Andy Rooney, gone at age 92. He will be missed, as he has been since retiring from 60 Minutes. Right, wrong, agree, disagree, always blunt and not to worried about pleasing the unpleaseable, Andy entertained us all, sometimes shocking us, but usually making us think just a bit harder. The link here will take you to a compilation of some of his best 2 minute commentaries. Enjoy, and remember an interesting person.
This is a hoot. Start with Thou, then pick one from column 1, one from column 2 and one from column 3. Use it on whoever is ticking you off and instantly feel better as you look at the insulted ones perplexed look on their face. They have no idea what you said but, deep within, they know they were just berated by a master berater.
Ran across this article a few weeks ago and wanted to share. The gist is a rating of the 9 most picturesque towns in Europe. I found it interesting as I had actually been to two of them, Bath, UK and Brugges, Belgium. They were definitely impressive. The Roman Baths in Bath were worth the trip and Brugges, what can you say. Sitting along the square, drinking a Zot beer or a devilishly good hit chocolate is etched in my memory, not to mention thinking of Colin Farrell’s scene in “In Bruges” with the large American about to climb the tower.
My second reason to travel as much as possible is, simply, the thrill of putting together the trip, then the anticipation as the departure date comes closer. This is followed by the rush of being there. We plan our next trip almost immediately after we return from the current trip. We have definite places that we want to see, which we continually update as we go. Our normal method of determining the next adventure always includes at least 2 bottles of wine, a wonderful dinner and a great mix on the iPod. Once we determine where, we begin to work on how we get there, what we will see and where we will stay. The advent of street view on Google and the,literally, hundreds of websites for accommodations make this a blast. On our last trip, we pretty much knew exactly where we were staying from the outside and what was in the general vicinity. We prefer B&B’s and have lucked out every time. From an apartment on Via Tritone in the heart of Rome to a gem on the shore in Sorrento, to a picture perfect cottage in the English countryside, we have been on a roll.
The anticipation factor, once the tickets are bought, the accommodations booked and the very general itinerary laid out, we begin the wait. As the date comes closer the excitement begins to build and time begins to race. It is definitely a great way to make time interesting. Then, finally, departure day.
This takes me to the rush. I cannot explain how this would affect you, but for me, it is addictive. The plane finally brings the destination into view and the adrenaline kicks in. What is the airport like, will customs be crazy busy, or will we have a problem. I’ll never forget one arrival into London where the immigration officer asked us where we were staying and Lori’s mother pipes up (89 years old at the time), “I was born here” as if to say let us through. The gentleman looks at her, then at her passport and says very drolly, “yes M’am, you were, a very long time ago”, then stamp, stamp, stamp and we were off.
The next rush is gathering the luggage, hoping it is all there, then figuring out how to get to our accommodations. Once we get there then it’s what do we do now. The first time out on the street is invigorating, not having a clue where you are, which way to go and not speaking the language is a great feeling, one that I cannot describe either. To me, this is the most exciting part of any trip. How does transit work, what is a good restaurant, and where is the closest sidewalk bar.
If you like adventure, and have an independent streak, with a smattering of street smarts, then I would say, ditch the tours, screw the cruises (unless you do excursions) and head out on your own, have a loose itinerary and embrace the uncertainty of doing it yourself. You will see more, you will have the ability to change up your schedule if you want to and you will feel that you have genuinely tasted the local culture far more than following the tour guide and making sure you are following the right coloured flag.
As I sit here contemplating past trips for writing some new posts, I started thinking on why I have this sudden urge over the past few years to cram in as much travel as I can before I can’t do it anymore. I started to apply some logic to my mid-life crisis and realized there are many reasons why I must do this and they apply to everyone pretty much equally. I also thought, what a great idea for a series of posts. Having said that, here is the first in a series.
The number one reason on why I must travel is a simple and obvious one. I am running out of time and have already missed the boat on a lot of things that I simply can’t do now. Like what, you say. and I say, how about cliff diving in Acapulco, or climbing Mt Everest. Yes one must come to terms with one’s abilities and tailor this to their travel style. Backpacking Europe is no longer an option. Therefore, I say, do it now, or you may regret it later. The British have a great idea for example. Once people graduate university, a lot take what they call a gap year and travel etc for that year before looking for a position. Good plan.
If you are young, find a way to do it now. If you are older, take advantage of your vacation and do it. Plan for the future and enrich your life through an immersion in the sights, sounds and smells of a big world.
Since I started doing this in April, I didn’t know what to expect. At some point on May 31, this blog hit 1000 views by 300 unique visitors from 14 countries. Amazing to me that anybody even visited, let alone came back to see more.
Best known for his work on Taxi and in Grease, Jeff Conaway died May 27. He had been found unconscious on May 11 of an apparent overdose. He had been on 2 series of Celebrity Rehab in recent years as an addict to cocaine and painkillers. I have attached a video of him in one of the funniest bits ever done on Taxi, “Reverend Jim’s Driver’s Test”
By popular demand, we have named our new addition Oscar. He has a story though. we are happy to say that we have saved a dog by purchasing from a rescue society. He is from Los Angeles and was saved from a kill shelter in Orange County. He appears to be under a year old as he has lots of puppy in him still. We paid 425 bucks, and he has had his shots, been micro-chipped and neutered. A good deal. He has a gentle soul and is very even-tempered. He is also a bit of a goof. I have added a couple of links. The page about Biscuit is actually Oscar and may not be there for long as he is no longer up for adoption. The second is a link to the organization itself, Pawsitive Match Rescue.
As a birthday present to my sister-in-law Cheryl, I will not be posting my planned summary of the events of Day 2 at sea, the Pub Crawl today. Regular programming will continue tomorrow, unless that $100 makes it here, in which case I would have to deprive the world of this post.
