I saw a black squirrel on my way to work today.  I stopped in an utter amazement for a second.  I have never seen a black squirrel before!

One must fully appreciate the multi ethnic environment that one lives in.  I mean, in the place where I grew I thought all squirrels come in reddish brown color, and all friends come in white.  Boy was in for a surprise when I arrived to this great country.  I remember the shock I was in when I discovered that squirrels can also be gray.

My son does not have that problem.  He started attending a childcare when he was still  in his echolalia stage, he was the only white kid in all black group.  I remember him crying once because he did not want to be white anymore.  So funny.

Later, when he went to elementary school, he was the only white kid in all Asian or Pacific Islander school.  In Spain he was the only English speaking kid in all Spanish speaking school.  He had his birthday party the other day, his invited friends were a Mongolian, an Ethiopian, a Mexican, and even a white guy too!

Word of the Day

echolalia \ek-oh-LEY-lee-uh, noun:

1. The imitation by a baby of the vocal sounds produced by others, occurring as a natural phase of childhood development.

2. Psychiatry. The uncontrollable and immediate repetition of words spoken by another person. 

      At the time when speech is being learned, there begins a period of echolalia in which the child repeats with tireless continuation all the words or sentences it hears; either completely, or else their closing cadences.

      — Kurt Koffka, The Growth of the Mind: An Introduction to Child Psychology

      These “terrestrial echoes” where the ”swamp’s echolalia,” according to Kiwi, who liked to make geography as pretentious as possible.

      — Karen Russell, Swamplandia!

      I had cultivated a mild sort of insanity, echolalia, I think it’s called. All the tag ends of the night’s proofreading danced on the tip of my tongue.

      — Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer

Echolalia originates from two Greek roots: echo derived from the name of the mythic nymph Echo fabled to have pined herself away to nothing but her name, combined with lalia meaning “talk or prattle.”

One thing I miss about living in Spain the most is the Spanish coffee. I mean, our two countries are quite similar in that aspect, neither government can function without coffee, but while American govies usually get their coffee really hot, really weak and in really big cups, their Spanish counterparts drink their coffee out of these cute tiny European coffee cups, their coffee is so strong it can wake up dead people, and it is usually served at a temperature fit for human consumption.

The very nature of American coffee makes it impossible to go out and drink it with your co-worker. I mean people band together to “get” coffee, but that is the extend of the coffee brotherhood. After getting a coffee everyone quietly sips it at their desk. It is impossible to do it any other way – it would take forever to drink it, and you just can’t do it on taxpayer’s dime.

Things are different in Spain. Every self respecting organization, military unit or government office has their own coffee bar. I mean even the Department of Motor Vehicles has its own coffee bar! You go out to drink coffee, and the whole venture does not take more than 10 minutes.

So, as I was trundling around the Pentagon hallways, reminiscent of the good old days, when I saw a red, yellow and red flag on one of the uniforms. I could not believe my luck. I actually encountered a real, live and breathing Spaniard, right here in the Pentagon! I now have someone to drink Spanish coffee with!

***

Word of the Day for Friday, November 30, 2012

trundle \TRUHN-dl, verb:

To move or walk with a rolling gait.

They get her into a wheelbarrow and trundle her all over town.

— Alice Munroe, Meneseteung

Fling leaflets down basements; expose them in stalls; trundle them along streets on barrows to be sold for a penny or given away.

— Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own: Three Guineas

Trundle, first used in the 1500s, may originate from the Old English trendel, “ring or disk,” which is also the root of the modern English trend

My stay at the Spanish Army Infantry Academy at Toledo had come to an end.  These were incredible four weeks, and every day spent at the Academy was a great learning experience for me.  I audited a fair number of classes for their cadets, which were similar to classes taught at our Infantry Officer Basic Courses, and got a chance to listen to classes for their infantry captains attending a transition course.  In the mornings I spent an hour teaching in English classes like Military Decision Making Process, Targeting, or Troop Leading Procedures to the cadets, and in the afternoon I taught the same classes to those faculty members of the Academy that desired to improve their English skills and their knowledge of our staff procedures.  During this month spent at the Academy my knowledge of the Spanish Army improved tremendously, as well as my level of military Spanish.  I have established contacts and friendships within the Spanish Officer corps that will last me a lifetime.  I also got a chance to conduct a daily physical training with the cadets, and I have to admit that I am quite impressed with the level of their physical fitness.  I was able to take part in a Field Training Exercise, and had an opportunity to become intimately familiar with their basic infantry weapon systems, such as H&K G-36 rifle, and their H&K MG2 light machinegun.

