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June 30 Bunch of SickosI went to see the new Michael Moore documentary Sicko tonight. I am not usually moved to tears in a theatre, but I could not help it. As Michael Moore recounts the horrors American residents go through looking for healthcare it is shocking. Financial ruin, physical ruin, death... The terrors are more shocking than anything Eli Roth could ever dream up.
While Michael Moore can be accused of sensationlism, his facts are apparently accurate. CNN seems to agree with him. The most shocking of all is that America spends more of its GDP on healthcare than any other country. Despite that fact Americans have one of the worst rated healthcare systems. Why? Healthcare providers spend a lot of it on overhead, including campaign contributions. It's amazing how much Americans let their elected officials receive in campaign contributions. It's not amazing that the results is a government that keeps corporations and lobby groups happy -- not its constituents.
I won't give away any more of the films messages or the moment that specifically moved me to tears. It is definitely worth watching for yourself no matter how you feel about Michael Moore and his tactics. And to my friends here in the US who can actually vote -- I hope you're casting votes that will result in better healthcare for everyone here -- please! June 17 BackNow that I am home I have posted more pictures. Greg has also put some online -- you can see them by clicking here. While there is overlap in our pics, there are diferences to be sure. Greg has some especially beautiful shots of Giant's Causeway that I regret missing. I encourage you to check them out.
Josh June 15 Culture ShockDay 12
We fly home tomorrow. I am in an internet cafe charging my iPod and other devices for the flight. While I am here, I thought I would take this opporuntity to list off some of the biggest moments of "culture shock."
Anyone else have examples of culture shock? Josh June 12 All Wet
Our final day of riding started off well enough. We covered 20 miles in 90 minutes without any effort. The coastal scenery was beautiful if overcast. Miles and miles of grey skies, mirrored in grey waters with just a few small cottages dotted along the road. I Want To Know What Steep IsDay 8 Last night we arived just past 10pm at the hostel. The town had been crazy busy with traffic backed up for hours. I was worried that the incredible popularity of The Giants Causeway, a World Heritage Site, was causing the enormous traffic jam. The guy at the hostel told us that it was actually the Portstewart teens regular Sunday activity: they polish their cars, and drive up and down the main streets all evening chatting with their friends. The result is gridlock that looks more like a major city than a small town. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Despite our troubles yesterday, and a disgusting night in a grimy hostel, we managed to get an early start today. This was, as expected, our longest day of riding. We actually pedalled for 6 hours, with a significant amount of it uphill. Throw in 2 hours at The Giants Causeway and time for lunch, we were on the road for over 9 hours. The travel book we're using warns of inclines, grading them Gradual, Moderate, and Steep. Today was our first time experiencing Steep. I had been wondering all trip just how difficult Steep really was, and if we would find it challenging with our backpacks and panniers. I have to say, I didn't care for it at all. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned over 4200 calories today. The coastal views were spectacular, but it's the Causeway itself that pushed us to attempt the ride. It contains thousands of rocks, formed by lava eruptions 60 million years ago, all shaped like near perfect hexagons. The day was exhausting, yet in spite of that I took nearly 100 pictures today. Don't worry - I'm going to edit them down before I try showing them to anyone. Josh June 10 The Train Nearly Derails UsDay 7 Belfast barely opens its eyes on Sunday, with most shops open at 1pm and shut by 5pm. Tourist attractions almost all stay shut completely. Greg and I planned on running small errands, and taking a train to Portrush for our next ride. En route to the train station some charming young lads apparently thought Greg on his bicycle made a good target and hurled a water balloon his way. Greg took it with good nature, remarking that at least it wasn't sticky. At the train station they informed us that problems with our route meant that certain segments were being shuttled on buses. As a result, we would be unable to bring bikes on the train. The agent for the bus informed us that the next bus would not leave until 7:30pm. It was a short debate. Our options were:
