I've been thinking a bit too much lately- or so it has seemed. Thankfully, the world seems to have provided me with a temporary reprieve.
Of note:
- Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman (introduced to me by one of new favorite people)
- Lazy days in NYC Parks
- My carpenter (accent on the pent)- I say this not to diminish his impact but instead to highlight it. Sometimes you just need to BE with someone who knows how to just BE
- Bellydance shows put on by Sera Solstice Studio, featuring my dear friend Debra
- Physical Therapy which has me focusing on little other than my core
- Obsessing over a computer problem -- sitting in a cafe called Giani on the UES trying to score some free wi-fi so I could get some work done outside of my apartment. Suddenly, my computer decided that it needed a device key in order to give me access to this wi-fi. The owner assured me I needed no password and thus, had none to provide me. As I hacked away, getting ever more focused on the problem at hand, I realized nothing else mattered but figuring out the key to my free wi-fi. When I finally managed to disable the Intel Pro Set in favor of the more simplistic Windows based Wi-Fi manager, I actually got it to work. Somehow I think there's a lesson in there somewhere!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Happiness Mantras
Been very inspired lately by Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project Blog and Toolbox. After a few weeks of overwhelming drama in my life (think sickness, losing a family friend and breakups/breakdowns), I decided I was pretty sick of being miserable. But being sick of being miserable and actually being happy are two very different things. First, I started with a bit of a purge- nothing like cleaning out the old to make room for the new (the bathroom is at least slightly less overrun by expired tylenol tablets and almost empty shampoo bottles from hotels past these days). I also decided that if people in my life are only adding to my stress then I probably need to take a step back. A mini-purge however does not, in and of itself, lead to sustained stability or happiness. On the other hand, it does give one enough of a boost to start contemplating other happy moves. I started forcing myself out of the apartment more (even though spring in NYC has felt much more like winter). After re-engaging with some of the people and things that do calm me down and cheer me up, I had a bit of a revelation. Okay, don't expect any semblance of genius here . . .
The more you have going on in your life, the more opportunities you have for happiness. This is probably a variant on the " busy people are happier" concept. I think this is due to the fact that if you have a lot going on and one part of your life feels lilke it's falling apart, at least you have the hope that another part of your life might give you some feeling of satisfaction/excitement etc. In many ways, I've craved a life where I didn't have to work and could just sleep in, go out when I felt like it etc. Obviously, work can be a major source of frustration sometimes. But in the past few days, work has been at least somewhat of a salvation. 1) It keeps you busy so you don't have time to obsess over the hurt/pain etc. 2) It keeps you surrounded by people even when you want to hide 3) It provides an opportunity to feel useful and 4) You might even get that compliment you've been waiting for on a "job well done." Of course, this doesn't mean that I still won't fantasize about winning the lottery and an early retirement but it gives me some appreciation for the work I have to do anyway. The more you have going on, the more likely it is you'll find a way to snap out of it when something is bringing you down. No one thing is everything and that is a great thing! Even when life is going well, you don't want one main source of happiness because if that falls apart, there's nothing left. So, this leaves me with one of my new happiness mantras: do more, worry less!
My second new mantra is "look good, feel good" or "look the way you want to feel." This is adapted from a popular happiness theory that suggests that you should "act the way you want to feel." As in, if you project happiness, you'll inspire that in people around you which, in turn, will make you happy. But at an even more basic level, I find that dressing a bit better, smiling a bit more, and taking a bit more care of yourself (no sweatpants and hoodies when going to grab groceries- unless they are super CUTE) is enough to jumpstart your happiness too. If you look like crap, it will only make you feel worse. So, taking a few extra minutes in the morning to pick out an outfit might just be the happiness boost you need . Oh yeah, it also doesn't hurt when you get a compliment/comment on your outfit, your new-found calmness, or your extra smiles.
The more you have going on in your life, the more opportunities you have for happiness. This is probably a variant on the " busy people are happier" concept. I think this is due to the fact that if you have a lot going on and one part of your life feels lilke it's falling apart, at least you have the hope that another part of your life might give you some feeling of satisfaction/excitement etc. In many ways, I've craved a life where I didn't have to work and could just sleep in, go out when I felt like it etc. Obviously, work can be a major source of frustration sometimes. But in the past few days, work has been at least somewhat of a salvation. 1) It keeps you busy so you don't have time to obsess over the hurt/pain etc. 2) It keeps you surrounded by people even when you want to hide 3) It provides an opportunity to feel useful and 4) You might even get that compliment you've been waiting for on a "job well done." Of course, this doesn't mean that I still won't fantasize about winning the lottery and an early retirement but it gives me some appreciation for the work I have to do anyway. The more you have going on, the more likely it is you'll find a way to snap out of it when something is bringing you down. No one thing is everything and that is a great thing! Even when life is going well, you don't want one main source of happiness because if that falls apart, there's nothing left. So, this leaves me with one of my new happiness mantras: do more, worry less!
My second new mantra is "look good, feel good" or "look the way you want to feel." This is adapted from a popular happiness theory that suggests that you should "act the way you want to feel." As in, if you project happiness, you'll inspire that in people around you which, in turn, will make you happy. But at an even more basic level, I find that dressing a bit better, smiling a bit more, and taking a bit more care of yourself (no sweatpants and hoodies when going to grab groceries- unless they are super CUTE) is enough to jumpstart your happiness too. If you look like crap, it will only make you feel worse. So, taking a few extra minutes in the morning to pick out an outfit might just be the happiness boost you need . Oh yeah, it also doesn't hurt when you get a compliment/comment on your outfit, your new-found calmness, or your extra smiles.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Lunch with Joel
So, Joel Klein has initiated a series of brown bag lunches with different departments at the Central Office of the NYC Department of Education. This is truly exciting in that most of Joel's time is spent running from school to school, press events (including an interview on NY1 that I watched last night), city council meetings and consulting with other political leaders from around the world about education reform (including, I just found out, the Mayor of Jerusalem). Today was our day to hear from Joel himself about his vision and his experiences but more importantly, to pose questions directly to him. He assured us that there would be no retribution for harsh/controversial questions and with his typical brand of humor, added that he doesn't really remember names so even if he wanted to, it would be unlikely ;-)
I was initally impressed by the fact that Joel actively asked someone to move so he could sit right in the center of the table, as opposed to the head of the table- which landed him right next to yours truly. Strangely, I was actually a bit nervous to sit next to him as he has been elevated to a bit of a God-like status for me, even though I disagree wiith him on more than a few of his ideas. We covered many heated topics from pay-for-performance to bottom-up versus top down approaches, to the UFT. He is quite open about his passionate distaste for teachers sitting and waiting to collect their pensions with no plans to actually invest in their profession of teaching kids as well as more positive obsession over what he considers the bottom line: OUTCOMES (aka, student achievement, getting kids into college etc etc).
