En Busca del Tiempo Perdido

"Te internas en el recuerdo para descubrir qué es real y qué no lo es. Crees que un momento, en un instante, se esconde el misterio del universo" --- la idea de En Busca del Tiempo Perdido de Marcel Proust. Parece que tendré que leer ese libro. Salió como el clásico que soy, basado en un cuestionario barato de Facebook. Sin embargo, las dos ideas en la descripción me llegan. Creo que como buen latinomericano post realismo mágico, no puedo evitar mezclar realidad y ficción en mis recuerdos del pasado. Sí creo, como proponía Borges, que los eventos vividos proyectan una larga sombra sobre el resto de nuestra vida y nos marcan invariablemente. En nuestra ansiedad y desencanto, nos desesperamos por seleccionar qué recordar del pasado. Es mejor así, nos ayuda a soportar nuestra levedad.

Y tanto como quizás podamos encontrar nuestro aleph en un instante, de igual forma se nos esfuma la existencia - la efímera búsqueda de significado que nos entretiene para encontrar respiro en la bruma diaria, para sentir que vale la pena... "No trates de entender el mundo. Sólo vívelo" -me dijo mi madre en un sueño a pocos meses de su muerte siendo yo aún adolescente. Como un soplo, los años han pasado y aquí me encuentro más próximo a la edad que ella tenía cuando falleció. Creo que tomé su consejo... en parte. He tratado de 'vivir el mundo' y sigo haciéndolo. Pero no renuncié a querer entenderlo - aclaro que trato que el intento no me desvele sino más bien que me entretenga. Qué diría ella si me viera hoy? Cuántas cosas yo le diría?

Y en una auto-mirada retrospectiva, veo un caleidoscopio interesante y descifro los patrones de colores y comprendo mejor al niño y al adolescente. Hoy recuerdo, mientras camino las memorias de mañana. Será que me da cierta sensación de poder el creer que puedo decidir hacer este momento memorable? Aún puedo imprimir una marca en mi vida hoy o sentir la ilusión de hacerlo y así, en otras tantas décadas, habré de reflexionar y confesar si he vivido...

Mi tiempo de recreo se termina. En un rato, estaré en clase comentando The Kite Runner...

La Vie en Rose

Am I goal-oriented? Suddenly I wonder if I really am. I know what I want in life but I don't have it clear whether I am so focused. I get excited about challenges but well...

La Vie en Rose, what a great movie! Based on Edith Piaf's biography, the actress transmits the star's magnetic personality, a woman who suffered the loss of practically everyone she ever loved. Incredibly touching story, painful at times, beautifully narrated and an amazing performance by this woman! Any movie based on Piaf's life that will include her songs is already a pleasure to watch, or listen rather. But here the acting is just superb. I guess I need to find out more about both the movie and the actress. The guy at the video shop told me it won this year's Academy Award for best foreign movie, but my hunch is that the actress must have been nominated for best female performer. If she wasn't, she definitely should have been!

Well, I've just checked out the movie online and YES, Marion Cotillard DID get the Oscar for Best Actress, but the movie did not win as best foreign film :(

I watched the last few scenes over twice. What a great movie...

stray dog

He barks at the biker passing by,
then follows an apprehensive woman
loyalty misunderstood
she rushes away keeping an eye on him
then a mixed breed with some pit bull in him appears
and he scuffles until tail hidden between his hinder legs
he runs away from the mighty neighbor
scampering to the approaching tires of a pick-up truck
off he goes again in concentrated bark
then looks around and scurries to the curb
before the next car he leaves his mark
on the sour orange tree trunk by the bar
tirelessly, overexcited, in heated confusion
a tongue-out attempt to keep up

The man sips the last drop of his cortado
to no effect yet
his eyelids still weigh tons
and the looming headache forestalls
him of recovering the images of the day

Up above the circling buildings
the new moon looks now slightly smaller

I want some more

warm fall afternoon clear and quiet
the senses awakened
cuddling my yearning for more
invited love came and went
so fast yet so intense
little talk before and after
though the tenderness remains,
the touch unrestrained
the language of the skin
in every pore in every scent
it leaves me wanting more
of the gentleness, the caress
what's the point of this exchange
so fast yet so intense
yes, some giving but little left
the thirst allayed
and the warm breeze
through the door finds me still,
relaxed, alone with a light of hope
will there be more?

