Back in the Bean

How completely frustrating! I had just written this big entry about my trip and then there was an error in the publishing and it was all lost. Bah! So infuriating. Well, I don't have time in this moment to recap the story for you, but I will post this picture I took one evening while taking a stroll on my own. I love the motion and the light in this shot. But then again, when it comes to London (as if I haven't made this clear already) I am in love with anything that has to do with the great city.



More later....

Londonlicious

God I love London. I simply have to move here someday. I am sitting in the flat of my dear friend Frankie, taking a short break from the bustling London streets. I arrived at an ungodly hour this morning, so I am feeling a bit tired, but just being here gives me new energy. If I had an EU passport I would move here in a second. There is just a vibe here that you just don't find in sleepy Boston.

So if any of you dear readers are lovely british males who are looking for a fabulous American wife to spoil and be spoiled in return, do get in touch. I'll share my citizenship if you share yours.

Frankie just gave me a glass of water and kindly informed me that this water (tap) has been through the body (someone's body that is) 8 times. But still it is the best water she has ever tasted. Hmm. I'll have to remember to pack my Britta filter when I move.

This is likely the last entry for the next several days since I will be working my ass off for this conference until I get back on Monday night. Cheerio!

Like, Totally!

I love the 80s!

When was the last time you grooved out to Madonna's Holiday? Lucky me, my friend Rob plays synthesizer (and a few other instruments from what I gather) for The Reganomics-- a fantastic local 80s cover band. Even with a brand new singer leading the band, and a venue not extremely conducive to live music, they sounded great.

Here's a shot of the band, sadly you can't really see the lead guitarist's Karate Kid headband too clearly in this shot. What a great 80's accessory.



In this one you can get a better sense of the annoying TV (highlighting March Madness basketball) backing the band:



The only real unfortunate part of the evening were these two very drunk dudes pictured below who kept trying to play grab-ass with my friend Alyssa and me, and presumably every other girl in the bar. It must have been the bachelor party of the short one since--get this-- he had a real bowling ball and chain attached to his ankle. I know this because the ball accidentally hit me and it was damn heavy. I feel sorry for his poor fiance who was also somewhere in the room, since he was all over just about any girl within arms reach. ew. I think Alyssa came close to kicking him in the nuts when he and his friends suggested it would be fun if she showed them her boobs.


Ah, well. It was a good night out. Tomorrow I am off to London, so it will be a short blogging week.

Pic of the day: India

I took this picture while I was working for Semester at Sea back in 1997. SAS is an amazing comparative culture/study abroad program that takes roughly 600 college students around the world aboard the MV Explorer which is outfitted to serve as a floating campus (including library, computer lab, etc.). Students take their arts & sciences classes while the ship is at sea, and while in various ports they have a whole menu of excursions from which to choose.

I worked for the SAS home office all through college doing recruitment and customer service. After graduation my application to work on the ship was accepted, and I served in the Field Office (which organizes all the shore activities) from January through May. During the voyage we visited the Bahamas, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, India, The Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan and finished in Seattle. Needless to say, it was a truly amazing experience.

This picture in India was one of my favorite shots, taken at a Hindu temple outside Madras (now called Chennai). The baby was the daughter of a co-worker. The gentleman was the custodian of this "Brahmin" Elephant who lived on-site at the temple.

Here is a shot of the MV Explorer (which is an upgrade from the ship that I actually sailed on):

Thx & BR

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!

Today is absolutely crazy, so I will have to keep this short. I found this amusing. I just receivied an email from a college who signed off with:

bla bla bla bla.
Thx & BR,
Mr. X

Have we become so lazy that we can't even manage to find the time to type out a simple "thanks and Best Regards"? I mean, c'mon. Opps, I mean "Come On". I know I am having a bit of a rant fest this week, between jury duty, the T, and now this. But I can't help myself.