What became clear to me in this discussion is just how much of a black-box approach we are in fact supporting- as in, it's not the HOW, it's the WHAT. If it means we use charter schools or merit pay or anything else to drive achievement, it doesn't matter, as long as it works. On the one hand, I understand how important outcomes are, but on the other, I would argue that we need to have some insight into the HOW if we are ever to replicate the approaches that work and eliminate the ones that don't. I guess his point is that with data and knowledge management systems (thankfully, exactly what I do!!)- we will have the opportunity to not only measure our outcomes but capture at least some portion of the HOW. But in the meantime, the how seems relatively unimportant- just that we do it, and do it now. Obviously, a very compelling argument when you realize just how many of the students in NYC can barely read or write, let alone go to college and succeed. I asked him more about the tension between a bottom up approach and achieving efficiency/outcomes through a centralized approach to which he responded with a theory from Michael Barber (a McKinsey consultant) on change management: a large system can go from awful to adequate with a top down approach, but to go from adequate to good (or even great), one needs a bottom up approach in which users/consumers etc demand greatness. Thus, choice (or quasi market systems) are at the heart of great systems. I plan to do some more reading on this before I'm sold completely but certainly seems to have some merit.
Obviously, I learned a lot about more about his vision for NYC as well as its relationship to other cities and the national government's plans to push for higher standards and more accountability. However, I learned much more about communication and leadership. Why, is it, I though, that Joel is able to get so many people to listen to him. He doesn't have a particularly commanding presence when he walks into a room. What he does have is the ability to communicate in a way that's engaging, heartfelt, and even entertaining. He draws on a vast reservoir of knowledge and experiences from books, articles, his upbringing and so much more. He shares anectodes that personalize all of his beliefs from his father dropping out of high school during the Great Depression (and ending up as a miserable postal worker) to the teachers who refuse to give out homework because they don't get paid for the time to mark it etc. All of the stories are meaningful and have some underlying belief at the heart of them but also filled with a sense of humor. All of us seem to find a way to relate to his stories and thus, to his overall beliefs and message.
I'm not sure where my life is taking me or my career, but I'm so glad to be around people like Joel, and people like you, who remind me how important it is to be passionate about what you do and always strive to do better. Challenging the status quo isn't always easy but it's often necessary. Cheers to the rebels!
I was initally impressed by the fact that Joel actively asked someone to move so he could sit right in the center of the table, as opposed to the head of the table- which landed him right next to yours truly. Strangely, I was actually a bit nervous to sit next to him as he has been elevated to a bit of a God-like status for me, even though I disagree wiith him on more than a few of his ideas. We covered many heated topics from pay-for-performance to bottom-up versus top down approaches, to the UFT. He is quite open about his passionate distaste for teachers sitting and waiting to collect their pensions with no plans to actually invest in their profession of teaching kids as well as more positive obsession over what he considers the bottom line: OUTCOMES (aka, student achievement, getting kids into college etc etc).
What became clear to me in this discussion is just how much of a black-box approach we are in fact supporting- as in, it's not the HOW, it's the WHAT. If it means we use charter schools or merit pay or anything else to drive achievement, it doesn't matter, as long as it works. On the one hand, I understand how important outcomes are, but on the other, I would argue that we need to have some insight into the HOW if we are ever to replicate the approaches that work and eliminate the ones that don't. I guess his point is that with data and knowledge management systems (thankfully, exactly what I do!!)- we will have the opportunity to not only measure our outcomes but capture at least some portion of the HOW. But in the meantime, the how seems relatively unimportant- just that we do it, and do it now. Obviously, a very compelling argument when you realize just how many of the students in NYC can barely read or write, let alone go to college and succeed. I asked him more about the tension between a bottom up approach and achieving efficiency/outcomes through a centralized approach to which he responded with a theory from Michael Barber (a McKinsey consultant) on change management: a large system can go from awful to adequate with a top down approach, but to go from adequate to good (or even great), one needs a bottom up approach in which users/consumers etc demand greatness. Thus, choice (or quasi market systems) are at the heart of great systems. I plan to do some more reading on this before I'm sold completely but certainly seems to have some merit.
Obviously, I learned a lot about more about his vision for NYC as well as its relationship to other cities and the national government's plans to push for higher standards and more accountability. However, I learned much more about communication and leadership. Why, is it, I though, that Joel is able to get so many people to listen to him. He doesn't have a particularly commanding presence when he walks into a room. What he does have is the ability to communicate in a way that's engaging, heartfelt, and even entertaining. He draws on a vast reservoir of knowledge and experiences from books, articles, his upbringing and so much more. He shares anectodes that personalize all of his beliefs from his father dropping out of high school during the Great Depression (and ending up as a miserable postal worker) to the teachers who refuse to give out homework because they don't get paid for the time to mark it etc. All of the stories are meaningful and have some underlying belief at the heart of them but also filled with a sense of humor. All of us seem to find a way to relate to his stories and thus, to his overall beliefs and message.
I'm not sure where my life is taking me or my career, but I'm so glad to be around people like Joel, and people like you, who remind me how important it is to be passionate about what you do and always strive to do better. Challenging the status quo isn't always easy but it's often necessary. Cheers to the rebels!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Leap of Faith
Hola de Patagonia!
