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Chancellor Palpatine: “Must I remind the Senator from Malastare that negotiations are continuing with the separatists. Peace is our objective here… not war.”
Padme Amidala: “My noble colleagues, I concur with the Supreme Chancellor. At all costs, we do not want war!”
Chancellor Palpatine: “It is with great surprise and joy the chair recognises the Senator from Naboo, Padme Amidala.”
Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
Dad Windu and I just spent a long weekend in our old hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, celebrating his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary with his brother and sisters and all their families. Despite all our differences religiously and politically (many of them are conservative in every way while we are right by leaning strongly left  ), we had a wonderful time seeing everyone, visiting all the ArtPrize 2012 exhibits, drinking far too much, eating even more, and possibly partaking in other vices.
They rented out hotel rooms for us all in the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, right in the middle of it all the ArtPrize festivities. We drove/flew in from all over – Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, and Vienna, Austria – and like a great amoeba we rolled together and apart and together and apart during the days, but we spent the evenings together (see the above paragraph). Our packages included massages, free drinks, sumptuous meals, valet parking, private dining areas, etc. And it was good. Very good. Too good.
I love living in Des Moines, but there is something about a West Michigan autumn. The days are cool but not cold, the nights encourage the use of comforters and quilts, the sky is cloudless and brilliant blue while the tree – oh, the trees! – are a ridiculously perfect blend of colors. If you haven’t ever been to Michigan in the fall, you simply must carve out a week in mid- to late-September. I will apologize in advance for the state if the roads, however. They are uniformly deplorable.
EV-9D9: “How many languages do you speak?”
C-3PO: “I am fluent in over six million forms of communication, and can readily…”
EV-9D9: “Splendid! We have been without an interpreter since our master got angry with our last protocol droid and disintegrated him.”
C-3PO: “Disintegrated?”
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi
Well, let’s be honest. I speak one language, English, and a smattering of Dutch. I can get around a menu, buy some groceries, read a short kids’ book, and be polite, but really speak Dutch… Nah, not so much. I’ve been at this in fits and starts for (shamefully) decades now and have pulled out all the excuses you can imagine: too little time, raising a family, working, no one nearby to speak with anymore, we’ve (not so recently) moved, the damn cat puked on the carpet again, there’s something good on Netflix, I started that new engineering-related website, the usual.
I have, however, recently acquired a commitment from Red Leader in a game of chance to move to Belgium for 3 months (the maximum stay allowed) after Padawan Learner and Wedge Antilles graduate from high school and are off on their own, making their way in the world. Gosh darn it, we’ve earned ourselves a little R&R – a little learning-for-me time – a chance to work towards something lovely and interesting and important for reasons that have nothing to do with college applications, ACT/SAT scores, core competencies, getting child X to activity Y in under Z minutes, or anything so wholly unrelated to us (to mis-quote the brilliant Elizabeth Bennet).
Since Belgium has two national languages (French – her target language) and Flemish (a dialect of Dutch – mine), sits between France and the Netherlands, and is an easy train trip into either language region, it will be ideal for our purposes. She will be able to rely on me in the Dutch-speaking regions and I on her in the French-speaking areas. While we will, of course, visit all the main tourist spots (hello again, Paris and Amsterdam) where English could be spoken if we wanted to – BUT WE WILL NOT WANT TO – learning our target languages well will allow us to visit and enjoy the non-touristy spots that are so often bypassed due to the language barrier.
Because of this travel plan and language-learning need, I am going to be using some of this space for a bit of recording keeping and public accountability. Please feel free to give me grief is I don’t update my progress regularly. I apologize in advance if you just don’t give a hoot about this goal, because you’re going to hear a lot about it.
Supreme Chancellor: “Remember back to your early teachings. ‘All who gain power are afraid to lose it.’ Even the Jedi.”
Anakin Skywalker: “The Jedi use their power for good.”
Supreme Chancellor: “Good is a point of view, Anakin.”
