Wednesday February 27 2013 | File under: travel, Hawaii |
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The last year and a half have been the least travelly of my adult life. Besides a few short domestic trips (Maine, Las Vegas), two stints with the circus (Alasqua, Oregon), and a handful of trips to Portland, I've mostly been hanging out in good old Northwest Washington. While it's been nice to see what the sedentary life is all about*, the travel urge has been growing. I happy to announce that plans are in the works!
Firstly, Della and I are headed to Hawaii at the end of February, with the current plan being Maui for 5ish days and Oahu for 4ish days. Besides a frisbee tournament on Maui and visiting some friends on Oahu, we don't have any huge agenda. Also, that means we are open to suggestion (including, but not limited to, friend-of-a-friend hookups! Otherwise the plan is to camp on the beach eat sand flies.) Secondly, and [I can't help but saying] way more excitingly, is that we are going on a cruise!!!(!!!) Of all the ways I picture myself travelling, a cruise is probably towards the bottom of the list*. But an opportunistic traveller takes what he can get. It turns out that if you keep your eyes open, you can get ridiculously good cruise deals. Our cruise goes from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Lisbon, Portugal, with stops on St. Thomas and Sint Maartin. It's 10 days with [all-you-can-eat] food and room included*. And what was the price? $299pp! Of course with taxes and mandatory gratuity, that price jumps to more like $470pp and you have to get yourself to Puerto Rico and back from Portugal, but still! I'm stoked. It's my hope, that since I'm already in Europe, I will putz around there a bit afterwards, but that's all yet to be decided. April/May of 2013 is going to be a heck of a ride! Just the thought of getting back on the road has me more excited than I can convey. Hopefully, besides a healthy tan, some awesome new experiences, and a few more places to add to my "been there" list, I'll also get a few fun blog posts out of it. So stay tuned! |
Thursday January 31 2013 | File under: travel |
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One of the things I most look forward to on this blog is the collating of my year of sleeping around. It, better than possibly anything else, encapsulates what my year was like. And, since it is so nice and quantifiable, it serves as a great comparison to previous years. Did my housesitting business go up or down?* Did I travel more or less than last year?* The fun I have with looking through these numbers is really quite ridiculous.
Today represents the end of the fourth year of data, 1461 days of logging where I slept. I've presented this year's data in various ways here, some specifically for consistency with previous years for comparison. To see a breakdown, check out the calendar What, in my eyes, is notable? Travel is WAY down, esp. international travel which is down from an average of 65 nights to just 4. Nights at home is higher than normal, partly due to [happily] playing live-in nurse for Ma when she got a new hip. Nights in a car is up, which is what happens when one's girlfriend lives* [by choice] in a car. I very much like the transient nature of my life, at least for the time being. And I like numbers and data. So I trust this über-nerdy habit of tracking and analyzing will go continue for years to come, possibly to the point of it being the only post per year on the ever waning* Blog du Wren. Previous years' posts can be found here: 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011.
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Wednesday August 1 2012 | File under: stats, travel |
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It's not often that I get to go to jail*. Well, chalk up another life experience to running away with the circus!