As many of you know, Joy and I headed down to Patagonia with theintent of bonding with some glaciers. The extent of that bonding wasyet to be determined. So, upon our arrival in El Calafate, we headed straight to the center of town to speak with representatives from the various travel agencies who provide a whole repertoire of glaciertours, including: boat tours, balcony tours (just transport to and from the main lookout points), mini-trekking (a short hike and ice climbing adventure with crampons), as well as BIG ICE (a full 7 hours trek including 3 hours of hiking to and from the glacier and 4 hours of ice laden fun). We went directly to speak with the premier tour company here called Hielo y Aventura (Ice and Adventure) as they were highlighted in our guidebooks. Our decision-making criteria included: photographic opportunities, the physical demands of the excursion, the entertainment or interest value, and of course, the cost. Joy and Ibeing at least slightly type A were sure to weigh our options thoroughly, based on as much information as we could gather (sadly the internet, the guidebooks, and even the brochures all seemed to lack sufficient details).
We spent about 30 mins grilling the travel agency rep on the value ofdoing minitrekking versus big ice as well as our ability to handle it. The rep seemed to have little concern for our ability and suggested that big ice would really allow us some more quiet time on the glacierand very pretty "walks" in the forest- as there are far fewer people who join this particular tour (this should have been a red flag). She asked us no questions regarding our age, physical ability, health nor did she provide any liability waiver for us to sign after we finallysettled on "BIG ICE." With a swipe of our credit card, we were allset to go. The only thing left to do was to pick up some supplies as Joy´s shoes were deemed unacceptable for the journey as were herpants. We were told that we could rent equipment from boots towaterproof pants at a local store. I have to say I´m quite impressed that they allow you to rent equipment at all and don´t choose to gouge tourists (forcing them to buy totally overpriced trekking gear that most people will never use again). Quite the opposite, in fact. They don´t seem all that concerned with making money here at all-- and at times, stores just seem like fronts for mere socializing withneighboring shopkeepers. The concept of "sales" doesn´t really seem to be applicable here.
Joy and I were both exhausted in the morning as neither of us had slept well the night before, nervous about oversleeping and anxiously excited for our next day´s activity. But with our sunglasses, sunscreen, waterproof pants, jackets (mine being Gore-tex and Joy´s being her old gap rain jacket that we both have from high school), gloves, hats, ear muffs, and lunch boxes in tow, we headed out to thetour bus (meeting up with some great people we had met up with the night before- Courtney, Samantha, and Mitch) as well as eventually adding on 5 more people to the tour- for 10 in total. Unfortunately,the day started out rainy and windy and was showing no signs ofletting up. When we finally made it to the glacier viewing point (our first glimpse), it was so foggy, rainy, and windy, that only a small bit of the glacier was really visible. Despite the lack of visibility, it was still marvelous enough to inspire us to stay out and soak in the sights and sounds of the glacier. The sound of the glacier breaking (which has almost become addictive) has been described by many as closely resembling the sounds of lightning andthunder- first you hear a crackling-like sound and then a strong"boom." Joy and I have added a few more possible descriptions below:
- a type of snap, crackle, pop effect like rice krispies but on a muchgrander scale
- like waves crashing onto the shore
- like a breeze developing into hurricane force winds that start torattle physical structure in its path
Sadly, the rainy-windy weather was not letting up and the trail (whichhadn´t been described as much more than a forest walk) was filled with steep inclines on muddy gravel and click loose stones. Furthermore,the guides, as it turns out, weren´t doing much guiding. They barely spoke English (note to self: a serious language barrier between you and the people who are responsible for you life is NOT a good idea) and oftentimes, were together at the front of the heap as opposed to staggering out with one at the front, one in the middle, and one at the back to bring up the rear. As far as I know, this is tour guide101- especially in any situation that might be somewhat dangerous. Alas, it was not to be. The rain was streaming down and the wind keptwhipping at us, making it difficult to see more than a step in front of us. Perhaps that was a good thing though, for if I had a clue what I was about to climb, I think I would have backed out. Actually, this is true for the entire experience-- but more on this to come.
Only about 45 minutes through (maybe half way to the start of theglacier), the trail got increasingly steep and the ground beneath us felt muddier and less steady- there was a rope hanging off of the sideof the mountain that we were supposed to grab onto to stead yourselves. However, the rope was too high and by reaching for the rope, you barely could keep your feet on the ground. I grabbed therope briefly before trying to quickly step up to the next "steady-ish"piece of land. As I went to step down, my entire right leg began to sink, engulfed by mud. If this wasn´t quicksand, it was certainly the closest thing to it I could imagine. My leg actually felt like it was being sucked in my the mud. Thankfully, my other leg was on steadier ground above me and somehow, my instincts kicked in and I put as much pressure on my other leg as possible while I tried to recover my otherleg from the mud. Honestly, I have no idea how I did it, as the guides just stood there above me staring blankly - if not borderline ready to laugh at the whole situation. Finally I made my way out and as upset as I was, just kept moving as I realized that no one couldreally help me but myself. The other tour group members asked me howI was but I basically shut down- my body became increasingly unstable and wobbly and I was nervous with every step, fearful of the same situation reoccuring. I just kept trying to focus on each step but itwas hard not to be both terrified and also angry at the apparent incompetence or disregard of the tour guides. At this point, Irealized going back over that spot seemed scarier than going forward so I had to keep moving. This was the only thing that powered me through.