Josh June 09 Mission PossibleDay 6 We've spent the last two nights in B&Bs and the experience has been lovely. The homes were both in quiet, residential areas with kids playing in the street. The husbands seem kind and interested, and the wives are attentive and generous. Both mornings we've woken up to breakfasts ready at exactly the requested time, large portions, and plenty of concern that we might be missing something or go hungry. The tree outside of today's house was especially unique. It was a Monkey Puzzle tree, which looks like an evergreen cactus palm hybrid. A pic will be in my photos section shortly. The husband grew it from a seed, and told us he likes to decorate it for Christmas. Our ride today was the hardest thus far -- a circuit through the lush green hills of the Mourne Mountains staring in Newcastle. 28 miles, rated moderate-hard. Our goal was to finish in 3.5 hrs, and we finished in 3.25. It gives us the confidence to do Monday's ride. Tonight, we're back in Belfast and doing some much needed laundry. Tomorrow, we'll take the train up to Portrush. In the meantime, I am looking forward to Chinese food for dinner. Keep in touch, Josh June 08 Easy RidersDay 5 Our third day of riding is off to a good start, and we've just stopped at a pub in Killough for lunch. It's barely 12:30, or half-twelve as the locals say, and we have less than 2 hours of riding ahead barring any deviations from our route, so I definitely have time to blog. People here have been friendly and gracious -- when we can understand them. As we rode in to town a row of girls on a bench asked Greg something he couldn't make out of- it turned out to be "Are your legs killing ya?" to which I assured them "Not yet, but maybe by days' end," causing them to laugh. People seem friendly and interested in our adventure. A guy here in the pub just quizzed us about the details of our lives. He has family in Canada, but he's never been. We asked about the local industries and he told us lots of people are building right now in Northern Ireland, so there was plenty of work. He himself was a construction worker. He asked us what we do, and Greg said Yahoo Canada, and I said the Gap, both of which were brands he recognized. "Oh, you're out of the elements then." Greg agreed there was little exposure to rain in our jobs. Something else I've noticed: everywhere we've been, people seem fond of displaying or selling clever signs. In the pub right now they read: "Booze, helping ugly people to have sex." "I'm somewhat of a bullshitter myself, but occasionally I enjoy listening to an expert... Please carry on!" In a cafe yesterday, they were selling signs that read: "God, if you cannot make me thin, please makes my friends fat." "A retired husband is a full time job for his wife." (continued, later) We made it to Newcastle without much effort. My heart rate monitor measured my average heart rate at 132, down 20 beats from previous days. Another sure sign of an easy ride is that we took lots of pictures -- something you would never do rushed, tired or lost. Newcastle is a beautiful city, just below Mourne Mountains the site of our next ride. The course is rated "moderate-hard," the same difficulty as our upcoming ride for Monday and Tuesday. If we ride Mourne in good time, we'll know we are ready. If not, then we'll probably take a bus tour to Giants' Causeway, and play things safe. It's a vacation, after all. Josh June 07 The Longest Distance Between Two PointsDay 4 I forgot to mention that at the end of the day yesterday, we met this guy named Rob from England riding a double decker bike (photograph coming) 6 weeks through the Irish countryside. I couldn't even imagine getting on or off this thing let alone riding it over difficult terrain. So, our second day of riding was not as successful. We got off to a much better, earlier start. At 11am, we'd arrived in Greyabbey (home of the Grey Abbey) and sat down for Illy coffee and pastries at a lovely coffeeshop. By 12:30, we were in Comber having a traditional pub lunch. 25 of 45 miles done, we were thinking there was less than two hours to go. Unfortunately, we hit the one glitch every cyclist fears -- we got lost. Blame it on us, the book, or Irish signage, or all three. Anyhow, we spent almost an hour looking for Castle Espie. We hit this sign for Downpatrick, our destination, saying it was 11 miles. We wanted to see Castle Espie, a wild fowl sanctuary, and decided to turn back for it. 40 minutes later, we stumbled back to that same 11 mile sign. We quickly agreed to take the shortcut, bypassing Castle Espie and the scenic route, and rode into Downpatrick. We might have missed some geese and swans, but we didn't miss our exercise as our 2 hour ride extended past 3. As I write this, Greg is already sleeping and I think I will be there soon too. Regards from the road, Josh June 06 Finding Our Way & Moments of TruthDay 2 When I think of the Titanic, I think of disaster. Somehow, the citizens of Belfast recall with pride that it was built in their town. The ship yards are a highlight of the bus tour, and a local restaurant has even named itself the Thai Tanic. Who wouldn't want to eat there? Just over the River Lagan there is a metal sculpture the looks like a woman holding a large metal circle. Apparently, the artist took his time coming up with the title of the piece, and a year after completion dubbed it The Ring of Thanksgiving. In the meantime, locals had come up with another name, and it's known around Belfast as The Thing with the Ring. Anyway, the highlight of Day 2 was meeting up with Greg. He arrived around 12:30, having finally made his flight to Dublin. We took care of some key details like renting the bikes, planning lodging and purchasing some provisions for the ride. Most