It's 5:30am and I've been awake for over an hour
Stupid jet lag.

On the other hand, who knew that I could stand super-early-morning TV programming?

First day back at work was predictably nutty. I think I managed to get through my messages and the most urgent of my work, but not much else. I can't believe I'm getting back on an airplane on Friday. and then again two weeks later.

Classes start tonight. Managerial Decision Making and Pricing Theory. the first one is supposed to be a great class, it's with a well-loved professor, and Moneyball is on the syllabus. The second course is required for my marketing concentration. I'm sure you'll hear more about both as the quarter moves on.

Because I hate losing: Samantha Mathis did indeed star in Pump up the Volume. So I shouldn't have lost. That time at least.

That last bit mattered only if you were in a car in Bali on the way to Tanah Lat. Which most of you weren't, so I apologize.

Bali was really beautiful. I may be spoiled for limes, but I think that's ok. And even with my aversion to strange fruit (strange being anything that is not a berry, a melon, a banana, related to a grape, or citrus), I consumed a whole lot of papaya and rambutan. Okay, one rambutan (no idea if that's how it is spelled).

It's hard not to love being attended to by 7 house boys; it was a little bizarre at first, but by the end we were all pretty much used to it. It was kind of a relief, however, to be able to just open the fridge and grab a diet coke this morning.

Before I forget, pixagogo wasn't working, so the pictures are actually at Margo's .Mac page. I'm really (and i mean this sincerely) impressed with her spelling--I had to look up Tanah Lat for that one reference above. I'm also shocked to learn that boo-lay is spelled bule (it means white person. when pronounced with a slight headshake we like to think it means crazy white people). Also very impressed that she knew how to identify the main gate at Besakih.

I'm also very glad that Margo was the official trip documentarian. All the pictures I took are zoomed out and blurry, which is an impressive feat with a top of the line digital camera. Someone I subjected all 287 pictures to kindly suggested that I just really like including the whole vista in pictures and care much less about the subject. Right.

Yes, 287. But only a few are online, don't worry. So go look. homepage.mac.com/margojohnston/photoalbum1.html

And now, because you missed them oh so much, some links. (I've been catching up on my news reading this early AM)

Does copyright help or hinder artistic expression? Actually, the article doesn't deal with the larger question as I've linked it, but it's an interesting bit on the grey album fiasco. also interesting for me given a) recent circumstances/controversies at work and b) all the DVDs I could have bought on the street in Bali for 30,000 rupiah, which is about $3.49

The Bob Edwards controversy at NPR makes me sad. the letter from Jay Kernis is good propaganda, the one from Bob Edwards himself is tellingly short.
visit savebobedwards.com if you want to, but they advocate not donating to your local station, which I think is a bad idea. It also has the audio clip of Edwards talking about the move and what it means to him, which is pretty interesting--and coincidentally reveals some of his weaknesses as a radio personality.
But isn't it amazing that something so seemingly insignificant as a change in host for one show on public radio is causing such a commotion?
Gotta say though, if I were the producer I would have done the same thing. I probably would have waited until the 25th anniversary, but who knows.

Okay, I may post more in the next two hours before I leave for work. but I might just continue to unpack and resettle.
- posted by Heidi @ 5:44 AM