...and the rains came

It is now the beginning of the rainy season, and the days are becoming very, very wet. This is causing problems for the local tennis court. The river, usually well contained between tiled banks, has overflowed, spilling across this part of the neighborhood, making the court more like a red and green rice padi.

The rainy season.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

So, so good off the page the first time, but also exceedingly enjoyable from the iPod the second time around.

"How do you spend your time?"

Retirement is actually pretty cool, worth working and saving for 38 years. It is amazing how I find myself so busy, but now busy doing things I really enjoy doing.

1. Studying American Sign Language
2. Reading books like Train Go Sorry, The 19th Wife, and now I am listening to one on my iPod, Pillars of the Earth.
3. Tennis lessons.
4. Running every day.
5. Listening to very, very cool Podcasts.
6. Reading the newspaper from front to back.

Actually during the day I haven't taken a nap or turned on the television once. Again, I'm too busy. Once Bindu comes home, though, we've taken to watching some pretty high quality video programming. Last night we finished "The Pacific", and it was a very sobering experience. When it was over, we just sat quietly, totally overwhelmed by what we'd seen. I feel so very lucky to have avoided that experience myself, but also so, so thankful my sons were not part of either the war in Iraq or in Afghanistan. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Train Go Sorry

After having deaf student TZ in class, I've become very interested in continuing my education in ASL and the lives of deaf people. In the last few months I've acquired quite a collection of books on the culture and lessons to improve my ability to understand signing and sign myself.

Train Go Sorry by Leah Cohen has given me so much insight into the deaf scene, particularly in New York City. There is so much to comprehend, but one concept that continually comes to the front is community. The deaf are relatively few in number, so when they can find each other, particularly in a school setting, good things usually happen.

Everything Ms. Cohen has said leads me to believe the time I'm spending to access this community is time well spent. I will be richer for my efforts.

I wish I could meet Ms. Cohen.

How About These Blossoms!

Hiking South Jakarta very much will eventually bring you past some very lovely flower stalls. After as much time as I've been here, I'm ashamedly blase about the colorful exhibition of blossoms. :-(

The branch of blossoms on the right caught my eye, though, and I'm sure I haven't seen anything like this. Each blossom is enclosed and hard, slightly smaller than a cherry. Also each is composed of about a dozen parts all fitting together with a pattern that reminds me of a soccer ball stitched together pentagons.

Pretty cool, and impossible to see from a car window.

How About It?

Somebody thought this was a really good idea.

Taking Parking Seriously

Traffic congestion in Jakarta is a very serious issue. Often movement on large thoroughfares ceases and it makes one consider stepping out and walking.

With so many cars and motorbikes competing for space, what's to do with your vehicle when it's not in use? Different approaches create varying scenarios in ones mind.

To the left is one example that may engender one set of circumstances. If you park here, a large, leather clad, middle aged man is going to come out and take you to task. If verbal persuasion doesn't work, a pummeling may take place.

The no parking sign on the right intimates a much harsher response. To actually occupy a parking space reserved by a global security network would really be endangering your safety. Police? Army commandos? Conventional airborne weapons? Even a nuclear strike on your car?

People are very serious about their parking spaces in Jakarta.