tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75276298668066939762024-03-05T07:50:38.224-08:00As The World ChangesFounded December 2008. Enjoy your stay. Please take a moment to locate the closest emergency exits. You'll need them.Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-90843103892631037532015-03-14T20:13:00.001-07:002015-03-14T20:13:17.133-07:00Every day is Pi DayToday is known as Pi Day in America, because the date (3/14/15) matches the first five digits of pi (3.1415...). Some people have even gone so far as to say that 9:26:53 AM/PM is even more worthy of celebration because that contains the first 10 digits of pi. A mathematician might say that there was a moment in time in which the time was pi itself (that is, sometime between 9:26 and 9:27 AM/PM, there was a time which was pi AM/PM).<br />
<br />
I want to propose a couple things:<br />
(1) That the idea of pi day is terribly American-centric. Many countries write the date not as MM/DD/YY (03/14/15) but as DD/MM/YY (14/03/15) -- so the idea that the date matches the first 5 digits of pi is a bit wonky.<br />
<br />
(2) In effect, every day is pi day because every date and time because every date and time conceivable will appear in the digits of pi. Given that pi is an irrational number, pi is both never-ending and never-repeating. Thus, every combination of numbers you want (let's say, for example, March 15 at 11:05 AM -- or, in the non-American method of writing, 15/03/15 11:05 = 153151105) will appear at least once in pi ("The string 153141105 occurs at position 151419383. This string occurs 1 times in the first 200M digits of Pi" --according to http://www.angio.net/pi/). We can try to find the same string of numbers in other irrational numbers (say, the square root of 2, for example). Yes, the string might not start at the beginning, but any string of numbers is contained within pi.<br />
<br />
Just a couple more pointers:<br />(3) There is a point in pi where the number 9 appears six times in a row (at position 762: ...1134<b>999999</b>8372...). This is called the Feynman point. Just a fun little pattern.<br />
<br />
(4) I have heard it argued that the existence of irrational numbers, such as pi, is evidence for the fact that we do not live in a computer-simulated world (we don't live in a Matrix). To contain an infinite number of digits (as we have not yet found the end of pi) means that a computer would require an infinite amount of memory/data processing to store the number pi in its hardware, which, as far as we can tell, is not possible.<br />
<br />
Excuse the long delay in between posts -- I've been quite busy.<br />
<br />
Cheerio.Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-79045244368289268892014-07-26T18:31:00.001-07:002014-07-28T07:10:21.878-07:00Decaffeinated Black TeaI have 140k views on my Google+ profile. I didn't know I had a Google+ profile.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I am beginning to realize that I am far more blessed than I will ever know.<br />
<br />
My finances, while not ideal, are OK for the time being; my family, while I have only seen them very briefly this year, is relatively healthy; my friends, though I miss them dearly, I got to talk to via webcam the other Thursday (did you know my computer comes with a webcam? I didn't) or through Facebook or text messaging; and my work -- well, at least I got a paycheck last week.<br />
<br />
I finished reading Moby Dick somewhere near the end of June. It's not quite what I expected -- the plot is somewhat disappointing, but the characters are intriguing. I've also been learning how to play the guitar. I don't have a guitar so I try to borrow someone else's when I can, but, as you can imagine, not having a guitar makes it difficult to build up finger strength and callouses. I'm also learning Spanish (<i>El pinguino es un pajaro blanco y negro)</i>. Progress is slow, but it's fun. I'm learning.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's a funny thing I have slowly begun to realize, and it is this: though I am not as successful as I would hope, though I don't get as much work done as I (or my boss) would like, though I don't have as much money as I want -- I have enough. And, as I am still learning, I have <i>more than enough</i>. I am very blessed to have all the materials and people in my life, and very blessed to get to invest my time in these (self-actualizing, some might say) activities like reading and learning a new language and playing the guitar. And besides these more overt blessings, there are the "little things" -- living in a safe area, warm clothing, a radio that plays music, a paying job, a phone that can beat you at chess, being a citizen of a country with political stability -- there are these little things that you never quite appreciate until you realize that other people don't have them.<br />
<br />
It's quite sad to think that the friends I make now I may not see again, for each of us shall diverge along our separate ways. The remaining time I have with them left is short (though it may not seem like it), and I am sad to see them go. For while I have met many people throughout my schooling and my work, there are only a small handful whom I have really connected with, and they are the kindest, funniest, most understanding people I have known. It is exciting to see what is in store for them in the future and saddening to know that I will never have the opportunity to express my gratitude or make it up to them.<br />
<br />
I bought a box of decaf black tea at the store a couple weeks ago. I can't drink caffeine (a cup of green tea at 3PM means I will be awake until at least 4AM), so to have found tea that I can drink -- no matter how poor the quality -- is wonderful. Great taste. Perhaps they sell it at other stores. Maybe I'll buy another box of 100 bags before I go, just to be safe.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
So many blessings, and I am only beginning to understand the magnitude of them. Family, safety, books, friends, tea -- I think I'm beginning to know what the psalmist meant when he wrote "My cup runneth over."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----</div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I started writing this blog post on July 3 (and, of course, I thought about it for quite a while before actually beginning to write it). What day is it now, the 26th? It is taking longer and longer for me to articulate my thoughts.</div>
<div>
<br />
I am getting older. Perhaps it is starting to show.</div>
Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-17982791001142407992014-07-06T08:37:00.001-07:002014-07-06T08:38:14.123-07:00My Dream, 07/06/14I had a dream last night where my left hand was cut off with a knife, so when I woke up this morning and saw my left hand was perfectly fine, I was quite pleased. Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-55710594302858850542014-03-30T22:22:00.003-07:002014-03-30T22:26:59.834-07:00John Cage's 4'33"The postmodern composer John Cage put out an interesting composition in 1952: 4'33" (<i>four minutes, thirty-three seconds</i>, or just <i>four thirty-three</i>) is four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence; you can go on YouTube and watch a man sit at a piano for the entire length of the composition. The idea was that we don't listen enough to the sounds of the places where we are, that there is music wherever we are and that we just have to listen to it.<br />
<br />
Cage has a wonderful quote attributed to him: "<b>I have nothing to say and I'm saying it.</b>" It is remarkable how he has such a unique (postmodern?) view about things. The traditional (conservative?) view holds that that which is not worthy of being said should not.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately I find my blog at a difficult crossroads of sorts...I am running out of time to post and when I do, I don't have anything to post about. Fortunately, this is not a blog about sports or games or art -- it's a blog about me. It is strange to see the ways in which I have changed (and not changed) over the years (you could call this a poorly-kept diary; you would not be wrong). Five years...<br />
<br />
It seems that I have reached the end of my (creative?) limits, however. It is now almost April, and I have not posted since February; I have not posted anything of substance since...August of 2013? That long ago? That's half a year. I have nothing to say, and I know not whether I should continue to "say it" or whether I should cease and be quiet.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>Musa, mihi causas memora...</b></i></blockquote>
<br />
I suppose that is a simplification; I have plenty of things to say, just not necessarily things I wish to post online or make public.<br />
<br />
The human psyche is a wonderful and vast space, wonderful to describe and easy to get lost in.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>I have nothing to say...</b></i></blockquote>
<br />
...I suppose that is not entirely true. Over the last five years, I have transitioned from being loud to being quiet. There's not true change here, I suppose. I have always been introverted, but I have gone from wanting attention to avoiding it (I shudder to recall all the posts that I deleted during the Great Purge of ATWC...why I put them up in the first place I don't know).<br />
<br />
I suppose there is one change. I have become increasingly bitter as I have aged -- ah, no, bitter is not the right word. Mature, perhaps. I have become increasingly aware of the reality around us, and I know not whether to be heartened or discouraged by it.<br />
<br />
It is saddening(?) to look back at some of the older posts and read over what I thought then. Truly, a different person was sitting at the computer back in 2008 or 2009 than the person sitting here now in 2014. Oh, how the times have changed!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>I remember.</b></i></blockquote>
