Ryan's Journal

"My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?" — David Mitchell

Month: April 2012

End of the Month Panic Entry

Posted from Culver City, California at 4:56 pm, April 30th, 2012

Following college graduation I took a six week trip through Europe. The only possessions that I had with me fit into a school-sized backpack and a small gym bag, and my money situation was such that sleeping in a bed each night wasn’t really an option; both of these limitations made for a very memorable experience. Here’s one entry from that trip:

02-July-1998

Yesterday was the first day I haven’t written anything, so here goes – I took the 1:00 AM train from Genoa to Pisa, woke up at 4:30 having long ago passed Pisa, and then took the 5:15 back to Pisa, arriving at 6:45. On the first train I met a really nice Tunisian fellow who spoke some French and was thrilled to tell me about how Michael Jackson had been to Tunisia. I also met an annoying German.

In Pisa I found the tower by 7:15, and no one was there so I didn’t have to pay or deal with crowds. They’re apparently shoring up the foundations – the tower was really funky. Neat architecture, but with the tilt it looked very odd. I later got a cappuccino and then caught the 9:15 to Florence.

Florence was really cool. After running around with several Mexicans looking for a room I found one on my own. I then went to visit the Uffizi, which houses some great art. The Duomo is their big cathedral, which is huge and has an amazing dome. St. John’s baptistery has the famous bronze doors. The streets and buildings were all in good taste, unlike the baroque mess in Northern Europe.

The heat and lack of sleep got to me by 5:00, and by 6:30 I was in bed. I woke up at midnight, did laundry in the hostel sink, and overslept until 6:30 (I wanted to get up at 4:30). Now I’m on the train to Rome.

11:48 PM

Rome so far has been amazing. If I could afford it I could easily spend a month here. I first went to the Colosseum and met a Mexican guy named Raoul. We went to the Colosseum and Pantheon, he gave me a sandwich for lunch, then we went to some museums. After he left I bought a map of Rome, went back to the Colosseum, revisited the Forum, then walked along the Appian Way. It was awesome – I stood on the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated, saw some of the most famous sights in the world, and I’ve only seen a tiny fraction of Rome. Tonight I have no place to stay although I may try to get a train.

Caveat: I’ve got nothing against Germans in general, but that guy on the train was a weirdo.

The Birds

Posted from Culver City, California at 11:54 am, April 24th, 2012

The new house has proven to be a bit of an animal kingdom:

  • The two bird feeders are bringing in flocks of finches, sparrows, and doves, as well a variety of less-frequent visitors. It can be loud.
  • Proving the bird feeders support multiple levels of the food chain, a young sharp-shinned hawk has made the backyard his play area, and hangs out to terrorize the smaller birds on occasion. His attention isn’t only directed at birds: while I was doing some yard work he also took a shot at my head, apparently to ensure that I didn’t feel excluded.
  • There’s a crow who visits occasionally and has shown an irrational fear of salami.
  • The mammal situation consists of some wrestling baby squirrels, some very un-subtle neighborhood cats, and a family of tree-climbing rats that have made the area under the feeders their late night dining area.

It’s unclear what the future holds for the wildlife oasis that is our backyard, although some sort of water supply and potentially an owl house may be needed additions.

Our new roommates get lunch after the parent black phoebe checks out Audrey’s birdcam. Taken from the eave above our porch.

Dinner with Teddy, Carl and Jesus

Posted from Culver City, California at 6:37 pm, April 10th, 2012

The question that was posed: you can have dinner with three people who had a major influence on you. Who do you invite? While the answer is likely to change depending on mood, age, or time of day, here are my current choices:

  • Carl Sagan. If there is anyone who better encapsulates science, spirituality, and an ability to communicate, I couldn’t think of them. The opportunity to eat with someone who could explain details of the cosmos in understandable ways, who could expound on how the scientific wonders of the universe made him believe all the more in God, and who was infinitely curious about human nature and evolution, are all things that would make him a great dinner partner.
  • Jesus. I suspect Jesus would be on a lot of people’s lists, but for different reasons. It is questionable whether anyone has had a greater influence on philosophy and morality, and the opportunity to hear his thoughts about the world today would be a revelation in all senses of the word. Whether or not the real Jesus would have a direct line to the Almighty or simply be a teacher with profound views, spending a meal with him would be the most enlightening experience imaginable.
  • Teddy Roosevelt. America’s greatest conservationist President, the man who made the Panama Canal a reality, and an adventurer whose hunting and outdoor exploits are still revered. While he did a number of things that were worth questioning, a dinner with Teddy would be filled with stories and wisdom, and one that was sure to inspire.

The comments link is below – coming up with a list of three is a fun thought exercise, and I’d be very interested to hear what type of folks others would choose.