Racing the Planet Meets The Faux Dead Sea. Mar. 11

Another bright, sunny day greets us this morning in Terrantai Lodge. After a hearty desayuno, we start hearing a lot of drumming and cheering. Que the h____?

We start walking and following the sounds and it leads us to LLamas, a man wildly jumping hombre, and finally to the Inglesia. There are throngs of participants who have already finished the Atacama 2012 - a 250 km footrace over the Atacama desert in 7 days! And, each participant must carry everything they need on their back except for water and a tent.

It is muy excitante, with the drummer going crazy as each participant or team of participants approaches the finish line at the Inglesia. Some are walking, some are running. All are relived and overjoyed at having completed this exhausting and mind boggling event.

We learn that people from 45 countries competed - the most participants were from Great Britain, followed by Australia and then Los Estados Unidos (finally). The race began with 157 people and by the end, 140 intrepid folks finished. The oldest was from Luxembourg and he was 68. Quien Sabe? Who knew anything about this? Nadie sabia. Not us. Turns out this amazing event is sponsored by RacingThePlanet and there are 4 such 250km events in 4 different deserts throughout the year. Others are the Gobi desert of China, the Sahara and Antarctica.

Many of the entrants stayed at Terrantai. Never saw a group so tired, relieved and happy and who desperately wanted a shower!

I have some pictures, but the real excitement is captured in the video - promise to work on that soon when I get home.

In the afternoon, we went to Ojos de Salar - sort of a poor hombres version of the Dead Sea. Very small but you do float in the salt water. However, unlike the Dead Sea which now has resorts with indoor and outdoor salt water pools as well as the actual sea and with fresh water showers, the Ojos has no facilities, not even a place to change into bathing suit. Not so impressive. But, we did meet another young Chilena, who was working in the nearby Copper Mine company for a few days and came to San Pedro for the weekend. All these young Chilenas seem to glom onto us. Very flattering and they have all been so friendly and gracious. Her name was Daniela and she wanted us to take her picture in the water. Then, we became quick friends.

The Atacama Crossing Race























Ojos de Salar



Daniela


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Location:Tocopilla,San Pedro de Atacama,Chile

Valley of the Moon. First Day in San Pedro. Mar. 9

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day in San Pedro and enjoyed our first desayuno here in Terrantai Lodge, where we exchanged pleasantries and info with a delightful German couple. It turns out that this guy had been in Hawaii. Porque? To participate in the Iron Man Competition!! It's sort of the equivalent of 3 Triathlons rolled into one event with no rest between. No wonder he was up at the crack of dawn getting a run in at 8000 feet. They donated their stash of mate do coca teabags to us as they are heading to Bolivia tonight. Also, met a couple from Finland. Looked Scandinavian but the language - incorrecto. Very nice though.

We sort of putzed around the rest of the morning and early afternoon, visiting the local plaza and Inglesia, shopping for mate do coca lozenges, eating lunch etc. Barbara was definitely feeling the effects of the altitude more than me. I was taking the meds, but she couldn't as she had a reaction to them. I felt pretty good. San Pedro is what I think a small pueblo in Mexico might be like or maybe a quaint town of the old Wild West. Adobe brick is the architectural theme for most restaurants, shops and hotels. The streets are not paved - just dirt and a bit of dust, although the recent rains have tamped down the dust, but contributed to more ruts. I'd say the average of the turistas is about 27. We are definitley at the other end of that curve. But, all in all the town is very quaint.

At 3:45 we headed over to Maxim Experience to pagar for our set of excursions and to meet the group for excursion uno to the Valley of the Moons. Of course, this being San Pedro, their carjeta machine was not operational. "no problema - usted puede manana". Ok then. Liking the gratis tour idea. At the Maxim office, we met Anna from Belgium, who was traveling alone since her esposo had to go back to work. Very nice although a bit talkative in Espanol and Ingles. We became her companions for much of the rest of our time in San Pedro.

The Valle de Luna was no misnomer. It was pretty wild and eerie with ethereal landscapes. We did some trekking at a few spots to climb for views of the impressive scenery. We also stopped at the Tres Marias and then to a scenic spot for a beautiful sunset overlooking the mountains and the Lican Volcano. The Brazilians celebrated the Sol with song and music. You will have to wait for the movie for more about that.

Buenas Noches

San Pedro

























Terrantai Lodge








The Valley of the Moon























Three Marias

















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Location:Tocopilla,San Pedro de Atacama,Chile

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Singing for Ted

It was almost exactly a year ago that the choir gathered at Ted Cron's house to share an evening of music with Ted, who was a Temple Micah (TM) choir member for 40 years. Usually, Ted sat next to me in the bass section and gave me (sometimes unsolicited :-) ) some newbie guidance. He was a big help to a neophyte. Ted had ALS and we thought he did not have long to live. Boy, were we wrong. Ted lived another year and just passed away two days ago. Ted was a remarkable man even as he struggled with this terrible disease.

