The year in pictures

With 2010 nearly in the books, it's safe to say that this has been a banner year. Between graduating first in my class in paramedic school to marrying the woman of my dreams, I will remember 2010 fondly for the rest of my life. Without further ado, the year in pictures.

Niagara Falls (American side), Valentine's Day weekend












Niagara Falls (Canadian side), July




















August












Wedding! September





















































Our first Christmas
























Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'

"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." (Luke 2:1-20)

Christmas Eve eve

December 23 marks Christmas Eve eve (for those well versed in the Seinfeld universe, Festivus is celebrated today too). This means that Christmas, which is one of my favorite holidays, is almost here. The festivities kick off with a Christmas Eve service put on by our church tomorrow evening; Ellen will again be providing musical accompaniment on the harp. After that is Christmas Day itself, which needs no elaboration, and on Boxing Day and the day after we're planning to make a quick trip to visit friends and relatives in New York and New England. All in all it should be a terrific weekend.

I was pleased to read about the passage of the "New START" treaty this week. As I've written before, nuclear nonproliferation was an issue championed by my uncle Norman (who founded the Dartmouth Conferences on Peace Process and was once summoned to Princeton by Albert Einstein to discuss nuclear disarmament). It's gratifying to see that his work is being carried on. And while politics is an unpredictable business, I'm glad that the ratification of the treaty was not derailed by smaller concerns.

Speaking of Dartmouth, The Waterman Institute is about to launch its second slate of courses next month. In addition to addressing topics like "The Free Society" and "History of Doctrine," Waterman is also debuting its student internship program. Hannah Thomas '12 and Fulbright Scholar Hans-Peter Ritzer are the inaugural interns. It's not looking like Waterman's course schedule and my work schedule will reconcile themselves this time around, but I wish them the best for a successful, God-centered term. I will definitely try to attend one of their offerings as soon as I am able! For more information about Waterman or any of their programs, please visit their official website (linked above).

In other news, Knicks backup forward Shawne Williams was credited with the following quotation following last night's 112-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder: "I feel like when I play hard, lucky things happen. I believe the basketball gods, they reward hustle plays." Sounds an awful lot like Samuel Goldwyn's famous saying, "The harder I work, the luckier I get." I wonder if Williams is a movie fan? Goldwyn, after all, is the "G" of MGM movie studio fame.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

In our living room, anyway. Ellen and I cut down, named and decorated our Christmas tree on Saturday, to go along with our holiday window dressings. We found a cut-your-own tree farm a mile or so outside town, whereupon we trudged off into the dense copse of Christmas trees armed only with a hand saw and a hazy idea of the relevant dimensions of our apartment (doorway width, ceiling height, etc.). As it turned out, not only did we find a tree that fit perfectly, but a package arrived this morning from Ellen's mother containing a handful of ornaments. Talk about good timing!

We had a taste of the dark side of New Hampshire winters yesterday--literally--as there was a power outage in Enfield and some neighboring towns. No word on what caused the outage, but at least power was restored relatively quickly. Between flashlights, headlamps and candles, we were able to carry about our business with minimal disruption. Unfortunately, while our apartment is heated by propane, the heater itself runs on electricity. By the time the power was restored some two and a half hours later, the temperature inside had dropped six degrees. Dinner by candlelight was a definite silver lining to the whole episode, though.

Updating a previous item, I'm told that Lebanon, N.H. has restructured its budget so that the second fire station can remain open year-round. I haven't been able to confirm this information, but if it's accurate, I'll be pleased. Fire and EMS coverage are not things you want to opt not to pay for (or accept severe delays in delivery of service, as would likely have been the case here). Just ask Glenn Ordick.

In other news, tomorrow marks the winter solstice, which marks the official end of autumn and start of winter. That, in turn, means summer is only two seasons away. It's about time.

San Francisco wrap-up

The final two days of our San Francisco trip were an enjoyable mix of business and pleasure. Business came in the form of the start of Ellen's conference (she's actually still in San Francisco, since the conference runs through the week), which I got to witness from the lobby of the hosting convention center. I was even issued a guest badge, although this didn't entitle me to attend any of the events. Not that I didn't think about it, but seeing as they posted burly security guards at the entrance to discourage this very thing, I decided to exercise the greater part of valor.

Simply sitting in the lobby and listening to the conversations swirling around me was quite an education. Who knew there were competing schools of geomorphological analysis? Evidently there are. With some difficulty, I managed to quell the urge to interject myself into conversations about which I knew less than nothing. "You integrated the MRC variable? Why on earth did you do that? Everybody knows that M ... R ... Q is the only variable worth integrating."

It was fun to see Ellen in her professional element, too. She seemed completely at home, and I was quite impressed at how naturally she navigated her way through the waters of cutting-edge physics. Impressed, but not surprised. And after she was finished for the day, she transitioned from scientist to tourist without missing a beat. We walked up and down the Embarcadero in the afternoon and visited Union Square after nightfall, both of which were a lot of fun. I've never seen palm trees with Christmas lights before, though.

Now I'm back in New Hampshire. As stupendous a trip as it was, it's nice to be home.

