It Was 28 Years Ago Today...

That the world lost a fantastic musician, and champion for peace: John Lennon. 28 fateful years ago today, John Lennon was returning home to the Dakota Building in NYC with his wife, Yoko Ono, and was shot to death by a crazed fan named Mark David Chapman. Last summer when I was in New York, I made my pilgrimage to John's last home, and place of tragic death. The spot where the security guard is standing is where John was first shot, and the area just past the gate is where he soon died. John was shot four times in the back, and afterward Chapman calmly waited for the police to arrive. Earlier that same day, Chapman had approached John for an autograph and pictures. If only John had known then that the man he was posing for pictures with would assassinate him later that same day...


As a part of my pilgrimage to the Dakota Building last summer, I went to Strawberry Fields in Central Park (which is right across the street from the Dakota Building) to pay my respects to the area Yoko Ono donated in John's memory. Visiting these sites allowed me to share a piece of history and John Lennon with fellow fans. This is truly a memory I will cherish forever.


I have been a fan of the Beatles and John Lennon for more than half my life. From my initial infatuation, I was impressed with the wit and humor John excelled at, as well as his flair for pointing out the hypocrisy in the world. It saddens me to know that we were only a part of this world together for a brief year, but I have vowed never to forget what John stood for: peaceful coexistence of all people, and the power of music to change lives. For this reason, every December 8th I listen to only Beatles music at work. It's a small yet simple tribute and a sign that I will never forget all that John Lennon gave to this world.

The Saga of the Ipod

As a self professed music snob, my iPod is the epitome of awesomeness in technology for me. I received my iPod from my family for my grad school graduation gift a few years ago, so in addition to being a vessel for all of my music snobbery, it was a symbol of all the hard work that went into my 3 years of graduate school.

You can imagine then how hard I took losing my iPod during my Texas travels a few weeks ago.

I waited to write about the iPod until I had more information to share. To spare you all the details, I had plane issues in Dallas (story of my life, I know), and we had to switch planes quickly because of a fuel leak. In my haste to get off the plane, I left my iPod in the seat pocket in front of me.

As soon as I got on the new plane, I realized what I had done, and was devastated. I alerted my Flight attendant, and she immediately radioed over to the old plane to see if they could find the iPod. It looked bleak for awhile, and then my flight attendant came over and told me they had found my iPod! I was given the information for Lost and Found, and was told to call them in the morning to claim my iPod.

I called Lost and Found first thing in the morning the next day, and was immediately put on hold for 10 minutes. Not a good sign, and it really pissed me off, so I hung up and called back. The woman I spoke to was entirely unhelpful, and barely let me finish what I was saying before interrupting to tell me they had found no iPod.

I was told to call back the next day to see if they had recovered my iPod. I reminded the woman that my iPod had been found by someone else working for the airlines, and I expected them to have it the next day. While I stood my ground, I was quickly beginning to lose faith that I would get my iPod back. Sure enough, I called back the next day on my way to work, and there was no iPod to be found.

Determined not to let this defeat me, I immediately filed a customer relations complaint with the airlines, and spent the remainder of the week fighting with the airlines over liability for my now lost iPod. The airlines maintained that I had been at fault for leaving my iPod on the original plane. I countered that someone employed by the airlines had reported the iPod as found, and then it was never seen again, and that constitutes theft. I was getting nowhere with the airlines, and was beginning to give up hope.

At this point, my dad suggested I file an insurance claim through my renters insurance. If I could prove theft, my iPod might be covered. Sure enough, my insurance company (who treated me like a human being the whole time I was working with them) covered my iPod! All I was out was my deductable. Considering the cost of a new iPod, that was a small price to pay.

This past weekend, I received my insurance money, and decided to upgrade to an iPod Touch. I've been playing around with it for a few days now, and I absolutely love it! I am so glad that I was able to turn a terrible situation into an opportunity to try something new.

As for the terrible service I received from the airlines, I am not giving up that fight. I am planning to write a letter to the head of their Customer Relations department about the deplorable way I was treated. All I wanted was for the airline to admit their fault in the disappearance of my iPod, and all I received was awful treatment. I won't stand for that from anyone.

Scarred for Life

You may not know this, but there is a serious bedbug problem in this country. To spare you the grotesque details, people spread them around mostly through their luggage and staying in hotels. College campuses are a natural breeding grounds for this bedbug epidemic because there are high percentages of students living within close quarters.

I have heard from colleagues about bedbug problems on their campuses. On some level I knew it was a matter of time before we had a problem as well. Sure enough, not one week into the new school year, and we had a very small outbreak in a room.

Turns out the student who brought them had been traveling and staying in hotels. The perfect storm situation for breeding bedbugs. Fortunately, we were able to identify and isolate the problem quickly. Only one room was affected, which makes this a very minor case.

