Journey to Peru 2012

I just got back from a week in Peru. I'm not going to post a long travel account....not here anyway. I just have to say that this was one of the most enjoyable trips I've taken. The people of Peru are happy to share their country with visitors and the entire experience was extremely positive. Much of the trip is, of course, focused on the Inca Empire and what they were able to accomplish and their downfall under the invading Spaniards. We were on "the beaten path" to Machu Picchu...it was more like a pilgrimage than a vacation but since there was just two of us we had ample opportunities to observe and reflect on the country, people and whole experience.

 I have to say that the trip was more than a change of scene or a chance to see one of the wonders of the world. It was also a mental trip -- an attempt to see into the consciousness of the Incas. They left no written records and the Spanish tried to destroy as much of the tangible elements of the empire as possible, but there is still a lot of Inca left in Peru. We went with our own "baggage" made up of preconceived notions, experiences and attitudes and found things to be very different. We came home with an expanded view of human consciousness, abilities and existence. 

 Our own idea of human existence was constrained and defined by our own experiences and Peru and the Incas cause us to call these perceptions into question. They looked at problems differently and found solutions that we probably would not have considered. Where we look at the stars we see mythological or animal constellations tied to the stars, they concentrated on the blank spaces -- the voids -- where there were no stars and created their own culture's constellations from the voids. They were a very symbolic people and were tied to images and symbolism. The original city of Cusco was laid out in the shape of a Puma...not that you would know it from the street level but it would have been more apparent only from above or in the mind's eye of the engineers and planners who laid it out. The Incas had a notion that everything had a spirit or a life force, including the mountains, and at Machu Picchu they used the contours of the mountain to shape the city. They didn't destroy the underlying mountain, like we would, but built on top of it or incorporated it into their plan. There is a rock outcrop at Machu Picchu that they could see clearly as the outstretched wings of a condor and they elaborated on that particular site and created a more apparent image and then used it as a specialized funerary site where VIPs were laid to rest after their death. To us it would look like a couple of chunks of bedrock that were in the way but to them the condor was one of their symbols for heaven. 

 I'm still pondering some of this and recommend the trip to people who haven't been there.  It was not just a trip to a different geographic area...we found it to be a journey that expanded our way of thinking in some ways.

There goes one of my favorites - tooth, that is

A sad day as I bid farewell to one of my favorite teeth. It has been with me a long time... almost 60 years...but today we parted ways. Apparently, back around Christmas time, I chomped down on something and broke off part of the root. That means that it couldn't be repaired and then, eventually, a toothache set in and the visit to my Dentist told the tale.

Dentistry is an odd thing. My Dentist can't - or won't - pull teeth so I have to go to the special dentist office where that's what they do all day. The tooth didn't want to go so it turned into a big deal and I am waiting for the onslaught of excruciating pain. A tiny part of the root was so twisted and embedded that it was left behind and will eventually become part of the bone...so they say.  I don't like the sound of that but they would have had to blast or do something radical to get it out.

This is yet another nasty experience in my adventures in dentistry. Mayne writing about it will serve as therapy.

Goodbye 2011 -- Uh-oh, here comes 2012

We have had worse years than 2011. Everyone seems to be really glad it is over, but, although it wasn't great, it was OK.  Cardinals won the World Series. Two evil guys - Osama and  Muammar - went off to their great reward. We got our troops out of Iraq. There were a few good things that happened.
There were a few really bad things, too. Earthquakes, tornados, floods...we had a record number of official disasters. The government seems to be dysfunctional at the top levels while the lower levels stagger on as usual.

Our family fared pretty well...in balance. Jill totalled her car but got a new one. She had to say goodbye to her cat, Iris, but got a new one...Beatrix. She also finished her Masters and got a "real" job.

2011 was the year I decided to say "Yes" instead of "No". That's a little hard to explain except to say that I made a conscious effort to look at things more positively and be willing to try new things. As a result I have about a dozen new friends and have some weekly activities that get me out of the house. I hope to keep that same attitude in 2012.

The new year has started out with mixed reviews and this is just the first week of January. Our warm weather seems to have fled. Monday's bocce was very cold and windy...but we won all three games. My effort to join the HealthPlex finally worked out and my health assessment went pretty good. On the down side (really down) I got a traffic ticket  for bumping into another car at an intersection...probably going to be expensive in several ways...but I was at fault. We have our trip to Peru to look forward to and leave in just over a week.

I hope that 2012 is better than 2011 -- this is an election year so things will be very crazy. We may look back at 2011 and think that it wasn't so bad after all.

-- Late update (Jan. 4th) Had to visit the dentist because my tooth started giving my trouble a few days ago. I broke off a root and now I ned to have the tooth pulled. This is 1 week before the Peru trip.  Might have to wait.

Congratulations Graduate!!

The end is near.
The end has come.
Graduation Day - December 17, 2011. It's been a long trip...two schools, two states, lots of experiences and lots of friends.

 
Where is everybody?





Okay...I'm ready. What's the hold up?

Where's Dad?






Here they come





Endless introductions





Doctoral folks.....Ca-ching, Ca-ching...Lot's of student loans...





 Jibber-Jabber....
Oh....That was the Commencement Address?





Finally....
 Oops - gotta stop for the photograph

"Jillian Rose Hartke" 

Yep -- it's a blur. Walking across the stage....
smiling faces....
handshake....DONE!

Master of Arts 

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