Long Overdue: A Night Out, Names and The Boston Invite - June 25- 28

So as this post is a summary of my last week, I must ask forgiveness for its fractured and jumpy nature.

Wednesday night was awesome. I walked over to Schenley Park to meet up with Friar, Geoff and Andrea and watch Iron Man, which was being shown outdoors on a big screen. After the movie we went out and got some margaritas, and then went to Dave and Andy's (the ice cream shop where Geoff and Andrea work) and made ourselves sundaes. I was literally a kid in a candy shop, and it was everything that I had hoped for and more. Thursday, after a lazy day, we drove up to Hastings with Pants. On Friday I went into the city with Friar, and saw Josh and Eric, which was very pleasant. That evening, before heading up to Boston, we had dinner with my parents and Nicky and Kaari, which was also wonderful.

Saturday morning, we awoke early and headed out to Devens, MA. The first game of the day was our toughest, but we ended up coming out on top, beating Wiretap 16-14. After that, the rest of the day was a breeze. We beat DoG handily (I had a layout d and went upline for a score) and demolished Colt. This set us up for a cross over game with PoNY, we went down 4-1 before games were postponed till Sunday because of lightning. Sunday morning, after a night of lazing around and watching a truly awful movie (about zombies crashing a high school prom) we came back out and beat PoNY. I can't say I played much, but it was so cool to be on a team that could win a game against a team that had made nationals only last year, not to mention a team that I thought was way out of my league. Afterwards, we played GOAT and lost, but just the fact that we played GOAT was so enough to make me happy. Our last game of the day was a loss against Sons of Liberty, a game that we should've won. I recognized many of the SoL players, and it seemed to me that of all the clubs we had played that weekend, SoL was probably the one most closely matched to my skill level. Afterwards, we stayed to watch a few points of the GOAT-Ironside final, and then journeyed home, arriving at 2:30 am. It was a fantastic weekend.

In the midst of all this running around, I've found time to start watching yet another TV show: the BBC's most recent take on the Arthurian legend, called 'Merlin.' What has struck me about this show is the way in which it plays on the power of names. Everyone watching the show presumably knows what becomes of Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Morgana and Mordred. What 'Merlin' does is follow these characters from their beginnings. Arthur is obviously a prince, but outside of that things are different. Merlin is Arthur's manservant, and must hide his gift for magic, Morgana is Uther's ward, and Guinevere is her servant. Mordred is a random child who Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere and Morgana save in one episode. The way that the show utilizes dramatic irony through the audience's knowledge of the Arthurian knowledge started me thinking on the power of names. In the modern era, names have lost much of their power, but it seems to me that names have always been potent, if only because of the knowledge that they impart. Names contain information about lineage, ethnicity and profession. My favorite example is one of my ancestor's names: Fleischacker (i.e. Flesh-hacker). In former times, when social mobility was not as easy, someone named Fleischacker was probably a [German] butcher. At any rate, I don't have much more to say on the subject, except that names are pretty cool.

Hawthorne and HRC - June 22 and 23

As I mentioned in my last post, I picked up a book of Hawthorne's short stories recently and, surprisingly, I'm enjoying them. Hawthorne's style can be obnoxious, he uses large words and synonyms as if he is overly self-conscious of his own vocabulary and insists on latinate sentence constructions (i.e. periodic sentences: lots of commas and semi-colons). At the same time, I find the larger themes of his work fascinating and attractive. For one thing, the short stories attempt to portray New England when it was still the frontier. For this reason (like much literature about the wilderness) there is a strong sense of the supernatural, and defamiliarization is prevalent. This strong sense of superstition is intertwined with puritan values and ideals (held, as far as I can tell, by Hawthorne's characters rather than Hawthorne himself). The stories themselves appear to be (and sometimes are, much to my annoyance) simple allegories, but there is usually some sort of logical gap in what the obvious message seems to be, a flaw or ambiguity.

