The McGuirk World Tour 3.0

briSite

2005-05-17T16:38:00.000-04:00

Though it's in its rough stages (I set it up during breaks from writing final papers), I've finally managed to kick the blogger habit and set up my own site, brisite. It has all the former MWT entries, all my kind of miscellaneous stuff, and the stuff I'm writing about now. Notably not travel related, though I'm working on fixing that. There's always another adventure...

To Hell With Tom Wolfe

2004-12-24T08:24:00.000-05:00

You can go home again. And it can be beautiful. Merry Christmas, everybody. It feels great to be home.

Done

2004-12-15T04:46:00.000-05:00

Oh, and it feels so good. Off to party my last real night here.

A Walking Duality

2004-12-14T18:03:00.000-05:00

Such a weird place to be in right now. I am a walking duality. One part of me is just done, has had enough of India and its madness and its aggravation. This part of me is oh-so-ready for Paris and home, beyond that. Yet, at the same time, there is another part of me that is breaking up inside at the thought of leaving these people I've become so close to in the past 6+ months. Luckily I've

Taj Tomorrow and Beyond

2004-12-11T02:43:00.000-05:00

I'm off to Agra all day tomorrow to see the most beautiful building in the world. Check back soon to hear about it. In other news, I love you all and miss you desperately. Some more than others. ;) I'm counting down the days. For those not in the know, I'm going to Paris for a week on the 17th to see this hot art history student I met on the internet. She sure looked pretty in her

Tik ta?

2004-12-11T02:09:00.000-05:00

I think I just passed my Hindi exam. I'll know by Monday, but I felt pretty good. The last page was just incomprehensible. It was a dialogue between two girls speaking lots and lots of slang and I probably got 2 out of the 4 questions right. It was only maybe 5 percent of the grade, so I'm not that worried about it. I got the big stuff ok. I'm reticent to even post this, because any

Pushkar - Thoughts from the Mela

2004-12-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

"I don't remember anything. I only remember ideas and emotions," said Buck Mulligan. That's a bit like what my experience in Pushkar was like, though not exclusively. I can't help but wonder, though, when I look back at all this travel if that won't become my summary statement on it all. On verra. Nocturnal I hadn't been sleeping. For two weeks it was the cough. I'd sleep for 40 minutes

Happy Birthday, Grandpa

2004-11-20T23:28:00.000-05:00

I felt surprisingly close to my Grandpa yesterday, his 90th birthday, despite being well more than 7000 miles away. We left Delhi at 6am for Pushkar, in Rajasthan, to go to the Camel Fair. There were the preliminary signs, like the Indian man with the striking light blue eyes holding a baby. (My first memory of Grandpa is sitting in his lap on his chair next to the radio, just staring up into

Goodbye Kiddies

2004-11-09T02:26:00.000-05:00

Well, then. Just when I thought adults were reading this blog, a little microcosm of our political system erupted in the comments section of that last post. That's just great. So, as much as it pains me, I'm going to refrain from posting any of my political views atleast until I'm back home, because apparently you kids just can't keep it civil. I'm also disabling the comments for a few

A Patriotic Admission

2004-11-03T04:22:00.000-05:00

Until today, I had never once been embarrassed to be an American. Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Scene From Delhi - 7

2004-10-29T08:50:00.000-04:00

I sometimes take a cycle-rickshaw from St. Stephen's to Kumla Nagar to get on extremely high-speed internet at a cafe there, or go to McDonalds, or to buy books. It's 7 rupees door to door, maybe $.14. The cycle-rickshaws, like anyone, will haggle with you over 1 rupee and some occasionally refuse to go for less than 8. I refuse to go for more than 7. Today I took a cycle-rickshaw to KN

Scene From Delhi - 6

2004-10-29T08:41:00.000-04:00

At a small, 4-way intersection at the tip of Old Delhi, two cows block a small intersection. During a lull in traffic, they strategically wander into a staggered position that effectively cuts off traffic from all but one direction. Soon traffic piles up on all sides. The cows, one stark white and one jet black, both with long horns, don't budge. They don't seem to have any purpose doing what

Today is the Best Day of My Life

2004-10-28T01:04:00.000-04:00

My kids and grandkids will be out of the family unless they memorize the entire roster of the 2004 Red Sox. Victory. History. Sweet.

