tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329076662024-03-13T14:12:03.170-04:00Musings"How can I know what I think until I see what I say?" - E.M. ForsterGretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-45618752415162813962007-11-16T11:35:00.000-05:002007-11-16T11:39:51.617-05:00bye bye, bloggerThe time has come. My little blogging experiment is at its end, due to a variety of reasons, most of which are that school is taking over as top priority right now. Also, I think I've come to a point where instead of reflecting on life, I need to concentrate on living it for a while. So, if you've been back to this mostly-abandoned blogspot in a while...thanks. Thanks for reading and commenting over the past year and a half. I'll still be poking around in your blogs every once in a while, and hopefully leaving a comment or two. But for the time being, mine is over. <br /><br />Thanks for making the experience worthwhile!<br /><br />~GretaGretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-23951435727173355452007-10-16T15:42:00.001-04:002007-10-16T15:42:08.646-04:00this weekend<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/8dn1FgA54m8' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/8dn1FgA54m8'/></object></p><p>I can't wait for this weekend to come. I'm going on an outing with some of my Yosakoi friends to a special performance in the area. We're going to...<br /><br />Visit the Nelson-Adkins Museum of art....<br /><br />Possibly go to the Country Club Plaza or the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art...<br /><br />Eat yummy Japanese food...<br /><br />And the reason for the entire trip: the Yamato Taiko group from Japan. The video just doesn't do it justice.<br /></p></div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-41959166755712113832007-10-10T11:14:00.001-04:002007-10-10T11:30:58.815-04:00penny for your thoughtsShould I be so lucky to find a penny today, it would be the fourth Wednesday in a row that I came across spare change lying on the ground. The first two times it was a dime, the second time, a nickel and a penny. At first I thought it was odd, finding spare change specifically on a Wednesday, but I think the more I find change, the more it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: if I think about finding change, I tend to look for it more, and the more I look for it, the more I actually find. When I told one of my friends about the dimes, he said "Wow, I'll have to hang out with you more." Yeah. And maybe in two and a half months we'll have enough change to go out for smoothies.<br /><br />Anyway, along the lines of deep thoughts, there's a booth that is set up on our campus every week with a 'question of the week' that students can answer just for fun such as 'who is your hero?' Yesterday the booth was handing out freeze pops and asking 'why do people take themselves so seriously?' (Due to a recent cold snap, I think they'd get more traffic if they handed out hot cider, but that's beside the point.)<br /><br />I didn't stop at the booth, but it got me thinking. I think people take themselves so seriously because they realize that they have a finite amount of time on the earth, and they feel like they have to accomplish something while they're here. I read some survey this summer that said people's biggest fears weren't heights or public speaking or spiders or anything like that. The biggest fear was dying without having left a mark on the earth, and having no one to remember them. I think that would be enough to make people take themselves too seriously.<br /><br />In lighter news, it's getting to be my favorite time of the year: fall! There's a million reasons to love it, such as the ones I blogged about <a href="http://vibrantsilence.blogspot.com/2006/09/what-soothes-you.html">last year</a>. But this fall is even more interesting because I got to try my hand at pumpkin carving for the first time. We got pumpkins at a local produce market and carved them in my friend's room. My humble attempts at a jack-o-lantern are documented below.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/Rwzsq7gcIdI/AAAAAAAAARI/Vf6d22l0djE/s1600-h/pumpkins+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119727098685825490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/Rwzsq7gcIdI/AAAAAAAAARI/Vf6d22l0djE/s320/pumpkins+006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RwzsvbgcIeI/AAAAAAAAARQ/JYbr3qHvBqc/s1600-h/pumpkins+025.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119727175995236834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RwzsvbgcIeI/AAAAAAAAARQ/JYbr3qHvBqc/s320/pumpkins+025.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RwzsyLgcIfI/AAAAAAAAARY/9xBput_LPHI/s1600-h/pumpkins+029.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119727223239877106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RwzsyLgcIfI/AAAAAAAAARY/9xBput_LPHI/s320/pumpkins+029.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-3079685813327500262007-10-08T10:45:00.000-04:002007-10-08T10:47:27.582-04:00i will be back<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RwpC9rgcIcI/AAAAAAAAARA/8sZuWV3Y-8Q/s1600-h/12april2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118977553878229442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RwpC9rgcIcI/AAAAAAAAARA/8sZuWV3Y-8Q/s400/12april2007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RwpCwLgcIbI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/LuZTv0gPmS8/s1600-h/12april2007.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div></div></div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-85292074042649543912007-09-14T16:55:00.000-04:002007-09-14T16:58:58.169-04:00i found it!This makes my day.<br /><br />I found a carton of concentrate for <a href="http://www.calpis.co.jp/english/divisions/bev_food/bev_food3.html">Calpis</a> water at an oriental food store in town. It was one of my addictions in Japan, and now in the U.S. as well. I can't wait to try it here, even though it probably won't taste <em>quite </em>the same as when a convenience store clerk hands it to you in a plastic bag with a polite bow and a cheerful "Arigatou gozaimas!"<br /><br />It's still really, really good.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-54120517505996743402007-09-12T11:07:00.001-04:002007-09-12T11:16:28.736-04:00and so it goesI have never studied so much in my life. What happened to the transition from freshman year to sophomore? I'm not an upperclassman yet, but the workload seems to have quadrupled. It feels like finals week already.