Thank you all!


I would like to send my thanks into the world to all of the environmental groups that participated in Earth Day The Hague last night (see the list below), to the people who chose to spend their Tuesday evening with us learning about the history of Earth Day and the many eco-activities in The Hague. And special thanks to Tom and Agnes at the American Book Center who supported this event by ordering environmental books to celebrate and advocate for the environment, providing their support and aiding in publicity.

If you live in The Hague, please consider purchasing your next read at the ABC Bookstore. Or in Earth Day terms, help keep the bookstore species alive by supporting them with your purchasing power. 

If you missed this event, and wanted to go, please take a moment to check out the websites of the organisations who participated below. Pictures hopefully to follow!

Earth Day The Hague 2014 Participants

 AVN Algemene Vereniging voor Natuurbescherming
AVN is an 88 year old lobby organization for green interests in The Hague and environs. We inform the public and the municipal and provincial governments and politicians on the values of nature and the environment.  www.avn.nl

 Author Kristin Anderson
Co-organiser of Earth Day The Hague along with the American Book Center, Anderson will be signing her debut novel Green. This opposites-attract love story between an environmental activist and an upwardly mobile career woman explores the challenges of living green in an urban society.  Available at www.abc.nl or at www.amazon.com or www.amazon.co.uk

 

DHiT Den Haag in Transitie / The Hague in Transition
DHiT facilitates the coming together of the local community in The Hague to take steps towards a vision of a green, creative and self-sustaining city. In order to achieve this we challenge and transform the current societal paradigms of how we live and work together. www.denhaagintransitie.org

Fine Fresh Food
Locally owned, organic restaurant located at Korte Houtstraat 14C, 2511 CD Den Haag, offers organic faire, fresh squeezed juices, Fair Trade coffee and tea. www.finefreshfood.nl

 

Haags Milieucentrum / The Hague Environmental Center
For 22 years, the Haags Milieucentrum has been supporting local organisations dealing with nature and the environment. We provide information about sustainability to citizens, companies and the municipality, and try to make it easier for citizens to lead their lives in a sustainable manner. www.haagsmilieucentrum.nl

 

Jelena Ratkovic, Classical Guitar
Jelena Ratkovic, a student at the Koninklijk Conservatorium will play pieces by J.S. Bach, G. Regondi, F. Tarrega, A. Barrios, and M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco

 

Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel
This Hague-based organisation transforms empty dirt patches beneath city trees into blooming colourful oasis’ for bees, butterflies and insects, bringing pockets of nature into the city that can be appreciated by all. www.stokrozen.nl

 

Seafirst Foundation
The Sea First Foundation does just that – puts the sea first. We raise awareness about the wonders of marine life, the environmental services that the ocean provides us and the multiple threats that it faces. We give lessons at schools and talks at various venues.  We also do beach cleans and celebrate World Ocean Day on June 8th every year. www.seafirstfoundation.nl

Earth Day in The Hague, Tuesday April 22nd, 2014 at the ABC Treehut


Every April 22nd, over a billion people in 190 countries take action for Earth Day, according to earthday.org. The Hague will also house a special Earth Day celebration this Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014, from 17:00-20:00 in a Treehut–in this case, The American Book Store’s ABC Treehut, located at Lange Poten 23 just off Het Plein.

Everyone is welcome!
Everyone is welcome!

 

The Hague Earth Day Celebration is a fun, interactive event where you can find out about green initiatives and projects in The Hague, be exposed to a plethora of books on the environment, attend a book signing, eat fresh, organic food and meet eco-minded people.

In attendance will be representatives from the Algemene Vereniging voor Natuurbescherming (AVN), The Seafirst Foundation, Den Haag in Transitie, Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel, Haags Milieucentrum, among other local environmental groups and authors. I know there were a lot of Dutch words in that last sentence, but the event will be bilingual, thus you can count on plenty of  English conversations as well.

Earth Day is a call to action, gathering people together to embrace a sustainable way of life. In The Hague, that call to action can be planting a seed in the soil with The Hague’s own Project Bloeiende Boomspiegel, or a seed in your mind by reading a book with an environmental focus; volunteering for a local beach clean up with the Seafirst Foundation, brainstorming with local politicians and community leaders, or committing to a Seven Change Challenge that will be presented at the event.