Cold (?) weather...

The cool breeze sneaks into every room in Tucuman, largely unprepared for cold weather... I walk around wrapped up in my jacket and can't avoid remembering NYC streets in winter, walking to school on Clinton, or back home on Atlantic Av. THAT was COLD, when only my eyes were uncovered, and I could hardly move in my goose-down jacket. Here it's close to pleasurable to walk around and know that the cold temperatures can't and won't get any worse, hardly ever below 7 or 6°C. ... Ufff, I cant connect the sentences, can't keep my eyes open any more...

Lobos, sports, and competition... hmmm

Corruption in our politicians, their feeling that they're beyond social classes, a league of their own not bound by the Law - their omnipotence reflected in their feeling that they can decide to benefit themselves, take advantage of their position to make tons of money and remain unaccountable 'for the sake of democracy' with total disregard for the people that put them where they are. That's what Los Lobos shows - the play with five actors from Tucuman who keep the audience feeling the plot is more current than ever and not necessarily from the 1940s. It was nice to see our local talent put to good use.

This morning through early afternoon, David Nalbandian's epic win in a heart-stopping five setter against Soderling from Sweden placed Argentina in the semis of the Davis Cup. Immediately after that, River Plate won their match against Tigre to keep the top position in our soccer league. All I need now is for Boca Jrs. to lose against the jujeños and I'll have a completely happy Sunday.

Chilly Sunday, sweaters worn for the first time this fall, a good time to be nested warmly, quietly... After Aida is a no go with the Seniors, should I go for Joseph with the Juniors? Can't believe I'm crazy enough to even consider it - but I am!

I've also found out that there will be fierce competition for the Regente position at Instituto Tecnico. At least 10 candidates are expected to sign up. God, I wonder whether I should stay on it... Will it be worth it?

relaxing freewrite

I've presented the technique of freewriting to my juniors and seniors in college. They'd never done it in English before! And some have probably never done in Spanish either! I could sense their attention to my comments and they all filled out about a full page in fifteen minutes. Now, we're doing 'looping' with that, or focused freewriting. Hopefully they'll all come up with a good piece that's worth sharing with classmates and publishing in the class blog. I wonder how successful the approach to writing I'm implementing this year is going to be. I'd love for it to become a breakthrough in their ability to write thoughtful essays, creative and critical pieces. We'll see...

Meanwhile, I've had a chance to breathe in deep and enjoy the cool afternoon air. It smells fresh and clean after last night's heavy storm. In my search for peace everyday, this moment in front of the laptop has become the highest point of the day. The screen becomes a window to explore, to play with words, to feel connected... After I do it, I seem to find my center, sense I strike a balance, even if it's a mirage of solace, the rest of the day feels different, like under some kind of spell... the wonders of giving myself the gift of meditating for a few minutes, of letting my fingers tap dance on the keyboard... My balcony garden is growing and filling the space nicely, lively... The recent showers have given the plants more strength and vigor... which I feel every time I step out and unwind...

After the first week of my (almost!) full load of work

Around 1989 when I was in grad school in New Paltz, Elisa Dávila, the Colombian SUNY professor and my good friend and mentor, told me I should be careful about how I approach my work - I was a strong candidate for a precocious case of burn-out. Almost twenty years have passed since, and for some reason, fortunately, I haven't experienced that dreadful syndrome. However, the way this year has started I'm seriously concerned it may if I don't do something about it. I see the books for each of the subjects I teach, the materials for Aida, the inviting laptop and know that there are so many interesting things to do in each... but, the week begins and I get caught in the eddy of schedules and obligations. As a result, the precious time for planning is never there... Of course, how can I possibly find the time if I have too much to do!?

That's when I feel like quitting. It's even more frustrating when the time and effort do not bring the desired results. I put in an awful lot of my time to work for Aida and now we're not even sure if we'll be able to do it. Apparently I misread the kids' level of commitment. Several of them are, but that is not enough. This has to be a CLASS project. Problems with attendance, two of the main roles rejected by the chosen actors for different reasons... Ah! I'd better not keep going with that, every word I type just increases my frustration. Maybe that and the negative energy I had to face from LM were too much for a beginning of the year.