On my last two days at the Academy, as my parting gift for the cadets, I gave them an opportunity to try to pass our Army Physical Fitness Test and those deserving cadets who have met the standards will be awarded the US Army Physical Excellence Badge in a near undetermined future.  Sometime in April, I will coordinate for an alternate qualification range, where the cadets will get a chance to qualify with their weapons according to the US Army standards, and these who will meet the standards, will be awarded an Expert qualification badge.

On 6^th of March 2011, I will be flying to Poland, where I will spend 12 days in a staff certification exercise.  The purpose of this exercise is to prepare a Polish Army Brigade staff for their deployment to Afghanistan.  I will have a chance to use my language skills, combat experience and staff experience in order to help prepare better our allies for their upcoming rotatation.  I am really looking forward to this.

On 3rd of January 2012, the President of the United States issued a new strategic guidance for the Department of Defense.  Our strategy will now focus on the Asia Pacific and the Middle East in order to sustain the global leadership of the United States in the 21st Century.  This shift in our national strategy was dictated by several factors including fiscal constraints and the changing geopolitical environment of today’s world.  In the past, the main threat to the global stability lay in Europe.  However, this is no longer the case.  Currently, most European countries are producers of security rather than consumers of it.  The main threat to our national interests now lies within key countries located in the Middle East and Asia such as Iran and North Korea. Additionally, China’s growing influence and unchecked military power in the region needs to be counterbalanced in order to assure our global dominance in the years to come.  Unfortunately, such a radical change in our national strategy carries serious foreign policy challenges elsewhere; as the United States shifts its focus to Asia and the Middle East we are at danger of losing the influence we have established and enjoyed with the like-minded democratic nations of Europe.

Since World War II, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the primary means of influencing our European allies.   NATO has allowed the US to project military and diplomatic power wherever it was needed not only in Europe, but in the world.  NATO has been the leverage that the United States used to ensure European support for the recent and continuing interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.   The reduction of our military power in Europe could put at risk the relevance of NATO for European security; a void that would be eventually filled by the European Defense Agency (EDA).  While the EDA promotes Europe’s self reliance to provide security for the region, the United States has no leading role in it.  It will likely be increasingly difficult to influence the EDA to ensure European support in our national defense interests.

The Secretary of Defense stated within the guidelines of our new Defense Strategy, that one of the key goals of our military forces will be to “deter and defeat aggression.”Our military is to achieve this goal by operating whenever possible with allied and coalition forces.  Our strategists have to realize that in the light of the shrinking European defense budgets, our European allies have shown growing interest in Smart Defense, which is the pooling and sharing of military resources by the entire region in order to conserve the financial resources of individual nations.  With the growing importance of the EDA for European security; the diminishing role of the United States in NATO; and the European nations shedding their individual military capabilities in favor of multinational cooperation, it will be increasingly difficult for the United States to win support for our global security goals and to maintain our global leadership role.

These grave foreign policy challenges can be negated only by innovative and creative solutions that maintain support for our European allies and to keep them engaged, in spite of their upcoming defense reductions, and by maintaining NATO’s leading role in the security of the European region.

I have to say I’ve been a bit busy lately.  For three weeks now I have been enrolled in Spanish Peacekeeping Observer course, and this is why.  Although the frequency of my WoD declined, I did not give up on it yet.

