Kat in Name Only

Technical difficulties

2010-10-12T13:43:00.004-06:00

WARNING: blog post to have many errors due to typing with French computer that has the keys in different places.My computer has not been working with the WiFi in the house we are staying.

Paris has been magnificent so far. The trip started off with a very French incident shortly after we landed. My mom and I boarded the Air France bus from the airport to the Montparnasse station where we would meet my friends. About 10 minutes after leaving the airport,the bus pulled into a gas station. I joked to my mom that the driver needed more cigarettes. Well it turned out there was a problem with the bus. One passenger translated it to the toilet waters needed to be emptied, but there was no toilet. so we waited next to the bus for about 20 minutes for a new bus to come. We stood next to horses in the grass with our luggqge. The French passengers were kind to us non-French. So many of the French passengers were taking pictures with their phones of the license plates and the foreginers were taking pictures with the bus (like me). One woman even suggested we strike! The scene was very French. We did make it to Paris successfully.

So far we have found the Parisians to be friendly, the streets clean and the drivers not rude - all opposite of the stereotype.

One thing that is true to stereotype is the desire of the French to strike. Today there was a transportaion strike and the metro and bus were mostly shut down. So we walked to the Eiffel Tower from the house we are staying at. The Eiffel Tower is a magnificent sight, but I prefer to look at if from a distance as it is viewed peeking above a building or its lights shining at night.

So far we have seen the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Place du Concord, the Champs-Elysees, and took a boat tour on the Seine. Tomorrow, we go to Notre Dame, Musee D Orsay and some gardens.

I hope to write another post on the food I have been enjoying. I never realized how my fingers are programmed to type on an English computer!

Bon Voyage

2010-10-09T07:06:00.005-06:00

I woke up early this morning not so much because I am excited for this trip, but because the long work week left me with many odds and ends I need to wrap up before leaving. The whole trip and its destination of Paris seem surreal to me. It's this iconic place that I have seen on so many cards, posters, T-shirts and have studied. I used to collect little Eiffel Towers and old Parisian postcards, too. In all honestly the city dropped down in my list of places to visit after I went to South Korea, but now that I am going to the City of Lights my love and excitement for it has been renewed.

I am happy that we are going to Paris in October. I think the lighting will be beautiful and will make for some very lovely photos of the old streetlamps, stone buildings, diffused light along the Seine ...

As I prepare the final details early this Saturday morning, I am thinking about some of the movie and TV characters I've watched travel to Paris. Carrie's trip to Paris in "Sex and the City" was a bit rough because her Russian artist boyfriend spent more time on his art show than with her, leaving Carrie homesick and wandering the streets of Paris alone. In the end, her Mr. Right, "Mr. Big" found her.

In "Sabrina," Sabrina talks to Linus about Paris.

Sabrina Fairchild: Maybe you should go to Paris, Linus. It helped me. Have you ever been there?
Linus Larrabee: [thinks] Oh yes. Once. For thirty-five minutes.
Sabrina Fairchild: Thirty-five *minutes*?
Linus Larrabee: Changing planes. I was on my way to Iraq on an oil deal.
Sabrina Fairchild: Oh, but Paris isn't for changing planes, it's for changing your outlook! For throwing open the windows and letting in... letting in la vie en rose.
Linus Larrabee: [sadly] Paris is for lovers. Maybe that's why I stayed only thirty-five minutes.

I'm not looking for traditional romance while in Paris. But I am looking for a more artistic, literay romance. A romance of delicious, hot coffee, decadent pastries, glorious and humble architecture and the sense of being somewhere full of history that has drawn the great minds of the world to create.

Terrorist threat in Europe

2010-10-04T19:17:00.005-06:00

---Photo by The Associated Press

A few more days and my mom and I will be on a plane to Paris after years of studying the French language and culture. It's very appropriate that I should be taking this voyage with my mom because she is the one who first encouraged me to learn the language by teaching me numbers and basic phrases. Mom has done a lot of research for the trip and we've both become quite excited to explore this city that we've read so much about. I have my bags mostly packed and my friends notified about the travel details.

There is one issue that may become more problematic than the weak dollar and that's this terrorism threat in Europe that appears to be growing by the day. Being connected to the Associated Press wire feed all day, I have access to all of the updates on the European threat. So far I have mostly summed it up to potential hassles and delays at the airports and tourist sites. However, the scare/threat has spread from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame and seems to be having a great impact on security measures abroad. Hopefully there will be no actual violence and the tensions will lesson. The way I look at it is I lived in South Korea when North Korea tested its nuclear weapon in the China Sea and there was hardly a ripple effect. If anything, maybe it would be an opportunity to finally send newspaper dispatches from abroad.

In all honestly, I am hoping for a relaxing and enjoyable trip. I have enough stress and frustrations to deal with daily. I keep picturing myself relaxing at a cafe with a book, a coffee and a pastry watching the French world pass by.

The final days, minutes

2010-05-01T14:48:00.007-06:00

I am sitting here in my room with loaded luggage hoping that I am not overweight and I am not forgetting anything. My trip in Korea is rapidly finishing, although I have a long trip ahead traveling from Incheon to Milwaukee.

Since the weather got nice on Wednesday, I have been filling my days with traveling around Seoul and meeting people. Friday and Saturday were especially enjoyable because they were relaxing and I got to see some particularly beautiful places, including Jogyesa Temple and Bukhan Mountain.

I have mixed feelings about leaving as expected. I am looking forward to returning home to my prairie dog, Calypso, my own bed and some more home cooked meals. Plus, Wisconsin is so lovely this time of year. But, I am sad to leave my friends, the excitement of Seoul and to simply know that this huge trip is done. I have had a strange feeling the whole time I have been here--torn between feeling like a resident and a visitor. Being in so many of the same areas and seeing many of my Korean friends, I felt almost like I live here, but then I had no routine. That is one of the reasons that on my final day in Korea I wanted to do something that I had never done before. So Suki and I went to Bukhan Mountain in the northern part of Seoul. I didn't expect much, but it was gorgeous. When you get on the outskirts of Seoul, you realize that the city is surrounded by large, rocky mountains. It took Suki and me about two hours to get to the mountain by subway and bus. The paths were surprisingly steep and difficult. Along the path, there was a gorgeous mountain stream (very tiny, but pure). At the base of the side of the mountain we arrived at was a very large Buddhist temple. It was hard to capture the image of this colorful temple with monks chanting and followers praying in front of massive mountain.

The last big thing I did Saturday was to go to Suki's family's home near my motel for dinner.I helped her mother make Korean dumplings called mandu. It was a delicious dinner of mandu soup and many homemade kimchi side dishes. Everything is home made by Suki's mother, even the soy sauce. Suki's brother, sister, niece and nephew were also there. Although they did not speak any English, it was a great experience getting to eat a homemade meal of traditional food.

Now I should finish getting ready for my 19 hours on planes and layovers and about a total of 27 hours of traveling. I will take with me from this place many more memories to share and many more photos. However, the memories to me feel like ordinary life.

Yesterday in photos

2010-04-29T21:35:00.005-06:00

It's been a very busy few days with little time to write or upload pictures. The weather has finally gotten warmer and sunnier. On Wednesday, Suki and I hung out indoor shopping areas because the weather again was cold and rainy. We had a couple of great meals of doughy dumplings for lunch and seafood barbecue for dinner. The seafood barbecue was more of cooking clams on a half shell with seasoning and toppings.

When the weather finally turned really nice on Thursday, we went into Seoul to some very nice areas, including Insadong, the river and Hongdae. Insadong is a touristy area, but still is pretty and has a great traditional park next to it. The river is a newly created pathway. And Hongdae is a fashionable area near a university.

I have been having a great time and am so happy that the weather has improved. I can't believe that I have only one-and-a-half days left. I am waiting in my room right now to figure out some final details for a dinner tonight. I will soon head out to a traditional Korean Buddhist temple in Seoul called Jogyesa. Then I am meeting a former Canadian co-worker and a bunch of my Korean friends for a galbi dinner tonight.

There is so much else I'd like to share with you about my experiences I have been having this week, but I want to be enjoying my short time remaining in Korea. I will write more later. For now, here are some photos:

Making doughnuts in Insadong:

Park in Insadong:
\

Suki and her new best friend in Hongdae:

Another great day, another early morning

2010-04-28T16:36:00.004-06:00

I just can't seem to get on Korea time as I wake up early every morning. I had the best day of my trip so far yesterday and it went very late-to about 1:30 a.m. However, despite riding the subway around Seoul, shopping and hitting up some bars and restaurants late at night, I manged only to sleep until 5 a.m.

Yesterday will definitely be a day that stands out in my memory. I met with my former student Suki who has been living in Australia for three years but just arrived home for a visit this week. Then she will be moving to Paris to be with her French husband who she met Down Under. We had such a wonderful day catching up and shopping. We had two great meals and a snack together. (I'd post pictures, but I am unable to at the moment.)

At night we met Bruce for a seafood barbecue and beer. I was so extremely happy to see them both as they are some of the best friends I have ever met.

Today will be more shopping indoors in the morning and then hopefully sight seeing around Seoul in the afternoon and evening with Suki. We will again meet Bruce near his work for dinner. Unfortunately it has rained all day for the first three days of my trip. The rain has really hindered what I have been able to do. It's especially difficult because not only has it been rainy and at times very windy, it has also been only about upper 40s or 50 during the day. I did not pack enough warm clothes for this trip and will probably have to pick up a few more today. The sun is supposed to make a showing starting today. I really hope it does so I can see more of this country before I leave and can take more pictures to show you all back home.

There are so many great and silly things to take pictures of. Last night, Suki and I went to dinner at the "Miller" bar. The whole decor was Miller beer and Milwaukee's best. They did have Miller on tap, which was rather impressive for a country that has only three or four poor-quality beers. The bar was also across the street from a restaurant called the Sea Bank and it had the colors and similar logo to Citi Bank.

I realize now that it was foolish to feel so nervous about my visit to Korea because I have been having a wonderful time and feel like I am really getting immersed in the culture again. I fear that I am going to be bored when I return to Waukesha. At least it will be summer when there is so much to do and see, but even that pales in comparison to the constant throng of people to watch, the thousands of businesses crammed into a small area and huge subway system connecting a massive city of many neighborhoods. I can certainly hope that next time my separation from South Korea will not be as long as 3.5 years.

Culture learning curve

2010-04-27T07:54:00.005-06:00

I know that no matter how hard I would try I would never completely fit in in Korea. I think there are many values that I share with the Korean people, but the way their society works is so different from what I am used in the U.S.A. It's hard for me to explain in a short blog entry. A good place to witness those differences is on the subway. I went into Seoul for the first time on this trip today. I took the subway to meet a friend and then to go to a movie. To get a good sampling of Korean society, riding the subway is an excellent way to do that. It can also be a very frustrating experience as people push to get to the train or are completely oblivious to you, your umbrella or bags. The train is often full of young lovebirds who are constantly preening each other. Tonight on my short ride, I saw them fixing each other's clothes, playing with each other's hair and staring at each other's reflection. Sometimes, like tonight, it takes a lot of patience to ride the subway.

However, when you get to know Koreans they are very wonderful friends. Some of the best that I have ever had. They make me feel so special because they are always happy to see me, are caring, generous and kind.

I was able to meet with several former students today, including some from my "housewives" class. We went out for a really nice lunch and had a good conversation about USA, Korea, our lives and so forth. When the group of six started to speak Korea, I just leaned back and listened. It's fun to listen to Koreans talk because they will throw in a random English word. Some of the random English words today in a stream of Korean were credit card, music video and scientific.

Unfortunately, it is really hard to capture Koreans for what they are, but I did take some pictures of office workers playing basketball terribly today in their shiny gray suits (Korean men appear to love very shiny gray suits).

I am also trying to get back in the habit of using my few Korean words to communicate thanks and hello. The harder thing to remember is to hand things to people in the polite, proper Korean way, which is with one hand on the other arm's upper portion. The same goes for handshaking and pouring beverages.

I have not been able to take as many pictures as I would like to so far because of the horrible weather. It rained rather heavily for most of yesterday.Today, it was sunny in the late morning for about an hour and was rainy, cold and really windy the rest of the day. As I was looking for an office tower in the financial district where my friend works, my umbrella flipped inside out four times! Not exactly photo-taking weather.

Starting Thursday, the weather is supposed to get warmer and sunnier. I can't wait because I am anxious to take more photos and not to have my options limited so much by the weather.

(Silly thing. I am keeping track of how many white people I see. So far I have seen three of us in two days.)

Rain, rain go away

2010-04-26T00:34:00.003-06:00

The good news is I've gotten my lights to work.
The bad news is I am trapped inside because of the rain and waiting to hear if my dinner plans are going to fall through. If they do fall through, I have a back up plan of going to see Kick Ass at the theatre. I tried to call out on my motel phone, but failed to be able to call cell phones. I would like to know what I am doing tonight so I can get moving. I am prepared to brave the rain to go buy an umbrella and to get some dinner. I didn't fly all the way to Korea to be trapped in my hotel room.

I really realized today how much our society runs on phones. I am fairly easy to reach by e-mail, but it seems that all of my Korean friends want me to call them even though I said I would not have access to a phone while I am here. (sigh)

The first half of my day went really well. I was able to revisit some of the places I used to go to a lot when I lived here. Not that much has changed, but some stores have switched locations or gone out of business. I went to my former school and it looked good. I even ate my favorite Korean dish for lunch: cham chi kimbap (tuna kimbap, made of rice, egg, spam, mayo, runa, sesame seeds, pickled radish and all rolled and wrapped in dried seaweed).

I came back to my room this afternoon to take a nap, but was unsuccessful. It's been nice just relaxing. Flying and then navigating around a place that is so different from your normal routine takes a lot of energy. I was suprised by how much it felt right to be here in Bucheon again, but also how hard it was to communicate.

The journey

2010-04-25T16:24:00.005-06:00

First, I'll start off by saying that I arrived safely.

The journey was rather relaxing for me after working a long and hectic week. I managed to sleep about 8-9 hours during the 10-11 hour flight from Detroit to Tokyo. It was easy to sleep on the plane with the movement, the sound of the engines and nothing really to do but read. My journey consisted of flying from Milwaukee to Detroit (3.5-hour layover) then to Tokyo (about a 3-hour layover) and then to Incheon (Seoul).
The flight was beautiful at times. I had a window seat and was able to see some of the scenery below because I think we flew lower than normal due to turbulence.
It was amazing to fly over Alaska. We passed over snow-covered mountains that did not look like they could support life. I really felt like I was part of a Discovery Earth episode.

As we flew over the Pacific Ocean toward Japan I was hoping that we would be able to see some whales, but alas, that did not happen. I did see many little boats chugging away (fishing boats?).
It was also interesting to compare airports. Detroit's is nice and bright and easy to navigate. But Tokyo's, as you'd imagine, was the coolest. On the walls there were banners that were replicas of ancient screens. There was even a white square sofa lounge area. It's hard to describe except to say it reminded me of something from a posh New York City club. The smoker's room was the coolest I ever saw - it looked like the trendiest of nightclubs. The tourist gift shops are really nice and they had several sushi restaurants.

I was able to eat 3.5 meals on the planes. For the Detroit-Tokyo flight, my main dish consisted of chicken with vegetables and mashed potatoes, shrimp, bread, brownie and salad. Not too bad! They even gave me a whole meal on the 2.5-hour flight from Japan to Korea.
Landing in Korea and getting out of the airport was really easy. No questions at customs, my luggage was some of the first off, no line at the money exchange, etc. The problem was my plane landed 15 minutes after the buses stopped. So, I hailed a cab, which cost more than I would have liked and I think the cabbie may have taken an extra 10 off of me claiming it was more expensive after midnight. Oh well, at least I arrived safely at my hotel and didn't have to spend the night at the airport.
I didn't get to shower like I wanted to when I arrived last night because I cannot figure out how to tun on the lights, TV or computer in the room. Luckily, there was a flashlight. I've tried all of the buttons to no avail. I thought even with everything being written in Korea in the room, I would have figure it out eventually. I really have no idea what I am missing. Thankfully, I brought my laptop and found a slow wireless network to connect to. Even though it is morning now, I am not getting much light into my room because it is right against another building. Also, it may be overcast today-I can't tell.
I will get the light situation figured out tonight after I have dinner with a Korean friend, Willy.
It's a really nice, clean room with everything I could need for this week and it is only costing me about $27 per night. There is a flat screen TV, computer with Internet, eating area, water cooler (hot and cold), coffee and mugs, mini fridge, a huge bath tub and lots of personal products-toothpaste, toothbrush, hair brish, lotion, perfume, hair dryer and condoms.It is in a very compact space of course. Good for a single person, but it would be more difficult for two people. There is an entry area too where you should leave your shoes.
The truth is most of these little hotels in Korea are used by couples who have no privacy at home because they live with their parents. So the hotels are often refered to as love motels.
I did feel like I was in the movie "Lost in Translation" last night as I rolled into town. There was a huge billboard on the side of the road with Pierce Brosnan advertising a casino.
The memories of what makes Korea so quirky also came back to me as I looked out the taxi's windows. There are many churches in Seoul and at night their crosses burn bright. They are these light-up crosses that appear to be red-as if they are on fire.It's really a rather eerie sight. Then as I drove into Bucheon, I could see all of the delivery food drivers on their scooters making deliveries. The streets of Bucheon (where I am staying and used to live) are hideous. They are dirty, smelly and littered. No wonder I panicked the first night I arrived here more than 3 years ago. The city looks nicer during the day, though. And Seoul proper is much nicer looking. It's enough to make a person dizzy, though, with all of the signs. There isn't an inch of space not covered along the street level. It's hard to truly capture with a camera, but I will try this week.
Today, I am off to explore Bucheon. I hope my favorite stores are still here.I may stop by my favorite mom and pop restaurant for lunch to see if they still recognize me. And my corner grocer...I wonder if he is still there? It is all very overhwelming. I would like to take the first day slow and leisurely, but with so little time and so much I need/want to do, I better keep moving.
But since Korea is the land of "morning calm" most places do not open until about 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. so I have a bit of time this morning to make instant coffee and eat granola bars.