<br /><br />The first round of tests is here; two down and two to go. So far, so good. And I now know enough Japanese to ask if someone is from China, Korea, the U.S., England, etc. so I must be getting somewhere. I would post more, but I have to go study archaeology. Maybe sometime soon.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-84516805645442473082007-08-29T18:23:00.001-04:002007-08-30T16:18:18.277-04:00the story so farI'm just about to complete my second week back at school, and things are off to a pretty good start. This is largely because I just got internet access back in my room after several days of network problems that were annoyingly reminiscent of last semester.<br /><br /><br /><br />But seriously, I have a good job (night supervisor at the International Student Center = lots of time to do homework), and am settling into my two-person room (although I'm hardly ever there. I seem to live in the library...) And Yosakoi is back in full swing, evidenced by the excruciating pain every time I move my shoulders after Tuesday's practice. We have a lot of new members who ask me how to do certain steps of the dance every time we need a break, which is good, but leaves me exhausted. On second thought, it's good for me too - I have to know my stuff.<br /><br />Otherwise classes have been pretty good so far. A brief overview:<br /><br />Japanese is my favourite by far. I was a little intimidated the first day when our teacher walked in the door and started speaking rapid-fire Japanese without any explanation until the end of class. But I'm learning lots of useful phrases and just completed the hiragana alphabet today. Interesting quote thus far (from a handout): "When you are speaking Japanese, you should avoid English speech fillers such as <em>uh, </em>and make an effort to use the Japanese ones."<br /><br />Archaeology is interesting; it's been a little dry, but we have learned about the Three Age dating system, and that all archaeologists do not run around with a pith helmet and whip like Indiana Jones. Interesting quote thus far: Professor - "You've all used grids since elementary school. Can anyone tell me briefly what a grid is?" Student - "It's a bunch of triangles put next to each other."<br /><br />Information Gathering is basically a semester-long research tutorial leading up to what will be a ginormous paper on a media policy issue. My topic of choice, though still in the brainstorming stage, is the implications of using English-only or bilingual newspapers. Apparently we will learn to use the library and other databases, and how to track down and interview experts. Oh, and we will learn how to use Google in ways we have never used Google before. If there has been an interesting quote yet, I've missed it.<br /><br />American Ethnic Studies is just what it sounds like - studies of different ethnic groups in America. Racism. Cultural pluralism. That sort of thing. Interesting quote thus far (during roll call on the first day, when calling my last name in front of 80 students): Professor - "There is no way you can get (insert last name) from that spelling. See, look -" Yeah, my name was on the chalk board for the entire class period.<br /><br />Population Dynamics has only met twice, but I think I'm going to like it. Kind of like Am. Ethnic studies, but it tells what the groups do, and why. My professor is from Hungary and likes to slip in comparisons of his country into class, which makes it interesting. There are only about 10 of us in the class, too - not a bad ratio. Interesting quote thus far: "Now, let's get down to the black soup, as they say in Hungary."<br /><br />And that's the story so far.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-66811424620664369212007-08-17T17:31:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:42:05.534-04:00little bloggy b-dayIt was one year ago today I started my venture into blogging. It's been an interesting experiment, and I've enjoyed the other blogs I've been able to read and comment on, and receive comments back.<br /><br />Over the last year I've blogged about my first year at college, my first trip overseas, and lots of zany and mediocre things like haircuts, food and quirky people I've observed or overheard.<br /><br />The other day I added Google Analytics to my page so I could see how truly depressing my blog ratings were. I was actually surprised by the small but steady stream of people who visit it. <br /><br />Some of them get here by interesting routes. One Google search that has lead people to my blog was 'alcohol free birthday etiquette.' I don't remember blogging about this subject, although it's worth finding out about. I don't know why 'picture of breaded fish cutlet' would lead anyone to my blog, either, but it did. I hope they weren't upset not to find such a picture. And my personal favourite, 'the art of slurping' must have had something to do with my experience eating ramen in Japan. Interesting stuff.<br /><br />So, thanks for sharing my little corner of cyberspace - listening in, commenting, and sharing your own stories. Sometimes my postings are sporadic at best, but I've enjoyed keeping a blog. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it going through the next year.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-30751991638823614552007-08-16T07:43:00.001-04:002007-08-16T07:54:14.421-04:00last day at workYesterday was my last day at the library before moving back to school. And oddly enough, it was probably the most interesting day I spent working there, if only for the variety of stuff I got to do.<br /><br />Typically when I go in to work at the library, I steel myself in preparation for six hours of the same cycle of work: get a book from the cataloger, type up the label in the front of the book, affix the label with con-tac paper, check the label against the online catalog, fit it with "tattletape" so the sensor at the door beeps if someone tries to walk off with it, shelve the book. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Since the library is in the process of changing every book from Dewey Decimal System classification to Library of Congress, there is no dearth of labeling to deal with. Carts and carts of books on end, in fact.