Minor case or not, we needed to do some staff training to ensure that any future bedbug outbreaks would be handled just as well. So this last week, the unavoidable happened: I had to sit through a 2-hour presentation on bedbugs.

To be clear, I hate all things bugs and ew. I was never the little girl who was fascinated by bugs. I may not be overly girly, but I do scream and get the heebie geebies about bugs. That's one of the reasons I got a cat - she handles the bugs while I hide on the bed. Don't judge me.

During this dreaded presentation, I had to endure enlarged images of bedbugs (barf), and passing around samples of dead bedbugs (awful). As the presentation dragged on (and on and on), I found myself scrunching down more and more in my chair. My wonderful colleagues picked up on my discomfort quickly, and did their best to aleviate my fears with such pleasnatries as: "I hear Dallas has a huge bedbug problem." and "I think bedbugs can live for weeks on you after you travel before you can really tell."

Thanks. Very helpful, people. If anyone needs me, I'll be living out of my bathtub.

Tales from Texas Travels

Greetings, readers! I survived my Texas travels, and have pictures and stories to report to you. For those of you who thought I couldn't handle a week in Texas, I have news for you: never bet against me. Isn't there a rule that the house always wins? Or are you supposed to bet it all on black? Oh well, I've never been much of a gambler, so here are the pictures.

This is the famous book depository in Dallas. The sixth floor corner is where Lee Harvey Oswald apparently shot President Kennedy. It is now a museum dedicated to the life of President John F. Kennedy. A very moving place, but could Oswald really have made that shot from that location? We may never know.

This is the road Kennedy was traveling down when the two bullets hit him. To my right is the book depository. You can't see them in this picture, but there are two "X's" in the street where the bullets struck Kennedy. You really get a sense of the history changing events that happened here.

This is the state capitol building in Austin. Very beautiful building!

October 9th would have been John Lennon's 68th birthday. To honor the event, I was able to go to a local pub in Austin that had a cover band playing tribute to John. Very cool.

Of course, it wouldn't really be Texas if you didn't get a sense of the conservative nature of the place. Case in point, they sell elephant cuff links in their Gap Outlets.

All in all, I had a good trip. I enjoyed catching up with friends, as well as seeing a part of the country I've never seen. Now I can say I've truly experienced Texas, and am thankful to have had the opportunity.

Things that Could Only Happen to Me...

Today at the airport per my usual self, I started up a conversation with the guy next to me while we waited to board our plane. We talked about why we traveling (me for a conference, and him to check out our mass transit systems in Portland), and then I literally blinked when he said, "Yeah, these are the things you have to do when you're the Mayor of Fort Worth, Texas."

After dropped that bomb, the following thoughts went through my head:
1. Wait, what? Mayor?
2. Crap, that's a big town! Please tell me I haven't insulted Texas yet.
3. Please don't let me have food in my teeth!
4. No one will ever believe this story. Ever.

I ended up playing it cool (unless I really did have stuff in my teeth), and we chatted a little bit longer about what it's like to be Mayor. Then he was nice enough give me an extra lunch that his group had leftover (hey, free is free, right?). Mr. Mayor, I know it doesn't mean anything, but you totally have my vote!

So, there's my story. This trip has already been quite the adventure, and it's barely even begun!

Off to Mess with Texas

I'm heading out of town for a week to go to a conference in Dallas, Texas. That's right, this liberal lady is about to go mess with Texas! Think I'll fit in? I contemplated wearing my Obama t-shirt on the plane, but ultimately decided against it. It probably would be wise to be on my best behavior while I'm down there, seeing as how they're all such big fans of the 2nd Amendment.

I do plan to check out the music scene in Austin while I'm there for a few days. Finally, my music genius will find a home! John Lennon's birthday would have been the 9th, so a friend of mine has found us a way to celebrate. Awesome!

See you in a week!

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Every 4 years I seem to get this insatiable sense of patriotic pride. Is it because we are allowed to elect new governmental officials? No (well, not for this blog post at least), it's because the whole world has taken a break from their current strifes (except for Russia and Georgia), and come together to celebrate major athletic accomplishments through the Olympic games.

This year, the Olympics are being held in Beijing, China, so I have quite an interest in how the games progress. Why? Well, in the summer of 1999 (good lord, that was almost a decade ago!), I had the opportunity to study in China for 2 months.

As a college administrator, allow me just a moment to plug the imminent benefits of studying abroad. Be it for a term, a month, a summer, or a year, the process of immersing yourself in a culture vastly different from your own not only looks good on your resume, it's positively life changing. Never in my life have I ever learned more about myself than when I was in a country where I didn't know the language and looked incredibly different from everyone else.