Preparing for departure

2010-04-22T06:38:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time since I wrote on Kat in Name Only - 2.5 years. But, it's been an even longer time since I lived in Bucheon, South Korea. Now, after a more than three years away from the country I am preparing to return for a whirlwind of a trip.

I leave Saturday morning, April 24, and return Sunday, May 2. I'll have six full days on the ground to see about a dozen people, gorge on Korean food and see the old stomping grounds.

The process of getting ready for this trip hasn't been as smooth or as easy as I would have liked. I have been putting in long days this week at work with several projects in the hopper. Last night I packed my bags. Tonight I must run to Southridge to get new contacts (cheap) and tomorrow I must hurry home after work to pack up Calypso (my prairie dog) and take her to my parents' house in Oconomowoc for safe keeping while I am gone. Then it's off to the airport shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday.I still have a couple of other loose ends to tie up before I leave, but hopefully it will all get done in time.

Preparing for this vacation has been a bit of a trip down memory lane. I found my subway pass and located my Korean phrase book. I looked up how to get from Osan to Bucheon via subway so my American friend can visit me. And there have been many e-mails between me and some of the best people I have ever known. It's amazing that after more than three years, there are this many former Korean students and friends who still want to make time to see me when I am there. It really touches my heart to know that my visit is so important to my Korean students that they are offering to take off from work and help me with arrangements.

I am going to be keeping this blog going for the next 10 days in case you want to see and read about the food I am eating, the sights I am seeing and the people I am meeting. While in Korea, I am going to be using a computer located in my hotel room. Well, off to the second to last day of work.

Flea Market Kitsch

2008-08-18T09:39:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite things to do this summer has been going to rummage sales and flea markets. The thrill of the hunt for something fun, different and preferably old is what keeps me searching. I often go with my friends Kait or Jess around Waukesha or a bit further to church sales that sound promising. Much of what I buy I don't have to have like the 1970s Look magazines, the white bird planter or the Hello Kitty cup. But, there have been some practical items I have bought for my new apartment like the coffee table whose top I refinished, the George Forman grill and the photo album.

It's strange what a strong effect rummaging has on me. It can be so exhilarating. It has definitely become one of my favorite things to do. Of course, that's partly due to the success I have been having.

There are several people in my life who enjoy rummaging just as much as I do, so it's even more fun when I can go with them.

My mom and I went rummaging when I was a young child. She would circle all the good garage sales ads in the paper and make a list on a separate piece of paper in order of which ones sounded the best. As time went by, she acquired a collection of collectible guide books on Depression glass and salt and pepper shakers that she brought with us on our rummaging excursions. We had so much fun in those days as people swarmed on good sales and car accidents were barely avoided as people quickly pulled out of parking spots onto the next promising rummage sale.

Things have changed a bit in the garage sale world, I think. It seems that fewer people advertise their sales, except for the sign on the corner, and fewer people go to them. However, the number of rummage sales seems to have increased this year in Waukesha.

I hope to get a few more good weeks of rummaging in before the season ends. I still need a VCR. I'm also always on the look out for Vera linens.

I went to the Mukwonago Flea Market/Maxwell Street Days on Saturday and had a good time. It's a mix of new cheap items from China and authentic antiques. There are also a wonderful selection of super tacky items. I took a couple of photos of some of those tacky items, but I wish that I would have taken more. Even the people who go there can be a sight to see. One woman actually wore one of those umbrella hats on her head!

I can't wait to see what I find this week at rummage sales. I hope there is a huge church rummage sale to go to!

QUOTE:

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main... and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life."
--Walt Disney

"Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle."
--A Course in Miracles

Animals at Frame Park

2008-08-13T10:10:00.007-06:00

A walk is Frame Park is always enjoyable. It's a very nice walking and biking path that circles around a portion of the Fox River that runs through downtown Waukesha. Along the path there is a flower garden that I have written about previously. There is also a playground, water fountains, a grassy amphitheater, bike and canoe rentals and a baseball field that may be getting expanded.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of walking in Frame Park for me is being able to see a variety of animals, including large fish, great blue heron and many, many ducks. The ducks amuse me to no end. When I walk in the morning, they are still sleeping next to the paths as late as 10 a.m. They are wide awake and quaking loudly at 11 p.m. The ducks are quite tame and will barely crack their eyes open to look at you as you walk pass them in the morning. There is also a variety of ducks, including the traditional mallards and others I can't identify. I was happy to see the duck population rebound after the floods because I saw some baby ducks get swept away in the current.

There has also been a resident great blue heron this summer that lives along the river in Frame Park and can often be seen on the piers. He is quite majestic and is always a pleasant surprise to spot as he sits and preens on one of the many piers.

Here are some photos from my recent walks in Frame Park.

QUOTE: "Be yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search or struggle. Just be."
--Thich Nhat Hanh

Waukesha flower garden

2008-06-26T11:27:00.005-06:00

There is a beautiful flower garden in Waukesha' Frame Park that I enjoy going to at different times of the year to see what is in bloom. Earlier in the spring, I took photos of the brilliantly beautiful crab apple trees in bloom. This past weekend, I photogrpahed the varities of roses blooming.

A garden adds so much to a community, I feel. The garden in Frame Park is very well-maintained. It was created in an Italian sunken garden style with urns, lattice work and benches. It is also quite geometrical.

Whenber I go on vacations to a new city, I visit its flower garden. Over the past year, I have gone to the botanical gardens in Seattle and St. Louis. Next weekend, I will visit friends in Charlottesvill, VA and Chapel Hill, NC. My goal is to make a trip to their gardens and take many lovely photos.

The roses in Waukesha's Frame Park:

QUOTE:

"Bloom where you are planted."

"How beautiful, how buoyant, and glad is the morning."
--L.E. Landon

Flood Roundup

2008-06-20T11:30:00.013-06:00

It's certainly been a hectic couple of weeks for me due to the flooding in much of Waukesha County. It's finally starting to settle back into the regular routine as most communities are cleaning up. Pewaukee's downtown is open for business again, but the beach is still partly submerged. I know that many people still have flooded basements. FEMA is offering aid to many Wisconsin counties, a third of which have been declared disaster areas.

I did enjoy getting to cover the flooding. I felt so bad for the people adversely affected by the high waters, but because of the storms, I was given some exciting photography opportunities and interviews.

Through it all, I was very impressed with how neighbors helped neighbors, city staff helped businesses and club members helped communities. Many people used their free time to make sandbags and carry them to where they were needed. Others volunteered time to help keep people safe in the flood areas. It's good to know that in our day and age, people are still out there helping their neighbors in need.

Here are some of my better photographs from the flooding and storms.

Left, Eric Clendenning, 10, of Hartland jumps into a flooded Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Pewaukee Tuesday afternoon followed by Katrina Zenda, 7, of Pewaukee and Lucas Clendenning, 8, of Hartland. The children said they were having fun playing in the water.

Tim Budda, 18, of Sussex skimboards Tuesday evening along the flooded beach in downtown Pewaukee. Many area residents visited the flooded downtown to take photos.

Village of Pewaukee staff walk along flooded Wisconsin Avenue near the snow plows and parts used as a water breaker for waves coming off of Pewaukee Lake.

A mature tree fell Thursday afternoon on a City of Mukwonago house denting
the roof and creating a lot of work for Dave. D. Williams, on roof, Greg
Wiza, sitting in the middle of the tree and Raul Cervera, with the chain
saw. Wiza, who owns Gwiz Tree Service, said it was the first call he
received after the storm yesterday, but that the past couple of weeks have
been busy.

A boat dock in the City of Pewaukee on Pewaukee Lake is not accessible.

Sand bags protect downtown Pewaukee businesses.

After hearing that carp had swam through downtown Pewaukee on Tuesday, Marlee Szmanda, 7, of Stone Bank set out to catch some of her own. copyright Waukesha Freeman.

Jarrett Ruppenthal guides his daughters, Sydney, 5, left, and Ciara, 3, right, along sandbags placed to protect businesses along Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Pewaukee.

FLOOD!

2008-06-09T11:53:00.004-06:00

Here are some of my first photos taken early this morning of the flooding of Fox Lake from Frame Park. Much of downtown Waukesha is closed.

sweet summer days

2008-06-02T09:12:00.007-06:00

As usual, it looks like Wisconsin has quickly switched from chilly spring days to warm summer days. I am so excited about summer this year, more so than I remember for previous years. Or at least that's how it feels. I think that most Wisconsinites get really excited when summer arrives. This year especially so because of the cold, harsh winter we had. Plus, in Wisconsin we know how to do summerhe the best. There are way too many options each summer weekend of things to do as every little community and Milwaukee has at least some cool summer festival to attend.

There are also so many great trails and parks to enjoy. Yesterday afternoon, I hopped on my bike and pedaled over to the Fox River Sanctuary, a place near my apartment that I have never been to before. I was surprised to see so many serious bikers there. I soon figured out that the park was the beginning of the Glacier Drumlim Trail. I followed the path and had a great bike ride. I biked as far as the first farm and then turned around and headed back to my apartment.

The ride was wonderful because that part of the trail wanders through the woods and past the Fox River. The blooming honeysuckle made the path smell so sweet and the phlox made the area so pretty, too. I was impressed by the number of bikers on the trail, everyone from serious distance bikers to casual family bikers. It was such a great atmosphere. My aunt Ellen and I are planning to go there one day this week and I hope to again by myself at least one more day. It's such a great feeling knowing that there is a great bike trail like that so close to my apartment.

Right now, I am sitting on a small camping chair on the roof of my building with my guinea pig in his cage near me(Ihave wireless Internet to make this possible).
He looks happy as he is sniffing the breeze. I am very pleased to be able to sit up here and enjoy the late morning as swallows chirp and fly above my head. There are several trees whose branches extend over the roof. I sat up here last night, as well, as I talked to my friend, Kit. I was able to see the end of the sunset. These are my first times to spend time up on the roof, but I plan to sit up here much more often.

I was going to plant tomato and pepper plants in pots, but feared the sun on the roof would be too bright. Observing the light right now, I think it would be fine. I am starting to think again about getting some plants and pots this week. It would be great to have some plants of my own and to get some fresh, delicious vegetables for Skitch and me to enjoy this summer. I also think I will get a couple more camping/lawn chairs to use up here when friends come over so we can watch the sunset or get a light tan.

The view is quite nice from here, too. I can look at the Carroll College art center, chapel and athletic field, as well as, many trees. I do get road noise, but the swallows flying over head help to block out the noise from the tucks, motorcycles and buses.

I am really starting to get comfortable with the idea that it is summer and am excited about all the new possibilities it holds. I am also looking forward to the traditions, such as Irish Fest, Devil's Lake and laying out in my parents' backyard.

QUOTE:

"Make your ego porous. Will is of little importance, complaining is nothing, fame is nothing. Openness, patience, receptivity, solitude is everything."
--Rainer Maria Rilke

"Where would the gardener be, if there were no more weeds?"
--Chuang Tzu

the Mourning Dove fiasco

2008-05-30T09:04:00.006-06:00

Ah, spring the time of baby animals, precious flowers, whimsical small leaves and new beginnings.

At first, I was slightly upset several weeks ago when I discovered that a mourning dove had made her nest on my window sill. I had wanted to put a screen in that window, next to my desk and on the side of the house. But, I discovered that she had already claimed it as her own. I had left the storm window up the day I had moved in, allowing enough space for a small nest with two little white eggs in it.

As the past few weeks have gone by, I have come to enjoy having her there more and more. It's almost like an interactive form of the Discovery Channel. I have watched the mourning dove feed her two young ones and have heard her coo to them. Recently, I began to worry that as the babies grew bigger they may fall out of the window.

Yesterday, my fear was partially realized.

I was eating breakfast when I heard a loud commotion at the window. I ran over and peeked out. I only saw the mother's feet as she seemed to fall out the window. My first thought was the baby had fallen down and she was trying to catch it. I grabbed a kitchen towel and my keys then dashed outside to search through the overgrown brush for the baby and mom. As I searched, I looked around to see crows hollering in the trees. At that point, I realized the doves were a victim of a crow. After not finding the doves, I banged on a metal garbage can, scaring the fiesty crows away.

Back inside my apartment, I realized that both mourning dove babies were safe in the nest, but there was no sign of mom or dad. I waited and hoped. I thought that they would return within an hour. After that amount of time went by without any sign of them, I began to worry so I called the Wildlife in Need Center, where a volunteer told me to give the parents more time. She said once the babies start crying, if the parents don't return at that point, I should consider bringing them in.

Although I didn't want the babies to die, I was torn about what to do. I knew that this was all a part of nature and wondered if I should simply let nature take its course. Or should I intervene if need be and help the babies live. I don't think I would have even considered leaving them alone if the baby birds had been squirrels or raccoons. After thinking about it, I knew that I should simply let nature take its course.

I am happy to report, however, that the parents did return. The dad came first to feed the babies before leaving them alone. I was still worried that perhaps the mom was injured and would not be back to sit on them and keep them warm during the thunderstorm that was predicted for last night. But, just as I was leaving for work, I heard a loud cooing and there she was! I was ecstatic.

I love nature and I get a lot of enjoyment from watching animals of all kinds function, but I also get my share of heartbreak from it as well. Having lived for several years in a house with my parents that borders countryside, I have come face to face with nature. Seeing deer, chipmunks, fox, turtles, ducks, turkeys, etc. go about their lives in my backyard and by the pond across the street has enriched my life, but I have seen so many sad stories too. I have learned a lesson about how all of us, but especially nature, is always living on the edge. It's a good lesson to learn. It certainly makes me appreciate my life and that of animals even more. It also teaches me that sometimes no matter how hard a person tries to accomplish a certain goal, that we often don't have enough control over the circumstances to do that and must accept the situation for what it is.

QUOTE:

"If you are not living on the edge, you take up too much room."
--Native American saying

"Be like the bird, pausing in his flight
On limb too slight,
Feels it give way, yet sings
Knowing he has wings."
--Victor Hugo

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

2008-05-05T11:59:00.004-06:00

Over the past several months, I have enjoyed reading books that are about food: food that I eat and food that people in other countries eat. Food and nutrition are vital things in our lives and yet we take them so much for granted. I want to be more aware of not only how the food is made that I eat, but where it comes from and what does to me.

Previously, I wrote about a book called the Hungry Planet that was a book of photo essays and written essays about what people around the world consume for nutrition. That book changed how I approached grocery shopping and also made me much more appreciative for the amount of food available to me.

Now, I am reading a book called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver and her husband and two daughters move from Arizona, where the food and water are shipped in, to a farm on the Appalachian Mountains so the family can raise most of its own food.

I just began this book, but I have already begun to learn so much about the state of the American diet and how modified all our foods are. It's amazing how the food we consider to be healthy like vegetables have been manipulated to resist diseases and to look good. In the process, the once-healthy foods have lost a lot of what was good for us.

The book also focuses on the amount of oil and work it takes to get foods to consumers. Living in Wisconsin, I appreciate having access to cucumbers and pears in the middle of the winter, but it's clear that it took a lot of resources to get that food to me. Is this what we should be doing?

As I read more, I will write more. I am just starting to sort out a lot of the ideas that Kingsolver introduces in her book.

I am already planning to grow some tomato and pepper plants on my apartment building roof this summer and to shop as much as possible at farmers' markets over the summer. I am so excited that the Waukesha farmer's market starts Saturday. I know that I won't be able to buy much yet, but I am hoping for some fresh flowers.

Living so close to the edge

2008-04-28T09:09:00.003-06:00

Ever since I was a child, I have realized to some extent that life is short and we never know what tomorrow brings. It could be wondefully joyous or it could be tragic. I think growing up with health problems makes a person all that much more aware of how precious a good day is and helps you to never take your life for granted. It's really a blessing, I feel, to be able to think that way.

