From the Observation Deck

I love studying my family’s history. My mother’s uncle “Peek” spent years compiling the Andrews, Van Cleve, Patterson, Clapp, Stokes, Wright genealogies. His hard work is richly preserved in a red hardbound book that I keep as a cherished possession on my bookcase. I have read it cover to cover and have discovered myriad interesting characters ranging from inventors and soldiers to pioneers and statesmen.

Uncle Peek managed to delve a little into my father’s lineage so I know who my great-great grandparent’s are on his side. On both sides I’ve got a lot of French—which explains my adoration for all things cheese (and wine)—a good amount of Irish and Scots-Irish, all mixed in with a bit of German, Dutch, and English. An American mutt for sure.

(Okay, so weird segue here but keep going, you’ll get it.) One of my favorite shows to watch is the one where celebrities trace part of their family tree. It’s called, “Who do you think you are?” I’ve cried at the end of every episode. I love the history, the discovery of family you never knew—the story of your people and their struggles and triumphs. Good stuff.

Last weekend as I was purging my filing cabinets and watching the show, I came across some old family documents and decided to take a shot at ancestry.com. There has been one mystery that my immediate family has been wondering about for almost 50 years. Back in the 60’s my dad’s older brother disappeared. No reason for it at all. Friendly, warm letters were written home to their father from his travels and then nothing. My grandfather hired a detective agency to no avail. He just dropped off the face of the earth.

Last weekend I plugged Uncle John’s name and birthday into ancestry.com and found him! Yup. That’s right. It took some searching but I found enough information to go on and called some people in Florida where he had been living and where he passed away last year. All of the sudden, within a couple of days, I had compiled hard evidence and some background on John and felt it was time to call Dad to let him know.  

Right now we know that this brilliant Cornell graduate decided to spend the better part of his life as a migrant fruit picker. He was quiet, kind, and very religious. I was very glad to hear that he was right with God before he passed. My dad is going to get some of his things next week—maybe a diary! The story continues and yes, I think I’m going to cry. It’s too unbelievable not to. Tune in—maybe Dad will come back with some interesting stories to share. 

Share your interesting family history here. I want to hear your stories!

Awhile back I wrote a post about the SNL skit, “Really?!” In it I explained how comedians Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers make fun of the absurd.

It constantly amazes me that there are people out there so desperate for power that they are deluded into thinking they can say or do anything and get away with it. I came across an article today that just cracked me up. The insane Chinese government, in an attempt to limit the influence of the Dalai Lama, has now gone and done it. They have banned reincarnation. Unless of course you have permission from them.

Really?!

The next thing you know they will be making it a crime for the earth to spin on its axis once a day. Because you know, if we slow down the spin of the earth, they will live forever and will no longer be afraid of returning as a dung beetle.

And they deserve it. Anyone who arrests a guy for freely giving out hugs (see video below)—a sign of love and affection that spreads joy to others—needs another lifetime to think about what’s important.

I myself will be returning as a Giraffe. I was really hoping to be a cat. I’m not really sure what that says about me, but according to the Reincarnation Station, “Almost 30% of people will be reincarnated as a higher form of life than me. I’m not perfect, but I’ve lead a better life than most. With a few changes now, my next life could be even better.”

Well I guess that pretty much sums it up. What do you want to come back as?

I’ve been a busy beaver lately with tax preparation and researching the adventures I’m going to take this summer. I can’t wait till June when three fun friends and I go trekking off to Iceland and Norway. My big plan is to spend as much time as possible soaking in one of Iceland’s famous geothermal pools. You remember last year when that volcano spewed ashes that stopped half the world’s air traffic? Yup, going there to see all there is in that country where pretty much nothing is pronounceable. Except that singer Björk. The only thing I remember about her is that swan dress she wore to an awards show. Only Madonna and Lady Gaga are allowed to let their freak flags fly that much and get away with it.

 In any case, I love to travel and have been thinking about the wonderful trips I’ve taken in the past. I was rooting for the Egyptian people as they demonstrated in public for their democratic rights. I think most of us are skeptical of the future outcome but I hope for their sakes things work out. When I visited Egypt with my parents back in 2007 I was very impressed with the people. Most spoke English and were very friendly and kind. Which is why I was very shocked and disappointed (not to mention horrified) that a mob of Egyptians raped CBS correspondent Lara Logan. You have to be pretty evil to take part in something like that.  That was definitely not characteristic of the type of people we met while there.

On a brighter note, I was impressed to see that they were protecting the Cairo museum and all of those priceless treasures. Having been blessed to see and touch them, it would be sad to see them destroyed and lost.

So I guess it’s one of those enigma’s that are crazy and wonderful about our world. You can be denied travel to an “enemy” state like Russia for decades and then all of the sudden after a wall falls down you’re able to see its beautiful landscapes. Or you can watch an Olympics take place in a city like Sarajevo only to see it destroyed a few years later by bombs and an ugly war.

Iceland has had its misfortunes throughout its history (which I am excited to learn more about) and Egypt has survived for millennia. What will tomorrow bring? Don’t know.

But if you know of any excellent things to do and see in Iceland and Norway, please share!