Posts Tagged by Places
Wine is fine
| May 26, 2009 | Filled under Shorts |
The story for which I consumed mint honeywine is now live on the Houston Press website.
Tikimentary
| May 20, 2009 | Filled under Video |
So many friends are in this movie. Can’t wait to go to Hukilau this year.
Roundup
| May 18, 2009 | Filled under Blog |
I am always super lazy about going through my old photos after returning from vacation. What makes that harder is when I end up going out of town again a week later. I’ve been busy with running club campout planning, I lost my voice celebrating my birthday this weekend, and for some reason I allowed myself to be talked into another year of volunteerism for the afore-mentioned running club.
For some reason I keep expecting to get more out of my hard work that a smile and a pat on the back. Oh well. It’s fun, at least.
Prague was super cool, but I was not prepared for how small the city is. There were times toward the end of our week there where CLH and I were passing the same tourists on the street we’d seen days before. But the most awesome thing about the city is the architecture. The whole place is like an outdoor museum, and it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. I think Little Sister will miss it more than she realizes.
In other news, I’ve got a real job (again) and I was just given another really cool writing assignment which should keep me busy and happy. And here are three travel stories I’ve recently written for the Houston Press:
Rock ‘n’ Roll
| April 24, 2009 | Filled under Blog |
Four-time Tony Award winner Tom Stoppard returns to the Alley with Rock ‘n’ Roll , winner of London Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play. It’s August 1968, and Russian tanks are rolling into Prague. Jan, the Czech student, lives for rock music, Max, the English professor, lives for Communism, and Esme, the flower child, is high. By 1990, the tanks are rolling out, the Stones are rolling in and idealism has hit the wall. Stoppard’s sweeping and passionate play spans two countries, three generations and 22 turbulent years, at the end of which, love remains — and so does rock ‘n’ roll.
We leave for Prague one week from today. In an effort to ease our excitement and anticipation, I bought us tickets to this play. Tonight’s opening night. Tom Stoppard, by the way, also wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Layers
| February 16, 2009 | Filled under Blog |
Friday was beautiful, and though the rain threatened we did not get wet. By the time we got to Fredericksburg the sun was out and the temp was near 80 degrees.
Saturday was cold and windy. This necessitated clothing myself in every article of clothing in my pannier:
Bottom half:
- Cotton calf-length socks of CLH’s
- My running socks
- Leggings purchased that afternoon at Wal-Mart and adorned in the ladies restroom
- My only pair of jeans
Top half:
- Quick-dry running tank top
- Plain black t-shirt
- Long john top purchased at Wal-Mart and adorned in the ladies restroom
- Turtleneck sweater
- Button-up hooded sweater
On head:
- Neck of turtleneck pulled up to my nose
- Hood of hoodie worn under helmet
- Red bandana tied over nose, mouth and ears to keep the snot at bay
- Helmet
It was a good trip. Pictures coming later this week.
Psuedo-romantic Valentine’s Day plans
| February 13, 2009 | Filled under Shorts |
- Ride Interstate 10 as a passenger to the Hill Country of Texas.
- Take advantage of hotel’s cable television.
- Hike to the top of Enchanted Rock
- Drink only microbrews and local wines
- Buy gifts for no one but myself
- Take as many pictures from the back of the motorcycle as possible.
Trip report coming next week, assuming we don’t decide to stay in the hills of Central Texas forever.
The Enchanted Rock Wikipedia page…
| February 12, 2009 | Filled under Shorts |
Is a wealth of fun and interesting geological words, many of which I will try to slip into casual conversation this weekend:
- granite pluton
- Llano uplift (I learned this in a college geology class: llano is Spanish for “plains”
- monadnock
- leviathan proportions
- igneous batholith
- metamorphic schists and gneiss
- human visitation
Also? Amazing aerial photography of the structure, including the above image from 1912.
I think I fell in love with Berlin
| October 16, 2008 | Filled under Shorts |
There is one particular image-memory. A square, the grass was green like a velvet Christmas dress and the sky was blue and cold. I sat on a low brick wall. Behind me were ancient marble buildings, the only clouds in the sky. It was still morning, and the yellow warm of sunlight shone from the gilded dome above but hadn’t yet reached the ground. I remember the metallic modern skyscrapers standing across the river.
A woman walked up to me, small and short with long black hair covered by a scarf, skirts flowing. She was carrying a scribbled piece of cardboard.
“Do you speak English?” she asked. I looked her in the face. “No.”
“Sprachen sie deutsch?” Her voice was accented, but not German. “No.” I said again.