Before getting to the "rest point" before embarking on our actual ice trek, we still had to pass through a waterfall and climb over rocksand a rain-soaked wooden footbridge. Thankfully, the tour group had begun to rally me- giving me extra moral and physical support when needed. Alas, 45 minutes later, we arrived at a tent for our brief pause before the glacier walking tour was to begin. I just sat onthese makeshift wooden benches in the tent debating whether I could possibly handle the rest of the excursion. Of course I didn´t want tohave come this far and NOT walk on the glacier but at this point I had lost faith in my body´s ability to handle such stress as well as the guide´s ability to actually rescue me if I were to need rescuing. Furthermore, the wind and rain made the whole experience seem ratherdaunting, less enjoyable, and certainly less conducive to photography-obviously one of my huge motivators. As everyone ate lunch in the tent, I just debated in my head whether or not to go for it andsomehow I came to the conclusion that I just had to keep going. Atthis point, however, another couple abandoned the tour as theyrealized this was too much for them (the girl was getting over a coldand the hiking on real land had already exhausted her)-- one of the three guides took them back. And so, we were down to 8. And 2 guides (if you can call them that).
Harnesses were put around our waist and thighs before heading out ofthe shelter. It is still not clear what these harnesses were for aswe were never connected to each other, to a rope, to our guides, oranything else for that matter. Ah, safety! We still had a prettysteep downhill hike to get to the point at which the mountain actuallymeets with the glacier. Here we set on a piece of dead wood to getour crampons put on- (we had been carrying them with us in ourbackpacks). As we waited our turn to get the crampons tied on, the wind got so bad that both Joy´s and Courtney´s ponchos actually ripped to shreds and flew off of them, covering the pristine glacier withbits of blue and yellow plastic. How wonderfully environmental of us! This was enough to send Courtney back as well. We were now down tour final 7! It was starting to feel like Survivor.
Here we were given approximately a 30-second demo of how to walk with crampons: walk uphill in a "V¨ with legs spread apart, walk downhill with legs parallel and knees bent (think seven dwarves singing hi-ho,hi ho . . .) And that about sums up our instructions for the rest ofthe day. No safety protocol, no practice, no nothing. Very reassuring. And so that was it, we were off, no turning back now. We began our ascent onto the Perito Moreno Glacier, trying as best aspossible to use our very brief instructions. Besides for the wind,the actual walking on the ice seemed surprisingly easy. In fact, it felt easier than walking on land- there was a sense of security that came with using your foot to jam pieces of metal into the ice to steady yourself. And more than anything, I just wanted to feel steady. Fortunately, as we began walking further up and into the heart of the glacier, the sun started to peak out and the rain ceased. The sun felt so good that it powered me in a way that I couldn´t imagine. My body was basically experiencing the equivalent of nonstop stairmasteron ice-- I can´t even do the stairmaster at a lovely, temperature controlled gym. However, my body somehow found a strength, an energy,and a peace that surprised even me. I began to enjoy seeing theglowing blue pools of water that gathered in the crevices between theice. Even leaping over rushing rivers of glacial water seemed to be as entertaining as jumping rope or playing hopscotch when you´re a kid. Every once in a while, I would realize what we were doing andexperience a brief moment of panic, but for the most part, I was able to enjoy the moment, in that cheesy zen-like manner that people talkabout but I had yet to believe was really possible (at least for me).Sadly, the guides proved no more useful as the day went on and kept apace that was not at all conducive to breathing or taking photos! Fortunately, the tour group (spread out as we were) did stop to takephotos and basically forced the guides to stop along the way- butnever enough as our bodies needed or our souls.
The texture of the ice closely resembles shards of glass- thus, our gloves could never come off despite our desire to "touch" this wondrous piece of nature. Seeing blue ice (created by the fact thatthe ice is so compressed that it takes longer for light to passthrough it) and pools of light blue and deep blue water - from gushingrivers, to little pools of gahered water, was endlessly exhilirating. At certain moments, I found myself running on the glacier-- feeling asense of freedom I haven´t since prancing around Yellowstone NationalPark a few years ago- also abandoning my fear of heights. Climbing a glacier felt in many ways like climbing the Sand Dunes of Namibia. Funny that things that seem as dissimilar as possible feltlike two halves of the same entity. And of course, the beauty of both seems to dwarf most anything I can imagine. Even when my legs felt like they could not possibly withstand any more, the glacier itself seemed to give me the strength to continue. Was it my survival instinct, actual harmony with nature or maybe it was just the terrifying fear of being left on a glacier all by myself- who knows?Regardless, it worked and I was taking it all in- from the taste of the glacier water to the visual of peaks and valleys and jagged edgesof ice in blue and white gradations all around me. At some point however, the physical strain returned again as we were about 30 minutes from stepping back on"dry land."
The last 30 minutes had intense period of straight uphill climbs,where pausing for a moment felt like too great a risk (as you couldimagine yourself falling straight down). The guides also had to keep testing different routes to see if the ice was solid enough to pass on(perhaps the most they did to ensure our security throughout theentire tour). Joy and I agreed to just go at our own pace and let thetour group move ahead. We had our own buddy system and felt confident that we could get through as long as we just kept moving, regardless of our speed. And this is the way we proceeded through the remainderof the trek from ice and back to land. Thankfully, this time around,much of the path had dried significantly and the ground seemed a bit more solid underneath our feet. However, with most of our tour groupand guides out of sight and no trail markers at all, the remainder of our trek was still filled with some trepidation. However, enjoying the forest trail at our own pace with no one around the disturb us wasprobably one of the highlights of our adventure. As we finally caught glimpse of the end of our journey, there was a sense of complete triumph for having schieved what we did-- SURVIVAL-but also a bit of sadness for leaving the beauty of the glacier behind. Only moments later, however, we were presented with whiskey on glacier ice and could only laugh at the sheer insanity of it all. I´m not sure this really gives a proper end to this story-- but suffice it to say that it was one helluva day! And Joy and I could clearly make some serious money here by putting together a photo-friendly ice trekking tour complete with safety protocols, restbreaks, on demand rental gear (to replace shreeded ponchos), and maybe even some kind words of encouragement for those doing their best tochallenge their bodies and minds.
Note: As a result of aforementioned adventure, Joy and I cancelled our El Chalten excursion and have decided to stay in El Calafate, enjoyinga bit more rest and relaxation that was originally planned.
