Blasting Off

We've got tons to write about, but we've been out in the wilderness far from the interweb and have packed our adventures too close together to allow us ample time to elaborate. In short, we had an absolutely fabulous time during the remainder of our stay in Utah, remaining based in Zion long enough to really explore the area and do some amazing canyoneering around the park. We knew we had most of the technical rope skills and navigational experience to jump into the water-filled slot canyons of the West, and while this was mostly true, we still encountered a steep learning curve. The skillset from climbing crossed over very well in most regards, as canyoneering involves lots of repelling and rope work, however we did encounter some novel predicaments that made us think twice.

The simple act of rappelling becomes more complicated when performing what canyoneers call a "floating disconnect" - that is, rapping into an icy (45 degree F) pool of water, floating to keep your head above, and removing yourself from the rope, all while keeping things untangled and remaining calm. In fact, the swimming was the main thing that surprised us with its difficulty as we had multiple opportunities to jump into the freezing water with full packs and clothes on and dog-paddle/swim across to the (not always evident) other side.

In the end, we enjoyed exploring the canyons more than we could imagine, and our technical skills allowed us to access superbly pristine and geologically astonishing spots in the desert. As the days got hotter and hotter we become more and more comfortable in the coolness of the canyons, and ended our trip with a three day backpacking effort down the Right Fork of the Great West Canyon in Zion, which was quite a test of our hiking, technical, and most of all route finding and map-reading abilities. We didn't see a soul for the duration of the trip and the only evidence of other people where the few footprints of a party that had descended a few days before us. The setting was splendid as the full moon lit up the towering sandstone walls and we were serenaded (loudly!) to sleep by the echoes of the mating frogs.

Our life has been a blur since we got home as we have been preparing to go the other direction with an ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite, one of the largest and most beautiful pieces of granite in the entire world. We will be joining Mo's brother Jean-Paul and one of his coworkers heading up the Captain, on a route that we will hopefully complete in five days (and nights) of climbing and work. We'll be spending the night way up in the air, hoping to get some sleep on our portaledges, and hoping that the sun is somewhat merciful in its heat and a cool breeze is blowing off the deck. It is probably one of the most challenging things we have ever attempted, and we are entering it with a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and anxiety for the unknown, not exactly sure how our bodies and minds will adapt and react to a completely vertical world. We can only hope that we will have strong bodies, even stronger minds, and a whole ton of fun.

Needless to say, in a week's time we will have stories to tell and pictures to share - off we go!

Rainbow Sandstone

Our life is often about contrasts, and on the first full weekend in June we traveled to Springdale, Utah, just outside of Zion National Park, for the wedding of one of Mo's best friends from high school. One of the brides herself was billing the wedding as the last illegal same-sex marriage ceremony for California residents to be performed outside of the state before the June 17th kick-off, and the shabang went down in the heart of Mormon country, with the officiating being taken care of by one of the bride's fathers, a retired Episcopalian priest - only in the good ol' US of A. As most of you know, it doesn't take much to get us motivated for a trip to the desert, and the opportunity to be a part of this joyous celebration was more than enough. We finagled some mountain bikes from our well-equipped friends (thanks Witt and Alyse!!!), filled the Eurovan to the brim with desert toys, and took the scenic route which included parts of the "Extraterrestrial Highway" across Nevada and into Utah while stopping at some killer hot springs along the way.

Being part of the larger circus traveling to Utah for a gay wedding in the midst of the landmark California decision got us thinking along those legal lines that become a bit convoluted when you start rolling across state borders. Some of the most interesting state laws in Utah have to do with their policies toward beer and liquor - the whole state is limited to 4.0% ABV beer, and to drink you must either be also eating food in a restaurant or a member of a "private club" that is licensed to serve the demon rum. We emptied out our car of contraband at the Arizona border after hearing about horror stories of out-of-state visitors being harassed for a few bottles of 6% moonshine that they trafficked across state lines. This got us thinking about Federal law, and we seemed to remember from our high school US Government classes that Federal Law superseded State Law in most cases, especially those involving interstate transport.