important of all, we got a good night's sleep. Day 3 I regularly cycle around San Francisco, usually riding between 15 and 35 miles. It has, however, been years since my last cycling trip. I don't know when I last biked 45 miles. Greg is in great shape, from recently training for a 5 km run and going to boot camp several times a week, but he hasn't ridden a bike in years. I think I speak for both of us when I say that the first day of riding was met with some nervousness and trepidation. We needn't have worried. All of our planning (picking an easy ride for the first day, photocopying our route and putting it in a plastic sleeve to protect it from sweat, bringing a cannister of powdered Gatorade, etc.) along with our training prepared us for what turned out to be only a mildly challenging day of riding. Hopefully, we'll be ready now for the intense rides we've planned on days 5 and 6. Highlights of today included: - the magnificence of Castle Stormont - beautiful, lush green countryside with farms and the smell of fresh cut grass and manure - the last working windmill in Ireland - miles of beautiful coastal riding along water that looked like shades of aqua foil - finally arriving in the quaint town of Portaferry, and having a delicious dinner Well, Greg is trying to sleep and I should be too, so I will end my entry here. Good night, Josh June 04 Best Laid PlansDay 1 (and before) Terrible weather delayed my flight from San Francisco. The flight attendants seemed over-defensive, and attempted to discourage panic among passengers who were almost all planning to make a connection in Philadelphia. "This weather system is going to affect all planes trying to get in right now, so it's likely that your connecting flight will also be delayed. Think positive thoughts!" In any event, it was good advice. While mid-flight, my stress and worry would get me nothing but a shorter life and a few extra calories burned. To prove my optimism, I paid $5 to buy headphones so that I could watch Wild Hogs, the coming-of-middle-age comedy with John Travolta, William H. Macy, Martin Lawrence and Tim Allen. It was a film that was more a concept than a film, and the performances all came with an extra serving of ham that disagreed with my stomach. When we touched down, my optimism proved even more displaced. We waited to taxi into the gate for about 10 minutes, and I used that time to turn on my cell phone and catch up on email, etc. What I found out was that Greg was stranded in Chicago, and would not be sitting beside me on the flight to Dublin that night. We finally pulled in at 8:30 and when I exited the aircraft I discovered that my flight to Dublin was ready to leave at 8:45 and was at the opposite end of the airport. After a very panicked sprint, I made it to the still-waiting aircraft for 8:50. As it turned out, they held the plane for connecting passengers until 9:20. I managed to swap text messages back and forth with Greg sorting out our new arrangements before my flight finally took off. Tylenol PM put me out for the flight, and I woke up in a bit of a fog the next morning in Dublin. I got a bus from Dublin to Belfast, and quickly found the hostel. Greg and I sorted out final arrangements via email and I decided to take a tour of Belfast to help me orient myself. There were three things that struck me almost all at once: 1. Belfast has some beautiful architecture and the hope and faith associated with all of the rebuilding was incredibly moving 2. Even with the end of the violence, graffitti and murals are very political and current, frequently taking aim at both Bush and Israel (!) 3. Globalization is alive and well. In the City Centre of Belfast, you'll find retailers like Virgin Megastore, La Senza, The Gap, TK Maxx (Winners in Canada or TJ Maxx/Marshalls in the US), McDonalds, Foot Locker, Starbucks etc were all in dominant spots. Heck, the mall was a Westfield Centre -- the same owners as the Mall only blocks from my home in San Francisco. Sure, when The Gap mentions football on a graphic tee it refers to American soccer. Still, small edits to product lines didn't help me feel any less like my opportunities for finding something unique were starting to dwindle. Lucky I don't have any spare room in my backpack. Hopefully I will meet up with Greg tomorrow, and we can get on with out trip. Josh April 29 Reunion du JourAbout a month ago I had a very nice, very unexpected reunion. My friend Jeff came to San Francisco. We first met eight years ago in Vancouver. Jeff came into my bookstore and bought a book from me. Later that night, we were in the same online chat room and accidentally realized that we had met earlier that day in the real world. We hung out the next few months together in Vancouver. Coincidentally, I had vacation plans in England that spring, where Jeff was doing an exchange. I moved back to Toronto that summer, and Jeff returned there to Ryerson in the fall. Jeff moved away the next year, pursuing his goal of breaking into the film industry. Over the next few years, we stayed in touch online -- remaining up-to-date on each others endeavours. When I moved to California I got in touch with Jeff who was working for a production company in Hollywood. Somehow, we never managed to connect in person until recently.
