A winter hike

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I’ve come to realize that being outside in nature is very important for me and my psyche. This fact really becomes apparent to me in the middle of winter (when I’m not outside as much as I am in warmer weather).

Thanks to a nice blanket of snow that fell over the past few days, I was able to strap on my snowshoes today and hike around the Wehr Nature Center near my house. I wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the winter conditions. There were people cross country skiing, sledding, snow boarding and tobogganing. You might wonder how a person can enjoy the beauty of nature around you with all those people around? That’s the great thing about having snowshoes.

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The Moon / Mars plan

I’ve been conflicted about President Bush’s proposal for establishing a base on the moon and a manned mission to Mars. My first reaction is I feel space exploration is something we should be doing. We humans can learn a lot from exploring the universe around us. The more we learn, the better off we will be. Just think of all the technological innovations we use everyday, which evolved from the work NASA did in the 1960s. I also feel that someday humans will be living on other worlds and in space. Perhaps that’s the best insurance for the disastrous asteroid strike that scientists say will inevitably occur on our planet.

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Go Badgers!

In the dead of winter there can be times when you need something to get your heart pumping and lift your spirits. Yesterday, I was at the Kohl Center to see the Wisconsin Badgers defeat Michigan State, 77 to 64. When your team is playing well, the band is playing the old college fight song and an energetic crowd is screaming (like we were yesterday) it really gets your adrenaline going. Just thinking about it gets my heart beating a little faster. Over the past several decades the Spartans have dominated Wisconsin. Consequently, it was real sweet to watch the Badgers beat Michigan State for the third straight time in two years.

After the game, Dad and I were cheering Wisconsin on as the team left the floor. When Devon Harris approached (one of the best players in the country) we both reached over the rail and he jumped up and gave us high fives. That was sweet too. Great game Devon and Go Badgers!

You get what you pay for

Complaints about taxes have certainly been a strong fixture in the news lately. After opening up my property tax bill (which arrived in the mail the other day) I thought I’m really getting a lot for my money. Parks, recreational trails, library services, fire protection, police protection, refuse pickup… the list goes on and on. I would much rather pay to have those services and facilities available to me than to live somewhere without them. What would it be like to live in an area without libraries, without a good park system, not to mention fire and police protection? Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.”

I for one would rather live in a civilized society than have a little more money in my pocket.

Ryan Adams, Love Is Hell

Ryan Adams’ latest CD, Love is Hell (actually a two part EP) is one of the best albums of this year. An excellent blend of subdued songs along with some rockers, Love is Hell was originally intended to be released as a full album. Instead Adams decided to release the unpolished, albeit more rock-friendly Rock n Roll and offer Love is Hell as a limited edition, two EP set. The reasoning behind this decision is beyond me.

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Spare us the dime

Our nation is battling terrorism and violence overseas, the deficit is growing exponentially, unemployment continues in this stagnating economy and what are our lawmakers working on? A bill that would replace the face of Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the dime with Ronald Reagan.

Don’t they have anything better to do?

I don’t understand the conservatives need to push Reagan up to iconic status — not to mention the fact that the man is still alive. If they must use Reagan’s likeness on a coin, considering his administration’s trickle-down economic policies, putting it on a penny seems more appropriate to me.

Pointing to libertarian left

Who would have thought that I have something in common with Gandi, the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela? According to the quiz I took at Political Compass, our political views all fall into the libertarian left category.

I’m sure my mother will be proud to learn that I also seem to be the exact political opposite of our current President (who is listed as authoritarian right). Come to think of it, I’m a little proud myself.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

I’ve always been a little fascinated with the concept of time travel. So when I saw the book The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I just had to pick it up. I was glad I did. The author had me hooked right from the beginning of the story. It’s about a man named Henry, who is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder, and his wife Clare. The disorder causes Henry to periodically be misplaced in time, drawn to people and moments that have emotional importance to him. Clare first met Henry when she was six and Henry was thirty-six. Henry first met Clare when he was twenty-eight and she was twenty. Confused? I was too at times, but it actually makes the story that much more interesting.

Henry’s disappearances (and subsequent shifts to other times) are unpredictable. At times they can also be humorous and distressing, making the book funny, sad, romantic and even a little suspenseful. The way the author created that emotional combination made The Time Traveler’s Wife one of the best books I’ve read in a while.