I need to touch base, quit UNSTA once and for all, and then see if it's really worth going on at Lola Mora -- even when that would mean cutting a third of my income. At some point this past week I got a glimpse of what it would be like to have the evenings for myself -- or rather to do some of the fun stuff I can't get my hands on. And if I plan ahead well enough and get organized, I could even squeeze in some tennis and gym a couple of times a week. Oh god... this WAS likely to happen. My timing is slow in making decisions because I want to take steps that are carefully thought out first. I hope I'm doing it right... I have my first class at UNT this Tuesday, I'm 20% through the material I want to cover. Yes, I want to do too much in just an hour of class, but I know that I have to make that time count... I took JP's advice and did not quit Lola Mora before the first class. The problem is that I've begun and it's hard to pump students up to do work, get them involved and motivated and then tell them I'm leaving. I don't know if that will be the case yet but... it might! Anyway... I just need to get to the point I'm sure that my decision is right, and then move on... Getting past that point will hopefully ease my mind...

The path forks into two roads

The path forks into two roads in the twilight of the day – soon I’ll know which one to take. The journey promises either the joy of discovering new sights, or the warm welcome of familiar grass. Yet, now, in the agony of weighing if one is worth more, I learn the pain that comes from choosing which way I will not go. Now there is the angst of not knowing if, later on, I’ll look back and contentedly smile for the wisdom of the choice, or maybe I’ll wipe away a sad tear for the dusks and dawns I have forgone. Now there is the mourning for the landscapes I won’t see, for the company disappearing in the undergrowth, their warmth remaining among my dearest memories.

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The two roads go deep into the woods ahead. The spring has filled them both with tender bushes and light green leaves. I can only be grateful for the chance to choose. Like Bob’s old friend, I stand before the two roads, and try hard to look down as far as I can. But there is just so much I see. My friends wish for me the nicer, more secure path, where I can discover new landscapes as I go; the safer way to grant me exotic food, ipods, and satellite TV. But the other leads to green pastures that do not offer more than their raw beauty and an invitation or a warning to build myself a hut to find shelter from the rain. And I’ll be able to decorate it with souvenirs from distant lands. And they will remain there and only change their color as they age. There is an awful lot of work that needs to be done there. At the end of the day, I wonder if I’ll feel satisfied, comforted, or recognized. Yet, just doing my work, I’ll have fulfilled my mission; my talents, intact or multiplied, will have found good use in my home town. The path forks into two roads… I can’t wait to see the day…

Written in New York, April-May 2005 when I had to decide whether to stay in the US or come back home to Tucuman

Elaborate life

so easily the watch hands dictate direction
a shiny shackle round my wrist determines
when to run, where to row, how to rush into sleep and fall
I try the yoga tip in the car, a wild attempt to extend the traffic light
the metallic AC fresh air in my mouth, a raindrop in a dune
I wake up from the pc screen when my dog's paws on my lap tell me it's dinner time
I just look in front, where to place my next footstep
no time to look elsewhere and discover the new star light in the dark,
the different shade of silver around the waning crescent sliver of the moon

so much moving forward in the universe
how can I escape the inertia
drink easily from the fountain of the senses
forget the merciless hands,
find the tic can be so far away from the tac
insignificant my little struggles, travails and satisfactions
if I can't see I am connected, free to determine purpose
make sense of cause and consequence
come to terms with the here and now
gulp and lushly give warmth
and rebel successfully
indifferent to the ruthless metallic dictator

Drizzle, tennis, warmth and new beginnings...

I got a few minutes to sit down and watch a tennis game on tv. Cañas is not doing so well against Andreev - just lost the first set. I decided to leave them in the background and hit the keys for a while. Warmth and friendship may be just a phone call away. Or perhaps a few minutes that we take to stop and chat with a colleague or anyone else around can make us feel better. I had a rough weekend and yet I've absorbed so much positive energy in the last two days that I feel nicely replenished. Outside the drizzle has not stopped for three days now; indoors everywhere the pace has become frantic at times; and inside I've rebuilt my reservoir of good vibes. I'm ready and willing to face the coming challenges. If it becomes overburdening I'll just ease the load. It's alright, it's ok... just breathe in, relax, enjoy the ride... And if possible take a short nap in the middle of at least one week day! Wouldn't that be nice? I appreciate counting on friends I can go to when I'm down. Thanks to them, I'm up again... I wish Cañas could use their energy to get back in the match.

