If We Build It . . .

. . . we'll figure out what to do with it. I've always used this line when referring to life at Champlain College, where we all too often equate the word "nimble" with the academic equivalent of running with scissors. That said, Champlain has nothing on the UAE. Let me slide in a picture in the midst of a very quick posting. I was looking at pictures from my ill-fated bike ride the other night and I came across this one. One of my strengths (or weaknesses) is that I often pick up on (or fabricate) deeper meaning behind seemingly insignificant events or objects. So, a classic Scudder statement would be, "this is clearly a microcosm of . . ." or "this so clearly represents . . ." or "this is so completely symbolic of . . ." - at which point I normally throw in a quote from Marcus Aurelius and off we go. Now, as Marcus reminds us, "The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious." So maybe my strength lies in my ability to organize the non-obvious (although I clearly pale in comparison to my friend Cinse - and you should read her blog, which can be accessed at the bottom right of this one). Maybe I'm digging deeper or just organizing the non-obvious. Anyway, this picture speaks to life in the UAE. On my bike ride I was really taken back by how amazingly manicured everything was, including roads that were going no place. In this picture we have a very carefully landscaped path that just ends. Now, maybe this is part of a much bigger plan that will all come together in the fullness of time - or maybe it is just designed to sit there and look pretty until someone figures out what to do next.