No less than the trees and the stars

A good friend here in Cambridge sent this to me this evening. Although his intention in sending it was merely to follow up on a previous literary conversation, it was the most fitting piece of prose poetry I could receive to put things into perspective amid all the stress of these past few days, and the days to come.

In his words "cliched, yes, familiar, yes, but said in an elegant way i think. its like a collection of things that you already know you should do to be happy, but here its all in one place..."

It was too good to keep to myself, so I am sharing it:

Max Ehrmann's Desiderata (1952)

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.

Canyonlands Completion in the News!

Very excited that the issue is getting some publicity....!

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/02/will-long-desired-completion-canyonlands-national-park-ever-arrive5394

International Relations in Practice

Silence on this end is mostly a reflection of the fact that my examination period commences in one week. The system is very different here than in the United States. We have been in courses and seminars since October with no examinations or papers until now. The first week of March I will take three exams which will be my one and only shot at passing the taught segment of my program. Needless to say, there is a lot of pressure.

That does not, however, preclude any of us IR people from also enjoying ourselves in the process (as has been the theme throughout). As a welcome break from the intensive weeks of studying, Emily and I decided to host some of our IR colleagues at our house for a nice evening meal. We cooked vegetarian-friendly curry pie which was complemented by salads and an apple-rhubarb crumble for dessert, courtesy of Helen.

One of 4 Pies

Our dinner together was a true reflection of the diversity found within the international relations program here, and manifested to me that so much of what I have learned here has not been from the courses, as interesting as they have been, but from the unique perspectives of my fellow course-mates who come from all walks of life and the conversations that we have.

One really neat thing about our course in particular is that nearly half the course is compiled of current or former military personnel both from the United States and Great Britain. At our dinner we had a former U.S. Marine (he has served two tours in Iraq and in Afghanistan-- definitely a perspective that too many people are not exposed to), a current U.S. Marine, and a soon-to-be U.S. Army Ranger (So we were literally and figuratively "cooking for any army" (of 15)). These young men (there is no female military representation in our particular program), really represent the important balance that needs to be struck between the real world and the academy and I really admire their willingness to strive toward excellence in areas which can, at points, become quite divergent. I also love that, despite the vast array of differing opinions among an inherently political bunch, we all can enjoy each other's company and have an incredibly good time together.

Finally, Emily invited me to be one of two guests at college "Guest Night" at Queens'. What this really meant was I got to enjoy a formal hall meal in the Old Dining Hall without having to wear my gown. What a treat indeed!

So, with good company and good food to keep me going, it is now time to go back to the books!

Guest Night With Emily

Peacekeeping Website Launched!

Dear Friends,

As many of you know last summer I spent working with the United Nations Foundation's Better World Campaign. The primary objective of Better World Campaign is to improve relations between the United States and the United Nations, particularly in the form of lobbying Congress to pay back United States debt to the United Nations.

In addition, however, BWC also works to promote United Nations work, and in particular bring to the attention of Americans the benefits and importance of UN work. As part of that, I spent my summer primarily focused on creating a website concerning UN Peacekeeping Missions, created in a way to appeal to the American public.

Most of the substance I worked on were the Mission Info pages (including Haiti, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Sudan, Kosovo).

Yesterday, the website was finally launched and I wanted to share it with you all as it provides a great resource for basic peacekeeping operations information.

Click here for the website

Afternoon Tea

This past week I learned something new. Well, a few things, but no, this post is not going to be on Syria (though that will be coming sooner rather than later, beware!)

I had 3 bananas in the fridge that were turning pretty brown. Chloe and I came home, she looked in the fridge, and said "Let's make banana bread." I sort of looked at her for a second, my look telling all... 1)I have no idea how to make banana bread 2)even if I did, I doubt we have the ingredients necessary.

Ignoring my silent, yet desperate plea, she said "Let's make it right now."

She marched upstairs to drop off all her things and we reconvened in the kitchen 5 minutes later. (Now to most of you this seems like a silly little story since.. duh.. everybody knows how to make banana bread.)

For me, and my lack of domestic skills (I can second Katie's post on this one), this was a HUGE step. We just mixed a little flour, sugar, butter, egg and vanilla and added the bananas. Oh, and baking soda. Best part: we don't have measuring cups here, so it was really off the cuff.

The finished product was a delicious banana bread that we subsequently split with a delicious cup of lemon and ginger tea. It certainly turned out to be a most delightful experience because I learned to make bread and, better yet, it came right in time for Afternoon Tea.

P.S.

Well, who knew there was a postscript to this story? There is! Today I woke up determined to use the dried cranberries I had left over from Thanksgiving (it is true). So, I decided to make cranberry orange bread! Basically the same gig as banana bread, but I pushed my boundaries this time by adding oats instead of so much flour, using agave syrup instead of so much sugar (and the sugar I did use I chose to use unrefined cane..), and the rest of the sweet was definitely made up for in the orange juice and zest. I think as a result, the cranberry bread was equally delicious and even errs on the side of.. dare I say... healthy? Or at least its not... UNhealthy. In moderation of course.

So, if any of you have a desire to stop in and have a cup of afternoon tea with me, I can nearly guarantee that a good dose of homemade, fresh out of the oven, cranberry/banana/(what's next) bread will be served up alongside that good cup of [herbal] tea.