Just for kicks...
I like to pretend that people are secretly in love with me.
That handsome guy in the Asian grocery store might have been asking me if I needed help because, well, that's the polite thing to do....Or he could have asked because he was looking for an excuse to strike up a conversation.
And sure, he may have only been doing his job when he noticed a package of noodles out of place right next to me...Or he could have, again, been looking for an excuse to give me a chance to talk.
Yeah, studying that package of noodles very intently while I browsed the noodles myself definitely must have been something his manager trained him to do in order to become better acquainted with all the store's products...Or he could have wanted to just spend a few minutes in the same aisle as me.
And perhaps, putting that package of noodles in it's proper place was only his way of being a good employee...
I walked past that very package of noodles only to realize that the result of all of this dutiful handsome employee's effort was that one package of shanghai noodles was now with all the chinese style noodles.
Yeah, this employee could have been really bored and trying to give himself some restocking to do later on....Or he could be secretly in love with me.
I've heard it both ways.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Unlikely Acquaintances
Today, while sitting on my desk, I watched a stink bug crawl towards a daddy long legs. Neither bug knew quite to make of each other. Daddy moved a few legs aside while the stink bug tried to carefully navigate his way around on the narrow wall they shared. Looking at them I sat back and marveled.
I know that everyone hates stink bugs, these invasive bugs from Asia that don't have natural predators and so have quite taken over all of Virginia. However, if it wasn't for that introduction, these two little bugs would never have met and I never would have had the opportunity of witnessing their awkwardly polite encounter.
When I was an undergraduate, among other jobs, I cleaned the library. I actually got the job of cleaning offices in the library which I thoroughly enjoyed. We had specific rules regarding offices that I strictly followed such as not touching ANYTHING on a desk or even looking at papers on the desk. We also weren't allowed to throw anything away (even if it looked like trash and the office occupier just had bad aim for the wastebasket). As a result, when I entered offices to dust non-desk surfaces, wipe down office windows, empty trash bins and vacuuming, I spent a lot of that time looking at the walls.
One of the offices down on the first floor, in the history section of the library, had a large world map on the wall. One day I paused in my vacuuming and looked up at that map. And then I turned off the vacuum and looked at it even closer. I guess I came from a small town with old non-updated maps because it was the first time I had ever seen a map with so many countries where the USSR had once been. I remember thinking, "Look at all these new ...stan countries!" I'm sure I'd heard of them over the years but I hadn't realized there were so many.
Ok, laugh all you want at my ignorance. I should have heard of those countries since it had been a full decade since those countries had first emerged before this definitive knowledge of their existence. However, we already know that I didn't have a great world history education in my formative years.
Today, I went to my English class and met a man who hails from Kazakhstan. I left class, marveling. Not only is this man from a country I had only heard of from a map on the first floor of HBLL at BYU, he and I work on similar research that I can actually understand. It's incredible. It's a miracle.
And as unlikely a pair as a daddy long legs and a stink bug. Isn't life amazing?
I know that everyone hates stink bugs, these invasive bugs from Asia that don't have natural predators and so have quite taken over all of Virginia. However, if it wasn't for that introduction, these two little bugs would never have met and I never would have had the opportunity of witnessing their awkwardly polite encounter.
When I was an undergraduate, among other jobs, I cleaned the library. I actually got the job of cleaning offices in the library which I thoroughly enjoyed. We had specific rules regarding offices that I strictly followed such as not touching ANYTHING on a desk or even looking at papers on the desk. We also weren't allowed to throw anything away (even if it looked like trash and the office occupier just had bad aim for the wastebasket). As a result, when I entered offices to dust non-desk surfaces, wipe down office windows, empty trash bins and vacuuming, I spent a lot of that time looking at the walls.