We're on...

This will be one of the first of probably several entries related to different aspects of our play. The intensity of the music and the heightened pathos of its tragedy make the story of Aida so memorable... I didn't have to go to school today but still did so, just to let the kids know that tomorrow the girls will be working with Jenny on choreography, and the dozen actors preselected at the auditions will be meeting with me. The energy pounds against my chest from within... Free-flowing feelings and love transcending death and the physical limitations of our little human life, time and place displaced, overcome - what else could a musical propose?

Young energy!

Little by little I start to complete my regular teaching load. And I also started the musical 'The Legend of Aida' with my HS seniors yesterday. The whole day fifty six seventeen-year-old boys and girls did their very best dancing, acting and singing. Their energy is inexhaustible. From 8:30am to 5pm was a rather long tiring day but definitely worth it and promising. I love to see them working hard to do something they've probably never done before. It's a huge project that has to be done completely by May 28 and 29, the dates for our four performances. The adrenaline rush will last two full months!

De nubes y nubarrones

Hoy he transitado por mi camino premarcado. La rutina guió mis pasos para llegar al final de la jornada. He enfrentado las obligaciones buenamente... Encontré la sonrisa de la gente y la buena energía de otras, sin embargo... después del contacto por dentro seguí sintiendo ese malestar, esa desazón... la certeza de nuestra capacidad para herir, de la capacidad dual del ser humano de no saber hasta dónde llegar con sus palabras y creer que construye a cada paso... No siempre es así. Como seres humanos somos tan destructivos como porosos al candor del prójimo, tan nocivos en la dialéctica como tiernos con un bebé. Hoy completé mi día habiendo cumplido... También interactué, y traté de ver a la gente a mi alrededor y fijarme si siento dónde está parado cada uno. Tuve éxito sólo en algunos casos... Y por dentro, siento dudas y desilusión... del discurso amigable con agenda subconsciente de aislacionismo... Quizás esté pifiado y sólo sea un mero presentimiento, pero este sentimiento que atraviesa no mi corazón sino mis entrañas no me ha dejado tranquilo en todo el día... En cada hora casi la conversación de anoche me siguió dando vueltas en la cabeza y fue inevitable la recomposición de lugares y la consecuente comprensión de actitudes de otros... Una conciencia que lastima y a la cual se me mantuvo alejado a través de orejeras de palabras amables y evasivas... Esto es bastante oscuro porque a propósito no quiero ser concreto con el origen de mi sentimiento... No importa en realidad... Lo triste es ver más clara -o más enmarañada- la naturaleza humana y verme enlodazado en su podredumbre... Hoy necesito un descanso y un buen relax... Mañana será un día distinto, afortunadamente...

On broken bridges

Funny when people you've once acquainted or befriended with do not seem to care anymore. Or maybe they feel pretty much the same way I do? And one can't seem to take the right step to bridge the gap... It is not that easy and probably those people do mean something if it's difficult to approach and restart some form of communication with them. Also, I wonder about those that have the capacity to 'kill' others by simply erasing them from their lives. Is it really like that? It looks like it is... Then one is left with the desire to pursue their friendship but of course our life is complicated enough as it is and soon the energy is just not there to try as hard as to get a chance of rekindling the flames. Too bad... in a few days I'll be in the position of facing one or two of those people. I'll soon find out how much energy can be invested by either one of us...

Verde que te quiero verde

Different shades and texture of green leaves in my balcony... This morning a new type of croto joined the community of life that mediate between the outside world and my nest... Only a few minutes after I'd found a good place in it for the croto, a sudden summer shower sprinkled them all. As the bushes and limbs swayed at the rhythm of a fresh breeze of renewal, I join their celebration and feel infused with their energy ...

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Both pics of my balcony garden taken today!! :)

Plastic Surgery for Ophelia Kirwan

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/03/21/sociedad/s-03015.htm

Ophelia Kirwan is only two years old and her dad, a plastic surgeon in the UK, will operate her so that her Down syndrome features are not so apparent. As the case became news around the world, the debate is now heated and not likely to subside any time soon. Is her parents' decision right?