Scene From Delhi - 5

2004-10-27T07:02:00.000-04:00

At five, the bats still feast freely in the black blue night. They hunt in impossibly complex aerial maneuvers, swooping in at high speed just above the dreaded light of orange yellow streetlights to eradicate flies and mosquitoes who slam repeatedly into the faux suns like junkies needing their electromagnetic hit. At five fifteen, there is a precise and orderly changing of the aerial

Donaldson and the Red Sox

2004-10-27T05:48:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it. Even the biggest goddam defeatist in all New England is now jumping on the bandwagon. I thought he would write lots of contrite, don't-count-your-chickens pieces as he eased his way back into our collective good graces. But no. All he gives is one line two columns after his pithy little screed: I don't hesitate to say that I thought they were all done after that 19-8

Scene From Delhi - 4

2004-10-25T08:06:00.001-04:00

An old Tibetan man, in part of a monk's costume and blue jeans, wears, of all things, a Boston Red Sox hat as he walks down the street. I just have to ask him: "Are you a Red Sox fan?" "Sorry, sir, I am a Buddhist," he says in a heavy accent, not understanding my question. "Oh," I laugh. "So you know the suffering of the world." "Oh yes." "Yea, you're a Red Sox fan."

Scene From Delhi - 3

2004-10-25T07:43:00.000-04:00

A small child, maybe three years old, chases after me as I come out of a restaurant at Connaught Place. He tugs at my jeans as I reach for my cell phone. I stop and look down at him. He puts his open hand out, touches his mouth, touches his stomach: the holy trinity of Indian beggardom. His feet are bare and filthy, and one toenail looks mightily infected. His shorts are shoddily cut off at

Scene From Delhi - 2

2004-10-25T07:39:00.000-04:00

An old man with one leg hobbles up to an auto at rest on his one crutch while I stand on a streetcorner. He begs in a low rasp for money and is denied. As traffic starts to move, he hobbles back to the sidewalk. His black t-shirt says, in a loopy white script, "Definitely sexy." The next traffic set stops, and he hobbles back out. Some cruel high school girls make fun of him, and he

Scene From Delhi - 1

2004-10-25T07:37:00.000-04:00

As I pull up to a light in the back of an auto, I hear the familiar St. Loo-loop of Nelly's "Hot in Here." I look out the opening in the auto and turn around to see where it's coming from. The auto just behind us is bumping. The women passengers are clad in black, pre-2001, Kabul-chic burkkas, totally unmoving while the auto-wallah bounces his head to the beat. "So take off all your

President Bush has a Point

2004-10-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

Decisive can be a good thing. Real update soon, I promise.

Into the Desert

2004-09-23T11:40:00.000-04:00

My friends dragged me, kicking and screaming, out of Delhi this weekend. Mike: "Brian, you need to <>-ing leave this city. You're coming with us." So I went to Jaipur. We took the bus at 2:30 on Saturday from Rajasthan House in New Delhi, right near India gate. We could have taken the 1:45, but Nisha admitted to me that she just wanted the nice AC Volvo bus. By the time Mike and Chrissy

Victory

2004-09-22T10:48:00.001-04:00

I should preface all this by saying that I have a massive update/story to tell you all about my trip last weekend to Jaipur, a place about 5 hours southwest of Delhi. It's in Rajasthan, the desert state of India. It was quite cool, and I wrote a lot, which I'm transcribing from my journal right after I post this. So what's this? Well, I debated today in my first big debate tournament with my

Delhi at Noon and Midnight

2004-09-09T15:36:00.000-04:00

At noon, Delhi is scorching. The BBC, a growing addiction of mine, reports that it's hit 42 degrees Celcius (107.6F) the last few days. Even seasoned Dilliwallas complain about it. The heat is always something you can commiserate over with the most hijacking of Autowallas: B: "Aj garum hai, nahi?" Hot today, no? A: "Haji, bahut garum." Yes sir, very hot. B: "Engine tik, garum-mai hai?"

Reasons India is Driving Me Crazy

2004-09-04T05:48:00.000-04:00

NOTE: There are tons of exceptions to all these generalizations, but all of these hold in the general. Sorry this is such a generally negative entry, but I've just been fed up with this stuff lately. You want to know how I'm feeling in India? This is a pretty accurate assessment. St. Stephen's I go to St. Stephen's College, arguably the most elite liberal arts institution in this India.