Being that we do live in the progressive State of Callie-fornia, we couldn't help but compare this conundrum to a legal battle constantly being waged in the Golden State over medical marijuana. Yes, a majority of the state authorized a proposition legalizing the medical use of marijuana, but of course this is only in effect statewide and not on a federal level. Consequently, in liberal bastions like San Francisco and Berkeley, pot clubs are constantly being raided by the DEA and shut down, denied their state-given rights due to the power of the Feds. If the Feds can raid Oaksterdam on a routine basis, shouldn't they be protecting our right to bring California microbrews into the fine state of Utah? Where's the ATF when you really need them?

When it all came down to it, the legal nuances were just that, and we had a grand time in Springdale. The wedding ceremony was easily the most aesthetically stunning and beautiful ceremony we have been to, with the couple being joined and blessed beneath the towering sacred sandstone peaks of Zion. The party was bumping until well past midnight, accompanied by perhaps the hardest rap music ever played on the main street of Springdale since N.W.A. came through in 1994. And the special Utah liquor laws were actually a blessing in disguise, as the strict adherence to alcohol standards has forced creative Utah microbreweries to specially design some incredibly delicious recipes for their local concoctions while spicing them up with names like Polygamy Porter ("Why have just one?") and Provo Girl Pilsner.

So yep, we survived the wedding, Utah survived a gay marriage, and now we're posted up in campsite #9 of Zion's South Campground trying our best to make use of the toys we brought and be thankful for these looooong days to run around outside. It's getting hotter every day, but nothing a dip in the Virgin river can't take care of, and we're cruising around on bikes and running through canyons each day until we can barely walk.

Wooo-hoooo summer!!!!!!

POP! goes the tympanic membrane

While Mo was playing tour guide to my parents, who flew in from the East Coast for a lightning fast trip to Vegas and the Bay, I was left in Berkeley attempting to cram for the Physics CSET test that I was scheduled to take on Saturday. After seeing everyone to the airport on Thursday morning I was ready to settle in for a couple days of quiet, focused studying when my left inner ear canal began inexplicably filling up with fluid Thursday night. The pain kept me up all night on Thursday and drove me to the doctor on Friday, who prescribed antibiotics and said that I had quite a royal ear infection raging in there. Argck.

Unfortunately the doctor didn't send me home with any pain killers, and I was forced to alternate between Tylenol and Advil in an attempt to stave off the ferocious, sharp, awl like pain going straight into my skull. Friday evening I laid in the fetal position on the couch as I didn't think the pain could get any worse, trying to keep my body as still as I could as every single movement jostled the pressure in my ear and caused it to intensify. I began wishing that my ear drum would just burst and I was imagining the immediate theoretical cessation of pain as the fluid found its way out of my skull. And then, while I talked (or really moaned and complained grumpily) on the phone to Mo in Vegas, it happened - my ear drum ruptured, the pain immediately stopped, and fluid began oozing out of my ear canal.

While it was a short-term solution to the indescribable pain I was experiencing at the time, if I had to do it all over again with the hindsight that the last week has provided, I probably wouldn't have wished quite so hard that my eardrum would pop. While the pain and pressure immediately dispersed, so did my hearing, as well as many other senses and neurological nuances that are evidently connected to having an intact tympanic membrane. For over one week now I have not been able to hear anything out of my left ear, and most of the time there is an annoying ringing taking place where audio input should be. My sense of balance is getting better, but for the first few days it was nearly impossible for me to close my eyes and remain standing without falling over. And one of the most annoying repercussions of my condition is the inability to audio-locate where noises are coming from. In order to determine the location of a source of noise, our brain uses an algorithm that compares the gap in reception time between our two ears - put simply, if the right ear hears a noise before the left ear, then the brain can figure out that the source of the noise must be on our right size. When the brain is only receiving data from one of the ears it can't work its magic anymore, and thus I have no idea where noises are coming from. This in itself is extremely disorienting and annoying, and combined with the ringing it is hard for me to stay upbeat, positive, and not grumpy.

