Category Archives: observations

November 21, 2011

Kindness #indie30

By simply three cents

Another prompt from BootsnAll’s 30 day indie writing project: kindness.

I have encountered so much kindness on my travels…

1 – After spending a day hiking the Petito Moreno Glacier, I busted my knee but good. Self diagnosis: Knee brace! So that evening, the owners of the b&b where we were staying no only gave me several ice packs but taught me the word for knee in Spanish. At the pharmacy, the lovely ladies kicked the male pharmacist out of the back room and they patiently helped fit me.

Yes, I was in the back of the pharmacy with no pants on as these women were checking to see which brace would fit me best. They also helped me walk around the pharmacy which was probably no bigger than a small New York City studio apartment to ensure that I purchased the right medicine…thankfully the spelling of ibuprofen in Spanish is very similar to that in English. The pink liquid with the cartoon on front was the dead giveaway that it was for kids…just what I needed.

2 – I did need the ibuprofen and knee brace for the horse back riding we would be doing later that day. I had never ridden a horse before, and certainly never attempted to ride a horse with a busted knee. I was very nervous and I asked one of the women at the b&b if I fell or hurt myself that she would join us in the ER. She agreed. Thankfully she didn’t need to and I survived. Just knowing that we would have back up in the ER for my Spanish made me feel a little better.

3 – In Croatia, we were heading to hike Plitvice Lakes National Park on the only rainy day of our trip.

We met a couple at breakfast in the kitchen of the b&b who had hiked the park the prior day and were heading out to their next destination. The boyfriend and I had not even thought about raincoats, and this couple easily handed over their plastic ponchos to us.

The unexpected kindness that one encounters on travels certainly adds to the experience and the memories. Sure, we still got soaked, and yes, I was still petrified of landing in an Argentinian emergency room but the unexpected kindness that one experiences is never forgotten, as it becomes part of the story from the adventure.

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

November 14, 2011

Review of the Concert

By simply three cents

Not only was it awesome – but Tim McGraw opened with my favorite song and ended with one of my other favorite songs.

It was very cool to be at an outdoor amphitheatre in November – though the temperature did drop a bit and there was a little bit of a chill in the air. But all the singing and dancing warmed me right up. And the beer, that probably helped.

The biggest observation I had with the concert was that NO ONE WAS SINGING.

I felt like my sister and I were the only ones. I shushed her a few times since NO ONE WAS SINGING.

It was nuts. On one trip to the bathroom (ideally timed since it was a song I didn’t love) I heard a few girls saying they got asked to stop singing by someone else. Thankfully that didn’t happen to us, but at least there were other people singing.

For lawn seats, it was the quietest concert I have ever attended!

Leave a comment   |  tags: | posted in family, music, observations

November 2, 2011

You don’t develop courage…

By simply three cents

“You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” — Epicurus, Greek philosopher

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October 30, 2011

WAH WAH WAH

By simply three cents

Why is it that the only thing that is a constant at a drive-through – whether it’s a bank, or a fast food chain – is that the speaker systems are terrible? Does Charlie Brown’s teacher work everywhere?!

With all the technology available to us in this day and age, wouldn’t this be one thing worth updating?!

Leave a comment | posted in just silly, observations

October 29, 2011

Rush Hour

By simply three cents

On a recent Monday morning, I noticed that people rush to get to a place they don’t want to be (work).

The people who weren’t rushing (tourists) were the ones who wanted to be doing what they were doing.

Kind of like parking on a driveway and driving on a parkway, no?

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October 27, 2011

City Mouse or Country Mouse?

By simply three cents

Just because I have been to Paris does not mean I have seen France. It would be like a foreigner coming to New York City and telling people he has seen the United States.

Large cities only give a taste of the local culture. I think travelers may (I said may, as this post might spark some debate!) get more out of small or even rural towns that may not even have a name, to really get a sense of a place.

Of course in a city there are more opportunities to take advantage of cultural opportunities (museums, theatre and the like), but in my experience, the people you are interacting with, came from somewhere else! And that ‘somewhere else’ is what I like to explore most on my travels.

Being that I spend a good deal of time in NYC in my ‘normal’ life, I like to get outside of cities when I travel and/or vacation.

Comment below. Are you a city mouse or a country mouse when you travel?

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

October 26, 2011

Out of Office Reply

By simply three cents

The boyfriend and I met an Italian while in Argentina. He was a lovely man who was very much up to speed with US politics, government and vacation days.

Whenever we meet people on our travels, and we confirm that yes, we don’t get six or eight weeks of vacation, the looks, the gasps and the sheer disbelief is embarrassing. I guess they think it’s not the truth, until they ask…only to find out that it is.

Our new Italian friend was clearly distraught by the lack of vacation time offered in the States. He told us that it’s our collective fault. By accepting two weeks of vacation, we, as Americans, have made it okay for companies to continue to offer only two weeks of vacation.

WHY are two weeks socially acceptable? That’s not enough time to recharge ones batteries…no matter where you decide to go…whether it’s across the ocean, or being a tourist in your own town.

When I worked in London, I had four weeks of vacation PLUS the week between Christmas and New Years — and I was only going to be working there for about five months! When I returned to the States and started a job with a company based in the UK, I was offered the same four weeks of vacation PLUS the week between Christmas and New Years.

I don’t know if our Italian friend thinks we should cause an uprising but I have to agree with him. I also have to assume that no one ever laid on their death bed and said, ‘damn I wish I spent more time in the office.’

Leave a comment | posted in observations, WHY Wednesday

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 😉

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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