Con mucho amor,Leah
As many of you know, Joy and I headed down to Patagonia with theintent of bonding with some glaciers. The extent of that bonding wasyet to be determined. So, upon our arrival in El Calafate, we headed straight to the center of town to speak with representatives from the various travel agencies who provide a whole repertoire of glaciertours, including: boat tours, balcony tours (just transport to and from the main lookout points), mini-trekking (a short hike and ice climbing adventure with crampons), as well as BIG ICE (a full 7 hours trek including 3 hours of hiking to and from the glacier and 4 hours of ice laden fun). We went directly to speak with the premier tour company here called Hielo y Aventura (Ice and Adventure) as they were highlighted in our guidebooks. Our decision-making criteria included: photographic opportunities, the physical demands of the excursion, the entertainment or interest value, and of course, the cost. Joy and Ibeing at least slightly type A were sure to weigh our options thoroughly, based on as much information as we could gather (sadly the internet, the guidebooks, and even the brochures all seemed to lack sufficient details).
We spent about 30 mins grilling the travel agency rep on the value ofdoing minitrekking versus big ice as well as our ability to handle it. The rep seemed to have little concern for our ability and suggested that big ice would really allow us some more quiet time on the glacierand very pretty "walks" in the forest- as there are far fewer people who join this particular tour (this should have been a red flag). She asked us no questions regarding our age, physical ability, health nor did she provide any liability waiver for us to sign after we finallysettled on "BIG ICE." With a swipe of our credit card, we were allset to go. The only thing left to do was to pick up some supplies as Joy´s shoes were deemed unacceptable for the journey as were herpants. We were told that we could rent equipment from boots towaterproof pants at a local store. I have to say I´m quite impressed that they allow you to rent equipment at all and don´t choose to gouge tourists (forcing them to buy totally overpriced trekking gear that most people will never use again). Quite the opposite, in fact. They don´t seem all that concerned with making money here at all-- and at times, stores just seem like fronts for mere socializing withneighboring shopkeepers. The concept of "sales" doesn´t really seem to be applicable here.
Joy and I were both exhausted in the morning as neither of us had slept well the night before, nervous about oversleeping and anxiously excited for our next day´s activity. But with our sunglasses, sunscreen, waterproof pants, jackets (mine being Gore-tex and Joy´s being her old gap rain jacket that we both have from high school), gloves, hats, ear muffs, and lunch boxes in tow, we headed out to thetour bus (meeting up with some great people we had met up with the night before- Courtney, Samantha, and Mitch) as well as eventually adding on 5 more people to the tour- for 10 in total. Unfortunately,the day started out rainy and windy and was showing no signs ofletting up. When we finally made it to the glacier viewing point (our first glimpse), it was so foggy, rainy, and windy, that only a small bit of the glacier was really visible. Despite the lack of visibility, it was still marvelous enough to inspire us to stay out and soak in the sights and sounds of the glacier. The sound of the glacier breaking (which has almost become addictive) has been described by many as closely resembling the sounds of lightning andthunder- first you hear a crackling-like sound and then a strong"boom." Joy and I have added a few more possible descriptions below:
- a type of snap, crackle, pop effect like rice krispies but on a muchgrander scale
- like waves crashing onto the shore
- like a breeze developing into hurricane force winds that start torattle physical structure in its path
Sadly, the rainy-windy weather was not letting up and the trail (whichhadn´t been described as much more than a forest walk) was filled with steep inclines on muddy gravel and click loose stones. Furthermore,the guides, as it turns out, weren´t doing much guiding. They barely spoke English (note to self: a serious language barrier between you and the people who are responsible for you life is NOT a good idea) and oftentimes, were together at the front of the heap as opposed to staggering out with one at the front, one in the middle, and one at the back to bring up the rear. As far as I know, this is tour guide101- especially in any situation that might be somewhat dangerous. Alas, it was not to be. The rain was streaming down and the wind keptwhipping at us, making it difficult to see more than a step in front of us. Perhaps that was a good thing though, for if I had a clue what I was about to climb, I think I would have backed out. Actually, this is true for the entire experience-- but more on this to come.
Only about 45 minutes through (maybe half way to the start of theglacier), the trail got increasingly steep and the ground beneath us felt muddier and less steady- there was a rope hanging off of the sideof the mountain that we were supposed to grab onto to stead yourselves. However, the rope was too high and by reaching for the rope, you barely could keep your feet on the ground. I grabbed therope briefly before trying to quickly step up to the next "steady-ish"piece of land. As I went to step down, my entire right leg began to sink, engulfed by mud. If this wasn´t quicksand, it was certainly the closest thing to it I could imagine. My leg actually felt like it was being sucked in my the mud. Thankfully, my other leg was on steadier ground above me and somehow, my instincts kicked in and I put as much pressure on my other leg as possible while I tried to recover my otherleg from the mud. Honestly, I have no idea how I did it, as the guides just stood there above me staring blankly - if not borderline ready to laugh at the whole situation. Finally I made my way out and as upset as I was, just kept moving as I realized that no one couldreally help me but myself. The other tour group members asked me howI was but I basically shut down- my body became increasingly unstable and wobbly and I was nervous with every step, fearful of the same situation reoccuring. I just kept trying to focus on each step but itwas hard not to be both terrified and also angry at the apparent incompetence or disregard of the tour guides. At this point, Irealized going back over that spot seemed scarier than going forward so I had to keep moving. This was the only thing that powered me through.
Before getting to the "rest point" before embarking on our actual ice trek, we still had to pass through a waterfall and climb over rocksand a rain-soaked wooden footbridge. Thankfully, the tour group had begun to rally me- giving me extra moral and physical support when needed. Alas, 45 minutes later, we arrived at a tent for our brief pause before the glacier walking tour was to begin. I just sat onthese makeshift wooden benches in the tent debating whether I could possibly handle the rest of the excursion. Of course I didn´t want tohave come this far and NOT walk on the glacier but at this point I had lost faith in my body´s ability to handle such stress as well as the guide´s ability to actually rescue me if I were to need rescuing. Furthermore, the wind and rain made the whole experience seem ratherdaunting, less enjoyable, and certainly less conducive to photography-obviously one of my huge motivators. As everyone ate lunch in the tent, I just debated in my head whether or not to go for it andsomehow I came to the conclusion that I just had to keep going. Atthis point, however, another couple abandoned the tour as theyrealized this was too much for them (the girl was getting over a coldand the hiking on real land had already exhausted her)-- one of the three guides took them back. And so, we were down to 8. And 2 guides (if you can call them that).