The two stories that have popped out at me the most so far are 'Young Goodman Brown' and 'The Burial of Roger Malvin.' 'Young Goodman Brown' is a relatively famous story, and is famous for the moral ambiguity that I mention above. To recap, the story begins as what seems to be a straightforward allegory: Goodman (get it?) must leave his wife, Faith (get it?), to do battle with the demonic forces of temptation in the wilderness. This is where things get a little convoluted. For one thing, all of the upstanding citizens of Goodman's town appear to be in league with the devil, including his own wife. He manages to resist temptation, but at the end of the night it is unclear whether the visions he has had are real, or exist only within his own mind. Goodman returns to the town and can never see his neighbors or wife in the same way again. He dies a bitter and gloomy man. There are certainly multiple interpretations of this story, but the ones that I favor center on questions of subjective perception and ethical relativism. For one thing, Goodman never witnesses any of the townspeople performing evil deeds outside of the satanic ritual that he thinks he saw. He judges them despite the fact that this is a phenomenon that has appeared only to him. What is most haunting perhaps, is the plausibility of the interpretation that all of the townspeople ARE evil. Certainly, from our modern standpoint, we can see how America's early settlers could be condemned for their genocide of the Native Americans, as well as the repressive and unenlightened ways in which they governed (e.g. witch trials?!). Perhaps Hawthorne had his own reasons for associating puritans with satan. In this sense, Goodman may in fact be an upstanding, moral man passing correct judgment. This does not change the fact that he lives a truly unhappy life. Does the ultimate moral value of our deeds matter less in the final calculus of our lives than whether or not we conformed with society or fit in? Anyway, I could ramble on about this story interminably. I haven't even touched on the notion that Goodman's wife could be understood as Faith personified.

'Roger Malvin's Burial' brings up similar questions. The story is about two men, a father and his son-in-law to be, who have survived a battle with Native Americans. Both are wounded, but the father (Roger) is on death's door. He convinces Reuben to abandon him to die under a rock, and before he leaves Reuben vows to return and bury Roger (a matter of weighty importance to America's frontiersmen according to Hawthorne). Reuben manages to find his way back home and marries Roger's daughter. The rub is that he tells everyone that Roger actually died with Reuben by his side, and that Reuben dutifully buried him where he expired. Of course, the guilt eats him up from the inside, leaving him an angry man whose only true source of joy is his son Cyrus. Reuben's fortune dwindles away over the years, so he must strike out into the wilderness with his wife and son in order to forge a new destiny for himself. One evening, hunting for game, Reuben mistakenly shoots his own son, and realizes that Cyrus has expired on the exact same spot where he left Roger so many years ago. Clearly this story appeals to me because it deals with graves, memorials, memory and the cyclical nature of history. Embedded in the plot is the idea that without carrying the past with us, we sacrifice our future. Additionally, Hawthorne describes what has hung over Reuben as a curse, which is fascinating. It is worth noting that Reuben has every reason to leave Roger behind. Roger even urges him to do so, and prays for the safety and well-being of Reuben and his daughter. There doesn't seem to be a clear moral imperative here. What curses Reuben is his own vow. He has created his own destiny by violating his own moral code. At any rate, I'll shut up about literature now.

Lastly, today was cool because I got to do some substantial work for HRC. For one thing, the wife of a man to whom I had mailed out the notice about our investigation of SCI-Dallas called me and I was able to give her cogent and accurate advice over what she ought to send me. On top of that, I've gotten myself involved in an investigation into certain abuses of a prisoner who has an ongoing lawsuit against the DOC (Department of Corrections). I called both SCI-Fayette, where he's currently incarcerated, as well as the DOC's central office, and it seems like they're actually putting an investigator from OPR (Office of Professional Responsibility) on the case. So something happened! I'm going to try to write out letters to the Supt. of Fayette and the DOC secretary tomorrow, putting them 'on notice.' I may even get to try to file criminal charges against them! Exciting stuff.

My Weekend in Cleveland - June 20 and 21

This past weekend I drove up to Cleveland with Ian to play at No Surf with Forge. The team had decided to split X/Y, which meant that both teams were playing with only 9 people. Overall, the experience was a good one, though it had its ups and downs. To begin with, I was slightly disappointed with my own level of play. I scored the first point of the tourney for us, and that was my only goal all weekend. I didn't have any ds (though I wasn't getting beaten all over the place either). While I certainly shoulder most of the responsibility for the level of my own play, I felt that I wasn't really placed in a position to excel. Primarily, I mean that this was my first time playing with anyone on Forge and with any of Forge's strategy. I didn't really start understanding the way that they run their Horizontal Stack until Sunday, and by then I had been pigeon-holed into a role as the handler who receives the pull and immediately gets it to the center handler. A role without any glamour, and one that I am not as suited for as cutting. On the upside, playing disc is always a blast, everyone on the team is incredibly nice and there are quite a few remarkable characters, I got to mark up on Luke Johnson (the guy who makes the Rhino videos I'm slightly obsessed with) and I had my best game of the tourney in the semis, when it really mattered (for this game, I was cutting). I also learned a lot, and am (if this is possible) even more excited than I was for Superfly's upcoming season.