It is no secret that I swing in the jungle of online dating. I cannot tell you how many emails from prospective "men" start with:

Hi. How r u?

If a man is so contrained for time that he needs to shave 4 letters from his busy schedule, surely he has no time to date. But we all know the truth. It isn't because he is too busy, it's because he is too lazy. Or is a 50 year-old and trying to seem "hip". I am certain there are women out there who are just as big offenders, I just don't get emails from them-- so don't think I am picking on you my dear male readers. The only time this is OK, in my humble opinion (IMHO), is when using SMS on my cell phone. That's a different story all together.

L&P (love and peace)
Terra
PS- I will post the pic of the day a little later. I am pressed for time at the moment. TTYL! :)

Full of Hot Air

This morning as I was crammed into the greenline T shoulder to shoulder with what seemed like a few hundred other commuters I was thinking about the luxury of space (or lack thereof). Now don't get me wrong, I am a city girl, no doubt about it. I love the beat and rythym of the city living. But I do get really cranky when my personal space is invaded for long periods of time, like this morning. Riding the T puts me in a really foul mood (thankfully in the summer I ride my bike to work). I get so pissed off at people who exhibit poor T manners.

The top 5 offenders:

1) Those who rush getting on the train before others have had the chance to get off
2) Those who do not give up their seats for those who need it more than they do
3) Those who leave their bags on the empty seat next to them even when the train is getting crowded so no one can sit there unless they have the balls to ask them to move their shit
4) Those who hog the "hang on" pole so others have nothing to latch on to (and on the greenline you better hang on or you are going to either slam into another passenger or bite it completely).
5) Those who just don't take consideration for other travelers: playing loud music, eating stinky food, talking loudly, etc. etc. etc.

So there I was crammed in shoulder to shoulder and, as I mentioned before, I was thinking about the luxury of space. I closed my eyes (in a very Zen-like way) and let my thoughts wander back to my visit to the plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Now, that's what I call Space. In fact, I don't think I had ever seen before or since such a wide expanse of uninhabited land. No crowds, no strip-malls, no traffic, just... grass and the occasional zebra. It was amazing. Beautiful. At the same time, all that space and beauty made me feel rather small. This feeling of smallness was magnified while taking a balloon ride over the area. God, that was one of the best days of my life. I expected the views, the wind, and the altitude. I didn't expect the silence. While in the air no one in the basket spoke, not even the pilot. All you could hear was the breeze and occasional burst of gas lifting us skyward. It was like floating. Actually, it was almost like being underwater, where your body is freed of weight and all you can hear are the currents and your own heartbeat.

Maybe I should quit my job and become a professional hot air balloon pilot.

Pic of the Day: ballooning over the Masai Mara in Kenya:

Speak Up!

My horoscope (Aquarius) today reads:

Someone interesting -- no, absolutely fascinating -- is right around the corner,just dying to meet you. You, of course, are always game for fresh and different folks, especially the kinds that have brains. So when this new person arrives, you'll probably want to clear your schedule and make sure you've got time to spend with them. Oh, and don't be surprised if this thing goes on well into the weekend, too. Enjoy!

Giddy-up, I say! So... who are you oh ye of fascination? Speak up already! Don't be shy... it is so true that I am always game for fresh folks; although I am not sure what that really means... have you ever met someone unfresh?

I am dreaming of springtime, as this winter sure is taking it's sweet old time to thaw. Don't you love that first warmish breeze? Seeing the crocuses (or croci?), tulips and daffodils peaking through the wet earth? In reverance to my springtime fantasy, here is today's pic of the day.



This was taken a few years ago at the Keukenhoff (Dutch for "Kitchen Window") Gardens, not far from Amsterdam. No one does flowers like the Dutch. And so cheaply! A huge bouquet of tulips goes for just a few Euros. The other day I was walking by a flowershop with a Dutch friend who could not believe that a dozen runty tulips had a $18 pricetag on it. Robbery!