because American Airlines canceled many flights, I'm finally home, and hoping Daniel has a non-eventful trip back home tomorrow from Korea.
We'll write more later, but here are some more pictures.
(http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2123635&l=dab8b&id=2401926)
We'll write more later, but here are some more pictures.
(http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2123635&l=dab8b&id=2401926)
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Atop a tower top
We've successfully climbed the cologne cathedral, which is a blend of
your average Italian duomo and a maximum security prison. We did this
on three lungs and nine layers of clothing between us. Five hundred
and nine steps below us, red-clad cardinals are gravely collecting
donations in boxes hung around their necks.
your average Italian duomo and a maximum security prison. We did this
on three lungs and nine layers of clothing between us. Five hundred
and nine steps below us, red-clad cardinals are gravely collecting
donations in boxes hung around their necks.
Sent from my iPhone
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Breaking News, and the Developed Story. Really now.
***Cynthia lost her wallet in Cologne. She was being very stupid and left her backpack open, and it must have fallen out at the train station. But all relevant cards have been canceled, and she has an appointment with the DMV on Friday morning at 11am to get a new driver's license.***
Where did we leave off?
Ah. Yes. We should finally explain the speeding ticket incident.
After spending the morning in Rijeka and cavorting with a giant bottle of Fanta (there was a promotional event going on for Fanta's new Brazilian flavor - we even got free samples), we were quickly (and quickly indeed) on our way through Senj to the Plitvice Lakes, then to Bosnia.
However, the fates (or the Croatia police) wouldn't let us get away with the "quickly" part. We were stopped at a speed trap, going 89km in a 60km zone. But EVERYONE was going that fast. So, like the good drivers we are, we pulled over.
The fine was 300KN (kune, the official currency of Croatia - about a 7:1 ratio to US dollars). We had 240KN on us. Hm. Problem. So, I pulled out a credit card. The police officer shook his head. We pulled our some Euro, some USD. He wouldn't take any of it, and insisted it had to be in Kune.
"Where can we make an exchange?" we asked.
"The bank," he responded. I could have heard the unspoken, "You idiots."
Huh. "We mean, for this situation now, we don't have enough Kune on us. What would you recommend?" ("You idiot," we responded in our heads)
He still insisted on the 300KN.
Finally, Daniel opened his wallet again, and withdrew 2,000 Korean Won. At that, the police officer burst out laughing, asked us where we were headed, and waved us on our way, with no fine.
This was right before we stopped by the little roadside restaurant where the owner, who didn't speak much English, asked us if we wanted "Fish or flesh?"
We finally made it to Plitvice. Cold, but very beautiful. And Daniel made me climb all the way up to a sightseeing point - I cursed him the entire way up, but the view took our breaths away. No more breath for cursing. It was beautiful.
Pictures posted here.
(http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2122773&l=c8bc6&id=2401926)
Where did we leave off?
Ah. Yes. We should finally explain the speeding ticket incident.
After spending the morning in Rijeka and cavorting with a giant bottle of Fanta (there was a promotional event going on for Fanta's new Brazilian flavor - we even got free samples), we were quickly (and quickly indeed) on our way through Senj to the Plitvice Lakes, then to Bosnia.
However, the fates (or the Croatia police) wouldn't let us get away with the "quickly" part. We were stopped at a speed trap, going 89km in a 60km zone. But EVERYONE was going that fast. So, like the good drivers we are, we pulled over.
The fine was 300KN (kune, the official currency of Croatia - about a 7:1 ratio to US dollars). We had 240KN on us. Hm. Problem. So, I pulled out a credit card. The police officer shook his head. We pulled our some Euro, some USD. He wouldn't take any of it, and insisted it had to be in Kune.
"Where can we make an exchange?" we asked.
"The bank," he responded. I could have heard the unspoken, "You idiots."
Huh. "We mean, for this situation now, we don't have enough Kune on us. What would you recommend?" ("You idiot," we responded in our heads)
He still insisted on the 300KN.
Finally, Daniel opened his wallet again, and withdrew 2,000 Korean Won. At that, the police officer burst out laughing, asked us where we were headed, and waved us on our way, with no fine.
This was right before we stopped by the little roadside restaurant where the owner, who didn't speak much English, asked us if we wanted "Fish or flesh?"
We finally made it to Plitvice. Cold, but very beautiful. And Daniel made me climb all the way up to a sightseeing point - I cursed him the entire way up, but the view took our breaths away. No more breath for cursing. It was beautiful.
Pictures posted here.
(http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2122773&l=c8bc6&id=2401926)
Gatwick
We're sitting here in the food court at Gatwick Airport waiting for our flight to Cologne. We're finally realizing why all the airlines in London advertise their move to Heathrow from Gatwick. Gatwick has to be the most inefficient airport ever.
First of all, the Easyjet queues to check in were less line and more blob. And apparently computer problems run rampant.
Second, the Gate system is just plain stupid. From where we are, it takes 20 minutes to get to any gate. They close the gate 20 minutes before boarding. It is currently 45 minutes before our flight, and they still have not posted which gate our flight is flying out from.
In any case. Daniel is searching for tea.
So, where did we leave you off last time. Ahh, I think Florence.
We left Florence the morning after our last long blog, and took a train to Venice. We didn't stay long in Venice (about 20 minutes). All we did was pick up our rental car from Avis, and drove out of the city - north along the coast to Trieste.
The drive took most of the afternoon, but was very pretty. We stopped by this little roadside diner and got some sandwiches and tea, and a really good lemon tart. After the really good lemon tart, we incurred injury #5...Daniel smashed his head in the toilette.
After driving though a thunderstorm, we reached Trieste near evening, and watched the sun set over the ocean, over a plate of pizza with a raw egg cracked over the top. We'll post pictures of this later. Our goal was to reach the town of Rijeka right inside the Croatia border that night. We drove through Slovenia to get there. Slovenia we will come back to later.
We reached Rijeka pretty late that night, and checked into our hotel. The lobby looked like a hail-back to the Communist regime. But the rooms were comfortable enough (though we found a couple of bug bites on Daniel's back)
We're going to look for our airplane now. The Gate system is still not showing which gate we're leaving from.
First of all, the Easyjet queues to check in were less line and more blob. And apparently computer problems run rampant.
Second, the Gate system is just plain stupid. From where we are, it takes 20 minutes to get to any gate. They close the gate 20 minutes before boarding. It is currently 45 minutes before our flight, and they still have not posted which gate our flight is flying out from.
In any case. Daniel is searching for tea.
So, where did we leave you off last time. Ahh, I think Florence.
We left Florence the morning after our last long blog, and took a train to Venice. We didn't stay long in Venice (about 20 minutes). All we did was pick up our rental car from Avis, and drove out of the city - north along the coast to Trieste.
The drive took most of the afternoon, but was very pretty. We stopped by this little roadside diner and got some sandwiches and tea, and a really good lemon tart. After the really good lemon tart, we incurred injury #5...Daniel smashed his head in the toilette.
After driving though a thunderstorm, we reached Trieste near evening, and watched the sun set over the ocean, over a plate of pizza with a raw egg cracked over the top. We'll post pictures of this later. Our goal was to reach the town of Rijeka right inside the Croatia border that night. We drove through Slovenia to get there. Slovenia we will come back to later.
We reached Rijeka pretty late that night, and checked into our hotel. The lobby looked like a hail-back to the Communist regime. But the rooms were comfortable enough (though we found a couple of bug bites on Daniel's back)
We're going to look for our airplane now. The Gate system is still not showing which gate we're leaving from.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Fish or Flesh?
