Necessary supplies
In anticipation of my travels, I have been stocking up on the following throughout the past year:
+ Extra pairs of contacts and glasses. All those pretty sites (and sights) will mean nothing if I flush my last lens down the hostel sink.
+ Comfy, comfy footwear. I was apprehensive about buying any new shoes when my current kicks seemed to be treating me just fine. Then I realized that they treat me fine while I sit at a desk all day, not while I walk around a city paved in cobblestones or dirt all day. My grandmother was good enough to remind me that happy feet don’t mean just a box office hit; they mean a happy traveler.
+ Tank tops with shelf bras. Because regular bras are a pain to pack (and quite frankly, to wear). Furthermore, this trip is all about letting myself be free, right?
+ Jeans. In the past year I’ve dropped 20 pounds*, which, besides being awesome, means I don’t fit into hardly any of my old pants. Wanting to be prepared to cover up in malaria-ridden S.E. Asia, I figure long jeans are akin to body armor to fend off armies of nasty mosquitoes.
*The 20 pounds I gained in the first six months of sitting at that desk all day. Recent graduates, beware the desk job dozen.
6.15.2007
6.03.2007
All in the Family
A couple weeks ago I got to catch a screening of Mr. Brooks, the new Kevin Costner movie. It was a great thriller, surprisingly hilarious. But I never could accept Kostner or the actors playing his wife and daughter as members of the Brooks family. I know what a Brooks family looks like and a murderous father and college drop-out daughter just doesn't fit the profile. Mearly hearing Kostner called "Mr. Brooks" throughout the film kept reminding me that he was an actor playing a role, and I was never really able to suspend my disbelief. No matter, I still had a lot of fun at the movie, especially because the audience was so reactive. I love it when my fellow movie-goers become an entity that laughs and cringes with the lines and action in a movie. It was one of those audiences where the theater experience far out-weighs the DVD experience and one where I think the actors would have loved to have been present. I haven't kept track of what critics have been saying about it, but I certainly recommend it.
A couple weeks ago I got to catch a screening of Mr. Brooks, the new Kevin Costner movie. It was a great thriller, surprisingly hilarious. But I never could accept Kostner or the actors playing his wife and daughter as members of the Brooks family. I know what a Brooks family looks like and a murderous father and college drop-out daughter just doesn't fit the profile. Mearly hearing Kostner called "Mr. Brooks" throughout the film kept reminding me that he was an actor playing a role, and I was never really able to suspend my disbelief. No matter, I still had a lot of fun at the movie, especially because the audience was so reactive. I love it when my fellow movie-goers become an entity that laughs and cringes with the lines and action in a movie. It was one of those audiences where the theater experience far out-weighs the DVD experience and one where I think the actors would have loved to have been present. I haven't kept track of what critics have been saying about it, but I certainly recommend it.
5.31.2007
Digital SLResearch
I'm probably putting way more thought into my search for a good digital SLR camera than I need to. Over-analyzing as I am prone to do, I just can't seem to make up my mind. So I thought I'd see if any of you have any insight. I've narrowed my search down to the Canon Rebel XT and the Nikon D40 (or maybe the D40x with 10 megapixels instead of 6?). Any of you have any personal experiences with these cameras? I've been really pleased with my Canon point and shoot, and the SLR uses the same memory card. But I test-drove the Nikon this weekend and was really impressed with it. Since this is my first SLR of my own, I want to make sure that it's a good base camera that I can build on, without being way over my novice head. Any insight you might have would be much appreciated.
I'm probably putting way more thought into my search for a good digital SLR camera than I need to. Over-analyzing as I am prone to do, I just can't seem to make up my mind. So I thought I'd see if any of you have any insight. I've narrowed my search down to the Canon Rebel XT and the Nikon D40 (or maybe the D40x with 10 megapixels instead of 6?). Any of you have any personal experiences with these cameras? I've been really pleased with my Canon point and shoot, and the SLR uses the same memory card. But I test-drove the Nikon this weekend and was really impressed with it. Since this is my first SLR of my own, I want to make sure that it's a good base camera that I can build on, without being way over my novice head. Any insight you might have would be much appreciated.