Being a journalist also drives that point home. Unfortunately,it is most often under very unfortunate circumstances that you come to that realization. My co-workers and I joke that I have the dead person beat because of the large number of obits, visitations and funerals I have had to write about. I have learned to take it in stride and to admire the human spirit through these stories. The visitations and funerals are never easy to cover and the hardest one has was to cover the death of a Mukwonago High School student who died in a car accident this past winter with two of his friends. Now, I have had to write an even more difficult story. On Friday, there was a horrible car accident in Oconomowoc that we first learned about as we heard over the scanner the emergency vehicles being called. Then they called for two Flight For Life helicopters that were eventually canceled because of the high winds and lightning. Children were in the car accident and one had gone into cardiac arrest.

We weren't able to get much informtation in the afternoon and only had photos of the demolished car. Later in the night I worked hard to pull the details together. The Oconomowoc Police Department was taking a while to get the press release together and we needed the information to run with the photos. A rumor started to spread that the person who died on the scene was an associate prinicipal at Oconomowoc High School. Needing to confirm that, I looked up the superintendent's home phone, called and left a message. I was so happy when she called me back. Her news though was not good. She confirmed that an associate high school principal, Jennifer Bukosky, was killed and her two daughters were in the car with her along with a third child. The two children that were taken to Children's Hospital were in critical condition. Adding to the tragedy was that Bukosky was pregnant. And then over the weekend, her daughter died at Children's.

The cause of the accident is unknown at this time other than that the driver of an SUV hit the small car belonging to Bonkosky from behind as it sat at a signal that had just turned green. The little car was destroyed beyond recognition. Speed is suspected, but the fact that the driver was taken into police custody leads one to believe that there might be more involved.

This story is so extremely tragic. I know that the Oconomowoc School District already started to come together as early as Friday night by meeting and notifying staff, administrators and the school board. Today, extra staff is on hand at the high school.

Fortunately for me, I will not have to cover this story further as it is in the Oconowoc Enterprise's area. If I had to follow up and write more stories about it, I know that it would be the hardest one that I would have had to do thus far.

It's interesting, though, how a tragedy like this makes you drive differently and think differently for a few days afterwards. I am that much more aware of my own driving and others and how close we are all living to the edge.

There is always some good that comes out of situations like this horrible tragedy. People will drive more carefully, friends will hug each other who have not done so for a long time and family will say I love you more often. The positive affects are short-lived and do not in the least equal what was lost, but through it all, the human spirit survives and demonstrates good.

QUOTE:

"O MY SOUL, DO NOT ASPIRE TO IMMORTAL LIFE, BUT EXHAUST THE LIMITS OF THE POSSIBLE."
--PINDAR

Paying respects to a fallen hero

2008-04-25T12:03:00.005-06:00

Opicka remembered by family, friends, veterans

LUXEMBURG - From the line of visitors that stretched outside Luxemburg-Casco High School, the many gifted flower arrangements and the tears that were shed and the smiles shared, it was evident Lance Cpl. Dean Opicka touched many lives as family and friends remmebered his life during Wednesday's visitation.

That is the beginning of the story that I wrote for Thursday's edition of the Freeman. On Wednesday, I drove to Luxemburg (north of Green Bay) to attend the visitation for Opicka. It was a very difficult story to do, but one that I was also honored to do.

Unsure of how the family would react to my presence during the visitation, I waited in the line that stretched outside of the high school. It took me about 45 to 50 minutes to get to the end of the line where the Opicka family was standing. Along the way, I was able to look at many memory boards and mementos on display. Dozens of flower arrangements had been given to the family, along with benches, memorial garden plaques and trees. Opicka's guitars and keyboard were on display next to a scrapbook that his fiancee had created of one of their trips.

As I approached the family, I wondered what to say. More often than not when I am doing an obit story, I forgo the hollow words like I am sorry for your loss or please accept my condolences. I know that whatever I say as a reporter will sound insincere.

On Wednesday, I said that I had written the story last week for the Freeman and that I had come to pay my respects. I then asked if I could interview people and take some photos. The family was as receptive as could be possible under the circumstances.

I was surprised at the emotional and physical toll attending the visitation took on me. The whole time, I felt very self conscious and very self aware. I had to keep building up my nerve to go to talk to people and take photos of them. It was hard not to let myself feel like an intruder in this very personal, emotional time.

The hardest part was talking to Opicka's future in-laws, Debby and Jim Bonkoski. Debby told me how their daughter had a wedding countdown calendar in her room and how the couple were planning the wedding even while Dean was stationed in Iraq. While I talked to them, the Bonkoskis fought back tears and I did as well.
"It's hard to think about what they could have had and what an awesome life they could have had together," she told me.
Jim agreed.
"It was like a match made in heaven - truly," he said.
Jim Bonkoski saw a lot of potential in Dean.
"(There was) so much going for him and he touched so many lives," he said. "He did more in his 29 years than a lot of people do in their entire lives. We were just thrilled to have him as a future son-in-law."

What amazed me was that even though I was asking them such difficult questions, the Bonkoskis thanked me for the stories we had published about Dean and thanked me for doing so much. I only wish that I could do more!

Throughout the process of writing the stories about Dean, and previously about Staff Sgt. Chrisopher Frost who died in Iraq about a month ago, I try to emotionally distance myself from the soldiers and their families. I think that if I didn't, I couldn't write the stories.

I really hope that I don't have to write any more stories about soldiers who have died fighting overseas. It's nor for selfish reasons because doing these stories keep getting easier, but because I truly do care about them and their families. Throughout it all, I worry about my friends who are serving in the Army and all the other young soldiers with so much potential who risk their lives everyday.

QOUTE:

"HE WAS PROUD TO BE A MARINE, BUT NEVER TOO PROUD TO GIVE HIS AUNT A HUG AND A KISS IN THE CROWD," said Dolores Gano, Dean's aunt.

Hunger around the world

2008-04-23T11:17:00.000-06:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/24259982#24259982" frameborder="0" scrolling="no">

Highs and Lows

2008-04-23T08:52:00.005-06:00

Sometimes I wonder if every one's life is as filled with highs and lows as mine is. I know a lot of it is the nature of my job and my position. There are days when I am very busy and then there are days when the hours I work prevent me from accomplishing a lot at work. Some days I work on stories that are very rewarding on a personal level, while other days the stories are dry and just something to get done.

This week is also full of highs and lows so far. I am always excited to help out with my church's rummage sale. It's a twice yearly sale and I am in charge of the clothes in the boutique section. This week's rummage sale feels like extra work due to different circumstances and because of my busy schedule. But the sale definitely has its rewards. Besides helping raise money for missions, I usually find some very nice things, such as my crystal decanter and shot glasses, my aluminum cake keeper, my white vintage coat and my vintage cashmere sweater. Tomorrow, I will spend a lot of time there sorting, hanging and pricing the clothes.

It's hard for me to feel excited about the rummage sale or anything else knowing what I have to do today. I offered last week to go to the funeral for the latest soldier with ties to Waukesha County to be killed in Iraq. I did the story when we first learned that he had been killed. I wanted to cover the funeral for a couple selfish reasons: I could work days and I could get out of the office. Also, I felt a connection to this man and his family, whom I talked with, and I knew that it would be best if the story process continued with me.

Now, however, I am dreading covering his visitation today. It's up north near Green Bay, which I knew, but I am not looking forward to driving there and back by myself. Also, I still have to work nights. The biggest obstacle is taking pictures of the event today. People often don't mind talking, but it feels kind of intrusive to be there with my camera taking pictures. The one good thing is that the visitation, military walk-through and military service will be held in the high school's gymnasium, so that makes it more open and less personable than a funeral home. It will definitely be a challenge for me that I hope will have its rewards by helping me become a better reporter and photographer. It also feels good to know that my editors trust me with this much responsibility.

I already did one obit story about a longtime New Berlin principal this week, so I hope that after today, I will get a break from the dead beat again. It's ironic though, that the obit stories I write, I get the most positive feedback from. Often, the family will contact me and thank me for doing the story. I never knew that stories like that would touch so many people.

So, I just have to get through today and enjoy working at the rummage sale tomorrow during work day, which is when the pot luck lunch is! Yummy.

Quote:

"If you don't find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further."
--Mohandas K. Gandhi

A new place to call home

2008-04-20T10:52:00.008-06:00

I am amazed at how quickly my new apartment felt like home. I really lucked out with finding a place that allows me to diplay my things and that complements my personality well. Everything from all the windows and the door leading to the roof, to the large bedroom with its open closet space that displays my clothes so well to the cute built-in and the large black radiator all suit me so well.

Moving day went smoothly. My dad and I loaded the truck in Oconomowoc and got to Waukesha about 10:15 a.m. I had three friends help to haul the furniture and boxes up the steep stairs to my apartment, which is located above an antique store in a building from 1929. It's a very cute building located pretty much right on the Carroll College campus, which is where I went to school.

It only took us about 30 minutes to get everything unloaded. I thought I had more stuff! I wish that I would have brought my big sofa instead of the loveseat. I do like the extra space to move around in.

Within three days, I had my boxes unpacked and had started to hang pictures. My friend, Kaitlin, and I hung all my clothes and organized small details.

I hope to do some hosting next month. I have had a few friends and family members over, but it would be fun to do something a little bigger. I certainly have enough space for people to hang out here.

I have found myself anxious to leave work at the end of the day and to return to my apartment. It has been a good adjustment so far.

On the move

2008-04-04T22:57:00.004-06:00

Sorry for my absence on Kat in Name Only. I have been busy preparing for my big move to Waukesha tomorrow. There has been so much organizing, packing and shopping to do. I plan to post pictures next week,but I will not have internet until next week Thursday.

There is so much news: the new apartment, the church exploding in Waukesha, the interesting animals I've seen. I promise to write more again once I get settled.

Now it's off to bed so I can wake up ready to haul furniture and boxes.

Swans

2008-03-20T11:23:00.006-06:00

As promised, here is the best picture that I took of the swans on Fowler Lake. I hope to continue getting photos of them over the summer and hopefully get some more "romantic" swan pictures. There is something so beautiful and majestic about swans. I drove past a gorgeous hawk today, but when I walked back to get a photo of it, it was gone already. I am so excited that spring is here and the birds who left have returned in full force.

Quote:

"Ego: the fallacy whereby a goose thinks he's a swan."
--unknown

The Immature Bald Eagle

2008-03-18T08:56:00.009-06:00

Something amazing happened last Friday. I went to the Fowler Park inlet in Oconomowoc to take pictures of the swans that returned. The swans hold special significance for me because I have many fond memories of watching the lone male swan each summer for several years. Then one year he found a mate and they lived on the inlet for a couple of years. Somehow, it seemed like I always was driving over the bridge as they flew away for the winter. Sadly, two years ago the male swan was found shot and died in the local cemetery that is on the inlet. Last year, there were no swans. So, when I heard that there was a pair of swans on Fowler Lake again, I had to go over there with my camera to check it out. I managed to get some nice shots, which I will share with you at a later date.

While standing in the melting snow, listening to the ducks quack, the geese honk and the red wing blackbird call, I phoned my editor, Bill to see if he would be interested in a stand alone photo for the paper of the swans. He said that he would take a look at them when I got to work later in the day. However, he said that if I would get a picture of an eagle, he would definitely use it. I kind of laughed at the idea of an eagle photo and told him that I would try my best.

Shortly later, a gull began to attack a bird of prey over my head. I quickly lifted my camera and began to shoot. I managed to get some decent frames as the birds clashed above me. They were quickly gone and I didn't think too much of the pictures as I was still focused on getting a good photo of the swans who were more interested in eating than looking pretty.

Cold and tired, I went back home to process the pictures on my computer. As I sorted through them, I noticed that the bird of prey was not a hawk at all. the beak was too chunky. The wings had different feathers. I began to think that perhaps it was an eagle. I sent it to Bill and began to do some research. I came up with the identification of an immature golden eagle. I was so excited as I drove to work.

When I got to my desk, my co-worker complimented me on my eagle picture. I was surprised. I didn't think anyone knew about it. As it turns out, the staff had already called the DNR and asked a biologist there to identify the bird. His verdict: an immature BALD EAGLE!

I was so excited, as was Bill. We ended up running the photo on the front page of Saturday's paper along with a photo that one of the paper's photographers, Kevin Harnack, took. He had taken a picture of a mature Bald Eagle in Otttawa about a month ago.

On Monday, I saw the eagle again as it soared above George Webb's in Oconomowoc. I am looking forward to many more times of seeing this majestic bird.

Quote:

"A believer is a bird in a cage, a freethinker is an eagle parting the clouds with tireless wing."

--Robert Green Ingersoll

A break from the modern world

2008-03-10T08:51:00.007-06:00

Can you imagine a day with no internet? No TV? No Mp3 player? No cell phone? That's what
Mark Bittman is proposed in his New York Times column that I read last week. He wrote about his decision to take a break from technology for a 24-hour time period each week. Bittman made this decision after he spent money on an airplane to check his e-mail. After feeling like there was no place left where he could escape technology, Bittman decided to remove himself from it.

He wrote: "Thus began my “secular Sabbath” — a term I found floating around on blogs — a day a week where I would be free of screens, bells and beeps. An old-fashioned day not only of rest but of relief. "

The process wasn't easy for him to completely disconnect himself from his modern world. He didn't use the internet, his cell phone, his ipod or his TV. But Bittman eventually found rewards.

"I do believe that there has to be a way to regularly impose some thoughtfulness, or at least calm, into modern life — or at least my version. Once I moved beyond the fear of being unavailable and what it might cost me, I experienced what, if I wasn’t such a skeptic, I would call a lightness of being. I felt connected to myself rather than my computer. I had time to think, and distance from normal demands. I got to stop," he wrote.

I have felt too depend on modern technology as well. The first thing I do in the morning after rolling out of bed, is to turn my laptop on. I talk on my cell phone while I drive. At work, my eyes are always on the computer screen. I am not as addicted to technology as some people, but I am at a point where my time is manipulated by it. I have a much harder time picking up a book or getting out and going for a walk than I used to. I tend to putz around on facebook. Or, I talk to friends on messenger. It's great to talk to friends through messenger, but it is not as time efficient as a phone call. I have begun to feel as if my time is being eaten up by technology and I am no longer enjoying more artistic and pure forms of information, such as books.

Actually, I have become very bored with the internet recently. Facebook isn't as thrilling as it used to be. E-mail is rarely used by my friends anymore.

So, I am going to try what Bittman is proposing and disconnect from technology for a day. I'm not sure if it's going to be a Saturday or a Sunday. But, I plan to turn off my computer and stay away from my cell phone. I am not going to be as rigid as Bittman, however, as I know I would not be successful with such tough rules. I will allow myself to watch a movie at night. And I can listen to music. I just really want to focus more of my energy and time on photography and books. I think that this freeing myself from technology will help. Also, once spring gets here, I know I won't be as tempted to spend hours on my computer.

If you would like to read Bittman's whole column, here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/fashion/02sabbath.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=sabbath&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Quote:

"We live on the brink of disaster because we do not know how to let life alone. We do not respect the living and fruitful contradictions and paradoxes of which true life is full."
--Thomas Merton

"There is no such thing as chance; and that which seems to us blind accident actually stems from the deepest source of all."
--Frederich von Schiller

How the Dramatic Prairie Dog was Born

2008-03-01T23:43:00.001-06:00

cute puppy whistle

2008-02-25T11:08:00.001-06:00

Wow-what a cute puppy!

Half Size/Half Price

2008-02-25T10:51:00.003-06:00

Lately when I go to most restaurants, I can't help but balk at the prices of the food. I am not talking about upscale restaurants, but your hamburger and sandwich places. Even the chains like Uno's, Applebee's and Waterstreet Brewery have made it so the cheapest thing on the menu is an $11 hamburger or an $8 appetizer.

The problem in my opinion is the portion of food they give you. I don't need a pound of thick French fries. Nor do I need 4 strips of bacon on my burger. The food is almost always very good, but I could do with a smaller portion and a smaller price. It's true that I do take my leftovers home and eat them as a meal the next day, so I guess it really is a good deal. However, I just find myself lately wanting to shell out less money. No wonder Americans are fat when you go to a pasta place and they serve you a thick slab of lasagna weighing it at about a pound.

Am I being ridiculous? Maybe. I think I was spoiled by Korean prices. You could get a huge bowl of bibimbap (rice, vegetables and a little meat) for $3.50. I felt stuffed after eating all that. And plus, you don't tip in Asia so the food was so cheap and delicious.

Sorry for my ranting, but the cost and size of food portions has been bugging me lately.

Do you agree with me?

Quote:

"Families remember to love one another as cherished traditions unfold."
--Jan Miller Girando

Media mania

2008-02-17T13:18:00.003-06:00

The presidential candidates arrived in Waukesha County this past week to tout their plans for the economy, the war in Iraq, education, the environment and why they are the best candidate for president. Barack Obama spoke at the Waukesha Expo Center as did Bill Clinton on behalf of his wife, Hillary. Mike Huckabee was at the Country Springs Hotel and John McCain got as close as Milwaukee on Friday. Maybe they will come back around again before the very important primary on Tuesday in Wisconsin. With them, also comes a very large and comprehensive group of reporters and photographers.

