In the Mouth of Madness

In the Mouth of Roswell

We didn't arrive last night until well after midnight, and what a clear black starry night it was. Almost creepy. We didn't have a detailed map of Roswell, only a state map, and so all we had was a vague idea of where the campground was. We turned off the highway on to the road leading to Bottomless Lakes and saw the signs for the park, and followed them, winding through the pitch blackness for a few miles, then ended up back at the highway we had just left. It was like the scene from the film In the Mouth of Madness where the they are driving down that dark road and they keep passing the same creepy bike... I was just a little terrified. 

However, Sergei was able to figure out where the park was and we made camp quickly and then were out like lights....  Until I was roused by a precocious raccoon who was desperately trying to get into our tent. He was a pretty cute little guy so I woke Sergei to show him, and Sergei frightened the raccoon off with his pillow. We slept the rest of the night without further interruption. 

This morning we got to see the park at last, and Lea Lake is beautiful. It was created when a salt and gypsum flat collapsed and is very deep (though not apparently bottomless). The lakes here got their name when the 19th century cowboys tried to determine the depth of the lakes by tying their lariats together and couldn't find the bottom. The depth actually ranges from 17 to 90 feet, and the steep drop off is visible through the pristine water.  We swam for a bit, and I saw a large turtle also swimming. 

You can see how it drops off like a crater

Here we are with Lea Lake behind us

Here we are - Roswell!! 

...and UFO Capital of the World...

After that we went to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. If you ever find yourself in the Roswell area I highly recommend you visit. I am a "UFOskeptic", as per the terminology used by "UFOlogists" to describe people who don't believe, but it was a weird little place that presented a plethora of information (and misinformation...) in a very disjointed way, and succeeded in piquing my curiosity (although, to be fair, a Gallup Poll stating that 87% of Americans believe in UFOs is NOT evidence that UFOs exist - museum curator, I'm talking to you).

I thought the museum had a lot of potential to be thoroughly entertaining, and with a little organization, streamlining of material and some interactive exhibits it would have been excellent. But even mediocre as it was, it was worth the trip. 

Which reminds me that last spring I heard Annie Jacobsen speak about her book Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top-Secret Military Base.  In it she posits that the Roswell incident was not a UFO, but a Soviet craft manned by surgically and genetically altered children intended to look like a UFO filled with aliens in order to cause hysteria in the USA (a la War of the Worlds).  I think this is poppycock and I am not alone.  Here is a review by Skeptic Donald Prothero.  Although the rest of her book cites an abundance of sources and seems well researched, the Roswell section rests on a single source that she doesn't reveal. She says it's because her source is still under obligation to keep what he knows top secret et cetera, et certera, but it's still a far fetched story to throw out there without much evidence... As Carl Sagan says, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."  Anyway, you know the best part of that lecture was that all the UFO people showed up, and they were mad too.  That was pretty funny.

But back to the museum.  Here is what it makes clear: something happened in Roswell, and based on the response of the government and military, it wasn't just a weather balloon. Could it have been a top secret American craft? Sure, but it did take the authorities a long time to respond. It wasn't until a few days after the incident occurred and the rancher who found the crash site reported it to the authorities that they responded.  So, who knows what sort of top secret thing crashed in the New Mexican desert but perhaps sometime during our lifetimes it will be de-classified and we can find out.

I ❤ Cactus

The week before we left for our road trip I took a paramedic refresher class and in one of the Powerpoint the teacher showed a photo of a large cactus (much like the one I am hugging) that had fallen on a car and flattened it. She tied it into the class by talking about how such an event would complicate scene safety and then she mentioned that the cactus probably fell over because tarantulas had eaten away at the bottom. Ewww! Now, I have nothing against cacti, but tarantulas?? Really?! That's just too much ickyness. I needed some answers pronto so of course I turned to Google (everything on the internet is true, right?) and discovered a Snopes entry regarding a similar claim (FALSE by the way...)

No spiders here, I checked!