5.28.2007
RTW in 91 Days
Last Wednesday I bit the bullet and purchased my round-the-world flights. Beginning in Phoenix and ending in San Francisco 3 months later, I'll hit the following cities, among others:
London
Edinburgh
London (again)
Paris
Brussels
Amsterdam
Munich
Salzburg
Vienna
Prague
Krakow
Bratislava
Budapest
Prague (again)
Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City
Bangkok
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Sydney
To see what all this looks like, I spent way too much time putting the above map together. There are a few more details if you follow this link (as long as it works the way I think it will), including links to the Intrepid Travel tours I'll be taking. Let me know if that link doesn't work.
I had planned to write a bit more about how excited I am about this trip, and what I'm looking forward to for each of the destinations, but that dratted map took up so much time my prime sunbathing hours are wasting away. But first, before I relax on a raft in the pool, I have an announcement...
I am Seriously Seeking a Cycling Tour Sidekick
The Tour de France arrives in Paris on Sunday, July 29 and I plan to be there. However, it would be infinitely more fun to experience such an exciting event with a companion. In all seriousness, I am asking if anyone wants to join me for a weekend in Paris. I'll be reserving my hostel by next weekend, so you have a little bit of time to think about it. I'll get in to Paris probably on July 27, and I'll leave July 30.
5.08.2007
A Candidate by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet
Upon Dan's recommendation, I took SpeakOut.com's VoteMatch quiz to see how my social and economic views aligned with today's politcal players; in particular to see if I fit more in the Hillary camp or the Barack camp, or someone else's camp all together. I was also interested to see how this quiz differed from OkCupid's politics quiz. Just as I was a year and a half ago, and as I suspected, I'm still a Hillary girl and a "hard-core liberal". But my presidential vote is still up in the air. Besides my belief that it's way to early to be choosing sides, I'm genuinely concerned about the prospect of having another Clinton in the White House. This isn't any conservative concern, of course; it has nothing to do with the Clintons in particular. It has to do with my concern that our country is built on democratic principles, not some kind of impromptu monarchy where the persiency is passed from family member to family member. If Hillary is elected in '08, she'll be in office at least until 2012. That means an entire generation will have grown up with heads of state that are either Bush or Clinton. We don't need two "royal" families battling it out. While I don't have any solid reason to think that a monarchial torch-passing of this sort could have a ruinous influence on our conutry, it's raised a red flag for me. As the '08 primaries creep closer, I'll be looking for Hillary, Barack and the others to convince me of their worthiness. I refuse to be swayed by name, (Ba)rock stardom or pretty face.
Upon Dan's recommendation, I took SpeakOut.com's VoteMatch quiz to see how my social and economic views aligned with today's politcal players; in particular to see if I fit more in the Hillary camp or the Barack camp, or someone else's camp all together. I was also interested to see how this quiz differed from OkCupid's politics quiz. Just as I was a year and a half ago, and as I suspected, I'm still a Hillary girl and a "hard-core liberal". But my presidential vote is still up in the air. Besides my belief that it's way to early to be choosing sides, I'm genuinely concerned about the prospect of having another Clinton in the White House. This isn't any conservative concern, of course; it has nothing to do with the Clintons in particular. It has to do with my concern that our country is built on democratic principles, not some kind of impromptu monarchy where the persiency is passed from family member to family member. If Hillary is elected in '08, she'll be in office at least until 2012. That means an entire generation will have grown up with heads of state that are either Bush or Clinton. We don't need two "royal" families battling it out. While I don't have any solid reason to think that a monarchial torch-passing of this sort could have a ruinous influence on our conutry, it's raised a red flag for me. As the '08 primaries creep closer, I'll be looking for Hillary, Barack and the others to convince me of their worthiness. I refuse to be swayed by name, (Ba)rock stardom or pretty face.
5.01.2007
Indecision, Oh Indecision
I need to start making plans for my trip. If I wait too much longer, the pound will be three times the dollar and everything I've saved up for this trip will go into my one-way ticket to London. Plotting out where I'm going to travel means having to decide which destinations I'm not going to be able to get to. I'm still not ready to admit the fact that I can't fit the world into 3 months. But I'm going to put off making decisions for a little while longer by asking you for your advice. So, my friends, you well-traveled lot, where in Central/Eastern Europe have you been and really enjoyed? Where would you love to go? The following are high on my list:
+ London (duh)
+ Edinburgh
+ Dublin (maybe)
+ Paris (but only if I make it for the end of the Tour de France)
+ Munich
+ Prague
+ Vienna
+ Salzburg
+ Amsterdam
+ Brussels
+ Split
+ Bled
+ Budapest
I'd love your thoughts and suggestions. Pipe up, yo.
