Author Archives: simply three cents

October 24, 2011

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em

By simply three cents

I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of golf umbrellas.

I have had to duck more times than I can count. I can’t stand when people hold their umbrella like a spear with no regard for anyone around them.

I always wondered why people kept it up when there was just a drizzle (will they melt if they get wet?) or as they walk under covered buildings, or under scaffolding – where clearly there is already a shortage of personal space.

I bought a golf umbrella, in the shop where I took golf lessons. Note 1: I totally believe that golf umbrellas belong on a golf course.

But as there are more and more golf umbrellas on the streets of Manhattan, I decided to join in to increase my personal space. BUT I will only carry it if it is pouring when I leave my home in the morning. If there’s just a chance of rain, or it hasn’t started, I will bring a normal umbrella. The golf one depends on the timing of when I leave my apartment. It’s not used for just any rainy day.

When I am walking past people taller than me (more likely the case than not) I adjust the height of my umbrella accordingly as to not hit their (more likely the case than not) golf umbrella. Far too many douches with golf umbrellas have no regard for where there points pieces of their umbrella will go…in my face usually.

I noticed there are so many people who simply do not pay attention to where there umbrellas are pointing, or where they are walking.

So as I was recently walking with a co-worker, under my golf umbrella, we noticed two women walking with the umbrella opened like a shield but we could clearly tell they were not looking were they were walking. So, with my golf umbrella I merely tapped their umbrella. I felt that my move reminded them to pay attention.

Uh oh. Does this make me a douche with the golf umbrella?

Me thinks it may be time to get the heck out of NYC 😉

Leave a comment | posted in observations, peeves

October 23, 2011

Subscribers: a note for you from me

By simply three cents

If you subscribe to my blog, you may have been bombarded with emails as I played a game of blog catch up today.

As I made my New Year’s Resolution, one of my goals was to get myself writing consistently, with a post a day for one year.

I apologize. I got behind, very far behind. I usually have drafts saved and ready to go…and as I came up with ideas, I just got behind on actually writing those posts.

If you experienced a barrage of emails earlier today, I apologize. But thanks for reading. Now I should be caught up, and then some!

Leave a comment | posted in introduction

October 22, 2011

Passport pages

By simply three cents

I have a beef with the newest passports. I recognize this is not a problem in the grand scheme of the world, but since it’s my blog, I just want to point out something that the printers should fix in the next go-round.

While I think the photos on the pages are beautiful and representative of the United States of America, the pictures are too dark.

Some of the stamps I have received are so very light. It’s not that  haven’t thought about asking a customs agent to please ensure they refresh the stamp with a hit on their inkpad, it’s just that I would never do it. But something like my Bosnia-Hercegovina stamp is something really cool to me, and the darn thing is just barely visible.

Granted how and where* I got the stamp is a cooler memory than some ink on a page, but still. WAAAH!

* Our guide was driving us from Dubrovnik into Bosnia-Hercegovina to visit a town called Mostar, with a few stops at smaller towns along the way. We were crossing the border from Croatia into Bosnia-Hercegovina with a local, two Americans and two British passport holders. It was a lovely country road with beautiful scenery on either side.

As we approached the non-descript border we noticed a little shed on the side of the road. The border agents came out, our guide explained in one of those languages that his passengers wanted stamps. Our driver and the border agents all had a laugh and the border agent left for some time and came back with four stamped passports. Obviously mine was stamped first or last because it had the least ink. Not really a situation (I don’t think there is any situation where this would be appropriate) where I can ask him to restamp it please.

Just before we had arrived at the border, one of our travel mates had to ask the driver to pull over on the side of the road to vomit. The roads were winding and she got carsick. We had a laugh a little later, because had she timed it right, she probably could have puked on the border. No passport stamp could be more memorable than that!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , | posted in travel, travelogues

October 21, 2011

She trying to make me addicted to chocolate

By simply three cents

We all have one. That co-worker who brings in candy and leaves it out by their desk.

I am definitely a salt person over a sweets yet if she has anything I love in her candy bowl, I will be tempted to eat it.

I told her I would prefer her to keep candy in there that I don’t like – then I won’t be tempted. I’m sure she doesn’t care about my lack of self-control.

But readers who work in an office, with Halloween around the corner, how do you deal with coworkers who keep out a candy bowl?

Leave a comment | posted in holidays

October 20, 2011

Getting guidebooks

By simply three cents

I had to laugh the other day. I went into a bookstore with a friend to buy a travel guide. As she was randomly pulling guides, I asked her if it was problematic that I knew exactly which brand I wanted to buy. We had a laugh, but I couldn’t stop wondering…am I the only one that thinks like this?