<br /><br />Yesterday had its share of "processing" as it's called, but I also got to interact with patrons, something that doesn't happen a lot when all the students and most of the professors are gone from campus for the summer. I got to try various other things that librarians are responsible for, such as unlocking the conference room for a guy in PR to take pictures of the windowsill. Unlocking it again 20 minutes later because he took the "wrong" pictures of the windowsill. (We were baffled as to how you can take wrong pictures of a windowsill; we were both quite certain the remodelers who wanted the pictures would come look at the actual windowsill before building anything for it.) I supplied patrons with paper clips and hole punches, and took a trip to the business office to get my paycheck. And after lunch, I moved approximately ten times my weight in reference books.<br /><br />And today, some coworkers and I are going out to eat a local Mexican restaurant as a "goodbye for now" to the job. It was a good job to have during the summer. I can't say I'll really miss it, but it was nice to have while I was here.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-83429666300718605252007-08-14T23:38:00.000-04:002007-08-14T23:57:20.165-04:00haircut, school and other unrelated musingsYou'd think that with less than 48 hours remaining until I will be settling down for the night in my dorm for the fall semester, I'd be doing something productive. Checking my schedule to see when I start classes. Seeing if I have enough food to last the weekend since the dining hall doesn't open until Monday, and I'm moving in on Thursday. Packing, maybe. But no. As you can see, I'm on the computer. This has been a serious addiction lately. Youtube has become my central music fix. I surf blogs at random. I'm on Facebook like some people are on crack. But hey, while I'm here I might as well update my blog.<br /><br />I got my hair cut last Friday. It is the first serious cut I've had in about three years, and the stylist said she cut a good 9-10 inches off in the back. It feels wonderful and is easy to take care of, despite being the first hairdo I've had that requires me to style it and actually use a blowdryer. I don't usually spend a lot of time on my hair, but the new style is easy and I love it. It looks somewhat like the picture below. (The picture, by the way, is not me. It is German actress Franka Potente. However, if you would like to pretend this is what I look like, I would not be offended in any way.)<br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RsJ2QGX75gI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Zn_ijWoKLps/s1600-h/potente.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098767747097814530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RsJ2QGX75gI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Zn_ijWoKLps/s320/potente.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>As I mentioned, the start of the school year is fast approaching. I'm actually eagerly anticipating my classes, although they are scheduled so close together that I will have to miss lunch several days a week. My schedule, as it is set now, looks like this:</p><p>AMETH 160 Intro to American Ethics</p><p>MC 195 Information Gathering</p><p>JAPAN 191 Japanese I</p><p>ANTH 260 Intro to Archaeology</p><p>SOCIO 535 Population Dynamics</p><p>It's going to take some getting used to, as usual, when I move back in. But I'm looking forward to the semester. New classes, new job, new people to meet. Bring it on, I say.</p>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-46962598929023593282007-08-12T14:13:00.000-04:002007-08-12T14:25:04.755-04:00thoughts on campIt's been almost a week since I got back from seven days in a cabin with 16 screaming 7-to-9-year-old girls. My thoughts have had time to marinate in my head (what do you call these? Marinatings? Marinations? I'll settle with musings for now...) and the weird thing is...I kind of miss it.<br /><br />Being a "cabin mommy" as one of my campers put it isn't always fun. There is the rush to get ready for chapel in the morning. The perpetual spilled drinks - I don't think we went one meal without tipping a glass. There is lots of homesickness, and in some years (like this one) lots of puking. But there are lots of cool things about being a cabin leader too. One is that you become a hero to lots of little kids for simply having a band-aid when they need one or know how to braid hair. You inspire awe because you are A Teenager, and go to college. <br /><br />But the other cool thing is that as a counselor you get to do stuff that you haven't had a chance to do since you were their age: get your hands messy making hommade paper, belt out silly songs in music class, play dodgeball and scream at the top of your lungs going down the water slide. You're a sort-of parent, sort-of older sibling, and sort-of friend. <br /><br />I think that anyone considering parenthood should be required to be a camp counselor first. Sure, one week isn't anything compared to a lifetime with kids. But it sure gives you a preview of what life might be like. At times it's endearing, at times frustrating, and sometimes just fun. I have no idea if I'll ever have kids...I havn't thought that far down the road yet. But will I be a cabin mommy again next year at camp? I think so.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-26579999219412770732007-08-11T17:43:00.001-04:002007-08-11T17:50:21.570-04:00bourne again...<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/Rr4toGX75fI/AAAAAAAAAQo/TRHg3n73Gvo/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097561995159004658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/Rr4toGX75fI/AAAAAAAAAQo/TRHg3n73Gvo/s320/2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I took my brother to see the Bourne Ultimatum as a last-weekend-out-of school outing. And I have to say (without any spoilers here) that it was a pretty good film. It was a great third installment, and left me wanting to know more at the end, but not for lack of a good plot. Its cityscapes were just as vibrant as in the first two films, and made me want to travel to the locations where it was filmed in London, Madrid and Morocco. An all-around good movie to round out a great trilogy.