Love Serving Love

Maybe it's the increasingly restless feeling I'm getting as summer draws near...maybe I was inspired from watching several matches of the French Open (which, while we are on the subject, let me just say I'm bummed Federer won - I'm a Rafael Nadal fan)

Either way, I've been thinking about hitting up the tennis courts lately. I am, by no means, a skilled tennis player - in fact, I'm pretty awful. But I still think it's fun to get out there, get your heart rate up, and indulge in a little friendly competition.

I'll have to dig out my old rickety tennis racket next time I go home!

A Must Read

Is there a commonality between teachers and sumo wrestlers? What about real estate agents and the KKK? Do I have your attention yet?

My attention was immediately captured after browsing through the table of contents for the book, Freakonomics, and seeing these chapter titles. I just finished this book today and it was absolutely fascinating. I'm completely envious of the forward thinking the authors, Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner have. My mind would have never gone to such a place as thinking about whether the legalization of abortion is linked to a decline in the rate of crime, had they not pointed me in that direction.

This book, in my humble opinion, is an ingenious piece of literary work. Pointing out such ideas as, people respond to incentives and conventional wisdom can be a powerful force, are for me, not up for debate. I am still on the fence, however, about what to think on some of the theories this book covers. I can't help but wonder, is my hesitation of agreeing due to moral and cynical boundaries?

I encourage you to check this one out at your local library (or even to purchase - it's worth having on your bookshelf) and think carefully about what you think of this book, its ideas, and its theories. Maybe a healthy debate can unfold! I'm looking forward to L finishing this book so we can discuss this at our next pseudo book club meeting :)

When I Wish Upon a Star

I catch myself from time to time saying, "I wish ______." This morning, as I looked out my window and saw the sun shining and went downstairs to find an empty house, I wished that home was only an hour away. How perfect it would be to jump in the car, listen to my "Road Trip" playlist on my Ipod, and head home to see the rents for the day. Maybe play a round of golf with Dad, a trip over to the antique mall with Mom, and grill out before heading back. Sounds pretty ideal to me.

But alas, it is only a wish that I know won't come true. Of course I can find things to keep myself entertained today - maybe a run around Raccoon River Park, sit outside curled up with a book, and being that it's Sunday, I have volleyball to look forward to. That could make for a pretty good day too.

A Year Ago Today

June 5th, 2008 marked the beginning of my adventure to Greece. This trip was an opportunity of a lifetime and ranks as one of the best moments of my life. I kept a journal during my 2 week escapade and in a moment of nostalgia, I decided to read it this morning. Here are a few excerpts and pictures from my trip. *Let me preface by saying, being the novice photographer that I am, combined with my lame journal-writing skills do not do my trip justice*

June 5th, 2008: [upon arriving in Greece] ...The bus ride - surreal. I'm finally here, in Athens, Greece! After the short bus ride, we arrived to a part of downtown Athens. Now the really stressful part - getting a taxi. Normally this isn't a problem but when cab drivers see people with a lot of luggage, they don't want to stop, get out of their cars, and help you. So we had to 'hide' our luggage until we got a cab. I was so nervous we were going to lose our luggage. These cab drivers just throw your suitcases in the trunk with no rhyme or reason and "secure" the whole situation with a rope. I was relieved, needless to say, once we arrived to our destination, with all luggage arriving with us.

June 6th, 2008: R and I went to the Acropolis today, which is something I've been so looking forward to. On the way there, we ran into an older couple from Baltimore, MD. They weren't sure where to go and asked R for help. They were so grateful so they paid for our way in! The Acropolis was absolutely amazing. I couldn't get over the fact that I was standing on the land where civilizations once lived thousands of years ago. The Parthenon, the amphitheater, the Temple of Zeus - it was all so fascinating....

June 7th, 2008: We got up and went to the beach today. I wish we had this kind of scenery in Iowa - sand that sparkles, crystal clear blue water, and a mountainous background to complete the picturesque scene. We claimed our lounge chairs and I began to apply sunscreen (safety first.) All of a sudden, I felt something that I've never experienced before. I didn't know what to think at first, and then realized - omg, this is an earthquake. The ground was shaking, the goods at the snack bar were falling, and everyone was rushing out of the water to get back onto dry land. After about 15 seconds, the earth stood still again. We later learned that we were very close to the center of it and were grateful we were outside when it happened. Our first beach day was cut a little short when our driver, who is a doctor, was called into work to help with all of the injuries caused by the earthquake. As we drove back into the village, we saw all the devastating destruction that was created by the earthquake. It wasn't the best moment of the trip, to say the least...

June 14th, 2008: The alarm went off at 6 this morning and we were forced to crawl out of bed and quickly get ready for our trip to the island. Chris and Dimitri picked us up and off we went to Skiathos. The drive, although entertaining thanks to Dimitri, was unpleasant due to both the tiredness I felt from being out late the night before and the very windy roads we took up the mountains to get to the ferry.