Leave a comment | posted in observations, travel, wanderlust

October 19, 2011

Peculiar Public

By simply three cents

Why do people insist on taking care of personal, and private, business in the public arena.

Things I have noticed:

1 – Nose picking, and yes, eating it
2 – Nail clipping; I have seen this on public transportation and more recently I saw a guy doing this outside of a high-traffic office building
3 – Arguing with someone on the phone
4 – People who do not bathe regularly
5 – People who cough and sneeze without covering up
6 – People who pee on bathroom seats
7 – People who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom
8 – People who floss in public

Aren’t these things things that should be done behind closed doors?

1 Comment | posted in observations

October 18, 2011

What’s your go-to dish?

By simply three cents

People always have their go-to recipe when bringing a dish to a party. Mine is wine. Or cheese. Last Thanksgiving my sister hosted and she put me in charge of…the wine and the appetizer. She assumed I would bring a simple starter, like cheese. But I surprised her with a recipe for sun-dried tomato bruschetta I had eaten at a book club meeting a few weeks earlier.

What’s your go to recipe? I know my (five) readers have some delicious recipes of their own…there’s a layered taco dip, there’s homemade mac and cheese, there’s some amazing sausage patty thing, there’s some great mac salad, there’s a buffalo chicken wing dip and there’s a brie and croissant gooey mouthwatering awesomeness out there! Feel free to share — you know who you are!!

Leave a comment | posted in food, holidays

October 17, 2011

Am I a…techie!?

By simply three cents

Never thought I would be posting about tech blogs…but I read, and enjoy, Mashable.

What about you? Any other tech blogs out there worth a read — for someone who is by far not an early adopter!

Leave a comment | posted in observations

October 16, 2011

Magazines stress me out

By simply three cents

I feel like I have to read every single page and almost every article. I can’t just skim, though that’s how I start.

Then I go back and read, and then I tear out articles or things that I’d like to research or view online later.

Say I find a cute hat. I’m not ready to buy the hat so I send the link to my shopping email account for later. Then say, I find a good destination, I send it to my travel email account to file away for another time. What about a recipe? I need to rip it out and then put it in my recipe box.

So reading magazines is not just about reading the magazine. I’m going to have homework to do once I finish the magazine. I only get two magazines regularly – a once a week New York Magazine, and a quarterly National Parks Magazine.

One year the boyfriend used airline miles to gift me two magazine subscriptions. Granted the magazines were right up my alley – travel, food and wine – but I couldn’t believe he used miles for magazines (the horror!)

And I had self-induced homework for months following.

Now when I get backed up with a few issues, I put them in the activity bag – and discard along my travels!

Leave a comment | posted in just silly

October 15, 2011

Overpacking Prowess

By simply three cents

I know I have shared some of my personal tips on packing.

I pride myself on being a good packer, and when I am not, I recognize it. On the flip side, my sister is one of the worst packers. EVER.

As I packed on Thursday night for my weekend, I thought about my sister, and her packing prowess…NOT!! I thought, what would she pack for two nights away from home?

She is well aware that she over packs clothes, hair supplies and everything you might think you need, but won’t even use. She is devoted to her hair products, and hasn’t found them in travel size. She refuses to buy travel size containers to pour her shampoo in. Obviously, because she exceeds the 3 ounce liquid limits, she also has to check her luggage…which I won’t do unless I absolutely have to – say it with me ‘checked luggage is potentially lost luggage.’

Even as kids she over packed. She was like a little bag lady. On long car rides, I’d use the seat belt to create a border as her side and my side. Her stuff couldn’t cross. And it always did.

I traveled with a book and a Walkman with a few cassette tapes (remember those?). Back then she packed stuffed animals, pillows and toys and games and who the heck knows what.

She also was given less leg room for storage. As the older sister, I always sat in the seat behind my mom. My short (er, she’s taller than me) mom. I ensured my sister sat behind my dad, my 6 foot + dad. Since my dad did most of the driving, he needed to be comfortable, and to do that his seat was pushed pretty far back, limiting my sisters leg room. This should have been a good thing, limiting her ‘carry on’ possessions. Alas, she found every possible corner to stuff some crap into.

Pack, and travel, lightly. You can buy what you need. And what you think you can’t easily replace (glasses, prescription medicine), be sure you pack it!

Caveat: I have never traveled extensively with children, except when I was one. I’m sure this changes things up a bit. So parents, do tell. What’s the craziest thing you, or your child, ever wanted to bring on a trip?

And a special shout out to my Mom and Dad – feel free to share any of J’s crazy must-haves for our many family road trips. I know I am off the hook for that since I always traveled lightly 😉

Leave a comment | posted in packing, things that make me smile, travel, travelogues