I covered John McCain's speech at the Reagan Day Dinner at the American Serb Hall in Milwaukee on Friday for the Freeman. The audience was sold out, but what was even more impressive to me was the number of reporters and photographers there to cover the speech. Everyone from local channels and newspapers to CNN and ABC News. An announcement was made that McCain was late because he had an interview with George Stephanopoulus. Later Stephanopoulus walked into the room and joined the rest of the media. There were about 50 reporters, photographers and videographers covering McCain's speech. The sight was so impressive that some audience members took pictures of the press!

Something that amazed me was how I did not see a single female photographer. The women that were there (it seemd like 3 men for every woman) were all reporters. I think that I might have been the only one taking pictures for our paper.

I must admit that it was exciting to be among such a large group of my fellow reporters and photographers, some of whom travel the world over.

It is actually a rewarding sight to see so many people covering a news event because it means that people care and are paying attention to what is happening around them. I know that the Freeman will continue to cover the presidential candidates and their visits. We are happy that so many candidates have been coming to the area because it allows us to share with our loyal readers what the candidates are saying and doing on the campaign trail.

Quote:

"A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on."

--John F. Kennedy

The Doldrums of Winter

2008-02-10T15:27:00.000-06:00

I must admit that I have been largely uninspired to write on my blog lately. I just have had a block when it comes to topics to write about and to share with people. I think that this must be largely do to winter and the snow and cold which have kept me hiding inside on so many days. Today is one of those days as the air temperature hovers around zero and the wind chill is far below. It is nice that the sun shines brightly, as it always does on cold days. I have spent the day cleaning and organizing my clothes closet and my dresser and desk drawers. Yet, I am left with nothing new, nothing inspired to write about. Maybe I am thinking too hard and not letting the ideas freely come to me. Maybe cleaning is not my muse.

Sometimes I think of making my blog postings more focused, such as the blog of my close friend, Paul Margach. It's all about the jazz CDs he has in his music collection. I encourage you to check it out for some awesome, informative writing. It's called "A Wells or a Gibbon?" and can be found by this link: http://wellsorgibbon.blogspot.com/

Despite the monotony and boredom winter often brings with it, I rather enjoy the snow and cold weather because it gives me the excuse to stay in and read, write, watch movies, cuddle with a blanket, wear fleece and drink hot cocoa. Summer will come soon enough where I am running around and hardly taking the time to enjoy the peace of my bedroom.

I have always realized how precious my time on Earth is. My mother's good friend is dying of stomach cancer. Although I have not been to see this friend recently, it is a good reminder that we are all only allowed a short amount of time to live. I don't want to rush through life, even these desperately cold days because who knows if I will live to see another Wisconsin winter where the cardinal comes to feed at the feeder at 5 p.m. and where I can sit by a window and marvel at the beauty of large snowflakes falling gently to the ground. Yes, winter is filled with its hassles and dangers, but it is filled with so much beauty. I find winter's beauty more understated than spring's, summer's or fall's. If there is one thing I like is subtleness.

Quote:

"Friends are lights in winter; the older the friend, the brighter the light."
--Roger Rosenblatt

Snow Emergency

2008-02-06T20:47:00.000-06:00

While most people get to hide inside when there is a snow emergency issued by the mayor of the city, reporters, editors and all those involved in producing a newspaper are not so lucky. In fact, we are expected to trudge through the snow trying to talk to people braving the elements and who are willing to speak about how they feel.

I was that reporter today. A lucky break for me, however, was that I worked from the Oconomowoc Enterprise today instead of the Waukesha Freeman. That saved me from driving 28 miles or so in the hazardous road conditions that closed Brookfield Square Mall, the Milwaukee Courthouse and almost all schools.

I had several tasks to do today. 1) Write a story about the effect of the snow on Ash Wednesday services. 2) Help to proof the Enterprise pages before they went to press and 3) Trudge through the snow to talk to people braving the elements and to get some photos of people doing just that.

It was a lot of fun walking through the snow. I found it rather exciting to be out there reporting on the extreme weather. I must admit it was rough going at times as the wind whipped icy snow into my face preventing me from lifting my head. Worst yet, was having the snow that coated my pants melt and make me feel all soggy as I sat in the office with my damp notepad and frozen pen (I lost my pencil as I made a mad dash to get a photo of a train as the snow swirled around it).

Overall it was a very pleasant day. I even was able to work just 9 am to 4 pm, so here I am writing on my blog to share my interesting day with you.

Quote:

"If you are not living on the edge, you take up too much room."

-Native American saying

SeoulGlow # 9 - Welcome, YouTube Korea!

2008-02-01T11:39:00.001-06:00

I really miss interacting with more Korean people on a daily basis. Watching this video reminded me of what I miss so much about Korea-the people!

The Hungry Planet

2008-01-28T11:46:00.001-06:00

I want to share with you a book that made a very strong impact on me recently. That book is the "Hungry Planet" by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio.

The Hungry Planet would probably be classified as a coffee table book because of its large format and heavy use of photographs, but this book is too significant for that category. It is a study of how people live, eat and interact through food. Menzel and D'Aluisio traveled the world over taking photographs of a typical family with an average week's worth of their groceries. The phots are also of the family eating, shopping and cooking food.The couple traveled to all the continents except Antarctica. Accompanying the pictures are first-hand accounts of what it was like for the couple to live, eat and be with these families.

For each family, there is a list of its weekly groceries and what they cost, as well as family recipes and stats on the country.

Food, I learned is a huge part of many families' daily habits. It also acts as an important way to compare what different countries have for resources and how wealthy people in each country are. It's truly amazing what some people can subsist on in a refuge camp in Chad or in tiny Ecuador.

I am appreciative for what this book has done in my own life. Now, when I go to the grocery store, I am so thankful for the low prices we pay compared to most of the world. I am also so thankful for the variety of fresh ingredients and the amount of meat we can eat and afford. What I am also now strongly aware of is how little fresh produce and unprocessed food I eat. As I watch my groceries glide down the conveyor belt, I am dismayed and bit embarrassed that I don't eat more fresh vegetables and fruit.

I think it's important to be aware of what we eat and thankful for what we can eat. Hungry Planet really struck home about how important my diet and lifestyle is to me and how thankful I am for it.

Quote about Hungry Planet

"While the photos are extraordinary-fine enough for a stand alone volume-it's the questions these photos ask that make this so gripping. This is a beautiful, quietly provocative volume."

--Publisher's Weekly

A celebration: 35 years together

2008-01-23T10:12:00.000-06:00

This weekend my parents, Don and Jeanette, will mark 35 years of having been married. Last weekend, 30 friends and family members gathered together to celebrate my parents' love, respect and support for each other. My mom and I planned a renewal of wedding vows ceremony with the help of our minister. We also planned a reception to follow at Spinnaker's restaurant.

During the ceremony, I spoke about what my parents' marriage means to me. Here are my notes:

When I look at my parents, I see a love that is not measurable. I see a love so strong it could stand up to the test of time. I have seen their love endure draught and flood….cold and heat.
Yes, even on days colder than today.

Or in the case of the day they met on chilly day June, 11 1972

Picture this….my mother sitting on the front stairs of her house in Cudahy contemplating about whether to go to Joan Michalets’ high school graduation. Not knowing Joan well, my mother was hesitant about going. What to do? So, she consulted her horoscope books.
The prediction…that she would find love.
My mom wondered who she could possibly meet? Joan’s cousin, perhaps?

Well, my mom did meet Joan’s cousin…my dad who approached her at the party wearing tight purple jeans and a purple sweater?
At this point in the story, I must interject. I give my mom a lot of credit for giving my dad the time of day in his purple sweater and jeans, even if it was a cold day.

My dad helped my mom with the buffet line. He was the perfect gentleman and complimented her on green eye shadow. He further surprised her with his musical interests, which ranged from hard rock to the gentle Andy Williams.

Later, my mom recounted that she questioned if this man was for real. Maybe it was dad’s Mustang Mach One that he took her home in, his gentleman-like ways or the horoscope books. But the two quickly became a couple, going for bike rides to Dairy Queen, visiting Devil’s Lake and going to concerts.

The past 35 years have had rough points. Where many couples may have fractured and called it quits, my parents have supported each other through the high points and the low points. And the high points are too many to list.
Just a short list of some of their shared activities:
*Honeymoon in Montreal and Quebec City
* Trip to California with the whole Michalets clan across the desert to see Ellen (wish that I could have gone too)
* Many trips to the Canadian Grand Priz, to Great-Grandma’s house, to Cape Cod, Stratford, Ontario for the Shakespeare Fest
*Members of the Porsche Club and bowling teams (a must in the early 1980s)
*proud parents of many dogs: Bobby, Fozzy, Bosco, Biscuits and Jazzy and even more parakeets
* owned a bed and breakfast for 5 years in Vermont
* Vacations spent with Grandma and Grandpa at Devil’s Lake
* the restoration of several old homes (an activity that can break or make a couple)
* Active members of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church
* creating so many wonderful Christmas memories
* two books and numerous magazine stories
* Making the most of each day given to them as a couple and a family

The love they share and their commitment to each other has greatly shaped who I have become and how I treat others. I only pray that one day I may have what they have. I thank God every day for blessing me with two loving, supportive parents who will be there for me no matter. I also thank him for bringing my parents together. May today be the start of another wonderful, blessed 35 years of marriage. Congratulations!

Mom, me and Dad

Quote:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. "
-- 1 Corinthians 13 4-8

Perspective on Chicago

2008-01-14T10:13:00.000-06:00

I went to Chicago this past weekend for a three day getaway. Chicago is one of my favorite cities. Despite the cold, I was able to see some of my favorite spots: Chinatown, Millenium Park and the skyline. The Jelly Bean pictured above has really grown on me over the years. At first, I found it very unimpressive. When I saw it early Saturday morning, there were few people around it and I felt like I truly was able to enjoy it's reflection of the city skyline.

My favorite Chicago place used to be the Art Institute (which I visited on Saturday) but now my favorite spot is Chinatown. I always enjoy myself when I am there. The restaurants are really good and fairly inexpensive, it feels pretty noncommercial and there are always fun things to buy. I was impressed by how many small figurines and knick-knacks one store owner was able to display in her window.

I wish that my time in Chicago would have gone slower and lasted longer. Alas, it is Monday and I am facing a double whammy-Monday blues and day after vacation. Needless to say, I am not in a super upbeat mood today.

"What one loves in childhood stays in the heart forever."

--Mary Jo Putney

A Snowy World

2008-01-04T21:10:00.000-06:00

These photos were all taken last weekend after we had one of the most beautiful snow falls that I have ever seen. The snow was havy and wet, so it clung to the trees for days. I loved being able to walk across the street to take these pictures. The little trout stream is so scenic during all the seasons, but it is especially lovely with the snow clinging to the branches that stretch over it.

Quote:

"One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats."

--Alice Murdoch

"It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones."

--Jean Webster

New Year, New Possilbilites, New Blog Posting

2008-01-01T14:36:00.000-06:00

It's a new year with a promise to blog more often. I apologize for my absence from my blog in recent weeks. I blame the holidays and the rush involved there, but that is not a good enough excuse. So, I start fresh today on January 1 with a new entry and a new outlook on life.

2007 was a year of change, challenges and adjustments for me. I started my career as a journalist at the Oconomowoc Enterprise and soon moved up to the Waukesha Freeman. The pace of my work life changed drastically as I began to work second shift and had tighter deadlines, more pressure and so much to learn. I must admit, the final months of 2007 brought with them a lot of stress. It was a lot harder for me to adjust to second shift than I would have thought and a lot harder to balance work and relaxation. I feel that I am starting to finally get a handle on how to make the most of my time before work. I am better able to relax and get things done. That's a huge relief for me.

There were other areas of my life that were not where I wanted them to be in 2007, but I feel optimistic about the future. I don't think I have ever been so happy for a new year to begin. It began with Christmas and a feeling of renewal and rebirth for me as I celebrated that holiday, which is very special to me . During the Christmas season, I spend quality time with family and friends and get to show them how much I care, while also celebrating and recognizing the birth of Jesus. It's a very important week of my life and I was able to enjoy it and find meaning in the holiday season even as I was stressed at work and trying to get gifts bought and wrapped.

I look forward to 2008 with hope. I feel like I am walking from a beautiful, yet dark wooded forest into a meadow where the sun is shining and I can hear the birds singing. This may seem overly dramatic, but it's pretty accurate. I feel confident that no matter what comes my way I will have the strength and courage to handle it. I also feel strongly that I will be able find balance in my life and will be happier again.

2008 may have been one of the years I gained the most on a personal level and was able to learn more about myself and my capabilities.

I hope that 2008 holds promise of wonderful possibilities for all those who read this blog and for those who don't. May 2008 bring you much happiness, success, good health and positive energy.

Quote:

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

--Albert Camus

Week of difficulties

2007-12-07T11:16:00.000-06:00

Snow fell quickly minutes before the Christmas parade began Saturday afternoon. Penny Wirtz, left, watched the sky warily as yak names Zak and Megan Shea waited for the parade to begin. Their float was a live Nativity scene for the White Stone Community Church in the town of Summit.

This week has been a very difficult one for me from a reporting standpoint. I had to do three stories that turned out to be the most difficult in my journalism career thus far.

first story

On Saturday, Dec. 1, I covered the Oconomowoc Christmas parade. The snow began to fall that morning and it was bad. The wind was blowing it sideways and it was coming down very quickly. As I looked out my window and saw few cars on the road, I thought the parade would be cancelled for sure. As I drove into town, there were people lining up to be in the parade, as well as, people standing along the parade route. I found a parking spot, got out of my car and began to interview people.

The reason this story was so difficult to do was for purely technical reasons. My paper kept getting wet and my pen kept freezing. I had to try so hard in order to write anything and what was written was barely legible.

Another aspect that made the story difficult to do was the snow and sleet that landed on my camera and in my camera bag. Trying to keep myself, my paper and my camera dry were very difficult tasks.

Although, I froze and was wet by the end of the parade, I had a lot of fun. It will definitely be a story that I will never forget.

second story
There were two other stories this past week that proved especially difficult for me, but for different reasons that those for the parade

On Sunday, Dec. 2, three high school senior boys were killed in a car accident on their way back from Wisconsin Dells. Although we learned about the accident on Sunday night, the staff at the Freeman wasn't able to much of anything until Monday.

As soon as I got in on Monday, I was told that I would have to go to the high school in Mukwonago where the boys attended and try to talk to family and friends. I bypassed the school, instead going to the h families' homes.

At the first home, I was allowed to come in. As I looked around, I saw little kids laughing and running around not understanding what was going on. The kitchen island was covered with bowls of food. In the living room, stood many family and friends crying and hugging. The story became very real for me. Not surprisingly, the family was unable and unwilling to talk to me, so I left my business card.

The second address I had turned out to be incorrect and the third family I reached by phone, but was also too upset to talk. The father, in fact, could barely eek out any words as he was so choked up when he answered the phone.

I returned to the office with no information, but managed to piece together a story through interviews with coaches and talking to three friends who knew all three deceased boys well.
There were more complications than that during the day, but in the end all that mattered was that I was able to get a really good story put together that covered nearly all the important points.

I was so relieved to be done with that story at the end of the day. It was emotionally and physically exhausting.

third story

I was concerned when I learned that I would have to attend one of the boy's funerals.

First, I had to borrow some clothes from a co-worker because I was wearing hot pink.

I arrived later at the church than I had wanted to because of getting lost in rural Mukwonago. As I entered the church, all I heard were sobs. Both high school boys, girls and adults were hugging, their faces red and tear-stained. The sobbing made me even more aware of the sobs that broke through it.

I was one of the last people to get into the long line into the sanctuary. I had to walk past four tables loaded with untouched sweets and past five boards with photos of the deceased boy. The photos showed him at all ages and doing the things we all love to do like dressing up for Halloween, spending time at Grandpa's and sitting on Santa's lap. I started to feel really emotional standing there absorbing the sadness around me.

I had to stand for the service, but once it began and I discreetly took notes, I felt better. I had something else to focus on. A teacher and an uncle spoke about Derek and his wonderful personality.

I know that after someone dies, the people who knew him always says what a wonderful person he was. These were truly wonderful young men who loved their family and friends and who gave so much to their school. I didn't expect to be so deeply moved by what I heard or what I saw this week.

This week definitely made me tougher and stronger as a journalist, yet, I still felt pain and sorrow. I hope that my stories were able to help readers feel connected and to remember how important our lives are.

Quote:
"Today is always here. Tomorrow, never."
--Toni Morrison (Beloved)

The Fire

2007-11-28T23:42:00.001-06:00

I headed out at a little after 8 p.m. tonight to a house fire in the Town of Waukesha. As soon as the dispatch center started to send out fire engines, I knew it was serious. Back-up was being called and I could hear sirens screaming on the police scanner. At that point, I wrote down the address and headed out with my camera, a pad of paper, a pen and my gloves.

