You don't know what love is

"You do what you're told
But inside your heart it is black and it's hollow and it's cold."
--Nine Inch Nails

"You don't know what love is
You just do as you're told."
--The White Stripes

Notice a theme here? Love is supposed to be unselfish, and doing what you're told might seem unselfish, but these writers don't seem to think that's a good thing. So your homework this week is to look for situations where the most loving thing to do is not what you're told.

Rambling about warm weather

Maybe I should get something to cover the windows in my car. After a day of work during the summer, the car is always hotter than the outdoors, especially on a sunny day. At least it cools off quickly, thanks to air conditioning.

Meanwhile, I come home, step into the house, and feel a blast of cool air. And I don't have air conditioning at home. I do keep most of the curtains closed while I'm at work though. It is hot in the house, but at least it's not as hot as the outdoors on a warm day. And I don't have to wear as much clothing in the house as in the car! (Clarification for potential roommates: I don't go naked outside of my bedroom and the bathroom if other people, including roommates, might see me. Don't worry. Or don't get excited.)

But even though it's cooler inside and there's less of a dress code, it just feels better to be outside on a hot day.

Crashing a ceilidh

After Montreal, the vacation continued through New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. While we were driving on Prince Edward Island, Cathy noticed a commercial on the radio for a ceilidh. (According to dictionary.com, a ceilidh is "an Irish or Scottish social gathering with traditional music, dancing, and storytelling." By the way, the "dh" is silent.) We thought this would be a good chance to experience some east coast culture, hear music, dance, and that sort of thing.

So we arrived at the Benevolent Irish Society hall that evening and found a room full of middle aged and elderly people sitting in chairs listening to a live Celtic band. The music was good and the hall was packed, but it really wasn't what we expected. Nobody was dancing (for one thing there wasn't room), and there was a lack of people our age.

We sat and listened for a while, and then we noticed that Nick was asleep. (He said he can't really just sit and listen to live music, no matter how good it is.) We figured we wouldn't stay until the end. Then Cathy suggested that we go and dance in the parking lot. I have to admit I dragged my feet a bit, but it was a good idea. We figured out that a polka step seemed to work with the song, so we danced. Then we got our other friends. Nick told the ticket guy what was going on and asked if they could teach us a dance. So a few people came outside to teach us a folk dance. After we sort of got the basics, they asked the band to play a song that would go with the dance.

By intermission we were pretty sure we'd stay for the whole event. After intermission, the same people taught us another folk dance and then asked the band to play a song to go with it. So by then, everyone in the hall knew we were there and knew what we were doing. After that dance, we sat back down and listened to some more music. I think Nick stayed awake this time. Afterward, we thanked the band and our teachers. I got the impression they enjoyed teaching us those dances.

So I want to thank my friends, especially Cathy and Nick, for taking a somewhat disappointing evening and turning it into one of the most memorable parts of the trip. You made a lot of people's day. And a big thank you to the warm, hospitable people at that hall in Charlottetown for accommodating us and passing on a bit of your culture.