San Francisco, Part II

Day two of our San Francisco expedition saw us exploring Fisherman's Wharf and the surrounding areas. Ghirardelli Square, home to the first Ghirardelli Chocolate store (technically the third, but the first two--both in San Francisco--were destroyed by fire and earthquake, respectively). They also had a section devoted to the production of chocolate, which was fascinating to see. Ellen especially enjoyed that part. There was also an ice cream shop attached to the chocolate store/factory, which was expectedly scrumptious.

The centerpiece of our sightseeing was a tour of Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz has served a variety of purposes over the years--fort and prison are but two--and the National Park Service guides did an excellent job of outlining the island's history. It is a cold, forbidding place, and I can't imagine what it would have been like to live or work there for any extended period of time (guards and their families were quartered on the island, partly to ease the logistical burden of covering three eight-hour shifts each day on an island but primarily so that reinforcements would be readily at hand should they ever be required).

Having seen the 1996 Hollywood action film The Rock at least a dozen times, I was excited to see how the real place compared to the movie set. Parts of the movie were filmed on the island, which remained open to visitors during production, but certain liberties were taken to accommodate the needs of the story. The shower room, for example, looks nothing like its Hollywood depiction (for starters, there is no second level).

While it may not have had the glamor of a big-budget Hollywood production, Alcatraz was not without its own "action sequences." You can still see the pockmarks on the floor from where Marines dropped grenades on holed-up prisoners during the three-day "Battle of Alcatraz" in 1946, or the cells that held the only three men to ever escape from Alcatraz without being recovered (they are officially presumed drowned in San Francisco Bay, but no bodies have ever been recovered).

When we returned to the mainland, Ellen took me to Pier 39, where we were able to see California sea lions sunning themselves on the dock. I've seen sea lions before, but only in aquariums, so it was exciting to see them up close in the wild. I'm told that in the warmer months--I use the term relatively, as yesterday's high was in the mid-60s--the sea lions and seals are omnipresent around the pier, not to mention quite loud.

San Francisco, Part I

Ellen and I embarked on a cross-country trip to San Francisco on Friday, combining sight-seeing and in-law visiting with Ellen's attendance and poster presentation at the American Geophysical Union's Fall Meeting. The trip got off to a less than auspicious start when one of our traveling party (hint: It wasn't Ellen) missed the bus to Boston. We overcame this temporary setback by continuing on to Logan Airport by car, and we made the flight with plenty of time to spare.

It was not quite all smooth sailing from there, though. Upon our arrival in San Francisco, we discovered that Ellen's luggage never left Minneapolis. We filed a claim with the Delta lost-luggage agent (is it a bad sign that Delta employs full-time staff for this purpose?) and continued on to our hotel, which is the only place I've ever stayed where the hotel office closes overnight. And fortunately the luggage was waiting for us when we woke up the next day.

In another first, our electronic keys stopped working mid-stay. We would insert them into the lock but nothing would happen. The front desk issued us two new keys, but these didn't work either. Finally the hotel troubleshooter determined that the electronic lock itself had run out of batteries. After replacing the necessary parts, everything was as good as new. It makes sense that they would be battery-powered, but I admit I never thought about how those locks worked. I just took for granted that they would. It's a good thing we made this discovery during the afternoon and not after the front desk closed!

Saturday morning was spent sightseeing along the marina; we visited Crissy Field, Fort Mason and the Exploratorium and laid eyes on Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge and two yacht clubs. In the afternoon we met up with Ellen's father and stepmother--both of whom grew up in the Bay Area--and took a driving tour of the city, including a trip down Lombard Street, which makes the highly credible claim that it's the most crooked street in the world. We also walked out halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge, whose shroud of fog lifted just in time for us to enjoy a marvelous view of the bay. The evening was capped off sourdough bread and seafood for dinner. Mmmmmm.

In the next installment, our trip to Alcatraz, wild sea lions and a San Francisco chocolate factory.

And the answer to last week's brainteaser: The wise man told the brothers to switch camels.

Thirty years later

Yesterday was the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman (I wonder what differentiates a murder from an assassination? The profile and/or celebrity of the victim?). One of the most celebrated, revered and controversial figures in entertainment, Lennon's impact and influence continues to reverberate through the music world and society at large. Either a passionate crusader or a modern-day Quixote, depending on your point of view, Lennon never promoted a cause halfheartedly. But his most enduring legacy is undoubtedly his music. Surely he will be remembered for his political activism as well, but Lennon was neither the first nor the last to campaign for world peace. Yet there will forever be only four Beatles, and there will never be another John Lennon.

The United States enjoyed a good day at the chessboard on Wednesday, with International Master Anna Zatonskih advancing to the round of sixteen at the Women's World Chess Championship. She will face number-one seeded Humpy Koneru of India. Over in England, top-ranked American chessplayer Hikaru Nakamura drew his first-round game of the London Chess Classic against reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand, also of India. Tomorrow is a day off for Zatonskih while Nakamura again takes the Black pieces, this time against former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik.

In other news, I came across the following brainteaser on Brainden.com the other day but couldn't manage to figure it out. Think you know the answer? Leave a comment. Cheating is strongly discouraged.