It got me thinking: 50 years ago, we would have met in a bookstore and the story would have ended there. Even if we had somehow made a connection the likelihood that our friendship could have survived eight years, four cities and three countries seems fairly unlikely. Even by today's standards, the fact that we have found ourselves able to meet up in such diverse places has a certain degree of serendipity.
More recently, I have become aware of how online communities remove the "luck" factor and produce virtual reunions on-demand. I had always shied away from Friendster and Myspace, thinking myself too busy and too old to join. Friends recently nagged me to join Facebook. I figured I may as well give it a shot, and see what all of the fuss was about.
In the week that I have been a member, I have connected with 21 "Friends." Classmates from high school, undergrad, grad school, coworkers from Chapters and Old Navy and even family members have found me. I've found out about people's lives, careers, marriages, kids... People used to go to class reunions wondering "what ever happened too..." Well, wonder no longer.
I struggle to finish writing this entry in my blog wondering: is this better, is this progress? Am I happier, richer or more complete for all of the reunions? I don't think I have a clever answer. In the end, this is just the world we're living in. I used to watch movies and wonder where I had seen people or whatever happened... ? Now, I just surf over to www.imdb.com (often on my phone) and check out their credits and biography. It seems inevitable that in our brave new world we'll find ways on keeping up with anyone and everyone we once knew. April 15 The Closer I am to FineThere's more than one answer
to these questions
pointing me in a crooked line,
And the less
I seek my source
for some definitives,
the closer I am to fine.
- The Indigo Girls
It's been a while since I have writted in my online diary. Things are good. Work is busy and rewarding. I have a workout partner who keeps me focused and commited. Family is closeby -- and I am lucky to have seen so much of them in recent months. Luckier still that we all get along. My circle of friends here has steadily grown. I have even begun regularly bumping into people I know when I am out -- a true milestone for a "home."
As ever, I am a bit of a pop-culture hound. Recent films have included The Namesake (see it) and Perfect Stranger (skip it!). For TV I have been watching the Sci-Fi soap Heroes religiously. The amount of story they cram into a single episode is incredible. By contrast, I have been renting The Greatest American Hero from the Eighties. It might be an unfair comparison, but while GAH has a soft place in my heart, the writing by is so convoluted and meandering that it's tough to watch. Television has become so much more clever and mature... Speaking of superheroes, I am planning to see Lynda Carter (aka Wonder Woman) do her cabaret act in San Francisco soon. I figured it would make a good story no matter how the show turned out.
In a few weeks, my friend Greg and I are going cycling in Ireland, so I know I will have more to write about then. Until then, everything is getting closer to fine.
Regards,
Josh December 30 Phone Number ChangeI just changed my phone number. For security purposes I cannot post it here. Please email me if you need my new number. If you do not have my email, please post a Comment to this message asking for my new number.
Josh December 23 Confessions of the Worst Blogger EverSince this is my first entry in two months, I think that I might qualify for the title of 'Worst Blogger Ever.' Funny thing is, that you would think my lack of entries meant that my life has been boring or dull. I don't think it's been boring at all. If anything, the last two months have been fairly eventful:
This past weekend I finally got to visit with my Southern California cousins. Our weekend began at Disney's California Adventure. Brittany has an annual pass, so she acted as guide. Everyone even went to the Muppet Theatre for me -- an attraction that Jim Henson had built for Disney before his death. I think I have wanted to see it for about 10 years, and I have to say that no attraction is likely to live up to 10 years of anticipation and this one, though fun, is no different. The highlight of the park was the Flight Over California which simulates brilliantly the experience of gliding over California. The next day, I biked with Elaine through Venice Beach, we watched Jesse train (he's a competitive cyclist) and on Sunday we had a relaxing day at Howard and Rachel's new home. I only wish my camera was working a bit better, as most of the weekends best moments went unrecorded. It's nice to have so much family so very closeby, and I am hoping to return in January to visit again. Keep in touch, Josh PS. I have signed up to www.jajah.com so I can now enjoy free international phone calls -- please feel free to call me anytime PPS. There have been 3 earthquakes this week. I know a 3.5 isn't much but come on, people -- not even one person called me with a little concern. Seriously. Shame on all of you. (Oy -- all right, I am being dramatic. But a call wouldn't kill anyone.) October 19 California, Here I ComeI am at the gate in the Newark airport hoping to get on an early flight into San Francisco. It doesn't look good, and I think I will likely be forced to wait for the 5:30pm flight. Oh well, at least the airport has a good wireless internet connection.