Just a week of this experience has given me a whole new perspective and sympathy for a) young children that have ear infections and go through all this painful mess and b) people with life-long hearing disabilities or loss. My grandpa always complained about how stressful it was for him to go out to dinner in a crowded restaurant, or attempt to hold a conversation in a crowded room, and now I have a glimmer of understanding of what he meant. Without both ears working I have lost all ability to filter out the normal din of a populated space, and it requires a lot of brain power to separate what people are saying to you and what is just background conversation around you. I've always put hearing towards the top of my list of most valued senses, and this little medical ordeal has only reinforced that fact.

Mo is back from Vegas, my parents made it safely home to the Carolinas after seeing everything from Sacramento to Santa Cruz, and we are still playing a bit of a waiting game on the job search. The High School in Berkeley has officially offered me a position, and the school in Watsonville is still lagging big time. We hope to come closer to a decision as to where we want to live this weekend, and are excited about working out our summer plans which hopefully include a trip to Zion for a wedding and fun, and there is talk about a possible family ascent up The Capitan(!). Meanwhile, the Interweb says healing time of anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for a popped ear drum, so I am hoping recovery comes sooner rather than latter, although in truth I might miss the convenience of selective hearing loss when this is all over.

What?

-Mat

The Secret Interview

We've been temporarily grounded in the Bay Area for a bit while Mat continues his job search and his parents come into town for a brief spell. He has been wrestling with the red tape and bureaucracy of the education hiring system for quite a few weeks now and is ready for it all to be over. It took him a few weeks to really understand the whole process, as most schools and districts love to tell you that all of their jobs are posted on a centralized website, edjoin.org, and that's the best way to apply for positions. What he came to realize, however, is that once the job is up on Edjoin it's already too late. The district, admin at the school, or department involved with the subject have most likely already selected their candidate by that point, and the posting online is merely a formality. So, he was forced to do what everyone else was evidently doing - try to line up a "secret interview".

Luckily he had been keeping in touch with a bunch of his contacts from his grad program and was tipped to a position at a school outside of Santa Cruz as well as one in the Bay Area. Through various emails and phone calls he was able to confirm the possibility of said position, and he arranged a secret interview with each of the schools in question. They both started as an informal chat between himself and the faculty, and eventually progressed into a full on, hiring committee-style round-robin interview. The secret interview at the school in Berkeley led to a personal introduction to the admin staff involved with hiring and a physical handover of his application packet. They were calling for a first interview within hours that afternoon, apparently eager to get their hands on a qualified, young, and thus cheap science teacher. A second interview followed shortly thereafter, and the hiring committee included one woman whom he taught with at Sarah's Science Camp way back in the day, and another who proclaimed "I've never met anyone else who has been hiking in Ladakh!", in reference to a somewhat non-professional but interesting line on his resume.

And now comes the sticky situation, or what Mat's dad refers to as "leaves in the pool" (because your problems aren't real problems when you're complaining about the leaves in your swimming pool). The principal of said school in Berkeley left a positive sounding message on the voice mail tonight, with instructions to call him back as soon as possible, and the school in Watsonville hasn't progressed past the secret interview step yet, despite assurances from moles inside the department that they really want to hire him. To make matters a bit harder, there are numerous factors that together add up to make this one of those semi-difficult real life decisions. The Berkeley position pays a good deal more, would be teaching Biology, could be bike-commuted every day, and is nearly signed, sealed, and delivered. The Watsonville position would be teaching with friends in a smaller school, although teaching physics, with a (short) car commute, and the hiring process seems a bit sketchy at best - but my gosh it's beautiful down there. So what it really comes down to is where we want to live and spend the next few years of our life!

Leaves in the pool, I guess, but we really just want to go swimming!

