I Love Trains (actually about trains)

Ok, second try at the "I love trains" blog. As I was saying, I love trains. I love their reliability, their speed, and the track they take. A little while ago Joe and I took the new Northstar Commuter train from Fridley, MN to Big Lake, MN. Now knowing that we live in Rochester, which is nowhere near either, you might ask, why those destinations? Well truthfully, it was an entirely gratuitous train ride. We were planning on heading to our friends Hayley and Matt's place in Big Lake for the weekend. They are super fun, and Hayley makes the best Scotcharoos in the world! We drove from Rochester to Fridley, and then instead of driving the next hour to Big Lake, we took the train.

These trains are glorious! I know that I am a little over-excited, but let me explain why. Nearly the entirety of my experience with trains happened during my various travels to Europe, and it's been way too long since I've been on said travels. Taking this train transports me to a journey through the hills of the Rhein River Valley, or the coast of southern Spain. It allows me a moment in time when I can really imagine myself being there. I can really see this is as my daily commute from my home in the Tuscan hills, to my job in central Florence. For others it might be from Fridley to Big Lake, but for me, it is a glimpse of my past and future adventures.

Trains and Bridges and The System

I love trains. I love any kind of train. I find security and assurance in the fact that they must travel along a track. Also, only one train can travel along a section of track at one time. I think think means that to have all the trains on any one track at any one time arrive at their destination safely, they must be on a strict and reliable schedule. Trains also feel safe, I imagine this intricate system of checks and balances based on the tested systems of engineers (both train and mechanical). This all of course works in collaboration  with the state and federal government who constantly make sure all the systems are working. Of course we are safe, this is America. Right? Until a few years ago, I would have not questioned this notion. Not until this happened....

This is not the best picture, but it was hard to get a good vantage point of the collapsed 35W bridge. This bridge in Minneapolis, about a mile from my house, fell down in August 2007. It just fell. During rush hour, packed with cars, it just fell. There are many tragic and heroic stories that go along with this bridge falling down, none of them happened to me. Something far less dramatic happened to me. Whatever faith I had left in "the system" totally disappeared.

Our American infrastructure was supposed to be the best in the world. I don't think anyone told me this, I just think we all assumed it. Right? We have inspectors, and regulators that check in on these things, right? Wrong. This bridge was on a very very long list of bridges to be eventually replaced in Minnesota. It didn't look like this one would get on the schedule for at least 10 years. What? So, where are the bridges that were in line ahead of the bridge that fell down?

 

The impact this tragedy had on me crept up slowly. At first I was just glad I didn't go to my parent's house to do laundry like I had originally planned. This was a trip that would have put me on the bridge that evening. Next, I noticed myself looking closely at the cracks and rust that are apparent on many bridges. They probably don't mean anything, but you never know. Then I started to drive just a little quicker under and over bridges in Minneapolis. A few months later, I was rolling down my windows whenever I drove over the river. Finally, two or three times, I actually unbuckled my seatbelt while driving over the river with my window down.

They built this new bridge in less than a year. At night it glows in different colors, you can't miss it. That is unless you are on it. Most people would not know they were crossing a bridge if they didn't know that the previous one fell down. Or, if they were my friend Chris with Down's Syndrome. I think he cries every time he crosses it. Which at first seemed a strange overreaction, now I think he is probably not the only one.

What was left of this tragedy, besides broken hearts and a lingering distrust in America, lies just down the river. I call it the bridge graveyard. The pieces of twisted steel, that were quickly salvaged from the  floor of the Mississippi, are located just down river from where it fell down in a, now fenced off, park called Bohemian Flats. It is really creepy, you can drive right by it, and see it from many other bridges crossing the river. Apparently, they have to keep it until all the pending lawsuits are resolved. This could be many many years. I heard they are building a huge warehouse out of town where the bridge parts will eventually go to live. Until then, it makes quite a memorial.

Oh, and yes, this post was originally supposed to be about trains. Tomorrow I guess.

The Power of Nice

Do you believe in the law of attraction? It's the idea that you attract to yourself everything you have by your thoughts and actions. I do. Recently I've seen evidence of this law as manifested by niceness.

Last Monday, and today - not days chosen for any reason, just days I remembered to think about it - I made a serious effort to be nice. Now, I don't mean just be cordial, or don't be rude. I mean actually real, got-out-of your-way nice. Things like sending a nice letter to someone letting you know that you appreciate them, or telling people that you really care about them. Also, I made sure to compliment people, even when it felt a little weird and uncalled for.

Now I went through my days, doing a few of these things now and then when I remembered to do them. I didn't think much of it, and I didn't expect any immediate results. But, tonight I had the greatest revelation. Both Monday and tonight, I got far more calls and text messages from friends than normal. It was all kinds of stuff, from texts that just said hi or a funny story, to friends I rarely hear from calling for advice. It also was not the people I was going out of my way to be nice to, it was totally different people!

