Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

With these books I shall transform the Little Chinese Seamstress.  She'll never be a simple mountain girl again. - Luo

Finding good books is tough.  Yes, I belong to a book club and that helps but the best way, for me, is when someone who knows me well says, "Here, read this book.  You'll like it."

A while back my friend, Charlotte handed me the book "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" and said, "Here, read this book.   You'll like it."

It takes place during the Chinese re-education program that started in 1966 and lasted for ten years.  The revolution was intended to stamp out educated people, and go back to old ideas.

More specifically, the idea was to wipe out books.

Two teen aged boys are sent into the mountains to be re-educated through hard labor.  But they are smart and mischievous and along the way they manage to steal some great books, including books by Balzac and "The Count of Monte Cristo."  The boys are great at story-telling so, for the most part, the people in the villages love them.  Especially the Little Chinese Seamstress.  And both of them fell in love with her.

Each chapter in this little book is a sweet, funny, sometimes terrifying story about their adventures.  To me, it's almost totally a story about the power of books to change our lives.

And, as for the boys, they were right about the Little Chinese Seamstress never being the same again. In the end she is empowered by the stories and leaves everything behind, including the boys, to find a better life for herself.

And I can personally relate to the Little Chinese Seamstress.


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Patriot's Day

What I saw today, good versus evil, love versus hate.  There's only one weapon you have to fight back with, it's love.  We wrap our arms around each other, I don't think that there's any way that they could ever win. - Mark Wahlberg as Tommy Saunders in Patriot's Day.

When we left Boston a few days ago they were gearing up for the Boston Marathon.  It was held last Monday, April 17th.  So, while we were kind of drenched in Boston history and heroism, we were also made very aware of the most recent acts of extreme bravery and heroism.

Dave and I watched the film last night.  As everybody in the planet knows, at the 2013 Boston Marathon two Russian born, half-Chechan brothers detonated two pressure cooker bombs at the finish line.  Most of us saw it on television and will never get it out of our minds.

The movie was a little frantic for us but in presented like a documentary and showed us both the good and evil of that experience.  It was basically about love - although without the "F" world the dialogue would have been almost non-existent.

Boston is an astoundingly beautiful historic American city and the pride and love was shared with us over and over when we were there.  And the bombing is still very much with them, just as the Pulse nightclub shooting will forever be a part of my community.  However, as this film reminds me once again, tragedy brings out the best in most folks.

I thought it was funny when we were there that the tour guides rattled off the top celebrities from Boston like Ben Afleck, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg.  But they never mentioned Casey Afleck (who just won an Academy Award) or Donnie Wahlberg (who we love in Blue Bloods.)


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How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Book of Revelation

Ted uses some Book of Revelation logic to motivate his little girls'
soft ball team. 

When I was a kid the Book of Revelation (last book in the New Testament) was used to scare the bejeebers out of me and other folks on a regular basis.  There were preachers who used this book of the Bible exclusively.  It got the job done in an expedient way.

The Book of Revelation - Scaring the Hell Out of Us for the Last 2000 Years!

When I got older and became a Methodist I quit reading it.  And then, in 2005 one of my ministers asked that I teach a class on Revelation.  I patiently explained why that would be impossible since it had seriously traumatized me as a child, etc.  She said, That's the reason you need to teach this class.

So I did.  But not until after weeks and weeks of study - and interviewing people.  I learned that many folks had the same childhood experience I did and wanted nothing to do with it.  A friend who is a very spiritual artist surprised me by telling me she loved the book.  But then let me know it was because of the imagery.  I could understand that.  Right off the bat we're given this description:

I saw a gold menorah with seven branches,
And in the center, the Son of Man,
in a robe and gold breastplate,
hair a blizzard of white,
Eyes pouring fire-blaze...

Who wouldn't want to capture that on canvas?

I Googled The Book of Revelation this morning and found Nineteen million, three hundred thousand references.  There are literally thousands and thousands of interpretations of the symbolism in the book.  The man who wrote it was in exile on the island of Patmos and had a fever dream about seven churches. The number seven is prominent in Revelation.

Who was it written for?  The people in the seven churches?  The next generation?  Us?  I'm not sure.

Writers of horror stories have had a field day with Revelation.  It's gory, to say the least.  In chapter 16 there are seven bowls filled with seven disasters - like malignant sores, oceans turned into blood and cities destroyed.

Since the first of the year I've been rereading the New Testament.  I'm now delving into the Book of Revelation once more.  How am I feeling?  I love it.  Am I terrified?  No.  I've come to it this time already having pretty clear understanding of the nature of God.


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Trains vs. Planes

Dinner time on the Train

We arrived home yesterday afternoon after our eight day train trip to Washington D.C. and Boston. How would we assess riding the Amtrak Silver Meteor vs. flying?