We know, we owe everyone a huge huge post. We've been having computer issues ever since Florence (when I was able to blog that huge long blog)
But the huge post isn't going to happen right now. Daniel is shaving, then we're going to be heading into London. I'll try to wrestle the computer away from him in a coffee shop at some point to blog and post pictures, but no promises. :)
In any case, one fun anecdote came from when we were driving from Rijeka to Zagreb in Croatia. We actually took a U-shaped approach to Zabreb so we could stop in Bosnia and have dinner there. On the way, we stopped by a seaside family-owned restaurant. Of course, no one spoke English, and there was no menu. The owner came up to us and asked "Fish or flesh?"
Daniel and I looked at each other.
"What the heck is flesh?!"
We got both. They were delicious.
But the huge post isn't going to happen right now. Daniel is shaving, then we're going to be heading into London. I'll try to wrestle the computer away from him in a coffee shop at some point to blog and post pictures, but no promises. :)
In any case, one fun anecdote came from when we were driving from Rijeka to Zagreb in Croatia. We actually took a U-shaped approach to Zabreb so we could stop in Bosnia and have dinner there. On the way, we stopped by a seaside family-owned restaurant. Of course, no one spoke English, and there was no menu. The owner came up to us and asked "Fish or flesh?"
Daniel and I looked at each other.
"What the heck is flesh?!"
We got both. They were delicious.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Developed Story
As evidenced by our continued blog posts, we were not imprisoned by the Croatian police officer. Then again, we haven't really had much time to blog either, owing to a mixed .....
Daniel is getting our car returned.
We'll come back to this later.
Daniel is getting our car returned.
We'll come back to this later.
Returning a car
Is much harder in Slovenia than it is in the United States. Apparently we parked in the wrong place, and now the Avis lady is going to find our car. The wrong place was, of course, marked "Avis" and "Rental Cars".
This is in a country where there are 5 different signs and directions for getting one place...and multiple names for the same place.
Off to London. Yay! Things will make more sense there, except maybe the whole everything-flipped-around-on-the-road thing. There are no rental cars in our future there.
This is in a country where there are 5 different signs and directions for getting one place...and multiple names for the same place.
Off to London. Yay! Things will make more sense there, except maybe the whole everything-flipped-around-on-the-road thing. There are no rental cars in our future there.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Bushnia
We are cohabiting a city with president bush tonight. First, though,
we must return to croatia from Bosnia, where we are presently enjoying
a very hearty meal of cream, meat, mushrooms and potatoes.
we must return to croatia from Bosnia, where we are presently enjoying
a very hearty meal of cream, meat, mushrooms and potatoes.
Sent from my iPhone
Korean won
Pulled over for a speeding violation in croatia. Insufficient funds to
pay fine. Developing story.
pay fine. Developing story.
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Injuries to date
Injuries: 2 (Cynthia jammed her right index finger into the table today during dinner) plus 1 (Cynthia's jacket zipper just took a chunk of skin off Daniel's forehead)
Hidden injuries: 6 cankersores in Cynthia's mouth. 4 are slowly going away, the 2 on the tongue are most painful. Urgh. Lots of Listerine and Anbesol.
Other hurties: Sore legs from walking. A lot. My calves hate me.....
Also, pictures are up here.
Hidden injuries: 6 cankersores in Cynthia's mouth. 4 are slowly going away, the 2 on the tongue are most painful. Urgh. Lots of Listerine and Anbesol.
Other hurties: Sore legs from walking. A lot. My calves hate me.....
Also, pictures are up here.
Bed and .... Breakfast?
I think we're spoiled by the really nice breakfast we had in Rome. Because this Bed & Breakfast in Florence we're staying at is not up to snuff in terms of breakfast. Though I think our standards are too high. They didn't have the cheese spread! I want the cheese spread! With jam! (says Cynthia)
Daniel says:
I could tell at once that breakfast would border on abysmal when Cynthia plucked a piece of bread from the basket-and it came plastic-wrapped. The owner was, however, very keen on her supply of peanut butter.
Back to Cynthia
However, the awesome people here and the place itself make up for the lack of cheese spread. The owner of this B&B knows all the best and cheapest places to eat in town (though we didn't do too bad ourselves - more about this later), and I met two singer-songwriters here - Susan Crowe and Cindy Church from Canada. We exchanged music and contact info.
And the actual B&B location is great - right in the heart of Florence. The river is a couple blocks down, L'Academie (where David is) is a 10 minute walk away (we took 15 minute because we got lost), and there are great eateries right around the corner. We're located right next to a castle, and have a private rooftop terrace that overlooks part of the city. And it's clean. And pretty. The only thing is that it is COLD at night (and after a shower - the hairdryer double as a heater), but there are plenty of warm heavy blankets.
So, what have we been up to?
We got into Rome on Sunday morning (REALLY early) and found wireless at the airport, whereupon we found our hotel location online (the Domus Romana), and made our way to the train to take us to the main terminal (Roma Termini) in Rome.
From there, we crammed (and I do mean crammed) onto a subway that took us two stops down, where we found the street our hotel was on. The hotel address was Number 113. When we looked, however, #113 was a closed down photo shop. What the heck?
Turns out the hotel is hidden into a little alcove next to the photo shop. Whew.
AND, they had given us the Matrimonial Suite. So we had a suite with 4 rooms - one bedroom, one living room with a pull-out sofa bed, a room with a refrigerator and a chair in it (yes, we were confused too), and the bathroom. Nice.
After finding some food, we conked out for a few hours, then managed to pull ourselves up and walk around the city. We went to the Fontane di Trevi and the Pantheon, then found a little pizza place to eat. Gelatto was in there somewhere too.
Because Daniel's in the middle of a huge project that needs to get our this week, one of the goals each day was to find a hot spot so we could sit and Daniel could work for a few hours, while I finish a Jeffrey Archer book (Prisoner of Birth) - it's really heavy and we wanted to leave it somewhere rather than lugging it around. (I just finished it last night)
Day 2 of Rome was busy. We got up really early (still a tiny bit jetlagged - and don't forget Daniel had just gotten back from Singapore the day before we left) to go to the Colosseum. Tickets were somehow free that day! But en route, we stopped by a random cathedral, and a random university. My shoes squeaked so loud on the floor of the cathedral that Daniel would look pointely at me every few seconds, and quietly go 'shhhhh!'
Then off to the Vatican. We saw the Sistine Chapel - though everyone seemed to be getting really confused as to where the actual chapel was - we must have walked two miles inside the Musei Vaticani to get to the Chapel. And fought our way through mills of tour groups and elementary school field trips. Which made me think of how lucky Italian kids are to have cool field trips like this.
And after a really crappy roadside tourist lunch (the reason this was worth it was because it seemed to have been located in the only hotspot in the Vatican, but totally worth it), we went to see St. Peter's. Very impressive. But here is where it gets mildly absurd. We wanted to get up to the cupola (at the top of the basilica). And we were all game for climbing. But, I guess, to get a quick buck off the tourists, they had closed their option of 5€ per person, and rather were charging 7€ for everyone to use the elevator. We had exactly 13.50€.
We joined the 4th graders in their tour of the tomb of the popes instead. That was free.
En route walking back from the Vatican, we stopped by this nice plaza for dinner, during which we wrote that last blog (or I did, while D snoozed). Oh, and I also started an interesting experiment on how couples hold hands (ie: boy's hand in front of girl's or behind?). So far the count is 39 male in front of female, 7 female in front of male. This leads to all sorts of psychological and sociological theories that I won't elaborate on here.
