Seriously? Buffy??

As many of you know, I have recently gotten hooked on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; and having once shared the preconceived notions that are likely causing you to furrow your brow from confusion or even concern, I feel I should attempt to explain.

It should be noted, that I started watching the series on DVD. The TV medium, designed to keep us interested until our next weekly fix, can easily foster an obsession when supplied in concentrated doses. At least NetFlix has forced a two-day lull between disks.

Buffy is generally a hard show to talk about without sounding crazy. I inevitably end up using words like demon, vampire, werewolf, witch, dimensions... and their weirder contexts: "he's a vampire with a soul;" "yeah, her boyfriend's a werewolf, but it's only once a month, and they work through it;" or "she was a mystical ball of energy that the monks hid from the evil goddess by turning it into a human.” They don’t make it easy for fans to maintain credibility, but I’ll give it a shot.

While I did find the Buffy movie entertaining in that early-90's-cheese-fest kind of way, it’s important to know that the show is vastly different and better. The film was the source of most of my prejudices, but I eventually, at Krista’s suggestion, watched the first disk (4 episodes), partly expecting to be gathering evidence for my pre-judgments.

I can't say I loved it immediately, but I was surprised. The dialogue was quick and witty; the humor was corny and sarcastic; and the characters, endearingly nerdy—it was made for me. And Buffy, the teenager with super-strength and the destiny to defeat the forces of darkness… frankly, she’s one of the best heroes I know. She lives a life without secret hideouts or alter egos; a normal life with normal problems (not counting the “crazy” stuff, of course). She’s not dark and brooding (Batman, Wolverine), or saintly (Superman), or hopped up on her super-ness (Spiderman). She accepts her responsibility, struggling with it, but always managing to do the right thing even when it is unbearably painful.

Buffy’s greatest strength, the show’s and the girl’s, is the relationships and friendships. The monsters-of-the-week provide action scenes and unique conflicts, but the more familiar drama is why we keep watching.

It’s simply well-written with great characters and engaging stories. Joss Whedon the creator of the show has said, "I'd rather create a show that 100 people need to watch than 1000 people like to watch." This is why not everyone is going to like Buffy and why I tend not to recommend it; but it seems as though I’m one of those 100.

And yes, I am aware that I have now officially blogged about Buffy thus furthering my descent into the nerdy obsessed fan realm, but I hope this has provided an explanation for my new addiction... or at least more substantiated fuel for your Nicole-mocking fires.

Final Thoughts on India/Europe Trip

I'm back in Hawaii now, so I finally have time to reflect on my trips and come up with a summation of it all. The India and Europe trips so starkly contrasted one another that it would be senseless to talk about them as one--so I won't.

India was slower-paced, but while it should have been more demanding with high altitude hikes and very basic living conditions, I found it soothing and spiritual. We were quite active but allowed for plenty of time to absorb, relax, reflect. Joel and I were constantly engaging in political, psychological, or philosophical discussions; I completed four books; and having to "rough it" meant fewer distractions from both my external and internal environments. Cerebral exercise.

The landscapes we explored were like none I've ever confronted. While Alaska's peaks and glaciers were impressive, to say the least, I was not hiking and sleeping among them. There were multiple times when the sheer grandeur and spectacle of the Indian scene overwhelmed me, and my chest ached.

Other parts of India greatly tried my patience and tolerance. It was difficult being so obviously foreign and to the locals, so obviously rich. But Joel and I met great people along the way, from India and elsewhere, like France, Spain, Israel, Tibet, Australia, Poland, Canada--not so many Americans go to India.

I have little doubt that I will find myself in India again. Hopefully, next time I will be there in winter, so I can make it down south without melting in the 100+ degree heat; but if I do find myself there again in summer, there’s plenty more of the north I’d love to explore.

(Culture Shock? Interestingly, the most uncomfortable and out of place I've felt on any trip was in Heathrow Airport (outside London) after India.)

Europe was a whirlwind of cities and sites. (I’m really glad I kept a journal to help me remember what we did where.) We stayed just long enough in each city to realize that we weren't staying long enough: "This place is interesting; let's go." It was great to see so much, but I think I prefer taking it slower.

It was confounding to visit Auschwitz, the old Jewish ghetto of Budapest, and then Berlin; seeing the geographical source of the death and torture--while destruction normally upsets me--it was hard to feel bad that most of Berlin (a city hundreds of years old) was built only in the last 20 years. However, it was inspiring to see Berlin, having been through so much with the Nazis and Communists, was now thriving and doing so with full acknowledgment of their past (i.e., remnants of the Berlin wall, museum for the euthanized handicapped, tomb of the unknown concentration camp victim, memorial for the Jews).

My mother's generosity in paying for most of my Europe expenses (it was up to me to get there) allowed me to enjoy that part of the world, but I expect that for the next few years my trips will remain mostly in the southern hemisphere where I can afford to stay longer. I don't know where my next trip will be, but I look forward to it.

Almost...

Chuck and Dan left early this morning, and Mom and Krista just left. So here I am in Hamburg, Germany waiting for my turn. I'm spending tonight in London near Heathrow. I just booked a place which seems small but nice.

I'll be spending Saturday night and the first half of Sunday in New York City. Then to CT until Wednesday when I fly back to Hawaii.

See you when I see you!

Germany- Berlin

So while I'm in Europe that has more internet cafes and faster access, we have so little time in each city that taking the time to check email and post blogs just doesn't seem to make sense.

Since the last time I've posted, we've been to Budapest, Vienna, and are now in Berlin. Budapest was so alive with people and music; so much so that we were able to hear and even see a Brian Adams concert from our hotel room. (That's right, the musician that brought us musical classics like "All for One and All for Love.")

By the time we got to Vienna, our trip had been progressing at such a pace that it had become hard to keep up the energy to explore, but I think we did ok. This trip is providing quick tastes of cities but no meals, if you know what I mean. On our sleeper train to Berlin (oh, by the way, the Europe trains are--not surprisingly--better than the Asian ones), we were delayed two hours by a train strike. Ah, workers and their rights. Germany's really gotta get over that and get with the times. ;)

I really like Berlin. Since 85% of it was levelled in World War II, it's quite new. It feels really alive and as though it's filled with stuff to do. Plus, it's been such a huge part of history for the past 60 years: the hot and cold wars...

Berlin still tomorrow and then onto Hamburg for one night before we all fly out and part ways. I will first meet up with Mom in NYC/CT before flying back to Hawaii to meet up with the rest of the gang. Then I get to see doggies!!!!

Sorry I can't post any pictures; there's no access to the USB ports in this cafe. Just know that I'm in Europe, near old buildings (well, maybe not so old in Berlin), and smiling.