The Merits of B5, IMNSHO

Eating alone is rather dull – or introspectively contemplative, which is at least as bad. Solitary philosophizing is alright in just about any other context, but it just doesn’t sit well with dinner… I have, therefore, taken to watching TV as I eat my supper, either actually on my TV or TV shows I have saved to my computer. At first, it was almost continually B5, until I realized that if I kept watching at that rate, I’d be finished with it before the summer was half over. So I began “rationing” episodes… but I started too late, I think. I just finished episode 20 (The Long, Twilight Struggle). I don’t think 21 and 22 are going to last to the end of July… :) [Many apologies to Carolyn… if you’ve not made it that far, you may not want to read the rest of this post, though I don’t think it really gives anything away – and I would like to hear your opinion sometime.]

Yet this was the first time I’d watched an episode in about two weeks – and not at all due to my rationing program. The show had changed from the original flavor I had enjoyed and the new one was simply not to my taste. Granted, it’s finally moving full-swing into the plot and we’re just at the point where everyone (separately) has decided that there is a problem, a big problem, and we might not survive it. That is to say, the conflict has been introduced. Yet I have found, as the plot moves along, there is little to commend each episode as an episode. Yes, it furthers the plot. But it is now more like a chapter in a book and does not stand on its own – does not have it’s own rise and fall, does not (particularly in these last episodes) have its own pleasant note. The tone is dreary and sloggy and this has made it easier to watch it less often.

But that’s not, by far, the only reason. There was something about the first season that, while fantastic, was still fairly “real to life” as it goes from day to day. The characters and their actions were three-dimensional, there were real friendships, a touch of humor was generally included, and even the diplomatic negotiations were realistic, if rather condensed…. Yet now it has become… well… I guess you’d call it “epic.” And I’ve decided that “epic” isn’t my favorite thing. It’s more idealistic – it’s all black and white, with little grey left and the “right thing to do” always follows some Kantian categorical imperative. Except, that is, for the one against lying, since almost everybody is keeping back important information they ought to share. This negates the former likeability of the characters and the possibility of good friendships. To mitigate this, we have, for example Delenn’s revelation of information she should have published a long time beforehand to persuade Sheridan to do a thing he should have done about 15 minutes into the episode. And now these two, Sheridan and Delenn, the two most idealistic characters, are quickly becoming the center of attention – the (very sickeningly sweet) “dream team” in charge of saving life, the universe, and everything. It’s enough to make one take a sabbatical.

So that’s precisely what I did. In the meantime I enjoyed other TV greats like Lost and Stargate (SG-1 – I just don’t like the characters on Atlantis), but particularly the latter. [Incidentally, anybody know where I can get a hold of the last four or so episodes of this first season of Lost?] SG-1 was a nice antidote to my B5 blues. It is episodic (in that each episode has its own climax and denouement) but there’s also an overarching storyline (complete with subplots) that is advanced through each one. The good guys normally win in the end, though not always, keeping it from being too predictable. Yes, there are definite “good guys” and “bad guys” – and folks in between. There is a Cause to fight for, but, fortunately, each person does so in a different way. The four main characters vary from the idealistic “Let’s have peace with everyone and failing that save everyone’s life!” to the “That’s not practical. It is expedient for the Cause that they/you/I should die.” (The authors, many blessings on their heads, favor neither view.) Among these four characters, the absolute importance of friendship and love is a strong theme. In short, it’s a very satisfying sort of program to watch.


Well, that’s rather more than I first intended to write, but I think it’s right for getting the point across :). I doubt I’ve made it through this without ruffling some feathers somewhere… though I can’t really say I’m sorry for it. Whether ruffled or not, I’d love to hear your opinion :).

Oh, and [never fear, Carolyn] this doesn’t mean I’m not going to continue to watch B5. I didn’t start watching the thing for its artistic merits… so that is sure not going to stop me :).

Variations on a Theme

Well... I had some time on my hands. Lots of very quiet time. And I've found that the best thing to do with such time is to make fractals. Fractals, you see, involve some degree of creativity but also a decent amount mindless scutwork (all of which leaves you half-free to pay attention to the outside world), they take lots of time to make (particularly when you're using the Windows calculator and Paint's pixel counter to make sure it's precise... :)), and the result can be quite attractive.