Conjured images

2004-08-29T04:19:00.000-04:00

It feels like: :: The sounding of "drums in the deep" from the Mines of Moria, in Lord of the Rings. :: The high-pitched whistle of a bomb dropped from a cargo bay. :: The screech of brakes and friction-melted rubber on pavement, just before the crunch. :: The metallic cocking of a gun, in the hands of someone viciously motivated. :: The tightness you feel when you've

On a better note

2004-08-28T04:38:00.000-04:00

Couple things: :: You can now email posts you like. Tell your friends. :) :: If you want a better, more artistic look at India than my crap pictures that I'll be posting here from time to time, check out this site. This guy is really a brilliant photographer and his India series is just constantly evocative of my experiences here. If nothing else, his photos are beautifully shot, for

Old Delhi

2004-08-22T04:48:00.000-04:00

Old Delhi used to be the capital of the Mughal Empire. It was one of the most decadent and beautiful cities in the world. On equal par with anything Paris, London, Rome, or Constantinople could throw at it. A clear canal used to run through the middle of Chandni Chowk and reflect the moonlight. The whole of the old city was made up of beautiful mansions and fountains punctuated every

While we're on the excellent article kick...

2004-08-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

Ted Turner, media mogul, CNN founder, Brown Class of '60, has a beef with Big Media. It's an absolutely brilliant article that just takes apart the ridiculous standing of modern American media anti-trust policy. Like the article I linked to below, it would be a good article on its own, but significant weight is added to its conclusions based on the author. Just read it and call your

The Best Article I've Ever Read

2004-08-18T04:37:00.000-04:00

Just read it: "The son of the fortieth president of the United States takes a hard look at the son of the forty-first and does not like what he sees." Politicians will stretch the truth. They'll exaggerate their accomplishments, paper over their gaffes. Spin has long been the lingua franca of the political realm. But George W. Bush and his administration have taken "normal" mendacity to a

Tea

2004-08-16T15:54:00.000-04:00

Fair warning: This is a long, detailed entry about something very small and unimportant. As entries go, feel free to skip this one, but I liked it and had to post it. Today I had 7 cups of tea. I never liked tea a lot, really, until I came to India. This past semester I'd go to Tealuxe and do work, etc. It wasn't about the tea, though, it was about the environment, the people-watching,

Hey There, Neighbor

2004-08-16T08:36:00.000-04:00

This weekend was Independence Day Weekend. It's not the biggest state holiday in India, but it's probably second after Republic Day in January. Of course the state holidays are nothing compared to religious festivals like Diwali, which is in November this year and promises to be a blast. But Independence Day is a different kind of occasion. Much celebrating, like our 4th of July, but with a

Excuse me, three

2004-08-11T22:57:00.000-04:00

I just got the most indignant instant message from my sister. She's indignant that I thought there only 2, and not 3, McGuirks "truly in cyberspace." So, in the spirit of truth and the hope that with a wider audience Amy will improve her writing to not use so much "IM-speak," hereis Amy's blog. She's getting to have nearly as much travel experience as I do, and hopefully that will be more

Vis

2004-08-10T03:18:00.000-04:00

Expect some changes around here. I'm tired of the color scheme and I can't have Uncle John's site start to look better than mine. :)

Assorted Thoughts

2004-08-09T21:38:00.000-04:00

:: My English spelling has become just terrible. It was always pretty good, something I could be proud of, but thinking simultaneously in English, French, and now Hindi is just terrible for that sort of thing. I've made tons of simple mistakes lately (probably on this blog), and I keep wondering if I'm going to start writing an entry on how I bought a new book by saying "J'ai ach�t� this kitab

Official

2004-08-08T23:09:00.000-04:00

It took until today, as far as I know, but Nomar is finally off the Red Sox.com banner: It's official. God help us.

Debate

2004-08-07T02:45:00.000-04:00

The St. Stephens Debating Society, the word goes, is probably the most elite debating society in India. They throw a debating tournament in November that attracts debators from all over Delhi, all over India, and all over Asia at large (good teams from Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Bangkok). Former winners of this tournament include former Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, and heads of major

Monkey Wars

2004-08-06T02:09:00.000-04:00

I almost don't believe this, and if I weren't in India I wouldn't think that it was true, but the Asian Age reported yesterday that companies are now buying trained langurs (big, black-faced, white-furred monkeys that I threw rocks at in the mountains) to defend their buildings against typical rhesus monkeys that are all over Delhi. These trained langhurs will patrol the grounds of a given