Harnesses were put around our waist and thighs before heading out ofthe shelter. It is still not clear what these harnesses were for aswe were never connected to each other, to a rope, to our guides, oranything else for that matter. Ah, safety! We still had a prettysteep downhill hike to get to the point at which the mountain actuallymeets with the glacier. Here we set on a piece of dead wood to getour crampons put on- (we had been carrying them with us in ourbackpacks). As we waited our turn to get the crampons tied on, the wind got so bad that both Joy´s and Courtney´s ponchos actually ripped to shreds and flew off of them, covering the pristine glacier withbits of blue and yellow plastic. How wonderfully environmental of us! This was enough to send Courtney back as well. We were now down tour final 7! It was starting to feel like Survivor.
Here we were given approximately a 30-second demo of how to walk with crampons: walk uphill in a "V¨ with legs spread apart, walk downhill with legs parallel and knees bent (think seven dwarves singing hi-ho,hi ho . . .) And that about sums up our instructions for the rest ofthe day. No safety protocol, no practice, no nothing. Very reassuring. And so that was it, we were off, no turning back now. We began our ascent onto the Perito Moreno Glacier, trying as best aspossible to use our very brief instructions. Besides for the wind,the actual walking on the ice seemed surprisingly easy. In fact, it felt easier than walking on land- there was a sense of security that came with using your foot to jam pieces of metal into the ice to steady yourself. And more than anything, I just wanted to feel steady. Fortunately, as we began walking further up and into the heart of the glacier, the sun started to peak out and the rain ceased. The sun felt so good that it powered me in a way that I couldn´t imagine. My body was basically experiencing the equivalent of nonstop stairmasteron ice-- I can´t even do the stairmaster at a lovely, temperature controlled gym. However, my body somehow found a strength, an energy,and a peace that surprised even me. I began to enjoy seeing theglowing blue pools of water that gathered in the crevices between theice. Even leaping over rushing rivers of glacial water seemed to be as entertaining as jumping rope or playing hopscotch when you´re a kid. Every once in a while, I would realize what we were doing andexperience a brief moment of panic, but for the most part, I was able to enjoy the moment, in that cheesy zen-like manner that people talkabout but I had yet to believe was really possible (at least for me).Sadly, the guides proved no more useful as the day went on and kept apace that was not at all conducive to breathing or taking photos! Fortunately, the tour group (spread out as we were) did stop to takephotos and basically forced the guides to stop along the way- butnever enough as our bodies needed or our souls.
The texture of the ice closely resembles shards of glass- thus, our gloves could never come off despite our desire to "touch" this wondrous piece of nature. Seeing blue ice (created by the fact thatthe ice is so compressed that it takes longer for light to passthrough it) and pools of light blue and deep blue water - from gushingrivers, to little pools of gahered water, was endlessly exhilirating. At certain moments, I found myself running on the glacier-- feeling asense of freedom I haven´t since prancing around Yellowstone NationalPark a few years ago- also abandoning my fear of heights. Climbing a glacier felt in many ways like climbing the Sand Dunes of Namibia. Funny that things that seem as dissimilar as possible feltlike two halves of the same entity. And of course, the beauty of both seems to dwarf most anything I can imagine. Even when my legs felt like they could not possibly withstand any more, the glacier itself seemed to give me the strength to continue. Was it my survival instinct, actual harmony with nature or maybe it was just the terrifying fear of being left on a glacier all by myself- who knows?Regardless, it worked and I was taking it all in- from the taste of the glacier water to the visual of peaks and valleys and jagged edgesof ice in blue and white gradations all around me. At some point however, the physical strain returned again as we were about 30 minutes from stepping back on"dry land."
The last 30 minutes had intense period of straight uphill climbs,where pausing for a moment felt like too great a risk (as you couldimagine yourself falling straight down). The guides also had to keep testing different routes to see if the ice was solid enough to pass on(perhaps the most they did to ensure our security throughout theentire tour). Joy and I agreed to just go at our own pace and let thetour group move ahead. We had our own buddy system and felt confident that we could get through as long as we just kept moving, regardless of our speed. And this is the way we proceeded through the remainderof the trek from ice and back to land. Thankfully, this time around,much of the path had dried significantly and the ground seemed a bit more solid underneath our feet. However, with most of our tour groupand guides out of sight and no trail markers at all, the remainder of our trek was still filled with some trepidation. However, enjoying the forest trail at our own pace with no one around the disturb us wasprobably one of the highlights of our adventure. As we finally caught glimpse of the end of our journey, there was a sense of complete triumph for having schieved what we did-- SURVIVAL-but also a bit of sadness for leaving the beauty of the glacier behind. Only moments later, however, we were presented with whiskey on glacier ice and could only laugh at the sheer insanity of it all. I´m not sure this really gives a proper end to this story-- but suffice it to say that it was one helluva day! And Joy and I could clearly make some serious money here by putting together a photo-friendly ice trekking tour complete with safety protocols, restbreaks, on demand rental gear (to replace shreeded ponchos), and maybe even some kind words of encouragement for those doing their best tochallenge their bodies and minds.
Note: As a result of aforementioned adventure, Joy and I cancelled our El Chalten excursion and have decided to stay in El Calafate, enjoyinga bit more rest and relaxation that was originally planned.
Con mucho amor,Leah
Monday, September 15, 2008
September Slump
Well, as you may have noticed I've been on a blogging break for a bit. Perhaps it's because I am experiencing a September Slump. I believe that almost everyone* goes through some level of September slumping every year as the summer fades from view, kids have to go back to school, adults say goodbye to casual Fridays at work, and flip flops no longer refer to shoes but instead to politicians. Argh!