On my way to the fire, I realized I was going the wrong way when a fire truck sped the opposite way. I quickly made a U-turn and followed as fast as I could. We were joined by even more emergency vehicles.

When I did get to the scene of the fire, the neighboring streets were lined with emergency vehicles with their lights flashing. It looked the brightest and most amazing Christmas display.

I walked a couple of blocks to wear the house was with the fire. Before I could see flames, I could see smoke billowing into the air. There really weren't many flames visible, but it was clear that a fire burned deeply within.

Needing to take pictures in the dark, I felt relief when I found a tree to prop myself up against to stable myself. After getting a few decent shots, I walked around and began to talk to the neighbors that were huddled on their lawns watching the fire. Quite a few people walked to the scene. Many young children played on lawns while their parents stood wrapped in blankets.

I was directed to the family of the home on fire. They were an Asian family and many didn't speak any English. I did talk to one woman whose husband's aunt owned the building. She said that no one had been hurt and that she thought no one was home during the fire. Apparently, many people lived in the building.

I felt a bit rude taking pictures of the family as they gathered in the street in front of the home. Some of the members began arguing in a different language. I can only imagine what they might have been saying.

I think that the fire had to been fueled partly by the strong winds that blew. It was so cold out there, too. I felt like I had frostbite on my fingertips as I struggled to take pictures and to write what people told me in the dark.

I am thankful that no one was injured, but how awful for a family to lose their home on such a cold night so shortly before the holidays.

For more on this story, see The Freeman's Thursday paper at www.freemanol.com

My Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T20:01:00.000-06:00

I am always saying that the happiest times of my life have been the unexpected moments that light up your day and your spirit. I had a really nice afternoon on Thanksgiving with my parents, my grandma, Aunt Linda and Aunt Ellen. We had a delicious meal that filled us all up and made our stomachs and minds very happy. After lunch, we watched the Packer game and talked.

It was all so nice, but unfortunately I had to leave for work. I was not looking forward to going to work as I just wanted to stay home and relax. However, as the second shift worker, I had to go.

My assignment, which I had suggested, was a fun one, though. I was to go to Fire Station No. 1 in Waukesha and spend time with the firefighters as they made a Thanksgiving dinner even as they were on duty.

As I walked into the station, my nose filled with the scent of turkey. The seven firemen and one firewoman were busy in the state-of-the-art kitchen getting a traditional dinner prepared. Everyone was in high spirits as they joked around and laughed. I took pictures and did interviews as all the preparations were being done. I didn't intend to eat since I was working and still rather full from lunch, but the fire fighters kept insisting. I gave in and ate some very delicious food. They even gave me some pie to go.

It's hard to explain why the assignment was so enjoyable for me. I think it was because how caring and polite these fire fighters were and how they welcomed me into their Thanksgiving dinner so readily. They had already gone out on nine calls in nine hours, but their spirits were so high. They described themselves as family and they really treated each other like relatives. For an hour I felt like a close family friend.

This is why I love journalism when I can do stories like this and really get a good glimps into the lives of other people.

Thanksgiving around a ping-pong table

2007-11-20T09:00:00.001-06:00

This was always one of my favorite holiday shows with the colorful Thanksgiving food and the antics of Snoopy and Woodstock. There is always something so pure and earnest about Charlie Brown and his friends. Enjoy and have a happy Thanksgiving.

Simple moments = happy times

2007-11-16T22:18:00.001-06:00

It is amazing how the simple things in life can mean so much to a person and bring them the purest of joys. This past week has been really stressful and busy, but during the times of great stress I have also discovered great moments of joy. There are the on-going joys like the support and love of my family and friends. Then there are the little joys that occur unexpectantly and last only briefly, but bring you the purest of joys that help to carry you through the day.

I have had several such joys over the past week and a couple of them had one thing in common: they were because of South Koreans.

I had my second tutoring session on Wednesday with my South Korean pupil. I am going to help her with her English writing and all around English skills. I am volunteering with the Literacy Council of Waukesha County and they matched me with Sujeong. She is new to the USA, but is married to an American man that she met in Seoul. Spending time with her brings so much happiness to my life. Her caring nature, eagerness and generosity in turn make me feel wonderful. On Wednesday, she made me chamchi kimbap and it was so delicious. Her friend, Yoon, also came for lunch. It was such an enjoyable lunch for me to be able to talk about Seoul with these two very kind people. Just thinking about it now makes me feel so happy.

The other little joy that occurred this week because of a South Korean friend just happened a few minutes ago. A former student of mine, Gyoung Dong just wrote me an e-mail telling me of his recent recognition for his poetry. He also sent me photos of his family. It is a great honor to be told of his literary success. He also shared some very kind words with me.

These simple human elements of our lives are really the best. They have extra meaning for me when I feel overwhelmed by stress. I do find the most joy in my life from human relationships and my relationship with nature.

The past two years has taught me something so important. And that is how wonderful Korean people are. I think that they have to be the most caring and generous of any nationality I have ever met. Their culture and approach to life is very different from Americans' in many ways, but there are many similarities too. The aspect that I like the most is how they welcome people into their lives so openly and will give of themselves so readily.

I feel so blessed tonight because of all my friends, who are from so many backgrounds and live in so many places, and for the unconditional love and support from them and my wonderful family.

Thank you all who have been there for me recently during my week of stress.

Quote:
"Patience and perserverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
--John Quincy Adams

Glorious Birds

2007-11-10T18:30:00.001-06:00

It's that time of year again when I keep the feeder full and watch the beautiful birds come to feast. I have a mixture of corn, sunflower seeds and millet out for them along with a suet and it's really bringing the birds in lately. Yesterday, I had chicadees, juncos, cardinals, blue jays, a nuthatch, a downy and a hairy woodpecker. Not to mention chipmunks and squirrels.

There are few things in this world that bring me as much pleasure as my bird feeder does. There is something about the cheerfulness that birds seem to approach life that lifts my spirit. Both wild and domestic birds seem to be such optimistic, content animals that I can't help but feel the affect of their attitude on my own attitude.

I am hoping to take more pictures of the birds from the screen porch. I took these of the chicadees as I stood a few feet away with my 70-300 mm lens on my camera. The lighting was decent and the chicadees were calm enough to let me get quite close. When they would hear my shutter close, they would fly back to the bush, but would quickly return. The second photo below was a fluke, but I really like how it turned out. I only wish the whole bird would have been captured.

Quote:

"One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats."

--Iris Murdoch

A weekend of fundraisers and silent auctions

2007-11-05T10:18:00.000-06:00

There was definitely a common theme to my birthday weekend: fundraising. Most people would probably think it's strange that I would decide to spend my birthday going to fundraisers instead of spending the day seeking funds for myself. But, I've always done my own thing.

Actually, it is a tradition for my mother, my grandmother and I to go to the annual holiday church bazaars in Oconomowoc. About 10 different churches and organizations participate in this event. I have always loved going to them and seeing the crafts, eating the cookies and having a special lunch with Mom and Grandma. Unfortunately, this year was a bit disappointing because a couple of the churches did not have their bazaars. This didn't come as too big of a surprise because it is often the older women in the congregation who make and sell the items. I have been speculating the past couple of years that our tradition would be coming to an end soon. Even so, we still had a really good time on Saturday and I got to eat fudge, cake and pie. Yum.

Saturday night was another fundraiser that I also attended by choice. Kait and I went to the Avalon Therapeutic Equestrian Center (Avalon TEC) for its annual barn dance. I had written a story about the center for the Oconomowoc Enterprise and the owner said I could come for free because it was my birthday. The event included over 100 silent auctions, food, Irish music and alcoholic beverages. It was a good time, but much mellower than I had hoped it would be. No one danced and the music was the pub floor pounding variety. And, as I feared, Kait and I were some of the youngest people there. But, we still had a good time and the money went to a really good cause that I was proud to support.

On Sunday I had to attend the Waukesha Education Foundation's third annual Celebration of Excellence fundraiser for the Waukesha Freeman. The event was huge with over 900 people present, over 150 silent auction items, lots of food and interactive displays. It was great to see so many people come out to support education and to see so many student volunteers helping to serve food and sell raffle tickets among other duties.

There seems to be so many opportunities lately to attend fundraisers and to help causes. There are a couple of problems that arise for me with that, including the fact that I most often can't afford to go to these dinners and which ones do I support if I could. Every day lately I get about three to four charity mailings asking for money for their causes. I mostly support three: St. Joseph's Indian School, The Nature Conservancy and UNICEF. I have received a mailing about Women for Women that I might consider investing in later.

Yellow leaves at Nature Hill on Sunday.

Quote:
"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way."
--A.J. Muste

Armed Robberies, sex offenders and budgets: work at the Freeman

2007-11-01T23:17:00.000-06:00

The last couple of weeks have had a recurring theme for me at work. I have been covering mostly hard news and late-breaking news. The story that was the most fun for me was covering the armed robbery at Wendy's. Most people are surprised when I tell that that covering an armed robbery is fun, but it was for me.

I got there shortly after the call went out over the police scanner that a couple of employees at Wendy's was robbed by gunpoint by a man who was wearing a mask and who fled on foot into a subdivision. I pulled up to Wendy's (a location I eat at often) and parked my car. I grabbed my camera bag with my new flash and walked over to the congregating police officers. There must have been about eight squad cars there.

The police were very helpful and polite. They told me what they knew and then I just waited around as they prepared a search team with a dog. Meanwhile an officer started to rope off the entrance to the restaurant parking lot. But, then she kept going until my car was behind the yellow caution tape.

My editor didn't believe me at first when I told him my car was cordoned off. I couldn't believe it either. I had parked next to the suspected get-a-way vehicle. What luck!

Well, the police were really easy going about it and lifted the tape so I could drive under it. They were also nice enough to let me stand close enough to them that I could eavesdrop on most of what they were saying.

What surprised me while I stood there was how many cars attempted to get into the Wendy's parking lot. One car started to drive through the yellow tape and tore it down. About a half dozen other cars drove in through the exit in order to swing around into the drive-thru window, which was closed.

I learned a lot that night.
1) Being small, young and female helped me out because the police and most others don't see me as intimidating or a threat.

2) People will go through a lot of trouble to try and get a Jr. bacon cheeseburger and some chicken nuggets.

I also got sent out after we heard a call in the office about an armed robber who held up a Carroll College student not too far from campus.

I also wrote about sex offender registry ordinances (the big topic of discussion at city and village meetings in the area) and budgets for these same places. I don't think I have ever disliked writing about anything as much as I disliked writing about budgets. It involves a lot of number crunching and tedious reading.

My favorite story of the week was about Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. I learned a lot about this holiday that is celebrated today and tomorrow primarily by Mexicans. I love stories that make me learn while I write about them and that also allow me to talk to real people.

Quote:
"What you deny to others will be denied to you, for the plain reason that you are always legislating for yourself, all your words and actions define the world you want to live in."
--Thaddeus Golas
from The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment

Gravestone photos

2007-10-22T23:13:00.000-06:00

Headstones in City of Pewaukee cemetery

These photos are for the Lake Country Edition of the Waukesha Freeman for our special on cemeteries in the area. Call me morbid, but I have always enjoyed going to cemeteries and looking at the old, crumbling gravestones and the names and dates written on them. You can really lose track in cemeteries, as I did yesterday, when the sky is overcast and there is a drizzle in the air.

Quote:

"When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained."

--Mark Twain

Pearls Before Swine

2007-10-16T23:00:00.000-06:00

Pearls Before Swine is one of my favorite comic strips. It is consistently humorous and I love the cast of animal characters that bring the strip to life. My favorite is the ever optimistic and naive Pig who loves everyone, even those who are mean to him, and always sees the best in all situations.

Tuesday's comic strip really made an impression on me. Maybe because it's about hamsters. Or maybe it's because of the language Orville uses. Whatever the reason, I cut it out and put it on my computer monitor at work today.

Blogger is not allowing me to upload Tuesday's comic strip, so here is the link for you to check out. I hope that you get a kick out of it too.

http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20071016.html

Quote:

"In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning, day after day."
--F.Scott Fitzgerald

Early experiences at the Freeman

2007-10-15T23:45:00.001-06:00

It's 12:45 am and I can't sleep. Not really surprising when you consider how my evening went. I was assigned to go to the City of Pewaukee's common council meeting tonight. There were a few items of note on the agenda and the council chambers were packed. But the audience and four TV news crews weren't there to find out the new trick or treating hours; they were there to find out if Tonya, of Hartland, would get her escort license. Pewaukee has an ordinance requiring people to have an escort license in order to offer such services in the city. This was the first time anyone had applied for such a license since it was created in 2006.

The room was packed and there were four TV crews flanking the seating. I knew that I would end up in some one's shot. The whole evening turned out to be pretty undramatic when the city attorney said that a license could not be issued if a criminal charge was pending, and there is one in the case of Miss Tonya. She was caught by an undercover police officer who allegedly gave her money in exchange for sexual favors. She was also fined for practicing escort services in a Pewaukee hotel.

With almost no discussion, the council voted unanimously to deny the license to Tonya. She looked so upset as she left the city hall with about 6 reporters and 4 cameras following her out the door. She said to call her lawyer and that she felt like she was treated unfairly. Who could blame the woman? Afterall, she had to pay a $250 application fee for a license she didn't have a chance at. I can't really blame the council members for wanting to keep prostitution out of Pewaukee.

When I got back to the office at 9:45, I had two stories and a brief to write by 11. I went a little later than that, but managed to get it all done. I am still a little wound up from the adrenaline rush of the escort story and then facing such a tight deadline with a lot to do.

So far, I really like the Freeman. I knew that I would be really busy as the night/general assignments reporter, but I hadn't imagined that it would be this busy.

I started the job a little more than three weeks ago, but missed last week because I was diagnosed with mono. It was difficult not to come in for five days, but it has been a bit hard going back too. I am still sicker than I'd like to admit, which I realized this afternoon. So, it was nice to have the earlier part of my day a bit slower than normal, but my evening more than made up for that.

Actually, my favorite part of the job is the adrenaline rushes and keeping so busy. I am almost always happier at work when I am busy versus when things are slow. And, it looks like I won't be having too many slow days at the Freeman.

I also really like my co-workers. They are a great group of people to work with. I have four bosses, but they are all easy-going and very helpful. I feel like I have really lucked out three times now with my co-workers. The first was my fellow teachers at BCM in Seoul, then the great staff at the Enterprise and now the Freeman.

I wonder what the future at the Freeman will bring?

Quote:
"If you don't know what to do, call the media and at least give the appearance of doing something."
-Dave Peterson

Silhouettes

2007-10-14T09:16:00.000-06:00

Silhouettes of grape vines against the sky

Quote:

"Til I loved, I never lived."

-Emily Dickinson

Remnants of past use

2007-10-13T17:15:00.000-06:00

Quote:

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."

--Epicetus

Photos from my day

2007-10-06T15:55:00.000-06:00

"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music-the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself."

--Henry Miller

Grapes

2007-10-05T20:36:00.000-06:00

These grapes are still clinging to the vines in my backyard. So far, my dad has made a couple dozen jars of jelly with them and the wasps and cedar waxwings are enjoying eating them. They were so pretty today with the morning sunshine on them.

Hershey the Duck and me

2007-09-27T19:30:00.000-06:00

I just had to share this photo of Hershey and me. I went to the FFA (Future Farmers of America) field day for fourth graders in Oconomowoc to take photos for the paper. One of the demonstrators must have caught me checking out the birds from a distance because he called me over and asked if I wanted to hold a duck. Hershey was so sweet, gentle and calm. It was therapeutic to hold him. I don't think that I have felt that good as when I was holding him in weeks. I really wanted to kidnap him and keep him as my own.

"The heart that loves is always young."

--Greek Proverb

Chinese Monks

2007-09-26T20:23:00.001-06:00

These are three photos I took last month when I went to Chicago's Chinatown. It was the annual Buddhist fire ceremony. It was a very moving ceremony that was full of color, chants and ornate decorations.

Early signs of autumn

2007-09-21T17:55:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures that I took tonight, September 21. The first two were taken across the street near Crystal Lake and the last one was taken in my backyard of a bird of prey.

Waterfowl photos

2007-09-20T20:03:00.001-06:00

A great blue heron stands in a pond at the future home of Arrowood subdivision off of Highway BB in Oconomowoc.

WHY DID THE DUCK CROSS THE ROAD?

TO GET TO THE BIRDFEEDER.

A few dozen ducks cross Lapham St. to get to a birdfeeder in someone's yard. The ducks cross a pond in Longmeadow subdivision to get to an older house.

Photos copyrighted by Enterprise Photos.

Community shows pride, patriotism

2007-09-19T19:45:00.001-06:00

Photos copywrited by the Waukesha Freeman

Andy Maye reaches for the Marine Corps flag his grandmother, Carol Behrendt, of Waukesha (not pictured), holds Sunday during a tribute concert by the U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Band. His sister, Emily Maye, stands next to him. Both of Andy Maye's parents are Marines. The concert was held in North Prairie as part of the Harvest Fesitval.