June 15th, 2008: After a quick breakfast, we headed to the beach. We soaked in the sun, walked up and down the beach, played a little volleyball, and of course swam. It was so relaxing to just be laying on the beach, not having a care in the world. Bobby and Dimitri 'helped' me relax by sitting by my side, reading excerpts from the book I was reading. Bobby would read in English and Dimitri would translate in Greek. They had me rolling with laughter. My favorite quote from Dimitri today: "I like you, as a volleyball player. As a woman, I like you very much" [R and I kept a log of all of our favorite quotes from the boys during the trip]

June 16th, 2008: ...We went to a scenic restaurant this evening and sat overlooking all of Skiathos, the water, and the mountains. They ordered a lot of appetizers so that I could try a little bit of everything - stuffed zucchini, fried zucchini, churropitas, souvlaki, and more - absolutely amazing!

June 20th, 2008: ...although I had the best vacation of my life, thus far, it feels good to be home.


The Acropolis- Amphitheater



The Acropolis - Parthenon


The Acropolis


One of the many beaches we went to - I think
this one was in Patras.


With R and Spiros at Rosa Negra


With Bobby and Dimitri - night out in
Skiathos


Relaxing at a cafe in Skiathos on our
last day there


Last night - in Athens

Two of the many takeaways I got from this trip:

1. Carpe Diem - Anytime you have the opportunity to travel, take it. (esp when your hotel expenses are obsolete)
2. Ladies - if you ever want a self-esteem booster - get yourselves to Greece!

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to take this trip. My extreme gratitude goes out to R and V for being the best hostesses and to all of their family and friends for their welcoming hospitality!

I can't wait for my next adventures overseas, whenever that may be!

And the Winner Is...

The Penguins of Mass Destruction! Tonight was a great night for a volleyball game. The sun was out, the temp was warm, and there was a vast improvement in the sand from Sunday night!

Below is the shirt I wear. Thanks to JW and LW for the brilliant idea and L for the awesome design!






PMD - We took it to the V!

Continuing Ed

I am always seeking out opportunities to learn more. Just because I have a piece of paper from the University of Northern Iowa telling me I'm a college grad doesn't mean I'm excused from any further education. Reading often and doing research via the World Wide Web are just two of the ways I try to stay on top of my game.

My latest quest: Becoming more attune with the world, both geographically and factually. Where else would I go to help me with my quest but the always reliable and 'finest news source' around, The Onion.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading some of the entries from, Our Dumb World - Atlas of Planet Earth from time to time. And I finally made a point to add it to my summer reading list this year. I think Freakonomics will be a fast read, as it is already fascinating to me. I was hoping to read Angels and Demons again before seeing the movie buutttt after just reviewing my ambitious summer list (including Don Quixote, Catch 22, My Sister's Keeper, Who Killed Change?: Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change, and Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities), I think I better stick to the unread and save the re-reads for a cool fall day.

A Tale of a 'B&E', a Breakthrough, and Reflection

I may have just overcome my fear of sleeping with my window open! You may think it is absolutely ludicrous to fear such a thing, but let me explain...

Once upon a time, 8 years ago to be exact, there were a series of burglaries in my home town and unfortunately my house was one of the targets. We concluded that the burglar had been scoping out my neighborhood, as he removed the light bulb from the motion-detecting light from our neighbors' house and he came on a night when my dad was out of town. Long story short, the burglar entered through a window and so casually walked out our back door (leaving it wide open when he left) with my gym bag filled with my volleyball gear and both my mom's purse and my own.

We were very lucky that we had no altercations with the burglar and were not physically hurt during the incident. But, with the risk of sounding melodramatic, the mental anguish has been enough to scar me for 8 years now. Even though I've always slept in an upstairs bedroom, where it would take the ambition of climbing a ladder to get to my window to even attempt to get in, I still have not been able feel safe without knowing my windows are shut and locked.

However, as spring progresses into summer, and the hot and humid nights unfold, it has become harder and harder for me to sleep. I toss and turn, kick off the sheets, and watch as my ceiling fan tirelessly tries to keep the hot, stale air away. But it's just not cutting it anymore. And after hearing a friend say, "You look tired" (a saying I dislike hearing) I decided I was going to try to face my fear. And low and behold, I survived the night without a "B&E" incident, without having L in a sleeping bag on the floor next to my bed, and without any kind of panic attack.

This whole thing made me reflect on the bigger issue of what was taken from me. To think, a person would have the audacity to break into an innocent person's home....Yes, the burglar stole my gym bag (with my favorite shorts and my volleyball shoes in tow.) And yes, he got my purse with all its contents in it. (probably a whopping $5) But in the end, it's just stuff. Stuff can be replaced. What that burglar really stole from me that night was a sense of safety and security. It's almost asinine to think that I could be that afraid of keeping an upstairs window open at night to let the cool breeze wisp through my bedroom window that I would suffer through an uncomfortable, restless, and near sleepless night. All I can say is that is how I have felt the safest, and that has been more important to me than a comfortable good night's sleep. (up to this point)

During my reflection, the even bigger picture came to mind. If I can be this scarred by such a small incident, think about those who have been victimized in more severe cases of crime. I cannot imagine how a victim who's been held up at gunpoint or been assaulted or been raped must feel. How do they face the world day in and day out? Do they ever fully recover from such an incident? At this point I can't help but say a little prayer - a prayer of thanks that I have been fortunate enough not to have such a terrible thing happen to me, a prayer of comfort and healing to those who have been victimized, and a prayer of hope that one day we can live in a world of trust and security.