One of the offices down on the first floor, in the history section of the library, had a large world map on the wall. One day I paused in my vacuuming and looked up at that map. And then I turned off the vacuum and looked at it even closer. I guess I came from a small town with old non-updated maps because it was the first time I had ever seen a map with so many countries where the USSR had once been. I remember thinking, "Look at all these new ...stan countries!" I'm sure I'd heard of them over the years but I hadn't realized there were so many.
 |
| Source: UTexas.edu January 2002 was probably about the same time that I first found this in that office |
Today, I went to my English class and met a man who hails from Kazakhstan. I left class, marveling. Not only is this man from a country I had only heard of from a map on the first floor of HBLL at BYU, he and I work on similar research that I can actually understand. It's incredible. It's a miracle.
And as unlikely a pair as a daddy long legs and a stink bug. Isn't life amazing?
Monday, October 10, 2011
某人的生活
When you take a step back from your life and look at it from a stranger's point of view, sometimes you just have to marvel/laugh.
A conversation with my sister as we're driving around DC.
Sister: Oh, we're on Patrick Henry Dr. Who was he?
Me: He was the guy who was famous for saying, 'Give me Liberty or Give me Death'
Sister: Ohhh and then he got both. Well, that not fair. That's like saying, 'Give me a private jet or my own island' and then getting both.
Me: ??
Me: <taking my sister's phone to play on the internet without permission>
Sister: What are you doing? No, don't use my phone! <taking it away>
Me: Sorry. I was just going to play some videos on Youtube.
Sister: Oh, now I feel bad. Here you go; you can look up videos.
Me: ?? (I had every right to be scolded by her since I was playing mean older sister)
A conversation with some Cub Scouts while on a 'nature' hike:
Cub3: I can't believe we haven't even been walking for 30 minutes. This is just too long!! I can't walk another step. No more!
Sister (cub leader): Ok, kids, we're going to turn around and start going back now.
Cub3: Yes! <starts running back the entire way>
Cub4: I love throwing rocks in the river. <proceeds to pick up the largest boulder he can pick up and hefts it into the water>
Cub3: Wow, look at those tadpoles!
Me: Those aren't tadpoles.
Cub3: Yes, they are. Look!
Me: I'm telling you, those aren't tadpoles.
Cub3: But tadpoles leave shadows in the water.
Me: They are much too big to be tadpoles. Those are definitely fish.
Cub3: Oh, yeah, fish!
The cub scouts find a 'caterpillar' on the sidewalk:
Cub3: Yes! This is coolest thing ever! Let's throw him into the river!
Cub4: Let's keep him as a pet! Can I keep him?
Cub2: I'm going to give him my racing leaf so he can have a mansion!
Cub1: Move, caterpillar! Move! Why aren't you moving?
Me: I think this poor bug is thinking, 'Why, oh, Why did I wake up this morning? I'm being accosted by cub scouts!"
A conversation with a friend who attempted to make sticky rice cake for one of her classes.
Friend: It was the grossest thing I have ever eaten. I must have done it wrong.
[She brings over a rice cake for me to try]
Friend: <apologetically> It tastes horrible. But at least it's sufficiently sticky.
Me: Wow, actually, this tastes really good. It tastes just like it should.
Friend: Does it need more sugar?
Me: More sugar? Then it would be too sweet.
Friend: Are you sure? You're not just being nice?
Me: No, it really tastes good. I'm impressed. But you don't like it?
Friend: Yes, it's one of the grossest things I've ever tried.
Me: <nodding dubiously as I think back to the actual list of gross things I've eaten>
Me trying an Asian treat a different friend gave me a few weeks ago:
Me: I can't believe that she thought that rice cake was gross. She must just have very American taste buds.
<taking a bite>
Me: Ugh! What is this? This is disgusting! [It's so gross that I spit it out and rinse out my mouth multiple times]
[Serves me right really. But in my defense, that Asian treat had long expired and wasn't properly packaged]
A conversation with my sister as we're driving around DC.
Sister: Oh, we're on Patrick Henry Dr. Who was he?