So I made my fractal. But the other thing about fractals is that, though lovely on their artistically mathematical own, they really need some sort of color or something to give them life. Preferably a lot of really nice color. And this is where I got carried away with my fractal. I did one color scheme... and then another... and another... and it just kept going.

The finished products turned out even better than I, their affectionate creator, had expected... so I reproduce them here for your own pleasure :).




Having beaten the current fractal mostly to death, I have started work on yet another... :)

PS The originals are 1280x1024 (I figure if you're going to make something in Paint, you might as well make it useful as a desktop jobbie)... but, unfortunately, even the "having been clicked on" version that Blogger loaded is smaller. Sorry 'bout that.

Good grief...

Anybody who can fit Jonathan, Nathan, and me into one theological box deserves some kudos :). That said:

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 82% Neo orthodox 71% Fundamentalist 71% Emergent/Postmodern 57% Charismatic/Pentecostal 57% Classical Liberal 36% Roman Catholic 36% Reformed Evangelical 29% Modern Liberal 21% What's your theological worldview?

I must say, I'd assumed I'd turn up more charismatic than I did... and I receive amusement from the fact that I'm more Roman Catholic than Reformed :).

"Demographics"

Having explained the foreign policy situation here, I thought I might continue with the more mundane country facts. Today’s lesson is in demographics.


For starters, actual demographics: the country is, technically, ethnically diverse. There are descendants of Letts, Livs, and Ests (the Baltic people groups) as well as Slavs (Russians), Germans, and other European nationalities. The reason I say “technically” diverse is this: all these people look alike. They are all of a fairly normal height, have very light skin and blonde or dark hair (there’s really no red to speak of – I’ve seen maybe five redheads – not counting the obviously dyed sorts that are burgundy, orange, or pink). There are no blacks or Hispanics and very few people of oriental extraction. I realized just how weird it all was when I was shocked to see my first black Rigan a couple weeks after my arrival. I can count on one hand the number of black people I’ve seen since then. Such differences are not lost on the Rigans, either, though they don’t seem to know how to handle them. The police and justice system are still trying to find their way and have not yet come to the conclusion that following after and insulting someone should probably be a punishable offense. Which makes me glad I fit in as much as I do. (…and when I’m wearing baggy jeans and a Hard Rock Café shirt, as now, that’s “not very much.” :))

But there are other sorts of demographics (all comments from the Greek student peanut gallery aside) :). Take, for instance, the sorts of cars on the road. Surprise, surprise, the tendency around here is toward European companies. German cars are quite popular: BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, and Audi make up at least two thirds of the cars on the road. There are also Saabs and the occasional Porsche (joy of joys :)). There are some non-European brands represented, like Ford (that’s the only American brand I’ve seen – barring the embassy Suburbans), Toyota (but not Lexus), Mazda, Honda, and Hyundai. But the really fun ones are the brands that few people in America have ever seen – or even heard of: Citroen, Peugeot, Renault, Opel, and Skoda. … Maybe Dad and Daniel have indoctrinated me too well… but I actually really enjoy observing cars :).

Another demographic study is the sort of songs you hear on the radio. It seems the favorite station is “Star FM” (which is, incidentally, its actual name… why it’s in English, I don’t know). The station’s a really odd mix. Almost all the songs are American, but the in-between commentary is in Latvian and I think I’ve heard some Russian commercials. Also, I can’t seem to figure out what kind of station Star FM is. It’s got a funky mix of old and new, pop and rock going on. Over a couple days at work, I actually kept a running tally of what I heard:
Mambo No. 5 (in the States, too old for “modern,” too new for “oldies”… and that’s just fine with me :))
Kokomo (way before my time)
Land of Confusion (almost before my time – but not quite; it’s an 80s pop song I’m partial to)
Macarena
“Bon Voyage” (I think it’s Latvian; very catchy)
Our House (the 80s “in the middle of our street” one)
Cradle (by “Atomic Kitten” – if I hear this one more time, I’ll puke)
Get the Party Started
Walking on Broken Glass (more 80s – love the tune to this one)
Some Guys Have All the Luck
Say Tonight (late 90s, I think – I kinda like it)
Life for Rent – and White Flag too, for that matter (yay for Dido! :))
Boulevard of Broken Dreams (new song? it’s not exactly happy… nor is the band one I’d suggest… but I rather like the song, for whatever the reason)
La Bamba (the Spanish classic)
I Just Called to Say I Love You
Welcome to My Life
California (“…here we come”)
It Must’ve Been Love (“…but it’s over now”)
Incomplete (I learned the other day that this one’s by the Backstreet Boys… not too shabby)
Wrap My Words around You (never heard it before coming here… I rather like it)
Yellow (by Coldplay)
I have yet to find a unifying factor in all this music. One thing I am quite happy about, though, is that these folks have the good sense to toss in some 80s from time to time :).

