Japantown and Art on the Edge

On Sunday August 20th, I visited Keith, a fellow Purdue colleague, in San Jose. This city is home to one of the the last three remaining Japantowns in the USA. Similar to a Chinatown, it was formed by a community of Japanese immigrants looking for work during the industrial revolution. Keith and I tasted fresh Pluots (a Plum/Apricot hybrid) at the local farmer's market, saw a Buddist church, and toured the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. It chronicled Japanese history from immigration through the Internment (American concentration camps) and present day life. I especially liked photo 611. In photo 612, Ian, our tourguide, shows us his Grandfather's suitcase during the Internment.

I also visited the San Jose Museum of Art and reveled in the Art on the Edge exhibit. It showcased modern art that experiments with digital technology.
(616) a 30ft semi-circle matrix of cells that instantaneously downloaded and showed text from chat rooms. A computer voice would read random ones aloud, sometimes one hundred at a time and at different speeds, such that it created music. Plus the cells would light up in patterns. This picture shows every cell lit.
(618) globes that visually show world statistics such as GDP, average life span and internet accessability.
Check out this video that highlights the exhibit.

Pyramid Peak and Horsetail Falls

On Saturday August 19th, I went hiking with Sierra Club into Desolation Wilderness. The term "Desolation" denotes that it is machine-free (no chainsaws or cars) and that no improvement can be done on it. It is pure wilderness.

We started at ~6000ft, climbed (hands and feet) 1200ft in 0.5 miles next to Horsetail Falls and hiked (only feet) to the top of Pyramid Peak (9987ft). It was amazing! Here are descriptions of some of my photos:
(565) A cairn or a set of stones serving as a trailguide.
(584) Me holding a snowball
(586) Our leader was Dave, a 70 year old cancer survivor who attributes his success to hiking and cross-country sking.
(557) Dave is showing me the spot rescue teams found a girl caught in the waterfall hydraulic for three weeks. They had to stop the flow of water to find her. I'm not sure how they could do that.
(591) The group enjoying a honeydew with a orange center. My melon was a hit although it was heavy on the way up.
(595) The highest point of Pyramid Peak. People keep trying to pile up stones so it will reach over 10,000 ft.
(604) Lover's Leap. Aptly named for those Romeo and Juliet types

Stuck in Lodi with CCR

My dinner was interrupted by a constant buzz of music coming from outside. So, I finished my "Jack in the Box" chicken sandwich and walked toward the music. It sounded like piano music. As I got closer, I was barred entrance to a dinner party that was patrolled by security guards and closed off to the public by a six and a half foot fence! After 30 minutes of schmoozing the volunteer security guards, I learned that Creedence Clearwater Revival would be playing later as the headliner for some charity event, but they wouldn't let me in.

So, I walked back to my apartment and invited my neighbors to this free concert behind the big fence. Amanda, Brandon and Frankie posed for this picture as we listened to CCR. It was very surreal for me to hear the song "Lodi" in Lodi. We danced and had a good time.

The Governator sends his regards

That's right Governor Schwarzenegger personally sent a letter to me. Can you believe it! My first piece of mail from a well-known celebrity. Granted, I did have to pay 26 dollars for the letter and my new driver's license, but I would say it is well worth it.

I am never buying melons again!

People ask me, "So what do you do, like in your job?" Well, this last week the breeder and I evaluated hybrid melons in the field. My job is to cut open the melons and measure firmness and sugar content of the flesh. She rates everything else, like fruit color and agronomic qualities. We also taste each melon! It was common to spit it out because there were so many to taste.

Another cool thing about this job is that I speak Spanish every day. There is about one Mexican for every non-Mexican at our facility. It is strange and exciting to be a part of this culture. We would never get our research done without there help and they really enjoy working for $7-8/hr. Btw, we hire only legal workers.

The Mexican people also influence the culture in Lodi. For example, Mike and I quickly found a favorite eating spot that we affectionately call the "Taco Cart." For one dollar you can buy a taco (grilled meat, onion, radish, cilantro and other spices on a corn tortilla). It is the best quality for the cheapest price.

Lodi is the best kept secret in central California. As a small town of 50,000+, you get the sense that people care. Main street is paved with bricks (one side street has a sun design) and is always clean. There are murals throughout downtown depicting Lodi history and annual festivals. Cars drive slow because its enjoyable. Every Thursday from June to September, Main Street is blocked off for a farmer's market. I plan to take advantage of the great quality local food and music.
Once you drive out of town (in any direction), you will drive past vineyards and palm trees. Out here at four-way stops, road signs are overshadowed by other signs showing directions to the nearest winery. Next weekend, I plan to go wine tasting.

Make sure to check out Mark's photos for new pictures of Lodi, the farmer's market and my apartment.