What my computer often sees.

Kauai Pictures

To see more pictures like this one, go to Phil's blog.

London Pictures

Long overdue photos from London. More to come.
The Underground
Fixing Evan's Table
London Riverfront with Gurken
Tate Modern Slides (we slid)
Evan demonstrates our favorite pastime.

Janitorial Skills

Every week, I spend fifteen hours cleaning rooms that have been sullied by complaining teachers and students. Yes, I'm a janitor, so in honor of my disappreciated position I thought I would outline some of the skills and shortcuts I have learned over the past four months. These 6 in particular pertain to vacuuming as this has been my primary duty.

1. When using a vacuum pack, attach the hip strap around the back of the vacuum. This keeps the strap out of the way (since it is completely useless either dangling or sinched around the stomach).

2. When vacuuming linoleum, keep the side of the vacuum nozzle closest to you a little off the floor. Not only will the nozzle slide much more easily over the floor, but this simple action prevents against the fingernailsonachalkboard sound which is produced when it is forgotten.

3. After vacuuming a classroom, it is more efficient to coil your cord up neatly than waste time later untangling the mess which is sure to appear.

4. If vacuuming a classroom that has tables in place of chairs, it is often helpful to throw the cord on top of the tables to avoid catching it in the table feet. The cord is will run smoothly over the tables instead of being caught under its feet.

5. When vacuuming stairwells, always plug the cord in on the second floor. This allows for access to all three floors, but only if using number 6.

6. When vacuuming stairwells, you can reach all three flights if and only if you drop the cord straight down the middle of the stairwell, instead of letting it follow you down the staircase.

I find janitorial work to be slightly ironic. We clean for people who are always complaining about the uncleanliness that they themselves have caused. If THEY would be a little more careful, maybe we could keep up with everything.

Kauai 1

It's Friday morning, and everyone is still asleep except for Alan and I. I'm sitting in the middle of a large room. I would guess that the ceiling is about 16 feet tall, and measures almost 15 large paces in both directions. The decorations are mostly pastel, and there is a large, low, spinning and rolling purple chair. In the corner is are own personal aviary, and inside there are 3 medium size trees and other plants. The view out the window is of a lush lawn, rushing river, and thick green foliage.

We arrived on Oahu Wednesday at 11PM, spent the night on some luggage carts, and left for Kauai at 5AM. Yesterday we collected our rental car (a large Jeep SUV), drove around finding different things to eat, enjoyed the scenery, and tryed to stay out of the rain. To some of us, especially Cody and I, Hawaii is a strange mix. It feels like a mission trip, but there are nice cars everywhere, and we are staying in an awesome room, relaxing and generally doing as we please.

By this time, Tommy and Cody have roused themselves, and only Phil remains subject to his pilow. I look through the gigantic skylight and notice blue sky, with some skattered clouds. Looks like today's weather will be slightly more upbeat than yesterday's. We have no plans, but this day could hold surfing, hiking, kayaking, macadamia-nut roasting, or whatever other island activity we can think up.

My feelings are summed up in William Clark's famous quote, "Ocean in view! Oh! The Joy!"