The next day (yesterday), we hopped on a train to Florence.
I love Florence. I like it so much better than Rome. Juliana had mentioned that Venice is such a tourist trap (which is why we are reducing our stay in Venice from two nights to 3 hours), but Rome really felt that way.
Climbing up to our room is a hike. It's about 100 steps (I think?) with steep stairs. But the B&B is worth it. And we had a nice lunch at this restaurant where they used old pews for seats, and we gave an alpaca to the couple sitting next to us. They were amused we were taking picture with them.
Yesterday afternoon, we went to see David (truly amazing in person). The B&B owner got us reservations, so we didn't have to wait in that line that wrapped around the block. We also caught an interesting conversation:
1: David is the image of the most perfect man.
2: Look at those perfect toes.
3: Yea, I want to touch them.
1: I want to touch his hand.
2: Look at his veins.
etc.
We found it amusing that none of them mentioned the most obvious part an overhormonized girl would want to touch......
Anyway. The B&B has wireless, which is the best discovery yet! We spent a few hours quietly in the B&B working and reading, and went out to dinner at this nice little trattoria.
We'r finding that people eat a lot here. The menu is as such:
Appetizer - usually what we'd think of it, but lighter.
First Course - pasta
Second Course - meat
And they'd finish with a dessert or coffee.
We split everything. So much food!
This morning, Daniel apparently spent two hours trying to wake me up. Then after breakfast, we took a long walk to a lookout point across the river, and walked to the other side of Florence, where there wer VERY few tourists. Found a little guitar shop where I got to play a Breedlove Atlas, which was selling for about 1,800€ - way too much for an Atlas. But it was fun. We gave them an alpaca as a thank you for letting us play.
Then we found this tiny restaurant where no one spoke English, and it clearly was not a tourist trap. The food was authentic and good, and for MUCH less than we had been paying.
Which leads me to say.... how perfectly horrible the conversion rate is right now.
Ok, Daniel is taking a nap, and I should relinquish this computer to someone else. Venice tomorrow, but only for a few hours before we head to Croatia and Slovenia!
Daniel says:
I could tell at once that breakfast would border on abysmal when Cynthia plucked a piece of bread from the basket-and it came plastic-wrapped. The owner was, however, very keen on her supply of peanut butter.
Back to Cynthia
However, the awesome people here and the place itself make up for the lack of cheese spread. The owner of this B&B knows all the best and cheapest places to eat in town (though we didn't do too bad ourselves - more about this later), and I met two singer-songwriters here - Susan Crowe and Cindy Church from Canada. We exchanged music and contact info.
And the actual B&B location is great - right in the heart of Florence. The river is a couple blocks down, L'Academie (where David is) is a 10 minute walk away (we took 15 minute because we got lost), and there are great eateries right around the corner. We're located right next to a castle, and have a private rooftop terrace that overlooks part of the city. And it's clean. And pretty. The only thing is that it is COLD at night (and after a shower - the hairdryer double as a heater), but there are plenty of warm heavy blankets.
So, what have we been up to?
We got into Rome on Sunday morning (REALLY early) and found wireless at the airport, whereupon we found our hotel location online (the Domus Romana), and made our way to the train to take us to the main terminal (Roma Termini) in Rome.
From there, we crammed (and I do mean crammed) onto a subway that took us two stops down, where we found the street our hotel was on. The hotel address was Number 113. When we looked, however, #113 was a closed down photo shop. What the heck?
Turns out the hotel is hidden into a little alcove next to the photo shop. Whew.
AND, they had given us the Matrimonial Suite. So we had a suite with 4 rooms - one bedroom, one living room with a pull-out sofa bed, a room with a refrigerator and a chair in it (yes, we were confused too), and the bathroom. Nice.
After finding some food, we conked out for a few hours, then managed to pull ourselves up and walk around the city. We went to the Fontane di Trevi and the Pantheon, then found a little pizza place to eat. Gelatto was in there somewhere too.
Because Daniel's in the middle of a huge project that needs to get our this week, one of the goals each day was to find a hot spot so we could sit and Daniel could work for a few hours, while I finish a Jeffrey Archer book (Prisoner of Birth) - it's really heavy and we wanted to leave it somewhere rather than lugging it around. (I just finished it last night)
Day 2 of Rome was busy. We got up really early (still a tiny bit jetlagged - and don't forget Daniel had just gotten back from Singapore the day before we left) to go to the Colosseum. Tickets were somehow free that day! But en route, we stopped by a random cathedral, and a random university. My shoes squeaked so loud on the floor of the cathedral that Daniel would look pointely at me every few seconds, and quietly go 'shhhhh!'
Then off to the Vatican. We saw the Sistine Chapel - though everyone seemed to be getting really confused as to where the actual chapel was - we must have walked two miles inside the Musei Vaticani to get to the Chapel. And fought our way through mills of tour groups and elementary school field trips. Which made me think of how lucky Italian kids are to have cool field trips like this.
And after a really crappy roadside tourist lunch (the reason this was worth it was because it seemed to have been located in the only hotspot in the Vatican, but totally worth it), we went to see St. Peter's. Very impressive. But here is where it gets mildly absurd. We wanted to get up to the cupola (at the top of the basilica). And we were all game for climbing. But, I guess, to get a quick buck off the tourists, they had closed their option of 5€ per person, and rather were charging 7€ for everyone to use the elevator. We had exactly 13.50€.
We joined the 4th graders in their tour of the tomb of the popes instead. That was free.
En route walking back from the Vatican, we stopped by this nice plaza for dinner, during which we wrote that last blog (or I did, while D snoozed). Oh, and I also started an interesting experiment on how couples hold hands (ie: boy's hand in front of girl's or behind?). So far the count is 39 male in front of female, 7 female in front of male. This leads to all sorts of psychological and sociological theories that I won't elaborate on here.
The next day (yesterday), we hopped on a train to Florence.
I love Florence. I like it so much better than Rome. Juliana had mentioned that Venice is such a tourist trap (which is why we are reducing our stay in Venice from two nights to 3 hours), but Rome really felt that way.
Climbing up to our room is a hike. It's about 100 steps (I think?) with steep stairs. But the B&B is worth it. And we had a nice lunch at this restaurant where they used old pews for seats, and we gave an alpaca to the couple sitting next to us. They were amused we were taking picture with them.
Yesterday afternoon, we went to see David (truly amazing in person). The B&B owner got us reservations, so we didn't have to wait in that line that wrapped around the block. We also caught an interesting conversation:
1: David is the image of the most perfect man.
2: Look at those perfect toes.
3: Yea, I want to touch them.
1: I want to touch his hand.
2: Look at his veins.
etc.
We found it amusing that none of them mentioned the most obvious part an overhormonized girl would want to touch......
Anyway. The B&B has wireless, which is the best discovery yet! We spent a few hours quietly in the B&B working and reading, and went out to dinner at this nice little trattoria.
We'r finding that people eat a lot here. The menu is as such:
Appetizer - usually what we'd think of it, but lighter.
First Course - pasta
Second Course - meat
And they'd finish with a dessert or coffee.
We split everything. So much food!
This morning, Daniel apparently spent two hours trying to wake me up. Then after breakfast, we took a long walk to a lookout point across the river, and walked to the other side of Florence, where there wer VERY few tourists. Found a little guitar shop where I got to play a Breedlove Atlas, which was selling for about 1,800€ - way too much for an Atlas. But it was fun. We gave them an alpaca as a thank you for letting us play.