There are also bird demographics – I like bird watching kinda like I like car watching, so changes from the norm are interesting. In this respect, though, Latvia is mostly like the US. There are pigeons (grey, black, white, brown, and various combinations of the above), house sparrows, and gulls. On the odd side: There are little birds that look like a cross between a house sparrow and a black-capped chickadee; they’re cute. The niftiest are these crow-like things (I think they’re called “Hooded Crows”), but they’re bigger than our crows by rather a lot. They’re only black on their heads, necks, wings, and tails – the rest of them is slate grey. It’s kinda classy looking. I think it’d be fun to have one.


I think that reaches the end of all the “demographic” tallies I have made to this point. Hope it gives you a clearer picture of that fun thing known as “life in Riga” :).

Ligo!

The above is, sadly, an untranslatable. It can be a noun, verb, or interjection, depending on the context/speaker. As a noun, it is the name of a holiday. As an interjection, it is like “Cheers!” As a verb, the best one-word translation into English would be "to rusticate" - but "ligo" is celebratory, in common use, and graceful, none of which "rusticate" is.

So, we must look for more than one word. In one phrase, it could mean something like "Celebrate Jani." But this doesn't make any sense to your average American (even less than "rusticate").

So, to grab all the connotations, take the following description. "Ligo" is: "celebrating the summer solstice (the longest, warmest day in a place accustomed to long, dark, cold winters), by going out to the countryside, picnicking, picking flowers, eating rye bread and caraway cheese, drinking beer, building bonfires, staying up all night (about three hours), singing, and dancing."

This is, in my mind, a most excellent thing :). If nothing else, we got to have a party at work and we have the next two days off – adding up to a lovely four day weekend. Flowers, singing, and fairs are everywhere. The Ligo/Jani holidays are a very good time to be in Riga – but even if you’re not, any excuse for such a celebration is quite worthwhile :).

So... *raises glass* Live it up – and “Ligo!” :)

Master of the Obvious

“Days that begin with God are better than days that do not.”

Some will recognize this as the current subtitle for Nathan’s blog. Some will also be thinking, “No stinking duh.” Yes, the statement is an obvious truth. The only difficulty with obvious things is that we rarely pay attention to them… This, I am sorry to say, was my own personal situation a week or so ago.

I had arrived in Latvia and mostly settled into my new situation. Nevertheless, when I was quiet – when I was alone in my apartment doing nothing in particular or before I went to sleep or when I was bored at work – there was a nagging feeling that something was just not right. Peace and joy were not mine in their accustomed quantities. At first, I chalked it up to my new situation… then to uncontrolled emotions… but the unnamable dissatisfaction simply wouldn’t go away. In fact, it grew more irksome. So I ignored it as best I could. But God (how many episodes in my life begin with those two words?)… He is a hard Person to ignore – He doesn’t like it. Having allowed me to flounder about on my own long enough for the lesson to sink in, He showed me what I was looking for…

About the time that I moved to the hotel, I finished up Starship Troopers and picked up the next book in the queue, a book I’d tossed in at the last moment because I’d always meant to read it and never gotten ‘round to it: Wild at Heart, by John Eldrege. Yes, it’s written mostly for men, but like most true things, it has general applicability. For those of you who haven’t read it, it’s got this exhortation/devotional tone going on – good stuff, highly recommended by me :). As I began to read it every night before I went to bed, I at first simply enjoyed it. It was the evening that I flipped off the TV so that I could read a couple extra chapters that it dawned on me, “This is helping to assuage that ache. That’s why you’re enjoying it so much.” Aha! I was pleased and felt myself nearer the solution of my own personal mystery. It next occurred to me that the answer had, the whole time, been in very plain sight (which was rather peevesome). “Days that begin with God are better than days that do not.” My days had not begun with God, nor had they really included Him in a significant way in the middle or at the end. Generally, my life has a schedule attached (be it for work or school) and somewhere in that schedule is time devoted to meditation on/worship of/communion with God, through His Word. But here, for whatever the reason, that very important point had been overlooked.

