I'm off

I leave for Houston momentarily. I've changed the flag underneath 'My Location' to match the country I will be in for the next few days. Going forward, I'm going to use that feature as a quick reference for any of you who might wonder where I am at the moment.

Pub Trivia! ... Houston?

As I have done for many recent Thursday nights, tonight I played pub trivia at Grace O'Malley's with some neighborhood friends. We won, meaning that I ate and drank for free tonight! But, I have to admit, although my father is a letter carrier, I missed a question about ZIP codes. I'm sorry Dad, I could not recall that ZIP was an acronym for Zoning Improvement Plan! I remembered the 'zoning', but the "I" really stumped me. I promise to get it right next time!

Houston
This weekend I will visit the United States' fourth most populous city. Ceebs, Mark, Tracy and I will be watching the Cubs play the Astros on Saturday. On Friday night we'll have a Pink Shirt Night, we're not yet sure what to do with the rest of our time.

I just finished printing off descriptions of some restaurants, bars and lounges from the Houston Chronicle's website. We have to be particularly careful about where we host Pink Shirt Night; I'm concerned that the spirit of Pink Shirt Night will be lost on the Texans. But, after all, one of the goals of Pink Shirt Night is to dispel stereotypes, so maybe we'll open our minds to an appreciation of the Lone Star State.

Below is a picture of one of the heroes of Texas battle for independence from Mexico. I bet Sam Houston would have looked good in a pink shirt, what do "y'all" think?

Sam Houston, hero of Texas' independence 

Not much is new

I stopped at the VO5 Conditioning Center after work today for the first time in 2+ months! I was encouraged by the workout; it seems that I haven't lost too much strength.

Tomorrow is the last day of work for the week! I'll be busy finalizing reports with my boss and trying to catch up around the office before I leave for Houston.

I am continuing my reputation as someone who is always on vacation. Recently, a co-worker asked if I was ever going to work a full week again! Of course, this is a bit of an exaggeration, but in every joke there is a hint of truth. The fact is that I earn and use as many days as anyone else (in my department), it's just that I always travel on my days off, whereas my co-workers take more days around the winter holidays, while work is light.

As long as I get the job done, I shall continue this vacationing streak! Now, I should get to bed so that I can have a productive tomorrow.

Stepping out!

Most of you just found out about my blog today. I began meekly, wanting to perfect the layout and content before announcing my blog to the world. Then it hit me, this blog is not about perfection, neither is it about impressing the world. No, it's simply a forum for me to speak about my life.
Herein I comment on the facts and details of my daily grind, and I also take time to reflect on what it all might mean. And the act of sharing these musings with the rest of you enriches my life as much as it hopefully enriches yours.

Full moons and other free delights
So, the recent highlight of my life occurred on Sunday night when I walked to the east side of the Adler Planetarium to witness the full moon rise. I was fortunate to share this sight with three thoughtful and intelligent people: my cousin, and two charming girls from the neighborhood (Natalie and Marlena).

Isn't God's creation amazing? Each time I see the moonrise or the sunset, or each time I sit next to an ocean or near a mountain, I can't help but think how great it is that these, the most amazing of pleasures, are free to us all. I hope each of you has found the time to notice the moonrise and the many other gifts from above ... Ciao!

In between the weeks

As usual, my two weeks between trips have been quite full. During the cab ride back to the Palacio on Friday night, I called my friend Olga. Her parents were in town, and they and 3 other friends were out at the Signature Room. I met them there from 9:00 PM until 1:00 or so.

Among many topics, we discussed the number of continents in the world. It was interesting how convinced I was that there are seven, and how convinced the six latin americans sitting with me were that there are five. After all, the seven continents are just human ways to divide the world, based somewhat on geological facts.

It's the division that we could not agree on. Was there one America? Or, as I was taught, two. If there is a North America and a South America, then what about Central America? (I was discussing this with 2 Panamanians, 2 Costa Ricans, 1 Guatemalan, and a Columbian). What about the definition of an American? Was I the only American at this table, or is an American anyone born between Tierra del Fuego and Nunavut?

Obviously, the answers depend largely on perspective and worldview. I was grateful to see the world from a more Southern location, if only for a night.

On a Jet Plane

Wow! This might be the worst turbulence I have yet experienced! My stomach dipped a few times almost as though I were on a roller coaster! It is truly amazing when I think about how high in the air I am right now and how fast this plane is going! I really should feel more vulnerable than I do.
Well, now the flight seems to have returned back to normal, and I sit and enjoy the process of blogging from the air...

In the air
I have spent a lot of time up here in the last two years and nine months. If I stay with this job until 10-June, then I will have completed three years as a travelling auditor. Through work, I have been able to visit 18 countries, and I've flown over 250,000 miles! Imagine that! And the question remains: is this what I was meant to do? Is this the best I can do with my life right now?

