Spring Fair

這個就是一年一度的園遊會~
每年春天四月底的時候都會在hopkins主校區辦園遊會
吃喝玩樂都有
也可以看到很多青春洋溢的美眉穿得少少的在逛~
一飽眼福





同場加映Sherwood garden
這個garden就在homewood北邊 St. Paul St彎進去的一個社區裡面
每到春天就會開滿鬱金香
算是附近人家的後花園
春天到了大家也會在這邊野餐 散步等

政治與學術研究

好一陣子沒更新blog

最近一件轟動的新聞是我們系上一位教授Gilbert Burnham，因為違反研究倫理，被hopkins的IRB嚴重處分，五年內不得從事有關任何人類實驗相關研究，這是非常令人震驚的懲罰。

這件案子說來話長，在2003年，美國出兵發動伊拉克戰爭後，Burnham教授和他的研究團隊到伊拉克巴格達統計戰爭死亡人數，利用挨家挨戶探訪的方式，而不是統計屍體，最後得出在2003-2006年之間，因為戰爭而死亡的人數多達65萬，並發表在2006年的Lancet期刊上，這研究公佈之後，引起軒然大波，布希政府並召開記者會，指出這項研究並不可靠，而伊拉克政府發言人也跟著澄清,，據官方統計指出，戰爭死亡人數應該是五萬人左右。究竟伊拉克在這段時間死了多少人，一夕間變得眾說紛紜，誰也說不清楚。

接著，一個組織American Association for Public Research Opinion槓上他，指控他不願意公開伊拉克死亡人數研究的相關細節，此舉違反了協會的專業倫理(但Burnham教授並不是這個協會的會員)，，並在各媒體上以大幅度的篇幅報導。

後來，Johns Hopkins的IRB開始審查這項研究結果，發現了一個重大違規─在研究資料中列出了部份受訪者的全名，但在他的原始protocol與IRB送審資料裡面，提到他並不會收集受訪者的全名。其立意在於減少受試者的任何風險，一旦資料裡有受訪者全名，將會是一個非常嚴重的問題！

Burnham教授受訪時承認，在資料收集的過程中，有和伊拉克當地的醫師提到不要列出兒童或受試者的全名，只要名字就好。但他注意到有一些阿拉伯姓氏出現，當地伊拉克同事跟他說這並不是全名，他接受了這種說法，而Hopkins的調查結果發現後來的分析資料和原始資料並不全然相同，而且還包括了姓氏與名字欄位，很顯然地，這個研究違反了研究倫理。因此，做出了決議─Burnham五年內不得擔任任何涉及「人」的相關研究計畫主持人。

Burnham放棄上訴的機會，理由是不願意因為為了名字這件事上訴而模糊了這項研究的效力，就研究方法學和統計上，這個研究是完全站得住腳的，也就是說65萬人這個數字是不會因為違反研究倫理而有所改變，但校方已打算要寄更正信給Lancet，接下來看看Lancet會如何回應。(有趣的是，發表另外一個在NEJM的伊拉克死亡人數研究，統計人數是12萬人，遠少於hopkins的結果)。

我想回應的是這件事，背後是不是含有政治意涵在內，很顯然地，Burnham的研究結果激怒了某些人，迫使?Hopkins的IRB拿放大鏡檢視他的研究資料，以結果而論，公佈出版的研究完全沒有提到任何受訪者的姓名，而且也沒有對任何人造成傷害，但確實違反了遊戲規則，只是，五年不得從事人類相關研究的懲罰，會不會反應太過度，或許結果公佈的同時，有很多人在鼓掌叫好也不一定，要我不相信其中沒有政治力介入實在很難。