Then we found this tiny restaurant where no one spoke English, and it clearly was not a tourist trap. The food was authentic and good, and for MUCH less than we had been paying.
Which leads me to say.... how perfectly horrible the conversion rate is right now.
Ok, Daniel is taking a nap, and I should relinquish this computer to someone else. Venice tomorrow, but only for a few hours before we head to Croatia and Slovenia!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Oops
We just posted a blank blog. Testing out this email blogging thing.
So. Our trip by the numbers so far:
Casualties incurred: 1 (Daniel's head hit by my suitcase. )
Bugs found in food: 2
Gelato flavors sampled: 2 (hazelnut and chestnut. Will have more
tonight. )
Apple chargers lost: 2
Alpacas given away: 3-ish
Broadway shows seen: 1
Miles walked today: around 6, plus three looking for the Sistine chapel.
Current collective brainpower: 25%
We're typing this from the iPhone. Daniel keeps passing out on my
shoulder in the middle of this very nice plaza. Time to look for more
gelato and go home to sleep.
one minute
52 secs before internet card runs out! all good in Rome, heading off to dinner!
okay, 34 seconds left. we should add that we visited dead popes. we hit one head and climbed lots of stairs. we are very sleepy. or, Daniel is. Bye!
10 seconds!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Let's go!
I believe this is the first time I've been back to Chicago since graduation. We're sitting in the Admiral's Lounge, and Daniel's taking a nap in one of the nice restaurant-type booths here while I steal his computer. And try not to pee.
Our flight to Rome leaves in about two hours (we had thought we had one hour less than we had, because we forgot to take the time change into account --- as a matter of fact, I'm still not sure what the time difference is between here and Rome). In the meantime, I've been trying to finish up a few books so we wouldn't have to lug them around - especially since Daniel bought two new books at the airport when we got in from Columbus this morning.
For lunch, we found a Macaroni Grill, and brought it back to the Admiral's Lounge to eat (so Daniel could work), and I got a yogurt parfait with fruit and granola. I usually don't eat things like this - it was a weird craving.
We had to get a copy of Let's Go: Europe because we left Lonely Planet: Italy at home. Mildly absurd, we know. And the very expensive TOEFL book Daniel bought that we were supposed to return last night, we left in the hotel.
And Ray and Tanya, I'm sorry to say, they found the gift the two of you gave us, and wouldn't let us bring it aboard the plane. Alas.
Last night was spent at this bar called Surly Girl Saloon (Daniel: "Surly Girl Saloon?!") with REALLY good food. We met up with Rebecca, Lily, and Lily's boyfriend Konrad. Then Lily lent us Buffy Season 2 because we forgot that at home as well, and Rebecca drove me around town running various errands (including getting a bag of trail mix for munchies on our long flight --- I hope there's dinner involved).
Ok, time to wake Daniel up.
Our flight to Rome leaves in about two hours (we had thought we had one hour less than we had, because we forgot to take the time change into account --- as a matter of fact, I'm still not sure what the time difference is between here and Rome). In the meantime, I've been trying to finish up a few books so we wouldn't have to lug them around - especially since Daniel bought two new books at the airport when we got in from Columbus this morning.
For lunch, we found a Macaroni Grill, and brought it back to the Admiral's Lounge to eat (so Daniel could work), and I got a yogurt parfait with fruit and granola. I usually don't eat things like this - it was a weird craving.
We had to get a copy of Let's Go: Europe because we left Lonely Planet: Italy at home. Mildly absurd, we know. And the very expensive TOEFL book Daniel bought that we were supposed to return last night, we left in the hotel.
And Ray and Tanya, I'm sorry to say, they found the gift the two of you gave us, and wouldn't let us bring it aboard the plane. Alas.
Last night was spent at this bar called Surly Girl Saloon (Daniel: "Surly Girl Saloon?!") with REALLY good food. We met up with Rebecca, Lily, and Lily's boyfriend Konrad. Then Lily lent us Buffy Season 2 because we forgot that at home as well, and Rebecca drove me around town running various errands (including getting a bag of trail mix for munchies on our long flight --- I hope there's dinner involved).
Ok, time to wake Daniel up.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Dancing Queens
We totally forgot to write about the highlight of our New York trip - Tanya, Daniel, and I went to see Mamma Mia again! Ray was awesome as usual - except this time, we were sitting more toward the back, but that didn't prevent me from texting him our exact location, and him pointing and playing at us all throughout the last number.
We also got to meet Carolee and Carly (I think is her name - Ray, if I'm wrong, please correct me) backstage and visited Ray's dressing room again.
Daniel's gonna take over blogging now.
We also learned that night that "late" is not necessarily very late at all - Max Brenner's chocolate emporium closed at 11 despite tantalizing us with a promise to be "open 9 am till late". We made do with Texas BBQ.
Ray wears purple spandex very well. (I originally wrote spamdex but, of course, that would be light pink and come in cans.)
We also got to meet Carolee and Carly (I think is her name - Ray, if I'm wrong, please correct me) backstage and visited Ray's dressing room again.
Daniel's gonna take over blogging now.
We also learned that night that "late" is not necessarily very late at all - Max Brenner's chocolate emporium closed at 11 despite tantalizing us with a promise to be "open 9 am till late". We made do with Texas BBQ.
Ray wears purple spandex very well. (I originally wrote spamdex but, of course, that would be light pink and come in cans.)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Classic
We had bought a charger for the digicam (or, rather, ordered it from Amazon) to be sent to the hotel in Columbus. They were holding it for us at the Hampton Inn where we're staying, courtesy of OSU. Upon check-in, we were given the Amazon package and came upstairs to our room.
Hours later, while I checked email, Daniel had planned to charge the camera (and make sure the charger works). Problem. Where is the charger?
We looked everywhere in the room. Finally we concluded that we had left it during check-in, and called downstairs. They said they couldn't find it. Non-believingly, I asked Daniel to run downstairs to double-check, while I continued looking in the room. I couldn't find it. Daniel, when he came back, said the good folks downstairs didn't find anything either.
We concluded it must have been a random act of theft. As I ran around the room ranting about how horrific all this is, why someone would ever take a package with someone else's name clearly on it, and why the hotel, upon us leaving the package there, didn't pick it up (and then beat myself over the head for doing the quintessential Generation Me thing of pushing the blame onto anyone but myself), Daniel suddenly said, "Wait. Everyone calm down before we all get too excited."
I stopped. Daniel continued.
"We have overlooked a certain uncommon repository."
He was standing over the pillow. The pillow we take with us everywhere (and where we occasionally stick book-shaped objects and alpacas).
Hours later, while I checked email, Daniel had planned to charge the camera (and make sure the charger works). Problem. Where is the charger?
We looked everywhere in the room. Finally we concluded that we had left it during check-in, and called downstairs. They said they couldn't find it. Non-believingly, I asked Daniel to run downstairs to double-check, while I continued looking in the room. I couldn't find it. Daniel, when he came back, said the good folks downstairs didn't find anything either.
We concluded it must have been a random act of theft. As I ran around the room ranting about how horrific all this is, why someone would ever take a package with someone else's name clearly on it, and why the hotel, upon us leaving the package there, didn't pick it up (and then beat myself over the head for doing the quintessential Generation Me thing of pushing the blame onto anyone but myself), Daniel suddenly said, "Wait. Everyone calm down before we all get too excited."
I stopped. Daniel continued.
"We have overlooked a certain uncommon repository."
He was standing over the pillow. The pillow we take with us everywhere (and where we occasionally stick book-shaped objects and alpacas).