It is true that without or with less traits of this syndrome she is likely to have an easier life. People will not single her out just by her looks, which means she will have a chance of leading a more 'normal' life. Her cognitive capacity will still be the same, and if she is lucky to grow up in a supportive environment her integration with the rest of her peers throughout school and later on in the workforce will be facilitated. However, I wonder whether this surgery to change her face is more of a palliative to Ophelia's future suffering or to her parents'. Or to ours.

Whenever we are victims of any kind of discrimination, we may be affected physically or emotionally, but many times discriminatory attitudes of others may go unnoticed to us. Either aware or not, we can overcome discrimination by finding strength in our own beliefs with the support of those who love us, who will nurture our self-esteem. How much is this operation likely to make Ophelia more resilient and prepared for our predatory society?

How much is the fact that she will look like anyone else supposed to assuage Ophelia's own anguish? Or is her operation more likely to dissipate everybody else's anxiety when they have to deal with someone different? Will her 'normal' features dispel people's discomfort around her? Will her parents feel better in the company of the 'after' rather than the 'before' version of their daughter?

In her innocence, Ophelia does not understand, and who knows if she ever will, that she was born in a sick society that finds a better solution in changing her outer looks so that she can be more acceptable to all of us. It hurts to think that in fact she will suffer less, that as civilized people we have not come to terms with others' differences and that we need to 'normalize' the different so that they may fit the pattern, the norm, the format. It's scary to think what we would choose if someone's skin color or sexual orientation could be changed with a simple operation.

Old friends of old times

After a few years I faced the task of contacting a former friend, someone who was one of my best lifelong friends and the only one in that category of uniqueness that I lost contact with. Even though it was mostly her decision to shy away form our friendship, I find it hard to exchange the first couple of words and I can't fathom what her reaction will be like. Soon I'll find out. Life in Tucuman has that kind of charm, anything and anyone you come across once, at some point sooner or later appears again on your way. What goes around, comes around. Time heals emotional wounds but for some they seem to stay open forever. Fortunately, I'm not in the latter group, but find it painful when someone you love does. Oh well...

Rushing but looking

In a time of anxious decision making and planning a change of direction, it's good to keep your cool and make a point of being extra patient, and remember that people (and objects!) around do not confabulate to make my life more difficult, but instead be aware that everyone does their best to keep going ahead with their own life and strive as much and as hard as I do. And if one can lend a hand in anyone's day, we'll feel better about ourselves. Why this cheap and cheesy comment? Because I do tend to forget it, and it helps me to keep this in mind. For the most part, people mean no harm, and in our rush like too many animals caged in our small world we may easily start bickering and become aggressive with each other.
Thank you for this day, this energy, this weather and the possibility to plan and make decisions... Having choices is a privilege, and I truly appreciate it...

Is love knocking on our door?

Should we go find love or does love come to us? Or does it just happen? Who knows... We all need it and sorely miss it when we don't have it. Yet it seems elusive at times and not a gentle caller...
You think you're doing the right thing by going out on different dates and then realize it all revolves around the mere search for individual physical gratification. In our community, it seems that whatever may happen in a substantial relationship must first pass the physical test. Is it possible to try a different approach? I don't have any answer but a whole bunch of questions... Meanwhile, the dating game demands so much energy, and yet we easily become entertained and absorbed in its animal and ephemeral sensations. At that point, we don't even remember the original purpose. We may fail to see 'the one' pass by if the rendezvous is just another touch-and-go. I guess the chance of finding my other half may be blowing in the wind... Will I ever breathe it in?
I should stay positive though, envision the type of partner I want, and keep going... finding all of the pleasures and brief moments of happiness in my several other endeavors. I hope I can do that and thus avoid growing desperate or overanxious! If I didn't have a profession that so nobly feeds me with good energy, I'd be a total wreck.

My objectives for this year

I'd like to grow professionally and move into the area of educational leadership and administration. My concrete goal is to prepare for the competitive race to get the position of Regente at IT. This would be quite a challenge in a prestigious institution in Tucuman, sort of like a Dean of Students position. I feel ready to face new duties and prove to myself I can be as effective as a school administrator as I've been as a program coordinator at Saint Patrick's for eleven years now!

This year I'll be teaching the UNT Didactics course as a teacher trainer. This is something for which I've been preparing myself for the last few years, so the time has finally come to put that preparation to practical use.

