What has changed?

Ok, unless you've been hiding under a rock, you've heard that Osama bin Laden is dead.  Killed by the US military without assistance from the Pakistani government.  There is disagreement on whether this unites the country or further divides it. On the one hand, some people are rejoicing because the evil leader of Al-Qaida is no more and claim that this is a huge boost to morale in the United States. On the other hand, some people are saying one shouldn't rejoice in the death of any human being. And that really nothing has changed.  I am in the second camp. 

I think Osama's death is a significant step in bringing closure to 9-11, but really is his death going to end the Al-Qaida movement or terrorism?  Not really. NPR has a great story about how Al-Qaida's fear factor will be diminished but it will still be dangerous.  His death is 10 years too late.  The group has had time to recruit and train future leaders.  Ayman Al-Zawahiri, co-founder of the group, is poised to take the helm.  The group has several cells throughout the Middle East.  The burial at sea didn't help anything as it turned Osama into a martyr and now his death has to be avenged.  (ie, more terrorism.)

So, really, other than Osama is dead, what has changed?

Religious Literacy

A Nation of Religious Illiterates. That is what Stephen Prothero calls America.  I read an interview about him in the Austin American Statesman, our local paper, and was quite intrigued by the premise of his book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't.  He claims that in order for us to have productive civic engagement, we must be knowledgeable about religions, religious terms, and stories that influence everyone's world view.  His book is divided into four sections.  In part 1, he explains why religion matters.  In part 2, he explains what we once knew about religions as a nation and how we forgot it.  In part 3, he explains what should be done to remedy the illiteracy.  Namely, he argues for reintroducing religion education in school.  He's very clear that schools should not teach religion, but that they should teach about religion. Basically, knowledge is power and the more ignorant one is, the more dangerous everything appears.  He ends his book witha  dictionary of 100 religious terms in alphabetical order.  The explanations are good, but somewhat superficial and not inter-related. After reading this section, you feel like you need to read more about this topic and he anticipates this by including a list of further reading.

It's not exactly the primer I am looking for.  I am searching for a book that succintly explains the world religions and this was not it, but I did learn quite a bit about how religion has influenced public policy in this country.  Overall, I'd have to say it's a good book, but be prepared to slog through some of the longer explanations about puritans in this country and the origin of religious studies in schools.  Enjoy!

Road Trippin'

I have posted before about the joys of travelling with the family by car to far away places.  Once again, this summer we loaded up the van, strapped in the kids, and off we went to explore the Eastern part of the U.S.  What a wonderful 20 days!

We started out by driving to Little Rock, Arkansas the first day.  We had been there before so this was just a quick overnight stop.  (Last year we drove out to Wyoming and California and got so many hotel points that the hotesl on this trip were free.)  The kids love staying at hotels (who doesn't!)

The next day we drove two hours to Memphis and spent all morning at the Mud Island River Park which has an amazing half-mile scale model of the Mississippi River that the kids can wade in.  My favorite part is that it empties into a scale model of the Gulf of Mexico.  There are fountains and paddle boats.  The kids loved it!

After that, we did a quick stop at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot. 

They have turned the motel into a museum.  The kids did a quick tour of the gift shop and then we were off again to Nashville to have dinner with my husband's family.  What is normally a three-hour drive turned into a five-hour drive after a cement truck fell into a ditch and the emergency vehicles blocked two lanes of the three-lane highway.  Aaargh.  Then we ran into heavy rain and then we got lost.  Double Aaargh!  But we finally made it and had a wonderful time visiting with all the cousins in Tennessee.

On Day 3, we started the morning by letting the kids explore the grounds of our cousin's farm.  A creek runs through it, they have many gardens, and a wooded area.  Again, the kids were in heaven. 

After breakfast we drove to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to camp for the night.  We got there in the evening and the kids really enjoyed chasing the beautiful fireflies. 

The next morning, we hiked up to see the Laurel Falls early in the morning.  What a gorgeous area.  We bought a little brochure that explained what we would see on the hike and read it at different points along the trail.  The falls themselves were tiny and a little disappointing, but it's the journey that counts the most, right?