So, I decided to run an experiment. I would read whatever book was next on the list in the evening, as normal (I’m now in the beginning of Williams’s Descent into Hell). After that, I would read some passage or another of Scripture before going to bed. Also, I set my Outlook calendar at work to alert me at 10 o’clock each day (I’ve always liked that time for chapel at school) so that I could just sit back, take a deep breath, and re-align my thoughts. Life is often quiet around that time of the morning, so no one minds if I help myself to a psalm or a chapter of an epistle from Bible Gateway also.

The results of said experiment were, of course, far from surprising. I had peace and joy; I was content and grounded; wisdom and strength were there for the taking. I was, in short, very conscious of the presence of God…. And I still am – all because He drew my attention to that very obvious yet ignored truth. My only hope is that don’t forget it any time soon :).

“I have set the Lord always before me.
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:8

Foreign Policy Lesson, or How B5 Applies to Latvia

It has occurred to me that my fellow foreign policy students heard all about the issues facing Latvia… but none of you really have. Then, as I was walking to work a couple mornings ago, I had an epiphany. For those of you who like B5 or are at least basically familiar with it (which is most of you), I think I have a decent analogy to describe the situation here: If this were the B5 world, Latvians would be the Narn and Russians would be the Centauri.

You see, until 1991, Latvia was under Soviet control. There are continuing debates between the two as to whether Latvia was justly “incorporated” into the USSR of their own free will or “occupied” by unwelcome Soviet troops. On gaining its independence, Latvia was very nationalistic and rather hostile toward the Russian speaking 30-40% of its population. Russia, on the other hand, is smarting from a loss of power in the region and does what it can to assure Latvia that it is still bigger and badder. Suffice it to say, there is no love lost between the two countries. When either gets a chance to stick it to the other, they take it.

Fortunately, they are not going to go to war anytime soon, no matter how much they like to snarl at each other across the border (a border which itself is a subject of much dispute). Also fortunately, the Latvians are not spotted and the Russian ambassador does not wear his hair in some elaborate fan shape :). The US, however, does have to do a delicate dance between two countries who thoroughly dislike each other yet with both of which we’d like to remain on good terms.

This concludes your foreign policy lesson for the day :).

Very Random Thoughts

You know you’ve been in Riga too long when you look at the weather for the day and, on seeing that the projected temp is 23 C (that’s 74 F), your reaction is "Oh, drat. It's going to be hot."

*****

The government in all its bureaucracy is... well... unfathomable sometimes. You know, it does the stupidest things? The current case in point is my little standard-issue, three month calendar - the sort that shows three two-sided month papers hung on a cardboard back (which, "with proper care... can be used indefinitely," as it itself tells me). *rolls eyes* Anyway, it came to my attention that, lacking a pretty picture like most calendars have, each month has an inane little saying at the bottom. If you weren't looking, you'd miss it. But I have plenty of time to do things like study my ugly government calendar. The sayings currently displayed are:

July: Give full consideration to all. (How... high-minded... for a calendar...)
June: Look at upward mobility. (In case you're considering leaving your current stimulating job...)
And my personal fave, May: Are reasonable accommodations available? (I do not even want to think of what prompted that one...)

Ya gotta wonder...

*****

I’m currently considering writing an inspirational song entitled, “Ramen in Any Language,” as a tribute to my cheap dinner.

*****

Most people around here speak English and if they find out that you speak English, they’ll insist on using it. Sometimes I humor them. Despite their general skill with the language, there is one almost universal and very funny mistake. By way of explanation: Their word for “please” is “ludzu.” But this word does extra duty. It’s also “you’re welcome,” “here you go,” “go ahead,” a polite way to get someone’s attention, and a way to answer the phone. And German and Russian both have a similar word. It might (quite logically) seem to your average Latvian that this is the common usage in all languages…. But it’s still amusing to thank someone and have them reply with a smile, a shrug, and “Please.”