Tucson, AZ to Roswell, NM

We finally made camp at Catalina State Park just outside of Tucson. We were tempted to leave the rainfly off so we could have an unobstructed view of the stars but for some reason didn't. Later that same night we were awoken by the sound of a torrential downpour and claps of thunder. The rain fly kept us dry and we went back to sleep, snug as a bug in a rug. This morning the weather is again clear and beautiful, and we're drying the tarp and bottom of the tent while we eat breakfast (and blog). We'll spend most of today driving to Bottomless Lakes, just outside of Roswell, NM.

Road Trip Day 1: Water Parks and Sand Storms

Today we embarked on our trip, first stop: Knott's Soak City Palm Springs.

I have a strange aversion to water slides generally, but if they aren't too "aggressively thrilling" (the description sported by many of ride signs in the park), and I get to go down on a raft I usually do okay. I had a fabulous time today, even on the scary rides! Their signature attraction is the Pacific Spin slide, which reminds me a lot of the Marble Works game I had as a child. There was one particular piece of that game that was like a half pipe for marbles, flinging them way up the sides until they finally ran out of steam and dropped through the little hole at the bottom. That is pretty much this ride. But I'm not going to lie, it was really fun. I think we did it like seven times.

Sergei, brave man that he is - or masochist - I'm not really sure which, rode the seven story Tidal Wave Tower a few times. I know, crazy right?  I will try to post a video soon...

We also splashed around the kiddie's Kahuna Beach House, relaxed in the Sunset River, and caught a few waves in Riptide Reef with the desert as a strangely juxtaposed backdrop.

We left a bright and sunny Palm Springs and headed East and somewhere around Blythe as the sun was just sinking down into the horizon behind us we hit a wall of sand. It was so bizarre because it went from clear and barely dusky to really dark and creepy in an instant. It didn't last too long, and luckily it seemed all the weird weather was headed West.

In Phoenix we stopped at a Supermercado de Walmart. That's a new one for me.

 We are now looking for tent camping and hopefully will find something soon. More tomorrow as the adventure continues...

ROAD TRIP!

On Monday Sergei's mom is flying from Moscow to Charlotte to stay with Sergei's sister for a bit, and that means it's road trip time!  We will we get to spend some time with his family, I'll get to meet my nephew James for the first time, and we'll also get to see some dear old friends along the way.  We both desperately need a break, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to unwind and explore, so for the next three or four weeks we will be on the road, criss-crossing the United States of America, just road trippin'.

Here is a tentative route, subject to change and void where prohibited by law:


View Larger Map
We leave tomorrow so adios!

The World in Black and White

Here is a really neat collection of old National Geographic photos...

I Can't Believe it's Been Over 3 Years...

Wow, so I was blogging away until I got a job working for the largest ambulance company in the country and then... just nothing. More evidence that said company sucks the life out of its employees.

But now I'm back - I had a snack - cut me some slack - as the old Pink Martini song goes. I don't have much to say for now, but I am about to embark on a cross country road trip, and I promise to write every step of the way.

Get Down

Die Zauber Flöte

Tonight we are going to see Mozart's Magic Flute. I can't wait. It looks like a very whimsical production. Here is a preview. I will post a review afterward so you know whether it is worth it.

Yarn and Debauchery

Hey, let's get creative while we are getting our drink on. Okay, okay, so it is on a Tuesday afternoon and that is no exactly ideal, but it will still be fun.

Yarn and Debauchery, my new MeetUp Group, is seeking licentious individuals to join in the fun of drinking and knitting on weekdays instead of working and being a productive member of society!

Check it out.

Yeah, we're so cool we are getting a sister club in Colorado!

Shoplifting in American Apparel

I recently read a very different kind of book called Eeee Eee Eeee by Tao Lin. It's mood is depression manifested as apathy and boredom. It might sound boring, but it wasn't. It was short and quick and actually made me laugh out loud a few times. Really, actually L O L. Yeah. So, read it if you got it.

Anyway, if you don't, you can sample another piece of his work, apparently a true story. Also very real and very funny.

And while I was cruising around looking for that essay I found this:

Don't

Caption: You know you’re a filthy whore when even your ass is frantically trying to claw its way out of your dress just to get the fuck away from you.