Breathing and Hearing - The constant roar on the plane gives me a headache and the air seems artificial.  Our Amtrak was quiet and the air smelled like....air.

Waiting We were on four trains all together.  Despite the horror stories we'd heard, they were all on time.  And no standing in line for 30 minutes.  We just walked up and got on the train.

Food - We ate in a dining car with white tablecloths and interesting people sitting opposite us.  You may remember that a few months ago I had my DNA tested at Ancestry.com and learned that I was 6 per cent Mali (an African nation.)  So far, I've not been able to learn much about this country.  Night before last we sat across the table from a young woman and her child.  We soon learned that she'd been in the Peace Corps in Africa.  When I asked what country I knew she would say Mali.  And she did.  What a conversation we had!

I asked Dave to demonstrate
but this is as far as he would go.

Sightseeing - Even though I love Florida I always enjoy landscape that doesn't look like Florida.  Connecticut, for example.  It was exciting to ride through New York City on our way to Boston.  We had a great view of the skyline.  Even saw the Empire State Building.

Sleep - We loved our little Roomette.  Don't know how many more years I'll be able to climb into the top bunk but I managed this time.  Dave gave me a boost.

Restroom - Conveniently located!  And clean.  (The heavy lid closes to make a nice bench and step stool to reach the top bunk. ) And, if we didn't care to use this there were plently of public restrooms.  However, we made no long middle of the night trips outside our roomette!

And, finally, to my knowledge, not one person was knocked unconscious and dragged off the train this past week.


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Homeward Bound

Faneuil Hall

Right now we're on the train from Boston back to Washington.  From there we'll switch trains and move into our cozy Roomette for our overnight back to Winter Park, Florida

We crammed everything we could into our two days in Boston.  What a city.  Certainly one of the most beautiful in the world.  The first morning we walked the Freedom Trail - five miles!  I felt like Diane Homrich on her El Camino Walk. Yes, she walked 400 miles!   But I'm just sayin...

After that we had lunch, and booked a two day tour.  Here are some highlights:

- We enjoyed hanging out at Faneuil Hall, which has been a meeting hall and market place since 1793.  It has this famous statue of Samuel Adams out front.  Later in the day our bus driver/stand up comic who sits down,  showed us where Samuel Adams was buried.  The Bean Town Bar is across the street.  The driver said, "You can buy a cold Samuel Adams across the street from the cold Samuel Adams" (in the cemetery.) As you know, I love cerebral humor.

- Boston's four top industries are:  Finance, Medicine, Education and Tourism.

- Fun to see The Old North Church and Paul Revere's house again.  I was reminded that Paul had two wives and 16 children.  During the time before his ride British soldiers could live with any families they wanted.  They just opened the door and moved in.  Paul Revere, with his two bedroom house and 16 children never had a British soldier decide to be his house guest.

Fun Fact:  When my daughter, Cathy, was a little girl she memorized "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Longfellow - all 14 stanzas.  I tried to memorize
it with her but failed.

Union UMC

- A little cruise around Boston Harbor was part of our tour. We saw The Constitution but I was impressed by this Nantucket Lightship.  This ship functions as a movable lighthouse.  Our guide told us that the sailors have 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off.  With
so much time on their hands when they're out to sea, they took up basket weaving (seriously.)  Their baskets sell for from $1,000 to $10,000.

Stephanie's

- Loved getting to see Union United Methodist Church, founded in the 1800s.  Harriett Tubman is a vital part of the history of this great church.  Mary McLeod Bethune's nephew was a long time pastor.

Park Plaza Hotel in Boston

- We walked through Boston Common, the nation's oldest park) four times.

- You know how I like to hang out in hotel lobbies.  50 Park Plaza was  a special treat.

- Dave's daughter recommended Stephanie's for lunch.  It was amazing.


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Travel Day

As you know, Dave and I are having an Amtrak adventure.  We just spent two days in Washington D.C. and today we're heading for Boston.  Here are some highlights:

In D.C. we stayed in the Holiday Inn - Capitol.  It was beautiful and within walking distance of almost everything we wanted to see.  Our first day we walked to the Smithsonian and several other museums.  I didn't realize that almost all of them are free.

National Museum of African
American History

But the new National Museum of African American History is not free. Even though our tour guide told us that Oprah donated 12 million dollars to the project.  Because it's so popular (over a million visitors so far) they don't sell "same day" tickets.  In the photos I've seen I didn't care for the architecture, or the color or the facade. But, in person, it's magnificent.  Like a sparkling jewel.

On day-two we booked a tour.  And there were two big parades:  African American, female, Democrat, mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, led the Emancipation Parade. We saw some of that and some of the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

We also saw cherry blossoms.

