JACK BERNARD'S TRAVELS

Posted by jdbernard743

· August 30, 2009

A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet

But, how about skunk cabbage…

I love words. And, I love to write. I would rather write a letter or email than talk on the phone. Some people, like President Obama, are masters of the spoken word and quick to respond with a full grasp of the facts and the words that convey them. I’m not one of them; I like to have time to think through my response. I enjoy my friends and I like to talk to them, but for things of substance I like the written word.

But – as much as I love words and a well constructed letter, I sometimes completely miss the mindset and nuance that a reader might ascribe to them. I’ve been called to task twice in the last two weeks for my choice of words or the way they were delivered. It has made me acutely aware of the power and multiple meanings that some words carry and how they are strung together.

Marilynn took umbrage the other day when I blogged that “she works slowly and thoughtfully…” To her, the connotation was negative. “Slowly” was the objectionable word. When I said that I worked “quickly” it made her feel like she was being set up as a drudge. I deemed “thoughtfully” the operative word in the sentence, but she focused on “slowly”. She wanted me to change it to “methodically.” I said “Write your own blog if you don’t it.” Not a very thoughtful response probably. It was all lighthearted fun for us, although she still wanted me to change it.

The other instance of umbrage was not so lighthearted. I wrote a comment to a “friend” on Facebook that I intended as a joking rebuke for his long silence. I hadn’t heard from him for a long time, so I told him that if he wanted me to support a cause he was involved in he needed to ask me directly i.e. call or email me and make the request. He did not like my “comment” and told me it was snide and unwelcome. I tried to apologize, but it was not accepted and I am now “hidden” on his Facebook page. Was it the choice of words or something smoldering between us? I don’t know. I feel awful for the misunderstanding. I guess I’ll have to work a little more slowly and thoughtfully in the future.

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Categories : Saigon Diary, Uncategorized

Posted by jdbernard743

· August 28, 2009

· 1 Comment

My Grandmother was a Murphy

I first learned about the family’s law, “Murphy’s Law”, when I was in flight training in Pensacola. It’s a good one to keep in mind when you’re traveling at 300 knots per hour 50′ above the ground. Little things can cause big problems.

The law is also time sensitive. It always seems to kick in when time is of the essence, and it serves as a reminder that no matter how well we plan and prepare – shit happens. Marilynn and I are four days from lift-off to Vietnam. Not a lot of time to dally. She has work. I have work. We’re leaving our condo and trying to anticipate all the things we need to do before we leave. We have to pack for an extended stay in Vietnam. Blah, blah, blah.

So, it was a little upsetting to discover my wallet missing when we arrived in Oakland on Wednesday. Drivers licence, 4 credit cards, and 2 health insurance cards – that’s all. Nevermind that I didn’t have picture ID for the trip back to Seattle on Thursday or a credit card to pay for the stay in the Bay Area. What I really didn’t have was TIME to deal with it.

It was challenging. But, good karma kicked in. I called Alaska Airlines and reported the loss. I got a really nice young guy who empathized and who promised to call me back when he had some news. Surprise of surprises, he called back about an hour later to tell me they had found my wallet near the departure gate and it would be waiting for me when I got back in Thursday. It was a sketchy hour or two, but I was a happy camper when I got the news.

Everything worked out in the Bay Area. Marilynn paid for everything. We had one other moderately anxious moment when the wallet wasn’t at Alaska’s lost and found counter in Seattle. It had been sent to another off-airport facility and I had to wait until today to pick it up. Small price.

But, here’s the kicker: Marilynn needed to do some quick shoe shopping for the trip, so we stopped downtown on our way home. Guess what? This morning she couldn’t find her iPhone. You guessed it; gonzo. There are a lot of things to be said for good karma and a tech savvy assistant. Her assistant located the phone somehow, don’t ask me how, within a 4 block area in the Nordstrom/Eileen Fisher grid. Then she sent a text message to the phone that would appear on the display when it was turned on. Amazing. I was on my way downtown when I got a call from the manager at Eileen Fisher telling me she had the phone. Incroyable!!

Karma vs. Murphy. Karma won this one.

