At Sea, 4/18

Another No Class Day!! Reduced library hours, BBQ for lunch, perfect sunny weather as we cross the Pacific. It doesn’t get any better. It was also declared to be Gay Pride Day, and in addition to arranging the BBQ, the gay student group put on a fun fashion show in the evening. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a really nice, inclusive event with an even mixture of gay and gay-supportive students and faculty. It was not a drag show, but an opportunity for people to show off the various outfits they’d acquired on the voyage, and do a little bit of vamping and dancing. The Union was packed and the audience was very appreciative!

In library news, we’ve started to see a lot more research requests as finals approach, and I’ve recently distributed a lot of proxy passwords to get to the databases. This week I put info in the Dean’s Memo about free, full-text searching in Academic OneFile, put up signs in the library, and added links to the library catalog to help students find the databases. Finding the best and most effective way to communicate our rich resources to students is a challenge when all they think they want is Google and Wikipedia. But here’s a great quote from one I did manage to reach this week:

“Who knew that the best resource in the library would be the librarian.”

Who knew! Made my day!

Domo Arigato, Mister Roboto, 4/11-4/14

One of our pre-port lectures on Japan was about robotics and technology, and it reminded me of the old Styx song. I had it in my head as I traveled around Japan. “You’re wondering who I am, machine or mannequin…” I was so impressed with Japan, our first 1^st World country since crossing the Atlantic. I suppose Japan is an easy place for a Westerner to love, after having been through countries and cultures that are so fundamentally different from the U.S. The streets are clean and quiet, the people are polite, if somewhat indifferent to my presence (which was actually refreshing!), but extremely helpful when asked a question.

We arrived in Kobe around 8am but had been forewarned that “clearing the ship” (for disembarking) would take hours because of the stringent immigration procedures. We all actually had to have our temperatures taken and had to meet face-to-face with immigration officers. The fascinating thing was how they got the temps for every single person on the ship, including the crew, seemingly without error, and in about an hour. Every one of us (about 1000 on the ship) had to pick up a card with our ID numbers and when called, were to march up to the staff lounge, single file, hand over our card, and walk briskly past this device that looked like a 35mm camera on a tripod, manned by a stern-looking immigration official. I was mightily impressed that the process seemed to achieve the desired result, and the ship was cleared quickly. Isn’t technology wonderful

Kobe was near the epicenter of a huge earthquake in 1995, you may remember, yet there was not a single sign of damage and destruction. The Japanese have a remarkable capacity and will to rebuild after complete devastation. One can’t help but reflect on and compare the rebuilding efforts after Katrina in our own 1^st World country. Beautiful Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples appear on many downtown streets, a quiet respite from the hubbub. We visited Kyoto to see more temples and shrines. They’re still talking about when GWBush visited in 2005 and took a few hours to see the sights (time perhaps he should have spent signing the Kyoto Protocol on global warming). Himeji (“white stork”} Castle was a highpoint of our time in Japan: surrounded by three moats, the castle was built of wood in 1333 and is notable for its effective defensive design. The main castle is 6 stories high and one can’t wear one’s shoes when climbing it, which must be for purposes of preservation. We especially enjoyed touring the peaceful gardens. And the cherry blossoms were spectacular! Blossoms floated in the air like snowflakes and covered the ground.

The best meal we ate was Kobe steak, which was prepared in front of us. The steak was beautifully marbled, and perfectly cooked, by our own personal chef. It was an elaborate and enjoyable (and expensive) dining experience! One of the best meals I’ve had on this voyage.