<i><br />
</i> What a fascinating line [from Shakespeare's <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i>, Act II Scene I]. Oberon reminisces about something in the past, and Puck has this beautiful response: <i>I remember</i>. There is such <i>weight</i> in it -- what a lovely response. An element of age, wisdom, and beauty, but more than that. There is a heavy, dark side to it -- yes, I was there, but no, that which once was cannot be any more. I remember.<br />
<br />
Looking back over this blog (and I haven't forgotten it -- almost every day I remember this blog, wondering if I have the time or the content to post -- I don't, a painful reminder) has made me remember. It has made me realize that I had nothing to say when I posted back then -- I certainly thought I did!-- but I said it anyway. Now that I realize I have nothing to say, I don't know whether to continue or to cease.<br />
<br />
I am confident that I am either far too old to be a post-modernist or far too young.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>I have nothing to say and I'm saying it.</b></i></blockquote>
<i><br />
</i> What existential bravery!<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>I remember.</b></i></blockquote>
<i><br />
</i> And how time conquers us all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Musa, mihi causas memora...</b></i>Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-36284327628144383212014-02-02T12:00:00.001-08:002014-02-02T12:01:58.515-08:00When I was little...When I was little, I thought "pass out" and "pass away" meant the same thing, so was rather confused when I read in a book or heard on the news that someone "passed out" but was walking an hour later or was expected to make a full recovery.Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-34248499085515262732013-12-24T23:19:00.001-08:002013-12-24T23:19:24.267-08:00It's DecemberIt's December now and I haven't posted in ages.<br />
<br />
I think I'm working too hard.<br />
<br />
As we approach this holiday season, please be sure to take some time to celebrate your friends and your family. It's a lesson I wish I had taken to heart a while ago.<br />
<br />
Take the time to do something you enjoy.<br />
<br />
Merry Christmas!Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-885559372235823552013-10-22T20:55:00.000-07:002013-10-22T20:55:11.003-07:00September...I mean OctoberIt's October.<br />
<br />
Strange, isn't it? Time passes by so quickly. I knew I hadn't put a post up in September, but I didn't have anything to say, so I didn't. (A valuable lesson, that is...)<br />
<br />
It's gotten colder. I think it's going to start snowing soon...I'm on a trip in Canada right now. It's a mild trip (just hanging out in Toronto tonight and tomorrow) but it should be fun. I'll post pictures of whatever excursions I'm on at some point, I think. One of my friends is in Rome and he is putting up pictures of the art of Catholic Rome. It makes me somewhat excited and jealous because being able to go to Rome would be such an amazing experience.<br />
<br />
The contrast is rather striking (Canada is no Rome, that's for certain) [but one of the things I've been trying to do is to be thankful for what I do have...it really is a blessing to be able to be out here on a business trip, even if it's not exactly what I had in mind]. Unfortunately, I am stuck on a bus for a good part of this week, a factor that makes it extremely difficult to get work done -- normally not too big a deal, but there are a number of applications and a variety of paperwork I should have completed by the end of this week and unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be able to get that done without staying up late.<br />
<br />
I wish I had something interesting or remarkable to say, but then I realize that this blog was made when I was a wee ambitious young'un so I've never had anything interesting or remarkable to say.<br /><br />Pray for us!Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-14562995760246960342013-08-20T23:03:00.000-07:002013-08-20T23:19:12.716-07:00VBS 2013<span style="color: #37404e; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">Last week I had the opportunity to take a break from work and help out with my home church's Vacation Bible School, a week-long day camp for kids. I was in charge of a romping crew of 5 first-graders and my job was to make sure I didn't step on or lose any throughout the day (neither the VBS director nor the nervous parent of a shy child appreciated my comment, "I'm usually really good about keeping the kids very focused. Last year, I only lost three of them") and to help them pay attention to the different crafts and stories. It is a wonderful ministry and I have found that I learn as much from it as the kids do. Here is my reflection on this year's VBS.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">The Mystery of Faith</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">Perhaps the greatest thing I have learned this week at VBS lies in a greater revelation of the integrity of the Christian gospel. The truths that were taught to me when I was growing up are the same as those I tried to teach to my kids, the only difference being that I used my personal experiences to frame my narratives. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">There is no greater or more objective principle than th</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">is: God loves you and He sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins, and Jesus came back to life so that He could reconnect you to God upon acceptance of His sacrifice. I cannot add or take away clarity or veracity to so simple and elegant a message. The mystery of faith lies in the duplicity of the complexity of this paradox: "Why" this happens is apparent to all of us (even my first graders know: "Because God loves us"), but "Why me" begets the question no theologian, philosopher, mathematician, economist, or mystic can answer: "How much?" At the core of the human element lies our innate imperfection and sinfulness, and a simple glimpse or mere exposure to this core evokes feelings of disgust, horror, and dread. It is not difficult to understand "why" God chose to redeem humanity -- for even we know that human love will cause others to do things which we might regard as sacrificial, strange, noble, or foolish -- but as we begin to understand the depths of our failures we must also begin to question the extent of the love that can redeem us. </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">I love reading a good book but I would not sacrifice my life, much less a toe on my left foot, for the chance to read a good book, much less for someone else to have the chance to read a good book. How much grater that a Father should send His Son to die in order to reconcile the sins of humanity! Why am I worth it? Why does God love me so much? How much love does God have for me and when does it run out? The pillars of this week's VBS, no matter how for cornily presented, tackle these questions and doubts head-on. How do I tell the children that God's love or prayer or the Bible helps us stand strong? Is it with a hand motion or a song? What keyword or mnemonic device do I use to help them understand the theology behind the Crucifixion? How can you get the kids to understand the absolute and objective truth behind the Christian Gospel when you can't get them to understand that they should not try to cut each others' hair during craft time? </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">There is no greater frustration than to know the Truth and be unable to communicate it because of language, cultural, age, or other barriers -- to have Reality itself presented in front of you but be unable to share it with others. How can I get these kids to understand the truth presented to them when they are still at an age where their first guess at my age is 46? [Note: I am not and (I hope, anyway) don't look 46, either.]</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">Herein we return to the mystery of the common Christian faith: The Gospel transcends these barriers of age because it is true. Regardless of my struggles or interpretation of the Gospel, it is this objective truth behind this core element of faith that my crew is able to understand the teachings presented to them each day; not because we did an excellent job being leaders, but because there is no other alternative, because there is no other objective principle, because there is no other truth than that revealed by Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection. That the kids can understand the greatest truth they will ever know -- that Jesus came to for them so they can be reunited in holy union with God -- in spite of the flaws and distractions of me, the leaders, VBS, and the church -- that is the mystery of faith.</span>Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-79316346995111284222013-08-03T19:17:00.000-07:002013-08-03T19:17:07.484-07:00Oh, Yeah, July...It seems July has passed me by entirely without having a single post...<br />
<br />
Whoops.<br />
<br />
Here's how I spent the month of July:<br />
<br />
1) Reading: I finished, at the end of July, Ayn Rand's magnum opus <i>Atlas Shrugged</i>. I'm not sure if I will post a review of it or about it. It's simply one of those works that<br />
2) Shopping: I discovered two new websites, one called eBay and the other PayPal. They make purchasing things online very easy, but you probably knew that, because, as my friend related to me, they "are already 'a thing.'"<br />
3) Working: I have been very busy this summer -- not bad, since I've been rather productive. But having to come in on weekends and staying late has been a bit inconvenient. I would estimate I have been at work 9 or 10 hours a weekday and about 9 hours on a weekend for the most of July.<br />
