Hawking the Scene

A Family Is A Family

I saw this trailer for the moving documentary, A Family Is A Family Is A Family and it reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend of mine two weeks ago.  My friend is in his early 20s and like most young adults, he has already set his maximum age of when he will have kids, how many he wants and the gender he prefers.  He also insists on his children being of his blood.  I was not immune to this mindset.

The older I became, the more I realized that I didn't want to be like my parents.  My mom was 17 and my dad 19 when they had my older brother.  It's not important for me to be a young dad.  It's more important for me to live my life and have kids when I am emotionally ready and financially stable to provide a good life for them.  If I followed in my father's footsteps, at 35, I'd have a 16-year old, a 13-year old and an 11-year old.  *shiver*  Not only would that have hindered my life goals, but it wouldn't have been fair to my kids.  My friend, though a fantastic uncle, is selfishly focusing on his needs and not the needs of his unborn children.

Growing up, it was always important to me to have children born of my blood.  Eventually I figured I'd have one child sharing my DNA and I'd adopt others as well because there are so many babies, children and even teenagers who need homes and a family to love and nurture them.  After living in Ukraine and volunteering in an orphanage, the importance of procreating has significantly diminished.  Why should I bring a new life into this world when there are so many others who already lack homes and families?  If I do decide to have children, I will most likely adopt.  Luckily I'm an uncle to three amazing nephews and one beautiful niece, so the duty of carrying on the bloodline has been completed.  

Regardless, as I said to my friend a couple of weeks ago, a family isn't defined by blood or DNA.  A family isn't defined by restrictive conditions.  A family is defined by love.  A family is a family.

**The documentary A Family Is A Family Is A Family airs Sunday, January 31, 7pm on HBO.  From the website:

In A Family Is Family Is A Family, kids offer touching, profound and often funny insights about what being a family means to them. Among those featured are: children with two fathers or two mothers; a girl whose mother and father adopted her in China; three brothers who live with their mother and grandmother; a pair of mothers who are getting married to make one big family; and families with adopted kids and children born through in-vitro fertilization.

Lianne and Katia think a family is a mommy and a daddy. Franklin says a family is "a bunch of people that live together for their life." Kennan and Adam are nearly stumped trying to name all the possible combinations of parents and kids. Becky sums it up best, saying, "It doesn't matter if you have one parent. It doesn't matter if you have two moms. It doesn't matter if you have two dads. Just stick with it. A family is a family."

Penographic: Sex Illustrated By Pens

I finally figured out how I'm going to explain sex to my children.  I'm going to use this wonderful "penographic" illustration of these dirty, dirty pens.  

*Penerasts beware, you may just ink blot in your pants.

 

'L', Tube, Subway, Metro: My Favorites

I've traveled to many large cities around the world and have always been fascinated each city's public transportation system -- particularly the metro.  From the raised platforms that make up Chicago's 'L' and snake through the city to the famous "gap minding" announcements on London's Tube to the ornate and palatial underground stations of Moscow, most cities have distinct metro systems to call their own.

Below are a few of my favorite metros that I've been to for one reason or another (in no particular order):

   Chicago 'L'

Being my home public transportation system, of course the 'L' is one of my favorite metro systems.  It's convenient, easy to use and rarely fails to get me from A to B.  Though many (okay, most) of the stations are complete eyesores, it wouldn't be Chicago without seeing and feeling a train pass above your head.

• Nicknamed the 'L' because a good portion of the system is elevated.
• Opened in 1892.
• There are 8 lines, named by color, with 144 stations and 103 miles of track.
• 2 of the lines run 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

Announcement example:

"Doors closing.  Belmont is next.  Doors open on the right at Belmont.  Transfer to Brown and Purple lines at Belmont."

(And for those of us who live here, you never want to hear: "Your attention please, we are being delayed waiting for signals ahead.  We expect to be moving shortly.  Thank you for riding the CTA Red line.")

   London Underground

 

London's Underground is the first metro I rode outside of the U.S.  It's amazingly clean and it's many stations mean minimal walk-time above ground.  

• Nicknamed the Tube.
• Opened in 1863, making it the world's first metro.
• There are 11 lines, with 268 stations and 253 miles of track.

Announcement example:

"Mind the gap."

 Kyiv Metro

Living in Ukraine, I've ridden Kyiv's Metro almost as much as I've ridden Chicago's.  The stations are incredible in size and clean; the system is convenient and easy to navigate; and the fare is incredibly cheap.  Though the escalators are among the fastest I've ever been on (my mom was terrified of them), it can often take 2 minutes or longer to arrive in the deep stations.

• The central stations were built to double as bomb shelters.  Arsenalna, is one of the deepest in the world at 102 meters (335 feet).
• Opened 1960.
• There are 3 lines with 43 stations and 37 miles of track.

Announcement example:

"Обережно, дверi зачиняються. Наступна станцiя Арсенальна  ("Caution, the doors are closing.  Next stop, Arsenalna").

 Moscow Metro 

Moscow has some of the most beautiful stations in the world.  They were built to be "palaces for the people," with marble-lined walls, chandeliers and cathedral-like ceilings.  

• Second most heaviest used metro system.
• Opened in 1935.
• There are 12 lines with 144 stations and 186 miles of track.

 
 Announcement example:
 "Осторожно, двери закрываются. Следующая станция Фрунзенская. (Caution, the doors are closing.  Next stop, Frunzenskaya.")

 New York Subway 

 

Though probably confusing for out-of-towners, New York's Subway is relatively easy and convenient.  You haven't been to New York if you haven't ridden the subway.

• Opened in 1904.
• There are 27 lines, named by letter, with 422 stations and 229 miles of track.
• 20 lines run 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

Announcement example:

"Stand clear of the closing doors, please."

 Beijing Subway 

 

I cannot read or speak Chinese, so Beijing's subway was daunting at first (though audio messages are in both Mandarin Chinese and English, I couldn't decipher the stations).  After a few rides, I was able to figure it out.  It's one of my favorite systems because of how clean and modern the trains and stations are.

• Opened in 1971.
• There are 9 lines, named by number, with 125 stations and 141 miles of track.
• Ridership rose by 75% in 2008 to 1.2 billion.

Announcement example:

"Lieche qianfang de chezhan shi [name of station]. You zai [station] xiache de chengke, qing nin tiqian zuo hao zhunbei. [Station] jiu yao dao le." (Which means: The next station for this train is [station]. Passengers alighting at [station], please get ready. We will soon be arriving at [station]"

Beijing-metro.MP3

Did I leave off your city?  

What are your favorite metro systems?

7 Years of Buffy in Under 4 Minutes

One of the best shows every created?  I think so!  And don't forget to check out Edward Cullen stalking Buffy!

Now who wants to buy me the Buffy iPhone skin?

The Longest Way

This video isn't exactly new, but I think it's incredible.  It's a stop-motion video of Christoph Rehage's attempt at a 4,500 mile journey from Beijing, China to Berlin, Germany on foot.  Though he stopped short after a year and 2,900 miles, Rehange managed to accomplish something that most of us can only dream of.

Watch his hair and beard grow longer each day as he chronicles his impressive trek with photographs along the way.