Politicians and government representatives will be invited in the spirit of an eco-minded dialogue with community leaders.

Organic food and drink will be for sale by local restaurant Fine Fresh Food, and a number of books that focus on the environment will be showcased by the American Bookstore this day, ranging from non-fiction titles like The Big Thirst, by Charles Fishman, Good Green Guides The Hague, by Harold Verhagen and eco-romance novel Green by Hague-based author Kristin Anderson, who will be signing her novel at the event.

Rather than doing a traditional reading from her book Green, author Kristin Anderson, who co-organized the event with the American Book Center, has taken a rather creative, Tom Sawyeresque approach.

Remember that fence that Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer needed to paint white? Why paint the fence yourself? Better to creatively get all of your friends to do it for you! And this time, the fence is GREEN. In other words, each environmental organization in attendance has been asked to read a small passage from Anderson’s eco-novel Green that relates to their organization before launching into their own five-minute presentation on what their organization does in our community.

If you would like to celebrate Earth Day with other earth-loving people, please join in! If you represent an environmental organization in The Hague, please stop by and meet and greet! For more information, and event updates please contact author Kristin Anderson on Facebook.

If you are new to the concept of Earth Day, this summary on National Geographic explains how it came into existence 44 years ago and why it is so important.

Hope to see you there!

 

Do lifestyle environmentalists count?


I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, but I’m getting a kind of reputation here in the Netherlands as an environmentalist. And truth be told, that both excites me and makes me uncomfortable. Now here is the question; what do people mean when they call me an environmentalist? Are they referring to my eco-friendly  ideologies and lifestyle or do they mistake me for someone with a scientific mind who can explain why global warming is a reality, or lay out the intricacies of the marine ecosystem and how our misuse of the ocean as a trash can combined with over fishing are destroying this vast resource? Well, I can do that to a degree, but not without first referencing the research that experts in the field have conducted. I’m admitting to the following; there is not a scientific bone in my body.

Snottykins organic hankies
Snottykins organic hankies

On the other hand, thanks to a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and years of writing experience, I can read and digest information about the environment and (often) convey it in an intelligible manner; but is this enough? That is the question that has always haunted this “lifestyle environmentalist.”

Is there room in the environmental movement for those not steeped in science? This question represents a fear I’ve nurtured and given legs throughout my life, leaving me with the following damning conviction: you can’t be an environmentalist, Kristin, because you didn’t study environmental science, marine biology and geography. You’re more of an environmental cheerleader; your sleek words the pom poms, your enthusiasm the cheer, your soap box the half-time show. Glitz and glamour without the substance to back it up. Sure it’s cute. But the game (the real environmentalists) is what matters. But is this true?

I mean, I have done a fair bit of good for the environment with those pom poms; I’ve made lifestyle choices that reduce my impact on the environment, I’ve volunteered for environmental organizations, I aided and abetted the Handkerchief revolution in the U.S., I’ve grown gardens and planted seeds in community projects, I  initiated a sustainability project at the firm I used to work for, I was on the sustainability committee at our church in the U.S., and I’ve written a novel called GREEN where the environment is far more than the half time show.

But when someone calls me an environmentalist, I feel a need to slow them down and make the distinction. “I”m more of a lifestyle environmentalist,” I hear myself saying.

And this lifestyle environmentalist is currently organizing a mini “Earth Day Celebration” in The Hague, slated for Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014 at the ABC Treehut from 17:00-19:00

Boy was that fun to put into a block quote! More details on this Earth Day Celebration will be forthcoming on this blog, on Facebook and via emails to my peeps in The Hague.

What are your thoughts? Do lifestyle environmentalists Count? Can they play an important role in expanding the environmental movement?

 

Throwback 2004: BS in concert


I was searching through archived CDs for an article I wrote for an architecture magazine. Wow was I shocked when I came upon this little walk down memory lane. I wrote this in the Spring of 2004 when I was temporarily living in Amsterdam, dating my now husband. I apologize to Britney  Spears up front for the absolute harshness of this write-up. I’m sure she has accomplished all sorts of great successes in the years before and after this concert.

I wonder how the other participants remember this event!