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
OK, the Supreme Chancellor is a bit twisted in his interpretation of things, to be sure, but still here are a few good things I’m thankful for today:
- The weather lately has been so pleasant for walking to work in, for sitting on the patio, for roaming the neighborhood
- The school year is coming to an end again for Padawan Learner. The more he attends, the more I enjoy his breaks from the daily go-go-go of early up, early out, perpetually sleep-deprived teenager
- Padawan Learner’s land-speeder is continuing to hold it together. We just need it to get to June…
- Our tickets to visit Canada are purchased, 2 of our 3 passport renewals have been completed (last one went in today), and the time is sure to come faster than we can even expect
- We have a quickie trip back to Michigan planned in the near future. It will be wonderful to see some old friends and family again.
- We’re all healthy. This really should be first. I’m coming to realize more and more that good health is paramount.
- Dad Windu is still one of my favorite people..
- Padawan Learner is more interesting than exasperating these days. They really do grow up given enough time (and with a lot of tongue biting on everyone’s part)
- Shmi Skywalker, aka my mom, tells me that she’s making two trips out this summer, one with my brother, Plo Koon, and another with my sister, Kit Fisto. Neither have been here before.
- DW’s sister (Padme Amidala) and her son (also known as PW’s nemesis during their early years, Sebulba) are also planning a visit.
- My Fox Barrel Pacific Pear cider is utterly delicious and doesn’t give me a tummy ache.
- Padawan Learner received two awards from a couple of his classes for exceptional progress and going above and beyond in the class.
- DW and I were able to roam about a construction site nearby. That’s always a good time, and I always learn something new. This one showed several layers of historic road that was quite interesting – old tram lines still in place, filled over and covered by a brick road, covered by multiple layers of asphalt.
- Both of the cats finally seem to understand that going out on the patio means staying WITHIN the patio border and not over onto the rubber decking. This makes their excursions outside with us much more relaxing.
- I’ve finished two interesting books this week – always a highlight for me.
- Qui-Gon Jinn sent a Facebook message to say she’s heading out our way for a graduation party, so we might be able to grab a bit of time together that weekend.
- And much, much more. I could probably make an equally long list of complaints, but I choose not to focus on those so I will not.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: ”Our presence here will be invisible, M’Lady. I can assure you.”
Captain Typho: ”I’m Captain Typho of her majesty’s security service. Queen Jamilla has been informed of your assignment. I am very grateful you are here, Master Kenobi. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit.”
Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
Dad Windu and I, as not to be left behind all alone, headed off to Tucson, AZ to visit his parents who were over-wintering there and get in a bit more Old West history under our tourquoise-encrusted, over-sized, yeah-these-aren’t-to-touristy-right? silver belt buckles. Despite it being COLD there much of the time, we had a lovely time dodging tourists in Tombstone – the historical museum is quite good, by the way, even if the town itself is a collossal waste of time. The drive from Tucson to Tombstone is quite pretty, with lots of long and winding roads through both desert and high mountain passes. Our little rental speeder with approximately 2.9 gungan-power didn’t enjoy the drive much, but we sure did.
We took a roundabout way back and stayed over in Sierra Vista so that we could visit the Military History Museums located within the Fort Huachuca Army Base - only to realize that our rental car company messed up our paperwork so we couldn’t enter the base. In fact, we were technically driving illegally as the rental agent put down the wrong experation date – for the day before we were there! And let me tell you, Fort Huachuca is the ONLY reason to be in Sierra Vista that I could find. It’s one giant ode to Big Box stores and almost every possible National chain. After a bit of hunting and pecking, we did find a delicious, local Mexican restaurant – La Casita – and cute little coffee shop – Gelato Java Stop – where the owner messed up my order a little bit but was so nice and friendly that I didn’t even tell her.
Meeting the receptionist at the The Sierra Vista Convention and Visitors Bureau, however, was worth the lackluster overnight stay, she told us about a few local ghost towns (including which ones required a 4×4 to reach), great restaurants which sadly we didn’t follow up on because we were sooo full from our late lunch at La Casita that we didn’t even want any dinner that night, and even more about the museums at Fort Huachuca. You know, so that we really, really wanted to see them the next day… only to find out that we couldn’t. Grrrr.