How do you know if you too are experiencing the September Slump?
You know you're in a September Slump when:
5) You spent the last week night fine-tuning your DVR/TiVo selections
4) Games of choice include: name your hurricane and how low can the Dow go?
3) You keep walking by your bank to make sure it still exists
2) Even Back To School sales aren't enough to lure you back into stores
1) Making fun of Sarah Palin just isn't that fun anymore**
So, as I try to get through my own September Slump, let me offer up a handful of suggestions/thoughts to get through these trying times:
1) Remind yourself that bad politics=great comedy (aka Bill Maher, SNL, The Daily Show etc)
2) Get out your monopoly money- it might finally be worth something!
3) Climate change at this rate means snow days are just around the corner
4) Although loyalty in men is not innate, it can be taught! So, girls, you better reconsider the teaching profession (See more here: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-mating15-2008sep15,0,5766094.story?page=2)
5) Flip flopping is endlessly entertaining so we can always return to making fun of Sarah Palin!
* Okay, maybe just New Yorkers but it's way more fun to exaggerate
** These indicators are valid only for September 2008 and are subject to change at a moment's notice
How do you know if you too are experiencing the September Slump?
You know you're in a September Slump when:
5) You spent the last week night fine-tuning your DVR/TiVo selections
4) Games of choice include: name your hurricane and how low can the Dow go?
3) You keep walking by your bank to make sure it still exists
2) Even Back To School sales aren't enough to lure you back into stores
1) Making fun of Sarah Palin just isn't that fun anymore**
So, as I try to get through my own September Slump, let me offer up a handful of suggestions/thoughts to get through these trying times:
1) Remind yourself that bad politics=great comedy (aka Bill Maher, SNL, The Daily Show etc)
2) Get out your monopoly money- it might finally be worth something!
3) Climate change at this rate means snow days are just around the corner
4) Although loyalty in men is not innate, it can be taught! So, girls, you better reconsider the teaching profession (See more here: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-mating15-2008sep15,0,5766094.story?page=2)
5) Flip flopping is endlessly entertaining so we can always return to making fun of Sarah Palin!
* Okay, maybe just New Yorkers but it's way more fun to exaggerate
** These indicators are valid only for September 2008 and are subject to change at a moment's notice
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sticking to their Guns
Well, I took a much needed break after the RNC to take in all that I heard and quite frankly, just simmer down. Of course, I could repeat the many criticisms of the RNC already published in newspapers and discussed on political talk shows over the past few days but I'm not going to for now. Instead, I am going to try a slightly different approach. While there are numerous policy and philosophical differences I have with most of the politicans that spoke at the RNC, I was the most concerned with a general concept underlying the entire convention: the idea that unwavering beliefs and unchanging policy endorsements are the pinnacle of good leadership.
Although the idea of "flip-flopping" was turned into political death during the last President election, I wonder why the idea of holding steadfast to your position no matter what is seen as the opposite- aka political perfection? I am not speaking here of actual flip-flopping which regardless of party is a routine practice. Rather, I am speaking of the common references at the convention to the "idea" that John McCain and Sarah Palin are virtuous leaders as evidenced by their solid commitment to one thing or another. On the face of it, I see why this sounds good- and at times, may even be a positive trait in our leaders. However, this almost sounds like "blind faith" in which one takes something as a given, regardless of facts. I am by no means suggesting that I think a good leader should constantly be changing their positions. However, reevaluating one's positions isn't inherently bad, is it? For me, the question would be why did someone reevaluate or even change positions? Is it because they learned new facts or is it because some lobbyist "paid" them off to change positions? These are two entirely different scenarios that would necessitate two very different reactions in my book. So, why then are we told over and over by the Republicans that sticking to one's position, regardless of popular opinion, is the character trait de jour? Is it merely because the subtle reference to flip flopping may sink Obama like it did Kerry? Or is it because Bush's approval rating is so low that one needs to suggest that going against popular opinion is actually a good thing?
I realize that no one is going to please all U.S. citizens all of the time- not even close. But must we choose instead to elect a President that by definition suggests that we are voting for him because he will stand against public opinion but stay firmly committed to it? This is even more ironic given the McCain-Palin firm belief in the INability for Government to actually improve the lives of citizens. So, if they don't listen to public opinion and they don't trust the Government, who do they trust? Only themselves? I certainly don't have the answers but I have lots more questions.
And in honor of Bill Maher, I leave you with this:
NEW RULE: If you claim to be pro-life, you must support stem cell research and oppose the killing of innocent civilians worldwide!
Although the idea of "flip-flopping" was turned into political death during the last President election, I wonder why the idea of holding steadfast to your position no matter what is seen as the opposite- aka political perfection? I am not speaking here of actual flip-flopping which regardless of party is a routine practice. Rather, I am speaking of the common references at the convention to the "idea" that John McCain and Sarah Palin are virtuous leaders as evidenced by their solid commitment to one thing or another. On the face of it, I see why this sounds good- and at times, may even be a positive trait in our leaders. However, this almost sounds like "blind faith" in which one takes something as a given, regardless of facts. I am by no means suggesting that I think a good leader should constantly be changing their positions. However, reevaluating one's positions isn't inherently bad, is it? For me, the question would be why did someone reevaluate or even change positions? Is it because they learned new facts or is it because some lobbyist "paid" them off to change positions? These are two entirely different scenarios that would necessitate two very different reactions in my book. So, why then are we told over and over by the Republicans that sticking to one's position, regardless of popular opinion, is the character trait de jour? Is it merely because the subtle reference to flip flopping may sink Obama like it did Kerry? Or is it because Bush's approval rating is so low that one needs to suggest that going against popular opinion is actually a good thing?
I realize that no one is going to please all U.S. citizens all of the time- not even close. But must we choose instead to elect a President that by definition suggests that we are voting for him because he will stand against public opinion but stay firmly committed to it? This is even more ironic given the McCain-Palin firm belief in the INability for Government to actually improve the lives of citizens. So, if they don't listen to public opinion and they don't trust the Government, who do they trust? Only themselves? I certainly don't have the answers but I have lots more questions.
