Mobile Blogging

I THINK I have just set up my mobile blog. That means I can shoot a photo or random thought to this blog via my cell phone. If it works I will marvel once again at the wonders of techknowledgey. If it doesn't I will unleash a verbal rant of frustration and despair. Just like I do with everything else.

I finally watched "Monsoon Wedding" last night. Great movie! Makes me want to return to India. Or at least Sri Lanka.

Continue on with your business...

Beijing Readies for the 2008 Olympics

Tour Spring 2005 150.jpg
Originally uploaded by MikeWigal.

OK, so they are the world's largest penal colony. AND the world's largest (I think) provider of finished clothing. I love the Olympics. Of course, to me the Games are strictly Track and Field. All that other stuff, Gymnastics, Diving, etc. you can keep. I don't like any sport that requires a judge to decide who is the better athlete. Give me a race or a toss any time. If you get there first, you win. No style points. No degrees of difficulty. Mano a mano, so to speak.

Anyway, I'm having trouble posting from the Blogger site, but I can post by adding a photo from Flickr.com (Which, by the way, I highly recommend.)

To finish some housekeeping, thanks to Margaret Nolen, the lady who sat next to me on the Seattle flight I talked about a few posts ago, for this update: Just a couple of add-on's to your story: Caleb's mom is married to a Fort Lewis soldier who is in Iraq and hasn't seen Caleb since he was 2 weeks old. She was travelling to Philadelphia to see her family.

Whatever you think of the war, I hope we can get those men and women home ASAP(!) so they can pick up with their families. If you've never served you have no idea how stressful it is to be separated from your family. And Caleb needs his Daddy!

Also Margaret was travelling to Philadelphia to see her daughter compete for the University of Wisconsin in the IRA rowing championships. Well, the Wisconsin Badger Lightweight Women's 8+ crew won a national championship with me watching. It was a good mom thing to make that trip.

I agree Margaret. Congrats to your daughter. Crew is about the hardest sport going. It looks to peacefull and idyllic to watch, but the effort extended by the rowers is absolutely incredible.

Mick and I are headed off to Costa Rica (The Rich Coast) this weekend. I hope to have some good photos in a couple weeks.

Here's A Book You GOTTA Read!

"The World is Flat" by the New York Times writer Thomas Friedman. I don't care if you flip burgers for a living, this relates to you. Friedman is so far ahead of the game he should be President. Of course that is impossible. He's too intelligent and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't spout BS to get elected. The truth in his words will never be accepted by the Red Staters.

But, hey, at least we have "Creation Theory" in our schools. Our kids are SIX YEARS behind the rest of the world in math and sciences, but our teachers are scared to talk about evolution.

And you thought the Taliban were backward.

Eddie the Harbor Seal (2).jpg

Eddie the Harbor Seal (2).jpg
Originally uploaded by MikeWigal.

Eddie checked out our group of kayakers as we departed Roche Harbor, Washington for a five hour tour of the islands. Eddie, it turned out, was our closest encounter to wildlife. We saw a camera shy Sea Lion. a couple Bald Eagles and other seals sunning themselves on some rocks.

Alas, we were not to see whales or Orcas this day. But, it was a fantastic experience on the edge of life between man and nature.

A Funny Thing Happened on My Way Back From Seattle

Following the 2005 NAFSA Conference in Seattle, Washington I caught the Red-Eye back to Philly before connecting to Pittsburgh. Across the aisle from me was a mom with a baby. The little boy was fussing and crying. I'm sure everyone around him was thinking "this will be a loooong flight if that kid cries the whole way." In a way it was funny, because he was almost at the talking stage and was trying to verbalize. Anyway, nothing his mom did could calm him down. Beside me sat a kind of big guy, Lloyd Burleson, from eastern Washington. Lloyd was on his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championships in Atlantic City, NJ. He kind of looks the part, too. Shaved head, goatee, black AC-DC tee shirt. Good sized guy. I didn't hear what he said to the little guy's mom, but pretty soon she hands the little fella (His name, it turns out, is Caleb. He is eight months old.) over to Lloyd. In two minutes Caleb is asleep in Lloyd's arms and he slept like a baby (yeh, I know) pretty much the whole flight. When he did awaken he was fascinated by Lloyd. Even after Lloyd handed him back to his mom Caleb couldn't take his eyes off him.

Those of us around this scenario were likewise fascinated. Turns out Lloyd has four young children of his own. He was on his way to the Fights as a Father's Day present.

Several of those around shared our stories with each other. For a brief period in time, in a metal cylinder six miles above the Earth we were a community.

Just a nice moment in the life...