4) Traveling: I had the opportunity to go home and see my family for a week in July. That was a lot of fun, since I haven't seen any of them since Christmas.<br />
<br />
Anyway, that was my July. With a bit of luck, I'll have more opportunities to post in August.<br />
<br />
Have a great day!Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-32994751897335860382013-06-26T14:30:00.000-07:002013-06-26T14:30:02.114-07:00Spain, Summer 2013In late May-early June, some friends and I visited Spain for 2.5 weeks. We first visited a number of cities and then walked the last bit of the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James. The pilgrimage has many routes to Santiago; we started at the end of the French Way, which starts in southern France, takes pilgrims through northern Spain, enters Galicia (northwest Spain), and ends at Santiago de Compastela, the burial place of the Apostle James (the Lesser), a total distance of about 770km. We walked the last 130 or so kilometers.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><br />
MADRID<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjmk6bA96fxQGW7NJ2VlmUNASJe3VPTLZNLI6Zccy2BbL4P3xD22Y-HPI1eo79IRiJNRnOQapmu3u5l_gKpXbEsnd8Mg5Iu9KCz4IV-ctGIW0WeHjdC-SJc4OLP6aH2wQ_USnH-2nHvD3/s1600/2013-05-21+13.34.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjmk6bA96fxQGW7NJ2VlmUNASJe3VPTLZNLI6Zccy2BbL4P3xD22Y-HPI1eo79IRiJNRnOQapmu3u5l_gKpXbEsnd8Mg5Iu9KCz4IV-ctGIW0WeHjdC-SJc4OLP6aH2wQ_USnH-2nHvD3/s320/2013-05-21+13.34.55.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A woman re-creating an original painting at the Prado<br />
A guard scolded me for taking this picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdqACVr-tVMkOW-XhZSApre967HoB-U_wOM4VGxOuz1GN9AAeeu5jOeJn2K60IFHKGxiLTiwvy2aqlzIEblEXhxO6EpYPL9RYyK2j3B_2E5JwJ_h9rrSK0EaEl9ztvq6eIV_jUFYki6_b/s1600/2013-05-21+15.13.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdqACVr-tVMkOW-XhZSApre967HoB-U_wOM4VGxOuz1GN9AAeeu5jOeJn2K60IFHKGxiLTiwvy2aqlzIEblEXhxO6EpYPL9RYyK2j3B_2E5JwJ_h9rrSK0EaEl9ztvq6eIV_jUFYki6_b/s320/2013-05-21+15.13.50.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The football stadium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjE437djCNjtvqu0BnQ0bwQSEaPBuXBgjOMQVgxcho4UTf9JE1vXROuhfEB2E0Po619vYjegSwHbfz1R9qSi0AKeyRoYT163o0pKaF1jr9Edf_sezshpuM7xYnEl7sEq88GgW8x6wzEVz/s1600/2013-05-22+13.17.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjE437djCNjtvqu0BnQ0bwQSEaPBuXBgjOMQVgxcho4UTf9JE1vXROuhfEB2E0Po619vYjegSwHbfz1R9qSi0AKeyRoYT163o0pKaF1jr9Edf_sezshpuM7xYnEl7sEq88GgW8x6wzEVz/s320/2013-05-22+13.17.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Plaza Mayor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TxfP6D_wIjLqUbXuw1fjBLV7BeHkdsoL8bJdLXyhYNgMjesUEBAjJW6O0cb5_HfwaNn5AwopM08KkOsWnd8QnfpUd8UsJLiRnoVLEw0CRklcuxG4q1FeZwtwoemntGgcM_7VMxVpumhR/s1600/2013-05-22+13.25.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TxfP6D_wIjLqUbXuw1fjBLV7BeHkdsoL8bJdLXyhYNgMjesUEBAjJW6O0cb5_HfwaNn5AwopM08KkOsWnd8QnfpUd8UsJLiRnoVLEw0CRklcuxG4q1FeZwtwoemntGgcM_7VMxVpumhR/s320/2013-05-22+13.25.32.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Cathedral de la Almudena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_amal4r4MjPptj3oHMoiANpqylzZNCwIo-0x6lVjmHJj9nmoxt0ToCSjARNqrgCCOLQ8-UlHG-3muds8PvjS6Eg1goN85Figy6_m1ppl4Ljv8VJTj0fhpfia702ZMKqQnBfwvFwxVsGp6/s1600/2013-05-22+13.51.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_amal4r4MjPptj3oHMoiANpqylzZNCwIo-0x6lVjmHJj9nmoxt0ToCSjARNqrgCCOLQ8-UlHG-3muds8PvjS6Eg1goN85Figy6_m1ppl4Ljv8VJTj0fhpfia702ZMKqQnBfwvFwxVsGp6/s320/2013-05-22+13.51.14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Palacio Real de Madrid</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSILZGwzhZul4adYxohaTxdCHeCsq0QpCUb_BX4hUq1fDBrhWmqVOagsQdplSTiUk1oKJdLtDfFgnT_9vJ7xKQxHEGj_LZjupI91iZaP21t4q1fhbCKEC2POlGNCKH55XTLQ-hlQUnJgNx/s1600/2013-05-22+23.32.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSILZGwzhZul4adYxohaTxdCHeCsq0QpCUb_BX4hUq1fDBrhWmqVOagsQdplSTiUk1oKJdLtDfFgnT_9vJ7xKQxHEGj_LZjupI91iZaP21t4q1fhbCKEC2POlGNCKH55XTLQ-hlQUnJgNx/s320/2013-05-22+23.32.35.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The bear and strawberry tree are the symbol of Madrid. This symbol was on the sidewalk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
TOLEDO</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"And if you look to your left, you will see Toledo, built by the Ohians as a stronghold against Michigan..."</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDfZVK-co4xDH3OHZxVFEkJ4Hx4Efyh2kV6cSsEH_eFkQ7qGYrXNQlC_y33skUb_xa2N8V3sUUmESZK0AoEv2G4orqxC3sCJV7S9JctWtXYlRL1jOmynZHFxGnsRhYA5cs6W5hyFzNFpN/s1600/2013-05-23+12.05.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDfZVK-co4xDH3OHZxVFEkJ4Hx4Efyh2kV6cSsEH_eFkQ7qGYrXNQlC_y33skUb_xa2N8V3sUUmESZK0AoEv2G4orqxC3sCJV7S9JctWtXYlRL1jOmynZHFxGnsRhYA5cs6W5hyFzNFpN/s320/2013-05-23+12.05.13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The view of the city from one of the upper floors of the building's library<br />
Toledo is the notable because it has a synagogue, mosque, and a cathedral. The sword-making industry is also quite popular.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuMSAxbIX_6JR2ra7jN0Hu2JcU3qCqI05v039hk-tAjylN-SsJuz093mHof8KA3ntuFy-qWlSTahZNhP3Kh4YDq6JPeZs10qX4FjXP1vD1M55IJUGChKYz_prpQvm0hSJ0jURsJf-rIyD/s1600/2013-05-23+12.43.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuMSAxbIX_6JR2ra7jN0Hu2JcU3qCqI05v039hk-tAjylN-SsJuz093mHof8KA3ntuFy-qWlSTahZNhP3Kh4YDq6JPeZs10qX4FjXP1vD1M55IJUGChKYz_prpQvm0hSJ0jURsJf-rIyD/s320/2013-05-23+12.43.27.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A fresco from the walls at the Cathedral of Toledo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWleIjZEZxwBQFuvRfb7_aIru7DOBFVNMnlGbzW0uccAp_exZ4KeWTQJ4A5jSj6kUmEoWDM-l0sn1pgA42pNVOSnwc-jyECTlFcPYSGps8Joy7kiqc7uOuPab2mg7Pdt2EcwBP_eNUo_a/s1600/2013-05-23+12.44.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWleIjZEZxwBQFuvRfb7_aIru7DOBFVNMnlGbzW0uccAp_exZ4KeWTQJ4A5jSj6kUmEoWDM-l0sn1pgA42pNVOSnwc-jyECTlFcPYSGps8Joy7kiqc7uOuPab2mg7Pdt2EcwBP_eNUo_a/s320/2013-05-23+12.44.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Dome from Cathedral of Toledo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8JZyFwOEWwPwNGDk7r7K5DGEX29YhXJsMnivyq2pZ1n8Xd91ZuCBWDUWJcX_p_Osas0SCUy63FSriphNMqef_Y6njLDEoIM-oSQyuNPR3GJF9I-9sefKZDW4_4X3HdQJ3Py1SDVYPEjs/s1600/2013-05-23+13.06.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8JZyFwOEWwPwNGDk7r7K5DGEX29YhXJsMnivyq2pZ1n8Xd91ZuCBWDUWJcX_p_Osas0SCUy63FSriphNMqef_Y6njLDEoIM-oSQyuNPR3GJF9I-9sefKZDW4_4X3HdQJ3Py1SDVYPEjs/s320/2013-05-23+13.06.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Doorway, organ, and image of Christopher at the Cathedral of Toledo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
BURGOS</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35ROquNEdB8bg2zn7fEP48uan46q2iMoTcSX0eIRfBVE0yIVtPrrOiSqRDKw9xqbrUM97ef37CjH-l59stCtnay4FEPsDX2_PiLlB4hKi9fYmvHygeR2xoDVFvun234vwGjduSnfgjih8/s1600/2013-05-24+13.56.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35ROquNEdB8bg2zn7fEP48uan46q2iMoTcSX0eIRfBVE0yIVtPrrOiSqRDKw9xqbrUM97ef37CjH-l59stCtnay4FEPsDX2_PiLlB4hKi9fYmvHygeR2xoDVFvun234vwGjduSnfgjih8/s320/2013-05-24+13.56.32.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Cathedral of Burgos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISPsGCuRNadDvUR9-XUuIPegESN93OkUgv5WJzveIUhXYPCQP276CQ_YcPN0W1CXAmQy0SjM8uv4JoF5B5IfZtPfHVtLO97qlEjvoOy8RVFEIedYsr1D8KrpMcIXCn9LEjdSI0N8nkkeG/s1600/2013-05-24+15.50.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISPsGCuRNadDvUR9-XUuIPegESN93OkUgv5WJzveIUhXYPCQP276CQ_YcPN0W1CXAmQy0SjM8uv4JoF5B5IfZtPfHVtLO97qlEjvoOy8RVFEIedYsr1D8KrpMcIXCn9LEjdSI0N8nkkeG/s320/2013-05-24+15.50.10.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Cathedral of Burgos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/935553_10152017431829782_1190633649_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/935553_10152017431829782_1190633649_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The dome of the Cathedral of Burgos<br />
The way the dome let in light was truly amazing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHmDk1CYUiQqwJknT-2RHkFYKNMWf45ahBpsaWvslx0gqSTz2_OZJer0bx3ZmjbTMqE67uT2V5VdZpGOShke663dGGRIqoRas9mcmmvMyMAq_ssyvZn5zhGQHeC6FRaE_YKjrAZc-nGtg/s1600/2013-05-24+17.01.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHmDk1CYUiQqwJknT-2RHkFYKNMWf45ahBpsaWvslx0gqSTz2_OZJer0bx3ZmjbTMqE67uT2V5VdZpGOShke663dGGRIqoRas9mcmmvMyMAq_ssyvZn5zhGQHeC6FRaE_YKjrAZc-nGtg/s320/2013-05-24+17.01.37.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Light from stained glass windows on the floor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSwTx4iYKMa_r00kg9HGeej2zu0D8eiQVPC2J08a3c6XjOBDmGLkNT4OFMImcHnXVJGuXIk5_aQ0_-Ku-SpEGOfQEPZisEiCRzqk-L9zotg0mpWOUFK3DO6gMncCyVH-OYTxRMsHO54vF/s1600/2013-05-24+17.01.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSwTx4iYKMa_r00kg9HGeej2zu0D8eiQVPC2J08a3c6XjOBDmGLkNT4OFMImcHnXVJGuXIk5_aQ0_-Ku-SpEGOfQEPZisEiCRzqk-L9zotg0mpWOUFK3DO6gMncCyVH-OYTxRMsHO54vF/s320/2013-05-24+17.01.41.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The window that caused the light to hit the floor in the picture above.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIpKngX79h8xVHkLA0HeUKunY1tn0e7D1YFbLvI50rOretkjwNRpehBr1sCAKtQxtMzs_fWOOohFl0i4XSuGVbVbBiGSNiRtZZVKNMIaiOqCUggZxfAru21E_1iW_Qjq-3usRYpV0gsDB/s1600/2013-05-24+23.45.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIpKngX79h8xVHkLA0HeUKunY1tn0e7D1YFbLvI50rOretkjwNRpehBr1sCAKtQxtMzs_fWOOohFl0i4XSuGVbVbBiGSNiRtZZVKNMIaiOqCUggZxfAru21E_1iW_Qjq-3usRYpV0gsDB/s320/2013-05-24+23.45.11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">We were walking through the city at night and passed by the Cathedral. They had lights projecting patterns onto the Cathedral. The effect was quite interesting; the textures of the light on the Cathedral were very vivid.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