Today, his funeral service was held at his beloved TM. On quick notice, almost the entire choir was able to rearrange their schedule to sing at the service - our last gift to this man, who had given each of us so much over the years.

During and after the service, I ruminated on a few things:

• Eulogies. Those that spoke to and about Ted described a man that I think we would all aspire to be. And it was all true. Ted was loving, inspired, devoted to Judaism and Temple Micah, hard working, persevering and always up for new challenges (e.g he decided to learn how to ski at age 50). It made me think about what my eulogies will be and made me think about living my life in such a way that people who will hear them will remember me for the right reasons. Because who wants to be remembered for the mundane successes - how much money we made, what nice homes we had, or even for our childrens' accomplishments? I want to be remembered for the love I showered on others, and about making a (albeit small) difference to my family, my synagogue, my community and maybe the world.
  


• Why didn't we visit Ted more often?
  We had planned to pay Ted a visit during the last couple of months, but "never found the time". And, now we regret it. Hopefully, we'll learn from this not so much because it is a mitzvah opportunity lost (which it is) but because we could have made his life a little sunnier if only for a few moments. What takes higher priority than that?
  


• What's the right weather for a funeral?
  
  Today it was dark and rainy. Perhaps, this is fitting for a day which is sombre and full of sadness at our loss. But, OTOH, a sunny day may help remind us of the love and joy the deceased caused to shine upon us.
  

The choir sang 3 selections as part of the service.

Elohai/Asher Yatzar, the 23rd Psalm (Bernstein's version) and finally Esa Enai, Psalm 121:


I lift up my eyes to the mountains:
What is the source of my help?
My help will come from Adonai,
Maker of heaven and earth.

God will not let your foot stumble;
Your Protector will not sleep.
The Protector of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.

God is your Guardian;
God is your protection at your right hand.
The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

God will guard you from all harm,
God will guard your soul,
your going and your coming,
now and forever.

The Real Question of the Season

Poems for the Blogosphere

From one of the great poets - an American immigrant and one of my tribe - about the New Orleans disaster

The Iconography of Hell and Our Guilt -

Eleven days into disaster, a poet reports

By Andrei Codrescu

Each day has its own pictures:
bumper to bumper traffic two states long
a frenzied mob in a domed prison
rising water
the hungry pushing carts out of looted stores
rooftops in a lake as vast as the eye can see
dead city silent city
the survivors the tribes
stadiums filled with refugees
helicopters over a dead unlit city
a ragged parade of decadents spitting defiance
television cameras as numerous as marchers
a can of tuna and a strand of beads
take that you former shithead king
dead pets rotting away behind locked doors
the smell of putrefaction visible
muck darkness heat an eviscerated pigeon
two dogs shot by a hired executioner
a sea of horrible stories rising like swamp fever
from the foul mouths of dear ones from exile
11TH DAY OF HELL!
We are all working in this pit of sorrow to unfreeze time.

Time is the universal chauffeur

by Willis Barnstone

Time is the universal chauffeur. Slow
he carts me through space,

but when he dumps me I've no place to go.
He's also the surgeon general

who heals (and in time kills). He heals with hours
and days, his best pill of all--

no ointment or gauze--just his fat face
hovering over me. And he is author

of a novel titled LIFE. I'm crammed in his briefcase,
plotted in chapters till THE END.

A famed dermatologist he moderates the sun.
If I measure him and cream down,

I can always spot the damage he has done.
It's the secret stuff inside

my skinsack that worries me. Yes, machines catch
his photo and footsteps, but I abide

with fear. Once he's gone, I'm not. Often I try
to slow him down as he walks

through me. Slowtrack, I say. This clown is sly,
abstract but relentless like a star,

and goes through his set acts, laughing at me.
Godless, I bless him for his laziness.


Ready for some lighter fare? Happy to oblige -

Shelby the Dog

by Robert Sward

";all that I cared for was the race of dogs, that and nothing else; To whom but [dogs] can one appeal in the wide and empty world?" --Franz Kafka

Philosopher Dog

Shelby:

In a world of No,
dogs are a Yes.
Sixty-eight million dogs in America
and they understand
there is a fundamental human reaction
to everything--,
and it's No, No.
Grrr! Dogs hate hearing shit like that.
People, it's all No and it's No
and it's No.
And they look at a dog sometimes
and the dog is on its back, say,
on someone's lawn,
legs in the air,
rolling and bouncing;
'This is the hand I was dealt. I'm a dog,'
says the dog. 'It's not a problem.'
But people
Look at me, Goddamnit! '
I don't have time for this,' you're thinking.
'Something better is going to come later.'
No, no it won't. As Ram Dass says, This is all there is.
This is all you get.
'All knowledge, the totality of all questions and answers,
is contained in the dog.'
Do you know who said that? Kafka.
That's right, Kafka.
Bow wow, bow, wow. Bow, wow.
Bow wow NOW.