Open up your eyes

Last night I did an awful thing. Not only did I do it, but I dragged three friends into the whole mess. There was a monetary value involved of about 200 euro. We could have the experience for free. That made it appealing. Everyone knew it was an act below their better judgment.  But the idea, as a joke, had its stand-alone charm, and the margarita’s Pam was making for Cinco de Mayo added another smooth layer of recklessness. So we made a pact to go that Friday. Friday arrived and four educated adults from four different nationalities piled into an Audi, and headed to Rotterdam to see a Britney Spears concert.

I know. I know. You’re saying ‘you couldn’t pay me to see Britney Spears.’ And, well, I’m sure I’ve said something just like that in the past. When I was wiser, more intuitive. On the drive to Rotterdam we listened to a few songs of a Britney Spears CD Aila’s[1] husband had received from a coworker (uh huh). After two songs I began to have some serious reservations about our decision. Our English companion Jessie put it best. ‘Her voice is crap.’

If this was as good as it got, with all the help of a top of the line recording studio and all the special effects money could buy, the evening would be musically bereft—unless there was a warm up band. Our Dutch friend Aila offered a helpful out.

“Perhaps we should just sell the tickets when we arrive.” Yet, in the end, curiosity got the better of us.

“I think we should just go for it.  I’m quite curious,” said the Aussie. A serious writer and past journalist, her enthusiasm and courage made the rest of us feel like sissies for wanting to jump ship.

“Yeah. I mean, if it absolutely sucks we can leave,” I added.

Being the American in the group who had accepted the tickets for free, I felt a strong desire to 1) make sure my friends felt no obligation to stay if it was as bad as we expected it to be and 2) to clarify that just because I’m American does not necessarily mean I embrace or support our pop culture.  In fact, I’d lived without a TV for the past two years and was about as far removed from pop music culture as one can be in the electronic age. Yet, I too was curious. My 11-year-old niece had talked up Britney to be the best thing on the market. My niece is a smart little girl. She has a great voice. Already better than Britney’s if the CD was any indication, and she could dance (my niece, that is).  So, in a way, my curiosity was not so much about Britney as it was about relating to my niece who was speeding a thousand miles a minute into the heart of American pop culture. I would have an edge. I would know something. I would be more than her thirty-something niece living abroad who likes to give her ‘educational presents’ and keeps pestering her about when she’s reading Anne Frank in school. I could say I’d seen Britney in concert. Was I brave enough to admit such a thing?

We arrived. We parked the car. We walked through the rain across the useless 2 kilometers of pavement surrounding the Ahoy stadium and, with our complimentary tickets, entered the arena seating area. The first sensation that hit us was an all out assault on the eardrums. Thousands of screaming fans did ‘the wave’ up in the bleacher seating. I did that when I was a child too. Floor to ceiling stacks of speakers stood on either side of the huge stage currently hidden behind a red flowing curtain. Videos played on large, distorted screens as the audience eagerly awaited the opening of the red curtain. My friends looked as embarrassed as I felt. We went to the bar and got a round of beers and potato crisps. The arena was standing room only and most of the people were closer to our age than to the thirteen-year-olds I’d expected.  Perhaps this was the over 21 area? So, Britney had some sort of broad appeal to many age groups. A tall twenty-something gay man with a pink boa shook his bootie to the music blaring over the speakers. Soon the inevitable happened. The red curtain came down.

Vegas baby! Or, more correctly, a whole multi-tiered stage set dubbed Hotel Onyx, with shiny lights, café tables, and sleek dancing poles. A fat man in a purple suit came into the spotlight, and did his best absurd laugh after beckoning us all into the world of Britney.  Dancers with parasols suspended above the stage were slowly lowered through the air on almost invisible cables toward the stage. Bright lights, fire torches, and a scantily clad dance troop all set the stage for the star.

Britney came out on a metal vehicle with its very own shiny poles to slip and slide up against. The crowd went crazy. She wore a black leather skintight suit that pressed her breasts into a two tight masses of silicon beauty. She gyrated and flipped her hair and made little screeching sounds.  The audience roared. The back up dance troop was very good. Britney’s dancing seemed to consist of some basic pelvic gyrations, breast fondling, lip puffing and hair flipping. Overall, not very impressive. The music changed, her outfits changed, but nothing redeeming was offered. I felt the disappointment setting in. This was the epitome of American pop music. She was it. She is the icon. I didn’t think it could get much worse. Then, Britney spoke.

