Misheru

“He enjoys using Google to look up interesting facts about long walks on the beach.”

I’ve been reading books by Cory Doctorow online, and my geek knowledge is increasing exponentially. I just finished Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, and last week I read Little Brother, both downloadable (for free) and excellent.

The quote was at the end of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and referred to Cory Doctorow, but I immediately thought of Marti. It is something he would say, and something he would do, too.

I’ve been away from home for two and half weeks, and I’m starting to miss the ol’ homestead, and that guy I married who lives in it, too. Despite the fact that I would rather walk on the beach, and he’d rather read about it. But yin needs yang, right?

Miss my yang.

One week from tomorrow, I’ll be heading out for a month of traveling again. Although we decided against traveling this year, I find that I need a rest from the dust and heat of the Arizona dry season (May-June) in order to stay sane. I also call it “Marital Health 101.” Regardless, I will spend a few weeks with my parents, and a few weeks with an array of childhood friends in the cooler northern climate.

I took the picture above in 2004 while traveling with Benjamin. It’s the Colorado River as it winds through the Grand Canyon as the final rays of the setting sun hit the canyon wall. It was one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen, and it was taken the first day of a 30-day trip through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, California and Nevada. That trip was considerably more expensive than my upcoming trip should be (fingers crossed!) as I plan to camp out or crash at people’s houses most of this trip, but it shares one thing in common: I needed to take it.

As a new mom with Ben freshly turned two, I set out in August 2004 with my heart in my mouth. That trip started research for a book I’m still working on, and it also started this website in earnest. I learned about wireless computer access, a skill that later got me promoted into technical projects at work, and how to deal with a toddler for multiple days on end, but most of all the trip reassured me that I would still get to travel and see the world. Being a parent takes a lot of sacrifices, and I feared that my dream of traveling was over when Ben was born. The reality was that Ben and I had a wonderful time and I still remember taking him to a playground in Vancouver, riding the ferry to Victoria, walking the boardwalk in Californa and singing far too many songs featuring Elmo along the way. Ben learned a lot too — he learned how to poop in the woods that trip, and that too many Elmo songs makes mommy a little mental. I hope that my kids remember my “walkabouts” as fondly as I do.

This time, one thing is different — Marti gets a special trip of his very own, as he heads to Boston for an expenses-paid conference, courtesy of the U of A. They’ve tried to send him to conferences for several years now, and finally he’s taking them up on it. So while I herd kids into a drafty tent, Marti will be eating at Legal Seafoods and enjoying the beautiful history of Boston’s Back Bay.

That’s okay. I want one more photo of the Grand Canyon, and I plan to stop at more national parks along the way. Our trips truly reflect our personalities, with Marti sipping coffee and eating scones while I plan for a shower facility every two days.

Onward to that canyon sunset, friends.

I found this article posted on Fark.com, and couldn’t resist re-posting it here. I know this is a hot button topic, but a boot camp simulating border crossing is just…cool. I totally want to do it.

Watching the video took me back to a game I played as a kid, called Christians and Commies. It was always played at night, and we had to get through the “Commies” with Bibles for the “Christians.” (I guess you can tell I had a really religious childhood?) Anyway, there were police to “capture” you, and comrades to give you away, and there were thrilling tales of prison escapes that I remember listening to in awe as a 13-year-old. I recently read Escape and was only nominally surprised to see that fundamentalist Mormon children have a similar game.

Maybe it says something about human nature, that we like the thrill of a challenge. Running Bibles through communist Russia was a crime; we didn’t see it as practicing a crime, but it was. How much is the “dream” the Mexicans run for just the same?

Dubbed the Caminata Nocturna (Night Hike), the three-hour simulation is a combination obstacle course, sociology lesson and PG-rated family outing. Founded in 2004, it’s run by members of a local village of Hñahñu Indians, an indigenous people of south-central Mexico. The village’s former population of about 2,500 has been decimated by migration to the United States.

The 7 1/2 -mile hike, which involves quite a bit of running, costs about $10 per person. The money raised from the Caminata, and other park activities such as cabin rentals, rappelling and boating trips, is shared evenly among the villagers.

Here’s a very interesting site, called walkscore.com, that rates the walkability of your neighborhood.

I was initially surprised that my neighborhood is not walk friendly, but then I thought about the fact that I have to walk through parking lots and an industrial district, mainly without sidewalks, in order to get to Safeway. And it makes me feel slightly better about the fact that I hate walking to Safeway in my neighborhood, or Food City, because there aren’t any sidewalks and it makes me very nervous.

Marti and I both long to live in a place where everything is within walking distance. That is one aspect of New York and Boston — and maybe all mega-cities — that I like, that cars are not required. I have long hated driving, I still hate driving, and I do not enjoy driving Ben to school and picking him up every day. It’s 2 miles each way, and again, there aren’t any sidewalks, so I tend to make that short drive. It irritates me, though, because I want to walk it. Without getting run over by a truck.

It’s a curious thing about the U.S., that we never walk anywhere. When I lived in London in college, I really noticed I didn’t have to watch my diet as much as I do here. Walking to the subway, to class, through the city, each and every day — I probably walked more than 6 miles a day, much of it at a very fast pace. I know my roommate and I usually ran the 2 miles to the subway every morning. That kind of exercise really adds up. It’s also very peaceful, at least when you’re not running late. I watched an ivy-covered post slowly turn from green to orange, red and finally brown as the seasons passed, and it was a thing of beauty that I enjoyed watching while walking to and from the subway every day. I still picture it in my mind.

Will we ever embrace this kind of change here? People are so attached to their cars. I once dated a man who called his car his “feet.” I never told him what a turnoff that was for me. But it says something that he paid more for a bumper than Marti paid for his whole car in Japan…and guess who I married.

And now, my friends, I am walking to bed.

(Photo courtesy of lovecircus’ photos on Flickr)

This is another belated post, but for those who care, I had a great Mother’s Day. I only wanted one thing — to be able to sleep in — and that is what I got. Unfortunately, I can hardly sleep past 8:30 a.m. anymore, and all I have to say is that’s just sick, sick sick. I used to be an inveterate sleeper, able to sleep into the early afternoon or even the evening, and considering my constant sleep-deprived state, you’d think I could have done better than 8:30. Next thing you know I’ll be shaving my corns, taking my teeth out and getting into bed at 7 p.m. in order to “get an early start.” Ah, the old age, it is setting in.

Anyway, when I finally gave up and got out of bed (a little after 9), I was greeted with breakfast and presents. Ben made me a lovely present all by himself (well, all by himself in a class of 26 children, 2 teachers, a translator and a teaching assistant). It is a tie-dye picture that he framed, and I have to say he did a really nice job. He somehow managed to make a star — it really looks like a star — which makes him 100% better at tie-dye than me.

Maya gave me a gift card for a massage at Spa One. I’ve never been to Spa One, but I am totally and completely okay with massages. Maya is a very perceptive 2-year-old, to know how I like massages. She already brushes my hair for me, so setting up mani-pedis and scheduling my weekly masseuse is just the next step. I love daughters.

Last but not least, Marti got me this book, called Porn For New Moms:

There are many choice pages in it, but this was my personal favorite:

I hope your Mother’s Day was just as special!