P.S. Also, see "Sand and Water" by Beth Nielsen Chapman below

Tonight We Sang Goodbye to Ted

Tonight about 21 of our Temple choir gathered at Ted Cron’s house to sing goodbye. Ted was a member ot The TM choir for 40 years and now he is dying of ALS. He really wanted to hear the choir once more and we were only too happy to oblige.

Our music director, Teddy, had put together a short set of music – Asher Yatzar/Elohai N’Shamah¹; Modeh Ani/Lo Alecha²; Elohai N’tzor; and the 23rd Psalm³ by Bernstein, which is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Jennifer jumped right in and did the soprano solo magnificently.

And talk about a joyful noise! I don’t think the choir has ever sounded better. We may not have hit all the notes, but we hit absolutely the right note. When you sing with such emotion, it is awesome and I know Ted felt it. His face shone with joy, tenderness and thanks.

We even did an encore – Od’Cha by Stephen Glass, a wonderfully uplifting praise to God. Then, finally, Yism’chu, version 118A, for which Ted was famous for his schmaltzy but heartfelt solo rendition of the 3rd verse. And, would you believe it? He sang that verse tonight, weakly of course, but recognizably, as we all lowered our voices so he could be heard. And in the background, tears rolled down the face of his wife Suzanne.

Tonight our heavenly music gave us all a glimpse of choir heaven. And, let us hope that someday we’ll all gather again there and Ted will be singing Yism’chu as only he can. Amen.

¹ With divine wisdom you have made our bodies,….Source of our health and strength, we give You thanks and praise. The soul that you have given me, O God, is pure! You created it and formed it, breathed it into me, and within me You sustain it.
² I am grateful to You, living and enduring Sovereign, for restoring my soul to me in compassion. You are faithful beyond measure. You are not required to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to abstain from it.
³ The Lord is my shepherd;
I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me to water in places of repose;
He renews my life;
He guides me in right paths as befits his name.
Though I walk in a valley overshadowed by death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.

Poetry, Music or Both?

I have never understood how my wife could not LOVE really good folk music. After all, the good stuff is terrific poetry set to great music. And in an epiphany it came to me yesterday. Her brain shuts out the words—she’s lyric-blind, or, more appropriately lyric-deaf! "Too much work" she says. Of course that explains everything. For me, music without words is like watching a silent movie—boring and lifeless. Or, like looking at paintings in only 1 color. Perhaps wordless music is good for background noise when your brain really has to fully concentrate. Or, it can be used as background to a good massage, when your brain likes to shut down anyway. That’s about it for me.

My brain soaks up lyrics. To me, the best folk music—e.g. Bob Dylan, Stan Rogers, Steve Goodman, John Gorka, Peter Yarrow and Beth Nielsen Chapman—is poetry set to hauntingly beautiful melodies and harmonies. Can you imagine “Puff the Magic Dragon” without Puff? Or, “Forever Young”, “Where Have all the flowers Gone” or “Give Yourself to Love” with no words? Unimaginable! The poetry in such songs moves me powerfully; it makes me think and question things. It hits me in the face with ponderings about the basics: love, hate, death, life, sorrow, joy, fear, etc. Yet, I appreciate and am moved by this poetry so much more when it’s set to music than when it’s just spoken. My wife, however, likes her poetry without the music and her music without the poetry.

My wife likes classical music – in no small part because it’s just music and no words. I OTOH fall asleep in any classical music concert within 5 minutes. My brain is not engaged; it’s not asked to think or ponder life’s mysteries. I think this is one reason that classical music has such a miniscule audience these days. It’s BORING for most of us who like our music with words.

But, I’m still a little mystified. How come she likes the Beatles or the oldie music in the movie, “Big Chill”? Last time I looked, there were lyrics. Guess I haven’t totally solved this mystery.

Anyway, I just discovered this next amazing and wonderful music. But, please get and listen to the actual song with the beautiful music. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

“Sand and Water”, by Beth Nielsen Chapman. Do yourself a favor and check out her music.

All alone I didn’t like the feeling
All alone I sat and cried
All alone I had to find some meaning
In the center of the pain I felt inside.