Good Management

2004-08-04T03:38:00.000-04:00

Today I was walking through Kumla Nagar, a long street of markets near college. It was near lunch time and it had been a while, so I decided to get McDonalds. I just beat the lunchtime rush, which came in after me. The staff were getting more overwhelmed as my order was being processed and people kept coming in and getting in line. They got my fries and coke very quickly, then promised to

On the Benefits of Taking Notes on a Laptop

2004-08-04T02:50:00.000-04:00

So I've been taking notes on my shiny new gift from God/my parents: an Apple Powerbook G4, 15" w/ Superdrive. It's easily the coolest thing I've ever owned. It is successfully the beautiful center of my digital life. The book comes with the newest version of Microsoft Office X, which incidentally is the best product Microsoft makes. I cannot understand how such a good product with such

The Lost Boys

2004-08-02T03:30:00.000-04:00

I know this is entirely random, but for any adults out there who want to understand my generation, you should definitely check out this article. It's a really interesting look into the minds and habits of men ages 18-34. I know for a fact that over 10 regular readers of this site have children in that age group, so you'd do well to check it out. it's all seen through the lens of advertising,

Maddening

2004-08-02T02:38:00.000-04:00

Can I just read you the headline from RedSox.com's homepage regarding last night's game against the Twins: Pedro Martinez fanned eleven and Orlando Cabrera homered in his first at-bat, but his error in the eighth let in the eventual winning run on Sunday. Check the 14th word in that little paragraph. Error. It means someone on the defense screwed up. In this case, it was the guy that

Rain

2004-08-01T22:50:00.000-04:00

Well, it finally happened. Late last night, after I got back from seeing Spider-Man 2 again (!), the rains started. It started off very light and almost illusory, growing into a full, unabated torrential downpour at one point. At various points throughout the night and early this morning, it varied regularly between these two extremes. Now, as I'm getting ready to go to school, it has faded

Tell me this is just a bad dream

2004-07-31T23:04:00.000-04:00

I don't believe it. Nomar is gone. Tell me this is not true. I'm always going to miss Nomar. He was my favorite member of the Red Sox for a long, long time. I thought he got totally shafted this winter when we thought about trading him in a side-trade to the White Sox. He's one of the best players in the game and you want to trade him in a side-trade involving another shortstop?

DSL woes...

2004-07-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it's in. It works. Technically. I can access many websites, I can download some of my non-brown email accounts. I can even use AOL Instant Messenger. But I can't access a whole plethora of necessary sites: brown.edu, columbia.edu, mlb.com, washingtonpost.com, wired.com. It's a crapshoot to find out what sites are going to work and which ones are not. Notably, none of the

Kerry

2004-07-29T23:11:00.000-04:00

Wow. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of John Kerry's speech today. Granted, I didn't see Clinton or Obama, so I don't really know what the high bar was for this convention, but as an acceptance speech for a candidate for high office in a very serious time, I think he did quite well. Where he usually stiff and inaccessible and long-winded, he was brief, rolling, and hammered his

Wildlife

2004-07-28T02:13:00.000-04:00

I'm in class right now, and the discussion has devolved into a very idiosyncratic, microcosmic analysis of a part of a problem that used to be interesting. So I was looking through my bag to check my schedule for my next class, when a spider jumped out of my bag at me. It was only maybe an inch plus across, but it jumped! It missed me and fell on the floor, where it proceeded to walk a few

Classes

2004-07-27T02:49:00.000-04:00

At St. Stephen's, I'm probably going to be taking the following classes: :: Indian Government :: The Problem of Economic Development and Policy :: Greek Philosophy I've had the Government class and the development class already. Both are really interesting. Teachers here really are a force to be reckoned with. Case in point: during my development class, the teacher had been

Technical difficulties - Updated

2004-07-26T01:45:00.000-04:00

DSL still isn't working. Sorry. Will try to update as soon as possible with something of interest. UPDATE: Okay, after much unsuccessful harassment, we've pretty much decided to switch DSL companies. I'm in the process of pricing out other offers. Regardless of who we choose, it's unlikely that we'll get anything installed before the weekend. Alas. So I'll continue to use the

This Afternoon...

2004-07-21T00:53:00.000-04:00

We shall be DSL-powered. Then I can update from the apartment, use instant messenger, and all kinds of fun things like that. Can't wait to talk to you all more.

