Tales of the Invisible Ben

Better than Sox!

I never thought I would see the day.
I know that the Boston and Chicago curses lasted longer, but I have been a Phillies fan my entire life, even after Schmidt retired and the Blue Jays stole the 1993 World Series away.
The delay in Game 5 was frustrating, but in a way it just made Brad Lidge's final strikeout all the sweeter.
It's a shame that the Philadelphia school district isn't giving students the day off for the victory parade.
They, like the rest of the City of Brotherly Love's inhabitants, deserve it.

It's about time.

The Curse of Billy Penn

I am not much of a sports historian, so I would appreciate some outside perspective on last night's suspension of Game 5 of the World Series. Specifically, does this elevate the supposed curse upon Philadelphia's sports teams above that of other major franchises such as Chicago or Boston? After all, those curses were strong, but I do not recall direct intervention of the elements to prevent a team from even approaching victory.

Some may pin it on Selig or the meteorologists upon whom Major League Baseball relies to make its forecasting decisions, but let's be clear here. To the city of Philadelphia, which has waited 28 years for a Series win, this was almost more frustrating than an actual loss. Now, it's still up in the air and the hope of catharsis remains just that, a hope, and nothing more.

Maybe that will change tomorrow. Maybe Wednesday. Who knows?

The takeaway message: Don't get your hopes up, Phillies fans. It only leads to heartbreak and frustration.

Even if I wish that someday that might change...eventually.

A Swingtown Voter?

The Invisible Suburb is located in a swing state, but it often seems that the sole benefit of this status is an increased number of television advertisements explaining how Candidate X is unpatriotic and Candidate Y represents change in which all of us should believe. That's not quite true...we also receive more than our fair share of mailings, political rallies, and 24-hour news cycle coverage.

But none of this directly affects me. After all, people in my age bracket would be sought out by the voter registration drives regardless of how red, blue, or purple my state might be. And in today's electronic age, the advertisements in question would be distributed across state lines thanks to the power of the blogosphere.

So, on the whole, I assumed that I would not be a target of the various campaigns...at least until last night, when I received a cell phone call from an Obama volunteer in New York asking if I had registered to vote (Yes!), if I was strongly committed to a candidate (Yes!), and if I was interested in volunteering in the days leading up to the election (Not particularly, but I know someone if I change my mind...!)

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I am that highly sought after swing voter. The Democrats may have contacted me, but I'm sure the Republicans also care which way my political weathervane is pointing. My political capital possesses more weight than my colleagues in purely blue or red states. Fear my authority, America, for your political fate is in my hands and those of my fellow swing state voters.

Three cheers for the electoral college!

Some Thoughts on Lisbon

Having now fully recovered from both jet lag and the excitement of presenting my first paper at an academic conference, I can now take time to reflect upon my recent expedition to Portugal, a country whose achievements---if architecture is to be any guide---seem to have peaked in the fifteenth century before steadily declining all the way to the present. This observation is not to imply that Portugal is run-down, depressing, or a worthwhile destination. In fact, my experience there contradicts each of these points. But by the same token, it does little to dispel the sense of fatalism which looms over Lisbon, the feeling that if only they named one more shopping mall or national landmark after Vasco da Gama, the rest of the world would realize how incredibly awesome Portugal once was and, perhaps, could be again.

I wish I were joking about the Vasco da Gama thing, I really do. But despite the importance of numerous other Portuguese explorers including Ferdinand Magellan, Pedro Cabral, and Bartholomew (Bartolomeu?) Dias, da Gama seems to get all the glory.

I submit the following examples as proof:


1. The Vasco da Gama Bridge






















2. The Vasco da Gama Tower




























3. The Vasco da Gama Shopping Complex (complete with adjoining casino)





















I think I've made my point. Vasco da Gama died in 1524. That has given the Portuguese slightly less than five centuries to lionize his memory with only the interruption of an occasional mad monarch or natural disaster to otherwise punctuate the nation's historical landscape. Yet Lisbon still clings to its glory days, with its baroque plazas and its imperial monuments.

This became evident to me as I wandered around the city during my first afternoon after arrival. I was fortunate to be able to sleep on the plane and so, having mostly avoided jet lag, spent that Friday strolling around the city's waterfront and then hiking up to the Castle of São Jorge.





















From the parapets of this 14th century castle, one could catch glimpses of the city's diverse neighborhoods, each with a distinct architecture. One particularly noteworthy landmark was the Elevador de Santa Justa, a vertical lift connecting two neighborhoods in the older part of the city, constructed by a disciple of Gustav Eiffel.





















Unfortunately, my sightseeing was largely limited to the castle during my first afternoon. The next day, I was fortunate to participate in a tour of the city's aqueduct system, constructed during the 18th century to secure water for the thriving metropolis.





















FYI, the middle of that bridge features the world's tallest stone arch, stretching a full 65 meters above the ground.

The following two days were devoted mostly to conference talks, which are unfortunately far less photogenic, but the final evening before my departure, the conference arranged a wonderful banquet at a nearby suburb located on the salt flats of the Tagus estuary. A fado band played and plenty of port wine was served. All in all, it was a wonderful way to end my visit to this beautiful country...far better to the five separate lines I had to wait in before getting on to my return flight.






















(Oh, and in case anyone tells you otherwise, Portuguese is definitely not the same language as Spanish. Fluency in the latter will allow you to navigate the subway system and read important street signs and menus written in the former, but if you plan to talk to anyone, you'd be better off going with English than Spanish, because the locals will peg you as an outsider either way. Good thing everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) seems to speak English in Portugal.)

The Invisible Ben Returns to Europe

With all the news about the election and the coming of the financial apocalypse, you'll pardon me I trust if my blogging has declined somewhat of late. I feel less than compelled to throw in my two cents about the rapidly collapsing political state of the nation because, after all, there are already plenty of bloggers (or even authors in print media, as my most recent post noted) who do that far more conscientiously than I ever could.

While I do have opinions on these issues, my mind has been occupied of late with several other personal and professional matters. My adventure in precepting continues apace, with no major incidents of violence or profanity to report---unless you count my frustration with some of the rough drafts I received. The High Holy Days are almost over, and the full extent of my celebration consisted of dinner with my relatives and the subsequent, single-handed consumption over several days of a loaf of round challah.

Oh, and I'm going to Lisbon tomorrow night.

"Wait, what?" my invisible readership has declared all at once. How could I be going to Lisbon and not let you, the readers know? Well, consider this an example of good blogging intentions gone awry.

Here's the deal. Last winter, I devoted myself rather wholeheartedly to writing a research paper, as per departmental regulations, on the history of LCD's. My professor provided feedback as I was studying for general exams, and although she was pretty harsh with her comments, she still encouraged me to consider submitting it to a professional conference this fall. As the application deadlines drew nearer, I had to choose between a history of science conference in Pittsburgh and a history of technology conference in Lisbon.

This was what some might call a false choice, and in the end, there was very little deliberation on my part. I had already visited Pittsburgh, and while it is a beautiful city and I still occasionally hunger for a Primanti Bros. sandwich, it's no Lisbon. Not that I can really state definitively what Lisbon is, per se, but thanks to the beneficence of the admissions committee, by the middle of next week I'll have a better idea of its character. If I'm really lucky, I'll even discover a sandwich that can compare with Pittsburgh's finest. And who knows, maybe people will like the talk I've prepared on liquid crystals. That would certainly be a bonus.

My flight leaves on Thursday night and I return back on Tuesday afternoon. Until then, blogging will remain sporadic, though I hope to post some pictures while I'm there, assuming I can secure reliable Internet access.

Until then, adeus!