I'll continue at Saint Patrick's as coordinator and teacher. As the IB English A2 teacher for seniors, I hope I can systematize the curriculum and focus on increasing the amount of reading and step-by-step development of their writing skills. As a coordinator, I hope I can keep the quality level achieved last year. Even if it doesn't become as productive a year, I would like to keep doing what worked so well then, i.e. promote teachers' professional development and my own through presentation of our work at professional meetings (conferences, congresses, etc.). I would like to keep a collegial atmosphere of constant improvement within the department, to promote teachers' autonomy and decision making about their own development. Also, I would like to see Aida become a memorable experience for everyone and a blockbuster success (!) with the senior class shining on stage while bringing the story to life.

At Lola Mora, I would like to keep the level of production reached last year in my Language III and Language IV classes. I hope I can improve the aspects of the syllabus that need revising, such as the cost of producing their portfolio and keeping a reading log.

My last objective is more of a wish. I'd like to enjoy the ride and feel that I'm in control of my duties because I'm responding efficiently to all of them. They ARE many; therefore, if I can finish the year mentally stable, and satisfied, I'll be a happy individual... My expectation is that this year is likely to become a turning point in my profession. I look forward to treading on the path I've set for myself and to seeing myself through successfully by December 2008.

Why not adopt rather than resent technology?

In today's Nueva magazine of La Gaceta, there is an essay reflecting on the success of isolation and failure to truly communicate by means of new tech gadgets such as mp3s, ipods, laptops, etc. The comment was triggered by the death of a teenager who was run over by a car because he could not hear the car coming while crossing the street in his own mp3 bubble. It sounds terrible and one tends to blame the new technology for this kid's tragedy, but I'm not sure that we see the whole picture when assessing the impact of technology on our lives. Rather than reject and resist it, we should adopt it and learn how to use it wisely.
On that same newspaper, in the Showbiz section there is a page long article on the immense range of possibilities that new tech gives musicians at the moment of creating music. There are also ads in which the requirements include a long list of software the successful candidate should handle. My feeling is that technology is part of our reality and instead of demonizing it, we should figure out how to optimize its use in the different areas of our life.
With every new advancement or invention, people have been reluctant to accept it. The appearance of the radio made skeptics believe that real person to person conversation would never be the same. A similar reaction was triggered by the television and other new gadgets. Now the internet and the videogames are to blame for all our teenagers' and children's evils. And we are rather slow to incorporate these tools as part of our repertoire to help them learn more and better. By complaining about it, we won't make it disappear or solve any of the bad consequences of its wrong use.

Time change

http://imgs13.stockmediaserver.com/th170/Corbis/CB027165.jpg

I've just made a new friend, Hector. It was a very brief conversation but we found we had quite a bit in common. We agreed we'd see each other soon and we both went on with our own commitments. After that, I changed the time of my watch. Tonight I'll be able to sleep an extra hour, and for a few weeks I'll be getting up when the sun is up already. I love that! Tonight I can breathe in and out and relax. So nice... to enjoy the moment: the fresh breeze that comes in through the balcony door of my 5th floor apartment, the background soft sound of the news channel, the occasional lost bat enjoying its flight of dark freedom and singing to it, lively conversation of happy teenagers who take the time change as an extra hour to party -not to sleep like me!-, the leisurely purring of car engines that come and go according to the traffic light at the corner. This quiet end of summer in Tucuman gives us a break, a respite of cool air in sixty extra minutes that today make all the difference...

Welcome to my sancto sanctorum...

So here I am... After a couple dozen blogs, I finally decided to open my personal one. I really explored many ways of how to use it with my students as a teaching/learning tool, and now I finally go for my own place, my little niche, in this cul du monde. I don't know if this will be all in English or if I'll end up writing everything in Spanish... I guess it'll just depend on the day, and the mood, and the need... For now, I thought of reaching the world, the virtual universe, reaching, who knows, some or one or none.

How much will I be able to allow myself to enjoy the solace of hitting keys and just relax? That's soon to be seen...
Quite a weird beginning of the academic year this has been... With interesting plans, yet finding it hard to get myself pumped up. Is it some other need still unfulfilled? Maybe... At least, this Saturday afternoon I could take my time and not rush and it felt so good. The air felt more refreshing, calm, the nap couch like a cloud, and getting online like a stroll around 9 de Julio park...

http://www.franciahotel.com/esp/imagenes_files/estatua.jpg

That's how I sauntered into the creation of this blog...