Me: He was the guy who was famous for saying, 'Give me Liberty or Give me Death'
Sister: Ohhh and then he got both. Well, that not fair. That's like saying, 'Give me a private jet or my own island' and then getting both.
Me: ??
Source: Wikipedia
Me: <taking my sister's phone to play on the internet without permission>
Sister: What are you doing? No, don't use my phone! <taking it away>
Me: Sorry. I was just going to play some videos on Youtube.
Sister: Oh, now I feel bad. Here you go; you can look up videos.
Me: ?? (I had every right to be scolded by her since I was playing mean older sister)
A conversation with some Cub Scouts while on a 'nature' hike:
Cub1: My baby brother is so cute. Adult chaperone: Movies are great activities
Sometimes he likes to try to scare me... to attend. Yesterday we went and watched...
Me: <in the middle of these two talking simultaneously about radically different things> How did I get myself into this again?
Cub2: I think my leaf is the best racing leaf in the world. [Editor's note: It wasn't. Too much surface area made it the slowest leaf by a long shot]
Sister (cub leader): Ok, kids, we're going to turn around and start going back now.
Cub3: Yes! <starts running back the entire way>
Cub4: I love throwing rocks in the river. <proceeds to pick up the largest boulder he can pick up and hefts it into the water>
Cub3: Wow, look at those tadpoles!
Me: Those aren't tadpoles.
Cub3: Yes, they are. Look!
Me: I'm telling you, those aren't tadpoles.
Cub3: But tadpoles leave shadows in the water.
Me: They are much too big to be tadpoles. Those are definitely fish.
Cub3: Oh, yeah, fish!
The cub scouts find a 'caterpillar' on the sidewalk:
Cub3: Yes! This is coolest thing ever! Let's throw him into the river!
Cub4: Let's keep him as a pet! Can I keep him?
Cub2: I'm going to give him my racing leaf so he can have a mansion!
Cub1: Move, caterpillar! Move! Why aren't you moving?
Me: I think this poor bug is thinking, 'Why, oh, Why did I wake up this morning? I'm being accosted by cub scouts!"
A conversation with a friend who attempted to make sticky rice cake for one of her classes.
Friend: It was the grossest thing I have ever eaten. I must have done it wrong.
[She brings over a rice cake for me to try]
Friend: <apologetically> It tastes horrible. But at least it's sufficiently sticky.
Me: Wow, actually, this tastes really good. It tastes just like it should.
Friend: Does it need more sugar?
Me: More sugar? Then it would be too sweet.
Friend: Are you sure? You're not just being nice?
Me: No, it really tastes good. I'm impressed. But you don't like it?
Friend: Yes, it's one of the grossest things I've ever tried.
Me: <nodding dubiously as I think back to the actual list of gross things I've eaten>
Source: mztasty.blogspot.com
Me: I can't believe that she thought that rice cake was gross. She must just have very American taste buds.
<taking a bite>
Me: Ugh! What is this? This is disgusting! [It's so gross that I spit it out and rinse out my mouth multiple times]
[Serves me right really. But in my defense, that Asian treat had long expired and wasn't properly packaged]
Friday, October 7, 2011
True Love
Dear Hasebe-san,
It's been a long week. I'm sitting here, on my couch, too lazy to get up and actually go to bed. I found myself looking at your blog and looking through old pictures. You adore your niece. When I look at you and the way you love your niece, I can completely relate; that is exactly how I feel about my niece too. I can't wait to see her. I miss her when she's not near. I plan and wait and count down the days until I can see her again. When she's with me, I can't get enough of her. I see all of this in you and it's fun to think that people all over the world in all walks of life can equally obsess over their nieces.
However, today, while I was, as I said before, lazily sitting on my couch, mindlessly clicking through your blog pictures, I realized something: your niece is constantly smiling back or looking back at the camera or rather whoever is behind the camera. Even when she is with you, she's thinking about and looking back at someone else. In these pictures, I see the most adoring uncle in the world. I also see a niece who loves her uncle very very much. However, she doesn't forget whoever is behind that camera. I've seen that look in my niece too.