We had a great time hiking up to them and back.  After the hike, we packed up and headed to Shenandoah National Park for another night of camping.  We arrived so late (again!) that our camp neighbors were already using our table because they figured no one was going to camp there.  We set up the tent, built a fire, and read by the moonlight.  Perfect heaven, or so we thought.  At 3 a.m., the girls woke up screaming because the tent was flapping all over the place.  It was so windy that if felt as if we were going to fly off the mountain.  I ran out of the tent to get my husband to stake the flaps back down and he immediately told me to get back in the tent "before it flies off with the girls in it!"  (He and my son were sleeping outside the tent.)
Everyone moved back into the tent, but the wind kept howling and the tent flapping.  I was so exhausted that I couldn't keep my eyes open the next day.

On Day 5, we woke up early (really we didn't sleep all night) and went for a short-hike on the Appalachian Trail which ran just down from the campground where we were staying. 

It was all weedy and covered with poison ivy so we just picked berries (much to my chagrin, I kept asking my husband, "How do you know they are safe to eat?" They were blackberries.) 

We hiked a different trail that had amazing vistas of the mountains and had another chance to hike up a small section of the Appalachian Trail. 

It was an awesome morning despite the sleep deprivation!  After the hike, we drove up to Falls Church, Virginia where we were going to be for three days visiting friends and touring Washington, D.C.

On Day 6, we took the train into the city and spent all afternoon at the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of the American Indian. 

We also saw the Capitol, the Supreme Court where the kids got to participate in a demonstration against the death penaly.

The kids fell in love with the fountain outside the Library of Congress.  My son especially enjoyed the statue of Poseidon and his chariot being pulled by a a pair of  hippocampi. A hippocampus is a mythical creature that is half-horse, half-fish or dolphin.

The next day we drove into the city instead of taking the train (it cost us $60 to take the train in and only $18 to park. Where's the incentive to take the train?  Plus, traffic was a breeze...)  We got to visit the Library of Congress. They have a new Children's Reading Room that was outstanding. 

The girls really enjoyed story time there while the boys went to the Capitol with their gallery passes.  All, in all, a great morning.  After the library, we made our way back to the Air and Space Museum where Daniel was in pure heaven. 

After the museum, we hit more monuments, the White House, and the kids got to attend another demonstration. This time they helped the Sierra Club with their Freedom from Oil demonstration.  (The irony here as that we drove 2,000 miles to get there!)  :) 

On Day 8, we drove into the city again and finished doing the tour of the monuments.  We hit all the big ones, but we didn't make it to FDR's.  The kid's favorite was the Washington Monument. 

My husband loves the Korean War Memorial and my favorite is the Vietnam War Memorial.  After visiting the Jefferson Memorial, we made our way out of the city towards New York.  That evening we made a short stop in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where the first American flag was unveiled, and Benjamin Franklin's grave. 

What a historical city!  It's too bad we got a parking ticket for $36 at 7pm at night or we would definitely put that city on our list of places to visit again. That night we arrived in New York City and stayed with my sister and her husband in the Upper East Side.

The next morning, thanks to the generosity of a friend, we moved into a beautiful apartment in Times Square.  We walked through Central Park and took the subway to Times Square.  After we were settled in, my husband took the older kids to see the Statue of Liberty while my baby and I walked to Rockefeller Plaza.

We got to see the Lego Store and discovered American Girl Place.  I thought I was going to have to use the jaws of death to extricate her from there. We spent three hours touring the store.  Thankfully, we didn't spend a dime.  She was happy just collecting the little paper cards which list every item they have for sale.  :)
That night my sister and her husband took the kids back to her apartment and my husband and I got to go to an Alejandro Escovedo album release concert and to dinner at City Winery in SoHo.  What a lovely evening!

On Day 10, we got in line early to get discount tickets so the older kids could go to a Broadway show.  We got tickets to Fela, a musical about a political activist in Nigeria. 

My sister and the kids met us for lunch.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them.  They all looked very stylish!  The girls were sportin' new shoes, purses, sunglasses, lip gloss, and nail polish. Thanks, Tia!

After lunch, the older kids and my husband went off to the show. We spent the afternoon just window-shopping on Madison and Fifth Avenue.  It was awesome!

The kids and my husband met up with us again at the apartment and we took everybody to FAO Schwarz, the most wonderful toy store ever!  We got to see a show on the Big Piano (which was in the move Big) and a Barbie Fashion Show.

My husband and my son left after the show and went to the Empire State Building. This is the view at sunset:

We all met up again in Times Square.  What a lively place to be at night!

Our final day in New York City started out with breakfast at a deli below the apartment, followed by another trip to American Girl Place where we finally gave up and bought the girls dolls.  They are adorable.  How can one resist?  My baby has curly hair so she picked up an African-American doll with curly hair.  So cute!