Jeanette Horn, left, and Joelle Horn, both of Waukesha, dance and cheer

as the U.S. Marine Corps Center Band marches past them during Sunday's parade in North Prairie. Joelle Horn, a relative of band member Emma Whitmore, said she is very proud of her.

Excerpts from "Love Warps the Mind a Little"

2007-09-10T19:28:00.000-06:00

Love Warps the Mind a Little is one of those novels that completely takes you in and holds you prisoner as its stories unfolds. It's one of those books that you're anxious to finish just so you can start to read it again.

From the chapter: A Many-Layered, Infolded Mystery

Love at first sight is irresistible and inexplicable. I want to say it's transmundane, but transmandane seems haughty, and love at first sight is not that. It arrives without warning and is earned without effort, leaving us startled and grateful. It is neither reasonable nor calculated. It is like ecstasy, like rapture, like standing outside yourself. It is apprehension not thought, gesture not word. Love at first sight elevates romance above the level of accident-the accident of geography or economics or occupation. It is, we may decide, destiny. Love at first sight is sudden, ineffable, profoundly emotional, and absolutely transfiguring. It's what we live for. It's the obliterating focus on the beloved and the eloquent shortness of breath. It is a stroke of lightning, as the French say, a blast of passion.

Love is anticipation and memory, uncertainty and longing. It's unreasonable, of course. Nothing begins with so much excitement and hope and pleasure as love, except maybe writing a story. And nothing fails as often, except writing stories. And like a story, love must be troubled to be interesting. We crave love, can't live without its intimacy, though it pains us. Judi told me that every person in therapy has a love disorder: never felt love, can't find love, trapped by love, unraveled by love, thinks love is lust or love is loss, fears love, loves too much, uses love for profit, jealous in love, lost in love, love affairs, unrequited love, love sick, doesn't love Mom, won't love Dad, can't love the kids, can't love the self, hopeless love, self-absorbed love, love as a crutch, love as a truncheon, love in ruins, crazy love, love that eats the heart, careless love, drowning in love, love that dares not speak its name, blind love, consuming love, obsessive love, conditional love, dangerous love, first love, last love, fickle love, love and marriage, love lost, secret love, love on the run, love that hates, dutiful love, borrowed love, thief of love, love in embers, love in vain, love in shackles, love maligned, love that warps the mind a little.

Emoticons: adding to or detracting from English language?

2007-08-17T21:52:00.000-06:00

There are been a few of areas of modern English language that I have been hesitant or even completely resistant to using myself. They are:

1) what I like to call ghetto slang; i.e. crunk up, grills, bling, etc.

2) abbreviations used for instant messaging and texting; i.e. BRB, LOL, TTYL

3) emoticons; i.e. :) :( :P ,etc

I am starting to see the value in the second two of these modern movements within the English language. I started to use number two as I began to message my friend Val last year. We would talk for an hour or so on Yahoo! messenger. In order to better multi-task and even to conform to the new use of English, I became more flexible with my use of abbreviations. That’s not to say I now use poor grammar. Most of the time, I will still attempt to write out words and to use complete sentences. There has to be some rules and structure even in the world of smiley faces and avatars.

It has only been this summer that I have finally succumbed to the world of the emoticon. Why so much hesitation? To me, it always seemed so cutesy and high school girl-ish, so I resisted. My opinion of emoticons began to change as I saw more adults starting to use the symbols to express how they felt. My boyfriend told me that he uses them instead of exclamation marks to express himself more clearly and because exclamation marks are used even when people’s voices wouldn’t rise in pitch and volume. I’ll admit I tend to use exclamation marks too liberally.

Despite all the modernization of the English language, I still like to follow many of the traditional uses and rules. i understand that languages must adapt and change. Languages always change with time, thus, we are not still saying ’thy’ and ’thou.’ I have begun to view emoticons and IM abbrevs. as ways to show creativity and as another way for people to express themselves. In a world where we move so quickly, it’s good that we still find time to get creative and to make our feelings known. That said, you won’t hear me say “Hey, man, you got some coin on those fries?”

Source: The New York Times

A great article in the New York Times about emoticons and their use in modern English

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/fashion/29emoticon.html?ex=1187755200&en=281aa23400be7085&ei=5070

Quote: I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it...We do not write to be understood; we write in order to understand.

--C. Day Lewis, The Poetic Image

The Waiting Game

2007-08-13T14:35:00.000-06:00

It's Monday and I am feeling the pressure of my weekly deadline, which is at 5 p.m. Tuesday. I have six stories and two photo package assignments i am working on this week. The problem is I only have one of them completed and two near completion. i have placed so many calls and am waiting for return calls. Interviews have been scheduled for tomorrow. Now I am just playing the waiting game for my final needed bits of information to slowly make their way to my notepad. It's going to be a frantic race to the finish line after that.

This is the part of my job that really frustrates me: the days where I have so much on my plate so I can't take anything else on, yet I feel like i am accomplishing nothing. This morning was mostly productive, but this afternoon is dragging by.

I worry that I am heading towards burnout at work. I feel so much pressure at work as I am still the only reporter and pretty much the only producer of news copy. With this week's stories getting written at such a slow pace, I feel extra burdened. I worry about there not being enough copy to fill the newspaper pages. I just can't do much else that I'm not already doing to speed up the process.

A little guiltily, I am here writing in copyworks to later post on my blog. One more hour...then I can go unwind in Waukesha by taking pictures of birds, insects and flowers at the Retzer Nature Center. The time can't go fast enough. My fear is always, though, that the Freeman will call me and I will have to ignore my stories in order to cover breaking news. I love covering breaking news. The adrenaline rush is fabulous. The only problem is then I am not working on my required news stories.

I am just counting down the days until my three-day weekend at the end of the month!

Quote:
“If something anticipated arrives too late it finds us numb, wrung out from waiting, and we feel nothing at all. The best things arrive on time.”
--Dorothy Gilman, A New Kind of Country, 1978

Abstract Views of Playgrounds

2007-08-10T20:29:00.000-06:00

These are pictures that I took around Oconomowoc on the night of the 9th. I had so much fun climbing all over playground equipment in parks and at schools to get these pictures. Some of them could probably stand a little photoshop work, but when it comes to photography, I like to shoot to keep. I am not one for using technology to do much more than crop and lighten. These pictures are all as I took them. It's quite amazing how many shapes and textures can be found on a playground.

Quote:

"The events of childhood do not pass, but repeat themselves like seasons of the year."

--Tarjeon

Just part of the job?

2007-08-06T17:49:00.001-06:00

I have heard that in order to survive in the world that is journalism, you have to separate yourself from what you are doing. And, especially if that story involves death. On Friday, I was sent to a car accident scene about 10 miles south of Oconomowoc on a dangerous stretch of road. In fact, I had been there the previous Friday for a head-on collision between two semis.

This past Friday it was a really bad accident between two cars. One car was going southbound when the driver pulled into the northbound lane to enter a driveway and hit the northbound car head on. When I arrived at the scene, I knew it wasn't good from the info coming across the police scanner in the office. After talking with gawkers and getting the police officers' attention, I walked around and took pictures. I then waited for some one from the Sheriff's department to come over and fill me in. What no one told me, but what I suspected, was that some one may have died.

After getting a bunch of photos, including one of a bloody airbag, I left the scene. On my way back, I phoned in my info to the Freeman so they could update the website. The editor told me that one of the drivers probably died. That later proved to be true.

After I hung up, I began to think about how I was at an accident scene where a driver had just died and how I never thought about the weight of the situation. I just did my job. In the past, when I would hear sirens screaming up north highway 67 past my house, I would say a prayer asking God to be with the rescue workers, the injured people and their families. And now, here I was at a scene where not 15 minutes before someone died and I didn't give it a second thought. I know that you have to be tough-skinned to make it in this business, but how tough skinned? I don't want to become an emotionless individual who ignores the human aspect of a story. The idea of it scares me. I have always prided myself on being a feeling, thinking, compassionate and helpful person. I don't want to stop being that just because I am a journalist. In fact, it was my desire to help those less fortunate that even led me into journalism.

So, on my way home, I said a prayer as I drove. I prayed for the emergency workers, for the drivers of the cars and for their families. I asked God to give everyone strength and courage. I aim to say a prayer for similar situations in the future. For me, that's the compassionate and right thing to do.

Quote:

"Anyone who dares to waste one hour of life has not yet discovered the value of life."

--Charles Darwin

Summer ideals

2007-08-02T21:46:00.001-06:00

German exchange students, Franziska Lorenz, 16, and Tabea Stroehle, 16, help to paint a French garden scene mural on a wall in Oconomowoc. About 10 high school students and three adults helped with the project, which will give senior residents of the Berkshire apartments a better view.

Tabea Stroehle paints green underneath a bright blue sky.

Rocks were great amusement for Stephanie Shaw, 5, of Oconomowoc. She played on Lac La Belle with her baby sitter and siblings.

**The first and third photographs appeared in the Oconomowoc Enterprise. The middle, however, did not.

Quote:

"I came to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home. I thus dispose of he superfluous and see things as they really are, grand and beautiful."

--Henry David Thoreau

Summer views of Devil's Lake State Park

2007-07-29T15:09:00.000-06:00

I regret that her front paws got cut out of the shot. She moved too quickly for me to get another shot.

Just a few images from Devil's Lake on Saturday. I mostly took it easy and took a nap on a blanket while Mom and Dad took the dogs for a walk. It felt so good to just rest. The park was pretty crowded and I heard many languages being spoken. My favorite time to visit the park is on weekdays when it is its most peaceful.

The County Fair: a Feast for the Senses

2007-07-25T18:05:00.000-06:00

The Waukesha County fair is like all other county fairs in that it satisfies and irritates the senses. Pleasureable sensory triggers include the smell of corn on the cob with lots of melted butter, the taste of sticky-sweet cotton, the sight of kids carrying large stuffed animals won for too much money, the feel of a horse's velvety nose and the sound of friends laughing and screaming on amusement rides. Then there are the less attractive triggers such as the smell of cigarette smoke, the stepping in cow manure, the smell of the cow manure, the sound of a sappy country band...but really a fair is more pleasure than pain. It was certainly that way for me this year. I love fair food and often indulge in a few items. You gotta love a cream puff on a hot and humid day in Wisconsin.

This year, I got to ride many amusement rides and laugh until it hurt. I haven't been on that many amusement rides since I don't know when. My favorite ride as a kid and it still is my favorite is the Tilt-a-Whirl. It's such a simple ride, but the simple pleasure of twirling is unbeatable. I just sit back and let the ride thrill me.

I hope that if you missed the county fair, you'll be able to go to the Wisconsin State Fair, which although bigger, is still great and has retained a lot of fair charm. But the county fair remains the one to have your senses tickled.

Calvin and Liam ride a rollercoaster

Kaitlin pets a deer

Quote:

"It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones." --Jean Webster

Harry Potter chatter

2007-07-23T19:26:00.000-06:00

I have always been rather skeptical about Harry Potter. I never really got into the whole Potter craziness because I tend to run away from things that people go crazy over in great numbers such as Beanie Babies, Linsay Lohan, pop music, etc. I hardly ever read anything from the New York Times bestseller list, because if everyone is reading it, how good can it be if it appeals to a mass audience. The same goes for Harry Potter. I have seen a couple of the movies, but wasn't very impressed. I think I saw the fourth one and that one was better but the ending was still disappointing. I was actually excited about the final Potter book and to learn whether or not Harry Potter would meet his doom. So, I was excited to cover the local Harry Potter events. But when Friday rolled around and I knew I had to go to the book release party at midnight at the local bookstore, I wasn't too sure I liked Harry anymore or cared what happened to him.

When I pulled up to the strip mall, there must have been about 400-500 people waiting in line along nearly the whole strip mall. The atmosphere was so lively and energetic, that I found myself waking up and having a great time snapping pics. Children and parents were in costumes. A 8 foot ghost or something from the books billowed amongst the crowd. A magician performed tricks. I was completely drawn in. Then the crowd grew even more excited as the cell phones almost showed 12:00.

After the fans got their books, the parking lot filled with friends shouting to each other and honking car horns. Books were waved in the air and people jumped up and down. You think I'm exaggerating? Just look at this picture...

Quote:

"Call it a dream. It does not change anything."--Ludwig Wittgenstein

Photos printed in the Oconomowoc Enterprise on July 26, 2007

Hot Air Balloon Ride over Waukesha

2007-07-20T16:38:00.001-06:00

I was given the opportunity of a lifetime today: a free ride on a hot air balloon as part of a media event at the Waukesha County Fair. The catch was that I had to get there at 5 am. When the story was offered to me, I jumped at the chance, even if it meant getting up at a little after 4 am. And, I am so happy that I did. The morning started out with uncertainty when the pilots launched a blue toy balloon to learn of the wind conditions. It didn't look good: 25 knots at 700 feet. I was told the chances of us going up were only 50/50. We all went about our work and I managed to get my needed sources before we got the go-ahead to lift off at 6 am. I went up with a seasoned pilot, Ken Walter, who runs a commercial hot air balloon business in addition to working as a home inspector. He had organized today's event.

We got off to a quick start and the only way that I kept myself from feeling scared was to enjoy the scenery without thinking that I was gracing the sky high up and only in a big wicker basket. To think that I was so close to falling out and held in by nothing was and is a scary thought. So, I focused my attention on taking pictures and looking at the beauty below me.

The flight felt like it was over almost right after it started. We rode the currents across the sky for about 30 minutes before finding a field to land in. We spotted a field slightly beyond a horse farm and landed there. Then our crew guided the basket and balloon to a yard of a home that was for sale. So there was the 6 person crew with a huge balloon spread out on a road in a subdivision. Neighbors were taking pictures and we got so many looks from the horses and the people.

I really enjoyed my time in the air, but I wish that we could have been up longer and that we would have traveled over countryside versus city. But, I am still extremely thankful for this opportunity and to have hung out with some really cool people. Their bond was huge and inspiring.

If anyone ever wants to get married or engaged in a hot air balloon, I can steer you in the right direction!

Quote:

"It matters immensely. The slightest sound matters. The most momentary rhythm matters. You can do as you please, yet everything matters."

-Wallace Stevens

Officially irritated with YouTube

2007-07-18T19:58:00.000-06:00

I am officially irritated with YouTube.com after I attempted to upload a video in which Steven Colbert makes fun of Korean singer Rain by doing his own version of a Korean pop song video. It's absolutely hilarious and I had wanted to share it. At last, it was not to be.

One good thing about my being so busy with work is that I am spending less time watching YouTube, leaving messages and comments on Myspace and Facebook and playing Poppit on Pogo.com. Yet, I am getting fewer personal e-mails, too. I guess you have to give to get.

I am getting a lot of e-mails at work, however, they have been of a different tone. They are mainly of two tones: I disagreed with your stories completely or I think you did a good job with your coverage of... I get a kick out of both e-mails. I am so happy to be getting feedback, period. By receiving these responses, I know that people are reading my stories and that they are important enough and stimulating enough to cause a reaction. When I write a story, I just try to write the most accurate, interesting and well-written story possible. I don't really think of people reading the story, but I do try to vision how it will look on the page. I am now able to better visualize layout since I have been working at the newspaper for nearly a month.

The past month at the Enterprise has gone pretty quickly. I have been feeling so rewarded. Yesterday, was a pretty crazy day in that I worked for 10 1/2 hours with no breaks, but I loved every minute of it. My phone was ringing off the hook and I was getting things done! The only thing that I struggle with on days like that or even during busy afternoons is that I have a hard time taking a really good and visually interesting photograph. I have a hard time switching from journalist-thinking to photographer-thinking. I usually get a little lazy with my pictures when a deadline is looming. I usually feel like it is more important for me to excel at the story versus the photograph. I have been trying to take time to go out and get better photos. I appreciate the opportunities to be a photojournalist for a while.

I am interested to see how my skills and abilities will continue to involve the more time I am at the Enterprise and then when I eventually move on to another paper.

Quotes: If you stop to be kind you must swerve often from your path. --Mary Webb

I certainly wasn't happy. Happiness has to do with reason, and only reason earns it. What I was given was the thing you can't earn, and can't keep, and often don't even recognize at the time; I mean joy. --Ursula L. LeGuin

Achieving goals

2007-07-15T13:47:00.000-06:00

I am happy to report that I have been achieving what I have set out to do in newspaper reporting. One of my goals that I hoped to achieve through journalism was to affect people's lives in a positive way. I feel like I am doing that already even though I have been a full-time reporter for less than a month now. One of the more meaningful stories that I have done (but didn't expect for it to be so meaningful) was about the local Color Guard. These men fought in Vietnam and came back to the USA only to feel shamed and to lose their pride. I had no idea that Vietnam war vets were treated so badly back in the 70s. I never thought about how the backlash against the war would have affected them on such a personal basis. The men that I talked with said that they were even treated poorly by WWII vets. So, when I interviewed them about their role in local parades, at funerals and with helping Iraq and Afghanistan vets, I could hear and feel the pain that they still carry. For most of them, that pain is almost gone or all-gone, but others still carry it with them. They said they were so thankful for the Color Guard because it allowed them to have pride again and to show others that they are indeed proud to be Vietnam vets. These men travel in parades and do marching tricks and gun tricks. You've probably seen a Color Guard or Honor Gaurd in a parade or at a military museum. I felt it a great honor to speak with them. They said that now when they are marching in a parade, they receive 100s of 'thank yous' that bring tears to their eyes. After my story was published in the Freeman and the Enterprise, I got calls from the guys telling me how much they appreciated getting a chance to have their stories told. I just felt honored to be given that chance and I am so thankful for how much they help other vets and care for their families. It feels wonderful to help these men in a little way, but even more wonderful to learn about them.