Aside from that, not too much is going on. I got back the first responses to my solitary confinement questionnaire. They're pretty powerful and depressing, but it's given me a new perspective on the project and a new source of motivation. I stopped by a used bookstore today and picked up 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' and a collection of short fiction by Hawthorne. Last night's dinner was pasta with asparagus, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. If I get anything from this summer, it will be a better ability to fend for myself after college, especially in the cooking department; which is not a skill to be taken lightly, as my difficulty with food this past school year can attest to.

My Day In Court - June 16

Around noon yesterday I caught a bus downtown to go to a sentencing appeal for Joseph, the man who had been convicted of 3rd degree murder. The whole experience was remarkable. The first thing I noticed when I got off of the bus at Grant and Forbes was the Allegheny County Courthouse. I can't think of a succinct way to describe it but to say that Foucault would've had a field day with it. The courthouse was built in the late 19th century, and it looks like a cathedral and fortress rolled into one (http://www.alleghenycounty.us/acic/cjold.jpg). The wall that surrounds what I assume was the jail part of the courthouse is about 30 or 40 feet high, and is quite imposing. The structure itself is made out of huge, roughly cut stone blocks. The whole building has a very primitive and brutal air about it, and at the same time it implies some sense of a civic religion (with its towers and the church-like construction of the jail section).

At 12:30 Bret and Cecilia (Joseph's mother) talked to a few members of the media (they called it a press conference, but I don't know what justifies that label). After a quick bite to eat we went inside in time to see Joseph being brought into the courtroom. It was striking. I can't recall if I've ever seen someone in handcuffs before, but I've certainly never seen anyone with leg irons or with a leather lead strapped around them. The only word that I can think to use is shameful. I felt ashamed to look at Joseph, and I can't imagine the shame that he felt, walking through the halls of the courthouse with chains on. It's difficult to fully describe the scene, but what I can say is that while the handcuffs, leg irons and leather lead all certainly serve to control the prisoner and make escape more difficult, they also serve to destroy any dignity that the incarcerated might still have. Having every step cut too short by the metal links around your ankles and being led around on a leather leash are not conducive to self-respect.

The hearing itself was very interesting, and I only wish I could've understood more. The issue at hand was not the verdict of the case itself, but the judge's sentence. The defense's two main points (raised by an attorney who had a few unfortunate speaking tics, to wit: mumbling, some sort of lisp, repetition and the annoying tendency to undermine his arguments with phrases like 'this is only my opinion') were that Joseph had no prior convictions and that under Pennsylvania sentencing guidelines (not mandatory) he should've been given less time, and that the judge, in his sentencing statement, cited his belief that the murder was a premeditated execution, whereas the jury had clearly disagreed with this theory by convicting Joseph of 3rd degree murder and not 1st degree murder. Just to put all of this in context, Joseph had been sentenced to 17-35 years in prison, and the maximum for 3rd degree murder in Pennsylvania is 23.5-35 years. The district attorney rebutted the defense's first argument by pointing out that the sentencing guidelines were not mandatory and reminding the judge that Joseph's record was not completely clean. Apparently, during the presentencing phase of the initial trial, 3 complaints of assault against Joseph had come up. This is where my legal knowledge gets a little fuzzy, but the DA said that these cases of assault had been "adjudicated." I don't know what the technical legal definition of this term is, but I think that it's something quite separate from being convicted by a jury in a court of law. When the DA mentioned one of the cases of assault (stabbing a school official with a pencil) a man next to me who was a member of the family whispered 'that was in first grade!' The DA then recast the defense's argument about the jury as simply that the jury had been trying to show mercy by convicting Joseph of 3rd instead of 1st degree (this was part of it, but not the most important part in my mind) and argued that the judge HAD showed mercy. Oy vey.

Afterwards I caught a bus back uptown, finished watching the first season of The Wire on my computer and picked up some Rye Bread Kvass from the East End Brewery. It was interesting stuff, the initial taste was a little too sweet for me, but the hint of bread at the end finishes the drink off nicely, and it was very light which is perfect for summer.