Crowne Heights
We're blogging from a Howard Johnson Hotel in Brooklyn. Priceline has often been kind to us in the past; this time we got our comeuppance. One Tripadvisor review said something to the effect of, "I only stayed here because I had to attend a funeral."
It's located in an area inappropriately called Crowne Heights. "Do you mind my asking how you found this place?" said our first taxi driver, on Tuesday night. The taxi driver on Wednesday was more blunt, devoting ten minutes (of our approximately one hour drive from Manhattan) to explaining why it was a bad place to live. We assured him we have no intention of moving to the corner of New York, but he persisted.
The hotel room itself is cozy, once you get past the fact that no one mans the front desk and that there are curious stains on the phone. We rented a DVD player, thereby crippling the TV (the remote only works for one feature or the other). This allowed us to watch half of Enchanted on our first night here. On our second night, I stayed up editing some very poor TOEFL-like material. That came to very little - a grim episode that I won't relate here, since it was neither mild nor absurd, just aggravating.
To its credit, the hotel features a friendly breakfast manager who runs across the street for fresh bagels.
Tomorrow night, we're staying at a Hampton Inn in Columbus, Ohio - provided for free by the university, which is wining, dining, housing and flying Cynthia in order to recruit her for a Master's degree program there. We're pretty sure it'll be New York, but checking out all the options sounds like a good idea, and it gives us a chance to see Columbus for the first (and only?) time. It's not too far from our alpaca in Indiana.
I think the sun is about to rise. That means it's time to crawl into bed and see about securing some pillow real estate.
It's located in an area inappropriately called Crowne Heights. "Do you mind my asking how you found this place?" said our first taxi driver, on Tuesday night. The taxi driver on Wednesday was more blunt, devoting ten minutes (of our approximately one hour drive from Manhattan) to explaining why it was a bad place to live. We assured him we have no intention of moving to the corner of New York, but he persisted.
The hotel room itself is cozy, once you get past the fact that no one mans the front desk and that there are curious stains on the phone. We rented a DVD player, thereby crippling the TV (the remote only works for one feature or the other). This allowed us to watch half of Enchanted on our first night here. On our second night, I stayed up editing some very poor TOEFL-like material. That came to very little - a grim episode that I won't relate here, since it was neither mild nor absurd, just aggravating.
To its credit, the hotel features a friendly breakfast manager who runs across the street for fresh bagels.
Tomorrow night, we're staying at a Hampton Inn in Columbus, Ohio - provided for free by the university, which is wining, dining, housing and flying Cynthia in order to recruit her for a Master's degree program there. We're pretty sure it'll be New York, but checking out all the options sounds like a good idea, and it gives us a chance to see Columbus for the first (and only?) time. It's not too far from our alpaca in Indiana.
I think the sun is about to rise. That means it's time to crawl into bed and see about securing some pillow real estate.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Spoiled flying
Sitting in the Admiral's Lounge at SFO right now - we got upgraded on our flight to New York (hooray! Maybe we'll be able to get some sleep - though Daniel's determined not to, in order to reset his circadian cycle, but he might be at the point of giving up on getting back to the right timezone until we're in Europe)
They just called our flight to JFK, so off we go!
They just called our flight to JFK, so off we go!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Long Distance
The couple of years before my parents were married, my dad was in the US getting his PhD, and my mom was in Taiwan. Do you know how they communicated? They wrote letters. *gasp!* I think most of us have forgotten how to write in long-hand now that we have the convenience of computers and the internet. But they heard from each other *maybe* once a week.
Contrastingly, Daniel has been in Asia for the last few days and won't be getting back till next week. I talked to him this morning and he showed me the new Disney CD he got via video chat. Other than making sure we're not beeping each other when the other is asleep, it doesn't *really* feel like he's halfway 'round the world (in retrospect, there are actually a lot of ways that remind us we're rather far apart, but not for lack of communication). But he can tell me what his day is like, show me what he's eating for breakfast, and I can play him the newest song I wrote, or learned, or just serenade him with my guitar while he works. I can also show him receipts that are laying around to see if he needs them anymore, and he can watch while I gleefully rip them to shreds and send them to receipt heaven (aka the trash bin).
Isn't living in the 21st century great?
However, we have to cut down on the videochatting - apparently it eats up all the bandwidth in my house, and slows down the internet to the point where it's...not...moving... (according to my brother and my dad)
Cynthia
Contrastingly, Daniel has been in Asia for the last few days and won't be getting back till next week. I talked to him this morning and he showed me the new Disney CD he got via video chat. Other than making sure we're not beeping each other when the other is asleep, it doesn't *really* feel like he's halfway 'round the world (in retrospect, there are actually a lot of ways that remind us we're rather far apart, but not for lack of communication). But he can tell me what his day is like, show me what he's eating for breakfast, and I can play him the newest song I wrote, or learned, or just serenade him with my guitar while he works. I can also show him receipts that are laying around to see if he needs them anymore, and he can watch while I gleefully rip them to shreds and send them to receipt heaven (aka the trash bin).
Isn't living in the 21st century great?
However, we have to cut down on the videochatting - apparently it eats up all the bandwidth in my house, and slows down the internet to the point where it's...not...moving... (according to my brother and my dad)
Cynthia
Monday, March 10, 2008
Unremarkable Wonderfulness
"Golden Orientus".
What the heck? THIS is where we're putting the Scholar's Cup students? Lines from Avenue Q run through my head. It's the name of the hotel. Shame, shame. The nasty Asian American activist beast inside me rears its ugly head.
Daniel's chewing almonds and emailing ferociously, getting the Scholar's Cup up and running in Taiwan, then Singapore. He just got back from the California Acadec State Finals today, and is heading for Asia on Wednesday.
He also brought back the flu from Texas or Arizona. Consequences of shaking 500+ students' hands. "Demidec Dan!!"
I have hot tea, and Airborne awaits at home. I might be able to narrowly escape the flu through massive overdoses of Vitamin C. Maybe not.
Cynthia
What the heck? THIS is where we're putting the Scholar's Cup students? Lines from Avenue Q run through my head. It's the name of the hotel. Shame, shame. The nasty Asian American activist beast inside me rears its ugly head.
Daniel's chewing almonds and emailing ferociously, getting the Scholar's Cup up and running in Taiwan, then Singapore. He just got back from the California Acadec State Finals today, and is heading for Asia on Wednesday.
He also brought back the flu from Texas or Arizona. Consequences of shaking 500+ students' hands. "Demidec Dan!!"
I have hot tea, and Airborne awaits at home. I might be able to narrowly escape the flu through massive overdoses of Vitamin C. Maybe not.
Cynthia
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Forks in the Road
I just got back from a weekend up in Santa Barbara visiting the PhD Program at UCSB, and Daniel's in Texas handing alpacas out to decathletes at the Texas Academic Decathlon competition. And so marks the beginning of a very crazy few months that will culminate in September with the start of grad school.
Here's what the next few weeks look like...
Daniel and I will be going up to Santa Barbara again sometime next week so I can show him the campus and housing situations.
Then to Arizona - for less than 24 hours. There was an ulterior motive for me going to AZ, but it's become moot, so just be checking out the AZ competition and giving alpacas to the decathletes. It will also be the first Academic Decathlon competition I'll be attending. The LA awards banquet didn't count.
After Arizona, I will be coming back to Burbank, because I'm participating in the St. John's Talent Show on Saturday, and Daniel will be flying to Sacramento for the CA State Competition.