A few weeks ago, my sister was visiting from Paris. We decided to do a photoshoot of my incredibly adorable and absolutely photogenic niece. We set up camp but realized we might need a blanket for Alexis to sit on since she actually doesn't like grass. Somehow, despite the fact that she had just run something like 10 miles that day, we sent Alexis' mother back to the car. Alexis, of course, adores her aunts, and smiled and laughed with us while her mom was gone. We probably even got some cute shots then. However, as Alexis' mom came back into view, hobbling a little on her sore legs, Alexis started glowing with joy. Her entire face lit up and she excitedly started laughing and waving kid-like to her mom while saying, "Hi! Hi! Hi!" Fact: Alexis loves her Aunt Erin but she adores her mother. It was one of my favorite moments of the weekend.
If you look at pictures of Alexis and I, she is content and happy to be with me (except for that picture when I'm pushing her on the swing and everyone thinks she's screaming out in terror - she's not. She actually loves swings.) But when you see pictures with Alexis and her mother, you actually start to get a real glimpse of how much love my little niece can muster - and it's a lot of love.
Looking at your pictures today, I saw the same trend. You and I will always come in somewhere after first in line for our niece's affections. (I probably fall in somewhere a lot farther behind - I do already have the reputation as the 'bad aunt') But somehow, isn't it enough to love and be loved just as we are - somewhere behind first but by someone who loves us enough to laugh with us and hold our hand and smile when we walk in the room? Someone who has done nothing and yet everything to change our world?
I wonder if we're getting a glimpse, just a glimpse, of what we can feel for our own children one day. I hope so.
Love,
Me
It's been a long week. I'm sitting here, on my couch, too lazy to get up and actually go to bed. I found myself looking at your blog and looking through old pictures. You adore your niece. When I look at you and the way you love your niece, I can completely relate; that is exactly how I feel about my niece too. I can't wait to see her. I miss her when she's not near. I plan and wait and count down the days until I can see her again. When she's with me, I can't get enough of her. I see all of this in you and it's fun to think that people all over the world in all walks of life can equally obsess over their nieces.
A few weeks ago, my sister was visiting from Paris. We decided to do a photoshoot of my incredibly adorable and absolutely photogenic niece. We set up camp but realized we might need a blanket for Alexis to sit on since she actually doesn't like grass. Somehow, despite the fact that she had just run something like 10 miles that day, we sent Alexis' mother back to the car. Alexis, of course, adores her aunts, and smiled and laughed with us while her mom was gone. We probably even got some cute shots then. However, as Alexis' mom came back into view, hobbling a little on her sore legs, Alexis started glowing with joy. Her entire face lit up and she excitedly started laughing and waving kid-like to her mom while saying, "Hi! Hi! Hi!" Fact: Alexis loves her Aunt Erin but she adores her mother. It was one of my favorite moments of the weekend.
Looking at your pictures today, I saw the same trend. You and I will always come in somewhere after first in line for our niece's affections. (I probably fall in somewhere a lot farther behind - I do already have the reputation as the 'bad aunt') But somehow, isn't it enough to love and be loved just as we are - somewhere behind first but by someone who loves us enough to laugh with us and hold our hand and smile when we walk in the room? Someone who has done nothing and yet everything to change our world?
I wonder if we're getting a glimpse, just a glimpse, of what we can feel for our own children one day. I hope so.
Love,
Me
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Selling It
I'm not a marketing person, by any means. But sometimes, just sometimes, I feel the need to tell marketing how they're doing.
Obviously, marketing and ads are interested in selling a product. They have a specific audience that they are targeting and usually something about their product that makes it preferable over other competitors' products. I can understand this rationale.