“Hi Netherlands. Whew! Allright. Okay! Look at how many of you there are! Whew! You know, you’re a really good audience!” she said with hair-flipping accompaniment.

I felt the first waves of depression as thousands of fans screamed their enthusiasm. I looked to my friends. I saw the initial looks of horror had not left their faces. We left after the fifth or sixth song. I didn’t feel bad that I used the ticket rather than some real fan. I figured, I spared them this experience. I was certain my martyrdom would be misunderstood. So this was what my homeland was producing. I say my homeland, as it takes more than one teen pop star grown old to create the horror I had just witnessed. It was a display of sexuality, accompanied by a soulless message. I had witnessed a world full of desire, but a world without soul. I had learned nothing with which to further relate to my dynamic little niece. In fact, I felt betrayed. I must save her from this artless craft.

[1] Names have been changed to protect the identities of the participants in this event.

City, Forest, Luck, Love


This morning I left the house for an early morning appointment on my two-wheeled transportation and entered bike path rush hour. I still can’t get used to seeing men and women in business attire and fancy shoes peddling along, some with children on the front or back of the bicycle en route to school drop off before heading to the office.

The morning bicycling crowd is more adamant than the afternoon crowds I’ve encountered. People lay on the bicycle bell if you’re not cycling fast enough, and if you don’t merge to the right of the bike path for them to pass, they sometimes make gutsy moves to overtake you. I witnessed that myself this morning as two teenage girls cycling at a slower pace chatting away, were overtaken by people in suits, utilizing the lengths of brick between the street lamps as a temporary third lane. If the timing wasn’t quite right and they weren’t able to cut back in time, my bet would be on the street lamp.

The sun was out, but it was bone-chilling cold. A slight mist oozed from the urban forest as I peddled by with the crowd of cyclists.

After my appointment an hour and a half later, the bike paths were quiet, the sun climbing higher in the sky.

By afternoon pick up at school, the sun was bringing a rare warmth to The Hague. Jackets were shed and faces were turned upward. Within an hour, I felt like I might actually have a sunburn, and I wanted to be inside. Ezra, acting a bit vampire like, also wanted to stay indoors, but the weather was so undeniably beautiful, I felt obligated to extend our outdoor time. I opened the patio door and we had our afternoon snack on the front porch, but not before Ezra lowered the awning to block most of the sun’s rays.

By late afternoon, we headed to the forest for dog therapy with a friend who needed Ezra’s help walking her dog. My friend’s puppy barks at children, but is very friendly and doesn’t bite. She needs exposure to children to get over her tendency to bark. Ezra has grown wary of dogs after a recent bite episode and needs positive exposure to dogs to put that one negative experience into perspective; thus the origin of our win-win dog therapy sessions.

I’m not asking my son to wrestle with Doberman Pinschers or Rottweilers, but to take a small, friendly five-month-old dog for a walk.

He didn’t want to go at first. When he saw the dog, he tensed up, pulling his hands protectively out of reach. But my amazing friend coached him through the interaction as the dog started to bark. Before long, Ezra was keenly aware of dog ear positions and what they indicate. He opened his hand flat, and started to laugh when the puppy lavished it with licks and kisses. Within 5 minutes, he was holding her leash, walking the little dog and using basic commands to tell her to halt and cross.

By the time we reached the forest, they were pals. She began to follow him toward the tree he likes to climb and rather than reacting in fear, he seemed to view his new little companion as another interested party, bathing him in attention. The real test was when a second dog approached. The last time, Ezra climbed the tree and stayed up in its branches until the other dog departed. Today, he came out of the tree and stayed on the ground. He didn’t touch the other dog, but his body language didn’t emanate fear either.

By the time we were walking home, Ezra was telling us how he would like to have his own dog; how he didn’t want to leave his new companion. I informed him that dad was making dinner and it was time to get home. My friend commented on how nice it was to have a husband who was cooking dinner. Yes. I realize I am incredibly lucky; I have kind and thoughtful friends, a son who is overcoming a fear and a husband who is not only a good cook, but a man I love.

