Ed’s corner of the web

People have often asked Carisa and me why in the world we chose to go to Jordan for our recent vacation.  I usually answer politely, but internally I’m often thinking, “Why the hell shouldn’t we have gone?”  It’s a stable secular state with clean, safe cities; interesting Roman ruins; resorts on the Dead Sea; mind-blowing desert landscape; very tasty food; diving in the Red Sea; all the wonder and beauty of Petra; and some of the nicest, most polite, and sincere people we’ve met anywhere in the world.  I felt safer in Amman than I have in many cities here at home, and I have felt as welcome in Jordan as I have anywhere else in the world.  There should be no good reason not to go to Jordan.

That bit of annoyance out of the way, I can report that our trip was truly wonderful, all the way from Amman to Aqaba.  I’m still working on the photos, but soon you’ll be able to see that there’s really a ton to see and do in Jordan.  And then there’s the food, admittedly – for us – one of the primary attractions of any trip.  I had the best hummus and shawarma of my life, became a big fan of baba ganoush, and greatly enjoyed the various permutations of cheese, pastry dough, and honey that Jordanians love to have for dessert (or at any other time of day).  There are several new words in my food vocabulary – galaya, fatteh, knafeh – that I hope to put to use more in the future.

Petra is truly one of the wonders of the world and needs to be seen by everyone with even the remotest interest.  Walking through the slot canyon that is the Siq and then seeing the red sandstone facade of the Treasury suddenly appear around a bend will make even the most jaded traveler catch his breath.

Those of you who know me well know that I am greatly enamored by the night sky.  Spending a night in the Jordanian desert around Wadi Rum, away from almost all of the lights of civilization, provided a night sky the likes of which I hadn’t ever seen before except in the Outback of Australia.

These are just a couple highlights.  They don’t include the chariot race in Jerash, the surprisingly comical visit to Jesus’s baptism site, the obligatory dip in the Dead Sea, or any of those wonderful unexpected experiences that make travel what it is.  Of course Jordan has its fair share of problems – worsening water shortages, a limited economy, a shifting national identity with large refugee populations – but it remains safe and welcoming to travelers.  Whatever your brand of travel – leisure, adventure, active – I recommend it highly.

My sister Sandra has spent the last couple years of her life toiling away at a Masters in Public Health at that school-down-the-road in Chapel Hill, NC.  This last October, the rest of the family invited ourselves down to attend her thesis defense (with a side trip to the NC State Fair for giant turkey legs and demolition derby).  Evidently, among Sandra’s peers there’s a tradition where photographs of jumping grad students are taken after successful thesis defenses.  As you can plainly see, Sandra’s defense was also successful.  This is where a 6.3 fps burst mode comes in handy.

Not to be outdone, the family got in on the act, too:

Congratulations, Sandra.  We’re all terribly proud of you.

I spent the better part of this Tuesday hanging out in the Roxbury Municipal Court, performing my civil duty as a potential juror.  This was my third time called to jury duty, and my second time in this particular court.  After freezing half to death outside while waiting for the clock to hit 8:30, I was led upstairs to the exact same waiting room from three years prior.  Not only was I in the same waiting room, but I was sitting with a very similar group of people, making the exact same observations.  I was surprised again at how people show up to jury duty in jeans and sneakers, especially since the instructions tell you to dress appropriately.  I was surprised again at how many people on trial also fail to clean themselves up even a little bit for the courtroom.  Come on, folks – it can only help.  I was amused by the guys who fell asleep sitting up in their chairs, breaking the near-complete silence with their snoring.  While watching the introductory video, I noticed that the chief justice of the Massachusetts SJC was changing her R’s to W’s, and I suddenly recalled catching that exact same alteration of speech three years ago.  It’s funny how much you can remember about a given day when given enough queues.  I even remembered what book I was reading (Freakonomics) last time.

Call me a weirdo, but I kind of like jury duty, or at least the idea of it.  I think it’s a bit of a shame that people aren’t more excited about performing this particualr part of their civic duty.  (One of the courthouse officers even called it “jury service” as opposed to “jury duty.”)  I have yet to be impaneled, but I think it would be a very interesting experience.  Analyzing testimony, watching the lawyers spar, developing a story in one’s head, applying the law, deliberating with the other jurors, handing down a verdict – sounds exciting to me!  I know it’s an inconvenience sitting on a jury most of the time for most people, but participating actively in one of the most crucial cornerstones of the American judicial system – as a regular layperson, to boot – has got to be one of the most important, engaging, meaningful things you can do with your day.

Carisa’s family has a yearly tradition where they get together to bake Christmas cookies, which are then handed out to family members come the Christmas get-together at the grandparents’ place.  This weekend has been designated cookie-baking weekend, and I’m along for the ride, watching but not daring to participate in the well-oiled machine that is this cooking baking operation.

There are pre-assigned tasks that have been practiced and refined over many many years of baking.  Linda makes and rolls out the dough.  Lana cuts out the shapes and places them on baking sheets.  Carisa decorates.  Linda bakes the cookies.  Then the whole process repeats until we have stacks upon stacks of cookies ready to go into Christmas tins.

As for me, I provide emotional support to the cookie makers, as well as convenient disposal of cookies accidentally broken on the assembly line.  I often wish that the bakers weren’t as careful as they are.  I also appreciate having the downtime to get caught up on random odds and ends, do some pleasure reading, and maybe even blog a little.  (Yes, it has been a while.  A long while.  I didn’t forget you.)