Then a couple days after that, Daniel goes to Asia for two weeks, where we can test the international reliability of video conferencing on ichat. After he gets back, it's off to Ohio and Italy. Wheeeee!!
- Cynthia
Here's what the next few weeks look like...
Daniel and I will be going up to Santa Barbara again sometime next week so I can show him the campus and housing situations.
Then to Arizona - for less than 24 hours. There was an ulterior motive for me going to AZ, but it's become moot, so just be checking out the AZ competition and giving alpacas to the decathletes. It will also be the first Academic Decathlon competition I'll be attending. The LA awards banquet didn't count.
After Arizona, I will be coming back to Burbank, because I'm participating in the St. John's Talent Show on Saturday, and Daniel will be flying to Sacramento for the CA State Competition.
Then a couple days after that, Daniel goes to Asia for two weeks, where we can test the international reliability of video conferencing on ichat. After he gets back, it's off to Ohio and Italy. Wheeeee!!
- Cynthia
Monday, February 18, 2008
Magic Castle
Last night, we visited the so-called Magic Castle of Hollywood, a country club for magicians and Neil Patrick Harris. (D: A special thank you to my friend Ari for the invitation!)
This required gathering up our parents and sending them to the Castle in their own car. Oh, how we wish we had bugged it. This is the first time all four of our parents were in one place without us.
We, on the other hand, learned some interesting family history (unsuitable for publication) while discussing the price of an oversized talis. (That was, amazingly, the only wedding talk that came up all night.)
Our parents warned us of a giant backlog at the valet parkers, but we deftly (though accidentally) circumvented this by pulling in through the employee parking lot, just downhill from a sushi bar / proposal spot. (This, actually, was the other piece of wedding talk that came up, but was unrelated to the impending wedding of Jen and Shawn.) Line-cutting cars is an ethical dilemma that has not been extensively studied in the literature, as drive-throughs rarely make it possible.
By the time we got into the Magic Castle (via a door to which you had to say "Open Sesame", and after Jen mentioned that she would have short offspring), we were starving, but star-struck (since our guide - we're not sure where he came from exactly, but he called himself a "Castle Knight" and had a name tag, so he sounded quite official - mentioned that Neil Patrick Harris).
BTW, we just got word that Fidel Castro resigned as President of Cuba. Thank you, Daniel's iPhone.
The Magic Castle used to be someone's home, and so there were not bathrooms readily available, nor did they have nearly the adequate number of stalls. This clearly became an issue later.
Castle Knight dazzled us with a few parlor tricks (one involving the massive reproduction of foam bunnies), then left us in a line to watch a psychic.
Sleepy. Let's finish tomorrow.
This required gathering up our parents and sending them to the Castle in their own car. Oh, how we wish we had bugged it. This is the first time all four of our parents were in one place without us.
We, on the other hand, learned some interesting family history (unsuitable for publication) while discussing the price of an oversized talis. (That was, amazingly, the only wedding talk that came up all night.)
Our parents warned us of a giant backlog at the valet parkers, but we deftly (though accidentally) circumvented this by pulling in through the employee parking lot, just downhill from a sushi bar / proposal spot. (This, actually, was the other piece of wedding talk that came up, but was unrelated to the impending wedding of Jen and Shawn.) Line-cutting cars is an ethical dilemma that has not been extensively studied in the literature, as drive-throughs rarely make it possible.
By the time we got into the Magic Castle (via a door to which you had to say "Open Sesame", and after Jen mentioned that she would have short offspring), we were starving, but star-struck (since our guide - we're not sure where he came from exactly, but he called himself a "Castle Knight" and had a name tag, so he sounded quite official - mentioned that Neil Patrick Harris).
BTW, we just got word that Fidel Castro resigned as President of Cuba. Thank you, Daniel's iPhone.
The Magic Castle used to be someone's home, and so there were not bathrooms readily available, nor did they have nearly the adequate number of stalls. This clearly became an issue later.
Castle Knight dazzled us with a few parlor tricks (one involving the massive reproduction of foam bunnies), then left us in a line to watch a psychic.
Sleepy. Let's finish tomorrow.
Vomit and Subtext
For a musical that features the song "Defying Gravity" Wicked is awfully weighed down. (Cynthia: Daniel, that sure was an optimistic start to a blog)
**WARNING: LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS!!!*** We take no responsibility whatsoever if your experience of Wicked is in any diluted because of this post. You have been warned.
Wicked on Valentine's Day was probably one of the best ideas yet. About 500 other couples agreed. Between playing Frogger across Hollywood Blvd into the lobby of the Pantages Theatre, and Centipede outside the women's bathroom, we wee-wee'd in the bathrooms, and thoroughly enjoyed the Los Angeles production of Wicked.
First, let's talk about purely the production.
One word. Absofreakinglutelyamazing. Caissie Levy's portrayal of Elphaba (the green girl, for those of you who have seen the trailers incessantly playing on TV but are unfamiliar with the story) is both optimistic and uplifting, but poignant in all the right spots. Her partner (in more ways than one, it seems - more on this subtext later), Megan Hilty (Glinda - the pink one) has a voice that you could listen to forever...if only she would stop emoting and start singing (C: Is that mean? D: No...it's sort of a backhanded compliment).
There were lots of exciting green lights and smoke and trapdoors, and flying monkeys. Also, there were munchkins and giant dancing heads, which seemed to make the entire production worth the arm and leg we had to give to get in (C: That might be a slight exaggeration... D: I did lose one leg, but that's unrelated). Also made it worth the story-vomit we had to wade through (more on this later as well).
We've arrived at later.
First to the subtext. Apparent to us (but obviously not apparent to anyone who writes online papers, as google-search will amply demonstrate), Elphaba and Glinda are clearly lesbian lovers. It may not be clear to them either, however, as Elphaba remains convinced that she is in love with Fiyero. What the heck? Fiyero is approximately 60% of the story-vomit alluded to above (the other 40% is the plot salad that seems to mix strawberries with anchovies and licorice with a sprinkle of used coffee grounds...but we're getting ahead of ourselves).
Back to the lesbians. Consider the following lyrics:
"What is this feeling, so sudden and new,
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you?
My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling,
My face is flushing, what is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame, does it have a name?
Yes......"
Love at first sight? Yes..... When the lovers aren't busy touching each others' cheeks and lamenting their impending separation, they are (C: What ARE they doing, exactly? D: I don't know, but that first part just sounded good) cultivating the obvious sexual tension between them (again, refer to the song "Loathing"). In the number, "Defying Gravity", Elphaba attempts to seduce Glinda by saying "Come with me. Think of what we can do. Together." Without making this too R-rated, look at the first word of that quote. Examine it. Ponder it. Remember, they are "roommates". Think of what they CAN do. Together. (D: Where's that gutter?) I rest my case.
There are other indications in "For Good" as well. We laud it as a wonderful piece of music with lyrics beautifully and poetically written about two "friends" who are parting and may tragically never see each other again. The whole maudlin conclusion with Glinda left behind, believing Elphaba is a puddle of liquid, while Elphaba frolics off to the hills with Fiyero (Ponder this too. He's a scarecrow - what can THEY do .... together? Keep in mind, they allow kids under 18 into this show) may compel one to think that a denial of a queer reading is in order. In fact, it only serves to underscore the lesbian story cliches we see time and time again, where the lesbian couple is inopportunely torn apart, because society never wants to see lesbians have a happy ending apparently (C: Is that too bitter? D: I would take out "apparently"). .... because society never wants to see lesbians have a happy ending. Sad.