I'm Baaaack...

*sigh* Well, after about ten days without internet access, I have looked through everyone's blogs and fear I am thoroughly behind. Life, I suppose, goes on. :)

I have, in those past ten days, moved from my first apartment to a hotel room to a new apartment. Today is my second day in my new place (and the first day my internet access has been up – heaven forbid it work right away, of course :)). The change from apartment to hotel to apartment has been quite the study in possible living conditions…

The hotel was quite a change… If I were marketing it, I’d call it “cozy.” But I’m not, so I’ll call it small. Maybe even tiny. Whatever you call it, room and bathroom taken together were smaller than any one room in my previous apartment…

I had: a bed (a twin, slight step down from the former king size), a chair, a side table, a TV, and two (luxury of luxuries) bedside nightstands… each of which sported a funky lamp shaped and colored like a peach. Go figure. One thing I did not have is any place to put my clothes. Granted, there was a closet, but it was about five inches deep, so you’d have to hang things sideways, and at that, there’s only about enough space for four items… but that’s okay, ‘cause there were only four hangers anyway. There was no dresser. So, my clothes remained (wrinkled) in my bags, which sat between my bed and the window, allowing me to get out of bed on the other side (provided the bathroom door was shut). Of course, I had no way to cook for myself.

But don’t let the above description fool you. As rather eloquently stated in the Lemony Snicket movie I saw on the way over here, “there is always something.” Sometimes there are a lot of somethings. You just have to have the proper perspective. Try the below description on for size:

The hotel was a cute little bed and breakfast. The building was a renovated wood one: the outside was wood, the floors were wood, the window frame was wood, all the furniture was wood. The staff is terribly nice and helpful. Unlike in my apartment, I now had a normal, honest-to-goodness shower and a TV with cable. I got to watch Spongebob Squarepants in Russian and The Simpsons in German. I had two little green plants on my wide windowsill that added a nice touch of life. Oh, and that window looked out, not onto the noisy street, but to the back courtyard/alley. And I didn’t really lack for food. The place was, after all, a bed and breakfast, so I told them when I wanted to eat in the morning, went down, and they set my meal in front of me. And some breakfast it was: meat of about three varieties, cheese, and egg in some form. Oh, and there was strong Latvian coffee and orange juice and bread (rye, white, and wheat) and butter. And don’t let me forget the “breakfast dessert” – some sweetened and fruity something that came as you finished the first bit. Hard life, I know :). And, to try to keep from eating out, I found a little grocery store and picked up some nuts, dried fruit, rolls, and Nutella spread (a personal favorite). (The name of the grocery store, ironically, was Mini Maxima :).) Even the smallness of the hotel room began to grow on me. It was really… kinda… cozy… :)

And if that was nice… well, my new apartment must be something akin to heaven. It’s even bigger than the other one and furnished much more beautifully. Gone is the functional kitchen table, the straight-lined yellow couch, the brownish-green bedroom, the tiny bathroom. Here, it’s all dark wood with brass hardware and brocade upholstery. My bedroom is accented in blue and cream (much more to my liking) I also have a great admiration for the tiles used in the incredibly spacious bathrooms (yes, plural). Some of the more random pluses are skylights, screens on most of the windows, and a dryer (to accompany the washer). It’s located in a courtyard-like area filled with upper end shops, so the neighborhood is nice and terribly quiet. As I go to work I have the choice of going through the park or past the block-long 24/7 flower stands, which smell excellent and contain more colors than I’ve ever seen in one place. In fact, I went by there on my way home the other day and now three coral roses grace my coffee table in the living room. I can also fix my own supper in my own kitchen now… There’s something therapeutic about coming in after work and sifting through my foodly possessions to create a good tasting combination – and then consuming it :).

Well, that covers my accommodations for the past while… but, of course, I haven’t spent all my time indoors :). I’ll have to update my goings and doings as well – but another time. Currently dinner and laundry call :).