LEON</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHk2rRa2mJ5PQdK2OcLU7qgi8cjhuEJ4wgbEhvNo50cmPAooVTTfZXMuKtKaMPyLWigxVgQ15PaVkbqoR9xsMF4Iw1PtHd73zal3PFxNRatueMwSx4z3P5mayhEn1JTycWS3q17i-BGJD/s1600/2013-05-25+19.40.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHk2rRa2mJ5PQdK2OcLU7qgi8cjhuEJ4wgbEhvNo50cmPAooVTTfZXMuKtKaMPyLWigxVgQ15PaVkbqoR9xsMF4Iw1PtHd73zal3PFxNRatueMwSx4z3P5mayhEn1JTycWS3q17i-BGJD/s320/2013-05-25+19.40.03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">View from my hotel overlooking Plaza Mayor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL40_zOORHPJKZzz28eEVWA9npp0euFx2aVLwgOkPnK0Z8p0m1yheXT8ExtJuj02AVZzhd3GsTjxkn9szGWty14xD1faOuz2jCMPujb0Fy67fOyrQFBsOvkaxo3On9cZJmbbREkgMHin8L/s1600/2013-05-26+00.08.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL40_zOORHPJKZzz28eEVWA9npp0euFx2aVLwgOkPnK0Z8p0m1yheXT8ExtJuj02AVZzhd3GsTjxkn9szGWty14xD1faOuz2jCMPujb0Fy67fOyrQFBsOvkaxo3On9cZJmbbREkgMHin8L/s320/2013-05-26+00.08.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Plaza Mayor, Saturday night<br />
The noise was horribly loud. Even at 2am I found it incredibly difficult to sleep. The next day, Sunday, the plaza was deathly empty for most of the day, a stark contrast to the noise, lights, and fellowship of the day before.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlXBm7gWKqUI2TmlBX8tmPmP_S03T8_6l0rj33hdekTxvGPJ9hxv6LK9i4mqkmjPt2ZCkT3vGQhZLF_kK54wel8ZYuvdY5TX6gsbEP-nB49fl5gHI29Ppe8RKe2l1n_78LS-PfWE1wfcH/s1600/2013-05-25+13.29.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlXBm7gWKqUI2TmlBX8tmPmP_S03T8_6l0rj33hdekTxvGPJ9hxv6LK9i4mqkmjPt2ZCkT3vGQhZLF_kK54wel8ZYuvdY5TX6gsbEP-nB49fl5gHI29Ppe8RKe2l1n_78LS-PfWE1wfcH/s320/2013-05-25+13.29.03.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Cathedral at Leon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bnWfMIZRx11ByelAx5QHU2grqdC4605yMeRF4fWKeUAPDj4hStDr8cOg9aY-5qy8xLTjKHFoQ1xYa8OIPGoFNwkdEU4keLpjvDUEHxpJrSq6YJrOeP80yGcH6YL_rIBefLT8MxXzUHH0/s1600/2013-05-26+22.24.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bnWfMIZRx11ByelAx5QHU2grqdC4605yMeRF4fWKeUAPDj4hStDr8cOg9aY-5qy8xLTjKHFoQ1xYa8OIPGoFNwkdEU4keLpjvDUEHxpJrSq6YJrOeP80yGcH6YL_rIBefLT8MxXzUHH0/s320/2013-05-26+22.24.44.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">This is called a Doner Kabob and it was delicious. It cost 4.50 euros.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTSuIjP3kR3USGrRwu0bCoSD7oi0bqkEnPiweHfioAhn2cJ2ugR6sTGy8YrtpqZHWZixkD1x46ejbYHUOGx220jc9fM7azSXeXk9tO2dUDmQf-Rnz5QStgZVVsBBWPv_s8Utq3BlNcskA/s1600/2013-05-26+23.47.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTSuIjP3kR3USGrRwu0bCoSD7oi0bqkEnPiweHfioAhn2cJ2ugR6sTGy8YrtpqZHWZixkD1x46ejbYHUOGx220jc9fM7azSXeXk9tO2dUDmQf-Rnz5QStgZVVsBBWPv_s8Utq3BlNcskA/s320/2013-05-26+23.47.50.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Cathedral of Leon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
LUGO</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlclZfQBpn1w9gi7wLtGqveiuxEPfXv6161xZsgZ46qRNLZtDrTFgYzwG9OZLDN1VY_-BzUpijzqH-KU5iN_msbfD6AlLrimezMOGNvjPJ69gEOhDEWMdkPBjvIzVQIzGzWuft2K1iz2_w/s1600/2013-05-27+13.24.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlclZfQBpn1w9gi7wLtGqveiuxEPfXv6161xZsgZ46qRNLZtDrTFgYzwG9OZLDN1VY_-BzUpijzqH-KU5iN_msbfD6AlLrimezMOGNvjPJ69gEOhDEWMdkPBjvIzVQIzGzWuft2K1iz2_w/s320/2013-05-27+13.24.42.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Lugo is surrounded by Roman walls. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTxNvMg27X-IxYU2c8OI_rhfg0yT5yzYMkCJdNQy4MN4RUnBHPumGfh2RSVmoY3AMw5ORPuXoo6HtxdSCdKZ96TWriHixpAKET-9K6RrxCrkBzqT52pwwogYGFvbw-dtMWlhV10nW55Kl/s1600/2013-05-27+13.38.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTxNvMg27X-IxYU2c8OI_rhfg0yT5yzYMkCJdNQy4MN4RUnBHPumGfh2RSVmoY3AMw5ORPuXoo6HtxdSCdKZ96TWriHixpAKET-9K6RrxCrkBzqT52pwwogYGFvbw-dtMWlhV10nW55Kl/s320/2013-05-27+13.38.52.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
O CEBREIRO (START OF THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO)</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQwaZpSnOXwJKC7ijqC2Bx6YsQQ7eSxcCgpGBasjfxoN3YBnoOshriaGeUR3vqE1Yl53Xfs-EoezFjyUDluZg-oAUNjdX3ajcHP3MIVsIyCUVOWuSBCYz7VVDwKspL_cK3VXE5cREzo0T/s1600/2013-05-28+09.37.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQwaZpSnOXwJKC7ijqC2Bx6YsQQ7eSxcCgpGBasjfxoN3YBnoOshriaGeUR3vqE1Yl53Xfs-EoezFjyUDluZg-oAUNjdX3ajcHP3MIVsIyCUVOWuSBCYz7VVDwKspL_cK3VXE5cREzo0T/s320/2013-05-28+09.37.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The church where we got out first <i>sello</i>, stamp on our passport. It was about 150 km from Santiago.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl8kSqGFLnqpZF5no9HXHrmkR81dYPZp_M3bkT12F_NUXp0LbQVbIMpzB0uz0wys3dMFQiMk-CBF29bWjuZcIStCHpM3m2IFKZ2u4WYvSwwfacKnDRl6cyze1jNa7unYBj0B6BCWPzswN/s1600/2013-05-28+09.47.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl8kSqGFLnqpZF5no9HXHrmkR81dYPZp_M3bkT12F_NUXp0LbQVbIMpzB0uz0wys3dMFQiMk-CBF29bWjuZcIStCHpM3m2IFKZ2u4WYvSwwfacKnDRl6cyze1jNa7unYBj0B6BCWPzswN/s320/2013-05-28+09.47.34.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The scallop shell is the symbol of St. James. Pilgrims (<i>pereginos</i>) wear the shells on their bags or persons to identify each other. This shell cost me 1.5 euros and is marked with the cross of St. James.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF99fhmq7dfrUNC8l0r0L_vBS_VMTzak7rvzORlf5xmI3UYSt0Cm1otceClUJFxivtZwZ7VmKGY5GSlQTCA8f5JjhGYt8556_lYzG88wy37L3l74JgcurCmdAAkgx18JrIoeowDykgwN-/s1600/2013-05-28+15.08.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF99fhmq7dfrUNC8l0r0L_vBS_VMTzak7rvzORlf5xmI3UYSt0Cm1otceClUJFxivtZwZ7VmKGY5GSlQTCA8f5JjhGYt8556_lYzG88wy37L3l74JgcurCmdAAkgx18JrIoeowDykgwN-/s320/2013-05-28+15.08.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">All along the Camino are these yellow arrows to help you find where to go. They can be found on trees, rocks, road signs, on the ground, and even on buildings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuHhao6DBWGM9GKX7CKzlACW3kEOoPwFig3liyOlFn2qrVPcKaCgpnL2RRyG-LWJxUSmaIJy43iWXAlCn8q4cldNMoOf8VjsfmXJ3rLNYXYS7O_vOssYb8u3nzp3GXqWComMIdII_6OxY/s1600/2013-05-28+17.17.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtuHhao6DBWGM9GKX7CKzlACW3kEOoPwFig3liyOlFn2qrVPcKaCgpnL2RRyG-LWJxUSmaIJy43iWXAlCn8q4cldNMoOf8VjsfmXJ3rLNYXYS7O_vOssYb8u3nzp3GXqWComMIdII_6OxY/s320/2013-05-28+17.17.44.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">These kilometer markers tell you how far you are from Santiago.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKtxOSBKqO3YvsHLp7lT7JT3c22NlIlzb-i7hKHWB8jGjhxCt_d07sqDnDf89hIiomJ_wvQ2Rsqx37RmIFGrXFkumDV8kVQ2rIUWrDoLzxN_SCFMsqM2jY5T8g1ddY945Kl9lUuBZUTnH/s1600/2013-05-28+17.19.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKtxOSBKqO3YvsHLp7lT7JT3c22NlIlzb-i7hKHWB8jGjhxCt_d07sqDnDf89hIiomJ_wvQ2Rsqx37RmIFGrXFkumDV8kVQ2rIUWrDoLzxN_SCFMsqM2jY5T8g1ddY945Kl9lUuBZUTnH/s320/2013-05-28+17.19.59.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A road marker<br />
Pilgrims carry rocks with them as a symbol of their sins along a stretch of the Camino and leave them on the kilometer markers or these road markers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldIxa4bZeNTR3NBWozAHY4Nn7U02pSy_5zdBhEA4BtC95-2z5aBw-o9UWGgXsj1rRNWRLYl_d48S43yBjO_XZs8aNZ-nkId4VWm-EjuQDnukuOKqZcVF-gIaIrponCMHF3TyLtM5i_37h/s1600/2013-05-28+21.41.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldIxa4bZeNTR3NBWozAHY4Nn7U02pSy_5zdBhEA4BtC95-2z5aBw-o9UWGgXsj1rRNWRLYl_d48S43yBjO_XZs8aNZ-nkId4VWm-EjuQDnukuOKqZcVF-gIaIrponCMHF3TyLtM5i_37h/s320/2013-05-28+21.41.26.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Passsport with stamps<br />
The one in the upper left is from the monastery at Samos; the one from the upper right is from a hotel. Stamps can also be obtained also from churches, bars, cafes, and restaurants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/602281_10152017438279782_213563321_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/602281_10152017438279782_213563321_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A small community graveyard along the Camino. I noticed that the graves were all above ground and not in the ground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/992865_10152017437569782_1788126558_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/992865_10152017437569782_1788126558_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvt95qzGFYHZPjT314r6m_48KfiCt37HFicfghNU5DiHDIJhsx-Sw1wZQVLeaRKMdTnuOipw9X39avvArt40773WJOd_qFmUVcQmNHpn2dRuJ08aaAHhU5SGxVZ1uXvOISK964C_1dOlF/s1600/2013-05-28+15.04.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvt95qzGFYHZPjT314r6m_48KfiCt37HFicfghNU5DiHDIJhsx-Sw1wZQVLeaRKMdTnuOipw9X39avvArt40773WJOd_qFmUVcQmNHpn2dRuJ08aaAHhU5SGxVZ1uXvOISK964C_1dOlF/s320/2013-05-28+15.04.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/936350_10152017438664782_606000430_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/936350_10152017438664782_606000430_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/988477_10152017439339782_1913138625_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/988477_10152017439339782_1913138625_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa-Fm7ZomgSTsXBSMgWeVP40rrw2_bQCCpFDJM4V1xl8Eyq577J_QC-UX2unQlMyIhSIRx6K7ld-59bAYpj5NVPHEUm_f_fodAe3lfKK26q-31Nqjb9z9E0psbmYfKDdQIYgsNQL5rI0c/s1600/2013-05-29+12.12.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsa-Fm7ZomgSTsXBSMgWeVP40rrw2_bQCCpFDJM4V1xl8Eyq577J_QC-UX2unQlMyIhSIRx6K7ld-59bAYpj5NVPHEUm_f_fodAe3lfKK26q-31Nqjb9z9E0psbmYfKDdQIYgsNQL5rI0c/s320/2013-05-29+12.12.38.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriRCPUn-ze9QbVqFZ8Ooq9UbREX4Z6bpGOz2OzdUU_r8q5rkvHAMbwmsmiKsbLbzsvC9LtR2aXM4gmL2KseD9Na46BMs8YUlEf2EOfa2XprxUHm0rom17fH0aa8pSnCBp7xyWBPZ5VBIM/s1600/2013-05-29+14.05.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriRCPUn-ze9QbVqFZ8Ooq9UbREX4Z6bpGOz2OzdUU_r8q5rkvHAMbwmsmiKsbLbzsvC9LtR2aXM4gmL2KseD9Na46BMs8YUlEf2EOfa2XprxUHm0rom17fH0aa8pSnCBp7xyWBPZ5VBIM/s320/2013-05-29+14.05.00.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino<br />
