Random Ramblings

• I've gotten quite a few new visitors to the blog (WELCOME!!!)... all coming over for a visit from Snug Harbor Bay because my friend Kim wrote a lovely post about me yesterday!!! Fabulous surprise! (I thought you were just going to show off the hat and scarf Kim!) One of the things I like best about blogging is all the fabulous people I've been able to "meet" through our respective blog posts and comments. It's opened the world up for me and allowed me to make new friends in a fun way! I liken it to having pen pals back in the day (I tried once or twice, never stuck), except 100 times better! I hope some day to get to meet some of my "virtual" friends in the "real" world soon (Kim -> Spain + Italy for when???), but in the meantime it's wonderful hanging out with you guys online! :o)

• For the past 36h the news has been all abuzz about the Pope's "retirement" (15' section in the news today at lunch!!!). I don't have an opinion either way, but I do seem to remember about 10 years ago people asking why Pope John Paul II didn't retire and hearing it said that popes couldn't retire! Guess they got it wrong... just 'cause no one's done it in 800 years doesn't mean it can't be done! Still, it's weird to think of a Pope retiring! But he sure looks feeble in the news images... can't be an easy "job".

• Speaking of random news items, it turns out the Brits like to bury their Kings in car parks! lol! That was all over the news last week, did you guys hear about it? Talk about an archaeological treasure hunt... and find! Richard III remains "Crookback Dick" in my mind, not thanks to Shakespeare, but because of Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Black Arrow"! That was my first intro to the King (and the War of the Roses). Fascinating (and bloody!) period of British history... Now I'm wondering: what kind of State Funeral will the British Crown give its newly found monarch? An Anglican service doesn't seem right considering he was Catholic... but I have trouble imagining the head of the Church of England presiding over a Catholic funeral service... Anyhow there's a really interesting post about the dig itself over on The History Girls, very good read!

• I've tallied up quite a few movies these past couple of weeks (damn Oscar season!), have to prep a post on them... I'm only missing Amour to wrap up the Oscar nominees for Best Picture, will try to catch that this weekend. But I'm wondering whether or not to give The Master and Flight a go to get a look at their Oscar-nominated performances... neither movie really caught my attention, but I like to see as many of the major contenders as possible before the big night... Speaking of the Oscars, how ridiculous is it that Ben Affleck wasn't even nominated for Best Director considering he's winning just about every other "best director" award out there this season? He just got the BAFTA on Sunday! (bravo!)

• *sigh* I was really hoping I'd be able to make a grand announcement about spending 6 months this summer working in Iceland... but I didn't get the job. Major bummer! Sticking with the English classes for a while longer (and every week hoping none of my students cancels on me). When is this stupid global crisis going to end and there be more opportunities for people with a biology/environmental background? Anybody know of a decent environmental education or conservation position out there? I love my students but I'm tired of teaching English!

Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology!

Cue John Williams soundtrack for the Indiana Jones movies (you know, ta-ta-taaaaaa ta-ta-taaaaa ta-ta-taaaaaaaa ta-ta-ta-taa...)

From Finestrat to the coast: sun, water, almonds and Romans!

So two weeks ago I mentioned I was desperately trying to decide which group to go hiking with... it was a tough call 'cause both my usual groups were going to spots I'd already been recently, and both had their pros and cons (snow? almond trees?). In the end the choice turned out to be simple, because the Trenet Senderista changed their destination! The weather forecast for that weekend implied some intense cold in the interior of the province (crazy Siberia weather front!), so the guide chose to stick close to the coast... as in right alongside it! (well, for part of the hike at least). So, repeat a hike or try out a new spot (even if a much less challenging one)? No brainer, I'll go with the new one! There's so much to see in this province, it's too soon to start repeating hikes! :p

After being picked up in several spots around Alicante, San Juan, Campello, Benidorm (advantages of having a bus available!), the bus dropped us off near the main road heading into Finestrat, a small town at the base of the Puig Campana (the alternate hike I had been contemplating was a repeat -albeit shorter route- of the climb I did up that peak in December).

We hiked around there for about an hour, definitely not following any regularly marked paths as far I could tell... our guide lives in Finestrat so he knows the random criss-crossing paths around here like the back of his hand! I thought I might be forgoing the pleasure of almond trees this close to the coast, when lo and behold, yay!

Project 365 - 50

reflections of Ancient Greece (Parthenon carvings)

Project 365 - 49

living a childhood dream at the Acropolis