Frisbee and Iran - June 12 and 13

Didn't do too much on Friday, but I managed to get myself over to the East End Brewery to pick up a growler of IPA. I ended up hanging out there for awhile, which was really nice. The place has a really good vibe (it's a tiny brewery run by two people), and during the growler hours you have people of all ages coming in, even parents with toddlers. I ended up deciding to stick with IPA, but I also sampled some Kvass, which is basically beer made with bread. It was actually pretty good. Spent the rest of the night bar hopping and watching the Stanley cup finals, which was fun.

Saturday morning I woke up early along with Friar to get out to summer league. We had promised to give our captains a ride, which we did. They were both really great people, Geoff is a rising senior at Pitt and Andrea is a rising junior. The rest of the team was fantastic as well. There's not too much better than getting outside, playing disc and meeting people. On the way back Geoff and Andrea mentioned that they both worked at an ice cream place and they offered us free ice cream whenever we dropped by. So yea, a pretty great start to the day. The rest of my Saturday was spent doing absolutely nothing, which was fine by me. I was little immobile anyway, having been stung on the bottom of my foot by a bee.

On a completely different note, I've been fascinated by the election drama in Iran as well as the media's coverage of it. There seems to be a few very fundamental tensions within the democratic model (or at least the popular conception of it), one of which is that a healthy democracy has a populace that cares deeply about the issues and participates in great numbers, but the losers in any given election are supposed to accept the outcome without attempting to undermine the state. Over the last few days in Iran we've seen a pro-Western candidate (implicitly associated with democracy) defeated, and then refusing to concede the election. I recognize that there is a chance that the election was rigged, but the polls were close enough that it conceivably might not have been. Similarly to America's support of anti-communist dictators in third world countries during the 20th century, it seems like we (particularly the media in this case) too readily sacrifice the tenets of democracy for political exigencies. Why has no one condemned the riots in Iran? Because the rioters are on our side?

Lastly, and more broadly, I find it interesting that in mature democracies, though there is certainly a deep concern over issues, a great number of people are apathetic (or at least ambivalent and choose not to vote). To what extent is a partially apathetic population necessary for the smooth functioning of a democracy? If EVERYONE cared deeply about each election would we ever be able to have a peaceful transition of power? Do the apathetic anchor the political ideologues and prevent extreme groups from acting on their polarizing ideology?

NB: The line between legitimate protest and illegitimate violence is obviously unclear, but it seems to me that what is happening in Iran has crossed that line.

Edit: After doing some more reading on the election, it does seem that there are many indicators that there was something fishy going on. So, perhaps Iran wasn't the best case to make my point with, but it does bring up other interesting (albeit tangential) questions of how effective violent protest is, and what justifies it.

Another Edit: Caught this line in the NY Times tonight: "If the election were truly “real and free” as Mr. Ahmadinejad insisted, the results would be accepted by the voters and the government would not have to resort to such repression." Seems like a pretty simplistic way of looking at things.

Desensitization and the Start of Forge Tryouts - June 10 and 11

I suppose I'll begin this post with the more superficial stuff. Today I went to some pick-up at Schenley Park (self-titled "high level" pick-up). A few Forge guys were there including the captain. I felt awfully out of shape, but managed to get a layout d the first point I was in and got bookends the last point of the day, so...I feel pretty good about myself. I just can't wait for No Surf. I realize that I need to focus more on defense (especially on using my body) and that when cutting I need to end my deep cuts earlier (it's obvious after a certain point when it's not going to be thrown, and once you get too deep it's pretty hard to make a viable in cut). In terms of fitness, my legs feel powerful, but aerobically I'm a mess. I may need to start going on long runs or something. Too much hard breathing and too many cramps. Anyway, I'm pumped for Cleveland and the Boston Invite.

On a more serious note, yesterday was my first all group meeting with Fed Up! It started off with a really interesting and depressing presentation by a woman whose son had been wrongly convicted of 3rd degree murder. It was all the more striking because I've recently been watching The Wire. When hearing about a true story it's hard not to take it and interpret it in the same way that you would an episode of Law & Order or The Wire. It's hard to understand that this isn't something being presented for your entertainment or edification, and that there are real people involved whose whole lives may be destroyed by crooked police work, incompetent public defenders and inattentive juries. 17-35 years in prison in Pennsylvania is no joke, and it's no mistake that most of the shows on TV don't follow men into incarceration. It does make me curious to watch Oz though (I think that was the show on HBO about prison life).