The Camino goes through many old towns. Most of these small towns are sparsely populated, with most of the buildings having fallen apart. Some of the buildings still operate as <i>alburges</i>, hostels for pilgrims, or as cafes for lunch. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjJQaEhqnDIUUfUKJZu7W-sMmqBAw3ZyxZOkFvtPIACSZp6sOTlH5ouQfoyUFYktaulDlUnFTDk9KdV3aCkIjXlcekFcVY-5Nnq9N_Lin4DH80JIDtr8h_JpuCvcPgHbdLh4BrhY7J0eY/s1600/2013-05-29+10.12.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjJQaEhqnDIUUfUKJZu7W-sMmqBAw3ZyxZOkFvtPIACSZp6sOTlH5ouQfoyUFYktaulDlUnFTDk9KdV3aCkIjXlcekFcVY-5Nnq9N_Lin4DH80JIDtr8h_JpuCvcPgHbdLh4BrhY7J0eY/s320/2013-05-29+10.12.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The interior of a monastery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GLTd7H1EmnLtcVU4E3i6C3Pn8T8X8PuPAm_XiICbzrx-O5NdPpURij4fRjKMHNwLoKpXkVgfUZp06W0PqllW6-iT8mJiht6RYJ8E9oBBfbCYsm19wlFfYoyECWil9uzfBUds2bfDeX3G/s1600/2013-05-29+10.27.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GLTd7H1EmnLtcVU4E3i6C3Pn8T8X8PuPAm_XiICbzrx-O5NdPpURij4fRjKMHNwLoKpXkVgfUZp06W0PqllW6-iT8mJiht6RYJ8E9oBBfbCYsm19wlFfYoyECWil9uzfBUds2bfDeX3G/s320/2013-05-29+10.27.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRudbra0RZdAQnEPqZYrMtuhVugUmmS2B7SaXWit7hNlEz3CR4K6zkz05t5eMqb_NGvRzL8Dpk20tiumWkb30lvRrgsMZITo4EYGlLg5hFyxONEDlOqiofXThe9BrFteZEbTz6dhP3Z5f/s1600/2013-05-29+10.30.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRudbra0RZdAQnEPqZYrMtuhVugUmmS2B7SaXWit7hNlEz3CR4K6zkz05t5eMqb_NGvRzL8Dpk20tiumWkb30lvRrgsMZITo4EYGlLg5hFyxONEDlOqiofXThe9BrFteZEbTz6dhP3Z5f/s320/2013-05-29+10.30.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LNgfJROE_vWwW8kUpkMggmpUI8yU5LtmrKkchbra8LK6MHNhyphenhyphenBByDRpmsFKzSHY4c0xWRmptymQ55l1jfrPPwA5HSF-hGmHtT1-vHocP5e7jqg5M3a_y2SREtQ54anrzPmnj_LpTHxxM/s1600/2013-05-31+10.52.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LNgfJROE_vWwW8kUpkMggmpUI8yU5LtmrKkchbra8LK6MHNhyphenhyphenBByDRpmsFKzSHY4c0xWRmptymQ55l1jfrPPwA5HSF-hGmHtT1-vHocP5e7jqg5M3a_y2SREtQ54anrzPmnj_LpTHxxM/s320/2013-05-31+10.52.02.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEUNnrXVl7L04dN4hvL2YKmhqzn60uvgu9n9AfStf6fnPiyELEbXNIPUA68taO4saUKgTJilEzIzsAAmoUEBq_gOPzf2guUCtDfBm2jP1SNFBSI7kXAM8qJPQHUR4ZJhTrRDuLZAw_o35/s1600/2013-05-31+11.36.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEUNnrXVl7L04dN4hvL2YKmhqzn60uvgu9n9AfStf6fnPiyELEbXNIPUA68taO4saUKgTJilEzIzsAAmoUEBq_gOPzf2guUCtDfBm2jP1SNFBSI7kXAM8qJPQHUR4ZJhTrRDuLZAw_o35/s320/2013-05-31+11.36.54.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Along the Camino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMb7XZuWt9BDR1rZpuQrQzmfDxxR3ixKYtaURH61i5_GOjF2s3pcmUTUl1rlUsvKEQCmPLaX-1g2NDy_lzgmwQafAwpV2qsXcTOpQjZjwPj5nds3lLkWqgoMZWeIwC2XvLRL8A2Vwkdvh/s1600/2013-05-31+12.06.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMb7XZuWt9BDR1rZpuQrQzmfDxxR3ixKYtaURH61i5_GOjF2s3pcmUTUl1rlUsvKEQCmPLaX-1g2NDy_lzgmwQafAwpV2qsXcTOpQjZjwPj5nds3lLkWqgoMZWeIwC2XvLRL8A2Vwkdvh/s320/2013-05-31+12.06.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">At one of the towns along the Camino, we stopped to eat octopus. It was rather oily and salty but very good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3drh942_Ekdbbcop3AXBgCI-ztWEM63TaZb52Y6hGflqHiAhLNXKwQ8XYfxW5CryeG-xUpTYHbo3Mac22lUHSVERz4yMJLTDWQppdb4nB7wIlkuTTE3lE157mP6ZEeDbJA9owvPdZFAvJ/s1600/2013-06-02+15.07.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3drh942_Ekdbbcop3AXBgCI-ztWEM63TaZb52Y6hGflqHiAhLNXKwQ8XYfxW5CryeG-xUpTYHbo3Mac22lUHSVERz4yMJLTDWQppdb4nB7wIlkuTTE3lE157mP6ZEeDbJA9owvPdZFAvJ/s320/2013-06-02+15.07.13.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Mount of Joy is the first place along the Camino where pilgrims can see the Cathedral de Santiago. This marker commemorates the time Pope John Paul II celebrated mass on the mountain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6X4kd4AtQ77N3thWI8AZf6sm_YhXGAeYv32GmwZy5XwNAXwuMLFM48rHtEwbINo2XMJwJYvOQPZT6Ni0WZG72Q6vdqyD7GI1xRp0lk5OQPuDxk6fBCKRunpSNX9Qbxe0FqLKWApyH4Pvt/s1600/2013-06-02+16.02.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6X4kd4AtQ77N3thWI8AZf6sm_YhXGAeYv32GmwZy5XwNAXwuMLFM48rHtEwbINo2XMJwJYvOQPZT6Ni0WZG72Q6vdqyD7GI1xRp0lk5OQPuDxk6fBCKRunpSNX9Qbxe0FqLKWApyH4Pvt/s320/2013-06-02+16.02.39.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
FINISTERRE</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UGVZVysrN9q7jDAYL4dmjBH5DxZNc4Ri-lfAM00GIzlAFnWb5DJ7rihfVFwlp58MudWMeS4KVyCIkE6Stp_tm4JCtDcHCWha6dOjlNA4lJT8XD_rPuONNRaoEoFfififS7wbr9gTZ_tf/s1600/2013-06-03+17.40.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UGVZVysrN9q7jDAYL4dmjBH5DxZNc4Ri-lfAM00GIzlAFnWb5DJ7rihfVFwlp58MudWMeS4KVyCIkE6Stp_tm4JCtDcHCWha6dOjlNA4lJT8XD_rPuONNRaoEoFfififS7wbr9gTZ_tf/s320/2013-06-03+17.40.00.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">After reaching Santiago, pilgrims traditionally continued West until they reached Finisterre, what was believed to be the end of the world. This is the most Western point in Europe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
SALAMANCA</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LLgf2cMPIMbSEkjQpPbC-Ue4EtELT7kQIUKANZiY0Id-Db7MyaQT264xdr05RTQKoHGci3gG4vvHY4tQMnl4POmB_z6MhpCuv-8_tmxFo9JX1Iqv-4UT49TuA2dyGoruYEavDjT4twLD/s1600/2013-06-05+19.50.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LLgf2cMPIMbSEkjQpPbC-Ue4EtELT7kQIUKANZiY0Id-Db7MyaQT264xdr05RTQKoHGci3gG4vvHY4tQMnl4POmB_z6MhpCuv-8_tmxFo9JX1Iqv-4UT49TuA2dyGoruYEavDjT4twLD/s320/2013-06-05+19.50.02.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The Cathedral at Salamanca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-88155666181507199192013-06-10T18:06:00.002-07:002013-06-12T18:12:31.785-07:00VeteransThe other day someone told me that his friend, after obtaining her doctorate in psychology, will be going to work for a veteran's association.<br />
<br />
I sat in the car as he continued, saying how she would be moving in the next couple weeks. I wasn't really paying attention, though, to what he was saying afterwards. You see, I was stuck wondering why veterans needed psychologists. Was working with animals really that stressful? Or perhaps the psychologists are for the pets. Do animals need therapy, too?<br />
<br />
And then I realized my mistake.<br />
<br />Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-47042587225896251542013-03-30T08:07:00.001-07:002013-03-30T13:32:16.635-07:00March In One PostFirst of all,<br />
<br />
I apologize for the lack of posts. I've been really caught up in my work recently....but now that Easter is about to roll around, I've found some time to post.<br />
<br />
Some random things that are going on in my life as I think of them: <br />
<br />
(1) I had a job interview recently. I should find out later this week whether or not I'll get the job. I'm pretty excited.<br />
(2) A miracle happened last Thursday. I had an 8am appointment so I set my alarm for 6:40. I woke up the next morning before my alarm; I looked at it and it said it was 5:17am. I figured I had an extra hour and a half of sleep to burn, but by some miracle I happened to turn on my phone...and my phone said it was 7:20. I sprang out of bed and barely made it to my appointment on time. <br />
Later, I think I hit the time-zone button in my sleep and caused the alarm to pop back two hours.<br />
(3) I watched <i>Skyfall</i>, the James bond movie that came out a while ago. I also saw <i>The Prestige</i>. Both very good plot lines. Very enjoyable.<br />
(4) I found a $20 on the ground the other day. I asked around to see if it belonged to anyone, and it didn't, so I claimed it :) Made me happy for a little bit.<br />
(5) Here's a picture of Great Falls, Montana.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaV_Ic5jh92PBwZ6KPW2xysAdT0w9EsxvY2htothP4vokzO5XqE_0lKl4bXswY0dEfuu1BvmMkrTP1KDLXd7iMGj3LGBD-LZbMQ70He4tawKqb6EI8UTIQDyWy7JEDemCu4euO504ezzY/s1600/2013-03-14+11.25.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaV_Ic5jh92PBwZ6KPW2xysAdT0w9EsxvY2htothP4vokzO5XqE_0lKl4bXswY0dEfuu1BvmMkrTP1KDLXd7iMGj3LGBD-LZbMQ70He4tawKqb6EI8UTIQDyWy7JEDemCu4euO504ezzY/s320/2013-03-14+11.25.10.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Anyway, here are 10 songs running through my head, in no particular order:<br />
<ol>
<li>Come Home - One Republic</li>
<li>Kyrie (Op. 16) - Louis Vierne</li>
<li>50 Ways to Say Goodbye - Train</li>
<li>Crucifixus - Antonio Lotti</li>
<li>Young at Heart - Mr. Frank Sinatra</li>
<li>Home - Michael Buble</li>
<li>Love the Way You Lie (Pt. II) - Rihanna ft. Eminem (much, much better than the first one, I think) [the clean version, preferrably]</li>
<li>Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys</li>
<li>Sixteen Tons - T. E. Ford ("Sixteen tons-- What do you get? / Another day older and deeper in debt")</li>
<li>Skyfall - Adele (I suppose that's because the opening credits scene of <i>Skyfall</i> was simply delightfully produced and arranged. A wonderful work, and while I haven't jumped on the Adele bandwagon yet, I think it was wonderfully fitting to the movie.)</li>
</ol>
<div>
Have a great Easter!</div>
Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-25249252810126847902013-02-27T18:20:00.002-08:002013-02-27T18:21:16.791-08:00This.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sscK_KEPjr4" width="350"></iframe>Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-88748884922810095672013-02-16T14:48:00.001-08:002013-02-16T14:48:41.270-08:00This WeekThis week hasn't exactly been the best.<br />
<br />