Stimulated

Mo and I woke up to the pleasant surprise this morning of more money in our bank account. Yes, we had been stimulated, as part of the $152 billion stimulus plan passed in Congress last February. And, try as we might, despite knowing deep down inside that this is a terrible idea, thinking about how many teacher pinkslips could have been avoided with that $152 bill or how prison overcrowding could have been reduced, or how this money is meant to fuel the consumerism that our country is already hopelessly addicted to, we couldn't help but be pretty happy with the money.

It turns out that about $600 each is enough to buy us off after all. :)

Thanks, W.!

Photos from our SE Asia trip

We decided that if Google really is taking over the world, we better be on their side. We put some of our better pictures from our bicycle-touring trip to Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam online at Picasa. Check them out when you can!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mat.glaser

Adventures in Babysitting

The first two weeks back in the states after returning from SE Asia was complete hecticness. Before we were even over our jetlag we helped throw a bachelor/ette party, drove down and back to LA, participated in and helped with a wedding, and babysat Mo's sister's three children for 7 days while they went to Hawaii.

What? You might be thinking "Did you lose some kind of bet?" Believe it or not, the answer is the same as the one Mat gave the high-school clerk at Rite-Aid when asked the identical question in regards to why his beard was a bit more grown-out than usual. No, we didn't lose a bet, but instead graciously volunteered to watch Andre and Matthew, our 15 month and 6 1/2 year old nephews, along with Jordan, our 4 year old niece and a newly-adopted stray dog Calvin so that Maureen's sister and husband could take a much overdue (10 years!) vacation to Hawaii. Perhaps it was a way to ease some guilt on our part for being able to fly to Asia on a whim, perhaps it was a bit of temporary insanity, or perhaps we just wanted to spend some quality time with the kiddos.

Three kids and a dog! It was quite an experience. With three kids it's pretty much a guarantee that one of them didn't sleep the whole night, which kept us up and kept them cranky the next day. Add on to that a nasty cold that they kept passing around between themselves and we were definitely in for some adventure. Luckily their schedule was packed and we spent the majority of the time shuttling them from school to storybook cottage to swim practice back home and stuffing their faces with snacks in between.

After a few trying days and long nights of boundary testing, we all settled into the routine and Mat started making the morning coffee a wee bit stronger to counteract the sleepless nights. Matthew got major points one morning after we kicked him out of our bed and told him to "go play with your Legos" and he returned with special "Breakfast in Bed"; toast (actually made in the toaster - scary), brie cheese complete with a knife, some tangerines, and "Tea" made out of hot water from the tap. With kids this cute, how can you really get mad at them?

By the end of the week we were regular Supermom and Superdad, chillin' with the Moms and Dads at the school Jogathon event, comparing notes on strollers and Mac & Cheese brands, and sleeping when we could get it, which was usually during their naps or "quiet" playtime. We waged daily battles for the small assignments; Mo got stuck with reading "The New Dog" book every single night to Jordan, while Mat got to delve into a new chapter of Harry Potter instead. In return, he got to get up early and make the kids breakfast while Mo caught a few more minutes of shuteye.

Yes, we managed fine, and actually did a pretty darn good job. We got a little scared about the prospect of having children when we realized that we both had no work to go to and absolutely nothing on our schedule, but were still so exhausted we could barely move at the end of the week. Mat alikened it to Substitute Teaching; when you walk into someone else's routines, patterns, and schedules, it really takes a lot of energy to figure it out and keep the kids under control until you do. When you are teaching in your own classroom, you get to set the rules and habits from the first day, and hopefully can be a little more efficient with day-to-day happenings. Every time we held the little guy in our arms we wanted a kid right away, and every time the two older ones went berserk (which wasn't often, but enough) it made us think twice. In the end, we had a blast with our niece and nephews, and found ourselves having to repeatedly answer their question of "When are you guys going to have kids??? We want cousins!!!!"

Our tour of duty ended just in time to avoid the stomach flu that took over the kindergarten class and the projectile vomiting that ensued in the mini-van. Whew!