New Job, New Outlook on Life

2007-07-04T08:39:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I put some personal information on here. I think that I was feeling kind of disillusioned with many aspects of my life, but that has changed.

I started a new job on June 19 for the local newspaper. I am now officially a full-time staff reporter covering breaking news, features, local news, and business news. My beat was originally to be the school district and the Town of Oconomowoc, but now it looks like I will be covering the city of Oconomowoc and Town of Summit. For most of you, this doesn't mean much, but the latter is a pretty big deal. Oconomowoc is booming and the growth in population and businesses is growing very quickly. We are going to be having a new mall and movie theatre and my beat will be to cover that growth and how the city deals with it.

Currently, I am the only reporter at the newspaper, The Oconomowoc Enterprise. It is a small weekly paper with a circulation of 5,500 or so and two reporters, a part-time sports reporter, a sports editor, an editor/publisher and three freelancers. I came on board right as the two reporters and the sports editor left. Needless to say, the first two weeks of my job have been very busy. Especially since there were three breaking news stories in that amount of time. I was out there with the tv news crews and enjoying every minute of it.

Journalism can really be an adrenaline rush. There are days, too, when it is boring. Overall, I am loving my new job. I really feel like I have found what I love to do.

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCa)

2007-06-17T14:58:00.000-06:00

I just had a great experience at MMOCA. I am not a huge fan of contemporary art museums, but I was hugely impressed by the one in Madison. I had decided to go after reading about a current exhibit, Wisconsin Triennial, in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The museum considered 497 artists who reside in Wisconsin and eventaully chose 90 artists. The media was varied: video installation, photography, sculpture, painting and textile. Some of the artists were originally from South Korea and China. Others were from Texas. But most were Wisconsin natives and this was evident in many of the works. I was surpised by how many artists were strongly influenced by September 11th and how they incorporated that event into their art. The vision that these artists had and their talent strongly inspired me. I am so happy to see that in today's technology-driven world that there are still so many people expressing themselves through art.

The museum itself was very nice. Located in downtown Madison, a block from the state capital, the museum in housed in a beautiful building that makes wonderful use of light in its main entrance. My main complaint about the museum was its lack of directions. The galleries and gift shop are spread out on four floors and it is not clear how to get to each gallery. I know that I missed many works from the Triennial.

I had two very favorite pieces. The first is by Stephanie Liner. The museum wrote:

Liner questions feminity and sexuality in American culture through works of art that incorporates fashion and the female body. Each detail of "Gibbosity," which means "protuberance or swelling," is carefully considered in the context of its cultural associations. A hybrid of a formal garment and a piece of furniture...Liner's explorations of the personal and social effects of gender stereotypes and the perception of women as objects of sexual desire.

One of my other favorites was 'A Terrible Beauty-Chapter II: Compulsion and Repulsion" by Jennifer Angus. Her work is so amaszing that it is impossible to truly describe. What she does is take preserved insects and arranges them on walls to form patterns a la wallpaper. She also uses them to write messages and to create an overall impression that is hard for me to describe.

This is what the museum wrote:

Jennifer Angus uses insects to create detailed patterns that reference textiles and wallpaper. Inspired by the Victorian era, her site-specific installations walk the delicate line between beauty and the aversion some viewers may have to her use of bugs.

Visit the artists' websites at

http://www.stephanieliner.com/flash.html

http://www.jenniferangus.com/

and the museum is

http://www.mmoca.org/

What the Presidential Candidates Are Worth

2007-05-26T11:03:00.000-06:00

New York Daily News columnist, Michael Goodwin, wrote "Are Wealthy candidates out of touch?" It seems that they would have to be at least a little bit when you hear how much they are worth:

Romney: $250 million
Giuliani: $70 million
Edwards: $62 million
McCain: $25 million
Clinton: $15 million
Richardson: $10 million
Obama: $1 million

The Failure of Modern Women Writers

2007-05-18T12:59:00.000-06:00

I do not consider myself an expert of literature, modern or classic, but I do consider myself a reader who knows good writing. I enjoy reading both classic books such as Hemingway, Wharton and Steinbeck. I also enjoy reading new literary fiction, which is often penned by women writers who have received some success. I have become more and more disappointed in these modern authors recently because they all seem to follow the same story patterns and have similiar details in their plots. For example, modern women authors usually include these elements in their stories:

1) Their main character is a middle-aged woman who is having a midlife crisis.

2) She has an affair (or yearns to have one) with a handsome man with a certain ruggedness about him and who is intelligent and well spoken. He also is seen as exciting.

3) The main character has a daughter.

4) The main character is a writer, an artist or a photographer.

5) She lives in a drafty Victorian house that needs work but is seen as having a lot of character.

I am currently reading The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd who wrote the very successful The Secret Life of Bees. I really enjoyed that book because it had more unusual elements to its plot: a young Southern girl trying to rescue a black woman who has been taking care of her afterthe girl's mother died. On the other hand, The Mermaid Chair is very disappointing because here is yet another book whose main female character is having a mid-life crisis, is cheating on her husband, is an artist, who has a daughter and who left a draft Victorian house to return to her childhood mom. Nothing unpredictable here.

The current fiction marketed towards women often has the above-mentioned elements. The reason that this upsets me so much is that I constantly see women being left behind in the world. I feel that women often don't live up to their potential because like the characters in these books they settle down and raise a family only to lose "their self." They lose contact with their inner soul and go through life without exploring and seeking adventures. Although the authors are just writing what women today may be feeling, and probably what the author and her friend are feeling, I believe that the authors are also becoming stagnant and are no longer exploring new possibilities. I know that it is incredibly hard to write a great piece of fiction, but I wish that modern female writers would explore some different topics and characters. Push the envelope. Have a character who lives in a modern ranch and who works as a social worker or as a chief operating officer.

I think to be at the forefront of any field, you have to be innovative and to challenge preconceived notions. I want to see more women in the writing business who get attention for being original and for confronting difficult topics. I know that women can do it!

Trip to Seattle and Vancouver

2007-05-07T11:19:00.000-06:00

My time is winding down here in Seattle. I arrived on a sunny day and looks like I will be leaving on another warm and sunny day. My 8 full days here have been great. I have gotten to see and do so much. And the rain-didn't really interfere with what I was doing because it hardly rained at all and when it did, it was in the early morning. I have visited parks, waterfalls, Pike's Place Market, cool neighborhoods, coffee shops, the international district, took a ferry to Bainbridge Island, visited friends, worked on job applications and went to Vancouver for the day. I love both cities and hope to move to Seattle if the right job turns up. the city is beautiful, the people so polite, friendly, liberal and the city full of fun places to see. There is so much in this city and in the surrounding areas. I would never be bored here. It's a very enivornmentally-friendly place and full of great coffee shops, restarants and parks. I know why my friends love it here. One of my favorite things is actually how you can't see the Target and large stores because they are hidden behind trees and disguised by the winding roads. There is a large Asia population here so I am reminded of my time in Korea. I haven't had a bad experience the whole time that I have been here. The roughest aspect has been all of the homeless people. I was surprised to see so many beggers on the streets. I never know how to react. But, it's so beautiful here and if I can afford it (beauty is expensive) and I can get a good job, I hope to move here by the beginning of summer.

typical Korean tv show

2007-04-25T12:23:00.001-06:00

This is very typical of Korean tv shows. What are they saying? Is there any point to these shows? Why? why? I can't imagine watching these shows!

Thinking Green not only on Earth Day

2007-04-23T17:53:00.000-06:00

Sunday was Earth Day here in the USA. For the first time that I remember, Earth Day got a lot of coverage in the media and many museums and parks had activities on the day. Oprah talked about it. The local newspaper ran many stories. Outpose foods had a special celebration. Even Cudahy Park had a clean-up day.

I found out about many little things that can make a huge difference that I plan to implement in my life. For one, I will buy about 20 cloth napkins at rummage sales this summer and start using those at meals instead of the very bad-for-the-environment paper napkins. Also, I plan to buy some flourescent light bulbs for my lamps, to unplug my cell phone charger when not in use, and to wash all of my clothes on cold.

Recently, I have begun to make a huge effort to take cloth totebags into the grocery store with me. They are durable and so much easier to carry than the paper or plastic bags. I can really load up my tote bag from Piggly Wiggle with lots of groceries. Once I began to get in the habit of using the tote bags, I was anxious to see what other little differences I could implement in my life. I strongly encourage you to make some small changes. Perhaps, just recycling more or cleaning up some trash in a park.

On Earth Day, my aunt Ellen and I collected litter along Lake Michigan. It was an impromptu thing. We had been going for a walk along the lake, when we found a plastic bag with a water bottle lying next to it. We took both bag and bottle and filled the bag up. The problem: there was so much more trash to pick up. I plan to make another trip to the lake this summer with a big black garbage bag to pick up a lot more!

Ellen picking up trash on Lake Michigan for Earth Day.

Quote:

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." -Charles Lindbergh, Life Magazine, 1967

"You are a child of the Universe, no less than the moon and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should. "
-Max Ehrmann

Oconomowoc Artists

2007-04-13T14:43:00.000-06:00

This past week I had the privilege of meeting two local artists who are being recognized for their art by a local public tv station, Channel 10. The two painters, Michael Steinke and Andy Goralski, will have their original paintings and posters sold during the anuual fundraising auction. I interviewed the two men for the Oconomowoc Enterprise.

Michael Steinke does impressionist/abstract art, but he said of himself , “I am a colorist founded in the traditional line." Steinke, or as he refers to himself, mykulanjelo, is very creative and he believes that all people are creative. He believes that, “Art should cause them to transcend that moment.” Steinke explained that everyone is creative. “All of us have a seed of creation within us. The idea is that the creative urge in its essence transcends the day,” he said.

I was quite impressed with his art, but even more so with his views of art and the creative process. His studio is a surpisingly small space in a renovated Victorian school house. It is full of clutter: paintings, glass pane-tings (painted windows), drawings and postcards. Steinke has shared his art with people through his designs for the Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, The Oconomowoc Art Festival and charity events. “Art is animated, not only because of the color,” Steinke said, “but when you move it; it changes the space around it.”

some of Steinke's work:

The other artist that I met: Andy Goralski is very different from Steinke. Goralski is a sports painter and paints exclusively those people and things that have to do with professional sports. For the auction he has painted Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers. Goralski is a self-taught painter, which is really amazing when you look at his work. Goralski's pastel paintings are so real-looking from a distance, that appears you are looking at a photograph. He tries to paint objects in a 3D reality. There are elements of impressionism in his paintings, such as the fields or stadiums. His paintings are often valued between $5,000 to $20,000 and only grow in value due to scarcity. I didn't really get to see the creative part of Goralski's personality. Our talk was more business and what it is like to work with all of the athletes.

Here are some of Goralski's pieces:

Albert Camus

2007-04-06T12:55:00.000-06:00

In the hardest class that I ever took, Political Theory, Dr. McLemore loved to quote the "Plague" by Camus. In it, one of the characters like to spit on cats. This bit of information that McLemore often shared with us baffled me because it seemed like it never had anything to do with what we were discussing. Although after reading, McKinnon, Foucault, Arendt and about 35 others, McLemore's references to Camus are what I remember the most.

I just read a short book last night called "Summer in Algiers," by the famed existentialist who wanted to simply be known as a writer and a man.

Here are some quotes from the book that I enjoyed the most.

"Likewise, beyond the yellow walls of Oran, land and sea continue their indifferent dialogue. That permanence in the world has always had contrary charms for man. It drives him to despair and excites him. The world never says but one thing; first it interests, then it bores. But eventually it wins out by the dint of obstinancy. It is always right." pg. 37

"In the middle of the day when the sky opens its fountains of light in the vast, sonorous space, all the headlands of the coast look like a fleet about to se out." pg. 42

"Only at noon, at the hour when the cicadas themselves fall silent as if overcome, I would flee before the greedy glare of an all-consuming light." pg. 46

"When one has once had the good luck to love intensely, life is spent in trying to recapture that ardour and that illumination." pg. 48

"To come alive again needs a special grace, self-forgetfulness, or a homeland. Certain mornings, on turning a corner, a delightful dew falls on the heart and then evaporates. But its coolness remains and this is what the heart requires always." pg. 49

"I satisfied the two thirsts one cannot long neglect without drying up-I mean loving and admiring. For there is merely bad luck in not being loved; there is misfortune in not loving." pg 52

A soundtrack for my life

2007-04-05T07:52:00.000-06:00

Kind of going off of what I wrote about on Tuesday; I have always wanted a soundtrack to accompany my life. When I watch a movie, I love how the director incorporates music/score into the scenes and how that music affects the mood of the whole scene. What would the flying plastic bag scene be if not for that eerie score from American Beauty? Music makes us feel like crying along with a main character as her heart is broken. It makes us feel so happy when that character discovers that she is in love.

I think that most people want there to be a soundtrack for his/her life. The evidence is the popularity of the Ipod and Zune and MP3 players. One benefit of always having headphones on and having music whispering in your ear is that it feels like your life has a soundtrack. At least that's how I feel. I remember listening to my Zune on the Seoul subway. Listening to music while watching my fellow riders gave me a whole new perspective. It affects my mood and my thinking process.

I have decided to make a soundtrack for my life. I am going to start compiling a list of songs whose mood or lyrics fit my life. The lyrics will not always perfectly fit, but they will represent a part of me or my life. I think that this will be a fun project. I will publish the list here when I am done with it.

Quote:

"It matters immensely. The slightest sound matters. The most momentary rhythm matters. You can do as you please, yet everything matters."
--Wallace Stevens

"You must undestand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing, and dance, and write poems, and suffer, and understand, for all that is life."
--J. Krishnamurti, "Think on These Things"

A Narrated Life

2007-04-03T09:42:00.000-06:00

I recently watched a movie called "Stranger Than Fiction." It stars Will Farrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman. Ferrell's character, a boring IRS agent named Harold, one day hears a voice narrating his life. It turns out that he is a character in a book and that the author intends to kill his character. Harold tries to find out how to save his life with the help of a professor played by Dustin Hoffman. In an attempt to find out who wrote his book, Harold has to determine if his life is a comedy or a tragedy.

That got me to thinking...is my life a comedy or a tragedy. At the time when I wrote this, I would have to say a tragedy. What kind of life are you living?

Quote:

The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.

--Oliver Wendell Holmes

Helping People Help Themselves

2007-03-30T16:44:00.000-06:00

I have studied about poverty in undeveloped countries of the world and I have come to believe that the only way that people are going to be able to get out of poverty is for them to help themselves. Of course, they need tools to help themselves. I have supported Heifer International for a few years now. This is a fantastic org that gives livestock to people around the world. As a donator, you can give money to buy a flock of sheep, a herd of goats, or simply one pig, etc. You can even buy an "Ark" or a portion of a cow. When a poor person receives this animal, they are able to sell milk, wool, etc and use that money to buy food, clothes or education, plus receive the benefit of having additional nutrition for their family. And, once the animal has its first offspring, that offspring must be given to another member of the community. It is a program that keeps on giving. I remember one time when I watched 60 Minutes, an African girl's family had been given a goat. Through the sale of milk, the girl was able to go to school and then receive a scholarship to study in the USA. Please check out Heifer International at

http://www.heifer.org/

I just learned of a new non-profit org that is also doing wonderful work. In a recent column, New York Times reporter Nicholas Kristof wrote about Kiva, which helps American lenders give money to people in need in poverty-stricken countries. You can loan money (starting at $25) through Kiva to people in places like Samoa and Azerbaijan. You can choose whom you want to send money to. Both women and men apply for these loans to help buy supplies for their bakeries, groceries, farms and clothing-making businesses. This money is a loan, so you should receive your money back. Most loans are repayed. Mercy Corps and other non-profits are helping to find the borrowers and research their needs. According to Kristof, most commerical lenders in Third World countries charge interest of several hundred percent, but not Kiva. Kiva gives the borrowers a chance to make a better life for themselves, their families and the employees that they are now able to hire in some cases.