I need to start making plans for my trip. If I wait too much longer, the pound will be three times the dollar and everything I've saved up for this trip will go into my one-way ticket to London. Plotting out where I'm going to travel means having to decide which destinations I'm not going to be able to get to. I'm still not ready to admit the fact that I can't fit the world into 3 months. But I'm going to put off making decisions for a little while longer by asking you for your advice. So, my friends, you well-traveled lot, where in Central/Eastern Europe have you been and really enjoyed? Where would you love to go? The following are high on my list:
+ London (duh)
+ Edinburgh
+ Dublin (maybe)
+ Paris (but only if I make it for the end of the Tour de France)
+ Munich
+ Prague
+ Vienna
+ Salzburg
+ Amsterdam
+ Brussels
+ Split
+ Bled
+ Budapest
I'd love your thoughts and suggestions. Pipe up, yo.
4.28.2007
Tiger Talk Radio
I got in my car after this morning's Big XII alumni softball tournament (Mizzou went out in 2 games), turned on the radio, and tuned it to the local NPR station just in time to hear: "M-I-Z!" "Z-O-U!" After checking my surroundings to make sure that the local cacti hadn't been replaced by a row of six ionic columns, I heard an announcer's voice say, "Live from Jesse Auditorium, it's Michael Feldman's Whad'ya Know?!!!!" I'm not usually a big fan of Whad'ya Know; I'm more of a Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me kinda girl. But I stuck around for a bit to hear some of Feldman's intro monologue, which included the necessary jabs at the illustrious Laurie family ("We're coming to you live from Page Auditorium! I mean, Jesse Auditorium."), Columbia's geography ("Strategically located to keep Kansas City and St. Louis at arm's length."), Mayor Darwin Hindman's love of his bike ("In Columbia, the mayor is a known pedalphile.") and — of course — Kansas ("It was in Missouri when Dorothy said, 'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore,' and Toto replied, 'Thank God!'"). It seems the punch lines never change.
I got in my car after this morning's Big XII alumni softball tournament (Mizzou went out in 2 games), turned on the radio, and tuned it to the local NPR station just in time to hear: "M-I-Z!" "Z-O-U!" After checking my surroundings to make sure that the local cacti hadn't been replaced by a row of six ionic columns, I heard an announcer's voice say, "Live from Jesse Auditorium, it's Michael Feldman's Whad'ya Know?!!!!" I'm not usually a big fan of Whad'ya Know; I'm more of a Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me kinda girl. But I stuck around for a bit to hear some of Feldman's intro monologue, which included the necessary jabs at the illustrious Laurie family ("We're coming to you live from Page Auditorium! I mean, Jesse Auditorium."), Columbia's geography ("Strategically located to keep Kansas City and St. Louis at arm's length."), Mayor Darwin Hindman's love of his bike ("In Columbia, the mayor is a known pedalphile.") and — of course — Kansas ("It was in Missouri when Dorothy said, 'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore,' and Toto replied, 'Thank God!'"). It seems the punch lines never change.
4.19.2007
Here, There and Everywhere
I don't know when I'm going to be able to hear a report about the Virginia Tech massacre without crying. When I first heard the news Monday morning I never expected I would feel such a connection to this event. Analyses of the tragedy often include that banal phrase, "It could happen anywhere." But when I hear the reports, it's not anywhere. It's Mizzou. When they talk of the dorm where the first shootings occured, I picture the third floor of McDavid. When they mention the engineering classrooms, it's Engineering Building West, a building that hosted several of my courses, that I see. And the spontaneous candlelight vigils? I envision them at Speaker's Circle and the Quad. It doesn't matter how many times I see pictures of VT students or graphics showing the school's campus layout; it hits closer than that. My mind fills the gaps between reporters' words with my school, my RAs, my friends. This feels personal.