</div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-58887049138263189772007-08-07T08:06:00.000-04:002007-08-07T08:14:11.311-04:00overheard at campI'm back from counseling at a week-long Orthodox youth camp. I'll probably post more about it later, but right now I'm still recovering from the exhaustion, so I'll give you a sampling of quotes from the 7-to-9-year-olds I counseled. If nothing else, it was worth the week to hear the amusing things the kids said.<br /><br />After I taught an impromptu dance class when the actual teacher had to leave, a little boy ran up to me and said, "I've never seen a parent jump before!"<br /><br />One of my girls at lunch: "You're not even old enough to get married!"<br /><br />During chapel: "Make my sister stop hitting me! And my <em>appendix </em>hurts!"<br /><br />While doing a bread-making activity: "I have lots of practice working with dough. I just took a cake-decorating class, and now I decorate all these cakes. I'm working on one shaped like the White House. The President ordered it, and I'm going to send it to him. I'm going to make all his cakes."<br /><br />One of my campers: "Well, their names are Katie and Sarah. They're not identical twins - I think it's called fraternal. They look exactly alike, but their names aren't twins."Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-37145713632134153302007-07-26T18:47:00.001-04:002007-07-26T19:59:56.313-04:00sojourns in careerlandI think I'm finally going to do it - I think I'm going to change my major.<br /><br />It's not that I don't want to be the globetrotting <em>National Geographic </em>reporter anymore. It's just that as I'm going through classes, I'm realising that my skills don't always necessarily match my aspirations. Which is part of the reason I've thrown around so many career ideas. There are a million possibilities I'm <em>interested </em>in, some that I'd be proficient at, but few I'd <em>really </em>be good at.<br /><br />When I took my aptitude test my sophomore year of high school, two of the top ten careers that matched my aptitudes were pastry chef and mortician. Maybe I should have paid attention to those sooner - if one thing's for sure, people are never going to stop eating or dying. The job outlook for what I'm interested in now - social scientist - is a little less in demand, but I think it's something I could get excited about working on every day.<br /><br />Anthropology is the area of social science I'd like to concentrate on, although I don't have a specific career in mind yet. I've already taken linguistic anthropology, and am starting my Japanese minor this semester, so the linguistic aspect is looking interesting right now. There are a few jobs outside the fieldwork/academic setting that I could go into, as well.<br /><br />First there is Interpretor. Although I haven't started Japanese classes yet, I am very interested in mastering the language, and if I'm going to be taking it anyway, I might as well put it to use careerwise. Interpretors translate spoken words at conferences or interviews. You have to have a complete knowledge of the language and be able to translate it quickly. I'm not sure if this is the branch for me, but there are others. Especially not my area if the movie <em>The Interpretor </em>was any accurate depiction of the job. Apparently if you are able to translate an obscure language for the U.N., scary masked men will show up at your apartment, and then Sean Penn will have to stare into your window from across the street in order to "protect" you. Not sure which of those alternatives is creepier.<br /><br />Then there is Translator. This is more my style - translators are often able to work from home, and there is less immediate pressure because you can take time to translate written words. In the case of Japanese, though, I would have to have a more thorough knowledge of the alphabet, and with 1945 kanji characters mandatory for proficiency in everyday reading, that is no small task.<br /><br />There is also Linguistic Anthropologist. This could be closer to my original idea of traveling around, doing fieldwork, and writing reports. I'm interested in helping unravel the mysteries of the indiginous Ainu language in Japan.<br /><br />Whatever option I choose could be an interesting career, I suppose. And there is some comfort in the following saying by Mother Gavrilia, an Orthodox nun: <em>"What does God want me to do? Be here or go there? The answer was: God is not interested in where you are or what you do...He is interested only in the quality and quantity of the love you give. Nothing else. Nothing else." </em>This, however, is a lifelong vocation. Anything else I do is just a job.<br /><br />Right now I'm still in the mindset of "what I want to be when I grow up." But then again, I'll probably be in that mindset until one day I suddenly realise I'm old, and that last thing I was doing was the closest I came to an actual 'career.' "Ha," I'll say. "I used to want to teach English in Japan!" Maybe I'll laugh about it over a plate of pastries with my coworkers at the morgue.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-78515115343404416562007-07-25T23:23:00.001-04:002007-07-25T23:39:51.368-04:00on life in the libraryMy summer job, as it has been for the last three years, is to work in a small college library near my house. For me, it's the perfect part-time job, since I'm fairly organized, like to work by myself, and am interested in books of all kinds. But those aren't the only reasons working at the library is a pretty good job. I've decided that there are more perks to this job than you might first imagine, such as:<br /><br />- First dibs on interesting books. If you see something you like that hasn't been put out on the shelf yet, it's yours for the taking (after it's been catalogued, labeled, proofed, and tattletaped so it beeps if someone tries to steal it, that is.) This is especially handy with books that look like fun, or even, in my case, the new Harry Potter book. While I have not read the first six volumes (these people do exist!), I'm tempted to read the last few pages just to see what happens. I figure that if I ever do decide to sit down and read the entire series, I'm going to know the ending long before I get there.<br /><br />- You find humour in unexpected places. For example, the way Thomas Jefferson looks on the cover of a children's book with a barcode placed directly over his face. Or the barcode placed over a promoting comment on the cover of another book so that the previously praising statement now reads 'forgettable story! Brilliant!' Even the titles of some books are enough to crack me up. My latest favourite is <em>At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig.</em> <br /><br />- There is time to daydream. It's amazing what kinds of story ideas, job opportunities and memories drift through your head when you stand there for three hours wrapping books in contact paper.<br /><br />- Free muscle toning. You thought the extent of librarians' exercise was lifting date due stamps and flipping pages? Hah! With all the lugging stacks of reference books, pushing persnickity shelving carts and rearranging furniture, it's practically the next best thing to a membership at the Y. <br /><br />So the next time you're attempting a comedian position, coming up with a short story idea, or heading off to boot camp, maybe you should consider a stint at your local library as preparation. And then again there are the books...Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-4769601401094698562007-07-17T23:17:00.000-04:002007-07-26T20:00:34.034-04:00interviewSo...I've been scrambling a bit to come up with blogging topics lately, and I decided to let Enemy of the Republic interview me when she volunteered on her blog. The questions were more thought-provoking than your typical 'what would you do with a million dollars' type, so I've spent a little longer answering them -here's my best attempt.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#663300;">1. You are a follower of the Orthodox religion. How does it meet your spiritual needs? </span><br /><span style="color:#663300;"></span><br /><span style="color:#663300;"><span style="color:#336666;">Although I would say that I should try to conform to the principles of my religion more than it should meet my needs, the rich history and theology of the Orthodox church is a very meaningful in my life. I believe it is the True faith, the original Christian church from the time of the apostles until the present. There are aspects of the church that are integrated into every part of my life - church services and daily prayers at home, ancient melodies sung in the services, and a history full of apostles, saints, angels and monastics that give modern Orthodox Christians an example of how to live everyday life. The idea of <em>theosis </em>- God becoming man (as Jesus) so that man can become God - is something to strive for in my spiritual life. No human can ever become truly God, but the pursuit of this, with the right intentions, can lead to a fulfilling spiritual life.</span><br /></span><span style="color:#663300;"><span style="color:#666600;"></span></span><br /><span style="color:#663300;">2. Is there a particular saint or icon that is especially meaningful for you? If so, why? </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#663300;"><span style="color:#336666;">The icons in the Orthodox church are all beautiful and awe-inspiring, but for me especially the icon of Christ the <a href="http://peinture.video-du-net.fr/images/icones-celebres/christ/Christ_Pantocrator_Sinai.jpg">Pantocrator</a>. It is simultaneously comforting and intimidating. On the left, Christ raises his hand in blessing to show that he loves and cares for his creation. On the right, he holds the book of life to remind us that when our lives are over, we will also have to answer to him for the choices we have made. I also have a special place for <a href="http://www.hellenic-art.com/painted/st.christopher.jpg">St. Christopher</a>, as a protector and the patron saint of travelers. </span></span><br /><span style="color:#663300;"><span style="color:#336666;"></span><br />3. How does God and mysticism fit into today's culture?<br /><br /><span style="color:#336666;"></span><br /><p><span style="color:#336666;">Unfortunately, today's culture has strayed far from the ideal that God set up at creation - that we would be in dialogue with him, worship him, and care for His creation. Instead, today most organized religions tend to "box" God - to create their own personalized Saviour, and to pick and choose a religion that suits their ideals instead of the other way around. I believe that God has a rightful place in any society, past or present. It is my job to sanctify the activities that I participate in by giving God the honor and obedience that are already his. (Not that I have achieved this... it's much easier said than done.)</span></p><p>4. If you were to name two things about American society (not government), what would they be and why? </p><p><span style="color:#336666;">Hmmm...any two aspects of our culture? For one, I would say consumerism. Americans often take for granted all the amenities that are available to us. We're used to scouting out the latest electronic gadgets, buying the coolest brands of clothes, and sampling new restaurants. We're programmed to buy, and society tells us that more is better. I think that often we are so caught up in what we "need" or want that we forget that others are less fortunate, and also forget to be grateful for what we do have.</span></p><p><span style="color:#336666;">Another aspect that we offer, on the upside, is diversity. Although sometimes groups may clash in the U.S., it's interesting to see a country being built by people from so many different countries, cultures, and social backgrounds. The potential for language exchange, cultural awareness, and dialogue about world issues is exciting. The plethora of ethnic recipes, different styles of architecture and art are an added plus.</span><br /><br />5. Is there an historical figure you admire? Why? Do you think our present society still can boast of some individual greatness? Who would some of them be? </p><p></span></p><span style="color:#336666;">I don't have any particular historical figure that sticks out as a hero in my mind. There are several I admire, mostly for bringing people together and fighting for justice. Marting Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa, Mother Gavrilia (an Orthodox nun), Ghandi and Joan of Arc are all people I look up to for their willingness to fight for an ideal, to give themselves wholly to working for the greater good, and simply loving their people.