In Sarat's class this last semester we read an article by Martha Nussbaum (part of the law as literature movement) that argued that we have to see cases like a story in order to empathize with the criminals and incorporate mercy into our judgments. I wonder though, to what extent, by viewing events as stories we banish them from the realm of the 'real' and allow ourselves to abdicate our responsibility as actors, opting for the role of viewers instead.

Belief is Mightier - June 9

Recently, I was reflecting on what fascinates me about law. More than anything, I settled on the notion that law is the place where words trump brute power, where what we write organizes and effects reality. Reading the letters from prisoners has led me to realize that there is something deeper though.

Yesterday, I was watching Werner Herzog's "Aguirre: The Wrath of God." At the start of the movie we watch Aguirre orchestrate a mutiny and place an ineffectual nobleman in charge, declaring a new state and a rebellion against the Habsburg Empire. At the time this seems ridiculous to all of the characters, but as the film progresses things begin to change. The nobleman is fed richly while the rest of the men starve. At one point the 'Emperor' is sitting on the raft with a map and observes that after traveling for a few more days his new country will be larger than Spain (assuming that we credit his assertion that he can lay claim to everything that he sees from the raft). As anyone who has seen the film knows, these fantasies are soon cut short by fever, delirium, starvation and attacks by the natives. But, the fact remains that the men of the expedition altered their behavior to conform to Aguirre's revolutionary document or, more accurately, his insane vision. In this sense, law is not simply the place where words create our world, but the place where a certain vision or ideal of the world is put into practice. Laws are instrumental in the creation of our own reality. Obviously there are issues with who writes the laws and how well a law is actually utilized once it is written, but in the abstract sense laws are the real way in which we attempt to order the world according to our beliefs and values.

This all ties back to my work with Fed Up. In their letters prisoners make constant reference to international human rights treaties that the United States has signed, and human rights organizations themselves use these same treaties as one of their main legal supports. They BELIEVE in the power of these treaties and their words. Clearly the connection is not a solid as a lawmaker believing in a principle and implementing it through a law, but I wonder if there isn't some similarity. These treaties have been written and signed, but it is clear that belief in them has not yet reached a certain threshold. By relying upon them, human rights workers and the victims of human rights abuses give them some validity, spread awareness of them and save them from the dustbin of history. For the second half the 20th century the United States has paid heed to UN treaties whenever it was convenient or beneficial, but the effect of recent patterns and events - eroding sovereignty brought on by globalization, the fiasco of defying the security council to invade Iraq and the fact that we are less and less able to make a claim to being the sole global superpower - may be to eliminate our ability to act hypocritically and in defiance of international norms. It seems that pressuring our stated commitments to the international community should become an increasingly effective strategy for reform in the years to come.

NB: There is a question here about the relationship between belief and force (i.e. constructivism vs. realism) that I'm too lazy to think about now.

Cedar Point and Letters from SCI-Dallas - June 5-6

I drove out to Sandusky, Ohio on Thursday night to meet up with Mara and go to Cedar Point on Friday. Drive went well, and obviously it was great to see her. On Friday morning we woke up nice and early and headed out to the amusement park.

My experience with amusement parks isn't too extensive (Rye Playland in middle school, Six Flags junior year of high school). I'd say my most memorable theme park moment was a great discussion I had with Rocky about anarchy. In short, I didn't really know what to expect. Initially, I approached the whole thing with a great deal of irony, but as soon as I got over that, I had a wonderful time. It was just a great reminder that I have to be careful not to prejudge things and decide what I'll think of them before I actually experience them.

I returned to Pittsburgh on Saturday, and met with Bret who gave me a number of letters from prisoners at SCI-Dallas. They're pretty heavy reading. The idea of being locked up in a prison is pretty awful, but the cruelties visited upon the inmates by the guards are simply incredible, and it is difficult to understand how the sort of abuses that the letters describe become so prevalent and systemic as they seem to be. The letters themselves (that is, not their content) are disturbing as well. A few of the letters are written by men in their mid to late 40s, but they read like the writing of a middle school student. They are windows into another absolutely alien world, and it is difficult for me to comprehend that some of what is described must be true, and occurs within a day's travel of where I live, and is tacitly sanctioned by the overwhelming majority of people in this country.