Sunday

I think Sundays are officially my favorite days here in Riga. All Riga seems to decide that it is a day of rest. When I awake, there is almost no street noise. Even the crowds move slowly. While I walk to church, I can hear the bells from the churches along the way: the rapid “ding dong” of the Lutheran church offset by the slow “bong” of the Eastern Orthodox church. It is a lovely call to worship – but one which only a few Rigans heed.

The church I have attended the past two Sundays is about as far away as you can get from where I live – but it’s a nice walk. It’s an Anglican church, and a fairly old one at that: it was founded in 1857. It, unfortunately, has not had a continuous congregation, since the building was closed by the Soviets and later (God forbid!) used as a discotheque. The current congregation is English speaking, about half and half Brits and Americans with some nationals and other cultures (say, Japanese) and the occasional tourist.

(Incidentally, they did, pragmatically, choose a good place for that discotheque: the acoustics are impeccable. …You haven’t lived until you’ve heard a pipe organ/viola duet :). The viola didn’t even need to be mic-ed. In fact, the church has no sound system or any need of one.)

I don’t know if I’ll end up staying there – I like it, but I’m easily the youngest attendee and I’d kind of like something… longer. More time for singing and preaching. *shrugs* Ah well…

After church, I enjoy walking around the old part of town and finding a place to eat. This, I assure you, is a fine art. You must walk down many side streets before you come to the proper place for lunch, which is generally the place you find when you’re beginning to get hungry ;). Last week it was “Samuroy’s,” a Japanese restaurant, and this week it was “Indian Raja,” an Indian restaurant (no duh). Yes, there is a lot of ethnic food – so much so that it can actually be rather difficult to get traditional Latvian fare. I still need to hunt down the “Cuba Café”…

The second half of the day is then (ideally) spent in shopping and sight seeing. Today, unfortunately, I had to come on home so that I could get a start on packing and cleaning. *sigh* Yep, I’m moving. To another apartment. Via a bed and breakfast. It is… well… it’s not ideal, but it’s happening, and there’s not much I can do about it. For y’all, this means that I will be out of contact for about a week. I could, ostensibly, check my email from work, but with Novell not working... If you’d like to get in touch, email me at my work address – the State Department won’t mind :).

See you… later… sometime… :)

Cardinal Rule of Diplomacy

I have, today, learned a great lesson of diplomacy – one which is well-hidden, because I think if they knew it, everyone would want to join the diplomatic community. And we can’t have that, now, can we?

Anyway, I thought I’d let y’all in on the secret:
Listen to speech = get food

It is a remarkably simple yet effective rule. No one, after all, wants to sit all day and listen to speeches, so in order to bribe them into it, you feed them. The more important the person speaking, the more people you want to come, so the better food you provide. Allow me to provide some examples from personal experience…

First, I attended part of a conference for Russians to air their issues with the Latvian government, which is a pulse the embassy wants to keep its finger on. So, I sat there listening to a “simultaneous” translation (they were really about two or three sentences behind – I could tell that much) of various people talking about the state of Russian-speakers in Latvia. The issue is interesting… but everything gets old after a while. My companion left after an hour, but I saw that there was going to be a coffee break… and being a poor college student, figured and hour of speeches was worth some free eats :). And it was. They had plenty of coffee, as well as mounds of pastries, of which the conference goers were expected to make a light lunch. I joined them with great joy :).

The second instance was this evening. I just got back from hearing the Russian ambassador speak on the state of Russia-Latvia relations (yes, it’s a big deal here – more on that in a later post). After leaving the speech, I was greeted by a lady with a tray of wine glasses. I obtained a glass of white and meandered into the next room, where I found a table set with zillions of hors d’oeuvres. There were little rolls of ham or turkey filled with some sort of creamy cheese, sausage balls, lightly fried crab claws with more (and better) meat on them than I’ve ever seen (or tasted), little pastry shells with a creamy filling… not to mention veggies of all types, smoked salmon, pickles, olives, etc. For those who were around for a while, they also offered coffee and little fruit and nut filled croissant-like things. …The highlight of the evening was meeting the Russian ambassador. The cream-filled pastry shells ran a close second :).

I hope this new knowledge doesn’t draw my deal Lit.-ish friends away from their certainly *ahem* important pursuits… but the SI program does have its benefits ;).