Challenger

On this day in 1986, at 11:38am the much anticipated Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. As a 15-year old high school sophomore I'll never forget the excitement that surrounded this particular event. The fact that Christa McAuliffe, a 37-year old social studies teacher, would become the first civilian to fly into space made it relevant for students and teachers alike. At this point in the space program children could only dream of becoming astronauts. By the time you were my age you realized that being an astronaut was only for the elite. But if civilians could fly into space then the sky was no longer the limit, so to speak. I remember teachers rolling TV's into classrooms so everyone could witness this historic moment. I also remember the shock waves that reverberated around the country when a mere 73 seconds later the shuttle exploded, killing Christa and all the astronauts on board. It was a chilling moment and stark reminder that there was nothing safe about traveling to the heavens. It also made the word "o-ring" a household name. So in dedication to the Space program, Christa, and all the others who have literally given their lives for science I move onto the notes . . .

--Today is shaping up to be a good Friday. We promised the kids that we would visit a cafe after they got out of school; Aiden is looking forward to getting his Bionical as payment for sticking out 2 weeks of school. I know most of you probably think it is bad parenting to bribe your children to do something that they should otherwise do. But I'm an ocean away from you and really do not care what you think. OK. I do care. But desperate times call for desperate measures-- you need to walk in my shoes before you . . . take the plank out of your own eye before you take the one out of mine . . . and so on.

--I believe all of the students managed to get to the train this morning for their trip to Hungary. I just checked the upstairs and other than the usual mess it seemed quite empty. Some students were up at 3am so my guess is they decided it would be easier to stay up all night than to go to sleep and to awake at reasonable hours. Oh to be young. Annamae and I are planning a trip to Budapest some time in the near future. I hear the Turkish baths are amazing. I love me a Turkish bath with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy!

--Speaking of Hungary, I am perplexed by the fact that I continue to seemingly gain weight. I really cannot explain this other than to say it must be genetic. I mean, I start the day with a few cups of coffee and low fat cereal with soy milk. One thing that makes the coffee really good is to put Caffe Milch in it. It has 6.5g of fat per 100g serving, whatever that means. The bread here is so fresh that it must be healthy for you. Because it doesn't have preservatives you pretty much have to eat the whole thing in a day. The chocolate really cannot be that bad for you, either, because it comes in these small little packages. You really cannot get a taste for it with your first 3 pieces but by the 4th piece--YUM. Anyway, with my weight gain I am slowly giving up my dream of wearing a pair of black Euro skinny jeans. And I would have looked so smart on our trip to Spain.
-- With the students out of the house the Giles family is planning to PARTY! We mentioned this to the students and they just snortled in that condescending, "you don't know how to party" kind of way. They apparently do not know the Giles family! I know it sounds crazy, but we may cook dinner in THEIR kitchen, watch a movie on THEIR common floor, and . . . wait for it . . . blast Vivaldi on the iPod stereo! This beats a game of beer pong on any day of the week, except maybe Thursday. Beer pong on Thursday's seems like it would be fun.

--Clarity. Simplicity. These are two adjectives that best describe my experience to date. I've found that I am able to work with great focus on a couple of goals, like preparing for class and finishing a couple of papers. Annamae and I are both finding that everything here seems much simpler than our lives in Winston-Salem. We only have a suitcase worth of clothes, which means laundry never really can pile up. With public transportation you have simple goals for each day, like getting a few groceries from the Spar (see chocolate, wine, and bread) or visiting a shop/cafe. Everything seems to be slowing down, priorities seem to be coming into focus, and our stress level is at an all-time low. Hanging out with people is not a burden or something you schedule, it is a natural way of life. I would love to bottle this and bring it home, but it is probably healthier just to accept this trip as a sabbatical rather than a new way of life. Besides, the airport would probably confiscate our bottle of serenity because it would be deemed unsafe for travel. But if I could just cut down on committee work and advising I know that I could actually get really important things accomplished. If not, then I think WF should adopt the Austrians' view on alcohol in the workplace. Kidding. Sort of.

To all of our faithful followers (you both know who you are), we wish you a grand weekend. Keep checking back as we will continue to post pictures and report on our latest adventures. I never assume that our life is that interesting to others, but we will keep writing nonetheless.