Obama and Transience - June 4

All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort - a sustained effort - to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings. - Obama, from his recent speech on the Middle East

But to subsist in bones, and be but Pyramidally extant, is a fallacy in duration. Vain ashes, which in the oblivion of names, persons, times, and sexes, have found unto themselves, a fruitlesse continuation, and only arise unto late posterity, as Emblemes of mortall vanities; Antidotes against pride, vain-glory, and madding vices. Pagan vain-glories which thought the world might last for ever, had encouragement for ambition, and finding no Atropos unto the immortality of their Names, were never dampt with the necessity of oblivion. - Thomas Browne, Hydriotaphia

This morning, in my attempt to stay abreast of current political events, I read about Obama's speech about America's relationship with the Muslim world and the Middle East. My eye was caught by a particular passage (the one I have quoted above), as well as a picture that the Times had on its homepage of Obama touring the Pyramids, which could not fail but to remind me of a certain section of Browne's 'Hydriotaphia.' One of the central points of Browne's work on urns (or at least, a central point of its 5th section) is to set up a comparison between what has inspired humanity and given us meaning, what ought to inspire us. In his analysis of urns, myths and memorials Browne argues that men are driven by a desire for immortality, a desire to be remembered by future generations. In his opinion, this is a flawed ambition, instead we ought to practice Christianity and invest in our souls.

The observation that we live for so short a time, and that our existence is so small, almost necessarily forces us to ask 'what is the point?' Browne's answer is Christianity, the pursuit of heaven. What fascinated me about the passage that I picked out from Obama's speech was both the fact that he explicitly recognizes the transience of individual existence, and the way that he neutralizes that troubling notion (i.e. explains what he sees as 'the point'). For Obama, the answer appears to be three-fold. Unlike Browne, he does not believe that the world's time is running out and that judgment day is nigh. Obama places some significance in the future, though not in vain material memorials. He instead focuses on what can be done to better the lives of our children. Additionally, Obama invokes the idea of respecting the dignity of all human beings as a goal in and of itself. This represents a staunch faith in human beings and their worth, and approaches a religious notion. Lastly, Obama talks about 'common ground.' As Simon Critchley has noted (Here's a video of his lecture on Obama at the New School http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/happy-like-god/), for Obama, hope is based on a BELIEF in the common good. Critchley characterizes this as a civil profession of faith.

It is obviously very difficult to define religion, and determine what is a religion and what isn't. But the parallels between Browne's Christianity and Obama's belief in human dignity and the common good are undeniable. Primarily, all three necessarily involve questions of faith and belief that can't be defended by logic. The notion of universal human dignity only exists when we will it to exist. The common good, even the very idea of 'common,' must be created through belief as well. It is a manufactured construct, in the same way that religion is. This is not to say that any of these ideas are invalid, it is more to point out that we seem to be constantly inventing projects and faiths that are larger than our existence, and that the constant struggle to give ourselves meaning has not changed much in the last half millennium.

Arriving in Pittsburgh - June 1 and 2

Drove down to Pittsburgh yesterday. It was exhausting, but fun. Threw all my stuff in my room and, after dinner, went out exploring with Friar. Pittsburgh is a pretty odd city. More than anything, it reminds me of East Lansing or Riverdale. There are a ton of residential neighborhoods with ridiculously large houses punctuated by areas of urban sprawl with short, crumbling buildings. There's a lot of empty space in the city. On top of that, the section of the city where Pitt and CMU reside is a disorienting mix of chains, classic greasy spoon, late-night places, bars, and incredible monuments and buildings built with Carnegie and Mellon money. These buildings aren't just impressively large, they're also designed in an array of architectural styles that seem very out of place. My prime example is the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial (http://kaijin.smugmug.com/photos/191295297_Geq42-S.jpg). The place looks like a hybrid of a Greek temple and Asian pagoda, and it is sitting in the middle of relatively normal looking neighborhood.

Woke up late this morning and made my way over to the Thomas Merton Center (a.k.a. HRC-FedUp! headquarters). I met a bunch of people there, they were all very nice. Finally met Bret, we had a good conversation, and I feel good about what I'm going to be doing. It's all very self-directed, which is nice, I just hope I don't get bored. It's an odd feeling to know that I have 2 full months to write a paper. After HRC I did some shopping, then mosied over to the Carnegie Public Library (where I anticipate spending a lot of time this summer). Got my library card and caught up on my email. Next up is a used music store, I'll be searching for a Mahler CD.