Thoughts On the Return

2004-07-20T03:11:00.000-04:00

Party We had a going away party last Friday night. It was a nice event, all around, with some hilarious moments, of which I'll share an edited few: :: Me being the only sober person for 8 hours straight. :: Twenty University of California students showing up at the same time. None of them wanted to drink, and almost all of them looked at us like we were totally crazy. :: This

Delinquent

2004-07-16T02:45:00.000-04:00

Sorry, but for some reason this post got deleted in mid-publish. I can't really explain it. Hopefully it works out this time. So, all right, you can all stop emailing me: I'm still alive and well. I've really been rather busy lately. Unbelievably, actually. But on the 6 hour journey home, I promise to attempt to fully describe the events of the last few weeks. These include: :: July

Oh and by the way...

2004-07-07T07:05:00.000-04:00

::I hate the Yankees. At least we just routed Oakland and they lost to... Detroit: the doormat of, well, everywhere. I can't wait for October. ::Kerry-Edwards! Brilliant! It's in the bag, baby. Those of you who made bets with me, just remember this: 9+. God, what great news. ::My friend here has put me to shame. She's got wicked Delhi-belly. Twenty times worse than I ever even

Hindi

2004-07-07T06:40:00.000-04:00

When I was first learning French, there was a point where I was really falling behind. My whole academic philosophy was "I don't really care" at that point, so it didn't really phase me. I figured I'd figure it out eventually. After a long bout of lackluster quizzes and tests, Mr. Lisi sent a note home to my parents. This was maybe a semester and a half or so into my freshman year of high

Nuttin happenin...

2004-07-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry I'm not writing more, but really it's all same'ol, same'ol. Except for this weekend. Saturday We went to SIDH: The Society for the Integrated Development of the Himalayas. They run schools in villages that are too small to have a state-run school. Interesting philosophy on education: very holistic. This visist deserves an update of its own, but I've yet to really coalesce my

Praise the Lord and Hallelujah, pretty much...

2004-07-02T23:08:00.000-04:00

Unbelievably, almost inconceivably, my back has been made better not through Jack Daniel's, Advil and TLC, but hot water, funky Indian stretching exercises, and a non-rock-hard bed. Unbelievable. I have to admit, the other method is actually a bit more fun, but what are you gonna do? In a nice new bit of hilarity, just as the sneezy, blurry, pain-induced haze of the back pain was fading

Pain - hilarity

2004-07-01T00:49:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is just getting a little ridiculous. My back is still killing me, though the stretching/hot water bottle combo is quite nice. To add to that, I woke up this morning to some kind of allergy attack. I've been sneezing and blowing my noze all day. I can't wait to get back to the house and take a Zertec. The hilarious part is that every time I sneeze my whole body shakes and I bend,

Pain, continued...

2004-06-30T05:53:00.000-04:00

Yea, the only update I can really give on my life is that my back still hurts like hell. I've been doing these exercises that my school principal taught me. They help a bit, but they more reduce the conflagration to a smoulder, if that makes some kind of sense. I'm gonna go the hot-water bottle route tonight, and I've already changed rooms to a more accomodating mattress. Hope you all are

Pain

2004-06-27T12:58:00.000-04:00

My back has been killing me for two straight days. This happens occasionally, and no doctor yet has given me a good reason. People here, locals and hippies alike, have suggested acupuncture. Apparently there are some good people in Mussoorie. I don't know what I think about that, but I do know that I'm in rather excrutiating pain a lot of the time. It's driving me nuts. I've just taken a

The View from Valley View

2004-06-26T15:52:00.000-04:00

If you, the uninformed observer, woke up at 4:03 this afternoon on my porch, you would have no idea where you were. The fog was so thick, so enveloping in dulled and silvering mid-afternoon light, that visibility was maybe 10 feet at best. Beyond you could be anything. The temperature was cool, the breeze was just shy of swift. For all you knew you could be looking at the sea. A sniff of

Empty Nest

2004-06-25T15:03:00.000-04:00

Amy leaves for Europe today. Now at least both the McGuirk kids will be on the same landmass... I wonder what my parents will do with a totally quiet house? I'm interested to find out.

Elite

2004-06-25T15:01:00.000-04:00

How cool am I? Just got a fresh new gmail account. it's bmcguirk then at gmail dot c0m. That's gonna be my primary address at least till I get back in delhi. Much love. Be safe all of you.