Even my son was enoying looking through their collection of historical dolls and furniture. (If they had an adventure boy figure like Kaya, I bet boys would buy it up!)  After shopping, we took my sister to Target. She and her husband are doing their residency in NYC and have no vehicle.  It was the longest Target visit ever!  We left her house at 12:30 and didn't finish unpacking her bags of groceries until 4:45 pm!!!  (The closest Target is in Harlem.)  At that point, it was time for dinner so we headed to the Candle Cafe on 74th St. 

I had been hoping to eat there. It is one of the most famous vegan restaurants in  New York and it did not disappoint.  My husband had the lasagna, the kids had protein shakes and edamame, and I had the crystal rolls and lentil soup.  The soup could've been more spicy, but everything else was fabulous.  Even the cookie (which was as hard as a hockey puck) tasted pretty good.  Finally we were off to Boston at 7pm. Crazy!  Did I mention this was also Fourth of July?  We had to stop in Providence to watch fireworks.  We originally stopped on the side of the freeway on a bridge but got booted out by the police, along with a whole bunch of other cars.  As we were U-turning to get back on the freeway we found another (illegal) spot but it was not on the bridge so the police didn't care!  I love watching fireworks and their reflection on the water.  Finally at 9pm we were back on the road to Boston.  We got in very late (it was a trend throughout the trip!)

Day 12:  Boston!  We stayed with our former neighbors in Milton and the kids got to see the house where they used to live when they were babies.  They loved that!  We also met up with other friends to hike the Freedom Trail that day and got to see Mother Goose's grave marker. 

The next day we met up with work friends and grad school friends and took the kids to Harvard Square.  Kids loved it! 

That night our very generous friends watched our kids so we could have our 14th wedding anniversary dinner at Himalayan Bistro in West Roxbury.  What wonderful food although we had to be very specific about being vegan.  The first bowl of soup they brought me had chicken broth in it eventhough I had specifically said we didn't eat meat.  Everything else was delicious!

On Day 14, we did a small hike up the Blue Hills with our neighbors and then headed out to Syracuse, NY to visit family.  His family lives in a beautiful house that abuts a beautiful park in Syracuse. (See picture to the left.) It feels like they live in a retreat.  They also have play structures, swings, a tree house, and a huge backyard. We all loved their home!  We stayed in Syracuse two nights.  Originally, we were supposed to camp in Lake Eerie, but rainstorms were predicted for that day so we changed our plans.  Our aunt took us to a gorgeous creek to play and swim and we got to visit other cousins.  We had a very relaxing stay!

On Day 16, we drove to Archbold, Ohio with a quick stop in Niagara Falls.  My husband and I had been there before late at night 13 years ago while were doing another road trip.  The falls look very different during the day!  They are gorgeous.  We took the elevator down and hiked up the steps half-way up to the falls.  The rain was pouring down, but the kids were having a blast! 

After Niagara, we drove to Archbold to visit family.  We spent three nights in Archbold. The kids got to swim in a pond, visit Sauder village, and meet lots of cousins.

The cousins we stayed with just built a beautiful home in the woods so this felt like staying at a retreat, too.  Their daughter lives on the same farm.  They have gardens, chickens, a tree house.  Once again, the kids were in heaven!

On Day 19, we started the drive home and got here in two days.

We were able to keep to our vegan diet by taking a cooler along with us and stopping at grocery stores to stock up on vegan food.  All in all, we had a great trip!

Living the Vegan Life

Have I mentioned that we are trying to eat Vegan for one year? It is not as hard as it sounds. The hard part is explaining it to your friends, your loved ones, and to random people that ask you about it. Most people think we are crazy for eating this way.

The part I find most frustrating is that if they only took a few hours to read about it, they would not be asking so many questions.

The first question we always get is "Why?" Why don't you eat meat? The answer that gets the least questions back is "For health reasons." Then the most likely question is "Oh, your cholesterol is high?" No, I just want to make sure it stays healthy.  Also, I get have a lot of energy when I am not weighed down by eating meat products.  

If I answer, "I am trying to lower my ecological foot print."  The likely response is, "You know soy production is responsible for huge losses of rain forest in South America."  The proper response should be: Oh, really?  Do you think that's because of the tiny bit of Tofu I consume or is it because of all the processed food you are eating?" Instead, I usuall answer, "We buy Tofu from companies that produce organic, sustainably-raised, and ecologically responsible soy."  (ie, we are not the problem, here).