I have to say, I feel really loved. Sometimes, living down here in Rochester, I feel a little isolated from my friends. All these notes and messages really reminded me that they are still out there, and care about me.

Now, let me put it out there that I was not being nice to people with the sole hope that people would be nice to back to me. I think the kindness needs to be genuine for the power of attraction to work. The universe knows when you are lying.

Cat Love

Well, it was only a matter of time before I dedicated a post to my cats. I'll try to keep it brief, I promise. I love pets with people names, so my cats are Eli and Ben. Eli was actually his given name, by the humane society of Lawrence, KS.

Ben's humane society name was Pazzobella. Lame, I know. I decided on Ben before we left the place. I got him at the humane society in Minneapolis in 2007. He's huge, and I think he is still growing.

Together they make a great pair. I usually get to see one awesome cat fight a day. I may be a bit of a cat lady, but I love them. They are the best. Even though they wake us up at unreasonable hours of the morning, they are so nice to come home to. So, more pictures!

 

 

 

Ok, I'm not making any promises, but that will most likely be my last post about my cats.

Weekend Visitors

Joe and I were very lucky to host some of our favorite friends this weekend. The last time we saw them was when we journeyed to Africa for their wedding almost exactly one year ago. The trip was amazing. We traveled to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and then throughout the country. Our favorite part was visiting the home of our friends in the Southern Highlands. A lush green area full of tea fields, monkeys and one of the areas highest HIV infection rates in the world. Our friends work with the local people, an orphanage and a local hospital. It changed my life to see how they were changing the lives of the people around them every day.

The above photo is some of the children who live at the orphanage our friends are responsible for. I love this photo. I took over 2,000 photos on the trip, and I think this is my favorite. We watched this couple get married last year on an island off the coast of Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Due to a last minute complication, Joe actually officiated the wedding! Of course, it was not legit until they got the necessary paperwork filled out in their home village.

Well, this blog was not meant to be about our trip to Africa, but instead about the wonderful visit we had with our friends Jenny and Geoff this weekend. Just one year after the wedding, they returned to America. They came to our house in Rochester with 5 week old daughter Evangeline Twilumba in tow.  Their little family was such a great sight. They are the most laid back, chill, cool parents I've ever seen. In turn, they seem to have produced the most laid back, chill baby ever! In a few weeks, they will be returning, with baby, to Africa. It is fascinating to look into that baby's eyes and imagine the extraordinary live she has is front of her.  She will no doubt grow up speaking both English and Swahili. She will eat fruits and vegetables grown within miles of her house. She will, hopefully, have a monkey as a pet, and most interesting of all, she will have parents who set an extraordinary example of what it means to be citizens of the world. She will know no less than what it means to give back and serve every day of her life.

To see more about what Jenny and Geoff do in Tanzania, and learn how you can help, check out their NGO's website - http://www.mufindiorphans.com, or find Foxes' NGO on Facebook.

Sand or Snow?

I made dinner tonight for my Grandma and her friend Margaret. I think I am starting to get really freaked out about getting old. It seems like kinda a bummer. Oh well, I think I might just not think about it too much. The scenery here in Florida is gorgeous. The beaches are white like snow, though I'm not super excited about being reminded of snow right now.

It's really pretty outside, but the weather still sucks. They were actually talking about snow on Thursday, that's nuts. I think this photo really says it all. Is that sand or snow?

My Window

We made it to Fort Walton Beach at about 1:00pm today. It was a short, but scenic drive from Birmingham through the real deep south. Lots of junky trailers and run down houses interrupted by huge southern mansions. Strange country. We stopped at a gas station in a really really small town that smelled like sulfur.  There was a lady in front of me at the check out, she was buying 3 packs of cigs and a 6-pack of beer. This is what she said, "I didn't quit smokin', I quit drinkin', but I thought I'd keep this in my trunk just in case." Seriously, I wish I had videotaped it.

The rest of tonights blog comes straight from Grandma. As she often does, she took some time tonight to read me some of her recently written poems. She writes a lot, and has published a fantastic book of her works. Many of her recent stuff is about death, it seems to be a theme for her right now. I can understand why, she is 85 and all of her peers are dead or dying. This one struck me, it is about a new etched glass door she had put on to her condo in Plymouth. She can be inspired by anything.

My Window by Betty Jane Gove

I can look at beauty every day.
The tall blue iris reminds me
the spring will come each year.
bringing all the newness
That rises from the Earth.
We must keep beauty in our sights
Or the mundane tasks of daily life
Will stifle all we've ever dreamed about
I will keep my eyes on the stately iris.
They rise up from slumber in the bog
It will be my talisman when winter nears.
A harbinger of future springs to come.

