Honeymoon in the Car

Well, I found out today that my car needs a new timing belt. Apparently, a car needs to have their timing belt replaced every 105,000 miles. Because I commute so much, I am already at 104, 600 miles. Hence, the need for the new belt. Alas, a timing belt will run me approximately $750. And it's not like I can just skip it and hope for the best. If a timing belt breaks, replacing it is no longer an option; instead, you have to replace the engine. So, after the holidays. I will be getting a new timing belt.

What does this have to do with the title of this blog? In order to pay for this car maintainence, I have to cancel our honeymoon. I'm sad about that. I was looking forward to Cliff and I going somewhere to relax and try out new activities and new foods. I have really only bee to Mexico on little afternoon visits (ports on a cruise), sot his was going to give us a chance to see more of the culture and natural sites. I am disappointed and I know I will always regret not taking a honeymoon, but there isn't anything to be done about it. What we will probably do is take a weekend trip after the wedding and then plan a bigger trip in a couple years.

So, that's my update. Somehow I don't think I will enjoy my car as I would have our honeymoon.

Nature vs. Nurture: Travel Edition

Why is it that some people are struck with a travel bug and others aren't? If I go too long without going on a trip, I start to get ancy and a little down-in-the-dumps. I feel like time is passing me by and I have nothing to show for it. It doesn't even matter that a few months ago I went on a huge vacation to Italy - I haven't been anywhere lately, and I don't like it one bit! It doesn't evcen have to be somewhere major or someplace new; a little weekend trip to Fort Bragg or Pismo Beach would be enough for me. And, of course, the occasional jaunt down to Disneyland is always welcome. But I just wonder where this desire to travel comes from, which forces to to examine the age old debate of "Nature vs. Nurture".

I grew up travelling because my parents took me places a lot. By the time I had left home, I had been to five foreign countries and ten states in the United States (including multiple visits to Florida, New York, and Hawaii). So travelling was something I did a lot of. So I suppose, in my case, it can be said that my love of travel was nurtured. But what about my parents? They took occasional trips to visit family or camping expeditions, and they frequented Disneyland (though, not as nearly as I did growing up), but they didn't do a whole lot of travelling. Yet, now, they love to travel and often feel as I do: too much time between trips can make for grumpy Langs. And my grandparents loved to travel, but that was in their later years. They certainly didn't go on vacations when they were kids, having both been raised on farms. So for all of them, I have to surmise that nature is involved.

And then there are the people who just don't care about travel - the people who could either take it or leave it, and the people who don't care for it at all. Does that stem from a simple lack of travel in their younger and formative years? Or maybe from their parent's attitude towards travel? Certainly it can be said that many people do not have the opportunity for travel that I have been fortunate to have. Or, people might prefer to spend their money on other things whereas I prefer to save the larger amounts for an upcoming trip. It is such a passion for me that I can't imagine anything in my life holding such a place of excitement and pleasure in my heart. In my estimation, it is the greatest reason to save money or put yourself in debt.

And what are the appeals to travel? New experiences; different people and customs; new types of cuisine to explore; souvenirs to buy; travel offers it all. But I guess that you have to have a love to being out of your comfort zone and being placed in new situations. If you are the type of person who doesn't deal with change well or gets anxious when taken out of your comfort zone, I could see where travel might lose its appeal. But I just love it. I love all the planning beforehand; I love packing my bags; I love getting up early to leave; I love arriving and deciding what to do next; and if it is a long trip, I even love seeing it come to an end so I can return to those I love. Travelling, in my estimation, is just the greatest life has to offer, and I can't wait to decide where I will go next.

Bucket List

I thought people might be interested in seeing the Bucket List (the things I want to do before I kick the "bucket") that I began several years ago. I am proud to say that I have already accomplished some of the things on the list. Those things bolded have been completed. Do you have any suggestions for things to add...

Wine stomp
Hot air balloon
Get something published
Own a horse
Harlem Globetrotters game
See Auschwitz
Walt Disney World
Disneyland
Disneyland Paris
Tokyo Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
See whales on a whale watching tour
Get married
Have a child
Buy a house
Ride an ATV
Zip line and/or skydive
Drive cross country in a Winnebago
Eat at Club 33
Buy a car on my own
Teach an Arthurian literature class
Learn a foreign language
Visit where “Goonies” was filmed
Make a Renaissance nobility gown
Go to a Beach Boys concert
Attend an Indian wedding
Meet Alan Alda
Swim with sharks
Touch a whale
See where M*A*S*H was filmed


Visit: Foreign Countries
England
Egypt
France
Italy
Australia
Japan
Scotland
Ireland
India
Canada
Safari in Africa

Visit: National Cities
New York
Boston
Salem
Atlanta
New Orleans
Seattle
Las Vegas

You Can't Choose Your Skin Color

That may seem like a strange title for a blog, or even something strange for me to be contemplating, but I can't help but wish to be something. For many years I have thought about the fact that I am a Northern European mut. It's okay - I enjoy reflecting on the fact that I am made up of the celtic ntionalities that have refused to get along throughout history. That's all well and good, but I can't help but wish I had some culture. Working at Modesto Junior College, I have a lot of Hispanic students, and working at Folsom Lake College, I have a lot of Indian and Middle-Eastern students. They all have cultures and backgrounds that contain more than the generic American mixture. I wish I had family traditions and recipes that reflected a specific background and culture. Those who do intrigue me and I am just a little jealous.