</span><p><span style="color:#336666;">I think that there is always potential for "greatness" in today's society, if you define greatness as some or all of the above qualities. There are a few people alive now that I admire, but their names don't often show up in the mass media. I think that <a href="http://www.brtom.org/wb/berry.html">Wendell Berry </a>has a lot of good things to say in his essays and poems about reverence for the created world, and love for family. I admire Zana Briski for her passion for children in poverty, and her work in exposing their conditions to the public through things like documentaries and her <a href="http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/aboutus/?page=zanabriski">Kids With Cameras</a> program. But mostly I think that the potential is there in everyone. It's our choice to change the world or just watch it spin by.</span></p>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-36545086959131097582007-07-14T18:11:00.000-04:002007-07-26T20:01:01.132-04:00what's your global iq?I tried <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19337909/site/newsweek/">this quiz </a>from Newsweek magazine that featured 130 questions about current politics, sports, entertainment, environmental and economic issues. I scored a 43% - pretty average. If you've been keeping up with the news over the past few months (and know a little bit of historical trivia), it's an interesting evaluation. Give it a try!Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-71169232118331983652007-07-13T08:43:00.000-04:002007-07-26T20:01:41.778-04:00the times they are a-changin'Sometimes it's weird to think about all the things that have happened since I was born. In the past two decades kids have gone from playing with Razr scooters and Pogs to iPods and DS gaming systems. You even see 12-year-olds running around with cell phones. Google and Facebook have become verbs. Smashing Pumpkins and N'Sync are no longer new music.<br /><br />It is strange to think that someday I'll look back and say, "Harry Potter - yeah, that was popular when I was in college," or "My brother was obsessesed with playing Halo." But then again, it's fun to see how things change. Like a quote I found by Colette that I really liked:<br /><br /><em>"I love my past. I love my present. I'm not ashamed of what I have had, and I am not sad because I have it no longer."</em><br /><br />Maybe that's why I'm not too disturbed that my interests are constantly changing. Sometimes I think I'm a different person every day. Even the 'Visual DNA' widget in my sidebar is different from the one I posted a few months ago. When I clean out my desk drawers or look back in my old journals, I sometimes wish I could be as interested in a particular subject as I was then. And sometimes I look at what I was interested in, and I just have to laugh.<br /><br />(Know what else makes me laugh? The word <em>widget.</em>)Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-5226503935504449342007-07-12T18:15:00.001-04:002007-07-12T18:15:34.829-04:00taiko at its best<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/sSi7PyJMj3A' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/sSi7PyJMj3A'/></object></p><p>One of the many Japanese traditional arts I've become intrested in over the last few months is Taiko. A friend who was fortunate enough to be part of a taiko group in high school said I should check out this group. Even if you've never been into drumming before, their level of energy and artistry is almost incredible. Enjoy!</p></div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-4539116892655396572007-07-10T09:00:00.000-04:002007-07-10T09:15:12.794-04:00banana pancakes and the travel bugThe travel bug has bitten me - bad. I already want to go back to Japan, and it's the one country besides the US I've been to...there are so many more to see! And who knows when I'll even be able to travel again.<br />My latest interest, however, is Thailand. On the plane from Chicago to Tokyo, I sat by two very nice and interesting students about my age; one was a girl from Seoul, returning home from studying in the US. The other was a premed student going to teach English in Thailand for a few weeks, after hiking the base of Mt. Everest. It turned out the girl from Korea knew a bit about Bangkok, the Thai capital where the other student was going. We all talked about Thailand for awhile, and she said that if we ever visited Bangkok, to find Khao San Road, a mecca for backpackers from all over the world.<br />I looked it up the other day, and the street looks fascinating - kind of a hippie beach town meets a crowded strip mall. <a href="http://dsphotographic.com/index.php/2006/09/photos-of-bangkoks-khao-san-road/">This site </a>had some really cool pictures of the road. It's also fascinating to trace the road itself on <a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a>. <br />In my reading about the road, I discovered that street vendors often cook up a treat called banana pancakes, made right in front of hungry tourists and drizzled with chocolate sauce or sweetened condensed milk. I tried it for myself last night using <a href="http://matnkat.com/recipes/breakfast/thai_banana_pancakes.php">this recipe</a>, but substituting sour cream with a little sugar since we didn't have any yoghurt. The result was delicious!<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpODWaU0RDI/AAAAAAAAAQY/yo-x9sVEZbw/s1600-h/pancakes+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085552825278415922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpODWaU0RDI/AAAAAAAAAQY/yo-x9sVEZbw/s320/pancakes+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpODXKU0REI/AAAAAAAAAQg/LjOQQvwN_m8/s1600-h/pancakes+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085552838163317826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpODXKU0REI/AAAAAAAAAQg/LjOQQvwN_m8/s320/pancakes+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-1009216180443567172007-07-09T14:13:00.001-04:002007-07-09T14:22:38.829-04:00sapporo, day 9<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7iaU0Q-I/AAAAAAAAAPw/5-Hib8NcTd0/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+090.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085262760367113186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7iaU0Q-I/AAAAAAAAAPw/5-Hib8NcTd0/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+090.jpg" border="0" /></a> The last full day we spent in Sapporo, I spent the morning walking around the streets near our hotel and taking pictures. This door was just a few blocks down the street; I had never noticed it before. Susukino in the morning is a completely different place at night; there are just a few taxis on the street, and most people are going to work and school via bike and foot. <br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7jKU0Q_I/AAAAAAAAAP4/8eoZvpxtk8M/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+080.