Categories : Saigon Diary, Uncategorized

Posted by jdbernard743

· August 25, 2009

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Time Management

I think I’m a very organized person – lines in the rug from the vacuum, jackets and shirts evenly spaced in the closet (maybe even by color), car washed, bookcase and CD’s by category, etc. You get the idea. But as organized as I think I am I realize now that I never really know the state of my personal and family affairs until I get ready to make a big move. I’m always surprised too; because although I think everything in my life is nice and tidy I really do have to make sure that my financial house is in order? I can’t just walk out the door and know that everything is going to take care of itself. How am I going to pay the bills when I’m away for months at a time? Are those three or four bank accounts all necessary or can I streamline things with one or two? If I pay my bills automatically, will they all come at one time even if my paycheck comes twice a month? Can I see all of my obligations online? Try it, you’ll see what I mean. The experience is a metaphor for all the loose ends we learn to live with.

With less than a week until we leave for Saigon we are learning the importance of time management and civility. There is only so much time and there are X number of things to get done. It would be easier if there weren’t two people involved. M and I work very differently. I work quickly and throw away everything I don’t use regularly. She works slowly and thoughtfully and saves everything she thinks she might need sometime in the future even if she hasn’t used or looked at in five years. My method seems impulsive and capricious to her and her method seems sluggish and inefficient to me. What we have learned from all of our travels and travails is that tolerance and civility will get us through to the end.

We’ll see how it goes in exactly one week.

Categories : Saigon Diary, Uncategorized

Posted by jdbernard743

· August 20, 2009

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So Many Good People

Years ago a friend of mine told me there are really only 600 important people in the world and if I lived long enough I would discover that I knew them all. It was hyperbole, of course, but I’m beginning to believe it’s true. I’ve lived long enough to discover that my network of friends overlaps with other networks to an amazing degree and these networks are full of amazing and world changing people.

This morning I met with Jerilyn Brusseau, the founder of PeaceTrees Vietnam. Jerilyn’s brother, Daniel Cheney, died when his helicopter was shot down in the Vietnam war. In 1995 Jerilyn founded PeaceTrees as a gesture of reconciliation between the people of America and the people of Vietnam. The organization has concentrated on the clearance of landmines and unexploded ordinance in Quang Tri province and the planting of trees on the cleared land.

Jerilyn and I are about the same age and our lives and friendships intersect in many ways. She’s one of the 600 important people I’m supposed to know, and even though we don’t know each other well we are clearly on the same path. In our relatively short meeting today we shared names and resources that will help us support each other’s work on behalf of the people of Vietnam. PeaceTrees‘ Executive Director, Blair Burroughs, pitched in as well and I think we’re well on our way to a new partnership and a collaborative sharing of human and other resources.

There are so many good people doing so many good things in the world. Sometimes it’s hard to remember this simple truth.

Categories : Saigon Diary, Uncategorized

Posted by jdbernard743

· August 19, 2009

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Get Out of Town and Live in the Moment

Every summer, until this one, Marilynn and I have spent most weekends riding our bikes and camping in the San Juan Islands. It’s a relatively short drive to Anacortes where we park the car and walk our bikes on the ferry. Our favorite island is Lopez. It’s rural. There’s very little traffic and the drivers always wave as they pass by. The “village” is folksy, not trendy, and there’s a great bakery, Holly B’s, and a terrific espresso place called Isabel’s.

This year our jobs have kept us on a short tether, but after working two weeks straight we managed to clear our schedules yesterday so that we could hook up with some friends from Portland who are camping on the island. We couldn’t quite do an overnight but we made a long day trip out of it. It’s amazing what effect a day away in a beautiful place can have.

The weather was perfect. The ferry ride was relaxing and riding up the hill from the ferry landing it felt like we had entered the Magic Kingdom. It was sensational to get away and ride through farmland and then along the water’s edge. Freshly mown hay and saltwater smells. We met up with our friends in the village and caught up on each other’s lives over some delicious sandwiches from Vita’s Deli.

After lunch we rode around the island. Marilynn hates the big hill leading up past Woodmen Hall, the old Grange building, but we did it and then rode past the little island church and cemetery. It was all relaxation – except for the hill.

On the way back to the 5:45 ferry we stopped at Isabel’s to tank up and we ran into two other friends who live on the island. By 9pm we were home, but it felt like we had been away for a week. Take a break every once in awhile and smell the flowers or the tideflats. It worked for us.

Categories : Saigon Diary, Uncategorized