The World Without Us

This morning, my brother, his wife, my wife and I went to breakfast at a nearby deli. It was late morning, so it's understandable that some of us had breakfast and others (my wife and I) had lunch. During the ambiguous meal, our converation turned to a book that my brother and his wife read recently: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman. The book responds, apparently in extraordinarily researched and legitimate detail to the question: if Earth were suddenly to be devoid of human inhabitants (name your reason: disease, nuclear war, religious rapture, etc.), how long before it reverted to its natural state, with no trace of humankind?

I won't go into the details they shared with us, bt suffice it to say that I was extremely interested in the premise of the book and in the meticulously researched answers.

Here, from the Amazon.com website, is a snippet of a review from Publishers Weekly:

Days after our disappearance, pumps keeping Manhattan's subways dry would fail, tunnels would flood, soil under streets would sluice away and the foundations of towering skyscrapers built to last for centuries would start to crumble. At the other end of the chronological spectrum, anything made of bronze might survive in recognizable form for millions of years—along with one billion pounds of degraded but almost indestructible plastics manufactured since the mid-20th century. Meanwhile, land freed from mankind's environmentally poisonous footprint would quickly reconstitute itself, as in Chernobyl, where animal life has returned after 1986's deadly radiation leak, and in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, a refuge since 1953 for the almost-extinct goral mountain goat and Amur leopard. From a patch of primeval forest in Poland to monumental underground villages in Turkey, Weisman's enthralling tour of the world of tomorrow explores what little will remain of ancient times while anticipating, often poetically, what a planet without us would be like.

I want to read this book!

My brother and his wife left shortly after lunch, taking with them the 1995 Mercedes E320 Cabriolet. They're on their way on a cross country adventure, to New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Oregon! Would that I could make the trip with them.

Or Maybe Just Quit

My brother and his wife came in today. They're leaving tomorrow. At least we got a chance to talk a bit and we went out to dinner tonight; except my wife had a work commitment, so she didn't share the full evening. Tomorrow, they're off again, visiting other relatives and friends and driving across the U.S. I want to retire, or maybe just quit.

I'm not convinced it will ever get any easier.

Twenty Photos Meme Time

I'm staying home today because I have a major gut ache...I ate too many raw carrots yesterday, which doesn't agree with my Crohn's disease (mine is, at present, very mild, but I should be smarter). Anyway, as I bounced between telecommuting and blog-viewing this morning, I came across a twenty-photos meme at Konagod's blog and have imposed it on my self. His is much more interesting.

1. Go to photobucket.com
2. Type in your answer for each question into the PhotoBucket search bar.
3. Choose your favorite photo to represent your answer.
4. Copy the html and paste it here.
5. Answer only in picture form.

What is your first name?

When is your birthday?

What kind of car do you want?

Where did/do you go to school?

What is your favorite season?

What is your favorite type of shoe?

What is your status?

What is your favorite movie?

What is your favorite song?

Who is your favorite Disney character?

What is your favorite clothing line?

What is your favorite vacation destination?

What is your favorite dessert?

What is your favorite letter?

What are you most afraid of?

What is your favorite TV show?

What annoys you the most?

What is your job?

What is your favorite animal?

How old are you?

Do My Job for A Week

I have to admire Sean Aiken. He's a young guy who's not quite sure what to do with his life, so he come up with a creative way to try out lots of different fields, all the while doing something valuable for others. He embarked on a "one job per week" campaign that is now on week 49. He's donating his "pay" to charity, living on the charity of strangers and on $1,000 per month donated by a sponsor. I just learned about it this morning...otherwise, I might have adapted and adopted his approach by now. The list of his previous jobs looks interesting...at least some of them do.

Ever since reading about this, I've been wondering...can I adapt this somehow in a way that would be fun and informative, both for to me and for others? I think I'm on to a idea. Here's a possibility: I'll offer people the opportunity to do my job (I'll be available to answer questions, coach, and jump in if necessary) for one week, in return for a donation to a charity.

It would be good for takers' resumés (OK, it may not impress you, but some people would be impressed by "served a one-week stint as president of small corporation as part of a donation to a charity"). It would be good for me (something new, a challenge to deal with many other personalities, an opportunity to raise money for charities).

Since I can't really reveal my true identity here for fear of a backlash from clients I've complained about or who are deeply Republican, I'll have to formalize the offer on a different blog, then swear it wasn't me.

Food Around the World

Here are some photos I find really fascinating...and jarring. I found them at Fixing the Planet, a site operated by or for Ed Begley, Jr.


Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11 Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks


Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07


United States: The Revis family of North Carolina Food expenditure for one week: $341.98 Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken


Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09 Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken


Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27 Family recipe: Pig's knuckles with carrots, celery and parsnips


Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53 Family recipe: Okra and mutton


Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo Food expenditure for one week : $31.55 Family recipe : Potato soup with cabbage


Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03 Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork



Kuwait: The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar or $221.45 Family recipe: Chicken biryani with basmati rice


China: The Dong family of Beijing Food expenditure for one week: 1,233.76 Yuan or $155.06 Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with sweet and sour sauce


United States: The Caven family of California Food expenditure for one week: $159.18
Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream


Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.02 Family recipe: Mutton dumplings


Great Britain: The Bainton family of Cllingbourne Ducis Food expenditure for one week: 155.54 British Pounds or $253.15 Favorite foods: avocado, mayonnaise sandwich, prawn cocktail, chocolate fudge cake with cream


Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23 Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat

Sundaily

If you lived in Nederland, Colorado, you might be partaking in this weekend's celebration of the town's Frozen Dead Guy Days®. I know I certainly would. Who wouldn't, if they had the opportunity to see and hear Ukulele Loki's Folderol Follies? The Gadabout Orchestra is playing, too, so if you're nearby, run on over and see them. I learned about this riveting event online, as I was reading China Daily.

Speaking of China, who wants to go with me on a smuggling trip? I'm thinking of going over, buying some bootleg Chinese folk music CDs, then smuggling them over here, where I'll mass-produce them and sell them on the black market. I'm guessing there is a huge demand for bootleg Chinese folk music. The best thing about the idea is that almost all the money involved in the deal stays in the U.S.A. Oh, no, I just thought of a possible snag...MP3 players...maybe the music is already here and is spreading virally.

Saturday Stuff

My favorite wife and I watched a DVD tonight...Fracture, with Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, et al. It was well-done. Entertaining, provocative (to a limited extent) and generally worth seeing. I wouldn't pay a lot, though. But, all in all, I'm glad we watched it. It challenged us to try to figure out how Hopkins so successfully staged his "innocence" for a while.

I made my infamous chana dal, garbanzo, and tomato soup today, adding a few ingredients this time around: moong beans, caulflower, and broccoli. I just realized that I forgot the onions, but it was just fine. We have plenty left over for lunches next week, if I can convince myself to stay out of it. While my wife was working today, I was at home, plotting Indian food meals and doing a bit o clean-up around the house. And, of course, I went to the Hispanic and Indian groceries that my wife isn't crazy about visting...but I had to restock my dangerously low suppies of garam masala, ground coriander, and various other stuff.

I worked from home for quite awhile today, while my wife was at the office. I succeeded in (finally) getting the minutes of a client meeting done...from early last month. I truly loathe minutes. I'd have someone on my staff do them, except that the meetings in question are held from 6 to 8 pm and I have to be there, anyway. But minutes suck!

Tomorrow, Sunday, should be a relaxer...we'll see.