Time may be Money, but Money eats Time
A spot-on, contrary to our society's current direction article from
Harper's Magazine.
Point the beam anywhere, and there's the God of Work, busily trampling out the vintage. Blizzards are bemoaned because they keep us from getting to work. Hobbies are seen as either ridiculous or self-indulgent because they interfere with work. Longer school days are all the rage (even as our children grow demonstrably stupider), not because they make educational or psychological or any other kind of sense but because keeping kids in school longer makes it easier for us to work. Meanwhile, the time grows short, the margin narrows; the white spaces on our calendars have been inked in for months. We're angry about this, upset about that, but who has the time to do anything anymore? There are those reports to report on, memos to remember, emails to deflect or delete. They bury us like snow.
The alarm rings and we're off, running so hard that by the time we stop we're too tired to do much of anything except nod in front of the TV, which, like virtually all the other voices in our culture, endorses our exhaustion, fetishizes and romanticizes it and, by daily adding its little trowelful of lies and omissions, helps cement the conviction that not only is this how our three score and ten must be spent but that the transaction is both noble and necessary.
Photos from a New Years Prague
I have just posted
photos from a New Years Prague!
*I'll be writing about the corresponding adventures soon.
Plus, I now have internet in my room! Huzzah!
[Make sure you read my very recent post about Schwarzwald for X-Mass, below]
Russia is Scary & Food for Thought
Read this NYT Article.
I'd love to hear comments on the issue of Russia's current trajectory.
Food for thought:
"Rich people in New York voted for Kerry who promised to raise their taxes. Poor people in the red states voted for Bush who has a history of cutting services from which they benefit. In America the best golfer is black, the best rapper is white, the rich starve themselves, and the poor get sick from having too much to eat. These are very odd times."
-Dance star MOBY on his contradicting nation.
X-Mass in Deutschland
Alright, I know. This blog is way overdue... Sorry. :-)
From the morning of the 23 thru the evening of the 26 I was privileged to experience Christmas in the Black Forest, Germany (yes, just like the cake...).
Although we'd never met I was invited, warmly received, and treated like a king by almost 20 German relatives whom I didn't know existed until a year ago. This branch of my family is related to my lovely great-grandmother (93 years old and still living independently in Florida!) who migrated to America from Germany before the Second World War.
So, Jason, what was a German X-Mass like? Well, let me explain with some notes...
- Sitting around with family while eating, drinking and conversing perpetually was by far the most important and frequent activity of the Holiday. Quite honestly, the impression I made of the German Christmas time is one far less stressful and hectic than State-side. Admittedly though, some of the energy to which I'm accustomed was sacrificed in result.
- Christmas Eve is the most important day of the Holiday, rather than the day after.
- Following a Church service (mine was in a modern Cathedral, but Biblical vocabulary is rather difficult to understand in German) the family's return home and open up all of their presents
- Opening presents at night makes settling down giddy kids neigh impossible
- The denizens of Schwarzwald (Black Forest) partake in many Wild dishes
- Wild Duck, Wild Hare and Wild Deer were all served during my stay
- Gift giving is usually limited to family members and significant others
- If you forgot the most important part of your special dinner, too bad. Everything is closed.
- There is no Day After Christmas bum rush at the Malls. This is because the malls are still closed the day after Christmas to allow everyone to recover and reorganize.
In addition to the Winter festivities, I was able to tour the city of Baden-Baden, who boasts having more millionaires per capita than another city in Germany. As you can imagine, it was beautiful (see my
Photos, posted below). I suspect that the natural hot mineral springs have something to do with that statistic...
Perhaps my most intriguing experience was touring the house my great grandmother grew up in after WW1 - a house which has been in the family for hundreds of years. Although I am unclear as to when we purchased the building, I do know it was made in the 1700's. Boulder's been around for, what, 100 years? Yeah...