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085262773252015090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7jKU0Q_I/AAAAAAAAAP4/8eoZvpxtk8M/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+080.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a Shinto shrine near the hotel. These are statues of Jiso, the Shinto patron of children and travelers. The shrine was dedicated to children who had died in childbirth, been orphaned, or died when they were young. People brought lots of trinkets and toys to leave at the shrine area before praying.<br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7lKU0RAI/AAAAAAAAAQA/W75c6m0MxUw/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+127.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085262807611753474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7lKU0RAI/AAAAAAAAAQA/W75c6m0MxUw/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+127.jpg" border="0" /></a> We attended the Shrine-jinja festival on the edge of Sapporo at a grouping of Buddhist temples. This festival is one of Japan's largest Buddhist festivals. We got to see lots of cool performances including yosakoi, taiko, and the dancing these ladies were performing (above.)<br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7maU0RBI/AAAAAAAAAQI/kzqQK629WJw/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+139.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085262829086589970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7maU0RBI/AAAAAAAAAQI/kzqQK629WJw/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+139.jpg" border="0" /></a> We also attended a martial arts demonstration and got to see the participants do all kinds of kicks and flips, and break concrete blocks with their feet and stone roof tiles with their foreheads. The kids above are watching the demonstration.<br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7nKU0RCI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/PSR6ds2BIeE/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+144.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085262841971491874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ7nKU0RCI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/PSR6ds2BIeE/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+144.jpg" border="0" /></a> More pictures, as always, on <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/82408533@N00/">flickr</a>.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-67733703844495978022007-07-09T14:04:00.001-04:002007-07-09T14:12:36.832-04:00sapporo, day 8<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5o6U0Q6I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/jBQWPxVsOiU/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+343.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085260673013007266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5o6U0Q6I/AAAAAAAAAPQ/jBQWPxVsOiU/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+343.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5pKU0Q7I/AAAAAAAAAPY/_4wUKg-HfmQ/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085260677307974578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5pKU0Q7I/AAAAAAAAAPY/_4wUKg-HfmQ/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+005.jpg" border="0" /></a> We visited the Hokkaido Historical village, which had reconstructed buildings from around the 1920's. There were a lot of different styles of architecture, but the most interesting to me was that of the fishing village (above.) It was especially significant, because a lot of our Yosakoi movements mimic activities depicting fishing and rowing.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5p6U0Q8I/AAAAAAAAAPg/sw2dElbitsk/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+051.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085260690192876482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5p6U0Q8I/AAAAAAAAAPg/sw2dElbitsk/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+051.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5qaU0Q9I/AAAAAAAAAPo/BpesgNBMOXg/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+2+070.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085260698782811090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RpJ5qaU0Q9I/AAAAAAAAAPo/BpesgNBMOXg/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+2+070.jpg" border="0" /></a> That evening we went out to MOS Burger for a delicious red bean parfait, and tried our hands at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purikura">purikura</a> and some arcade games. <br /><div></div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-80107822246210114242007-07-04T00:38:00.000-04:002007-07-04T01:07:50.830-04:00sapporo, day 7<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslQKU0Q1I/AAAAAAAAAOo/vnAvlIX9EWs/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+260.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083197563997537106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslQKU0Q1I/AAAAAAAAAOo/vnAvlIX9EWs/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+260.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslQqU0Q2I/AAAAAAAAAOw/szMqb_w-jQk/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+280.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083197572587471714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslQqU0Q2I/AAAAAAAAAOw/szMqb_w-jQk/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+280.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslQ6U0Q3I/AAAAAAAAAO4/_S_7QQHrl0k/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+286.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083197576882439026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslQ6U0Q3I/AAAAAAAAAO4/_S_7QQHrl0k/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+286.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslRKU0Q4I/AAAAAAAAAPA/MUBsficYYD4/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+291.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083197581177406338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslRKU0Q4I/AAAAAAAAAPA/MUBsficYYD4/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+291.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslRaU0Q5I/AAAAAAAAAPI/67zoS59T36c/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+296.