Greetings Earthlings

At 5:30 I was snuggled into my backseat in our rented minivan exhausted from a day of swimming and exploring Roswell. And as I often do during unidentifiable moods I switched my ipod to shuffle and let the iTune’s fairies decide. As the dry desert wind blew in our empty window, Bob Dylan serenaded me while I enjoyed the expansive landscape of New Mexico.
We started off the day today at the International UFO museum where I met Herman and E.J who taught me a lot about the extraterrestrial history of Roswell, NM. Herman was a Viet Nam veteran who flew fighter planes and E.J.’s mom was an alleged witness to a sighting. When I asked if I could ask a few questions E.J. turned to Herman and said, “Are we allowed?” Hmm…interesting. After exploring the streets of Roswell, we headed to the “Out of this World Café” where Guy brought what he called a biblical perspective to the world of abductions and encounters. He provided a lot of interesting things for me to think over in relation to my Christian World View. I think we were all refreshed and relieved as soon as we dove into the so-called bottomless lake and enjoyed the sun and sand for a couple hours. As I struggle to find a sociological theme for today, not because of the absence of one, but just from the pure overload of information, I’m drawn back to the familiar voice of Bob Dylan in Blowing in Wind. Bonnie asked us to identify a song that has meant something to us on this trip and reflect on why it’s important to America. I’m not sure where I first heard this song or how I know all the words but its just one of those songs that’s familiar and comforting—it reminds me of my roommate and her Bob Dylan obsession, or the countless movies its graced the soundtracks of, and a plethora of other memories. I think this lends to the many lenses that I see the world. And as I travel and explore, I am becoming very aware of these lenses in my life. One of the most influential lenses in my life is my family. Like Bob Dylan and great memories, traveling and family are synonymous in my mind. And its been exciting, interesting, and sad to be on this adventure without getting the giggles with my sisters and mom at inappropriate times or watching my dad try maneuver a 10 passenger van through undiscovered territory. Sociologically speaking though, this is an excellent opportunity for me to experience people and places stripped of one of my lenses. According to Emily Riley, I have a habit of spinning anything into a positive, so maybe this is me putting a positive spin on my unexpected homesickness. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.