Yesterday, two civilians mooted journalism for discussion in class.  They turned out to be professional journalists, and no, they did not teach us how to write for living.  They were teaching us how to deal with the likes of them, sharing the tricks of the trade that the journalists use “to get people”.  Later we even had a practical exercise.  And I tell you, the Spaniards went all out, prepared an interview room with flags cameras, and everything, and two students were chosen to give a mock interview, while the rest of the class watched the events to unfold on a TV screen.  And guess who was picked.  Yup, you guessed correctly, the only American in the class, namely I.  And yes, I did fall for every trick they taught in class to avoid.  It is hard to give interviews when all a journalist wants is to get you.  But after the exercise I felt better prepared to deal with the journalists, ready to apply my newfound knowledge in real life.

And low and behold, as I was walking on calle Serrano, a girl with a microphone chose me out of the crowd of pedestrians and approached me, her crew with their big ass camera followed.  She asked if she can ask me a question, and I said “yes”, trembling with anticipation.

And then she asked something about Andalucia and llanas, and I had absolutely no clue what she said.  I asked to repeat the question, and observed as her happy facial expression is changing to denote disappointment.  And then she told her boys to turn around, leaving me standing there, all alone, in the middle of calle Serrano.

Yup, I had my chance for five minutes of fame and I blew it.  I guess I am not becoming a Spanish celebrity after all.

***

Word of the Day

moot \moot, adjective:

1. Open to discussion or debate; doubtful.

2. Of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic.

3. Chiefly Law Not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.

verb:

1. To present or introduce (any point, subject, project, etc.) for discussion.

2. To reduce or remove the practical significance of; make purely theoretical or academic.

3. Archaic To argue (a case), especially in a mock court.

noun:

1. An assembly of the people in early England exercising political, administrative, and judicial powers.

2. An argument or discussion, especially of a hypothetical legal case.

3. Obsolete A debate, argument, or discussion.

“What do you mean, ‘moot’?” “I mean moot. It’s taken care of. The documents are notarized. I’m recouping my lawyer’s fees and that’s the end of it.”

— Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections

As for Maddy, my only point would be that a suitable age for dating becomes moot if nobody’s asking.

— Marion K. Douglas, Dance Hall Road

Moot is derived from the Old English gemot “meeting.” The adj. senses of “debatable” and “not worth considering” arose from moot case, earlier simply moot (n.) “discussion of a hypothetical law case” (1530s), in law student jargon, in reference to students gathering to test their skills in mock cases.

Yeah, so it turns out that I have been going to the wrong Dining Facility the whole time.  One of the Air Force guys elucidated me of my transgressions.  I guess, I have been eating in the enlisted chow hall, and I was supposed to eat in the officer chow hall.  Apparently, the Spaniards take the division between enlisted and officers quite seriously.  Whereas the enlisted chow hall was similar to what I have seen throughout my 18 years of service, the officer chow hall was quite different.  First you walk through a bar/cafeteria full of crusty old people drinking coffee and emanating an air of aristocracy.  Then you give the blue ticket and your three Euros to the cashier, and walk to a small restaurant complete with white table clothes, ambient classical music playing in the background, and impeccable table settings along with waitresses awaiting you slight gesture, eager to serve you today’s menu.  The menu, coincidentally was the same as enlisted menu, except served in a nicer setting.

This makes you wonder, how the Spaniards can afford to have separate chow halls, with separate cooks, wait staff, and cashiers at every military facility, and charge only three Euros per meal?  But then again, I am in no position to speak, since my country is pretty much broke too.

I miss the enlisted chow hall already.  It was more fun and less crusty.

***

Word of the Day

elucidate 

 \ih-LOO-si-dayt\ , transitive verb;

1. To make clear or manifest; to render more intelligible; to illustrate; as, an example will elucidate the subject.

Quotes:

He thought that film’s promise and purpose was to elucidate the real, to reveal the patterns already before us, and he believed that unity of space and time were paramount.

— Nancy Reisman, House Fires

Beginning our journey into the past, we will now examine plant and animal clues in amber to elucidate the mysteries of the forest that was the home of our bee.

