Brendan's Week in Review

Overall, it was a very nice week. Lets go day-by-day and focus in on the highlights.

Monday- Is it a little sad that my highlight was an hour training session with a fellow Tennis Pro? I think maybe yes, maybe no. Either way I had a great time. Working hard, getting better at tennis, getting a great workout. The sweat, the camaraderie, I miss it, I do. I also taught a few lessons, which went well. A lot of my students are improving significantly, which as you might imagine is very rewarding. One of them in particular, Michael, has really started to hit the ball harder and more consistently. I feel almost as proud and satisfied seeing him play well, as I did when I was improving at tennis. Perhaps Coaching will be in my future.

Tuesday- Big day. My day off and I made the most of it. Well, perhaps not the “Most,” but I did get stuff done and took plenty of time to relax and enjoy myself. Lets start at the beginning shall we? Woke up early and over a tasty breakfast of strawberry yogurt and GoLean crunch I caught up on some emails. Then I stretched out on the couch and read a few short stories by Haruki Murakami. Interspersed between the stories were a few naps and resting of the eyes. Around noon I fixed myself a Tuna Melt- delicious as always. And then rolled up my sleeves and started on my taxes. An hour of so later, having made serious progress, I put on my running shoes and headed out to Central Park where I took a nice jog around the reservoir, taking time to check out the Central Park Tennis Courts where I discovered you can play for a mere 100 dollars a year. Still a bit out of my price range considering I can play for free in New Jersey at a few clubs and actual public courts.
After a quick shower I rushed off to meet my friend JP and his old freshman year RA Jodi at Island Burger for you guessed it- Burgers. Well, actually I had a chicken breast, same difference. After dinner we went to the Film Forum and saw “Beautiful City,” an Iranian film chosen by yours truly, which I think everyone enjoyed. I know I did, it was interesting and thought provoking to use two clichéd but accurate words. My only complaint was the lack of an ending. It seemed the writers wrote themselves into a hole and couldn’t figure out how to get out. Still, I heartily recommend the film.
Finally I stopped by my friends’ apartment on the way home for some lazy television watching. Thankfully the Daily Show came on at 11 to replace some silly reality TV show. It’s the one where they go all around the world- The Amazing Race I think.

Wednesday- Another solid day. Back to work, and as my first day back the day seemed to stretch on forever. Played tennis and got my butt kicked. It was my first day outside, which is my official excuse, and honestly an appropriate one. It was big adjustment playing with a bright sun and cracked hard court where the balls don’t bounce nicely like they do inside. Ralph, my friend and opponent played well, particular his serve was tough and my serve resembled a steaming pile of dog shit, so in any case an hour best forgotten.
After work I met a friend/ ex girlfriend; she’s probably somewhere in between those two for “coffee” which ended up being “fruit smoothies.” I had a great time; I think she did as well, so perhaps we’ll do it again soon.

Thursday- Big workday. 5 lessons. First, I had a group of ladies at 1pm, which is a piece of cake. And then from 4-8, I have four private lessons. All of them are good kids, and each lesson by itself isn’t too bad, but when they are back to back to back to back, it gets a bit tiring towards the end. But I had a big reward to look forward to- dinner at Mom’s with my Aunt and Uncle who were visiting from Chicago. It was a great meal. Tandori chicken compliments of Sean (my younger brother) Rice Pilaf and Cauliflower Curry by Mom and Aunt Nancy. And to top it off- a pair of succulent desserts from chosen with care by Uncle Bill and Aunt Nancy brought all the way from Evanston, Illinois.

Friday- And now its Friday. I’ve spent the morning preparing for the junior tournament I’ll be running tomorrow night. I’ve made up the draw sheets, both the little one I’ll carry around during the tourney, and the big one to be hung up at the club so the kiddies and their parents can see their names written on the big board. I also stopped by a Deli and ordered sandwiches, fruit salad, and cookies for the kids. Soon, I’ll be back at the club, I’ve got two clinics to help teach before heading back to the city for some drinking with good friends (hopefully)

And that was my week. Was it better than yours? Feel free to explain why or why not in email.