What I like about both of these programs is that it puts power directly in women's hands. These orgs give women the ability to provide for their families and to help them in a world where woman aren't treated equally to men. I encourage you to visit Kiva's website http://www.kiva.org/app.php

or you can also watch a video posted by Kristof on his recent trip to Azerbaijan where he met the man that he had lended money to.

http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=6fefa3f891b51f4e339d21d131cf8ad908e2ce88

Assai Ah Kee, a Samoan woman, who needs a loan to purchase food products to sell in order to pay for school fees, etc.

Quote:

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness is never decreased by being shared.

--Buddha

Sexy Beijing - Lost in Translation - Danwei TV

2007-03-28T21:57:00.001-06:00

This is so funny and so true in many Asian countries. I hope that you enjoy it too.

The Sun Magazine

2007-03-27T12:50:00.000-06:00

There's a magazine that I love but that is not readily available. You won't find it at the checkout counter at the grocery store. You won't even find it at Barnes & Noble or Borders. The maazine was started by Sy Syfransky in the 1970s. He used his last twenty-some dollars to start up a literary magazine that would have art and no ads. The magazine is The Sun.

The Sun has grown in recent years to include beautiful black and white pictures. In each issue, there is an interview or personal account about a political situation or social situation. This month's issue has a great piece called "Seduced by War." Other wonderful regular features are Readers Write In (readers write about a subject), Sunbeams (quotes) and journal entries from Syfransky. Every issue also includes thought-provoking poetry, short stories and personal essays. I highly recommend this magazine for its originality and quality. It's a bit pricey at $4.85 US or $5.50 Canada. But it is well worth it. You can subscribe to it like me and save money or find it at some small book stores or hippy stores. Oh, and they offer a free issue. But let me tell you, if you receive the free issue and read it, you'll be hooked!

http://thesunmagazine.org

Quote:

"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical means, but ny an infinite expectation of the dawn."

--Thoreau

Prairie dogs

2007-03-22T10:43:00.000-06:00

These are some of the most adorable creatures ever! My parents and I went to the little Wisconsin city of Baraboo. There, they have a little free zoo with deer, swans, bears, a bobcat, llamas and prairie dogs, etc. I just love the prairie dogs: they are so adorable.

At the crossroads again

2007-03-19T07:53:00.000-06:00

Here I am again at a crossroads in my life's path. As soon as I figure things out lately, the rug is pulled out from under me and I am left scrambling for a plan, a job, money and confidence in my decisions. I feel okay today. That may be due to the spring-like atmosphere outside of my window or simply to more positive thinking. I guess going to church yesterday morning reminded me that I am not completely in control of my life. That I have just got to trust that things will work out for the best. Since I went to Korea, I also have the knowledge that I can handle just about anything. I also have a great support group that helps me when I feel helpless. I am keeping busy with newspaper stories, a book and a potential job. The only thing with the potential job is I am not sure if I want it. It would mean moving to Milwaukee and sort of starting over, when all I want to do this summer is completely start over. I really didn't expect things to be so complicated when I returned home from Korea. I miss my days in Korea when I had fewer responsibilities and I was more carefree. Even though I am not going to work right now, I feel weighed down by life's worries. Today is an exception. I feel more carefree and open to possiblities. I have just got to trust in myself and in the greater power that things will work out for the best.

Quote:
"The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."
--Emily Dickinson

Anime

2007-03-06T07:44:00.000-06:00

I haven't written anything in nearly a week because I have had to make some major life choices. They were difficult and I stressed over them for a few days. The major decision that I had to make also forced me to reevaluate some other aspects of my life as well. It was a difficult few days, but I feel that I have made the right decision. I now want to move forward with my life.

I just finished watching one of my favorite tv shows. It's an anime series called Samurai Champloo. I want to thank Aaron for introducing it to me. There are 26 very well-made episodes in the series. The show is about Fuu- a young Japanese woman who is starting a mission to find the "Samurai who smells of Sunflowers." One day she working in a restaurant when her life is threatened by some government hot shots. Two customers, Mugen and Jin get into the fight. Both are eventaully arrested and are going to be killed when Fuu saves them. In return, they agree to help protect and guide Fuu (she also has a pet flying squirrel) on her journey. Mugen and Jin are both badass swordsmen, but who have very different personalities and fighting styles. Mugen has a hip hop, beatboxing flair to his fighting (in the fact the show has a hip hop edge to it). Jin is more traditional and conservative. As the series goes on, the viewer learns more about these characters and their sad pasts.

the show has so much depth. I really got to feel affection for the character. Also, the art is beautiful and so many of the elements of the show are unexpected. It is one of the best-made shows that I have ever seen. It's not for everyone, but I think that most people can appreciate it.

I have to watch some more anime before I go to the anime convention in Chicago in May. I am really excited about it. The only other shows that I have watched are Full Metal Alchemist, Gunslinger Girl and Cowboy Bebop. I never thought that I would like Anime, but it is often very artisitic and original.

Quote:

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

--Martin Luther King Jr.

Confidence

2007-02-28T08:55:00.000-06:00

Quote:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
--Dr. Seuss

This is definitely easier said that done. As people we are constantly aware of what others are thinking about us. I like to think that I am aware that other people may be judging me, but that it doesn't bother me nor does it make me act differently, but I know that it does. I want people to like me and I want them to respect me. I think, though, as I've gotten older I have gotten more comfortable with myself. Korea definitely helped me with that. I think that it was while I was in Korea that I felt the most liked and as a result, that has given me more confidence. I have never been low on confidence. And when I am frightened or challenged, I usually puff up and act more confidently than I am actually feeling. I am an unusual person, I guess.

I guess that I don't really feel insightful today, so I am going to keep it short and end with another quote.

Quote:
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.
--Agnes Repplier

LETTERS

2007-02-26T08:58:00.000-06:00

Letters...
It really is kind of sad how people don't write letters anymore. I am an exception. I love to write letters and I often do. When I was in Korea, I wrote a minimum of one letter per week to friends and family telling them what my experience in Korea was like. I hope that they saved these letters as they truly capture an important time in my life. Since returning home, I haven't written any letters but I should start again. I am going through another important time in my life right now. A sort of crossroads. I want this time to be put in ink on a piece of paper that can be reread years or generations from now. I am not very good at journaling. I did keep one while I was in Korea, but it has been ignored for this blog. While I love this blog, will there be evidence of it in the future?

The reason that I am so concerned with having a written record of my life is because letters and journals is what much of our history is based on. It is how we know what people felt during the American revolution and how presidents handled major decisions. This is not to say that I plan on being a famous person whose letters are publishe and analyzed, but I'd like to think that I will leave behind something that shows insight into my life and heart.

I am currently reading a book called "Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages that Shaped Our Recent History." I am on the first chapter, which discussed Woodrow and Edith Wilson's marriage. What we know about their intimate lives is through their letters. While Woodrow seemed like a very moral and religious man in public, he was a very passionate person in private.

It scares me to think of people reading all of my journal (diary) entries. They will know too much about my neuroses through it, but letters are a little more edited. My letters capture my emotion and my experiences with a little more dignity.

I should write a letter tonight an keep this tradition alive.

Quote:
"We come to love not by finding a perfect person but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly."
--Sam Keen, "To Love an Be Loved"

2007-02-25T15:37:00.000-06:00

Photos from the snow storm this weekend. It was a "blizzard" technically. But it didn't get as bad as they were saying on tv. It's really heavy, wet snow perfect for snowmen and snowforts, but I guess that I've gotten too old for those things. But if you want to come over and play in it with me, that would be awesome.

SeoulGlow #3 -- College Entrance Exam (v.2)

2007-02-23T17:45:00.001-06:00

Here is another interesting post from Seoul glow about the famous college entrance exam in Korea. The beginning part is really the best. Enjoy!

LISTS

2007-02-22T11:50:00.000-06:00

LISTS:

New things I have learned about in the past year (and I didn't think that I'd know anything about):

prostitution in Korea (heard, not experienced)
U.S. army life
how to make espresso drinks and about coffee beans
Japanese anime
How to read the Korean alphabet
How to distinguish Koreans from Chinese and from Japanese

New skills I have developed:

how to shoot a gun
making a really good latte
how to teach English to foreigners
blogging
traveling in foreign airports and subways successfully by myself

Things that I have not yet learned:

How to drive a stick-shift
How to be a disciplined writer
How to speak a foreign language fluently
what to do with my life~!!

Quote:

"Not all those who wander are lost."

-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Lenten Improvements

2007-02-21T16:10:00.000-06:00

What to write about today? I had a great weekend in St. Louis with Aaron. We went to the botanical gardens at the art museum. We also made it to a casino where Aaron proceeded to win several hundred dollars in no-limit Texas Hold 'Em. I mostly watched because I am an unlucky person. It was a great weekend of relaxing and just hanging out. St. Louis Art Museum

It isn't so bad being back here in Wisconsin this week because the weather is quite nice. It's about 50 and sunny, but I just don't want to get my hopes up too much because I know what a tease Mother Nature can be. I am going to try and enjoy this weather as much as possible, though.

Lent starts today. As a child I used to give up chocolate or sugar. I need to decide what action I would like to take this year. I have signed up for a "Walk to Jerusalem" program through my church. Actions such as walking, exercising, eating healthy, spending time with friends, etc all equal miles. You want to earn something like 6,000 miles over lent to equal the distance to Jerusalem from Oconomowoc. I am not sure if this is possible as an individual. I think that the church members' totals will simply be tallied.

I am also thinking about giving up sugar (I failed today if I decide to do that). I also got an e-mail suggesting that you give up one activity that causes global warming. That's a little harder for me to do because I have to drive places from my house in the sort-of-country location it is in and there is no public transportation in my city. Perhaps, I can come up with some other enivronmentally-friendly action to take, such as using less water.

I like how Lent has become more about improving the world and yourself versus making yourself suffer through fasting or simply giving up meat on Friday. Why is fish not considered a meat anyways? Anyways, I hope that those of who read this and are religious or only a little, will consider doing something for Lent to improve the world and themselves.

Quote:
"The human body was designed to walk, run or stop; it wasn't built for coasting."
--Cullen Hightower

HAPPY VALENTINE"S DAY

2007-02-14T14:54:00.002-06:00

I have mixed feelings about Valentine's Day. It is a great day to show your love for other people, but how many of us really do that? We get caught up in eating chocolate and buying an overpriced card at Hallmark. But do we really give thanks for those we love and who love us? Our understanding of Valentine's day is so narrow that we are often disappointed. It's a lot like New Year's Eve for me. A lot of hoopla with a disappointed feeling at the end. I never seem to get to celebrate the day with my boyfriend. I do "celebrate" with my parents usually. Tonight, we will exchange cards and I am making dinner. It should be nice and hopefully special. I think that we should make more days like Valentine's Day. Perhaps, not everyday, but frequently we should stop to tell those why we love them. I recently did a story for the newspaper about a woman who decorates her house in January and makes dozens of cookies for her friends. She observes Valentine's Day all month long.

I like this video that I posted from Korea because it shows that love does not have to be between two people who know each other. A hug between strangers can mean more than a hug between best friends. Despite all the troubles in the world, it's important to show that we care for one another's well-being. I don't want to sound preachy. Writing this is a good way for me to remind myself what's important to me.

So, I hope that this Valentine's Day opens your eyes to how much love there is in the world and how much you are loved.

Quote:
"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out."
--Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Free Hugs in KOREA

2007-02-14T14:54:00.001-06:00

Remember to hug someone on Valentine's Day. This video is surprisingly touching. I remember seeing him in Myong Dong. Now, I feel bad for not having hugged him. I will have to make it up in the future.

Renewed and Refreshed from Shoveling Snow?

2007-02-12T09:32:00.000-06:00

Today got off to a good start. Probably most people wouldn't consider shoveling two inches of snow off the hue circular driveway to be a good start to the day, but I think it is. I was able to clear my head and just daydream. I dreamed of summer and visiting friends and made up little fantasies in my head. I feel refreshed from the chilly air and having snowflakes fall on my head. It's so beautiful. I haven't allowed myself to enjoy winter this year. I have been yearning for spring and warm weather, but I realize that I am missing out on a lot of beauty with this attitude. I guess that being sick kept me inside a lot and the extremely cold weather made everyone a little cranky here. But now that I am feeling better, I am going to get out more and enjoy this wonderous season.

This looks like it will be a busy week. I have newspaper stories to write, work at the coffee shop and then I leave for St. Louis on Friday morning. I am just hoping and praying for good weather so I can go. I want to get out of town for a weekend and of course I am dying to see Aaron.

I just feel so much better after shoveling. Sort of renewed and refreshed. I guess I can get some more of that feeling later as large, fluffy snowflakes just keep tumbling to the ground.

Quote:
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
--Albert Camus
"Friends are lights in winter; the older the friend, the brighter the light."
--Roger Rosenblatt

Where do I fit?

2007-02-09T13:17:00.000-06:00

I just don't where I belong anymore. I am enjoying my new job at the local coffee shop. My co-workers and the customers are really nice and I enjoy making the coffee, but it isn't enough to make me feel like I am in the right place right now. I have been planning to go to Seattle this summer, but who's to say that Seattle is the right place? I am just feeling at a loss. I feel like I am surrounded by cold air and gray skies but I am searching for warm air and sunshine. What do I do? Where do I go?

My Plan

2007-02-07T18:33:00.000-06:00

So, I talk often in my blog about wanting to write and making a stronger attempt to write each day. I have created a schedule for myself.

Each day I must:

1) Write for an hour on my book or book related material.

2) I must take at least 2 good quality pictures and 10 total pictures.

3) Exercise for 30 minutes.

4) Read for 20 minutes.

5) DREAM

This is all minimum requirements. I can do more than this allotted time. The schedule has been made so that I make sure that I do each of these very important things each day. I put to dream on there because I feel like I have lost touch with my dreams and I have become more routed in reality. I find myself becoming an adult who loses touch with his/her dreams because they feel unreachable, unrealistic and imractical. I don't want to be one of those people who sells out and stops dreaming! I am going to write in a minute about my experiences with the homeless in Korea. Here are my two best pictures of the day.

Quote:
"We live on the brink of disaster because we do not know how to let life alone. We do not respect the living and fruitful contradictions and paradoxes of which life is full."

--Thomas Merton

Whiskey and Absinthe

2007-02-01T10:11:00.001-06:00

There are some days where a person can feel so creative and full of life and art. Today is not a creative day. Today is one of those days where I feel like reading or working on projects. Cooking sounds like fun. I don’t know what I should do….

I am not used to the quiet in my house. The only sound is the faint chirping of birds as they crowd together in the pine bush by the feeder. I can also hear a train in the distance bound for Chicago or Minneapolis. The occasional sound of a car on the road also reaches my ear. The heating vent makes a white noise as it fills my room. Although it is peaceful, I find this lack of noise a little unsettling too. I used to hate the sound of the street vendors on the street below my apartment in Korea. I still hate it, but I kind of miss the energy that it brings to the day. The lack of noise here makes me feel sleepy and too calm. I need a little more energy to awaken my drive to write and to be creative.

The coffee shops in my town lack what I need to write. There is Stone Creek and it is so austere and loud with voices and coffee-making that it is impossible to write or to hold a conversation without shouting. Starbucks is quieter, but there are very few chairs or tables. It’s the worst Starbucks that I have ever seen. There’s a place called Brewer’s II café, which is kind of nice, but expensive and lacking in really comfortable chairs. Finally, there is Java Hut, which was once really nice but since it has new owners, the hours are sporadic and unpredictable. I should give it a try again because maybe it has improved. I need some java right now to wake me up and to give me that warm feeling. There is nothing like a mug of coffee with caramel syrup and whipped cream to get you in an artistic mood (or a large glass of whiskey could do the same, but it’s too early to drink).

If I would ever become a successful writer, my drink would be whiskey in the vain of the great writers. Hemingway has really made me want to try absinthe, but that is only available in Europe, I believe, because of its damaging effects.

I really don’t know how writers do it. How do they manage to write books? I sit here and I struggle. I think that I need to find a working condition that works for me. I used to like to write my college term papers by waking up at 5 am, sitting at my roll top desk and just typing furiously before anyone even got up. I was so focused and productive. I have had similar success at night.

I hope that when I start working, that I won’t be thinking about interviews and choices, so I can focus more on my writing. It’s probably just wishful thinking. God knows that I don’t have many people to do things with right now, so I don’t have that many distractions. My distractions pretty much include only eating, pets, chores, TV and the job search and my health. I have the biggest desire that I have ever had to write fiction, but it is also the hardest for me to start right now. I feel obligated to write my book about Korea and not to work on fiction. Also, I have always been so afraid of writing fiction and being horrible at it. My worst nightmare is only being able to write trite and cliché material. I want to be great and my fear of being horrendous or even typical prevents me from even starting. It’s ridiculous really because you can’t be bland or great unless you write something. I will start! I will! I need to actively pursue my requirement of writing one hour a day on my Korea book. Starting today, that goal will be met. Right after I get something to eat…

Quote:
"Hard work never killed anyone, but why take a chance?"
-Edgar Bergman

"A wise man will make more opportunities that he finds."
-Francis Bacon