The Routine

2004-06-25T14:10:00.000-04:00

So, here's been my daily schedule this week, with little variation: 7:00AM - Get up. Check out the view from my window. Roll out of bed. 7:10AM - Run around the loop. I'm a real bitch so I probably stop once or twice. 7:40AM - Get back. Shower. 7:50AM - Breakfast downstairs: Tea, toast, eggs, occasionally fruit. 8:00AM - Leave for school. Walk up the massive stairs in the thin air.

Short Observations of the Hindi Language

2004-06-22T06:46:00.000-04:00

Brilliant. Very tonal. Very logical script. Maddeningly precise pronunciation requirements. Heavy. Wide variety of sounds.

Landour

2004-06-20T05:31:00.000-04:00

Yea, I'm here. I have a sizable update to post later, but we have a meeting with the principal of the language school in like an hour and I have to get back. No net in the house, we have to walk for like 10 minutes. Not bad at all, I think. Random note: I've been going to bed before midnight and waking up before 7 every day that I've been in India. Am I turning into my mom? :) Worse

Delhi to Dehradun

2004-06-19T05:08:00.000-04:00

Absolutely insane day yesterday, demolished entirely by today. Today: We awoke at 5:15 in order to catch our train at 6:45. The taxis should have been here at 6:00, to be loaded and departed by 6:05. Only three of us were truly ready by 6:05, so there was that. Aided multiple people in bringing bags down. The taxis didn't arrive at the hotel till 6:25. Madness ensued. After loading our

Hot

2004-06-17T04:28:00.000-04:00

Friggin hot here. Internet time is also rather at a premium. That's the bad news. The good news is that we go to the mountains on Saturday morning and it's supposed to be fantastic there right now. Also, the house (yes house) that we're staying in in Landour has cable and an internet connection. Hotness. So there'll be blog updates/emails from out there. Not a tremendous amount to update

Delhi - First Impressions

2004-06-16T02:27:00.000-04:00

Big. Dirty. Crazy. Rather backward. They speak a funny english ("Don't bamboozle me. We might have to tussle.") Half-stepping embrace of law and order. We're actually at a hotel for the first couple nights, apparently. Close to our program coordinator Brinda who lives down the street here in South Delhi. Brinda seems great. Very warm and mother-like, which, I admit, I really could use

Somewhere Over Kabul

2004-06-16T02:05:00.000-04:00

It's odd, flying over one of the most miserable places in the world. Below me reigned the Taliban. Below me, somewhere, lives Osama bin Laden. Yet I'm 1:08 from a massive, if imperfect, democratic institution. Such an odd world, this one. I'm completely exhausted, which is good because I might be able to slide back into something resembling a normal sleep schedule. No regrets at all

Amsterdam - WiFi is everywhere

2004-06-15T02:29:00.000-04:00

God bless whoever invented 802.11 wireless networking. I'm in Amsterdam, currently, and there's this excellent little WiFi service here with which I'm going to occupy my time until my flight to Delhi. The flight here was fine. Cramped. Dad's appellation of coach as "steerage" was dead on. Northwest is almost as bad as budget lines like EasyJet and RyanAir and Southwest. Just keep

Logan

2004-06-14T17:09:00.000-04:00

How hot is this? WiFi at Logan Airport. I hemmed and hawwed, but I realized that this is the last consistent internet access I might have for maybe a month or so. It's not all that expensive anyway (really, Dad). Last night and today have been crazy. The people came over and we had a chill last evening together. My family was in fine form. The party didn't really end till this morning.

With a hop, a skip and a jump...

2004-06-14T12:12:00.000-04:00

Here I go. Holy crap. Here's the deal: Northwest Airlines, Boston to Amsterdam (um...), Amsterdam to Delhi, arriving in Delhi at 10:50PM local time. The schedule: June 17th: Go to the Landour Language School in Mussoorie June 21-July 12th: Landour Language School, Himilayan foothills July 16th: Semester starts at St. Stephen's College I'll update with more pertinent dates

Countdown continues...

2004-06-13T12:31:00.000-04:00

Jesus. In 30 hours I'll be off to the other side of the world. How the hell did that happen? I'm honestly at a loss. I'm not packed, I'm not really mentally prepared. About the only things really in order are the documents, and I had to be forced at gunpoint to do them. That's not to say that I'm reticent to go or that I don't want to go, it's just that I can't quite bring myself to believe

Golf

2004-06-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

Oh, I'm gonna miss this. Woke up early today and played a round of golf with my oldest friend, Walter. We started on the back nine, and I did really rather shitty. 55, gross. When we came in from the back nine, we decided to play 9 holes of match play. I shot lights out. 42. Best 9 holes of my life, basically. Walt, who plays club golf for UVA, shot 41 and, for the match, beat my by 1

According to Camus...