Do

Caption: It’s a DJ’s job to start trends and if that trend is making your hair look like an Irish girl’s cunt then so be it. Don’t stand in the way of progress.

Vulgar? Yeah. Funny? Fuck yeah. To see more click here.

Why Give a Fuck When You Can Not Give a fuck?

I think I give 60% too much of a fuck.



Don't fall for imitators like Nick Nolte. I saw him once on Catalina.

The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian

In December 2007 Chris Adrian was a guest on KCRW's bookworm. Adrian is a pediatrician, author and Harvard Divinity student and he was talking about his (then) new book The Children's Hospital. You can listen here. I was captivated but the book was new and too expensive. I added it to my Amazon wishlist and waited for the price to come down.

After a year of patient anticipation I found an affordable copy and dove into the 600+ page novel. Wow. It was worth the wait but with hindsight I see that I should have just shelled out the money for a chance to read the book sooner rather than later.

There is a deluge of reviews for this epic opus about a Children's Hospital that becomes an ark in a modern day flood. But I so enjoyed this book I want to write one more.

"It takes four angels to oversee an apocalypse" and so the story is told by four angels: a recording angel, a preserving angel, an accusing angel and a destroying angel. The book begins with the birth of a malformed "gruesome baby . . . so unique that she was her very own syndrome." Immediately following this birth a violent storm rocks the hospital from its very foundations.

"Creatures, I am the preserving angel. Fear not, I will keep you. Fear not, I will protect you. Fear not, you will bide with me. Fear not, I will carry you into the new world."

Seven miles of water have swallowed the earth sparing nothing but the Children's-Hospital-turned-ark and the people who are inside it. The rest of the book focuses on a third year medical student named Jemma, the brother (Calvin) who shaped her, the survivors of the apocalypse, and what occurs after the flood.

There are strong themes in the novel, the strongest perhaps being death. The book is set in a Children's Hospital for God's sake, afloat in a sea that has killed every living creature, and the protagonist is incessantly haunted by the memory of death that has taken everyone she has ever loved. Jemma is so tainted by her grief that she doesn't know how to mourn for the cataclysm that destroyed world, and she wonders if she is able to feel and hurt at all. The novel explores the meaning of death and suffering, it and debates their merits and necessity.

As one who works in a medical setting I found the accuracy of the medicine in the book refreshing and delightful, and the caricatures of some of the people you come across in the medical field spot on and hilarious (especially the descriptions of the surgeon. And the nurses. And the families of the patients.)

The mordancy is that even after the deluge, which everyone refers to as "the Thing," there is nothing to do but what they have been doing, slogging on with their rounds and practicing medicine to keep the severely ailing children alive, racing to save a dying child whenever they hear "the soft tinkling of the code bell, and the angel's calm alarm: 'A child is dying.' "

(On a side note, I cannot help but think of the angel's voice whenever I am in a hospital now and I hear the call for a code-blue, so calm and composed over the speak system.)

The hospital goes through the motions like clockwork, with a cold precision and no heart to speak of.

That is until one day, during an emergency surgery on a critically ill infant, when Jemma develops miraculous healing powers manifested in green flames that flow from her finger tips and burn away all the diseased parts of the children. Against the better judgement of most of the Hospital Jemma sets out on a crusade to rid the children of their sicknesses once and for all-- the harrowing of the hospital, or Thing Two, as it's quickly named.

But even Jemma cannot heal the wounds that are not physical. And here is another major theme in the book: perhaps our bodies are not the only part of us capable of getting sick or needing to be healed. Perhaps our spirits and our minds are just as vulnerable to damage as are our cells and tissues.

Scott Esposito writes, "of special interest here is the ambiguity concerning many of the diseases Jemma eradicates. The autistic cells, for example, beg Jemma’s mercy, asking her why they are so wrong, why they must be eliminated from the world. A fair question, given the claims of Disability Studies that those with autism experience the world in a way that is different but just as valid as that of “normal” people. Is it right to eliminate them? Is a child “fixed” once he’s been cured of autism? Adrian’s inclusion of this question brings much depth to this scene, not in the least because, similarly, all the humans dead in the flood might wonder why God had to kill them."