Wednesday night/Thursday morning I was working from 8pm to 2am, at which point I decided to go to sleep...so I could wake up at 6:30am to finish my work (around 9:30, which is about the time the rest of my day starts). But I finished, so I can't complain much there.<br />
<br />
Last night, I was doing laundry. I moved my clothes from the washing machine to the dryer, put in my dollar, and went back to my room to do a workout. The dry cycle took about an hour to finish, so I set a timer on my phone for an hour so that I could go to sleep as soon as it ended (around midnight). At 11:55 I went to go check on my clothes and saw that they had stopped spinning. I opened the door and reached in to grab my clothes and...they were still wet. I realized that while I'd paid for the dryer, I didn't actually start the machine. The money in the machine was gone (did somebody use it?) so I was stuck paying another dollar and waiting another hour.<br />
<br />
But guess what? Laundry's done, work and paperwork are done, and I took a 2.5 hour nap today, so I am a happy camper.<br />
<br />
Happy February and hope you had a nice Valentine's day!Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-31897875248951634822013-01-20T16:28:00.000-08:002013-02-07T18:39:32.581-08:00First Post of 2013I traveled for the new year this time around. I woke up at 5am for an 8:30am departure. I was rather tired, and I wanted the plane to get going, but after boarding we had to sit around for a while because there was a problem with the water on board and we had to get off the runway and go back to dock.<br />
<br />
We probably sat in the plane for forty minutes before it took off. I had to catch an 11:15 bus when I left the airport (the one after 11:15 left at 1:15, and I didn't want to wait that long) so I was anxiously (and tiredly) looking at the on-flight TV screen, which was displaying the time.<br />
<br />
I kept wondering why it wasn't changing when I realized that 737 wasn't the time but the aircraft I was on.<br />
<br />
Have a great 2013!Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-74714441968370758802012-12-20T20:22:00.001-08:002013-01-04T13:28:47.305-08:00On The Newtown, CT Shooting<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not meant as a consolation or an accusation. This is
not meant as a way to blow off or condone the actions or deaths that occurred
today. This is my sorting out and my reflections of what happened today, and my
thoughts concerning the implications of my reflections.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
shootings that happened earlier today, I think, affected our lives in a number
of ways. First and foremost, I think it shattered our illusion of a perfect
world. Especially since we’re so close to Christmas, we’re tempted to look at
our glittery lights and shiny stars and believe that we have reached peace and
perfection; we’re tempted to look at time off from work or school and
anticipate dinner with the family and believe that, for at least a couple weeks,
we’ll have some rest and quietude. However, the reality of human nature and of
the fragile balance between life and death made its face known to us today. The
world isn’t what we want it to be; when we take off the makeup, we see a face
pocketed with scars and marked by bitterness. Secondly, today’s shootings bring
us deep sadness. As President Obama said, “Our hearts are broken” and indeed
they are; I don’t think anybody would ever condone such violent actions, but I
think these deaths hit home especially hard because the victims are children.
These deaths are saddening, they are confusing, and they are troubling.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Philippians 4:4-7<br />Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious
about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the closing of his letter to the Church at Philippi, the
apostle Paul emphatically tells the church to rejoice in all circumstances. In
light of the recent shooting in Connecticut, we may find ourselves confused and
troubled—how can we rejoice? Children died—children who will no longer be able
to play at recess or find a spouse or have kids of their own. These children
did nothing wrong—how can we rejoice at the fact that a man with guns and a
corrupted mind took away something so precious and so delicate? The answer, I
think, is simplistic in form but complicated to understand; I believe we can
rejoice because, in essence, this shooting is insignificant in comparison to
the omnipotence and omniscience of God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose
again from the grave, and, by doing so, conquered our sins and death. Jesus’s sacrifice
reunited humanity with God once more. This belief is one of the strongest and
most powerful tenants of the Christian faith—the intercession of God himself to
fix man’s brokenness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we try to reconcile these two points, however—God’s
love for mankind and the treachery of this incident—we reach a harsh conflict.
Sure, God coming down to save us is great and all, but that happened years ago;
these kids died today. Inflight of the recent sufferings we face, we are forced
to ask ourselves and God, “So what?” Jesus is great and all, but an evil
occurred that we all wish would have been avoided.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Allow me
to borrow an idea from C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce: in it, a character finds
himself in Heaven, a place where everything is so vivid and so real that the
grass digs into his feet when he tries to walk on it and his flesh is
considered “ghostlike” in comparison to the world around him. The point, as we
later find out, of the contrast is that Heaven is so much realer, so much
larger, so much more fulfilling than Hell that if we took all the “loneliness,
angers, hatreds, envies and itching’s” that it contains and “put into the scale
against…Heaven”, Hell “would have no weight that could be registered at all”1.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1: As qtd. on pg. 538 of the Complete C. S. Lewis Signature
Classics, pub. Harper One, New York, 2002.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My point is this: As a Christian, I believe that Jesus’s
Crucifixion and his Resurrection are a big deal—so big that, in comparison, the
disheartening things of the world can take no root in the peace of God the
apostle Paul mentions. I certainly hope not to minimize the scope and
implications of what happened today; no one would take the death of anyone,
much less that of child, and even less of so many people! Lightly, and I do not
either. What I’m saying is that, from a Christian humanistic perspective, while
it may be intuitive tube immersed in our confusion and sadness, to be so would
be in direct opposition to the entire concept of the Redemption by Christ.
Christ died so you could be liberated from sadness, not bewildered by it.
Granted, I do not think that we should be willy-nilly and ignore the sufferings
of those who are affected by this tragedy. On the other hand, I cite the
example of Jesus when he visited the tomb of Lazarus:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along
with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have
you laid him?” he asked.<br />“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.<br />Jesus wept.<br />Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” [John11:33-36]</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus, too, wept at the death of his friend Lazarus—a real,
genuine sadness. I think one of the greatest mysterious of the Incarnation is
the humanity of God—Jesus didn’t dabble in our emotions of sadness but he soaked
in it. Jesus didn’t seem sad; he wasn’t affected by sadness; Jesus was sad.
There’s just so much power in the words the present Jews said: “See how he
loved him!” I think that’s a truly wonderful phrase—it’s a testament to the
humanity of Christ in that Christ was capable of sadness and great love. But
see how Christ’s sadness did not come directly from the death of Lazarus;
rather, it came from His love of Lazarus. Christ wept out of love, not out of
sadness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think a similar idea holds for us: We may take part in the
sadness but we are not—or, as Christians, cannot—be overcome by it. Think about
it: Christ saved the world from sin! And, more importantly (this small part
took me a very long time to realize), Christ saved you from sin, and the Cross
and Blood cover all who seek their refuge, no matter the time. To be blunt, you
won. Death is beaten; Satan is defeated; and you are freed from the evil
desires of your body and of your mind. You are freed from the grip of sadness
and despair; Christ has overpowered sin and death for you. This sadness we have
is so small or insignificant in comparison to the Redemption that it cannot
take hold of us. We can take part in it to empathize with others (as taught by
Jesus, and in accordance with the command to be benefactors to the less
fortunate), but sadness cannot take away the joys and the peace of God found in
the wonders of the Savior.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To conclude from the Revelations of John, there will come a
time when<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will
dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and
be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away.” [Revelations 22:3b-4]</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe that God will come back again to judge the living
and the dead, and that includes those who were killed today and those who are
responsible for such killing. I cannot judge the character of the kids or
adults who were slain today; nor can I judge the actions or the morality of the
perpetrator of today’s crimes. I trust in God’s omniscience to deal justice out
accordingly to His standards, and I pray that I may refrain from passing mine.