Case 1:
Let's pretend we are a hospital (come on, America, we all know hospitals are businesses too), trying to get more people to try out out helpful and valuable services. I can just see their thought process.
Adman1: What is usually a person's first contact with a hospital?
Adman2: The emergency room
Adman1: Ahhhh... well, then let's sell the ER. What is the worst part about emergency rooms?
Adman2: The wait times.
Adman1: Aha! We'll sell our short wait times! And post it on a billboard for cars to see!
See? Logical sequence. I value that. Except that the outcome is horribly flawed. Why?
(1) No wait time above a few minutes every really looks good for an ER, especially if you're there because your kid is sick or worse. You want to be helped NOW!
(2) When you're really in a hurry, enough of an emergency for a trip to the ER, are you really going to stop and think, "Oh wait, the ER 40 minutes from my house has a five minute less wait time than the one just down the road." Probably not - you're just going to the one closest to where you are.
The weirdest thing about this phenomenon though is that now all the hospitals are doing it. Another case of failed logic.
Adman1: Well, XYZ hospital started posting it on a billboard and it looks pretty awesome with that changing display like that.
Adman2: You're right. Flashing lights! Our ABC hospital NEEDS a changing display billboard too.
My suggestion: Please, tell us about your excellent medical care. Please, tell us about your excellent facilities. You can even tell us about your specialties - I would remember something like, "Oh yeah, XYZ focuses on cancer research." and store it away for future hospital visits.
Case 2:
Adman1: Our product isn't selling enough.
Adman2: Well, what do you suggest?
Adman1: We need to figure out how this product benefits its consumers.
Adman2: It's really important for their futures.
Adman1: Great! Print it up, put it out! "Choose X product for your future!"
Does anyone else see something wrong with this ad? It could just be me, after all.
When I was applying to graduate school, I had to take the GRE. It wasn't a "Um...well, this would look really good on an application." Instead, it was, "Report your GRE scores by this date." Hence, if the GRE actually wants to increase their customers, shouldn't they be advertising graduate school and know that the rest would follow?
It would almost be like, "The Virginia Bar for your future! Register now!" while missing the obvious point that people who are taking the Virginia Bar should have graduated from a law school.
Another point, this ad was at an <cough> Kdrama website. That might be a good assumption - Koreans are interested in going to graduate school. However, wouldn't it be more effective on a website about "How to successfully apply to graduate school" at least?
My suggestion: Using appropriate potential customer targeting, post dates and deadlines for the test (as well as graduate school applications) and nearby testing locations. That would be more effective at helping potential customers use and sign up for your product.
Effective marketing?
I don't even speak Korean or drink tea and I'm sold. (Actually, this entire series is hilarious. But it all starts with this one)
Obviously, marketing and ads are interested in selling a product. They have a specific audience that they are targeting and usually something about their product that makes it preferable over other competitors' products. I can understand this rationale.
Case 1:
Let's pretend we are a hospital (come on, America, we all know hospitals are businesses too), trying to get more people to try out out helpful and valuable services. I can just see their thought process.
Adman1: What is usually a person's first contact with a hospital?
Adman2: The emergency room
Adman1: Ahhhh... well, then let's sell the ER. What is the worst part about emergency rooms?
Adman2: The wait times.
Adman1: Aha! We'll sell our short wait times! And post it on a billboard for cars to see!
See? Logical sequence. I value that. Except that the outcome is horribly flawed. Why?
(2) When you're really in a hurry, enough of an emergency for a trip to the ER, are you really going to stop and think, "Oh wait, the ER 40 minutes from my house has a five minute less wait time than the one just down the road." Probably not - you're just going to the one closest to where you are.
The weirdest thing about this phenomenon though is that now all the hospitals are doing it. Another case of failed logic.
Adman1: Well, XYZ hospital started posting it on a billboard and it looks pretty awesome with that changing display like that.
Adman2: You're right. Flashing lights! Our ABC hospital NEEDS a changing display billboard too.