— George Poinar Jr. and Roberta Poinar, The Amber Forest :A Reconstruction of a Vanished World

The plan is to sail south to between 52 and 54 degrees south latitude and search for land; if no land is discovered, to run east to the longitude of the eastern extremity of New Guinea, then north to elucidate questions raised by Dutch and Spanish voyages.

— Alan Gurney, Below the Convergence

Origin:

Elucidate comes from Late Latin elucidare, to clear up, from ex-, e-, out of + lucidus, bright, from lux, luc- light. Hence to elucidate is to bring the inner light out of an obscure subject. One who elucidates is an elucidator; that which tends to elucidate is elucidative; the act of elucidating, or that which elucidates, is an elucidation.

Yeah, so here I am, a big house, three kids and no furniture.  Thankfully, an officer that I work with was nice enough to lend me his SUV, so I could go furniture shopping over the weekend.  Oh and yes, thank God for Ikea.

So after I am all done with the shopping for cheap Ikea furniture, I figured I would do something nice for the guy who made this possible.  What says better “Thanks a lot” than filling the tank of the loaned vehicle with gas?

So I pull over to a gas station (keep in mind that this was first time ever I was pumping gas in Europe), and immediately I am off to a puzzled start.  There are four different types of fuel at the dispenser, two of them with green handles, and two of them with black.  Now, I tend to stay away from the gas that comes out of a green handled dispenser, ever since I filled my brand new motorcycle with diesel and rode off into the Mojave Desert on my Route 66 trip.

Yeah, so here I am, at the European gas station and scratching my head.  I was looking for regular gas, 87 Octane, but I found none.  Instead I discovered there was a green 95, a green 98, a mysterious black one called “Gasoleo A” and another called “Gasoleo Extra”.  Like I said, I tend to stay away from green dispensers, so I figured out that the black “Gasoleo” got to be 87, and “Gasoleo Extra” has to be 89 octane gas.  But still I was not sure, so I decided to ask a local.  Just happened that a guy in a shiny new Mercedes pulled up next to me, so I put on my polite but lost foreigner face, and ask him what is “Gasoleo” and what is the difference between “Gasoleo” and regular fuel.  The Spaniard walks over to my side of the dispenser and tells me that there absolutely no difference between “Gasoleo A” and “Gasoleo Extra”, but “Gasoleo A” is more “economico”.

That is all I needed to know.  I understood “economico” well, and I figured that this has to be the 87 octane fuel.  Damn Spaniards.  They seem to take pride that their Spanish is completely different than the Spanish of the rest of the Spanish speaking world.  I mean, they can’t even call the toilet “el baño” like everyone else; they insist on calling it “el aseo”.  At least the word “aseo” is easy to remember, because it reminds me of a different three letter word describing the part of the body that is used there. 

So, still wondering why the Spaniards can’t call the 87 gas just “87” but instead they go off making up weird names like “Gasoleo”, I grabbed the black dispenser and proceed to insert it in the vehicle.

Thank God it did not fit.  As I found out later “Gasoleo” is a Spanish word for “Diesel”.  I would have a tough time explaining the field grade officer who loaned me the car why the hell would I top it off with diesel.  I honestly don’t think he would homologate my gratitude.

***

Word of the Day for Monday, August 29, 2011

homologate \huh-MOL-uh-geyt, verb:

1. To approve; confirm or ratify.

2. To register (a specific make of automobile in general production) so as to make it eligible for international racing competition.

Now, my lord, as a true Scottish man, and educated at the Mareschal College of Aberdeen, I was bound to uphold the mass to be an act of blinded papistry and utter idolatry, whilk I was altogether unwilling to homologate by my presence.

— Sir Walter Scott, A legend of Montrose

But Albany had made no secret of the fact that the main reason for this parliament was to homologate his plans for the invasion of England on France’s behalf, and this the assembly quite definitely refused to agree to.

— Nigel G. Tranter, The Riven Realm

Homologate is based on the Greek homologos, “of the same word.”