This photo was taken during my short stretch at McMurdo Station. For more about my trip to Antarctica visit this previous post.
McMurdo Mary
Monthly Archives: March 2006
Water Project
WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS EXTREMELY BORING.
The city is currently working on a water system upgrade in my neighborhood. For several weeks months crews have been digging up the streets around my apartment, wrapping the fire hydrants in plastic, installing strange valves, and generally causing mayhem with all things plumbing. Actually, it hasn’t been too disruptive. Occasionally I’ll spot a leaky pipe spraying water like a fountain or some strange overflow arrangement like the one pictured here. Yesterday they had to shut off my water for 20 minutes.
-END OF BORING CONTENT.
Giant Caterpillar Found in Seattle Neighborhood
SEATTLE- Two local men encountered a rare breed of giant caterpillar in a Seattle neighborhood on Saturday morning. The men, identified only as brothers from a well respected family, refused to comment on the large larva. Scientists speculate the insect may be related to that of the species Monsura, typically found only in Japan. Godzilla was unavailable or comment.
What really happened: My brother and I found this scarf in the alley behind my apartment building. We hung it on the gutter in case someone came looking for it. When we returned several hours later it was back on the ground. Life can be so exciting!
Joint operating agreement
It appears the Seattle Times has their own article on the Meskhetian Turks. Both papers did a very nice job, although I have to give props to the PI for mentioning Highline Community College. Go Thunderbirds!
An aritcle about some of my students
An article in Tuesday’s Seattle P-I talks about some of my students. Last summer, I taught a class in the pool-side cabana of an apartment building in Tukwila. Most of the students were Meskhetian Turk refugees from central Asia. Now, I am teaching on campus and many of those students are in classes here as well. A reporter and photographer visited a colleague’s class last week taking pictures and talking to students. From the article, “They arrived from Russia, but they aren’t Russian. They are ethnic Turks, but they never lived in Turkey. Their ancestral home is Meskhetia, now part of the Republic of Georgia, but formerly in the Soviet Union” Here is the link:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/261937_turks07.html
These Charming Men
Inspired by today’s featured article on Wikipedia here are a couple of pictures of some charming Vietnamese men. These pictures were taken during my short visit to Hanoi in 1995. Here is what I wrote at the time:
“Dec 7, 1995. Another long day in Hanoi, I enjoy sitting by the lake with the old men. This morning I went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum with two Danish women I met on the train. It was not as strange as visiting Mao in Beijing, but still weird. Last night I ate at a Vietnamese restaurant that only serves on dish – Fish Stew. It was great! Later, I wondered the streets and a very old lady with black teeth stopped me and said ‘Bonjour!’ I didn’t know what to say. Did she think it was 50 years ago and I was a French colonialist? I said ‘Bonjour’ in return. It was strange, but I found an odd reassurance in talking with her.”
For more about my trip to Vietnam see this earlier post.