On our way back to AZ, we backtracked a bit and stopped to see the ghost town of Fairbank, the closest railstation to Tombstone and several other local mining towns on its way to Tucson and points further west. This really got DW pumped, as it was certainly a place that his Old West “friends” – Virgil and Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, and Major Clum to name a few – would have passed through on their travels. There are only a few buildings left, but we roamed around the area for several hours visiting the very untouristy burial grounds atop a high hill with a spectacular, clear view of the surrounding shrub-lands,
the town remnants – please note the sign propped up against one of the buildings – love the quotes around DANGER by the way,
the crumbling rail depot next to the converted rails-to-trails recreational path, and the San Pedro River which was, of course, key to the survival and location of the town.
Anakin Skywalker: “I’d much rather dream of Padme. Just being around her again is… intoxicating.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi: ”Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin, they betray you.”
Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
So this update that is long too over-due.
Padawan Learner had a fabulous time on Cataline Island despite – I am told – wanting to kill off many of the people in his group on a regular basis. What can I say, he’s not much of a group tour kind of guy. Apparently not shutting your trap even occassionally is a guaranteed excellent way to get on his Dark Side. I don’t know where he gets that from. The island itself was fairly amazing I’m told with dark, dark skies perfect for star-gazing, crystal-clear lagoons for snorkeling, and complete hillsides just begging for some invasive species removal. He was such a monster at this task that he earned a special badge for his efforts. And to think he used to argue with me about pulling weeds back in our Michigan flower beds.
 View from camp. Rough, huh?  An invasive species' worst nightmare
 The ropes course The class was also privy to a behind the scenes Physics of Roller Coasters program at DisneyLand the day before their return home. I am told it was fascinating and also that it also reinforced his previous memory of NOT being a fan of roller coasters in general.
 A fun end to a great week
Jar Jar Binks: “Mesa busten wit happiness seein Yousa again, Annie..”
Anakin Skywalker: “She hardly even recognised me, Jar Jar. I’ve thought about her every day since we parted… She’s forgotten me completely
Jar Jar Binks: “Shesa happy. Happier den mesa see-en her in longo time.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi: “You’re focusing on the negative, Anakin. Be mindful of your thoughts. She was pleased to see us. Now let’s check the security.”
Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
We arrived to 53 very cool degrees, but it was almost midnight so no big deal, right?
Pfft. Next day we sight-saw in rain clouds and 45 degree weather, made an evening grocery run at 37 F, and woke up today to sun (thankfully!) and a frigid 32F.
I plan on lodging a complaint with the Southern Arizona Tourist Board for Breech of Contract.
Tucson = warm and sunny
Han Solo: Hey, Your Worship, I’m only trying to help.
Princess Leia: Would you please stop calling me that?
Han Solo: Sure, Leia.
Princess Leia: You make it so difficult sometimes.
Han Solo: I do, I really do. You could be a little nicer, though. Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I’m all right.
Princess Leia: Occasionally, maybe… when you aren’t acting like a scoundrel.
Han Solo: Scoundrel? Scoundrel? I like the sound of that.
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
My scoundrel is in his 4th hour of interviews, as I type. I – obviously – have the better end of the deal here.
- Vanilla latte. Check.
- Squishy chair. Check.
- Chocolate croissant. Check.
- Scrolling around the internet. Check.
- Free lunch with Dad Windu and corporate representative. Check.
- Not having to answer hard, uncomfortable, or annoying questions that will dictate my future bread-buying power. Double check.
Yesterday after the plane landed, we covered all the basics – rental car, hotel, and office building reconnoiter. After stalking finding the company’s location, we checked into a nearby apartment building – extremely cool and 3 times as expensive as my current mortage payment – and then got a very late lunch. May I just take a moment and tell you how much I love, love, love a plate of Pesto Chicken Pasta done well? Holy distended stomach, Bat Man, that stuff was divine!
Oops, running out of battery. Time to go retrieve the charging cord.
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