"A desert king tells his two sons to race their camels to a distant city to see who will inherit his fortune. The one whose camel is slower wins. After wandering aimlessly for days, the brothers ask a wise man for guidance. Upon receiving the advice, they jump on the camels and race to the city as fast as they can. What did the wise man say to them?"

Pearl Harbor

Today is the sixty-ninth anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: "A date which will live in infamy," according to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's radio address the following day. I had the opportunity to go to Pearl Harbor in the summer of 2000; it was a moving experience. The wreckage of the USS Arizona, a battleship whose sinking claimed the lives of 1,177 sailors, was especially poignant to see. I'd like to go back and visit again someday; if my travels ever return me to Hawaii, I will make a point of doing so.

Closer to home, my thoughts and prayers go out to the two Calex Ambulance employees who were injured when their ambulance went off a bridge in Bradford, Vermont. They were returning from a call when the driver hit a patch of ice and lost control of the vehicle. Both men are in stable condition and no bystanders were injured. Talk about a close call.

Moving on to a more upbeat topic, the Women's World Chess Championship is currently underway in Hatay, Turkey. The United States is represented by two players, International Master Anna Zatonskih and Women's Grandmaster Camilla Baginskaite, although WGM Baginskaite was eliminated in the first round. IM Zatonskih is on a roll, however, breezing through her first round match and defeating GM Marie Sebag of France in the first game of their second-round match today. Keep up the good work!

In other news, James Franco and Anne Hathaway have been selected to host this year's Academy Awards. Who cares?

Snow!

While I'm quick to single out winter as my least favorite season, I readily admit that December has a lot going for it (namely Christmas and often the first serious snowfall). And so I feel no shame reporting the glee I felt when I woke up to a steady snowfall this morning. Seeing as we're a week into December and snow is falling, I consider the Christmas season officially underway. Ellen and I have some Christmas tree and light shopping to do in the next couple weeks, which will be a lot of fun to do together.

I have opened December in New Hampshire for five of the past six years now, but this is the first time that the month was not ushered in by college finals. Definitely a change for the better. I am nevertheless reminded of one of my favorite seasonal videos, which sustained (distracted) me through many a late night preparing for final exams.



In other news, I read this morning about a proposed Noah's Ark-themed amusement park in Kentucky. No word yet on whether development will proceed ahead of possible constitutional challenges, nor on whether there will be any roller-coasters at the park.

On the chopping block

The Lebanon, New Hampshire City Council appears to be moving ahead with a budget that will leave one of two city fire stations unmanned for approximately one hundred days per year. As is the case in many New Hampshire cities, the Lebanon Fire Department provides both fire and EMS services to residents and visitors. As reported in The Valley News on Wednesday, Fire Chief Chris Christopolous made his case against the proposed budget at a City Council meeting last week, but only one council member supported sparing the fire department of cuts altogether.

To be fair, LFD stands to receive approximately a two percent raise over last year's budget. The chief contends, however, that this money will go almost exclusively to salaries, benefits and retirement, leaving the department little to cover the rise in training, maintenance and other costs. For the City Council's part, they are reluctant to raise taxes on what they perceive as an overburdened population already. This objection comes not only in and of itself, but also because they fear raising taxes to support the fire department will force them to similarly support other public service institutions like the police department and library.

I do not work for LFD and I don't live in their district, so I don't have a direct stake in the outcome of the budget question. All the same, it is disheartening to see a population that is unwilling to support such an essential component of the public's safety and peace of mind. That said, I'm a big believer in "You get what you pay for." If the citizens are willing to abide the possibility of response times more than doubling (to some residential areas) or even increasing sixfold in some cases (such as to the elementary school), then so be it. I hope I'm wrong, but I think they're making a big mistake.

Puzzling words

Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim and Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears gave a press conference on Tuesday prior to a presentation about new alcohol and sexual assault reduction initiatives the administration is planning to implement. At this press conference, as reported in The Dartmouth, President Kim had critical words for the way the local police handle cases involving intoxicated students. "I think the current approach of the Hanover Police Department is putting our students in danger every single night," he is quoted as saying.

Huh? The police department is not forcing underage students to drink illegally. It's certainly not providing alcohol to minors. What it is doing is enforcing New Hampshire state law. I honestly don't see how that imperils undergrads. Some students loudly insist that they will refrain from calling for help for a classmate in need out of fear of the legal repercussions for the incapacitated student. If you don't call for medical assistance for a classmate whose life may be in danger to avoid a citation for underage drinking--a violation that in New Hampshire carries no more venom than a speeding ticket--then you are an idiot.

The responsibility for choosing to break the law--and for facing the consequences of that choice, should there be any--rests solely on the shoulders of the students who make those choices. When it comes to illegal consumption of alcohol, the only thing putting Dartmouth students in danger is those selfsame Dartmouth students. I was surprised and disappointed to see President Kim add his voice to the chorus of those who would shirk this responsibility.

Erratum: In my most recent post I gave the Dartmouth football team's 2010 Ivy League record as 4-3. This was, unfortunately, wishful thinking on my part. Their Ivy record was actually 3-4.