On Chautauqua tour, we do a combination of big shows in local theaters and smaller shows in community spaces (assisted living facilities, children's groups, and jails). My first three tours, we never made it to a jail show, for whatever reason. This year, however, we have 2! Let me tell you, they are awesome! At the first [minimum security] facility, we had no stage, no lights, and no microphones. The audience sat in the grass or stood. Backstage was behind a tree. But despite all that, it was easily the best show I've been involved in. The inmates really really appreciated it. They clapped, hooted, and laughed when appropriate and were nothing but the best audience one could hope for. The audience participation bits were even more hilarious than usual because everyone knew everyone else. So much of a show is in the enthusiasm of the audience. This enthusiasm was off the charts. While the scene and stage was very different at the second [medium/maximum] facility (we performed indoor in the chapel with the audience neatly seated in chairs], the enthusiasm, behavior, and appreciation of the audience was just the same. There was a lot of laughing, smiling, and cheering going on. Afterwards, we all formed a line to accept their hearty handshakes, joke about the show, and mingle. It was great. Yeah, going to jail is pretty awesome. Here's hoping it becomes a part of every Chautauqua tour! (To read more about this year's Chautauqua's tour, check out our official blog here) |
Monday July 2 2012 | File under: circus, travel |
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I had originally hoped, when composing a blog post about my 10-year college reunion, to be writing about how comforting it is to see those with whom I've shared a significant experiences (like college) and be reminded of how friendship can effortlessly pick right back up, to relive old stories and perhaps even create a few new ones. Unfortunately, however, I can't. Not because it was discomforting to see old friends or because my ideal of friendship was disproved but because all my friends chose to skip out due to complexities of life, travel, and memories. While a bit of a bummer to not get to catch up with folks who I seem to see less and less, it turned out to be a fun weekend nonetheless.
Maine is down right beautiful. Bates goes all out spiffing up the place and putting on a show for the attendees. And to frolic about a place I used to live after having been away for so long was a wonderful dose of nostalgia*. And while none of my '02 friends made the trek north, I ran into an old juggling buddy with whom I spent a fair number of pleasant practice hours*. So the weekend was not without the requisite "where are you what are you doing?" conversations. We mostly spent the reunion simply just enjoying the place. We wandered around, Della being so kind to let me tell her stories. We took a few pictures, ate in the new dining hall*, and noticed changes around campus. I ate a lobster roll* and we toured a friend's brewery. No, my 10-year college reunion wasn't I was hoping. I imagine my 20-year won't be either. But however it goes down, I'm sure it will be great, just like this one. |
Wednesday June 13 2012 | File under: travel |
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Wednesday June 6 2012 | File under: travel, USA |
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Combine traveling with a super fun gal, needing to test out my new not-a-phone camera, and, well, Vegas, and some fun pictures come out of it all. |
Wednesday November 23 2011 | File under: travel, Vegas |
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I've been in Vegas now for 4 days and have seen 4 amazing shows. From medieval jousting to hypnotism, burlesque to magic. And as if that wasn't enough, we've gotten to go to all those shows as VIPs for free! What does being a VIP mean? Well, it means no waiting in line, great seats, free drinks, and pretty dang special treatment. It's really quite amazing.
But in addition to being amazing, it has been so interesting to see how this side of showbiz works. "Just ask for Zack" is all the direction we're given before heading off to the show. And sure enough, we prance* right up to the door, ask for Zack, and we're marched down to the front row. No fuss, no muss. All because we know a guy who knows a guy. And the guy we know knows lots, from the dirt about a performer's off-stage personality to the lowdown on the pyrotechnics because he built them. In life, it is good to sometimes take a step back and realize when a situation is so spectacular, it probably won't happen again. This is one of those times. Lord knows I ain't no VIP on my own. So while it lasts, bring on the red carpet, drink tickets, and free shows! Thanks be to Vegas! |
Saturday November 19 2011 | File under: travel, Vegas |
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Yippee! I find myself in Las Vegas and it's, as it always seems to be, awesome. Our host/client/friend down here is a well-connected fella (as well as generous to beat the band) and has lined up night after night of shows for us to see. Last night, it was Tournament of Kings at Excalibur*.
The show was pretty rad—eating food with your hands, horses and jousting, and lots of awesome pyrotechnics. The extra addition to the night, however, was the mighty prank he played on us.
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Thursday November 17 2011 | File under: travel, Vegas |
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Now that this is my 3rd year of keeping stats, I have some interest data for comparison. For example, I realize that this past year, my housesitting numbers are lower than the last 2 years (by over a month(!)), but my international travel nights are almost triple last year. I plan on (and am downright giddy about) keeping this borderline-OCD record keeping going for as long as the data stays interesting enough to warrant it. And I've already started looking forward to next August when I get to run the numbers again. |
Wednesday August 24 2011 | File under: stats, travel |
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