With all that said, if I could choose what nationality I would want to be, I would have to choose Indian (as in India, not Native American). I remember when I first took an interest in all things Indian. It was my last year at UC Davis and was killing time by wandering around the bookstore. I spotted a really brightly colored book on a high shelf. It featured the goddess Kali wearing some sassy sunglasses, her royal blue skin offset by a hot pink border. Now, who could pass that up!? The book was called Holy Cow by Sara Macdonald and was about an Australian woman who lived in Indian for three years just traveling and discovering what the country had to offer. It was non-fiction. I was dazzled! Through her words I got the opportunity to explore a world so unlike anything I knew. Before that book, all I knew of Indian people were their difficult to understand accents an brightly colored clothes. Now what I knew was warm people, strict traditions, varied religions, spicy foods, and vibrant ceremonies. I wanted to know more.

Alas, most of my experience with Indian culture has been through books, but a lot of books. I read nearly everything I can get my hands on the feature Indian people in India or here, in the United States. I've read the wonderful books by Amulya Malladi, such as Mango Season and Serving Crazy with Curry. I read the book-turned-movie The Namesake. I have also read fluffy stuff like Goddess in Training and The Mistress of Spices. I have loved them, and I have even gotten book club to read several of them.

But beyond books, I love Indian food more than any other cuisine. I could just gobble it up at every meal. I enjoy their beautiful clothes and their wily Bollywood movies. Anything Indian and you've got my attention. But as much as I love it all, I am still an outsider. When I go into an Indian market, I feel like people look at me like, "are you lost?" I wish that, just for a moment, I could be one of them. I could scoop up my food with my fingers (like my friend Sakina used to do) and go to a wedding dressed in a red sari and sparkles on my forehead. I want to cook aloo ghobi and say "it's grandma's recipe." I just want to know what it would be like to not mark "caucasian" on a questionaire. I wouldn't trade my family for anything, but I would sure like to try on some Indian shoes. Alas, as it won't happen, I will just have to be content by watching Bride and Prejudice, reading Life Isn't All Ha, Ha, Hee, Hee by Meera Syal, and eating at Kathmandu downtown.

Say What You Will...

...but the shows "Hannah Montana", "Drake and Josh", and "iCarly" are pretty fun to watch! Most of the time I think the tween shows are insulting to the intelligence of everyone, including tweens. However, because I am home at odd times throughout the day, sometimes the only channels that are mildly tolerable are those that are kid-friendly. So, lately I have been catching episodes of the three shows mentioned above. While I will still criticize them for the amount of dangerous rule breaking and how they make teachers look like utter imbiciles, I must admit that not only are the shows pretty cute, but many of the young actors have excellent comic timing. I am particularly impressed with the kid who plays Miley's brother, Jackson, on "Hannah Montana", the guy who plays Josh on "Drake and Josh" and the girl who plays Carley on "iCarly' (who, incidentely, plays the very different character of Megan on "Drake and Josh"). All the shows feature some over-the-top broad humor, but I don't mind when it is few and far between. Overall, they're entertaining. In fact, even Cliff has been known to laugh out loud when Jackson is on screen and is bantering with Billy Ray Cyrus. And, on top of all that, the older brother on "iCarly" is prety cute!

What a Warm House

For those of you who read my blog, you probably already know I had a housewarming party because you probably attended. But, I wanted to write a blog about it anyway...

It was such a delightful day. We sent out 27 invitations, equalling, easily, over 40 people. Nearly no one RSVPed. I expected that some people wouldn't RSVP, as many of the people I know are not very good about doing that, but I figured more than 2 (out of those 27 invitations) would. Oh, well, we still planned for a full house, and it was a good thing we did. We had a fantastic turn out and it was really fun. Many of Cliff's relatives, who were in town for Thanksgiving, attended, and lot of my friends and family came. I was pleased to see Jon and Dave there since I haven't seen them in a while. I was disappointed to not see some people who I had hoped would come, but as they didn't RSVP, I guess I shouldn't have necessarily expected them.

It was just a really warm and delightful day (not warm as in temperature - warm as in "warm and fuzzy"). I enjoyed making the rounds to talk to everyone and then leaving them to mingle with others, and Pumpkin was ever in the mix meeting and greeting his adoring fans. I had been worried about Shaggy stealing food, so he had to spend the day outside. However, I needed have worried about him being lonely, as the kids busied themselves with him the entire time...including following him through the garage doggie door. So, it seemed that everyone had a good time.

Thank you to everyone who attended, and for those who didn't, I hope we can find a time to have you over in the near future!