My suggestion: Please, tell us about your excellent medical care. Please, tell us about your excellent facilities. You can even tell us about your specialties - I would remember something like, "Oh yeah, XYZ focuses on cancer research." and store it away for future hospital visits.
Case 2:
Adman1: Our product isn't selling enough.
Adman2: Well, what do you suggest?
Adman1: We need to figure out how this product benefits its consumers.
Adman2: It's really important for their futures.
Adman1: Great! Print it up, put it out! "Choose X product for your future!"
When I was applying to graduate school, I had to take the GRE. It wasn't a "Um...well, this would look really good on an application." Instead, it was, "Report your GRE scores by this date." Hence, if the GRE actually wants to increase their customers, shouldn't they be advertising graduate school and know that the rest would follow?
It would almost be like, "The Virginia Bar for your future! Register now!" while missing the obvious point that people who are taking the Virginia Bar should have graduated from a law school.
Another point, this ad was at an <cough> Kdrama website. That might be a good assumption - Koreans are interested in going to graduate school. However, wouldn't it be more effective on a website about "How to successfully apply to graduate school" at least?
My suggestion: Using appropriate potential customer targeting, post dates and deadlines for the test (as well as graduate school applications) and nearby testing locations. That would be more effective at helping potential customers use and sign up for your product.
Effective marketing?
I don't even speak Korean or drink tea and I'm sold. (Actually, this entire series is hilarious. But it all starts with this one)
Monday, October 3, 2011
On General Conference
It's always an interesting experience the week before General Conference. You look at your life and decide which things you really want some answers to. You think about which speakers you think will speak on things that will touch you.
The week before Conference that Job would consider a pathetic attempt at a hard week but it felt very Job-like to me. I found myself, sadly enough, at one point, kicking a light post and screaming out to the world in Chinese, "為什麼？我是個好人!" ("Why? I am a good person!") Yes, conceit at its ugliest - not only was that comment declaring that I thought I was a righteous person but that somehow, because of that, I should be free from the hard times that are common to everyone's lives. I can't say it was the proudest moment of my week. Job would definitely have not reacted like that.
When Conference finally came around, I was numb and not sure anymore what questions I needed answered. I think I was even afraid to ask. With graduation and the hope for graduation looming ever nearer, I look forward in my life, craning, praying, hoping to see the next step and all is just darkness. For a person striving for a PhD, I can't believe how little direction I have.
Here are some of the thoughts that stuck out to me from Conference:
"Have ye inquired of the Lord?" (Sister Barbara Thompson)
"Do the right thing at the right time without delay." (Elder Jose L. Alonso)
"Because we depend so much on you, you will be greatly blessed." (President Boyd K. Packer)
"You matter to God." (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)
"Do not be blown from one time wasting activity to another." (Elder Ian S. Arden)
The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness by President Packer
"What does it mean to wait upon the Lord? It means to hope and trust in Him." (Elder Robert D. Hales)
"Trust in [God's] counsel and follow it." (President Thomas S. Monson)
"Your eternal destiny is not a result of chance but of choice." (Elder Randall K. Bennett)
"Our Father loves us so much that important things to us are important to Him just because He loves us." (Elder J. Devn Cornish)
I left feeling a lot of different things, as shown above. However, one thing that stands out is that I need to have a real relationship with God.
It's hard to just trust in the Lord...I'm a doer!
It's hard to trust in His plan...I'm a planner!
These next six months will be quite the adventure.
(On a completely completely unrelated note, I am CRAVING French macaroons. Anyone know of a good (fairly) easy recipe? Or where I can find them in Charlottesville, VA without spending an arm and a leg?)
The week before Conference that Job would consider a pathetic attempt at a hard week but it felt very Job-like to me. I found myself, sadly enough, at one point, kicking a light post and screaming out to the world in Chinese, "為什麼？我是個好人!" ("Why? I am a good person!") Yes, conceit at its ugliest - not only was that comment declaring that I thought I was a righteous person but that somehow, because of that, I should be free from the hard times that are common to everyone's lives. I can't say it was the proudest moment of my week. Job would definitely have not reacted like that.