Angolan Sun


I awoke Monday morning before the alarm went off with a strange sensation; energy. I had slept well three nights in a row, and was experiencing a clarity of mind I hadn’t even realized was missing. I was focused and productive at work, I understood almost all of the Dutch that was thrown my way, and I was pro-active when I got home. I finished customizing a flyer my friend Antara had designed for my book Green and headed downtown to drop it at ABC Bookstore in The Hague where multiple copies of my novel GREEN are now sitting on a shelf, waiting for their new owners to come fetch them.

Your copy is waiting for you at the ABC Bookstore in The Hague
Your copy is waiting for you at the ABC Bookstore in The Hague

When I stepped outside, my energy increased exponentially because the sun was shining! When you grow up in an area of eternal sunshine, you don’t miss the sun or even realize it’s impact on your mood. You take it for granted, get annoyed with it, even, for it’s unabashed persistence in warming up every day. I always wondered why I saw so many lobster-red German and Dutch tourists in my home state of California. Now I know why they’re not on board with the sunscreen concept; sunshine is a rare commodity in their daily lives. It’s like they think a good sunburn will make up for all those overcast days when the sun was just as intangible as world peace behind the cloud front.

For once, I was happy the tram wasn’t coming for 10 minutes. I leaned against the edge of the tram stop, my hands in my pockets, my face tilted upward toward the sunshine.

When I got on the tram, I sat next to two women with beautiful brown skin more fit for a sunny climate. They spoke in a fluid language that was at once familiar and foreign. I couldn’t help myself.
“Welke taal spreken jullie?” (Which language are you two speaking?) That one question launched a friendly, inspired dialogue that happens on occasion among strangers in a big city. They spoke Portuguese and had been in The Netherlands for over a decade. Although I’ve heard Portuguese, my exposure is limited to a few CDs of Brazilian artists. I soon learned they were from Angola, not Portugal or Brazil. Angola has a long colonial history with the Portuguese, and Portuguese is the country’s official language.

Before our short tram ride was over, the women were opening their purses and looking for something they wanted to give me. Ah. A pamphlet on the power of God. I took it with a smile and waved goodbye.
Rejuvenating sleep put me in the right space to be open to experiences. The sun gave me a physical jolt of warmth and this simple conversation with two Angolan women on the tram emphasized the importance of human interaction. angola

As I walked toward the ABC Bookstore to drop off my flyer, I noticed that people were smiling at me.

Green by Kristin Anderson
Poster designed by Antara Hunter

Why? I had a smile on my face, and I guess smiles can be contagious, especially if the sun is out and your energy is just that much more open from its warmth. The ABC Bookstore was closed, but the employees were busy conducting a store wide inventory. I slipped the flyers under the door, hoping the woman who I’d spoken with about the flyer was working that day. I placed a few more flyers in other locations and headed back to my neighborhood, thinking about the Angolan sun.

How to Make your Own Passport to Access foreign reserves of Treasure


The Netherlands is like a giant candy store for museum lovers; they are everywhere and about everything ranging from classical to contemporary art in multiple mediums, history, religion, architecture, anatomy and science.

As a museum lover myself, I have been wondering how to instill this love of art and culture into our son. How does one go about interesting a seven year old in Kandinsky or Giacometti? Jan Steen or Rembrandt? Thus far, I only have a partial answer; through repeated exposure so it is like part of his or her cultural landscape. Thus our museum passport project.

A few weeks ago, I took my son to Museon, a popular museum for kids in The Hague with hands-on exhibits about science, animals, minerals, geography and much more. We stopped by the gift store before we entered the museum and I let him pick out a tiny notebook. When we checked in with our museum card, I asked the cashier if she had anything to stamp my son’s museum passport. She located a stamp with the museum address and stamped his passport with the air of an official, and just like that, we gained access to a new world!

We explored a photo exhibit of endangered animals across the world, we tried our hand with an interactive exhibit on how to tell the difference between counterfeit items and the originals; we played a game with a robotic arm that moved from player to player, dropping discs into slots based on the buttons you pushed. At the end of our visit, we wrote up our favorite exhibits.

On another day, we headed to Naturalis in Leiden, receiving the second stamp in our homemade passport. This time I brought an iPad to do a bit of photo documentation and my son helped choose the items that he deemed worthy of sharing. I think his favorite item was an exhibit that combined million year old dinosaur eggs with with contemporary technology. Here is the video one would never have thought possible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MtbAorp1aQ

They say seven is the age of reason. I say it’s the age of manipulation negotiation. My son negotiated with me on day one of our museum adventures that after 10 museum visits, he is eligible for a present. It certainly does help with motivation.