All alone I came into this world
All alone I will someday die
Solid stone is just sand and water, baby
Sand and water, and a million years gone by

CHORUS:

I will see you in the light of a thousand suns
I will hear you in the sound of the waves
I will know you when I come, as we all will come
Through the doors beyond the grave

All alone I heal this heart of sorrow
All alone I raise this child
Flesh and bone, he’s just
Bursting toward tomorrow
And his laughter fills my world and wears your smile

CHORUS

All alone I came into this world
All alone I will someday die
Solid stone is just sand and water, baby
Sand and water, and a million years gone by

What Makes a Movie Great?

I just saw "Million Dollar Baby" last night. I thought it was magnificent. While leaving the theater, I was surprised/shocked to hear some people were not as enthusiastic as me. I overheard remarks like "overrated", "ok - good, not great", "contrived ending". Hello? This film is a masterpiece! Are we from different planets or what? Sometimes I wonder if people are reluctant to jump on the "everyone says this is a great movie" bandwagon? Or, maybe other people just enjoy panning films that everyone else likes and prefer raving about those that no one else really understands. Being different, heralding the underdog, whatever. But, I petulantly digress.

What I really want to talk about is why I loved this film and more generally what makes a film great? First, "Million Dollar Baby" is NOT a boxing movie. Boxing is just the backdrop used to explore the most basic of human feelings, longings and relationships. Enough beating around the bush (no pun intended). Here's my list of qualities that make a film great:

• It stays in your head long after the last reel. Often for days or weeks or years. An example is one of my all time favorites - "The Hustler". If you somehow missed this classic with Paul Newman and George C. Scott at the top of their game, please rent it. You won't be sorry. It's a bit premature to judge "Million Dollar Baby" by this criterion, but it's certainly still on my mind the day after - witness this long blog by an infrequent blogger.
  
• It's riveting. Never for a moment does your mind wander from what's happening on screen. That was true in spades for me and this film.
• It makes you cry. Well, in my case, that's not all that hard to do. But, this film moved me and touched me more deeply than any in a long time. Perhaps, in part, because I could empathize so well with the last portion of the film. I won't give away the plot, but Eastwood nailed it!
• You forget the actors are actors. Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank are stars and magnificent actors. I forgot that right from the first reel. They became Frankie, Scrap, and Maggie.
  
• You can't imagine any other actors playing the major roles. I defy anyone who has seen this film to suggest any actors who could have done as well as Eastwood, Freeman, and Swank.
• It deals with strong human emotions and hard questions. "Million Dollar Baby" scores a 'knockout' here:
  
• What makes a life worth living?
• Is self-fulfillment enough?
• Striving vs attainment
• Personal relationships vs. success
• Love
• Guilt
  
• and many more
• It feels real (sorry no pun intended here either). And, boy does this film feel real, reagrdless if we're in the boxing gym, boxing ring, a restaurant, or Maggie's mother's trailer.
  
• It makes you laugh.

Was "Million dollar Baby" a perfect movie, without any flaws? Of course not. For example, it leaves you wondering about the problem between Frankie and his daughter. But, it comes pretty damn close to perfection in my book.

If anyone actually reads this, please comment! What great film characteristics did I leave out? Which would you delete?

From Kaballah to Jesus

What a wild and fantastically interesting day today was. This morning's Kaballah class discussed feminine aspect of God (Shekinha)and the role of sex in the unification (it's a long Kaballah story) of God. Tonight's class on Jewish history focused on the time period of the essential Christian story - Jesus's birth , preaching, miracles, death and resurrection. He certainly crammed a lot into a short life. Incidentally the early Christian views on sex sure differed from the Kabbalists'. With the early Christians, if you wanted to be celibate that was ok - after all, wasn't Jesus going to return pretty soon anyway and then the whole world would change? Good thing for them that they figured out that would be a hard sell. In contrast, the Kabbalists saw the sexual union between married man and woman as an important part of achieving God's reunification and "sexual" union between his masculine and feminine aspects. (I'm sold - where do I sign up?)

When Jesus lived is the time period in human history I find utterly and completely fascinating. If there was a time machine and I had a "ticket to ride", I would unhesitatingly pick this time period. Can you think of another time period which had a greater influence. on the the course of history? And, in which so much was going on?

I also keep thinking about this question: How would the course of human history have changed if Constantine had decided he really couldn't buy the Jesus story and instead really liked the Jewish one? And, so he declares Judaism as the official state religion of the Roman Empire in 313 C.E. Now what?

What would be different? What would be better? What worse? Would we have persecuted Christians as they persecuted us? Or, would we be more tolerant and let them live in peace? Would there have been a different kind of religious holocaust? Is it human nature to prey upon the minority? Would the world be a more peaceful place? Would Christianity have survived as Judaism has survived against incredible odds?

Of course, we'll never know. But, I think it's fascinating to contemplate and speculate. Someone should write a book!