Affirmative Action, Atheism and Me

Ridgewood High School, which I attended for four years between 96’ and 99’ made sure it properly promoted and celebrated the differences between its students. For the most part I feel this was a good thing. Whether it was the Asian festival, Black and Hispanic week, or Women in History I became well aware that there were many minority groups that had been oppressed by people like me- Rich, white and male. This was only reinforced further through college, both by the application process and the experience itself. I used to joke that despite the plethora of minorities in this country, I only qualified if you granted that being a member of every conceivable majority made one also a minority. There’s a Ben Folds song which summed up my feelings, “You don’t know what its like/ Being male, middle class and white.”
But now that might be changing. Although hidden behind a firewall, a NY Times column by John Tierney discusses a new, possibly illegal form of affirmative action: Currently, male applicants at Kenyon College, my alma mater, are being held to a lesser standard than their female counterparts. In order to keep some sort of balance between males and females, Kenyon admissions officers are allowing in less qualified males at the expense of qualified females. As Tierney points out, this serves no one. “It’s not fair to the girls who are rejected despite having high grades and test scores than the boys who get fat envelopes. It’s not fair to the boys, either, if they’re not ready to keep up with their classmates. Affirmative action just makes them prone to fail, and is probably one of the reasons that men are more likely than women to drop out of college.”
Who knew? I’m feeling less like part of the faceless majority by the minute. And then I read on Andrew Sullivan that I’m part of another minority, and this time it’s a persecuted one. Give up? Its Atheists; a group of which I am a proud member. If I may be allowed to get up on my high horse for a moment let me explain that I strive to be a person of high moral character. I try to treat other people as I would expect to be treated and give people that treat me badly the benefit of the doubt when warranted. Cheating, taking advantage of those weaker than you and any form of cruelty are all anathema to me. I believe firmly in all of this, and do so without the fear of God or hell, nor the carrot of heaven.
Now, I’m not trying to say I’m perfect and certainly not claiming that I’m perfect because I don’t believe in God. I have my faults and have done people bad turns from time to time, but the idea that a belief in God is a prerequisite to having a morally sound character angers me and seems the height of religious hypocrisy. It also seems to be the direction this country under the current Republican leadership is header. “Godless Tax Raisers,” was a joke by Will Ferrell when he parodied Bush, but I think is exactly the impression the Republicans would have this country believe. Tolerance is among the virtues of a true Christian. Let’s see if any prominent religious Republicans or Democrat for that matter will mention political support for Atheists.

Just soaking it all in

Chris has captured the entrepid bunch of adventurers in a relaxing moment. We've just come down from exploring the dizzying heights of Ollataytambo. In a few hours we'll be getting on the train to Maccu Picchu. 

Incan Modern Art

Ok, I guess it's actually Incan Ancient Art. But look how the cut pieces of stone fit so naturally into the rocks. It reminds me of Andy Goldsworthy. Although I'm not the biggest fan of "modern" art. I like the idea of artist using nature to enhance their work. Or perhaps, its how they subtly change their work to enhance nature. Woah, I'm blowing my own mind. That or I have no idea what I'm talking about. 

Brendan at Maccu Picchu

I know, it looks a little fake. Like I photo shopped myself into a stock Maccu Picchu photo. But believe me, I'm not nearly tech savvy enough to pull that off. And I really did go to Peru, I swear. 

This is Maccu Picchu

Nuff' said. 

After the Waterfall

Here are Chris and I post swim. We've put our shirts on, so ladies please try to control your excitement ;)

Doesn't Chris have sharp teeth? 

The Stone Couch

From left to right we have Beth, Chris, Brendan and Gillian. As you can see we are reclining on our Incan stone couch. In a few minutes some of us will begin a steep ascent, while others will grow a bit bored waiting for us to come down. To be fair, we did say we'd be gone only a few minutes. But, the mountain kept going up, who were we to stop climbing? 

Brendan After a Jungle Hike

This is me after my jungle hike. I'm a fan of this picture and would like to make it my profile picture, but haven't quite figured out how to do that. I did discover how to put pictures on my blog, so here you have the first one. There may be more to come. 