An elitist, outrageously expensive project? Not necessarily. The Netherlands has an amazing concept called the Museum Card. You can purchase a Museum Card (MuseumKaart) for 45 euro a year, gaining access to about 400 museums throughout the Netherlands. Considering access to most museums ranges from 10 to 20 euros per visit, you make your money back very quickly. Occasionally, a museum on the list will be having a special exhibit, requiring an additional fee of 2 or 3 euros, but this is a small pittance considering the world to which you are gaining access.

I know that 45 euro is a lot of money, especially if you only go to the museum once in a while. One amazing thing about the socialistic nature of this country, is that they also think about cultural access for those of lesser financial means. Thus, if you fall into this category and happen to live in The Hague, you and your family members do not need to be shut out of cultural opportunities. Consider looking into the Ooievaarspas, a program offered through the city of The Hague that provides lower-income residents with free or discounted access to many cultural and educational programs in and around The Hague.

Other ways to keep this project smooth sailing and within budget is to pack plenty of healthy snacks and beverages and avoid the gift store and museum cafe for anything more than a coffee.

Want to join the museum crusade? Make your own Museum Passport and start visiting museums in your area.

(If you are a member of homeland security, the NCA, AIVD or FBI visiting my blog due to that dubious blog title, I apologize for the scare. This is about the homemade Museum Passport project my son and I started this January and why you might want to join in on this mission. When I say you, I don’t necessarily mean you law enforcement types, though I am not opposed to the idea).

About the Teacher


About the Teacher.

Live in the Santa Barbara area? Have children under 10? Believe music is important? Then check out Boom Boom Sing!

Antara Hunter is an amazing musician with a golden voice and great with kids. If I still lived there, I would be signing Ezra up for lessons.

Wishing you success with your new venture Antara!

I’ve been Prined and I’ve been Schooled


Saturday, an Indonesian church rented our building to hold their church service. A crew of young members arrived early to set everything up, and a young boy, no older than eight or nine, was standing in the hall, looking a bit bored. He came to the counter and I expected him to order a “Chocomel” (chocolate milk) or a pack of Mentos. He asked me for the wi-fi code. I thought it was kind of sweet, this little boy wanting internet access. Anyway, I pulled out a piece of paper with our 15-digit long code. He had this rather impassive look on his face as I explained that the first long series of numbers was the name of our connection and the second the log in code. The long code is quite often daunting to grown up clients who ask for internet access, so I couldn’t imagine how this little guy was feeling.

I took his iPhone in my hand and started typing in the code. Except, I was having trouble switching between capitals and lower case, my fingers a bit clumsy when searching out numbers rather than letters. He started explaining it to me, and I smartly handed it back to him.
“How about if I read you the code and you can type it in.”
“Okay.” As I read, his fingers flew along, waiting impatiently for me to catch up.
“Can I also use it to log in on my iPad?” he asked. You have an iPhone and an iPad? I asked indignantly in my head. You’re what, seven, maybe eight?
“Sure,” I responded cheerfully. “You can keep a copy of this paper.”
“I’ll just take a photo,” he said.
“Oh. Yeah. That’s a good idea,” I responded. I didn’t see a smirk on his face. I’m sure this happens to him all of the time, interacting with slow, older people. AT this point, I was holding my head up high just by the mere fact that I towered over this youngster.

As I walked away with my silly paper, it came to me: In 2011 I had been Prined and in 2014 I had been Schooled. Being Prined is a joyous occasion. On the other side of the spectrum is being schooled; by a little boy; a little boy who has a smart phone, an iPad and quick little fingers.

I remember when I considered my mom and dad silly and antiquated because they had no idea who the Red Hot Chili Peppers were, and didn’t have a clue how to write an email. But I was in my mid 20s in grad school, spending gobs of hours in the computer lab; they in their 60s, enjoying the early stages of retirement. This recollection makes me feel rather uncomfortable as the wheel of Karma does its spinning thing in my direction.

It’s a well-known fact that the Indonesians are blessed with youthful countenances. Perhaps this little iPhone, iPad toting boy was actually a bright young college student who looked young for his age. The second stage of being Schooled; denial.