Inauguration

「Inauguration」就職典禮，這個字大概是美國最近一個月最火熱的字，遠超過bailout(紓困)、recession(蕭條)等，美國人對新任總統Barack Obama的期望之深，從跑去DC觀看就職典禮的人數就可看出，今年有超過兩百萬人在白宮前見證這歷史性的一刻。我半個月前到DC遊玩，就遠遠地看到國會大樓前已經在架設今天就職典禮的舞台。
而我們學校剛好也是今天開學，不過有很多同學都跑去DC，像我室友Lauren前一天就興沖沖地跑去華盛頓特區了，校方也順應民意，貼心地在一樓的電視牆和二樓的Feinstone Hall安排現場轉播，下午我的一門課也停課了，耶!
Obama的演說實在深具感染力，連收看電視轉播的人群也不禁頻頻鼓掌叫好。以下是CNN的電視轉播，有興趣的人可以點擊欣賞，並附上演講全文。


全文如下:
My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

考駕照經驗分享

到了美國半年，一直都在使用國際駕照(坐過我車的同學們 讓你們受驚了!!!)
包括開車去佛羅里達來回3000mile都是無美國駕照的情況
趁著寒假結束前，趕緊來考考馬里蘭的駕照
有一些經驗跟大家分享

考馬里蘭州駕照總共分成三階段
1.酒精藥物常識測試(Drug and Alcohol Education Training)
可以到driving school(駕訓班!?)的網站先登記，練習。或是去指定考場上三小時的課程，講師會透露重點(就是考題)，anyway，反正都會讓你過關的。
接著再去考筆試，這網站上面會列出當月的考試日期，但你若是沒有空的話，也可以線上預約去他們在Glen Burnie MVA旁的考場考試，我一開始就是不知道能夠這樣，一直遲遲沒去考，跟想去考的人提醒一下。
考題的話，只要你有做過線上練習，就一定會答。考完後要交40元取得合格證書。
2.文件審查
(需要護照 駕照 國際駕照 兩份可供證明住在馬里蘭的文件)
馬里蘭的駕照文件審查十分嚴格，我周邊的一些外國同學連要換成馬里蘭駕照也因為文件關係來回跑了好幾次才順利拿到。外國人的話更是不好過。這邊列出一些可供證明你住在馬里蘭的文件供參考:銀行statement、BGE的電費帳單、房租契約、信用卡帳單、個人保險帳單(需超過三年)、政府信件、或cable TV帳單等。需要至少兩種證明才可。
我一開始跑去位於Glen Burnie的MVA(是總部，人非常多)，拿了銀行帳單、BGE的deposit和學校健康保險信件及停車罰單，結果某櫃檯的行員只承認罰單。後來不甘心這樣就回家，又重新抽號碼牌到另一個櫃檯，負責的一個年輕小姐就說文件ok，但我的台灣駕照經過請示supervisor還需要認可的英文翻譯本才行，折騰了半天，我只有悻悻然的回家。
當天下午，看了其他網友的經驗，發覺在Bel Air的MVA不需要駕照英文翻譯本，又驅車前往(大約30分鐘路程)，果然順利通過，其餘的照相、視力檢查等都完成後也已經五點了，只好請我隔天再來考試...
3.筆試及路考
筆試會有20題，是在電腦前按觸控螢幕作答，但只要錯3題就會提前結束，可以先到這個網站練習，或是到MVA網站下載Driver Handbook pdf檔。
雖然現在新規定是路考一定要先預約時間，但我筆試通過後，就被告知等下直接考路考。
馬里蘭的路考真的很簡單，沒有什麼上坡起步、S型彎道前進後退。你只要記得STOP SIGN一定要停下來，而且把左右擺頭看路況的動作作得越大越好，這是重點!! 其實打路考分數的紙張上都有寫，在考官還沒來之前，先稍微看一下裡面的扣分標準就知道要求了。
路考就是簡單的路邊停車、180迴轉、直線前進後退而已，記得要轉任何彎一定都要打方向燈，不然會被扣分，我就是這樣被扣了兩分。

