It's been two weeks since I last blogged about my springbreak at AZ. I only have a month left of school, which means that I have a month left to finish a 12-15 page research paper (I have some sense of direction, but what's bothering me is the fact that I keep finding sources and I keep collecting them [a stack of books is piling up, and the sight of it intimidates me]), I also have to finish grading my students' "analyzing sources" and their last project "Annotated Bibliography and Complications Presentation" and calculate their final grades. And lastly, I have to read and analyze an ethnographic work for my fieldwork class. So once again, my mind is cluttered. I hope to free my mind from the ennui of routines by blogging part 2 of my "long awaited" sequel (I've been holding off/delaying writing part 2 for the past two weeks so that I could focus on all the other school work); and I hope to be reminded of "the beauty in empty-open spaces [and] in "barren" lands... [And the] endless sky" of northeastern AZ.
Lake Havasu, AZ
How can you see the original London Bridge without leaving the U.S.? Go to Lake Havasu, AZ. I couldn't believe it either, and then I saw it and read about it. A rich patron bought the bridge and transported it all (piece by piece) to AZ. This bridge was replaced by the now famous draw-bridge, which stretched across the Thames river in London today with its Roman arches (very sturdy looking). WE took a lot of pictures of it and with it. Beside the bridge, Lake Havasu is also a good place for swimming and fishing. it was still somewhat cold to swim in it at the time of my visit, but the fishermen were already out there catching different trouts and basses. My aunt recounted stories about fishing and getting free fish from other people, who didn't really care about eating the fish but instead cared only for the sport of fishing (the act of fishing). We ate lunched, which was prepared by my aunt. There was a warm breeze not too warm, and it complimented the sun and cloudless sky. The cerulean lake, fanned by the breeze, foamed white and reflected the brightness of the sun.
Laughlin, NV
After Lake Havasu, we went straight to Laughlin NV. Laughlin is only 45 minutes away from Kingman, but since we were in Lake Havasu City, it took a little bit longer to get there. Rather than turning around and going back to Kingman, my uncle took a route which passed CA briefly. I found it amusing how we started out in AZ, traveled through CA so we could reach NV (three states in one day). Laughlin has casinos (so if people do not want to go all the way to Las Vegas, they can go to Laughlin) and outlets (I bought my first D.C. zip-up hoodie). I didn't gamble much (only once in a machine where my aunt deposited $5-- I ignored the diagrams and directions, I just kept pushing the button, sometimes I won (without understanding how I won) and eventually I lost). I joined 4 casinos and received my "player's" card (in my opinion, the best looking card came from the Colorado Belle). I also got lots of freebies for being a new member. I got an oversized Tropicana shirt, a Golden Nugget traveling coffee mug, an Aquarius key chain, a bag of caramel popcorn and a screwdriver. One of the nice things about being a member is the discount. During the night, we ate at a Buffet in the Colorado Belle where card members saved $5. I didn't feel like eating beef so I had a seafood platter: rice, mussels, clams, popcorn shrimps, battered/breaded halibuts, vegetables. I had orange juice and water and for desserts, a Lemon Meringue cake and a Peach Pie a la mode (vanilla ice cream). I was very full. We drove back home, the original version of "Someday We'll Know" by Daryl Hall and John Oates played on the radio, and I looked out the window. Once again there were clear skies, and when we got far enough from the lights of Laughlin, the Little Dipper appeared upside down in the night sky.
Grand Canyon, AZ
Oatman and Chloride, AZ
Downtown Kingman, AZ
Hulapai Mt. Park, AZ
Hoover Dam and Las Vegas International Airport (AZ and NV)
I wrote this entry a month ago, and I'm just publishing it... Obviously, it's still unfinished but the awesome things are: I finished my research paper (I made the minimum- 12 page, usually after finishing a research paper, I don't ever want to see it again and I just want to give it the the professor...surprisingly, I'm proud of this paper-- the paper I'm talking about is a paper for my folklore and literature class [originally I dreaded this paper because it was worth 70%- but I finished it and hopefully I get the full 30% participation in class so that even I bombed this 70% paper, I can still pass with a B- [passable grade for graduate courses)... writing this paper felt like a drag... sadly I can no longer stay focus for more than 4 hours; I find it difficult to spend a whole day writing a research paper so during this last week, I broke up the writing process, I wrote tidbits here and there and I eventually finished it.); I also finished reviewing an ethnographic work, and I just turned in my students' grades today (I quadruple check them so that I wouldn't make a mistake) [more details to follow in my "flash update" coming soon].
Tomorrow May 1st, I'll be heading back to Philly for a short vacation before the summer semester begins (stay tuned for the mini "Vacation within a vacation" article)...
and maybe if I find the inspiration, I'll finish "beautiful void"...
Posted by Michael Diezmos at May 1, 2008 12:40 AM