Minnesotans Like Spicy Food Too

    2nd day of driving done. I'm really tired of driving. I'm also starting to get irritated too easily. Luckily, I can just focus on the road and nod my head. We drove from Champaign, IL to Birmingham, AL today. We stopped a few more times than yesterday which was fine, we still made it in 9 hours. Wow, so far this is a really boring post. I had much more interesting intentions, but I've got nothin' right now.
    We ate at Chili's and the server made sure to warm us that there are jalapeños in the appetizer. I'm positive he did this because my Grandma is old and white and he saw my Minnesota driver's license and figured we couldn't handle the spicy stuff. Whatever Alabama, Grandma ate a pulled pork sandwich covered in a raw jalapeño  slaw and didn't mention it once.
   I would also like to point out that I left Minnesota to get away from the cold, and it is 30 degrees here. Lame. It's cool, I think it will be at least 45 in Florida.

    Is it wrong that Alabama feels more foreign than some of the foreign countries I've been to? I think that this is probably because I totally judged the South long ago, and it is totally not fair, but every Confederate flag I see reinforces the stereotypes. Sorry Alabama, but Confederate flags are just not cool with me.

The Road and the Journey

    First leg of the journey to Florida is done! We left bright and early at 9am this morning. Well, that is not usually bright and early, but for the last few weeks it totally qualifies. We made it all the way to Madison, WI without stopping. I pretty much kept my eyes on the road while Grandma chatted about anything and everything. She is definitely going through the stage in life where one reflects on the past. She remembers everything, and tells me lots of stories about her and my Grandfather's past travels. From what I gather, they drove across the country about 6,000 times while my Dad and his siblings were young.

   In between the chatting and the 10 minute snooze she took, pictured above, we listened to some music. By the way, she would kill me if she knew I posted this photo, so no one teach her how to use a computer in the next few days. We listened to a Willie Nelson CD that she just bought the other day. I had no idea she liked Willie Nelson, it doesn't really make any sense. When we needed to "give the CD player a rest," we listened to some tapes. Yep, I said it, tapes. We listened to some big band music and as she mouthed the words, I could see the memories sparkling in her eyes. I think that music brings her straight back to dancing with my Grandfather at sorority formals at Gustavus.

    She speaks so much about him and their life together. I know each minute of this journey reminds her of the many times they made this trip together. That, by the way, seems to be the only picture I have of him on my computer. I think he passed right before I got this one, so I found this pic on a list of retired Mound, MN teachers. Each town we pass through she remembers whether they stopped, and what sort of landmarks were there. She says he could find a Civil War historic site any where it existed. If it was on the map, they went there. Of course, stops for antiquing were totally out of the question. It reminded me of a trip we took to Colorado with Grandma and Grandpa when I was young. I think we stopped at every scenic outlook in the state. If fact, I remember writing a very snarky comment about it in my diary at the time. Looking back, I was young and easily annoyed. I would really give anything to have him here with us, telling me to slow down on the road. But then again, he would never have let me drive.

So in closing tonight, though this was not originally planned, I think these next few posts will be dedicated to Grandma and Grandpa - their past lessons, and the ones I'm sure await me in the next 5 days. Well, now I guess it is back to watching English comedies at full hotel TV volume.
  

2010 is Totally My Year

A few years ago, New Year's Day 2006 I think, I decided that that year was totally going to be my year. It was a great year. I curated 6 exhibitions at the outsider art gallery I ran, I reconnected with Joe, overall it was a really good year. When 2007 rolled around I decided that it would also be my year, and it was also pretty fantastic. I took multiple trips to Chicago, I visited Joe for the first time in Lincoln, I loved every second of living in Northeast Minneapolis. Needless to say, 2008 and 2009 were also totally my years. I made the decision to go back to school for nursing, I went to Africa and I moved in with the BF.

2010 is totally my year. This is the year I will graduate from nursing school. This is the year I will get to spend more than just weekends with Joe. This is the year I will blog. I also have a feeling this is the year I will discover I have hidden talents, and I will put them to good use.

Hopefully, this is also the year I will travel to Asia. Other hopes for 2010 include eating half as much in twice as much time, making new friends in Rochester and getting a nursing job in a cool, yet to be determined, city of our choice.

My first adventure of 2010 starts bright and early tomorrow morning. My father will drop me off at Grandma's house, and I will then drive her and her car to Fort Walton Beach, Florida where she is a proud Snowbird. Everyone seems to think I am crazy for doing this, but I really can't wait. I'm excited to "see America." The furthest I have ever driven is between Minnesota and Lawrence, KS about 1,000 times, and I've seen enough of that America - no offense Iowa and Missouri, but you guys are boring.

Our route will take us through what I'm sure will be gems of cities. First stop Champaign, Illinois followed by Paduca, KY, Nashville, Birmingham and Montgomery, AL. Oh, and it will not be -15F in any of those places. So, suck it Minnesota winter, I'm done with you for a few days.