LAX...

...is the most ghetto airport in the US I have ever been in...more to follow.

Zoo Lights

From Zoo Lights '0...

From Zoo Lights '0...

From Zoo Lights '0...

So I went to Zoo Lights in Portland last night with my friend (I almost used the adjective 'old' there in front of friend, then sub-consciously shied away because of what it would imply about me) PAgent.

I'd never been to this wonder before and it was the last opportunity I had time to spend time with the Agent Family before I headed to Australia. It is an exceptionally impressive, nearly magical, transformation of the Portland Zoo into a display of Christmas light that is pretty amazing.

These photos don't really begin to capture it, because they were taken with the camera on my cell phone, but over and above that, there is so much coordinated movement in the lights that you'd need to be a great photographer (which I would never claim to be) to get things to turn out, I think. I prefer: point, shoot, look, delete, repeat until desire results are approximated, not necessarily achieved. But these will give you some idea of the effects.

Of the ancient craft of the Lightner, those mythic folk who revel in the placement and operation of Christmas tree lights, there is no higher example.

Of Many Stresses...

I have been remiss, it may be noted, in posting. That is because I am in Crunch Time. Trying to pack. Trying to plan the moves. Trying to get a handle on all the people I should see before I go to Australia. And oh yeah, trying to tie up both of my jobs before I go; the parish AND the development work. To say it has been stressful is understatement. I did what I always do.

Which is to say, I planned to get things done and just chill out the last couple weeks as I disengaged from the parish and the development stuff, arrange the storage, see a few friends, etc. All of which I put off, then when people started with the 'let's get together before you go' thing, I didn't have the good sense to say NO! So, as usual, everything is happening at once. Which makes for an interesting, if stressful time. And on top of all of that there is Christmas in the parish which is a big event....whoof. I'm exhausted.

Moves, cleaning out the desk, dental appointments, etc. etc. etc. Have left me edgy and, I suspect, rather Scrooge-like. Oh well. What are you going to do? Every time I approach one of these events I think I will somehow do it differently. Then I don't. Then I feel frustrated. How shocking...

Ah! Stumptown!

I'm Portland for a couple days and went, this morning, to Stumptown roasters for an ephemeral and beautiful latte and a chocolate croissant. D-Lish, and as sumptuous to gaze upon as to consume.

Notice the detail shot of the leaf of foam on top. Truly, barrista-artistas.

Post NYC Post

OK, so I got home late on Saturday night and had a bit of work to do yesterday that prevented me from posting but I just wanted to wrap up the NYC posts with a couple thoughts. One thought is just a list of languages I heard while in NYC:

• Spanish
• German
• Russian
• Chinese
• French
• Italian
• Korean
• Igbo and two other African dialects I couldn't place
• Persian Farsi
• Hebrew/Yiddish
• Creole
• Polish
• Ukranian
• 2 Others I couldn't identify

So my question is this: If a city as big, and complicated can be the home to so many different people that these languages (and their attached belief systems and customs) can be found in a city that runs as (relatively) smoothly as NYC does, what the heck is the rest of the world doing wrong that we can't all get along as well as New Yorkers?

It's a melting pot. It's always been a melting pot. I hope it always remains a melting pot.

300 - The New Trailer

This is the trailer for the upcoming movie based on Frank Miller's graphic novel '300,' which tells the story of the Spartans at Thermopolyae. I am a fan of the tale, and, in this case, the visualization of the telling. Although, I do prefer Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire which is a historically accurate take on the epic.

The Ultimate Malted

This picture is of the ultimate malted in New York city. Available exclusively at the Lexington Candy Shop at the corner of 83rd and Lexington on the upper East Side. Smooth. Creamy. Malty. Very little ice cream is involved in its creation. It is an anachronism; a thing whose day is long past. It is a hand crafted delight of an old-school lunch counter. Gaze upon it ye fast food denizons and despair.

Better Rockefeller Center Pic

I went back down to Rock Center last night with my 'real' camera on a post-dinner walk and snapped this, among other shots. Saks 5th Avenue is right across the street and the whole thing is lit up in an absolutely gorgeous display of Christmas color and light.

New York is funny at Christmas time. On one hand it wants to be as jaded and worldly as New York. Black leather jackets and boots and wrap around shades cool. On the other hand, it really is a magical place that captures the spirit, look and feel of Christmas as it is in our imaginations; other-worldy, beautiful, tender, nostalgic and a place where we are good to one another and our hearts are with our fellows. I love that about New York. Sure, it's inconsistent. You wanna make somethin' of it? Fergitaboutit.

I <3 NYC.

Saks at night

This view is looking back up toward 5th Avenue with my back toward the Rockefeller Center tree. They are projecting all the snowflakes on the side of the building and they rotate as they 'fall.' It's incredible. Last night when I walked down there, with Jim and Bob, Jim was astounded at the lack of crowds at the tree; he said that normally you can't even get past the passage its on on 7th Ave, which is about a block away because it's so jammed with people. Wow, I must be living right. It IS uber-beautiful though. I've been offered a job here in Manhattan and it's things like this that make me seriously consider it. That, and the fact that Laurie Anderson, the performance artist, was giving a talk at the Guggenheim last night. What a town.

NYC Morning

Just landed @ JFK. The cabbie is Russian. Yalmukes are in full effect. H & H bagels are in the air. NYC in December = finest kind. Oh, and the cabbie should be in NASCAR. Really.

I shot this picture in the back of my cab on the way in to The City (that's how the locals refer to it here, and yes, they do capitalize it like that). I thought it was appropriate.

I Think It's Only Fair To Warn You...

I was thinking about this blog on my drive home from Gig Harbor. I felt that, in the interest of Full Disclosure it was only fair to warn people that I am, by nature and training, exceptionally cautious. Reality has, on several occasions, shown me that one cannot be too paranoid.

So, if you are expecting far reaching and really self-revealing posts on here, well, you're at the wrong blog. I figure I'll tell you where I am (if I think it's safe to do so). What I'm up to (if I think it will interest you). And maybe how it is affecting me.

But please remember, this is the InterNets. The ultimate marketplace of ideas, fraught with all the phonies, fakes, frauds, sinners, saints, authentic people, opportunities and scams that it brings with it. So, I hope you'll understand my caution. That being said, I hope you'll stop by...

Gig Harbor Morning

We went for a nice walk to a bakery about a mile from the house this morning for some neat to eat treats. On the way back, Mount Ranier showed itself as we looked back east at the head of the harbor. Sadly, the camera in my phone isn't quite up to showing the subtly of the image...if you squint, you can kind of see the beauteous peak at the left of the frame.

OK, Here we go...

I spent this weekend with some friends, one of whom runs a wildly successful C-List blog, which you can see here.

Following his wizened experience, I have created this blog with the purpose of keeping people who know me informed about my travels and general antics as I go to my Tertianship, the last phase of my Jesuit training, in Australia.

Many people have asked me what Tertianship is and what I'll be doing. I have no clue what I will be doing; that's up to the Tertian master, whom I haven't even met yet. For a concise definition of what Tertianship is, check the Wikipedia post here.

So hopefully that gets off on the right foot. Don't ask me where we're going, I'm as eager to find out as you are. Actually, I'm eager to get on the road, but that's not for a few weeks yet. My advice: Strap in. My experience is that my adventures are, high octane, shall we say. I can't promise that it will be fun. Or interesting. But sometimes it is...so you're welcome to come along and I'll try to let you know what it is I'm seeing, doing and how the experience is affecting me.