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083197585472373650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoslRaU0Q5I/AAAAAAAAAPI/67zoS59T36c/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+296.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The seventh day was a free day spent sightseeing around Sapporo. Check out the rest of my pictures on <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/82408533@N00/">flickr</a>.</div>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-40246572813895573122007-06-26T14:37:00.000-04:002007-06-26T15:08:38.406-04:00sapporo, day 6On the sixth day, some of my Japanese friends who had joined us in Sapporo left to go back to their schools and jobs. The rest of the team split up to do some sightseeing, and I joined a group of twelve who went to visit some museums and hot springs.<br /><br />We took an hour-long train ride to the small town of Shiraoi where the Ainu museum was located. The Ainu, Japan's indiginous people, had set up a reconstruction of one of their villages, and we spent a few hours walking around there and learning about their history, and watching some traditional performances.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFeffaBJRI/AAAAAAAAAN4/h1QxAeHc-jY/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+205.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080445749750211858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFeffaBJRI/AAAAAAAAAN4/h1QxAeHc-jY/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+205.jpg" border="0" /></a> This is a statue at the entrance to the Ainu village. <br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFef_aBJSI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Gm7NWu5UekA/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+210.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080445758340146466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFef_aBJSI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Gm7NWu5UekA/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+210.jpg" border="0" /></a> These are some of the artifacts we saw in the museum. There was also a lot of interesting clothing there; the Ainu do not believe in depicting nature realistically in art, so all of their designs are abstract. While at the museum we also watched some Ainu singing and musical demonstrations, and tried to learn how to play a tiny wooden instrument kind of like a mouth harp. For lunch we ate at a noodle shop, and I had tempura ramen - a bowl of ramen with fried batter-dipped shrimp in it. It was delicious!<br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFegPaBJTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/s4e-rMEjR8Q/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+219.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080445762635113778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFegPaBJTI/AAAAAAAAAOI/s4e-rMEjR8Q/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+219.jpg" border="0" /></a> After the Ainu village, we went to Noboribetsu, a tourist-y town just a few train stops away. Because of the large amount of volcanic sulfur springs in the area, the region is called Hell Valley, and there are statues of all kinds of demons and ogres all over town. There are also a plethora of onsen, or community baths where Japanese often go to relax and treat their skin with different kinds of mineral water. Above is a statue of an oni, a kind of ogre.<br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFegvaBJUI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/psbiAMv_0wI/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+223.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080445771225048386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFegvaBJUI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/psbiAMv_0wI/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+223.jpg" border="0" /></a> Here is the sulfur springs just before sunset. We hiked some trails through the springs before some of the braver group members went to try out an onsen. The scenery was beautiful, but the smell was nauseating.<br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFeg_aBJVI/AAAAAAAAAOY/wokEj1uaoHE/s1600-h/Japan+Trip,+part+1+234.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080445775520015698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFeg_aBJVI/AAAAAAAAAOY/wokEj1uaoHE/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+234.jpg" border="0" /></a> This stone marker was near a volcanic cauldron-like crater on one of the trails. The posts were scatterd around the park.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080447845694252386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_OPJKcriZ3iE/RoFgZfaBJWI/AAAAAAAAAOg/JZbDXxD9q2E/s320/Japan+Trip,+part+1+246.jpg" border="0" /></div><br />This is a statue in downtown Noboribetsu. The Spiderman figure was placed there by our coach. He always takes Spidey with him when he travels, and photographs the figure in strange or famous places.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32907666.post-27652838220680993112007-06-26T14:27:00.000-04:002007-06-26T14:36:58.529-04:00sapporo, days 4 and 5I didn't take any pictures on these days because we were rushing all day to get to performances in different parts of town. Some of the highlights involved dancing for a large audience on a baseball field in front of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royce">Royce'</a> chocolate factory, attempting an odori-style version of our song (dancing in a circle around a platform tower, and dancing our routine six times in a row parade-style on live TV. <br />We celebrated being the first American University team to be invited to the Yosakoi Soran festival at an after-party the night of the fifth day. We started at our hotel by watching the finals of the competition among the big teams on the TV in our hotel's lobby. Then we ate a dinner provided by the sister of one of our members, who worked at a family restaurant a ten-minute walk away. Then we went to a bar for drinks and food, and even after that some people were still awake enough to go out for karaoke, but a couple friends and I took a taxi back to our hotel to get some sleep. Five performances each day was enough to completely wear me out.Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11158124319847182908noreply@blogger.com0