2004-06-09T14:24:00.000-04:00

"Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question."

3.0

2004-06-09T06:13:00.000-04:00

Still on Blogger, but check out the new digs. This is the 3.0. The thrizzy, as some would say. The first version was my (now mostly broken but still legible) geocities site. Version 2.0 was this site, mcguirk.blogspot.com, in its original form. 3.0 is new and improved, utilizing some of the features of the Great Blogger Relaunch (tm) like commenting and better behind-the-scenes stuff that

Photoblog test - Look at that ugly mug

2004-06-07T11:51:00.000-04:00

Best picture of me ever taken.

2002-06-13T15:10:00.000-04:00

The Totals 1 new years eve 6 months 5 currencies 2 websites ~200 pictures 12 countries 50 million annoying frenchmen 3 wallets 300+ goodbyes 300+ new friends 2 full notebooks 1000+ emails 4 freaky experiences 5 days off 10 good friends that thought I was kidding 3 things lost 82 hours on a plane 102 hours on a train �� thoughts of home �� new experiences �� memories 1

2002-06-09T10:20:00.000-04:00

McGuirk on Budapest Budapest was cool. It's hard to explain what I saw exactly. The thing that stuck with me was how hard hit it was by communism. I'm really starting to get an honest sense of how many people were pawns in communist expansion, and how much better capitalism is for the average person than communism. Communism is just like nazism, actually, in its ease to adoption. It provides

2002-06-07T12:29:00.000-04:00

Galleria degli Uffizi They say that 80% of the world's great artworks are in Italy, and 60% of those are in Florence. I hit the two most notable galleries today, Uffizi and Accademia and have come to a sorry conclusion: I am museumed out. If I did just see 60% of the world's great art, I missed it. I just was unable to appreciate just about everything. The two most impressive things I saw

2002-06-07T07:56:00.000-04:00

Firenze Dear god the food is good here. Cheap, too. I just spent 10euro on a lunch that was a big bowl of spaghetti bolognase, bread, wine, and sorbet and coffee for dessert. Perfecto. Now it's off to the Uffizi and the Duomo (never got there yesterday due to a hostile hostel problem). Much love.

2002-06-07T07:50:00.000-04:00

Lord of the Rings and Southerners You know, I'm not usually into fantasy of this kind at all, but I picked up the Hobbit at the Munich train station and read it straight through on the way to Budapest. Now I'm reading the Lord of the Rings and it's honestly extremely difficult to put down. So skillfully done from a variety of aspects: linguistics, drama, pace, depth, accessibility, scope,

2002-06-06T06:59:00.000-04:00

Les sents du voyage Yet another night basically without sleep. This train ride was actually worse than the one with the drunken Russians, from Budapest to Munich, as it was a bit more unnvering. I had a couchette and below me was a gypsy woman and her maybe four year old son, next to her bunk was a rather large spanish woman, above me was a vietnamese cigarette addict, and next to him was a

2002-06-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

Good Thing I Learned in the Past Six Months #7 For all its faults, America is the greatest country on earth. This just in... Bush is still an idiot. Good Thing I Learned in the Past Six Months #8 Even though Bush is an idiot, not all Republicans are evil and want to do harm to portions of the population they don't like or agree with. Good Thing I Learned in the Past Six Months #9

2002-06-05T09:16:00.000-04:00

Paris - Touchdown Crazy week. Amazing, even. It was just the perfect balance of people, time, places, views, rests, walks, rain, weather, warmth and cool. Everyone was all smiles the whole week. We saw what we wanted, had great food, soaked in the Parisien atmosphere. Probably the best week of this whole trip, and that's truly saying something. I just came back from Charles de Gaulle

2002-05-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

Good Thing I Learned in the Past Six Months #6 Lennon was right. All you need is love.

2002-05-29T11:27:00.000-04:00

Paris - Liftoff So psyched to see Mom, Liz and Aunt Nancy. Life is good, but unfortunately really busy. I'm sure I'll be hitting up the late night internet cafes while I'm here and the rest of the group sleeps. I always end up doing that... Hope all is well. Much love.

