Lunch Conversations

One of my favorite photos I've taken in Istanbul - maybe because I wake up so many mornings to the call of the seagulls.

One day last week I was out to lunch with friend. Me, an American, a Turk, an Italian, a Brit and a Greek-American. Not surprisingly we were talking food and how we'd adapted our normal diets during out time in Istanbul, eventually the topic turned to grocery shopping here. One person admitted that here, like everywhere she travels the grocery store was one of the first things she liked to see. Soon we all admitted that grocery stores are one of our favorite cultural experiences when we travel and a must see on any itinerary.

I can't help but wonder if we are unique - or are there more people out there who hit up the grocery store on every visit to a new country.

Rufus Wainwright / Dido: I Eat Dinner Pin It

Pieces of Me

I was searching for a photo challenge I could participate in this year. With my work schedule I knew most wouldn't work and I'd give up a few weeks in because I couldn't fit it in, but when I saw Urban Muser's In the Picture Challenge I knew I'd found just the thing.

Not only will the challenge keep me focussed on taking photos and improving my skills, it will force me to do something that scares me - take photos of myself and share them. I've seen other self-portrait ("selfie") challenges out there and have been intrigued but also terrified at the thought of participating. But I've decided it is time to overcome that fear.

Every couple of weeks there will be a prompt for a self portrait - I'll do my best to capture something and then work up the nerve to share it here. Twenty-six photos in a year - even I should be able to keep up.

The first prompt, pieces of me, let me ease myself into the project.

At the very least this project will at least help me learn had to use the timer on my camera!

My hands feature prominently is this week's photo, which had me humming an old Dido song, Take My Hand.

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3, 1, 1, 500

This photo has nothing to do with my post, I'm just feeling a little homesick for Seattle today.

3 Years

1 Week

1 Day

500 Posts

Those numbers tell the story of this little blog of mine.  When I started my real goal was a personal journal to record my time in India.  It took a while before I told anyone about it.  Then for a longer time only family and close friends read any of my posts, as several of us started used blogging to keep up with each others lives.

I'm still not completely sure how it happened, but I started connecting with other bloggers who shared my interests.  And this little blog began to grow.  Posting became a regular practice.  I found a love of writing, the joy of creating a great photo and discovered an outlet for my musical passion.

Blogging has enriched my life.  Thanks to all of you, I have a group of family and friends I can connect with and count on for great advice and encouragement whether I'm at home or half-way across the world.  I learn from each of you, and find that I am more willing to try new things and take on new projects thanks to the incredible community of bloggers I feel a part of.  Thank you for giving me the encouragement to keep this little space on the internet going, here's to the next 500 posts!

Today's song is one of my all-time favorites, Dido's "Life for Rent."  I love the entire message of the song - embrace life, don't hold back.  It goes along with my theme for 2011 - Present.  With nearly 2 months of the year gone I thought I needed a reminder of what I'm working towards this year.
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Thank You

(Me with my grandparent's circa 1976)

I've decided to spend the rest of the week offline.  I feel like I need a little time to let my heart heal after the loss of my grandpa and I need some time to catch up on the work I missed over the past few days spent with my family.

I couldn't sign off without thanking you for your very kind comments and notes.  Your kind words have meant more to me than you can ever know.  They have been a warm balm on my bruised heart.  I knew that there was a wonderful, supportive group of friends (new and old) here in blog-land - but your kindness has blown me away.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

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Vintage Friends

This weekend I was putting away some CD's that Miss M had pulled out of my shelf (one of these days I'll get around to childproofing.) As I worked I got a bit nostalgic about some of my favorite old CDs. I decided I would add some songs to my iPod so I could enjoy some retro music. Little did I know this would turn into a big project that would take up part of my weekend and several evenings.

Along the way, I rediscovered some old friends, the songs that got me through some hard days, songs that made me dance and some that made me cry.

It's fitting that I've spent a few days looking backwards, as that's how I'm going to spend this next weekend doing. On Friday I'm headed back to my college for a reunion with some of my favorite people. On Saturday I'm flying to Seattle to catch up with my friends there that I haven't seen since I moved four years ago.

Here's one of my old friends, Dido's "Life for Rent." I played this song over and over during a period of my life where I was trying to make a decision about the direction I was headed. It reminded me that taking chances and being willing to fail are an important part of living a full life.

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Time

The time has finally arrived, in a few hours I'll head to the airport for the long journey home.  I love the feeling I get when I know I'm finally on my way home - the homecoming may be one of the reason I love to travel - you can't come home if you don't go away.

The trip home isn't easy:

• 2 hours or so at the Delhi airport - not my favorite place
• 15 1/2 hours on the plane from Delhi to Chicago
• a 5 hour lay-over in Chicago
• a 3 1/2 hour flight the rest of the way home

Add it up and that's 26 hours of travel and yet I get home about 12 hours later than I left - gotta love that time change.  The trip should give me plenty of time to read, listen to music and, hopefully catch up on a few movies (if there is anything decent playing on the plane.)

I've been listening to one of my favorite albums of the year today as I pack, Dido's "Safe Trip Home" it just seemed to be appropriate.  Here's a bit of one of my favorite songs - "Quiet Times:"

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Tea

I have so much to blog about - I was in Kathmandu last week and had a great time - but I haven't had a chance to put my pictures together so that will have to wait another day or so, but I just had to take a second to blog about two of my favorite things this week.


First, I have been reading a brilliant book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It is about Greg Mortenson's mission to build schools for children, especially girls, in Pakistan over the last 15 years. I learned more about the problems in Pakistan and Afganistan from reading this book that I have in all the news articles I've read over the years. But more importantly, I was inspired with the difference a single person can make in the lives of others. If you want to feel inspired, pick up this book, I promise you won't regret it.

If you need a little peaceful music to accompany your reading, check out the new Dido - Safe Trip Home. Her music always seems to relax me and make me question myself at the same time. A pretty good combination.


It Comes And It Goes - Dido Pin It

Best. Vacation. Ever.

I'm finally back after what must be the best vacation ever. It started with a long weekend in Moab with my extended family, followed by a 10 day cruise to Scandinavia and Russia topped off by a long weekend in Aurora. Best of all, I managed to leave work and the stresses that come with it behind for a full two weeks. Tomorrow I'll do my best to dig my way out of a ton of email and hopefully post a few pictures and stories from my fantastic holiday. For tonight, I'm just going to chill, and enjoy the last few hours of my holiday.

As I drove down to Moab two weeks ago I put a Dido CD in and when I heard "Sand in My Shoes" I was determined that I would enjoy my vacation, I would take the time to enjoy the sunsets, and that when I got home I'd be able to pull the song back out and feel like it was my reality.

Two weeks away it feels like the whole world should've changed
But I'm home now
And things still look the same
I think I'll leave it till tomorrow to unpack
Try to forget for one more night

That I'm back in my flat on the road
Where the cars never stop going through the night
To a life where I can't watch sunset
I don't have time
I don't have time

Tomorrow's back to work and down to sanity
should run a bath and then clear up the mess I made before I left here
Try to remind myself that I was happy here
Before I knew that I could get on the plane and fly away

Two weeks away, all it takes to change and turn me around

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