As the world has focused upon the Chinese culture these last few weeks in preparation of the 2008 Olympic games, I have been overcome at times with the memories of traveling to China all those years ago. When Matt Lauer filmed an episode of the Today Show from the Summer Palace, I giddily shouted to my hair dryer that I'd been there! When the opening ceremonies of the games included some history of the Gansu Province, I happily reminisced about the month I spent in the city of Lanzhou there, studying at the Gansu University of Technology.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to walk down memory lane with an old college friend who went with my on this Chinese adventure back in the summer of '99. We both agreed that someday, we wanted to get back to China, to see just how it had changed since we'd been there. How would it feel to walk around in Tiananmen Square after all this time? Would walking the Great Wall have the same impact on me as it did then?

All of these questions, I vow to answer. Someday.

The Value of Life

I just had a conversation on the phone with my brother. Every now and then, my brother and I talk, and no matter how brief the conversation, we connect on many levels. Today was one of those days.

In the next week, my brother and his lovely wife are headed to Hawaii for a week with my dad and step-mom. Now, before you go and pity me (actually, go right ahead), it should be stated for the record (this is code for: they will be reading this, so I'd better be historically accurate) that I was invited to go to Hawaii too, but would have to pay my own airfare. In an effort to make fiscally responsible decisions (yes, I am kicking myself as I type), I opted out of the trip this year. Like clockwork, my dad and step-mom will be returning to our favorite beach on Kona, Hawaii in two years, and I will go then. Hopefully.

Anyway, back to my point (there is one, I assure you). My brother was telling me that before he and his wife leave on a trip, they make sure to have a plan in place for their two beautiful children in the event something happens to them. My brother wasn't trying to be morbid. Like any loving and responsible parent, he wants to make sure everything is covered before he leaves on his trip, so he can fully enjoy his retreat into paradise for a week. It's just something you have to do in today's world.

Today on the phone, my brother asked if I would be willing to raise his children if anything were to happen to him and his wife. Now, I must admit, just knowing that my brother would trust me to raise his two most precious assets makes me tear up a little. After I got over the impact of that sentiment, I was forced to face the realization that in addition to raising two small children, I would also be faced with caring for my mother who has multiple sclerosis. Not a decision to take lightly, no matter how honored I feel to have been asked.

Going from taking care of myself and my admittedly spoiled cat to caring for two young children and a parent would be quite a shift. That being said, I did not hesitate to answer yes to my brother's question. I would be honored to raise his children if the need ever arose.

But while I appreciate the sentiment in being asked such a responsibility, I set aside any thoughts of this coming to fruition, because I know my brother and sister-in-law will have a safe and luxurious trip to Hawaii, and will return home safe and sound. I simply demand it be so.

Aloha!

More From the East Coast

As promised, I am back with some of my favorite pictures from my trip to Washington DC. I must say, it was really great to see the city as an adult. The last time I was in DC, I was maybe 10 years old, so I have a very different perspective on the city now. Here are some of my favorite pictures:

The Capitol round-a-bout and statue. As you can see, I had gorgeous weather for my trip. I expect nothing less! ;-)


The White House, as seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. Sadly, George W. was nowhere to be seen.


A view of the Washington Monument from the Pillars of the Lincoln Memorial. This picture looks very artsy to me.


The Korean War Memorial. This one is amazing, and pictures really don't do it justice. I highly recommend you see it for yourself.

Ms. Mags Goes to Washington

Hello readers! Never fear, I haven't forgotten you. No, I was actually back on that other coast in Washington DC visiting family. I must say, I had 3 days in the city, and they were very nice and sunny. I even got a smidge of a tan. I'll be back with pictures in the next few days, but before I do, here are some of my observations of east coasters from a west coaster perspective:

1. People on the east coast aren't nice. I'm serious here. It seems like everyone on the east coast is in such a hurry to get from point A to point B that they don't mind running over people in the process.

2. Evidently there is no need for customer service at Starbucks on the east coast. Being a good northwesterner, I went to Starbucks every day of my trip to get my caffeine fix. On every single occasion, I received horrible customer service. I guess when your product is good, there is no need to serve your customers well.

3. Drivers in the DC area are Douchebags. This one sort of goes with number 1, but I decided to give it a stand alone shout out because of the atrociousness of the driving. In my short stay, I observed people cutting each other off, tying up traffic for no reason, and not letting others into a lane when theirs ended. Total douchebaggery.

4. It's official, NYC airports hate me. Last summer I had major issues at La Guardia. This time, JFK had it's chance to mess with me. I had both of my connections through JFK, and both times I experienced major layovers, and received no information about the reasons. Oh well, at least I got my luggage.

That all being said, I really did have a good time. Honest.

Oh the places I've been

This last year, I had the opportunity to do quite a bit of traveling around North America. This year I am taking some time off to pay for those trips, but here is a list of places I visited:

Calgary, B.C.
Woodinville, WA
Seattle, WA
Newport, OR
Lincoln City, OR
Portland, OR
Lake Oswego, OR
Black Butte Ranch, OR
St Louis, MO
New York, NY
Massapequa, NY
San Francisco, CA


Makes me want to get back out there and see more of the world, you know?