It is note-worthy that Jemma's super-power comes about because her fiance, Rob, is mortally wounded in the operating room. Surrounded by pragmatic and egotistical surgeons who have made it their lives' work to cure patients whom they view as nothing more than meat on the table, it is Jemma, a character who worried that she was incapable of caring deeply, who is overcome with emotion and able to harness it for good.

As a person who rarely knows how to show emotion, and who grew up with her mother telling her that she had no heart, I can identify with Jemma's situation. Like Jemma, I work in the medical field, and although I am able to remain objective enough to do my job well, I am still pierced by the aching and the misfortune of many of my patients. It isn't something that I let out often, or something that I share with other people, but it is there nonetheless.

Scott Esposito said, "this care without really caring, which Adrian repeatedly presents as the reality of this hospital (and one would presume, others), is mirrored by many of the survivors who believe that the reason for the flood was that humanity had simply grown too callous to the suffering of others."

Perhaps the lack of compassion for the less fortunate among us is our greatest sin.

It is revealed toward the end of the book that Jemma's brother Calvin, who was instrumental in her development, is one of angels who tell the story of the Hospital.

Jeff Hibbert writes, "Calvin, like his theologian namesake, is consumed by the destinies of the saved and laments the lost of the damned. As a human, Calvin loathed the wickedness of the world; as an angel, he is wistful about the beauties of the world he left behind."

It is a magnificent book because, in the end, it aspires to be nothing more than a good novel. The author leaves it up to us to sift through the prose looking for meaning, and to interpret and decipher what we can from the text. It is a story that cannot help but leap off its pages and come to life, so it's no ardous task to glean substance from this mythic tale. It is riveting, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heavy, heartbreaking and optimistic.

Alas, 348

I am the low woman on the totem pole of AMR medics. Being a union shop we choose our shifts twice a year in a bid that is determined by seniority. By the time my turn rolled around it was slim pickins. There were two shifts left in Sun City working weekends (way to far to drive), night cars in the North end (I'm not a night owl), or 348.

348 is a 24 hour shift with a kelly schedule that is based out of CDF station 48 located in the foothills of North Moreno Valley. It would be a nice shift except that it gets pulled down to the south part of the city constantly (it is almost comic in its absurdity) to cover an area referred to as Cactus. Due to these frequent "move-ups" 348 is rarely in quarters or even sitting still. Ergo, 348 doesn't get much down time or sleep.

So, this is my lot in life for the next six months or so... the bane of my existence. We shall see how it goes. There is always mini-bid.

Everyone Counts

Start 2009 by doing something to make a difference for 70,000 Angelenos. Become a volunteer for the 2009 LAHSA Homeless Count.

On any given night in Los Angeles County, 73,000 people are homeless. Over 10,000 are children under the age of 18. Almost 8,500 are veterans. There's no doubt: these statistics are disturbing. Yet, knowing the numbers is a crucial tool in our work to end homelessness. But how do we know these numbers? Where do they come from?

Every two years, LAHSA coordinates a study about homelessness in the City & County of Los Angeles. We need to find updated data about what homelessness looks like in our communities. How many homeless people are there? How did they become homeless? What do they need to obtain stable, permanent housing?

Much of our data is collected by volunteers, who donate one evening to help end homelessness. The 2009 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is coming up in January. Will you join us?

Sign up to volunteer here.

Why should you do it? Beside the obvious, that by participating in the census you will help ensure that the vital services provided to the less fortunate continue to be available, you just might wind up with some good stories.

Case in point. I volunteered in 2007. I stumbled across a LAHSA link on some LA parks website and thought, why not? I counted in Venice Beach and in Compton. I learned from a homeless man that if a man and a woman are walking on a sidewalk and the woman is walking on the street side that can be propositioned. And a homeless lady corroborated this fact.

I also got pulled over by two cop cars in Compton who approached my vehicle with their spot lights blinding me and their hands on their guns. The reason? They admitted, after we explained that we were volunteers with LAHSA, that they thought the two black men in the car had either kidnapped me or hi-jacked my car or something, cause white girls don't drive around the ghetto with black men. Needless to say, a complaint was filed against Compton PD...