2002-05-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

Visuals Just uploaded 54 pictures from across europe (placed in the aply titled 'Across Europe' Gallery). Dig them. I'll add descriptions later, maybe tomorrow night before my people arrive in Paris. Much love! I'm outta here...

2002-05-27T13:04:00.000-04:00

Budapest Is lovely. But, unfortunately, I have to go to Paris. I'll update for real when I get there. Wish me luck on my 19 hour train trip. This is almost as bad as Australia.

2002-05-26T19:18:00.000-04:00

Good Thing Learned in the Past Six Months #3 America is the most powerful thing in the world, and maybe 5% of America knows it. Good Thing Learned in the Past Six Months #4 The X-Files were right. Trust no one. Read everything. Read The Economist, the New York Times, The Times of London, National Review. This relates to number five. Good Thing Learned in the Past Six Months #5

2002-05-24T16:29:00.000-04:00

Casualties The first real casualty on this trip was my ankh necklace that I left in Sydney. My understanding is that Chris was nice enough to send that back to me. Net result: I�m still in possession of my necklace. Second casualty: my towel that I left in Dublin on the edge of my bed. Air dry or recycled t-shirt ever since. Not really an issue and I might just �confuse� a white t-shirt

2002-05-23T11:26:00.000-04:00

Episode II You have no idea how long I�ve waited for this movie. You roll your eyes, and you say �Um, since the last one?� Technically, you should be right, but this was the movie that Episode I should have been, and I waited for that for a long, long time. I remember my friend Brendan talking with me when I was little about the �Prequels� and how Lucas was going to wait to make them till he

2002-05-22T19:13:00.000-04:00

Arbeit Macht Frei I didn�t want to go. I really didn�t. I tried to con myself into believing that reading books about the Holocaust and seeing Schindler�s List was enough. I don�t need to see this, I thought. My trip, to now, and with limited exceptions, has been an entirely pleasurable experience. �Why change that?� I asked myself. It was a rhetorical question. I knew I had to go to

2002-05-20T19:35:00.000-04:00

Munich That seriously seemed like the longest voyage of my life. Even Australia, which took over a day of travel to complete, felt less long than this. Berlin->Munich is killer. Even the ICE, the InterCityExpress, Germany�s shiny new technogism of a train, which goes at amazing speeds for most of the voyage, took forever on this trip. It wasn�t even really the time that killed me so much.

2002-05-20T19:25:00.000-04:00

Good Thing Learned in the Past Six Months #2 Friends and family are the most important commodity in the world.

2002-05-20T19:23:00.000-04:00

Good Thing Learned in the Past Six Months #1 I�m not always right.

2002-05-19T13:17:00.000-04:00

Berlin part drei - T minus 10 I can�t really place why, but I was so tired this morning. I slept through everything. The train. The Moulin Rouge soundtrack I heard playing at one point outside my door. The rain. The thunder. The morning. I just slept. I don�t know why I was so tired. Cool conversations last night with Marie-Anne, from Quebec City, Quebec, and this guy from Hong Kong.

2002-05-18T13:06:00.000-04:00

Berlin part zwei Berlin is really a very cool city. Beautiful weather here, thus far. It�s been like 70 with spotless skies the whole time I�ve been here. It even has that nice early-summer feel at night; reminds me of the Cape, actually: cool enough to warrant a sweater, but just warm enough to permit sandals. And stars. One can actually see some stars here, which is extremely odd for a

2002-05-16T17:14:00.000-04:00

Berlin ...is less insane than Amsterdam. Though that wouldn�t be all that hard. Amsterdam is what George Orwell described as a double-think. This place accepts that 2 and 2 are 5 and you believe it even though that rational side of you knows it�s wrong. What the Dutch consider normal, everyday things, the rest of the world stops and looks around waiting for someone to stop them from

2002-05-16T05:55:00.000-04:00

Amsterdam I definitely need to get out of here. Updates later from a non-insane place. Holy God...

2002-05-13T17:17:00.000-04:00

Not fa nothin� Booked my ticket to Brussels, tomorrow. Short train ride (1.5 hours or so, I believe) from there to Amsterdam. If I have time, I�m going to have lunch with a friend of mine from Nice who lives in Waterford, Ireland. It�s been raining since last night, here, and it�s starting to really annoy me. Especially since it�s so inconsistent: It�ll be pouring down rain, then the next