通過路考後，再去服務台重新抽號碼牌，乖乖排隊等待，然後繳45塊錢，這樣就完成了。
拿到美國正式photo id的感覺挺不錯的。

Florida 3000mile公路旅遊

這是第一次 也可能是最後一次的美國長途公路旅遊
整趟旅程的最大感想 就是累
不過來美國 什麼都要嘗試一下 這算是最省錢的旅遊方式 但缺點就是花了很多時間在開車上
八天七夜的行程如下
第一天:Baltimore->North Carolina->Duke University, UNC->South Carolina
第二天:South Carolina->Charleston->Florida->Tampa
第三天:Tampa->Disney World(Epicot)
第四天:Disney World(Magic Kingdom, Hollywood studios)->Miami
第五天:Miami Beach
第六天:Miami->Kenndy Space Center
第七天:Kenndy Space Center->Athens, Georgia
第八天:University of Georgia->Home

要看更多照片 也請到picasa相簿去欣賞

紐約行後記(美食篇)

在紐約另外一個吸引人的好處就是可以品嚐到許多異國美食
Lombardi's pizza 32 Spring St New York, NY 10012-4173 (212)941-7994
位於SOHO區
據稱是紐約最古老也最美味的pizza



Gray's Papaya
電子情人中出現的熱狗店，紐約人的評價是好吃又便宜，
但實際上沒想像中的好吃 份量也不多


在中央公園旁的一間馬來西亞餐廳
算是這次旅程中的驚喜，細膩且價位合理




百老匯和第六大道上的中東羊肉
被它的炒羊肉香味所吸引便買回飯店吃 在冷冷的天氣中吃上略帶辣味的羊肉 格外有飽足感


Clinton St Baking 大受紐約人推薦的早餐店，每天早上都可以看到大排長龍的人群
最受歡迎的是Pancakes with blueberry & maple butter




在布魯克林五大道上的義式餐廳，由於原本要去的AL DI LA休息而問了當地人的選擇(Woody 感謝你!)
蕈菇燉飯米粒顆顆清楚，可以吃出新鮮的菇味，手工Tiramisu依傳統作法，口味道地





中國城飲茶─此趟行程的最大敗筆，又貴又難吃加上糟透了的服務
連照相都不想照...

茶庵Cha An 座落於東村，日本味很濃厚的甜食店

紐約行後記(雜篇)

今年聖誕節 和murmur在紐約度過五天四夜
享受了大蘋果的耶誕氣氛
也品嘗了不少美食(哭哭 都是二三十塊起跳)紐約確實是個適合各式各樣人的城市

NY距Baltimore北邊約三個半小時的車程，可以選擇到travel plaza搭灰狗或是china town bus
我們搭的是灰狗
但搭到一半 發現景色越來越不對 而且太陽方向怎會在右手邊(那時候是下午)
天呀~ 我們竟然往南走 而且跑到賭場聖地大西洋城(Atlantic City)去了!!!
前後折騰 結果花了快五個小時才到紐約

這是在紐約入住的飯店Sheraton Time Square
地點極佳 就在時代廣場和百老匯旁
大門旁就是地鐵站 這幾天就搭著地鐵享受當觀光客的日子

大致玩的景點如下:
第五大道, MOMA, 自然歷史博物館, 中央公園， 東村， 百老匯看秀，Rockfekeller center看溜冰和大聖誕樹、中國城、曼哈頓等





要看更多照片可至picasa相簿欣賞
飲食部份則留在下則介紹

募款拍賣會(Student Assembly Auction)

今天中午在學校有場別出心裁的活動─每年一度的募款拍賣會。

話說這個拍賣會還弄得挺有模有樣的，就和正式的拍賣一樣，有商品編號，競標主持人，會場還選在Feinstone Hall舉行。共分為兩種競標，一種是slient auction，主要是由學生提供拍賣品，擺在會場供人下標，到當天下午結標。另一種是Live auction，如同在電視上看到的，而拍賣品大部分都是學校老師所提供。

我剛好得知有提供午餐的消息，便興緻勃勃和班上同學David一起去看(其實是去吃免費午餐)

拍賣項目都很有趣，像是

和我們系副主任Joanne Katz用餐，並提供生涯規劃和約會建議!?