New York has been a nice break, but I am grateful to be going home. I saw 2 plays -- The Drowsy Chaperone and Avenue Q. I also visited with former co-workers who had recently moved to NYC. One is paying $1800 US for a small studio with a tiny tiny fridge so that she can live in the Village. Not sure that I can see myself doing that anytime soon, but interesting to hear about their experiences moving.
My photo album from Israel has been updated with several new pics.
Josh October 15 Back in the US of AI'm typing this on the plane going from Tel Aviv to Newark. It's a quiet flight -- the absence of black hatters with large numbers of kids is very apparent. I think it might have to do with the Jewish holiday that just finished yesterday, and some special rules for Jews who reside outside of Israel. Whatever the case, I'm glad for the peace. The whole trip has been more quiet than my last one. While we did a lot, we certainly didn't run around as much. With 5 kids, it's increasingly difficult to do an outing. The older kids are bored by many things that excite the younger ones. The younger ones have varying levels of stamina, and breakdowns occur if things last too long. Still, with family the best moments are always unplanned: teaching Katya to draw (princesses, of course!), goofing around with Achi, falling asleep with Mor asleep on my chest, playing strategy games with Elyasaf, these are the reasons why it's worth it to me to pay the extra $$$ to fly over when the kids are out of school and I'm able to get to know them. Thursday night, I got the kids ready for bed. Ateret was saying something I didn't understand. She's always played a bit shy with me, but she shows signs of warming up occasionally. "A kiss," Elyasaf said. I wasn't sure what he meant, because he was way to tough to be asking me for something as sweet and as sentimental as a kiss. "Ateret wants a kiss goodnight," he told me. I leaned over her bed and gave her a little peck on the cheek. She smiled and closed her eyes. Totally worth it. October 07 With The Mishpacha (Family)I'm settling into life with my brother's family rather quickly. Katya (almost 10) and Elyasaf (8) remember me well, and took to playing with me right away. Achinoam (5) has a vague recollection of me, and after a short while has taken to playing with me or getting me to read her Curious George books. (By the way, I had forgotten that George smokes a pipe in his first book, and in his second he gets high on Ether. That crazy George is more than a little curious! ) Ateret (3) is a bit more guarded around me, and the fact that my Hebrew is not good enough to understand her doesn't help our relationship any. Last night I read Achi and Ateret 2 Hebrew storybooks and then said "Liliah Tov" (Good Night) and the girls both geve me a hug and a kiss and went to sleep. Ravit seemed dubious, but checked on them 10 minutes later and found them snoring. Mor (less than 1) has taken to me easily. When Ateret was her age I couldn't touch her for a second without tears. Mor fell asleep on my chest yesterday. I mentioned to Ravit how impressed I was that she seemed to love playing with me and she remarked "When you are the fifth baby, you're bound to be happy that someone has time to pick you up."
It sounds like Daniel and Ravit have some fun adventures planned. I am sure I will have some pictures posted soon.
Love,
Josh October 06 You Know You Are Getting on a Flight to Israel When...- The woman behind you in line at the gate's special security starts to argue that she was there first, tries to push past you and seems unaware that she's not going to land in Israel any more quickly just because she's jumped the line at security - You cannot get to your seat on the plane because parents are blocking aisles trying to renegotiate seats with stewardesses so that their 6 kids can sit together, and because some folks have started praying - People are trying to broker space for baggage with stewardesses because small mountains of bags in aisles should be allowed "just this once." Oh, and I watched a fifty-something man throw a tantrum because a stewardess had dared to move his belongings so that an overhead compartment would close properly The flight is often a good way to acclimate to the pushiness of Israel, where no one lines up for anything, and it's all just survival of the fittest. To be fair, after take-off things settled down. The kid sitting beside me is nice enough - maybe 21yo, recently engaged, and keeps apologizing for asking me to move so that he can go and pray or visit with his family. I think his apologies are thinly veiled attempts to get me to take the window seat, which he has pointed out would require me to move a lot less. I've watched some movies, listened to some Hebrew lessons, and even found time to post a little email to the Blog about flying to Israel. Well, I'm going to try and sleep some more. I will send this once I land. Keep in touch! Josh September 10 The Family SattinI got to meet my new cousin Chloe today. Luckily, her grandparents were in town and I got to enjoy an afternoon with them as well. It was really nice to see everyone doing so well, if a little tired.
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