And in honor of Bill Maher, I leave you with this:
NEW RULE: If you claim to be pro-life, you must support stem cell research and oppose the killing of innocent civilians worldwide!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
RNC: The Regressive National Convention
In an editor's letter entitled "What Ever Happened to the Future?" in the July 2008 issue of Vanity Fair, Graydon Carter spoke to the trouble facing America today. He explained, far more articulately than I'm about to, that the genius of America historically was its emphasis on the future as opposed to the past. He argued that while Europe was busy looking backwards and celebrating the good old days, America was investing in its future, always looking to seize new opportunities. Unfortunately, he pointed out, those days have fallen behind us and instead of America leading the way, we have staggered recently (more precisely during the last 8 years of the Bush administration), falling behind Europe and others. In issues ranging from global warming to technology, we have hesitated or regressed entirely. To me, watching and listening to the Republicans over the last few weeks epitomizes this type of backwards-looking mentality.
Less than 1 hour into the RNC, images of the crumbling towers and references to September 11th are center stage ("Let's not forget George Bush has kept America safe" -Laura Bush). While September 11th is undoubtedly a day of siginificance to all Americans (and many across the world), it can not and should not be a political call to live in fear and govern through military might. Not only will this type of rule continue to drag us further and further behind the rest of the world, but it also doesn't work. According to a recent RAND corporation report, "the U.S. approach to countering al Qa'ida has focused far too much on the use of military force. Instead, policing and intelligence should be the backbone of U.S. efforts." They support this argument with DATA (I know, data can be SCARY, especially to those who believe in creationism and don't believe in global warming). Cory Doctorow describes the findings in the Boing Boing blog: "By analyzing a comprehensive roster of terrorist groups that existed worldwide between 1968 and 2006, the authors found that most groups ended because of operations carried out by local police or intelligence agencies or because they negotiated a settlement with their governments. Military force was rarely the primary reason a terrorist group ended . . . " And yet, Day 1 of RNC seemed to be an ode to the military and particularly the failed Iraq War. To me, Day 1 could be summed up something like this: religion, religion, religion, military, military, military, PAST, PAST, PAST!
I get it- we have a war hero presidential candidate and let's not forget that we are in the middle of a war. War hero+war=Elect McCain= put our country first! It amazes me that somehow war, and in particular the Iraq war (despite its waning popularity) still manages to garner so much positive attention and somehow equates to putting our country first. Even more shocking to me are military families and veterans, who have suffered continually from a lack of true support from the current Republican regime (unless you count repeated deployments and a lack of adequate health care for veterans as support), still seemingly enthusiastic about the Republican party and war in general (but admittedlly, I haven't actually looked at the statistics on this - YET). Shouldn't those the most likely to end up in harm's be the most war-phobic? Excuse the slight digression- now back to my original point . . .
I realize that Day 1 focused on the biography of John McCain and with 72 years of history, there is a helluva lot of "past" to discuss. I also am aware that during the DNC, we also took a brief tour into Obama and Michelle's past. But overwhelmingly, the sentiment at the DNC was excitement and encouragement for our future. And I have yet to hear anything forward-looking at the RNC. So, here's looking forward to hearing more from the Republicans in the days ahead. I only hope that that they too decide to look forward instead to continuing to dwell on the past.
And so, on to Day 2 . . .
P.S. Joe Lieberman seriously needs to stop calling himself a Democrat!!
Less than 1 hour into the RNC, images of the crumbling towers and references to September 11th are center stage ("Let's not forget George Bush has kept America safe" -Laura Bush). While September 11th is undoubtedly a day of siginificance to all Americans (and many across the world), it can not and should not be a political call to live in fear and govern through military might. Not only will this type of rule continue to drag us further and further behind the rest of the world, but it also doesn't work. According to a recent RAND corporation report, "the U.S. approach to countering al Qa'ida has focused far too much on the use of military force. Instead, policing and intelligence should be the backbone of U.S. efforts." They support this argument with DATA (I know, data can be SCARY, especially to those who believe in creationism and don't believe in global warming). Cory Doctorow describes the findings in the Boing Boing blog: "By analyzing a comprehensive roster of terrorist groups that existed worldwide between 1968 and 2006, the authors found that most groups ended because of operations carried out by local police or intelligence agencies or because they negotiated a settlement with their governments. Military force was rarely the primary reason a terrorist group ended . . . " And yet, Day 1 of RNC seemed to be an ode to the military and particularly the failed Iraq War. To me, Day 1 could be summed up something like this: religion, religion, religion, military, military, military, PAST, PAST, PAST!
I get it- we have a war hero presidential candidate and let's not forget that we are in the middle of a war. War hero+war=Elect McCain= put our country first! It amazes me that somehow war, and in particular the Iraq war (despite its waning popularity) still manages to garner so much positive attention and somehow equates to putting our country first. Even more shocking to me are military families and veterans, who have suffered continually from a lack of true support from the current Republican regime (unless you count repeated deployments and a lack of adequate health care for veterans as support), still seemingly enthusiastic about the Republican party and war in general (but admittedlly, I haven't actually looked at the statistics on this - YET). Shouldn't those the most likely to end up in harm's be the most war-phobic? Excuse the slight digression- now back to my original point . . .
I realize that Day 1 focused on the biography of John McCain and with 72 years of history, there is a helluva lot of "past" to discuss. I also am aware that during the DNC, we also took a brief tour into Obama and Michelle's past. But overwhelmingly, the sentiment at the DNC was excitement and encouragement for our future. And I have yet to hear anything forward-looking at the RNC. So, here's looking forward to hearing more from the Republicans in the days ahead. I only hope that that they too decide to look forward instead to continuing to dwell on the past.
And so, on to Day 2 . . .
P.S. Joe Lieberman seriously needs to stop calling himself a Democrat!!
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