Southeast Asia

An update on the SEA trip:

(Ty you should not read any further as you will probably rethink coming with me)

Eeeek I bought my first trip related items!

A map - handy for making hats and playing mash on long plane rides as I don't actually know how to read one. I'm hoping Ty retained a little bit more than I did from Geography 201. I did practice unfolding and refolding it so that I don't look like a dolt in public when I'm unable to fold it back up.

A sleep sack - It's a sack that you sleep in when you are staying at sketchy hotels and want to avoid being used as a nesting area by local spiders. Being used as a nesting area at anytime is awful, but it's that much more personal if done while you are asleep. Shutter.

A pillow case - Along the same lines as the sleep sack, only pertaining to keeping critters away from your face. Seriously no one wants to come with me?

And the best news of all...

I found my backpack. It is red and waterproof and beautiful. It has tons of little compartments and a zip-off daypack. I've never been so enamored with an inanimate object before. I have a feeling that I will buy it way, way in advance, then continue to pack it and live out of it for months prior to leaving.

Eek, only a year and a half to go!

The Office

Oh how I love Dwight

Oh the hilarity one can find on the internet

24 reasons you know you're a flight attendant....

1. You can eat a 4 course meal standing at the kitchen counter
2. You search for a button to flush the toilet
3. You look for the "crew line" at the grocery store
4. You can pack for a 2 week trip to Europe in 1 roll-aboard
5. All of your pens have different hotel names on them
6. You NEVER unpack
7. You can recognize pilots by the backs of their heads-but not by their faces
8. You can tell from 70 yards away if a piece of luggage will fit in the overhead bin
9. You care about the local news in a city three states away
10. When a bell rings, you look at the ceiling
11. You know at least 25 uses for air sickness bags-none of which pertain to vomit
12. You understand and actually use the 24-hour clock
13. You own 2 sets of uniforms: fat and thin
14. You don't think in "months"-you think in "bid packs"
15. You always point with two fingers
16. You get a little too excited by certain types of ice
17. You stand at the front door and politely say "Buh-bye, thanks, have a nice day" when someone leaves your home
18. You can make a sentence using all of the following phrases: "At this time," "For your safety," "Feel free," and "As a reminder"
19. You know what's on the cover of the current issues of In Touch, Star,and People magazines
20. You stop and inspect every fire extinguisher you pass, just to makesure the "gauge is in the green"
21. Your thighs are covered in bruises from armrests and elbows
22. You wake up and have to look at the hotel stationery to figure out where you are
23. You refer to cities by their airport codes
24. You actually understand every item on this list

Great Opportunity

Because you can't make hummus without mashing a few chickpeas.

Frenemies

Alas, I could only avoid posting about politics for so long. My apologies.


"Hamas has accused Fatah of accepting US aid in part of a US effort to topple the Hamas-led government."


My dearest American friends,

I understand that you are feeling uneasy with a (democratically elected) terrorist group holding power in Palestine. Newsflashes of Palestinians taking to the streets chanting "death to America" probably make you shift uncomfortably in your seat.

Obviously one solution to this problem would be to arm Fatah, in the hopes that they will take down Hamas and save you from having to get your hands dirty. However, I would hate to see you fall back into the same pattern of behavior which has caused (and continues to cause) you so much trouble.

Basing your foreign policy under the premise of "my enemies enemies are my friends" in theory sounds like a very good strategy for ensuring the continued existence of your country. But if memory serves me correctly you have tried this tactic many times before. While in most cases it has done what was intended (see Afghanistan's Mujahideen) it has also had some undesirable consequences (see Afghanistan's Taliban).

Arming a group of uneducated, angry rebels works wonders when you both hate the same people. But by doing so you also run the risk that at some point they may hate someone else... Namely you. It is infinitely easier to arm rebels then, as you have learned, to disarm them. Particularly when they are shooting at you.

Now I may be going to far here, but perhaps the reason why so many people rejoice in burning your flag is because of your inability to keep your politics (and guns) out of their countries.

I know that it may not be as flashy or memorable, but perhaps give diplomacy a try. Or send an e-card. All I ask is that you try to have a little more foresight this go-round. I would hate for more American's to be shot by their own guns. Cheney has that covered.


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CB3B4EAC-8087-4E99-BB65-5C88B9482B45.htm

Adventures in Bathing

The vast number of hotel rooms I've stayed in this summer has taught me a thing or two about showering.

On the road you'll encounter many different types of showers. Normally you turn on the tap and its clear sailing from there.

However this isn't always the case.

There are two types of showers that you need to be wary of. The first is the drippy shower. You'll notice this when you turn the taps until they are on full blast and there is little more then a stream of water dripping down. This type of shower is exhausting as it requires you to either splash the water on yourself or be very conservative in its use.

The other type is the one I encountered in Grande Prairie. This is the shower is significantly more dangerous than the previous. It is the kind with super high water pressure and a pin-point hole for it to come out of. It hits you like a rapid-fire machine gun. If you're not careful it will take your scalp clean off. In the case of the laser-beam shower you need to either put up with the pain, while shampooing like you've never shampoo'ed before. Otherwise you have to dodge in and out of it, getting just enough water to rinse, but not staying long enough to cause permanent scarring.

While I'll never understand why they don't cover things like this in training, perhaps under the category of "Horribly Frustrating Aspects of this Career", It sure does make for interesting stories in the crew van.

These boots are made for running

As some of you may know I have joined the Running Room in Kensington. We meet on Wednesday nights for a discussion followed by a group run. The goal is to run in the Santa Shuffle on December 2nd. So far its pretty great. I enjoy running and its nice to do something active again. With that being said, I am running into a very frustrating problem (pun intended).
The program requires that you run on your own every Friday for about 25 minutes, which sounds easy enough. The problem is that I can't find anywhere to actually do said running.

Here are my options:

1. Run the same path along the river that I do with my group
Problem: Its a bit of a sketchy area. Ex: Lots of homeless people.
Problem: I'm not entirely sure if my running attire adheres to the local gang color codes.

2. The track at UofC
Problem: It is hard to justify driving all the way to UofC and pay for parking just to run on the track.
Problem: Too many tall blonds running in skintight lycra.

3. My neighborhood
Problem: My neighborhood isn't exactly known for its safety so much as for its violent crime and poverty. However having to run from a shootout might be a good motivator
Problem: I know people here. And as you may have guessed, I'm not the world's most graceful runner...think mountain gorilla meets giraffe.


For such a low-maintenance sport this is turning out to be quite the dilemma. If anyone knows of any non-violent, non-sketchy, non-lycra areas that I might run in, please let me know.
Also, if anyone wants to run with me, let me know and we'll work out the details such as who will fight the meth-addicted gang members and who will run for help.

Until then, I will be right here, running on the spot in front of my computer.