I believe God will come again to rule over the Earth and, as stated in the Book
of Revelations, there will be no more sadness—there will only be the fullness
and the glory of God so vivid and so real that everything else will be
negligible in the light of God. Jesus Christ is coming again—there is nothing
to fear, and we cannot be conquered by sadness. Rejoice! I say it again:
rejoice.<o:p></o:p></div>
Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-17743367594056009562012-11-02T20:24:00.001-07:002012-11-05T19:32:29.997-08:00Happy...November?What month is it now, November?<br />
<br />
It's been ages since I've last posted.<br />
<br />
Everything's just gotten very very busy.<br />
<br />
But let's start at the beginning.<br />
<br />
1) I visited Pittsburgh, PA, for the first time. I only got to see the city at night, but it is rather stunning. Here is a picture from nearby Mt. Washington I took from my iPhone.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2rtcor-mZLOsPY3r3hTOT8qAz536o7bKHpvE1I-HVYn6g3QfgYdZNLnB_84pBO74XDeLXLcuBv02hFjDEYtoLBlFpdtSYtowDjGb6Q6iUZhVPiSN_H7oN3z92ZFU1S6la-HwM94o8Ws/s1600/2012-10-14+23.38.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2rtcor-mZLOsPY3r3hTOT8qAz536o7bKHpvE1I-HVYn6g3QfgYdZNLnB_84pBO74XDeLXLcuBv02hFjDEYtoLBlFpdtSYtowDjGb6Q6iUZhVPiSN_H7oN3z92ZFU1S6la-HwM94o8Ws/s320/2012-10-14+23.38.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
2) <i>O Magnum Mysterium</i> is a Christmas song composed by Morten Lauridsen (American, currently a professor of composition at USC), and here it is.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pyDKVO1LjxQ" width="328"></iframe><br />
<br />
3) Recently, I posted about a "challenge" I had going that involved getting enough sleep. Well, rest assured (get it?), I've been getting ~7hrs/sleep every night, which has been doing wonders for my health. I highly recommend working out your schedule so that you're getting enough sleep every night; it gives you so much more energy and makes all that you do much more efficient.<br />
<br />
I just wish I had some time to get some more workouts/exercise in. My lack of activity is starting to get to me.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm still pretty busy but I wanted to quickly update this blog.<br />
<br />
Have a great night, and I hope you had a safe and eventful Halloween.<br />
Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-36273215037841145422012-10-07T11:05:00.001-07:002012-10-07T11:06:41.375-07:00OctoberIt is October and I am excited.<br />
<br />
1) Today one of my friends got baptised!<br />
2) I am going to visit some East Coast cities over the next week!<br />
3) I made one my friends mad at me this last week and he forgave me today :)<br />
4) I was given the most meaningful compliment I've ever received so far. I was talking about those people who are happy and smiling all the time-- people who just always seem to find something positive and funny in life-- and then somebody told me that they thought I was one of those people. And that's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I used to be a very bitter, sarcastic, and apathetic person ("I don't care about what you think") because I had trouble understanding my purpose and the point of life, and being happy has never really been easy for me, so for two people to think that I'm the "smile-y guy" means a lot to me. When I think about the way God changed me from being such an upset person to someone who is much more open and receptive and "happier" I can't just help but think of what a testimony that is to God's love for us.<br />
5) On that note, I found out on Friday that my grandfather has esophagus cancer...It's tricky to be happy and focused on work when that happens, but I believe God has a plan for everyone and I know not to A) worry or B) be discouraged.<br />
<br />
The leaves are vividly orange and falling; the temperature is nippy and the air is fresh. It is October, and while there are plenty of reasons to be sad, there are many good reasons to be happy, too.<br />
<br />
Have a great fall.Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-37331014525346652822012-09-16T20:01:00.000-07:002012-09-16T20:01:19.579-07:00Music Monday<br />
<div class="mhs mbs pts fbChatConvItem fbChatMessageGroup clearfix small" style="background-color: white; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative; zoom: 1;">
<div class="messages" style="margin-left: 40px;">
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message" style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 3px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: 11px;">Here are some of the top 10 songs running through my playlist right now:</span><br /><ol>
<li>Paradise- Coldplay</li>
<li>We Are Young - Fun.</li>
<li>Stronger - Kelly Clarkson</li>
<li>Payphone - Maroon 5</li>
<li>I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz</li>
<li>Stop and Stare - One Republic</li>
<li>Hips Don't Lie - Shakira</li>
<li>Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson</li>
<li>Moondance - Michael Buble</li>
<li>Heaven - Duke Ellington (caution-- some modern intervals here that might not be pleasing to some ears)</li>
</ol>
</h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mhs mbs pts fbChatConvItem fbChatMessageGroup clearfix small" style="background-color: white; border-top-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative; zoom: 1;">
<div class="messages" style="margin-left: 40px;">
<div class="metaInfoContainer fss fcg" style="color: grey; font-size: 9px; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: -6px; visibility: hidden;">
<span class="timestamp"></span></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message" style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 3px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">
I'm trying to find some time to throw up a post or two, but no guarantees. I lost one of the notebooks that has my notes in it so there goes a book review I was pretty pumped to write.</div>
</div>
</div>
Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-84037741116278638782012-09-10T19:28:00.002-07:002012-09-10T19:28:36.471-07:00This WeekThis week I met someone who has synaesthesia. Synaesthesia is basically a psychophysical condition in which the senses get mixed; letters and words become associated with colors (for this particular person, for example, the letter "e" was the color green) and sounds take on colors as well. To talk to her was a pretty cool experience.<br />
<br />
I want to post more but it's a Monday and I'm tired and I'm busy.<br />
<br />
Saturday, I slept from 2:30-9:30; 3-7; and from 2a-8:30 Sunday...and I'm still very very tired.<br />
<br />
Have a nice night.Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-71688040161230636502012-08-18T23:33:00.000-07:002012-08-18T23:33:15.815-07:00NosebleedsThese last three weeks, I've had a nosebleed every single day except for Tuesday. And not the normal run-of-the-mill nosebleeds; I'm talking about both nostrils (usually one at a time, but today, for example, was both at the same time) bleeding for twenty or thirty minutes each. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had another experience where I woke up at night, unable to breathe because of all the blood. That was on Monday. The blood just wouldn't stop flowing...it's quite scary, quite scary, feeling the blood pool in your mouth and swallowing it each time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And then come the stomach cramps and the indigestion...that's not pretty, either.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyway, I've been a bit busy lately (with the bleeding and other things), but have a great remaining August.</div>
Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-73163468451401907522012-07-16T00:43:00.000-07:002012-08-18T23:33:30.502-07:00Summer Reading List [Updated 8/18/12]Whether you are a student or not, just because summer is here doesn't mean you get to stop learning! Here are the books that I am (hopefully!) going to read by the middle of August (my "summer"). I will underline the title of the books when I am done with them to show which ones I've read so far. In no particular order, and based on the availability at my local library and through the Amazon Kindle store, here is my summer book list for 2012:<br />
<br />
(1) <u><i>Brisingr</i></u> and (2) <span style="background-color: white;"><i><u>Inheritance</u> </i>by Christopher Paolini, the author of the <i>Eragon</i> series. Because even though it's been ages since I read the last two books and I didn't really understand them at all and I'm sure I will be utterly confused when I read these two, I still want to finish the series.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">UPDATE 7/22/12: Finished <i>Brisingr</i>...went about as expected, which means that I received mild disappointment from the book but was left with a slight desire to finish the series. I hope the fighting in the last book is good, because it wasn't very good in this one.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">UPDATE 8/9/12: Finished <i>Inheritance</i> a while ago. The book was about expected, which means that it was a huge let-down and was only worth reading to finish the series. It was slightly more action-packed than the other books, but, still...I think the Inheritance series as a whole was too long for its own good. It lost its drive and became more about putting words on paper than moving the plot forward.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">(3) </span><u><i>The Battle of the Labyrinth</i></u><span style="background-color: white;"> and (4) </span><u><i>The Last Olympian</i></u><span style="background-color: white;"> by Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson series. Because I have only read scattered bits and pieces of this series (and the bits and pieces I have kept me rather amused) and because it was free from my library's ebook collection! :)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">UPDATE 7/21/12: Finished both books on Thursday. Both are quite suspenseful and interesting, but, at the same time, distinctly lack literary merit that would cement them as "classics" or staples of education. A good read for entertainment, but that's about it. Nevertheless, the series was fun to read and very quirky and tense. Definitely worth checking out for the kids or if you have an active imagination, but I doubt this series will be rewarded with the reverence we bestow upon the greats of American literature.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">(5) </span><i style="background-color: white;">Novels and Stories, 1920-22 </i><span style="background-color: white;">of F. Scott Fitzgerald from the publisher New York: Library of America. Because I realized that </span><i style="background-color: white;">The Great Gatsby</i><span style="background-color: white;"> isn't nearly as horrendous or difficult as I remember it to be and I recently realized that I actually quite enjoyed some parts. I gave Hemmingway another chance; why not give ol' Francis another chance?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">UPDATE 8/9/12: <i>This Side of Paradise </i>is quaint torture. I suppose this is how we will punish children in the future: by forcing them to read Fitzgerald's prose full of passages that are so "deep" I have drowned in them and by giving them a false sense of hope every twenty pages by incorporating some bit of wit so that they'll continue reading, oblivious to the mind-numbingly shocking depth of character that is still to come. I'll let you know how it goes when I finish TSOP.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
