Sad to see what’s happening after the election in Kenya. We had heard grumbling about Kibaki and his chronies when we were there in May, and now things are getting ugly after his re-election — over 100 dead in the last 24 hours, and it’s far from over.
It makes this story more real to have been there recently. When I read about Uhuru Park or the Kibera slum or the Imperial Hotel, I know right where they’re talking about. I hope our friends are all safe and things calm down soon.
I let the cats out this morning. It was freezing. Seemed a self-limiting situation: they’d not want to be out there for long.
Murg was back in a minute. Ike was pushy after 30 minutes. Fish … eight hours later, we’re still looking for him. Finally he comes back, after dark, frozen solid and ready to crash on the couch while Ike sits and looks cute …
I was going to post a rant tonight about how nobody in the real world has time to watch freakin’ videos. And how they’re really inconvenient.
I was thinking I could invoke the image of Narita International Airport in Tokyo, last time I was there, when dozens of people were sitting in the business lounge checking email and surfing the web … imagine that same scene, but everyone’s wearing earphones to listen to some breathless shill rave about some new technology, or some aging beauty star cooing and clucking, or whatever the particular soundtrack is.
No.
People won’t like that better. I’m sure of it. They’d rather check email and surf the web, and be done with the damn computer after that.
Luckily, before I had burned many calories on this essay, I came across a rant that’s close enough to what I wanted to say that I won’t bother saying it. Just read vanessafoxnude’s why I will read your blog but not watch your video instead. You go, girl!
Not the last time I’ll be in violent agreement with vanessafoxnude, I’m sure.
And all through the house …
I’ve managed to get my digital and physical worlds in order for the first time in a while. All the flotsam of recent projects is filed away on my hard drive and backed up, and my desk is cleared of everything.
Megan is working hard on finishing her quilt. I’ve only included a closeup because I don’t want to give away the overall pattern until she’s ready for the grand unveiling.
In the bedroom, Fish and Ike are enjoying the sunshine and wide open spaces.
(re Murg — she was perched on a quilt in the living room earlier, but I took a few practice swings with an 8-iron and haven’t seen her since.)
Cody told us Saturday night about the Cadbury gorilla video, and then yesterday I came across what he was talking about. Here’s the link.
And my personal favorite I’ve seen lately is the Daft Hands video. I assume this guy knows sign language.
My Mom has been traveling in Europe with my brother Greg and his family the last two weeks, and today she sent an email so I’m sharing it below for others who know her and check in here from time to time. If you’ve wondered where I got the genes that make me want to travel and write about it — it’s Mom’s fault.
Hi, everyone,
I arrived in Amsterdam today–and they have free internet service so I will try and send a message.
We have had a good trip. The weather has been cold (upper 20’s) but not wet and windy like it was the week before–so we feel we lucked out.
After we left Basel, Switzerland, we stopped one day in Kayserberg, France where we visited the albert Schweitzer Museum (He was born in Kayserberg.)
The next day we were in Strasbourg, France. We thought we would have a sightseeing tour of that city on boats through the canals. But because of all the rain the week before the water level was too high and that had to be cancelled. (There wasn’t room for our boats to get under some of the bridges on the tour.) We did have a walking tour through the city and a visit to the cathedral.
Friday, Dec. 14th we entered Germany. Our first tour was of the city of Baden-Baden. This is a city of second homes for the very wealthy people–it is clean and interesting. A treat for me was having a friend, Gudrun Mairs, come visit me there for a couple of hours. She lives in Kashule, which is about 20 km from where we were. I met Gudrun in India back in 1993 when she was a young 32 year old woman traveling on her own.
Then Sat. Dec. 15th we went on to Speyer, Germany where we toured the Heidelberg Castle. Quite a fascinating place! The big excitement of that day was that my room mate, Doreen, got separated from the group. She found us several hours later at one of the Christmas markets–she has her own experiences to share about that adventure.
Sun. Dec. 16th we were in Mainz, Germany and toured the Gutenberg Museum and saw a demonstration on how the first printing press was developed.
Monday Dec. 17th we arrived in Cologne–after cruising through some of the most scenic parts of the Rhine River Valley. The main thing in Cologne was a visit to the Cologne Cathedral–which is the largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe. There is also a Chocolate Museum in Cologne. We went to the gift shop of the Museum–but not to the Museum itself–I was just too tired to be able to enjoy anything but getting back to the ship and getting off my feet.
Wed. Dec. 19th We sailed to Dusseldorf, Germany–a rich cosmopolitan city with some great history. We went on a walking tours in most of the towns and cities we stopped at. And visited Christmas Markets in all of them also. These “Christmas Markets”are a cross between our “farmer’s markets”and “craft shows”. They are rows of outdoor shops selling all kinds of Christmas ornaments and local (and imported) items. There are all kinds of local foods being sold and music playing–so it is a very festive atmosphere of sights, sounds, and smells.
Thursday Dec. 20th We sailed to Nijmegen, Holland. Doreen and I took the optional tour to the National Liberation Museum in near by Groesbeek. This was a well done museum showing what it was like for the Dutch people during the Nazi occupation. The bus trip to and from Groesbeek was through scenic countryside–farms mainly and some vineyards.
Friday Dec. 21st We sailed on to Amsterdam today and disembarcked the “River Melody”–the ship that has been our home for these last ten days. Since we could not get into the hotel until after lunch, we toured the Van Gogh Museum and the Gasson Diamond Factory this morning. We spent the afternoon un-packing and resting. Then at 4:30 pm we had a tour of Amsterdam via it’s canals–on an enclosed , heated boat. The only bad thing was that it was so foggy and starting to get dark so I did not get any good pictures.. At the end of the canal tour, we went on a walking tour of the “Red Light District”–then had dinner downtown and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Now I am ready to go to bed. Tomorrow I plan to go to the Anne Frank Museum and then meet Greg and family for dinner. They are staying at a different hotel quite a ways from here and will leave for France on Sunday–so this will be my last time to see them before we get back to the states.
Hope you all have a blessed Christmas and I’ll be in touch after I get home.
LaVonne
Thursday evening, I heard loud Christmas music while sitting in my office at home. At first I thought it was the neighbors. But then I saw two Christmas cruise boats doing a u-turn near the I-90 bridge to head back to the north.
this morning was one of those mornings there’s a dense fog covering Redmond, behind the skyscrapers of Bellevue from where we live across the lake. It’s weird … the sky can be crystal-clear over the lake and over the mountains, while in Redmond it’s so foggy that people can’t see a damn thing.
Odd place, Redmond.
