2006-07-06
Berlin, Berlin, wir fahren nach... damnit!
My friend Jeff is traveling through Alaska and the Yukon Territory these days with his wife Anne. If you want some wicked cool pics of the North American Arctic, this is the place to go -- http://www.longstrangetrip.typepad.com. He is a helluva photographer and pretty fun to drink with in Chicago too, as I found out last spring at the geographers conference where he, Birgit, Colin and I all got silly and started devising geopolitical board games, including one called H*A*T*E. But I digress, please give his blog a shot if you have a moment.
***
As for life... the weekend was exhilerating and then devastating, as Germany beat Argentina and then lost their legs against Italy. Spent both sporting events in Brit's Pub, surrounded by Germans dressed in red, yellow, and black, shouting "Deutschland, Deutschland" and getting heckled by Argentinians and Italians all the same. The Italians were a raucaus bunch, nearly getting in fights and far too drunk for their own good. The Argentinians on the other hand, though outnumbering us about 3:1, were quite good sports about the loss. Rolf bought one a beer after the match as a sign of good will ambassadorship, etc.
***
Was up at my parents' cabin this weekend to celebrate my birthday a little early. I scored a new camera out of turning 30, so I am quite happy. Will post some pics of something from the little device shortly.
Had fun sitting in the woods, swimming with my niece, and drinking gin and tonics with my sister, her friend, Laurie, Birgit, mum and Chris. Came back Monday night, spent Thursday watching Germany lose to Italy and recuperating from the devastating loss by sitting on my German in-laws' back deck drinking Dutch beer and celebrating the family being together again -- as Birgit's sister is back in town.
Oh, I went and saw an exhibit at the Minnesota Science Museum called "Body Worlds" created by some deranged German quasi-scientist who is into plasticizing human bodies. I have never seen so many human organs and bodies spliced, diced, and put in weird configurations as I did in the two hours there. It wasn't half as disgusting as you might imagine it being, but it wasn't half as thrilling as many baby boomer people seemed to imply either. The only thing that really shocked me is how my testicles hang on strings. I always figured they were pretty snug but they aren't -- and that isn't meant to be gross, it is just an anatomical fact discovered by looking at cadavers for two hours. Not worth the $22 to get in, probably, but definitely something to do on a rainy weekend for anyone stuck in Minnesota this summer. Of course, it doesn't rain here any more, so the odds of it being worth $22 are slim, but I digress.
***
Really nothing new to report. I am going to lecture on Nationalism this week, which is my favorite topic! I'm stoked. Then I show a movie and lead discussion in class on Tuesday and give a midterm on Thursday. I am also lecturing at an Institute of Global Studies workshop next week with Roger -- the coolest faculty at the University of Minnesota in my humble opinion. I lecture on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on Europe. Essentially, I am stealing material from my class and repackaging it for K-12 educators -- the audience of the workshop. Some extra income... should be fun.
***
Check out Dr. Crump's blog if you get a chance, and I'll write more once the World Cup is over. I'm still upset by Italy's run. Both teams are in the final on dubious penalty kicks -- Italy's versus Australia in the 91st minute, and France's from Zidane's tumultuous tumble. (Though, I really am happy to see France in the finals. Portugal seemed more dramatic than the Italians, even, which of course is impossible, hence the word "seemed.")
***
As for life... the weekend was exhilerating and then devastating, as Germany beat Argentina and then lost their legs against Italy. Spent both sporting events in Brit's Pub, surrounded by Germans dressed in red, yellow, and black, shouting "Deutschland, Deutschland" and getting heckled by Argentinians and Italians all the same. The Italians were a raucaus bunch, nearly getting in fights and far too drunk for their own good. The Argentinians on the other hand, though outnumbering us about 3:1, were quite good sports about the loss. Rolf bought one a beer after the match as a sign of good will ambassadorship, etc.
***
Was up at my parents' cabin this weekend to celebrate my birthday a little early. I scored a new camera out of turning 30, so I am quite happy. Will post some pics of something from the little device shortly.
Had fun sitting in the woods, swimming with my niece, and drinking gin and tonics with my sister, her friend, Laurie, Birgit, mum and Chris. Came back Monday night, spent Thursday watching Germany lose to Italy and recuperating from the devastating loss by sitting on my German in-laws' back deck drinking Dutch beer and celebrating the family being together again -- as Birgit's sister is back in town.
Oh, I went and saw an exhibit at the Minnesota Science Museum called "Body Worlds" created by some deranged German quasi-scientist who is into plasticizing human bodies. I have never seen so many human organs and bodies spliced, diced, and put in weird configurations as I did in the two hours there. It wasn't half as disgusting as you might imagine it being, but it wasn't half as thrilling as many baby boomer people seemed to imply either. The only thing that really shocked me is how my testicles hang on strings. I always figured they were pretty snug but they aren't -- and that isn't meant to be gross, it is just an anatomical fact discovered by looking at cadavers for two hours. Not worth the $22 to get in, probably, but definitely something to do on a rainy weekend for anyone stuck in Minnesota this summer. Of course, it doesn't rain here any more, so the odds of it being worth $22 are slim, but I digress.
***
Really nothing new to report. I am going to lecture on Nationalism this week, which is my favorite topic! I'm stoked. Then I show a movie and lead discussion in class on Tuesday and give a midterm on Thursday. I am also lecturing at an Institute of Global Studies workshop next week with Roger -- the coolest faculty at the University of Minnesota in my humble opinion. I lecture on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on Europe. Essentially, I am stealing material from my class and repackaging it for K-12 educators -- the audience of the workshop. Some extra income... should be fun.
***
Check out Dr. Crump's blog if you get a chance, and I'll write more once the World Cup is over. I'm still upset by Italy's run. Both teams are in the final on dubious penalty kicks -- Italy's versus Australia in the 91st minute, and France's from Zidane's tumultuous tumble. (Though, I really am happy to see France in the finals. Portugal seemed more dramatic than the Italians, even, which of course is impossible, hence the word "seemed.")