I don't know when I'm going to be able to hear a report about the Virginia Tech massacre without crying. When I first heard the news Monday morning I never expected I would feel such a connection to this event. Analyses of the tragedy often include that banal phrase, "It could happen anywhere." But when I hear the reports, it's not anywhere. It's Mizzou. When they talk of the dorm where the first shootings occured, I picture the third floor of McDavid. When they mention the engineering classrooms, it's Engineering Building West, a building that hosted several of my courses, that I see. And the spontaneous candlelight vigils? I envision them at Speaker's Circle and the Quad. It doesn't matter how many times I see pictures of VT students or graphics showing the school's campus layout; it hits closer than that. My mind fills the gaps between reporters' words with my school, my RAs, my friends. This feels personal.
4.16.2007
Fear itself
I've been meaning to post for months about my reaction to the movie Jesus Camp. I have many thoughts that have become a bit muddled as the weeks since viewing it have passsed. But there's one image that sticks out in my mind. It is of one of the kids attending the camp dressed in a t-shirt displaying a rip-off of the the Fear Factor logo. The manipulated logo reads "Faith Factor." To me, this symbolizes the crux of the film: To these children faith and fear are interchangeable. Their faith in God is one that is born out of fear. And that saddens me, because the God I know and the God I trust does not rely on fear. While fear is great motivation, it tends to breed further fear. Watch both these clips:
JFK's famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" is true, and even more so when considering the results of actions of fear-based faith.
4.09.2007
About a week ago I had a dream that really gave me insight to the way I'm afraid I've been acting lately. I dreamt that I arrived in London, and it was wonderful all over again, and I met some real fun people, and we sat outside at a lovely cafe discussing profound things. And then after being there for two whole days, I decided to give Megan a call to let her know I was in town. Her response was something along the lines of, "Oh, I was wondering when you'd let me know you were coming." I don't think I've ever woken up from a dream feeling so guilty. Two whole days of being in her city and I didn't even have the decency to let one of my best friends know I was on my way to visit her. What's worse is that I'm afriad that's indicative of how I've been in relation to my friends lately. Appologies to dreamland Megan, to all of the friends whose emails I've left unanswered and to the inhabitants of blogland who have seen a drop-off in my posting.
What I've Been Doing
Putting in 25+ hours of overtime during deadline.
What I've Been Listening To
Wincing the Night Away by the Shins, Inside In / Inside Out by The Kooks, and whatever Lilly Allen comes on Virgin Radio, NPR or her website.
What I've Been Eating
Gelato. Lot's of gelato. And brie on crackers. Plenty of brie.
What I've Been Thinking
How am I going to fit the world into three months?!?!?
What I've Been Reading
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek, the stack of magazines i just can't seem to keep up with.
What [Else] I've Been Dreaming
Something about Lance Armstrong's connection to steroids.
What I've Been Watching
Suns games, both live and on tv.
What I've Been Predicting
If Barack gets the Democratic nomination in '08, there will be talk of Arizona governor Janet Napolitano as his running mate. Think about it: a female Democrat who handily won reelection in a mostly red state because the Republicans basically declined to give her much competition. Add to the mix the fact that she governs a border state, has recently visited Iraq and Afghanistan and is currently chairing the National Governors Association. Total Veep material, yeah?
What I've Been Plugging
Personalized Google homepage. If I thought Gmail and Google's calendar service was fantastic, I'm blown away by the simplicity and style of the personal Google page. Yay for fun technolgy!
What I've Been Doing
Putting in 25+ hours of overtime during deadline.
What I've Been Listening To
Wincing the Night Away by the Shins, Inside In / Inside Out by The Kooks, and whatever Lilly Allen comes on Virgin Radio, NPR or her website.
What I've Been Eating
Gelato. Lot's of gelato. And brie on crackers. Plenty of brie.
What I've Been Thinking
How am I going to fit the world into three months?!?!?
What I've Been Reading
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek, the stack of magazines i just can't seem to keep up with.
What [Else] I've Been Dreaming
Something about Lance Armstrong's connection to steroids.
What I've Been Watching
Suns games, both live and on tv.
What I've Been Predicting
If Barack gets the Democratic nomination in '08, there will be talk of Arizona governor Janet Napolitano as his running mate. Think about it: a female Democrat who handily won reelection in a mostly red state because the Republicans basically declined to give her much competition. Add to the mix the fact that she governs a border state, has recently visited Iraq and Afghanistan and is currently chairing the National Governors Association. Total Veep material, yeah?
What I've Been Plugging
Personalized Google homepage. If I thought Gmail and Google's calendar service was fantastic, I'm blown away by the simplicity and style of the personal Google page. Yay for fun technolgy!
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