So, why not sign up? You just might learn something (about prostitution) or at least wind up with a story you can tell your grand kids.

The Edge Annual Question 2009 (and Responses)

New tools equal new perceptions.

Through science we create technology and in using our new tools we recreate ourselves. But until very recently in our history, no democratic populace, no legislative body, ever indicated by choice, by vote, how this process should play out.

Nobody ever voted for printing. Nobody ever voted for electricity. Nobody ever voted for radio, the telephone, the automobile, the airplane, television. Nobody ever voted for penicillin, antibiotics, the pill. Nobody ever voted for space travel, massively parallel computing, nuclear power, the personal computer, the Internet, email, cell phones, the Web, Google, cloning, sequencing the entire human genome. We are moving towards the redefinition of life, to the edge of creating life itself. While science may or may not be the only news, it is the news that stays news.

And our politicians, our governments? Always years behind, the best they can do is play catch up.

Nobel laureate James Watson, who discovered the DNA double helix, and genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter, recently were awarded Double Helix Awards from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for being the founding fathers of human genome sequencing. They are the first two human beings to have their complete genetic information decoded.

Watson noted during his acceptance speech that he doesn't want government involved in decisions concerning how people choose to handle information about their personal genomes.

Venter is on the brink of creating the first artificial life form on Earth. He has already announced transplanting the information from one genome into another. In other words, your dog becomes your cat. He has privately alluded to important scientific progress in his lab, the result of which, if and when realized, will change everything.

WHAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING?

"What game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?"

—John Brockman
Editor and Publisher

Read the responses here.
I find especially interesting the input from Michael Shermer, Marcelo Gleiser, Jesse Bering, Ian McEwan, Jonathon Haidt, and Brian Goodwin.

Operation Homemade Christmas a Great Success

This year I decided to make everyone something. That way I could satisfy my desire to be creative while staying far, far away from the malls and their mindless multitudes. I will have to post some pictures because I have to say, all my gifts turned out quite nicely.

Mom got a mosaic mirror made with pieces from her favorite lamp that broke.

Dad got soapstone cubes to freeze and put in his spirits for a real drink on the rocks.

Dan got a card shark sculpture.

Alexis got a pair of lovers' mittens (two normal mittens and one large mittens to hold hands in) and a pillow case.

Erica got a Moleskine calendar. Okay, so I cheated a little. I ordered it online though and still missed the marmoset like masses.

Sergei got running tights, a jacket and long sleeve shirt so he can continue running in the cold weather (yeah, yeah, this also came from online).

Baby Alexis got a Very Hungry Caterpillar knitted scarf and a book to go along. I think it is the best thing I've ever knit.

Connie's gift still isn't finished but she is getting a quilted table runner. It is my first attempt at quilting and it is just okay. Nothing super great about it. But I sure put my heart into it anyway.

I got some cozy flannel PJs and some cocks (I collect them for my kitchen).

Onion Video

Should the government stop dumping money into a giant hole?


In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

How Does it Feel to be Number One?

"Mejia was the first person to die in Riverside County this year, coroner officials said." --CBS News

Coroner’s File Number: 2009-00001
Name of Deceased: MEJIA, Edward
Sex/Age of Deceased: 17 yr. old male
City of Residence: Riverside
Date/Time of Death: 01/01/09 at 0110 hours
Location of Death: N/B I-215, Just N. of Van Buren Blvd., Riverside
Date/Time of Injury: 01/01/09 at 0058 hours
Location of Injury: N/B I-215, Just N. of Van Buren Blvd., Riverside
Next of Kin Notified (Y/N): Yes
Agency Investigating: CHP - Riverside
Comments: Operator of pick-up truck that struck a sedan, was ejected and then struck by another sedan.
Date/Time Posted: 01/01/09 09:36 AM

The moral of this story is buckle up folks, cause you never know when you are going to run into someone like Mr. Ichiban 2009. And, of course, carpe diem.