Union Station, Washington D.C.

One of the most beautiful buildings in D.C. is Union Station.  Big!  Has over 100 restaurants.

Tour bus drivers are some of our best stand-up comedians.  Only they do it sitting down and driving.

Both days great.  The weather was perfect.

Union Station Lobby

Dave chats up everybody.  When we had dinner on the train we sat with a woman who told us a story about how her healthy, 52 year old husband, who was an equine veterinarian, was driving down the highway with her sitting next to him.  He "felt funny", pulled off the road and died.  They had three children in college.

Last night at dinner our waiter told us his life story.  Born in South Africa, then an engineer in Europe and now a waiter in D.C.  He's an expert on tribes.  He's a Zulu.  Dave told him "Your my first Zulu!"

I'm very aware that today is Palm Sunday and I'm not in church.  But I'm grateful for where I am.


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Let's Take a Trip

Dave and I are taking a trip.  As I write this we're  on Amtrak's Silver Meteor and sharing a Viewliner Roomette headed from Winter Park, Florida to Washington D.C.  We hope the city is still there when we arrive in the morning. The trip is approximately 17 hours but that includes (hopefully) a night of sleep.  By the way, the Roomette is a very afordable option for seniors who couldn't possibly sit in couch for that long.

So far, we're loving it.  The roomette is the teeniest, tiniest room for two that you can imagine.  Oh, and that includes a sink and toilet.  We were both concerned about having to travel a couple of times during the night to find the restrooms, but, low and behold, the toilet is right next to Dave's seat. However, at some point the seat becomes a bed and another bed materializes from the ceiling. Two sets of friends have told us that this experience is really fun if you really like each other.  We'll see.

Please wish us luck.

Roomette

After a couple of days in D.C. we'll continue on Amtrak to Boston, a seven hour trip.  Three days later we'll do the reverse.

The train was an hour or so late arriving in Winter Park (which I understand is not unusual) so we had our lunch on the Avenue. We sat next to an old black man who had been a Muslim prison chaplain all his life.  We enjoyed his stories until we just couldn't take it anymore (he never took a breath) so spent the rest of the time waiting at the station. The Winter Park station is small but elegant.

D.C. early 70s. 

 After boarding, and since our lunch on the train was paid for, we went to the dining car and had a cheesecake dessert and coffee.  It reminded me of Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen in the film "White Christmas" sitting in the dining car singing "Snow."   Friends have told us the food isn't great but, as you know, we're not gourmets. It would be hard not to please us.

The last time I was in Wasington D.C. was the early '70's when I was there for a civil rights march.  I promise to behave myself this time.


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Zombie Minds

Consciousness is the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings. - The Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

I meet from time to time with a small group of smart people to discuss smart stuff.  Recently I've been reading articles by and about Daniel Dennett .  He's a 74 year old philosopher who teaches at Tufts and is an expert on "Consciousness."  So I thought I'd get a handle on Daniel and his consciousness ideas and then present it to my little group.

How hard could it be?

So far (and I will quote my daughter who called  me every morning to report her status for 10 days after her baby's birth due date but prior to the actual birth)  I got nothin'.

Dr. Daniel Dennett, who is an expert on evolutionary biology, neuroscience, psychology, linguistics and artificial intelligence wrote a book in 1991 called "Consciousness Explained."  In it he's given us some explanations but I don't get them.  And I'm not alone.  Some of his peers called the book "Consciousness Explained Away."

I do know that the "Zombie" problem has to do with living things that don't have minds.  Dennett, who I don't think adheres to the Zombie problem,  uses an octopus as an example but I guess there could be a number of examples like a farm yard chicken that dances around after its head is cut off.  Another example would be a - you know - Zombie!

But, apparently, what it means to be fully conscious, fully awake (or not) is open for discussion.

Dr. Dennett has a philosophical arch-nemesis named David Chalmers.  Apparently Dr. Chalmers does believe in the Zombie problem.  And he thinks Dennett's ideas are a bunch of hooey.  But I'm thinking maybe the feud between the philosophers is designed to entertain us.  Sort of like the feud between Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel.

Another altogether different definition of consciousness is Dualism.  This has to do with the mind being separate from the body and is a more theological concept.  Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon who had an out of body experience after falling into a coma and wrote a book called "Proof of Heaven" had this to say:

The plain fact is that the materialist picture of the body and brain as the producers, rather than the vehicles, of human consciousness, is doomed.

So there you have it.  I'm hoping some of you will share your definition of consciousness.  But I'd like it to be short and able to be understood by a 6th grader.

Because I think my group of folks who discuss smart stuff can handle this - but we could use some help.


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