UPDATE 8/18/12: Had to return it to the library. Will update if I can borrow it again.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">(6) </span><i style="background-color: white;"><u>The Flanders Panel</u></i><span style="background-color: white;">, by Arturo Perez-Reverte. Because it was recommended to me and I blindly and readily accepted the recommendation without needing to know anything more about the novel! (I hope it's a good story...if it even is a story. For all I know, it could be an essay on the different types of panel wood from the region of Flanders.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">UPDATE 8/18/12: <i>The Flanders Panel</i> was quite interesting. It's a combination of a bunch of things I like-- a splash of chess, a dash of art, a pinch of murder, and a hint of love-- so theoretically it should be good, right? The plot was decent enough; I don't regret reading it. However, I definitely read only around three-fourths of it because the other fourth was stuff that danced around the plot: unneeded descriptions, plot threads, or characterizations. Having to trudge through that annoying one-fourth of the novel was a bit annoying, but once I figured out which parts are important and which are not, I skipped the boring parts and the plot became quite good.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">(7) </span><i style="background-color: white;"><u>The Trees</u></i><span style="background-color: white;">, by Conrad Richter. Remember how I said I gave Hemingway another chance? I'm not particularly fond of Hemingway. But not being fond of Hemingway seems particularly un-American. Or it makes me seem like I seriously lack literary value. So instead, I took another recommendation; Richter's terse writing style is quite like Hemingway's so maybe it'll be close enough to Hemingway's style to lead me into it. Who knows?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">UPDATE 8/9/12: Finished this one a while ago, too. Wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. While the style was definitely American, it wasn't Hemingway-like. It smelled a bit of Stephen Crane but definitely took a page out of the American-frontier genre. The book (it's the first in a trilogy-- who knew?) goes through the happenings of the Luckett family as they move westward to find a new home. <i>The Trees</i> isn't anything extremely dramatic or ground-breaking, but it was quaint. I don't regret reading it, but I definitely don't see myself reading the rest of the trilogy any time soon.</span><br />
<br />
(8) <i><u>Pay it Forward</u></i>, by Catherine Ryan Hyde. A curious documentary-type book about the philosophy of returning someone's good actions toward you by doing a good deed to someone else-- not paying them back, but paying it forward. I read the first couple pages already and I'm not quite sure how I'll like it. It seems too flat and too constructed for me to get into it, but we'll see.<br />
<br />
UPDATE 8/9/12: Skimmed it. Didn't like it. Flat, shallow, constructed, and forced. Save yourself some time and read another book.<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">(9) <i><u>The Rook</u></i>, by Steven James. Because who DOESN'T love a good old detective beat-the-clock type story? The only book on this list that I've actually read already.</span><br />
<br />
<br />Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-27009186239105831942012-06-05T16:54:00.001-07:002012-07-21T21:27:21.599-07:00I Score One for the GipperWhat's a gipper?<br />
<br />
Today I called Safeway/Vons customer service to lodge a complaint. The other day, when I opened my new jar of strawberry preserves, I found a hair-like substance in it (see picture).<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYc5KNt25p5fwYbtJMii1n5eMZd8vu4UJL5o_Sf6H3irw5mheTGlFAGIYhVJjryHw2e8k5aF6I9YvT3t_XWJ_zvxngDfhu5rB1dUA4LgXArjvnlveDJ7mzYvhjIEWMDnm2dU-9ktrKlfM/s640/blogger-image-1422161694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYc5KNt25p5fwYbtJMii1n5eMZd8vu4UJL5o_Sf6H3irw5mheTGlFAGIYhVJjryHw2e8k5aF6I9YvT3t_XWJ_zvxngDfhu5rB1dUA4LgXArjvnlveDJ7mzYvhjIEWMDnm2dU-9ktrKlfM/s320/blogger-image-1422161694.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After a relatively short call (not too much hold music and the representative spoke loud enough to be heard) they arranged for me to pick up a refund at the store. <br />
<br />
Not too bad, right? I feel like I've conquered the system somehow. <br />
<br />
I feel special.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Updated 7/21/12: I didn't make this clear in the original post, but I want to extol Safeway/Vons for their excellent customer service! I didn't actually pick up the refund (I just brought in the contaminated jar and they let me trade it for a new one; I didn't have to go to customer service at all!) but I am extremely pleased with the service and care I have gotten from Safeway, both corporate and from my local store.Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-25420862689317292982012-04-24T23:31:00.004-07:002012-05-21T16:39:20.180-07:00Trickle of ConsciousnessSometimes, artists like to use a technique called stream of consciousness in which they remove the filters from their minds and write or paint whatever they think of first in order to get a raw and uncensored look at the human psyche.<br />
<br />
I would do that right now for a couple minutes but I'm so tired and distracted that all I'm really going to type is a mere trickle of that.<br />
<br />
Let's roll.<br />
<br />
1. I really want some ice-cream right now....I know it's probably full of a lot of fat and bad calories and stuff, but that's not really stopping me from thinking about it.<br />
<br />
2. There are some wacky articles on Yahoo! today. Here are 3 that caught my eye:<br />
<br />
A) A woman gets a heart attack while eating a gigantic burger, smoking a cigarette, and drinking a margarita.<br />
<br />
[What a horrible waste of resources. Why is it that people can be so stupid (or ignorant? selfish? unaware?) as to do something so horrible to their own bodies and confrontational to humanity as a whole? What unrestrained display of gluttony is this? Is this America today? What happened to the days of restraint, sensibility, and self-control? Where did the discipline and morality of our former generations dissipate?]<br />
(<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/another-heart-attack-grill-customer-collapses-while-eating-191647836.html" target="_blank">That article is here</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> B) A young woman in China falls into the sidewalk. It literally collapses under her and she falls in. Pretty scary, actually.</span> <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/cabbie-rescues-girl-who-falls-through-pavement-29063527.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">That video is here.</span></a> <br />
<br />
C) A couple kids landed in the hospital because they got alcohol poisoning off-- Oh, goodness-- hand sanitizer. They distilled and consumed the alcohol from the hand sanitizer and didn't do too well. <a href="http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/teens-turn-hand-sanitizer-drunk-183000750.html" target="_blank">That article is here, though I warn you that you may smack your head in frustration a couple times while reading it.</a><br />
<br />
[How can our kids be so stupid today? I just don't understand. While I know that most of the darling beasts we call children don't usually act this way, I just can't help but feel offended by the actions of some of these kids. {Though, admittedly, I don't think I would have ever thought about using a salt to distill the ethyl alcohol from hand sanitizer. I would like to try that sometime as a science experiment.} Why is it that these few people can mar the rising generations of America as irresponsible drunkards?]<br />
<br />
3. I'm really tired.<br />
<br />
4. Everything is piling up on me and I'm tired and I"m getting slightly stressed out.<br />
<br />
5. I read a couple books lately...I finished up <i>Antigone</i> (by Sophocles), <i>The Road</i> (by McCarthy) and <i>Catch-22</i> (by Heller) as well as a couple other works not worth mentioning. All wonderful books. Great stuff.<br />
<br />
<i>Antigone</i> strikes at the heart of the greater moral issues of the time of the Classical Greeks but has a definite appeal to us as contemporary and modern citizens of an era that we think is so much more "advanced" than those of our predecessors; <i>The Road</i> is a rather pessimistic book about the journey of a father and son in a post-apocalyptic world and their struggle to survive as well as the bond that grows between them; <i>Catch-22</i> is an extremely funny and extremely serious book about a group (is the technical term squadron?) of American soldiers stationed in Italy and the hilarious results of the inefficiencies of the war time hierarchy.<br />
<br />
6. I'm really, really tired. I also need to shower...I'll probably do that after I'm done with this post.<br />
<br />
7. I like pears. I need to do a lot of cleaning.<br />
<br />
8. I like chocolate...I hate how good chocolate is expensive, though.<br />
<br />
9. Gas is expensive, too.<br />
<br />
10. The 2012 election is going down the tank.<br />
<br />
11. I understand that I'm not a politician or an economist, but I can't even grasp how the country is running on an almost $16 trillion dollar debt. The interest on that debt must be a lot of money....Am I supposed to buy a US bond?<br />
<br />
Now I'm sure I'm rambling...boy do I need that shower....<br />
<br />
Have a fantastic day/night, wherever you are. Keep out of trouble, and God bless.<br />
<br />
12. I almost died on Sunday...I was moving to the lane on my left on the freeway and I didn't really look and a car came shooting by me at 60mph or so right before I merged into the lane. In other words, if I had switched lanes 1/3 a second earlier I would have gotten side-swiped by the car as it came past me...Scary thought. <br />
<br />
13. When's the last time I drank milk? Maybe I'll go drink some now, before my shower. Milk builds strong bones, and the fat in the milk isn't necessarily unhealthy fat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527629866806693976.post-53350156595994546732012-03-18T02:12:00.000-07:002012-03-18T02:13:00.005-07:00At Lunch, 3/14/12I wrote this on 3/15/12:<br />
<br />
I gave a double cheeseburger to a homeless man at lunch yesterday. It doesn't seem like much, now that I think about it, but it's been a weird experience for me. I grew up with a rather traditional view on the homeless-- that they're all lazy drug-addicts who should go get a job. But recently, a number of factors shifted in my head as I spotted this scruffy, dirty, half-asleep, and wholly worn-down man sitting in a corner of Burger King. <br />
I noticed him only after I had ordered two double cheeseburgers-- and thoughts started running through my head. Should I go back and order something for him to eat? But I'm in a rush and I can't get back in line. Should I just ignore him and leave him alone? But he probably doesn't get much to eat and I'm sure he needs this lunch more than I do. Am I supposed to give him one of my double cheeseburgers? But I'd get hungry, and, besides, I paid for them. They're mine, aren't they?<br />
As I grew from my childhood, my mother's attitude to the homeless changed a bit; a lot of homeless people have troubled lives or mental disorders or just some bad luck. They might be on drugs or they might not, but giving them some food certainly won't hurt anyone. And anyway, didn't God say that whatever you do for those who are hungry, you do for Him? And wasn't serving the poor a big part of Jesus's ministry? And, after all, I did get baptized on Sunday, and baptism is supposed to be the outward expression of an inward reality-- to strain toward the plan and uses God has for you...And right now, God really wanted mt to give a double cheeseburger to this man. I didn't want to give my food to this man, per se, but I knew I was going to. It's only the right thing to do.<br />
When I got my order, I walked up to the sleeping man and said, "Excuse me sir." He didn't budge. I said "Hello?" but still he didn't move. So I took a burger out of my bag, looked around, and placed it on the table and slid it close to him, and I left.Owner.AsTheWorldChangeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901990810613586216noreply@blogger.com6