Sure, you can argue that "they are just friends". But seriously. I think we beat this dead horse. The subtext is so transparent it's like the screen door of the alpaca farm we visited today that was missing the screen.
Let's move on to the story-vomit. (D: So much vomit.)
Where to begin? Let's start with the beef we have with the timeframe.
The story begins with Elphaba and her future lesbian-lover, Glinda, arriving at a boarding school, Shiz, vaguely reminiscent of Hogwarts but without a hat. Unless school in Oz works very differently than in Kansas, we can assume they are (at the oldest) in their early teens. Within a semester, these early teens are getting engaged, becoming wicked witches, and watching their teacher turn into a full-fledged goat. (We know not a lot of time has passed at school because the history lesson on the board never changes.) (C: There IS an intermission between Acts 1 and 2... ) Yes, there IS an intermission between Acts 1 and 2, but it seems too much to require a suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience to have us buy the fact that 5+ years have passed. (C: You know, we should put a huge disclaimer on this. *adds to top of blog*)
Even in the second act alone, consider Dorothy. She navigates the Yellow Brick Road overnight and finds her way to the castle in which she "melts" Elphaba. That's not the Oz we remember. Also, Nessarose (Elphaba's invalid sister) is the Governor (ok, what?) and evil for all of what, 12 hours (?) before a house falls on her. That's not enough time for even a Wicked Witch to develop a reputation. I think Snow White's stepmother has a better claim. Or the Witch in Narnia.
In short, the timeframe seems very scrambled and disorienting. But enough of that for now. Let's talk about the character motivations. This is where Fiyero's 60% story-vomit comes into play. (D: Let's take a 5-year intermission now.)
***5 years later***
(D: See, we're still in the exact same chairs - just like the characters! C: I think another disclaimer about writing blogs late at night on sleep deprivation is in order...)
The biggest problem we have here is motivation - not lack thereof, but inexplicable...thereof. Here's a list of things that don't make sense:
1) Glinda (vs. Galinda - would some popular girl REALLY change her name to honor a teacher to impress a boy?)
2) Fiyero
3) Glinda and Fiyero
4) Elphaba and Fiyero
5) The Wizard and Fiyero
Are we sensing a pattern here? We're not just sprouting out lists. We have a point. Really. We just need to get to it.
In science fiction and fantasy stories, the best part of the story is the ability for the plot to reflect seemingly mundane going-ons in everyday people's lives. While the hook for Wicked lies in the fantastical setting of Oz, it tries to also insert themes of friendship, love, loyalty, betrayal, and commentaries (pretty good ones at that) on the failings of the Bush administration, institutionalized religion, and racism. This is good and all, but in order for a fantasy plot to be plausible (C: Plot-sible), it must be consistent within the framework it establishes. Suspension of disbelief is already assumed in this case, but the audience should not need to carry this over into the other elements of the story. In Oz, for example, we accept that animals can talk, that magic is real, that a green girl exists, and that people travel around in giant bubbles (D: That I have some trouble with, but I'll let it go). This is not the problem. The problem is much more mundane - in the emotional motivations of the characters and the choices they make.
Take, for example, Elphaba giving Glinda the wand, and asking her to be in the sorcery class. This is a huge departure from the "loathing" established a mere 10 minutes earlier. Admittedly, it was not 10 minutes of story time, but it wasn't that long either - remember the history lesson the board. Even if one were to cite the lesbian subtext as an explanation of this change of heart, it still is a far stretch for a plausible motivation. (D: Lame) Even further unbelievable is Glinda dancing that truly ridiculous (D: Awful - it's the type of dance that I might be able to dance) dance with Elphaba to make her feel better. Sure, it's supposed to be uplifting that everyone starts dancing with Elphaba, but again. Requires (C: two double A batteries) further suspension of disbelief. (D: By this time, we're dangling precariously on a bungie cord -- we're falling apart here)
We're thinking we may need to continue this another day. The last sentence took us a full 20 minutes to write, between peach pies, dates with walnuts, facebook, a mysterious coconut smell, and a heavily breathing dog. However, we did want to make the comparison between Wicked and Avenue Q. Avenue Q also requires a suspension of disbelief (puppets!), but is absolutely self-consistent within its framework and its character motivations. The relationships take time and develop through interaction and other actions (full puppet nudity!). The writing is effortless, the story brutally honest, and the characters relatable. The plot may seem less consequential than that in Wicked. No kingdoms are at stake, and no one dies, but when all is said and done, the stakes are actually higher, because we in the audience have experienced it. It hits close to home.
(C: For two people who edit others' writings rather brutally.... D: We're being very soft on ourselves. C: That last paragraph just didn't follow. I think we'll chalk it up to sleepiness, and edit later.)
**WARNING: LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS!!!*** We take no responsibility whatsoever if your experience of Wicked is in any diluted because of this post. You have been warned.
Wicked on Valentine's Day was probably one of the best ideas yet. About 500 other couples agreed. Between playing Frogger across Hollywood Blvd into the lobby of the Pantages Theatre, and Centipede outside the women's bathroom, we wee-wee'd in the bathrooms, and thoroughly enjoyed the Los Angeles production of Wicked.
First, let's talk about purely the production.
One word. Absofreakinglutelyamazing. Caissie Levy's portrayal of Elphaba (the green girl, for those of you who have seen the trailers incessantly playing on TV but are unfamiliar with the story) is both optimistic and uplifting, but poignant in all the right spots. Her partner (in more ways than one, it seems - more on this subtext later), Megan Hilty (Glinda - the pink one) has a voice that you could listen to forever...if only she would stop emoting and start singing (C: Is that mean? D: No...it's sort of a backhanded compliment).
There were lots of exciting green lights and smoke and trapdoors, and flying monkeys. Also, there were munchkins and giant dancing heads, which seemed to make the entire production worth the arm and leg we had to give to get in (C: That might be a slight exaggeration... D: I did lose one leg, but that's unrelated). Also made it worth the story-vomit we had to wade through (more on this later as well).
We've arrived at later.
First to the subtext. Apparent to us (but obviously not apparent to anyone who writes online papers, as google-search will amply demonstrate), Elphaba and Glinda are clearly lesbian lovers. It may not be clear to them either, however, as Elphaba remains convinced that she is in love with Fiyero. What the heck? Fiyero is approximately 60% of the story-vomit alluded to above (the other 40% is the plot salad that seems to mix strawberries with anchovies and licorice with a sprinkle of used coffee grounds...but we're getting ahead of ourselves).
Back to the lesbians. Consider the following lyrics:
"What is this feeling, so sudden and new,
I felt the moment I laid eyes on you?
My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling,
My face is flushing, what is this feeling?
Fervid as a flame, does it have a name?
Yes......"
Love at first sight? Yes..... When the lovers aren't busy touching each others' cheeks and lamenting their impending separation, they are (C: What ARE they doing, exactly? D: I don't know, but that first part just sounded good) cultivating the obvious sexual tension between them (again, refer to the song "Loathing"). In the number, "Defying Gravity", Elphaba attempts to seduce Glinda by saying "Come with me. Think of what we can do. Together." Without making this too R-rated, look at the first word of that quote. Examine it. Ponder it. Remember, they are "roommates". Think of what they CAN do. Together. (D: Where's that gutter?) I rest my case.