Bush Films Global Warming Commercial

I saw this on Andrew Sullivan and laughed all the way through it. If you've got five minutes ready to spend giggling give it a click


http://www.transbuddha.com/mediaHolder.php?id=1147

Reader Email

Chris, of cuzco and fulbright fame emails some corrections to my "3/12 Cusco, Peru (1:05 PM) " post.

And to be fair, there is a cafe culture in Lima, but I'd like to point that a
cafe culture is dependent on people having the diposable income/time to spend in
a cafe when they could be feeding their family instead.That and the beer is
called "Cusqueña." Cerveza is just Spanish for beer.

Now, I would like to point out the cleary a cafe culture is dependent on disposable income as well as a desire to spend that income on overpriced coffee instead of other goods. The fact that Peruvians in Cusco either do nothave disposable income, or perfer to spend it on other luxories is simply part of the small point I was making through my observations. And yes, apparently, the beer is called "Cusquena," my bad. BUt I've made far worse blunders, my most common error is called Spain "Espanol." That spanish in Spanish.

Peru Journal Epilogue

That was the final entry. So I try to tie up a few loose ends. First, we took the bus to Pisak, which has a Sunday market. We all bought lots of fun stuff. I got a big, goofy, Latin America explorer hat, two little bowls, and some little llamas. Chris, Gillian and Beth bought lots of other stuff- necklaces, rings, and coloring powder. It was really an amazing place, so much great stuff.
After getting back I started feeling pretty bad, and by the time dinner rolled around I was in low spirits. My appetite was gone; I barely even touched Beth’s delicious pasta with peanut sauce and then spent a sleepless night running to the bathroom. I woke feeling incredibly thirsty, but just sat around during the day, praying I’d feel a bit better by the time I had to fly out.
I did end up feeling a bit better, and made it back to JFK in one piece. Beth and I had to endure a 6 hour lay over in the Lima airport, and then after landing at 7:30 in the morning at JFK it took almost an hour for our bags to come. After a quick hug, she was off to LaGuardia to catch a flight to DC, and I took a bus to Manhattan en route to New Jersey.
Sometimes getting there is half the fun, and while Beth and I did share some laughs in the airport and on the place, that 18 hour travel day was no fun at all. Ugg.

3/12 Cusco, Peru (1:05 PM)

At the bus station, oh boy, feeling tired and out of it from the night before. But, oh what a night. Dinner at a fabulous restaurant, “ciccolin” all the food was superb. Seafood appetizers, mushrooms and a beef fillet for me. Three bottles of wine later we were all doing well. We even had a polite, respectful and vigorous political discussion about the Danish cartoons, I finally got to use weeks of knowledge accrued from Andrew Sullivan. After dinner it was off to a Peruvian bar where we a delicious corn beer type drink. It was called beer of a forty ingredients or something like that, and the best part was how dirt cheap a pitcher was. Then it was off to the clubs and well, we know how that turned out. Good times.

3/11 Cuzco, Peru (3:50 PM)

I’m sitting in a cafe (Pucara) named after an indigenous culture with Chris. We’ve been here for at least two hours, we hap soup. I had Creole (noodles, milk, beef, and spinach) very tasty; Chris had a garlic soup that contained a poached egg. We had a great talk, man talk- covering our families, relationships with our dads, a little politics, a little living abroad and some talk of the future.

This has really been a great day. We started with breakfast, then Chris gave me a mini tour of the city and e explored the Ccoricancha- a convent of Santa Domingo. It was neat because you could see both the original Incan foundations- it was first a temple to the sun- most important in all the Incan lands- and then with the Spanish colonists, a convent was built right over it. Thanks to the 1950’s earthquake and then decision to restore the Incan walls you can see both.
There was also an interesting art exhibition. It looked like Peruvian new Yorker covers. Though it, I got a whirlwind modern Peru history lesson as Chris translated and often explained what was going on in the photos. Though with my Latin was able to pick out a few words here and there. Then we continued our walk though town. I saw the big market- lots of meat- it’s where cuscoyans shop and then I did a little souvenir shopping for myself- and got a tee-shirt for me and my bro.

Yesterday was machu piccu- when I left of we were just about to enter. Well, we did finally go in and boy was it ever something. Quite simply it was worth it worth every cent it cost to fly here; I would have paid so much more. I cold have spent days, weeks just sitting and absorbing the views or gone off exploring the ruins or temples and houses.