或是到EHS(環衛)系主任Ellen Silbergeld的海邊別墅(3br)渡過歡樂周末，這項從美金500元起標，最後得標價竟然是1000塊~!(Johns Hopkins的人都那麼有錢嗎)

主持人是兩個年輕的老師John McGready (Biostats) and Thomas Burke (HPM)，妙語橫生，也很會提高商品的價值和注目程度，一些有趣對話像是「John, do you remember last time we went to Ellen's house? It totally changed our life.....」逗得全場哈哈大笑

但最引人注目的是編號第83號的商品：和院長共用午餐Dining with the Dean: a lunch for 5 with Dean KlagJoin Dean Klag for lunch at the Center Club. Don't miss this opportunity to bend Dean Michael Klag’s ear. 80元起標。

但我沒等到這個拍賣就先離開了，太可惜，希望有人能分享最後是誰標到的。

thanksgiving火鍋會

Thanksgiving外國人吃火雞，咱們台灣人吃火鍋~

這天是冷呼呼的感恩節，身在異鄉的我們也要感受過節的氣氛，最好的方法就是吃火鍋了，這也是我來到美國之後第一次吃到

光是火鍋湯底就有三種：酸菜白肉鍋、麻辣鍋和台式鍋

這一定要感謝我們的大廚潔音，沒有她絕對不可能會有這麼豐盛的菜色

還有阿亮自製檸檬烤雞(軟嫩多汁)

Yea-Jen的「愛的卡式爐」、Carlo的順口白酒、David夫婦贊助的紅酒以及Tina的純正台灣味珍珠奶茶

13個人吃得不亦樂乎

最後還有命理大師授課，手相星座講解。

要看更多相片請至我的picasa相簿欣賞(絕大部分引用陳小薇的照片)

GDEC student的概況

這一篇也是我一直很想寫都沒時間完成的。

我們班總共有26人

男生5人(其中4個有亞洲血統)，女生21人。

國際學生五人(但除了我和另外一個秘魯來的以外，其他都是在美國念大學的，哭哭)

至於大學分佈，幾乎都來自名校

Harvard(1), UC Berkely(3),USC(1)(南加大), Cornell(1), U Penn(賓大 1), UT(德州大學 2), UW St Louis(聖路易華大 1), Rice U(1), Princeton(1), BU(波士頓 1), Minnesota(3), UNC(北卡 1), Michigan(1), 成大(1)....哈

至於大學時代的主修，最多的是生物，不過也有各式各樣的像是政治、經濟、生化等。

大約有1/3的人有過國際衛生的經驗，其餘1/3都是大學畢業後就申請上的。

畢業之後再工作的人，有些是研究助理，有些在藥廠或衛生部門上班，還有一個女生去過維安部隊(Peace Corp)

另外有三個人是pre-med，有打算繼續申請醫學院

MD背景只有一人(就是不才我)

以上報告到這邊，還有人想知道什麼樣的細節嗎(要更清楚照片的請私下mail給我)

11/21 BSO Tchaikovsky 「悲愴」交響曲

離上一篇網誌的時間將近一個月，趁著期中考結束的空檔趕快把網誌給補完，不然自己在這一個月內做了什麼事都會忘記。

這是第三次去聽BSO的音樂會，指揮仍然是人氣超高的Marin Alsop。晚上的氣溫大約攝氏三度左右，很多銀髮先生女士們早早就進場，在reception hall點了紅酒或香檳來喝，順便取暖(一杯價格大約7到10塊左右)。

今晚的音樂會安排了三首曲目。
第一首是巴哈的布蘭登堡協奏曲第三號(Brandenburg Concerto)
巴洛克經典曲目，值得一提的是指揮Marin Alsop也在台上演奏小提琴並且邊指揮。這首曲子的編制是各弦樂器三把加上大鍵琴，Alsop指揮的版本，更帶有輕快板和跳躍感，小提琴首席Jonathon Carney的肢體動作實在太豐富了，讓人不由自主就會把目光集中在他身上。

第二首是很現代的作品 Christopher Rouse所寫的「交響樂協奏曲」(Concerto for Orchestra)，美國東岸首演。
作曲家是巴爾的摩土生土長，同時也是指揮Alsop的好朋友，當天也到了現場向聽眾致意。
但是....
這首實在是太現代了，我想對在場六七十歲的老爺爺奶奶們，是非常刺激的體驗，結束的時候，掌聲非常大聲，不知道是不是鬆了一口氣...