When Conference finally came around, I was numb and not sure anymore what questions I needed answered. I think I was even afraid to ask. With graduation and the hope for graduation looming ever nearer, I look forward in my life, craning, praying, hoping to see the next step and all is just darkness. For a person striving for a PhD, I can't believe how little direction I have.
Here are some of the thoughts that stuck out to me from Conference:
"Have ye inquired of the Lord?" (Sister Barbara Thompson)
"Do the right thing at the right time without delay." (Elder Jose L. Alonso)
"Because we depend so much on you, you will be greatly blessed." (President Boyd K. Packer)
"You matter to God." (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)
"Do not be blown from one time wasting activity to another." (Elder Ian S. Arden)
The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness by President Packer
"What does it mean to wait upon the Lord? It means to hope and trust in Him." (Elder Robert D. Hales)
"Trust in [God's] counsel and follow it." (President Thomas S. Monson)
"Your eternal destiny is not a result of chance but of choice." (Elder Randall K. Bennett)
"Our Father loves us so much that important things to us are important to Him just because He loves us." (Elder J. Devn Cornish)
I left feeling a lot of different things, as shown above. However, one thing that stands out is that I need to have a real relationship with God.
It's hard to just trust in the Lord...I'm a doer!
It's hard to trust in His plan...I'm a planner!
These next six months will be quite the adventure.
(On a completely completely unrelated note, I am CRAVING French macaroons. Anyone know of a good (fairly) easy recipe? Or where I can find them in Charlottesville, VA without spending an arm and a leg?)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The Power of the Rotunda
Here is the Rotunda of the University of Virginia.
If you've ever seen any picture of the University of Virginia, it always makes an appearance.
Yesterday, my professor was telling me an entertaining story about the library at the University of Virginia, "Back in the Cold War, the US government decided to send some of its documents to our library because it decided that Charlottesville had a low chance of getting bombed by the Soviets..."
I nodded in agreement - Charlottesville is not far from our nation's capitol but is small and insignificant as far as cities go.
"...because the Soviets would never bomb such an architectural wonder as the Rotunda out of deference to Thomas Jefferson."
I have to admit, I burst out laughing at this point. It's not that I don't think the Rotunda is an architectural wonder. I just didn't think that would ever come into discussion though in a Council of War by enemies of the United States -- consideration for a historical US building built by a famous US president. "I don't think they would have cared!" I kept laughing.
My professor stopped his story with a stern, "Well, it's irrelevant now," and a look that told me that such outbursts of poking fun at the conceit about the Rotunda were unacceptable.
I went home and told this story to some friends and one of them spoke up, "It was said that during the Civil War, the Union troops had express order to burn the Rotunda when they marched through Charlottesville. When the troops came into town though and saw the building itself though, they thought it was too beautiful and impressive to destroy and decided to honor their third president, Thomas Jefferson, by not touching it."
This story put things in better context. (1) This story seems likely -- the Rotunda was never touched during the Civil War. Since we know that the Union soldiers burned cities in their path and since there are signs of the Union and Confederate Armies all over central Virginia we can't assume they just never reached Charlottesville. We therefore can assume this story has some truth to it. (2) It seemed reasonable that the soldiers who marched and marched along dusty and deserted roads would come into Charlottesville, also dusty and quiet, and be impressed and awed by the beautiful structure that is the Rotunda and would decide to show respect to a president that was as much theirs as the Confederates'. (3) It also seems reasonable then that if one group of enemies, upon seeing the Rotunda refused to damage it, then another - the Soviets - would act similarly. (I think, though, that looking down from the sky would be less impressive than seeing it on the ground)
So, considering the probability of the Civil War story, what is the probability of the Cold War story? I started to do some research about what people outside of Cville think of the Rotunda.
Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda is an impressive structure by all means. Touted by the American Institute of Architects as "the proudest achievement of American architecture in the past 200 years", it holds a place as one of three man-made structures in the United States with the distinction of being a World Heritage Site. (In case you were wondering about the other two, they are Independence Hall and the Statue of Liberty)
(Here's another interesting fact. When I read this information, I immediately thought that America must have more impressive natural sites than man-made ones. Out of the 21 World Heritage Sites that the US holds claim to, 12 of them are natural sites, composing of 16% of the natural sites in all of North America and Europe compared to the less than 2% of the cultural sites in these same regions)
That means, then, that the Rotunda is included in a list that boasts such marvels as the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Alhambra, and Stonehenge. (You can see the full list here.) The Rotunda rubs shoulders with some pretty illustrious architectural giants.
Is it possible that the Soviets wouldn't have bombed the Rotunda? You tell me.
Yesterday, my professor was telling me an entertaining story about the library at the University of Virginia, "Back in the Cold War, the US government decided to send some of its documents to our library because it decided that Charlottesville had a low chance of getting bombed by the Soviets..."
I nodded in agreement - Charlottesville is not far from our nation's capitol but is small and insignificant as far as cities go.
"...because the Soviets would never bomb such an architectural wonder as the Rotunda out of deference to Thomas Jefferson."
I have to admit, I burst out laughing at this point. It's not that I don't think the Rotunda is an architectural wonder. I just didn't think that would ever come into discussion though in a Council of War by enemies of the United States -- consideration for a historical US building built by a famous US president. "I don't think they would have cared!" I kept laughing.
My professor stopped his story with a stern, "Well, it's irrelevant now," and a look that told me that such outbursts of poking fun at the conceit about the Rotunda were unacceptable.
I went home and told this story to some friends and one of them spoke up, "It was said that during the Civil War, the Union troops had express order to burn the Rotunda when they marched through Charlottesville. When the troops came into town though and saw the building itself though, they thought it was too beautiful and impressive to destroy and decided to honor their third president, Thomas Jefferson, by not touching it."
This story put things in better context. (1) This story seems likely -- the Rotunda was never touched during the Civil War. Since we know that the Union soldiers burned cities in their path and since there are signs of the Union and Confederate Armies all over central Virginia we can't assume they just never reached Charlottesville. We therefore can assume this story has some truth to it. (2) It seemed reasonable that the soldiers who marched and marched along dusty and deserted roads would come into Charlottesville, also dusty and quiet, and be impressed and awed by the beautiful structure that is the Rotunda and would decide to show respect to a president that was as much theirs as the Confederates'. (3) It also seems reasonable then that if one group of enemies, upon seeing the Rotunda refused to damage it, then another - the Soviets - would act similarly. (I think, though, that looking down from the sky would be less impressive than seeing it on the ground)
So, considering the probability of the Civil War story, what is the probability of the Cold War story? I started to do some research about what people outside of Cville think of the Rotunda.
Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda is an impressive structure by all means. Touted by the American Institute of Architects as "the proudest achievement of American architecture in the past 200 years", it holds a place as one of three man-made structures in the United States with the distinction of being a World Heritage Site. (In case you were wondering about the other two, they are Independence Hall and the Statue of Liberty)
(Here's another interesting fact. When I read this information, I immediately thought that America must have more impressive natural sites than man-made ones. Out of the 21 World Heritage Sites that the US holds claim to, 12 of them are natural sites, composing of 16% of the natural sites in all of North America and Europe compared to the less than 2% of the cultural sites in these same regions)
That means, then, that the Rotunda is included in a list that boasts such marvels as the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Alhambra, and Stonehenge. (You can see the full list here.) The Rotunda rubs shoulders with some pretty illustrious architectural giants.
Is it possible that the Soviets wouldn't have bombed the Rotunda? You tell me.
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