Chris did a bang up job as tour guide. He could easily be a very good and well paid guide.
First we hiked up a path and reached, I guess you could call it a look out point, where you could see not only the ruins, but the huge mountain peaks that surround it. As Beth remarked, “Can you imagine waking up here each morning?” Sadly, Beth’s ankle was really hurting her, so she had to imagine staying in one centrally located place for much of the day. She demanded we go off and explore though, so Chris, Gillian and I went off and Chris, happy as a clam, explained and gave significance to every stone. At one point, mid tour, we all just sat and chilled on one of the Incan terraces. Words seemed fairly useless at this point to convey the awesome sense of serenity and tiny spec in the universeness I felt at that moment. I could have sat there with good friends all day long.
And in general the whole visit was just too impressive, to think a city full of living, bustling people, just incredible.

After taking the bus back down, we had lunch and noticed just how sunburned we all were. Post lunch we split- Anna and Kenneth went on a search and ended up sipping rum and cokes. Beth and Gill thought about shopping, but just sat and relaxed on a bench. And Chris and I went in search of a waterfall, but first found only a steep jungle trail.
See, we had gone off on Gillian’s recommendation to find this waterfall located behind the hot springs. So we snuck back, and took a right on the first path we saw. This path quickly turned into a steep incline and the jungleness reminded us of the first Predator movie. After climbing a good twenty minutes, we turned around and came back down, fully drenched in sweat but feeling proud. Then, we noticed another path and thirty seconds later the waterfall was in sight. Minutes later we had arrived, stripped down to our skivvies and gingerly went in. Cold, but very refreshing, and we let loose with primal screams which echoed against the backdrop of the pounding water from the falls. Chris declared it the best part of the day- to be fair he’d been to maccu picchu five times before.

We then went to catch our train, but stopped to have a beer with Anna and Kenneth. They were playing a spirited game of twenty questions- Kenneth was stumped. (Anna, who was the actor?) The train was hot and stuffy and the bus we connected to was not only hot and stuffy but also dark so as to preclude any reading. The shower I quickly took upon returning to Chris’s apt was beyond wonderful. We had dinner, watched Capote, though I fell asleep towards the end. We were supposed to go white water rafting the next day, but Chris and I were too tired and decided not to go. I know, meow* Beth had to complete a project for work, so Gillian dragged her Peruvian boyfriend

And now, here we are, Chris and I, at the café. The woman who served us must think us very strange, that we just sit here, firs talking, now reading and writing- a café culture hasn’t quite made it here yet.

3/10 Maccu Picchu, Peru (8:30 AM)

It’s early; we’re tired, and we’re taking a coffee/breakfast break right before we get to see the ruins. Maccu Picchu is literally yards away and we’re just waiting here. Clearly, I would like to be there right now, but this is what happens when you travel in a group. This is an amazing place to have breakfast though, the mountains really do rise above the clouds, tons of backpackers are sitting around, and most of them speak English.

Last night was a good night- Pizza and beer at long last. Then drinking games at the bar. It was a tough morning and my stomach wasn’t too pleased, but fun is fun, hard to pass it up. Man it's really taking forever to get the food. We could be seeing maccu picchu right now. Oy lets go

3/9 Ollantaytambo, Peru (7:45 PM)

The four of us- Gillian, Beth (Liz), Chris and I are sitting on a train waiting for it to start towards Machu Picchu. We’re a bit crammed into these seats, legs are crossed and heads rest on shoulders. A river is flowing by and gives us a soft background noise to the constant chatter in several languages that fills the carriage.

A British or at least non-American English speaking group has decided to play a game- one member of their group has to go around the train carriage taking pictures of five different people.

Today was a big day. Chris and I woke up a bit hung over, him more than me. We grabbed a taxi to Gillian’s, picked up pastries for breakfast and ate them at Gill’s apt. Then, as Gillian cleaned, Beth, Chris and I bought white water rafting tickets. During our walk through Cusco, Chris began an informal, but informative and entertaining tour of the city. We learned about the early years of the Spanish occupation and how the Incans at one point fled to a mountain fortress where they rained fiery hell down on the city. To be continued he said.