The response that I think gets people most worked up is when I mention "For philosophical reasons - we don't believe in eating animals that have been raised in an irresponsible fashion and have been abused just so we can enjoy a few good bites."  "You can't believe everything bad you read about chicken (or beef, or pork) farms.  There are some good places out there. I buy everything organic."

True.  Some and you mostly only find those at Farmer's Markets.  And just because you buy everything organic does not mean that you are eating an animal that has been raised responsibly.  All that means is that they have been raised on organic feed.  They can still be stuck in stalls, unable to move, their whole lives, standing in their own feces until the day they die.  What you really need to look for is pasture-raised, and grass-finished.  Most animals are raised on pastures until they need to be fattened up (or finished).  If they are not "grass-finished" that means they are also stuck in those stalls until butchering time.

The same goes for eggs "Cage-Free" doesn't really mean they don't leave in cages.  The USDA allows you to put that label on your eggs as long as the chickens have the option of going "outside."  That can simply mean having a little door to the outside with a tiny grassy area that most chickens do not find appealing.  Their entire lives can be lived inside dark rooms and just because there is a tiny opening in the room to the outside, they get to have their eggs labeled "Cage-Free." 

I wish people would be more sensitive and informed when they make those comments.  And I need to figure out a polite way to respond to all these inquiries without making people feel like they are ignorant.  It's annoying, but it has to be done.  Like with everything else in life, education is key.

TTYL.

Night Hike

This week we are starting another fun summer trend:  The Night Hike.  My husband and I went out to dinner last Friday and on our way back home, we stopped by the park near our house and hiked the trails for 30 minutes.  It's really one big loop and I've walked it so many times with Sadie, our dog, that I can walk it with my eyes closed.  Which is kind of what it felt like walking it at night. It was ok in open areas where the light from the moon illuminated the path, but in areas where there is a lot of tree cover, it was pitch black and no, we didn't have a flashlight, but somehow, we managed to walk the whole way and it was such a relaxing experience we had to share it with the kids.

We have done it two days in a row and the kids love it.  We go just before the light disappears. Even my two-year old enjoys the cicadas, the crickets, and today, the crazy toad that spooked us.  We thought is was a leaf, but when Daniel tried to touch it with his stick, it jumped really far.  The rest of us jumped in the other direction.  :) 

Tomorrow night, I would like to see if we can take flashlights so we can see go frogging in the creek.  When I was little, I spent a lot of time in Cancun with my uncle and his family going out in the middle looking for crabs.  It was so much fun to be on the beach in the dark chasing crabs that we would later eat boiled.  Ah, man, not a good memory. Now, I miss eating crabs.  Did I mention I'm a Vegan these days?

TTYL.

2012

Where have I been that I have never heard of the 2012 prophecy?  I picked up a book from the library titled The Book of Destiny because I have always been fascinated by the Mayans.  The author spent a good amount of time explaining that the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012.  Some people speculate that is when the world will come to an end.  Apparently, the earth, sun, and moon will be aligned with the Milky Way and the gravitational pull on the earth will be so strong that it will make the poles reverse and cause tsunamis, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, etc. 

The Book of Destiny explains that the Mayans do not believe the world will come to an end on that date, but  that we have to begin looking at the world in a new light so we can achieve a new consciousness.  Every human civilization has made it through four cycles of the Mayan calendar, but no one has made it to the fifth cycle. 

I did some research and it sounds like Mel Gibson is on board with the end of the world theory.  That alone disqualifies the whole thing for me as a serious scientific prediction.  The whole thing sounds rather hokey.  Seriously, where have I been that I have never heard of this?  I need to get out more...

Swimming at Dusk

Our family has started this new summer trend: we are going swimming in our neighborhood pool after 7pm.  It is the best idea we have had!  First, there are very few people at the pool at that time.  Therefore, one does not have to deal with a crowded pool and a crowded parking lot. Two, you don't need to wear sunblock!  And finally, my baby girl gets the baby pool all to herself.  She loves that!

Last night, we arrived at 7:30pm and stayed until 8:45pm.  (It closes at 9pm.)  It does make for a late night, but what the heck.  It's summer!  The kids have been going to bed around 10pm, ususally unheard of during the school year.  The good thing about that is that they also get up around 10 a.m. so I get the whole morning to get my stuff done (whatever that may be!)  :)

Speaking of kids waking up, I hear them rousing.  Time to get breakfast on the table.  TTYL!