My short answer is yes. The reason is that I absolutely love to travel. While I am an auditor and I have a somewhat conservative personality, I have always had a bit of wanderlust, and I've always felt as an outsider in this world. So, when I spend half my time living in hotels around the world, I satisfy my wanderlust and fulfill myself by feeling like an outsider in another culture, and when I return to the Palacio for the other half of my time, I satisfy my desire to be near my family and friends and to develop my roots. I could just quit work and wander the world as my roommate just did, but my conservative nature prefers the stability of traveling while reasonably compensated and still progressing my career.

So, yes, I think I shall continue with this employment!

First entry from abroad

Hope this works well enough, I am emailing this entry to my blog.

I'm currently in Mexico City, and I was up a little late last night trying to catch up on work so that I can enjoy my evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. Mexico City has earned a place in my heart, despite the pollution and traffic. Last Thursday evening I went to a neighborhood (Colonia) called La Condesa. I ended up at a Spanish/Portuguese restaurant where I met 3 Mexican fellows with whom I went to a Cuban son/salsa club called Mama Rumba.

I love to meet random people and find out that we have so much in common. The three of them were in their 30s, and from Mexico, but we spent the night talking about cuban music, brasilian music, travelling, politics, and, of course, women. I even learned a few spanish futbol terms as they related to metaphors for chasing women.

That's my snapshot of the last several days. Ciao!

The death of two men, PSN Roma & the Illini

The last 10 days have been eventful. From 27 March until 4 April I was in Rome. On 28 March, my cousin, David, passed from this earth. On 2 April, Karol Wojtyla (a.k.a. Pope Giovanni Pablo II) also moved on from the physical realm. On a much lighter side, Pink Shirt Night Roma became reality on 1 April, and the Fighting Illini made the finals for the first time on 2 April, but lost in the finals on 4 April.

Death
At dinner on Saturday, 2 April, our restauranteur informed Chris, Devlin, Mark and myself of the Pope's death. We finished dinner and went immediately to the Vatican City. As we joined the swarm of people heading into Piazza San Pietro, I was a little surprised as my eyes began to moisten and sadness whelmed my soul. What connection do I have to this Pope?

I found myself thinking of my cousin David, and his 19 years, and how that compared to the Pope's 84 years. I was struck by the fact of Karol Wojtyla's humanity, and how he was able to live so long, and so fully, and so admirably. In that moment at St. Peter's, he was fondly revered and remembered and, certainly, he will be missed.

I held my hand over my heart, as I tried to understand the Bishop's Italian words at the midnight ceremony. Those words I could understand were exhorting us to pray, and to thank God for Pope Giovanni Pablo II's example, and to ask for God's will to be done. This was a great message, I was immensely moved. And I was deeply touched to join with my fellow humans: mostly Italians, but many Poles, Latinos, Spaniards, and even a few Americans and others. We were congregating to remember a great man. In this moment, it was easy to forget my general disagreement with the doctrines surrounding the papacy. For we were gathered to honour a great human being, Karol Wojtyla.

All this time I could not help but think of my own recently fallen cousin. David's wake was on 1 April, and his funeral was on 2 April. A few hours after his funeral in Chicago, I heard the news of the Pope's death in Roma. As I stood in San Pietro's to honour Karol Wojtyla, I really wished I could have been at the events commemorating David's life. Nevertheless, as I reflected on the common humanity that I share with both Karol and David, my heart and mind swirled with thoughts and emotions. I thought of how small even a great man like Karol's influence will be on the course of history and the world, and I thought of how large David's influence will be on the lives of those who loved him. I marveled at the way Karol lived his life. I cherished my memories of David's life. I wondered why God gave Karol 84 years, while He gave only 19 to David? I wondered what David might have done with 84 years? I wondered how each of them were enjoying eternity?

Yes, for these and many reasons, I held my hand over my heart, held my head high and listened as the Bishop comforted us in Italian. This was an historical moment, and one I shall never forget.

PSN - Roma
It's only fair to also share some of the lighter moments of my recent life. Pink Shirt Night Roma began at a mysterious pizzeria/bar named Robin Hood, and it ended at a trendy lounge called Fluid. After Robin Hood, we grabbed beers and headed to the Forum, the Julius Caesar Statue, the Coloseum, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain before we entered Fluid. Along the way we found several places to purchase liters of beer and take pictures in our pink shirts.

Highlights of PSN Roma include the PSN Moderator introducing us to every group of American girls we saw by asking, "Are you American?" The best part was that several groups walked near us without realizing that we were American. I am quite proud to say that we appeared to be very Romano!!! Other than that, PSN Roma was brilliant, but I will refrain from writing more details on this blog.

Illini Game
Another fun night in Roma was our night at the Abbey Pub watching the Illini take care of Louisville. Naturally, we were surrounded by Americans, and a few Brits. The Illini prevailed with the help of the Orange tee shirts, head bands, and other Illini gear donned by Bevin, Chris, Devlin, Mark and myself. We were definitely the best-dressed fans in the bar!!!

Farewell
That wraps up my comments on the last 10 days. After all is said and done, I am glad to be back here in the friendly confines of the Palacio. And I am grateful for the time I was able to share with Chris, Devlin, and Mark in one of this world's great cities. And now I look forward to another couple days here in Chicago before I depart for Mexico on 10 April for two weeks.

Buona Noite!