Grave

Here's a few photos of the grave. Things fall from the aspen tree above onto the ground in the spring. Let's say they're seeds, unless anybody has a better idea.

You can see above that we've been weeding and spread a reasonably thick layer of grave soil onto the ground for planting. (We = mostly my wife and mother-in-law)

Any suggestions for what to plant are welcome.

Sad ending

The Magicians does not have a happily ever after ending.  It didn't promise to be a fairy tale, though it borrowed from them heavily, and especially from the Chronicles of Narnia.

This paragraph scorched me:

The grief he felt for Alice kept unfolding new dimensions he hadn't known were there.  He felt like he'd only seen and loved her, really loved her, for those last few hours.  Now she was gone, broken like the glass animal she'd made that first day they'd met, and the rest of his life lay in front of him like a barren, meaningless postscript.

Exactly. I wonder if the author has lost someone close to him.

I would not say it's a great book, but I'm glad to have listened to it.  Some significant originality and creativity mixed in with all the borrowings.

Reading list

I've been listening in the car, as I commute, to a reading of The Magicians by Lev Grossman.  You might think of this as Harry Potter for grown-ups.  There is a lot of superficial similarity, but the characters are going to college for magic, not prep school.  Therefore, more sex and violence.

I find the writing striking, at times, especially use of modern idioms without seeming contrived.  I liked this description of the beginning of a magic class, though Lokys thought it dull.

The study of magic is not a science, it is not an art, and it is not a religion.  Magic is a craft.  When we do magic, we do not wish and we do not pray.  We rely upon our will and our knowledge and our skill to make a specific change in the world.

It's the sort of book Vaiva would have liked, though she was such a voracious reader that there wasn't a lot that she did not like.

An acute insight

From David Horowitz, A Cracking of the Heart:

A Talmudic wisdom says that when you save a single life it is as though you had saved a whole world.  But the opposite is equally true.

The future of a.p.p.l.e.

During the Q&A after Adamkus' address, someone I did not recognize identified himself as being with a.p.p.l.e.  He reported that a.p.p.l.e. is considering declaring that their original mission is complete, and they will convert to providing support only for special education.  He wanted to know what Adamkus thought of the idea.

Adamkus expressed no opinion about dropping the general outreach of a.p.p.l.e., but was supportive of ongoing special education efforts.

I think that the idea is bizarre.  The notion that a.p.p.l.e.'s mission has been accomplished is laughable.  No doubt Lithuanian should do more for its special ed students, but is that really the highest priority in today's global economy?

I wonder what is driving this decision? I suspect it's the result of deterioriating finances, coupled with a bad economy that makes finding volunteers much harder.  My sense is that a.p.p.l.e.'s connection to the entrepreneurial sector was far stronger during its early years, and now it is dominated by people who have never had to sell anything.  So their fundraising dynamic is weak. 

The fundamental  early vision for the organization began to expire in 1997.  It's a testament to the power of that vision that the organization has coasted this long on it.

Adamkus visits Yale

April 14 I attended a speech at the Macmillan Center at Yale by Lithuania's former President Valdas Adamkus. BTW, he was the European Union's "Man  of the Year" for, I believe, 2009.  Adamkus spoke on the importance of education in helping Lithuania make the transition from communist vassal state to a liberal democracy.

Little known fact: I cooked a lunch for President Adamkus and his wife Alma when they visited Vaiva and me at our home in Riese, a suburb of Vilnius.  I remember most vividly the arrival of the  Presidential cortege turning into our driveway, the state limousines decorated with Lithuanian flags.

Correction

Mrs. Valukas read the entire hard copy of the blog. She offered one important correction, to this post.

Mociute was not getting a doctorate in the photo, as the title stated.  She already had a doctorate, from the  Sorbonne in Paris.  Alas, that PhD did not qualify her for employment in America.  So she went to Columbia University and achieved a Master's Degree in Library Science, which she parlayed into a long teaching career at Southern Connecticut State University.

Your editor regrets his confusion.

Sixteen months

Vaiva died sixteen months ago today.  I miss her so much.

Presenting Lithuania to the New Haven community

At Yale's International Day, Vaiva and the members of the New Haven Lithuanian Women's Club displayed cultural artifacts, such as the wayside cross, the linen table cloths, the loom, and Lithuanian books. They put an exceptional amount of effort into these events, because they were so proud of their efforts to preserve the Lithuanian culture.  From the left, Vaiva, Mrs. Jonynas, Mrs. Valukas, a young woman I don't recognize, Vaiva Vaisnys, and Lijole Zidonis. [CLICK on the photo to see the whole thing].

Parade

Waiting to enter the hall at Yale  for International Day.  Vaiva is holding the Lithuanian flag, Vaiva Vaisnys has the Vytis, the Lithuanian shield.   From the left, you can see a glimpse of Vaiva's aunt  Lijole, behind Mrs. Jonynas, then Mrs. Valukas and Mrs. Leikus.  I don't recognize the woman directly behind Vaiva. The ladies are showing off the  diversity of national costumes.

Mama's Preserves

The preserves are at an end. Today saw the last of Mama's '06 Apple Butter go the way of my kefir pancakes. It was very good butter.

Mrs. Valukas

Sigita asked me to present an award to Mrs. Valukas recognizing her long service to the Lithuanian-American community in New Haven. 

On my iPod today

Willie Nelson's Whiskey River:

Whiskey River, take my mind
Don't let a memory talk to me
Whiskey River, don't run dry
You're all I got, take care of me
I'm drowning in a Whiskey River
Bathing my memory's mind in the wetness of its soul
Feeling the amber current flowing from my mind
To warm an empty heart you left so cold