There are other indications in "For Good" as well. We laud it as a wonderful piece of music with lyrics beautifully and poetically written about two "friends" who are parting and may tragically never see each other again. The whole maudlin conclusion with Glinda left behind, believing Elphaba is a puddle of liquid, while Elphaba frolics off to the hills with Fiyero (Ponder this too. He's a scarecrow - what can THEY do .... together? Keep in mind, they allow kids under 18 into this show) may compel one to think that a denial of a queer reading is in order. In fact, it only serves to underscore the lesbian story cliches we see time and time again, where the lesbian couple is inopportunely torn apart, because society never wants to see lesbians have a happy ending apparently (C: Is that too bitter? D: I would take out "apparently"). .... because society never wants to see lesbians have a happy ending. Sad.
Sure, you can argue that "they are just friends". But seriously. I think we beat this dead horse. The subtext is so transparent it's like the screen door of the alpaca farm we visited today that was missing the screen.
Let's move on to the story-vomit. (D: So much vomit.)
Where to begin? Let's start with the beef we have with the timeframe.
The story begins with Elphaba and her future lesbian-lover, Glinda, arriving at a boarding school, Shiz, vaguely reminiscent of Hogwarts but without a hat. Unless school in Oz works very differently than in Kansas, we can assume they are (at the oldest) in their early teens. Within a semester, these early teens are getting engaged, becoming wicked witches, and watching their teacher turn into a full-fledged goat. (We know not a lot of time has passed at school because the history lesson on the board never changes.) (C: There IS an intermission between Acts 1 and 2... ) Yes, there IS an intermission between Acts 1 and 2, but it seems too much to require a suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience to have us buy the fact that 5+ years have passed. (C: You know, we should put a huge disclaimer on this. *adds to top of blog*)
Even in the second act alone, consider Dorothy. She navigates the Yellow Brick Road overnight and finds her way to the castle in which she "melts" Elphaba. That's not the Oz we remember. Also, Nessarose (Elphaba's invalid sister) is the Governor (ok, what?) and evil for all of what, 12 hours (?) before a house falls on her. That's not enough time for even a Wicked Witch to develop a reputation. I think Snow White's stepmother has a better claim. Or the Witch in Narnia.
In short, the timeframe seems very scrambled and disorienting. But enough of that for now. Let's talk about the character motivations. This is where Fiyero's 60% story-vomit comes into play. (D: Let's take a 5-year intermission now.)
***5 years later***
(D: See, we're still in the exact same chairs - just like the characters! C: I think another disclaimer about writing blogs late at night on sleep deprivation is in order...)
The biggest problem we have here is motivation - not lack thereof, but inexplicable...thereof. Here's a list of things that don't make sense:
1) Glinda (vs. Galinda - would some popular girl REALLY change her name to honor a teacher to impress a boy?)
2) Fiyero
3) Glinda and Fiyero
4) Elphaba and Fiyero
5) The Wizard and Fiyero
Are we sensing a pattern here? We're not just sprouting out lists. We have a point. Really. We just need to get to it.
In science fiction and fantasy stories, the best part of the story is the ability for the plot to reflect seemingly mundane going-ons in everyday people's lives. While the hook for Wicked lies in the fantastical setting of Oz, it tries to also insert themes of friendship, love, loyalty, betrayal, and commentaries (pretty good ones at that) on the failings of the Bush administration, institutionalized religion, and racism. This is good and all, but in order for a fantasy plot to be plausible (C: Plot-sible), it must be consistent within the framework it establishes. Suspension of disbelief is already assumed in this case, but the audience should not need to carry this over into the other elements of the story. In Oz, for example, we accept that animals can talk, that magic is real, that a green girl exists, and that people travel around in giant bubbles (D: That I have some trouble with, but I'll let it go). This is not the problem. The problem is much more mundane - in the emotional motivations of the characters and the choices they make.
Take, for example, Elphaba giving Glinda the wand, and asking her to be in the sorcery class. This is a huge departure from the "loathing" established a mere 10 minutes earlier. Admittedly, it was not 10 minutes of story time, but it wasn't that long either - remember the history lesson the board. Even if one were to cite the lesbian subtext as an explanation of this change of heart, it still is a far stretch for a plausible motivation. (D: Lame) Even further unbelievable is Glinda dancing that truly ridiculous (D: Awful - it's the type of dance that I might be able to dance) dance with Elphaba to make her feel better. Sure, it's supposed to be uplifting that everyone starts dancing with Elphaba, but again. Requires (C: two double A batteries) further suspension of disbelief. (D: By this time, we're dangling precariously on a bungie cord -- we're falling apart here)
We're thinking we may need to continue this another day. The last sentence took us a full 20 minutes to write, between peach pies, dates with walnuts, facebook, a mysterious coconut smell, and a heavily breathing dog. However, we did want to make the comparison between Wicked and Avenue Q. Avenue Q also requires a suspension of disbelief (puppets!), but is absolutely self-consistent within its framework and its character motivations. The relationships take time and develop through interaction and other actions (full puppet nudity!). The writing is effortless, the story brutally honest, and the characters relatable. The plot may seem less consequential than that in Wicked. No kingdoms are at stake, and no one dies, but when all is said and done, the stakes are actually higher, because we in the audience have experienced it. It hits close to home.
(C: For two people who edit others' writings rather brutally.... D: We're being very soft on ourselves. C: That last paragraph just didn't follow. I think we'll chalk it up to sleepiness, and edit later.)
Welcome to the Absurditorium
So in preparation for our big trip to Italy (which will be followed closely by big trips to various other places), we have started this blog for your reading enjoyment (or amusement - we're sure you'll be laughing AT us most of the time).
Here are some things you can expect from us and this blog:
Lots of misadventures and elaborate stories of injuries (we'll try to keep this G-rated, as the last injury was not - if you really want to know what happened, ask one of us, or Daniel's left knee)
At least two or three instances of technology failing in our immediate vicinity. Likely technology victims include cell phones, cash registers, I-will-devour-your-boarding-pass-and-then-spit-it-back-out machines (you know, the ones in the airport before you board that devour your boarding pass and then spit it back out), and this laptop.
Chronicles of dubious lodging, which may or may not include bathrooms. If bathrooms are included, they may be the super efficient ones with shower heads located directly above the toilets -- so you get sprinkled while you tinkle.
Occasional musings about popular culture, such as our all time favorite TV Show Buffy and communal behavior on subways.
From time to time, a blog written very late at night, entirely in rhyme.
We can't think of anything else now, but I'm sure we will once we get to it.
Oh, we should explain why this blog is called Mild Absurdity. Ever since we met, we've felt engulfed in a layer of mild absurdity. Let's give you an example. Daniel's injury we alluded to above. Again, you will have to ask us.
Here are some things you can expect from us and this blog:
Lots of misadventures and elaborate stories of injuries (we'll try to keep this G-rated, as the last injury was not - if you really want to know what happened, ask one of us, or Daniel's left knee)
At least two or three instances of technology failing in our immediate vicinity. Likely technology victims include cell phones, cash registers, I-will-devour-your-boarding-pass-and-then-spit-it-back-out machines (you know, the ones in the airport before you board that devour your boarding pass and then spit it back out), and this laptop.
Chronicles of dubious lodging, which may or may not include bathrooms. If bathrooms are included, they may be the super efficient ones with shower heads located directly above the toilets -- so you get sprinkled while you tinkle.
Occasional musings about popular culture, such as our all time favorite TV Show Buffy and communal behavior on subways.
From time to time, a blog written very late at night, entirely in rhyme.
We can't think of anything else now, but I'm sure we will once we get to it.
Oh, we should explain why this blog is called Mild Absurdity. Ever since we met, we've felt engulfed in a layer of mild absurdity. Let's give you an example. Daniel's injury we alluded to above. Again, you will have to ask us.
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