Michael’s NYC Exhibit

My good friend, Michael (pictured above), has an exhibit opening tomorrow in NYC. If you're in the area, check it out.

"Toroid Glissettes"
18 October - 25 November, 2006
Opening reception with artist: 18 October 6-8pm

Winston Wächter Fine Art, Inc.
39 East 78th Street
New York, NY 10021
212.327.2526

I met Michael at Cornell, where we both were grad students. While studying economics, Michael dreamed of becoming an artist. Upon completing his Master's degree and working for Microsoft for five years, he pursued his dream and started painting. He's a full-time artist now. As for me, I dreamt of becoming a filmmaker also while studying economics, and well...I'm still dreaming.

This past year, Michael had a huge boost in his career with a show at the National Academy of Science in Washington, DC. Quoting them "Michael likens his canvas to a chalkboard, where he creates paintings consisting of layers of mathematical notations and illustrations that describe the form and motion of three-dimensional geometric shapes."

I see it, but I don't believe it

Rachel is married!! And she looks so beautiful. I couldn't make it to the wedding on August 25th, whilst I was cycling cross country, but I wish her and Jamie the best of luck on their future together. Rachel's a friend from DC. We hung out in the same party crowd.

Mona’s 40th Birthday

Happy Birthday Mona! Mona on the left is pictured with Makunda and Ingrid (l to r). I met them all while living in DC. Mona I met while she was working on Ph.D. at Johns-Hopkins. She subsequently went on to complete her Master's Degree in Law at Harvard and is now a corporate finance attorney in NYC. Makunda works at the IFC in D.C., a finance agency associated with the World Bank. And Ingrid lives in NYC with Mona and works at the United Nations (but I'm not exactly sure what she does there, however).

Needless to say I drank too much (Mona's an enabler) and took the PATH home to Newark at 2 AM. There always always a cast of characters at that time in the morning, including myself.

Mona and her Colleagues

Mona Partying!!!

Normal

Why is everybody normal until you get to know them?

Why Poland?

My Mom passed away this spring and I wanted to do something with my Dad. I like to travel, and immediately I thought of Poland, since my Dad has never been there, even though all my grandparents - both my Mom’s and Dad’s parents - emigrated from Poland in the early 1900’s. My Dad met my Mom at a Polish-American Club in N.J. Now are you beginning to understand why Poland? My parents spoke Polish to each other and their parents. Why a religious pilgrimage in Poland? My Dad is also very religious – he goes to church everyday, prays all the time (before meals, at night, etc.), belongs to religious clubs, has been an Eucharistic minister for the past 34 year, etc. While I am no where near as religious – really far from it - I though it would be a fun trip. Something we could do together.

I was in Poland once before in 1987, on an agriculture exchange program. I worked on a government farm shoveling potatoes and distilling vodka. At that time the country was still under communist rule and plagued with shortages of basic necessities like toilet paper and bread. I remember villagers waiting in line for such items to be delivered to the rural store near the house that I lived in. Today, if you have the money, you can buy also anything that you can buy in the U.S. This most notable visible change: rampant consumerism. I didn’t take long. Other than the consumerism, a few new skyscrapers in Warsaw, and a much more enthusiast generation of young people populating the cities, the country hasn’t changed much.

Poland Tour - Group Photo

Father Medley

What would a pilgrimage be without a spiritual leader? Father Medley from Kentucky assumed the position on our pilgrimage. He celebrated Mass and led the group in saying the whole Rosary DAILY!!

Itinerary details:

Krakow, Poland

The Market Square in Krakow has remained unchanged for almost 700 years and the surrounding buildings of historical value including St. Mary's Church (bottom left) and Cloth Hall (bottom right), numerous store and restaurants (top left). Also pictured is Wawel Castle (top right), another very proximate and notable building in Krakow.

Today, I escaped from the group and just hung out in Krakow by myself. The group attended Mass at the Shire of the Divine Mercy, and visited St. Faustina's convent chapel, and St. Faustina's Tomb. Who is St. Faustina? I really don't know, but if you want to learn more check the link

Auschwitz – Concentration Camp

The German forces occupying Poland during the Second World War establishing a concentration camp, on the outskirts of the town of Oswiecim in 1940; the Germans called the town Auschwitz. The first people to be brought to Auschwitz as prisoners and murdered were Poles. They were followed by Soviet prisoners of war, gypsies and deportees of many nationalities. Beginning in 1942, however, Auschwitz became the setting for the most massive murder campaign in history, when the Nazis put into operation their plans to destroy the entire Jewish population.

While this was my second time to visit Auschwitz, it was still quite moving, especially while viewing all the shoes, eye glasses, suitcases, and piles of hair that are on display in the museum, and the crematorium and firing squad wall.

Czestochowa, Poland

One the most important places of religious worship in the Christian world, with a traditional of pilgrimages that goes back to the 14th century is the Shire of the Black Madonna in Czestochowa. To find out more check out the following:

Close-up of the Black Madonna

Wadowice - Pope John Paul II

What would a Polish Catholic Pilgrimage be without visiting the birthplace and baptism site of Karol Wojtyla (a.k.a Pope John Paul II)? We visited both his home in which he was born, which has since been turned into a shire-like museum, and the church he attended and was baptized in as a child. That's my Dad eating "Pope" Cream Cake. It's sold at all the tourist cafe near the Pope's birth home. Supposedly, the Pope was very fond of this cream cake when he was young.

Warsaw, Poland

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Warsaw has rebuilt itself from the rubble of WWII to once again becoming a thriving capital city on the banks of the Vistula. The Old Town (lower right) and Royal Castle (upper right) have been restored to postcard perfection. The Palace of Culture and Science (top left) still stands reminding the country of it socialist past. And numerous monuments populate the city memorializing the lives lost during the Second World War (lower right).