最後的壓軸是柴可夫斯基的悲愴交響曲，這是他的遺世之作，在俄國首演完後的第八天，柴可夫斯基在旅館中喝了一杯水之後就突然去世，有人說很有可能是霍亂...
Marin Alsop指揮的版本，不同於當代其他人的詮釋，我回到家找了一下，發現竟然和福特萬格勒1956年的歷史錄音有相同的感覺。在現場聽，低音部的震撼力絕不是聽CD可以比的。
大家或許不知道的是，柴可夫斯基在1981年時曾到過Baltimore而且停留了一個月的時間。根據當時的巴爾的摩太陽報，柴可夫斯基形容Baltimore是個漂亮又乾淨的城市，不過他指揮的那場音樂會，聽眾反應似乎沒有紐約來得熱烈....音樂廳大廳也展出了他的手稿和當時Baltimore的歷史照片。

後記：音樂廳的椅子真的很舒服，我有幾次差點睡著的經驗...

Patterson Park Halloween Lantern Parade

星期天晚上有場很特別的萬聖節遊行(Halloween Lantern Parade)。而且舉辦的地點就在我家隔壁的Patterson公園。
這號稱是巴爾的摩每年萬聖節最大的遊行，大家會像我們在過元宵節一樣提著各式各樣的燈籠在街上晃，我也興沖沖的跑去玩。

在公園晃的同時，竟然又遇到了早上一起去農場玩的同學們，世界真小。
燈籠裡面是Baltimore有名的兩個廣告人物，翹鬍子男生是Natty Boh，這是一家啤酒廠的看板人物，女生叫Utz Girl，是一家餅乾公司的招標，原本兩個互不相干，但有人就把他們湊做堆，也變成了一段佳話...
這場遊行辦得十分熱鬧，還有一個很棒會帶動氣氛的樂團，把現場炒熱到最高點，許多人都隨著音樂翩翩起舞。

North Run Farm半日遊

這個週末，恰好期末考剛結束，班上便有同學提議去巴爾的摩附近一個農場走走。
到底美國秋天的農場有什麼好看的呢？

其實這個農場每年萬聖節前都會弄個corn maze(玉米田迷宮)，供大人小孩在裡面遊玩。
而且每年迷宮都會有不同的主題，今年的非常有意思，是以兩黨總統大選為主軸。
竟然在玉米田裡面弄出代表共和黨的大象和民主黨的驢子。超酷的。


我們一行總共八個人坐上改裝拖車。
這個迷宮有兩個出入口，一端是民主黨，一端是共和黨，我同學大部份都支持歐巴馬。
在走迷宮之前，每個人都要拿地圖，上面除了標示路線之外，還有十二個checkpoint，你必須走過這十二個checkpoint並且在每個點上面打洞才算完成。
大家便在迷宮裡面輪流帶領隊伍完成冒險。

許多人說這讓他們有重溫兒時舊夢的感覺(我小時候好像也有在南台灣的玉米田遊玩過...)

裡面就我和另一個香港學生WaiWai是第一次來這種corn maze，十分的新奇，但外國人也對我們的鬼月十分有興趣，大家就這樣在談笑中走完全程，歷時大約一個半小時。
噹噹~這就是我完成的地圖，我手上另外拿著的就是獎品，一包糖果.....


這個農場說大不大，但是很多小孩子還是玩得很high，照片裡面有一個小朋友打扮成南瓜，超顯眼的。
既然萬聖節要到了，那不可缺少的就是南瓜，美國的南瓜真的很誇張，大到看起來像是假的，很想抱一個回家刻南瓜。