We had a taxi drive us to Chinchero, a small village in the Sacred Valley just outside of Cusco. We saw an absolutely beautiful church, bought exquisite Peruvian clothes and tapestries while our taxi waited for us.

We were then driven to Ollantaytambo- had a delicious buffet lunch. I tried kidney and an authentic dessert- rice pudding mixed with purplish jello apparently made from corn. After lunch we arrived at the ruins of Ollantaytambo where we were able to explore the ruins. Chris played tour guide and did a bang up job. At the entrance to the ruins we ran into Kenneth and Anna, (Beth’s G-town friends) who had just taken a tour. We climbed really high, Kenneth, Gillian and I going all the way to the top and were rewarded with these incredible views.

****the next few sentences, while unrelated to the previous one get a bit personal****

Yesterday was a big day too. First we bought train tickets to Maccu Picchu, the very train we are riding now, and then we took a taxi to a small town that was holding a Maize/ Corn festival. The ride to the town was its own reward. First we drive up and out of the valley of Cusco, and then across spectacular mountains before descending into another valley that has this town. At the town everyone is cooking, we stopped at one tent and had a plate of huge corn, stuffed fried pepper, and a potato for about fifty cents. Best, most authentic meal I’ve had since I don’t know when. Then the villagers began to reenact an old Ceremony to honor the Gods. There was a Sun God, a Moon Goddess, people praising corn. They were speaking in an original tongue, not Spanish, so none of us could understand. It was funny, as we were the only white people (Gringos) there; they stared at us as much as we stared at them. The mutual gawking seemed only fair. We ended the afternoon with a spirited game of Foosball, Chris and I emerged victorious 3-2.

A taxi brought us home, a quick shower and it was off to dinner. The big joke is whether we’ll have Cuy (Guinea pig) while here.

After dinner we had a few drinks at a bar. Nothing too exciting, just some good joke telling and Beth and I rehearsing our big fake break up on the flight home. (I should clarify, our "break up" is fake not because we aren’t actually breaking up, but because we aren’t romantically involved in the first place. We are simply good friends who travel together) Oh, and Gillian's Peruvian boy Dennis came along. He seemed like a nice fellow, he doesn’t speak English, but was very friendly and seemed to like Gillian a lot.

All right, hopefully we’ll get to Maccu Picchu soon, do some drinking and get up early for the ruins. Caio!

3/8 Cusco, Peru (9:15 AM)

My second day in Peru and at altitude and I think I’m feeling better. A good night’s sleep coupled with lots of water has me feeling ready to go.

Well, it was a small adventure meeting up with Chris at the airport- but no harm, no foul as we met up well ahead of our flight from Lima to Cusco. Chris was looking well, full beard and ready smile. As we waited for our flight we caught up on all sorts of things; women, life goals, etc.

The flight was quick, just over an hour, and when we landed in Cusco- this wonderful little city in a valley, Gillian and a friend were there to greet us. Hugs all around, then the guys and girls took separate cabs to their respective apartments. We had a quick nap, and then walked about 10 minutes to the Gillian’s apartment. Apparently lots of drama, girls breaking up with Peruvian boyfriends literally seconds before we arrived. As you might imagine the aftermath was tedious and annoying, but what can you do.

Lunch was wonderful- I had a tuna melt, very authentic I know- but it was very tasty. Two of Liz’s Georgetown friends met up with us at Jack’s, a very popular lunch spot for tourists and ex-pats. After lunch we ran into a llama while walking up around Cuzco. We took a few pictures and when the llama stood up Gillian almost fell on her face. Very funny.

Next up we had come coca tea- yes the same leaves that cocaine is made from. The tea is very good- although I’m told this particular tea is the best in town- it was green, very sweet and apparently has many healing properties such as aiding in altitude sickness and fatigue. Also, it has many minerals that do good stuff. So yeah, the tea was lovely and I did feel a bit buzzed afterwards.

After tea, we naturally made our way to El Molino, the biggest black market in Cusco. There an orgy of spending commenced. First at a bootleg CD store it was hard not to when each CD cost a bit more than a dollar. I, spendthrift Brendan, purchased 5 CDs- for about ten dollars, some were doubles.

Chris and Gillian also bought some DVD’s before we made it back to Gillian’s for movie time. We watched the “Swimming Pool” which I liked but had already seen. No matter, I napped through the second part.

After the movie we tried to figure out dinner and learned that Liz wasn’t feeling well at all. Right before she left she tossed her cookies, not good. (Sorry Liz L )
Dinner was quite nice, but sad as Liz couldn’t be there. I had chicken and veggies skewered with a peanut sauce and mango chutney. Ah yes, Chris is telling me they were called Chicken brochettes or Anti-chicken. I also had my first taste of Peruvian beer. Cerveza, not bad at all. Chris had prepped me for the worst, but I quite enjoyed it. I mean, it doesn’t hold a candle to Czech beer or really any good European or American micro brew, but I still forecast myself consuming many more this week.

So yeah, then a cab back to Heaney’s- I feel rich being able to take a cab anywhere, even when walking is certainly possible. But it’s just so cheap that you might as well. Chris and I shared a rather small bed, but we got through it ok- no harm, minimal touching, no foul.
So what are my initial impressions of Cusco? Well, it is dirty, it’s shabby, and it’s hard to feel clean. There is poverty, many beggars, and people look downtrodden. Everything is smaller. I have to duck to enter just about every door. But enough of the negatives.
They kept some of the Incan walls and built atop them. Most buildings have an atrium of sorts that you enter upon walking in. And at night, the sky is filled with stars.
And a nice bonus is how cheap everything is. Three Soles is the standard price- a beer, a taxi ride at night, a CD. A dollar goes farther than it used to down here. All right is getting to be ten o ‘clock- time to get moving. We’ve got a corn festival to attend, and train tickets to buy. Let the adventures begin.

3/7 Lima, Peru (7:10 AM)

I’m sitting in a food court at the airport in Lima, Peru watching our bags as Liz uses the facilities. Airports never really look all that different from one another. All the familiar fast food restaurants are here: Dunkin Donuts, Papa Johns, and McDonalds. There appear to be a few tables of American college students. Liz just stopped back- now she is off to change money. The flight wasn’t too bad- a little cramped and I sweated while asleep and woke up super thirsty- never fun. But we saw a fun movie together, rather sappy, but still romantic and sweet. (Just Like Heaven) There was some turbulence- one thunder storm woke us up as the heavy winds made the plane drop suddenly a few times and then the constant flashes of light were a bit unnerving as we knew the Andes were below us.

Just a few thoughts of GirlX- it could have been so great to travel with her. This is going to be a great trip, but it with her it could have been better.

3/6 JFK NY,NY (7:45 PM)

Here I am. Sitting on my pack like a real traveler while waiting for Liz. The terminal is huge and everything seems to be moving along smoothly. I’m always amazed at the constant flow of people through airports to all parts of the world. It is a small world.

My thoughts go back to my last time abroad. A year and a half have passed since then and needless to say much has changed- real love, real heartache, modest professional success coming after so much doubt and frustration, and finally a real sense of where I’m going with life.

This is a short trip- a mere week, but in this condensed time frame I’ll have time for so much. Machu Picchu, ruins, museums, restaurants, nightlife. When I wake up and get off the plane I’ll be on the other side of the world- in Peru.

Almost eight o’clock and still no Liz. Without my cell phone I feel almost powerless. Backpackers just walked past. I wonder if they are now just starting their trip or flying home. They look American, but you never know for sure. I was a pack of nerves the first time I left the country- all alone, a baby at 22- wow to be that young again. One can’t help but think you’d it better if you had a second go around. I’m going to wait outside, she should be here soon.

Peru Journal

Peru Journal-

This is a transcript of my journal I kept while traveling in Peru. I’ve been as faithful to the original as possible, keeping many sentences as fragments and my authentic, grammatically odd sentence constructions. The entries have been spell checked, and occasionally I re-wrote a sentence to make it clearer or more concise. I’ve also eliminated a few lines because of their personal nature. I hope you enjoy and please email any questions or comments.

Cheers, Brendan