Hi,
I'm packed.
Everything for 2 weeks fits in my carry on case, with room to spare. This is where being petite comes in very handy. I have kiddy-size clothes and can take my whole wardrobe in a 1' x 2' x 2',5" suitcase. If the airlines charged for passengers 'per pound' I'd be the cheapest fare going. As it is, I could sell space in the part of the seat that I don't use. Leg room? I can practically dance around in all the extra area I have. Maybe I'll practice my Yoga moves at 40,000'. Can you just see me popping into a head stand as we fly over the Pacific? My plan is to sleep most of the way and knit the rest. Yes, you can carry knitting needles on a flight. They have decided that old ladies who knit & crochet are really not a major threat to security. I would be watching out for those 10 year olds with video games if were planning to breach security.....
Things I can't travel without:
Passport-can't they all tell I'm a Canadian?
MP3 player-Asian music is not my taste, they make great food, but their singing is hard on my ears.
Knitting project-the only way to kill 18 hours of travel time and have something to show for it.
Camera-proof that I am the 'large size' in Asian dress shops and Great wall photos
Everything else I could probably leave at home but extra clean underwear is a good thing.
Tomorrow I have a very early start and will meet up with Marshall in Beijing about 18 hours later.
More to come from the road as we travel.
so long
xox
m
Day Lily!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
down dog, up and away
Hi,
So many things to do, so little time.
Who said that? Willie Wonka? Churchill? Frank Zappa? Tennyson?
Whom ever it was hit the nail on the head.
We are leaving for our trip on next Tuesday and that's how I feel. I do have my passport back in hand with a valid China visa all stamped and pretty looking. What a racket! You have to pay them to come visit their country, be a tourist and spend money there... who started that? Probably the USA and now every country does it in retaliation. My visa is less expensive being a Canadian citizen but it still strikes me as a big rip off.
Did I mention rip off? Now that I've segued there, I might as well continue my triad on being ripped off. High end hotels. They are my new kvetch this week. Marshall's Tyco contact in Japan was nice enough to send us a list of hotels in Tokyo that we might like to stay in. Marshall was thoughtful to ask for places with a pool and gym so that we could exercise while there. Oh my gosh! They want as much as an extra $100/day to use the workout facilities. Ouch! I don't care who is paying, I'm not buying into that nonsense. I plan to walk my little tushie off while visiting so that will just have to count as my exercise for the day. Walking is free (I think?) even in Asia.... but if there is a way to charge extra for I'm sure they will find a way. The next move will probably involve a mandatory 'strolling permit' when you plan your visit. Crap, I hope they aren't reading my blog and getting any ideas. For the price they are charging for a room to sleep in you would think they could afford to throw in the exercise facilities, the Internet connection and 3 meals a day..... I am stealing as much soap as I can to off set the gouging extra charges.
My other news involves 'down dog'. I have been trying Yoga for the last 8 months to gain back my strength, flexibility and balance. Post-surgery you have no idea how beat up you are until you try standing on one foot and topple like a poorly stacked pile of books. I never thought I'd hear myself tout the benefits of Yoga. It used to bore me to tears and I'd cringe at the thought of a class. Now I'm addicted. I attend 2 classes a week at the NAC (where I teach swimming). Both a little different in their approach and level, but each beneficial. Now I have Marshall doing it with me. He's hoping it will help with his tight hips and lower back problems. I'm happy to have a partner in crime for my practice. Marshall is really very good at a lot of the poses without any effort. Hand stands, back bends, plank and down dog all come easy to him. Lucky man. He does have his challenging asanas ("positions", I'm trying to learn the lingo as I go, bear with me) but he is sticking with them. Determined to conquer all. That's my man.
Next week we will be doing our 'down dog' on the Great Wall of China. How neat is that!
xox
m
So many things to do, so little time.
Who said that? Willie Wonka? Churchill? Frank Zappa? Tennyson?
Whom ever it was hit the nail on the head.
We are leaving for our trip on next Tuesday and that's how I feel. I do have my passport back in hand with a valid China visa all stamped and pretty looking. What a racket! You have to pay them to come visit their country, be a tourist and spend money there... who started that? Probably the USA and now every country does it in retaliation. My visa is less expensive being a Canadian citizen but it still strikes me as a big rip off.
Did I mention rip off? Now that I've segued there, I might as well continue my triad on being ripped off. High end hotels. They are my new kvetch this week. Marshall's Tyco contact in Japan was nice enough to send us a list of hotels in Tokyo that we might like to stay in. Marshall was thoughtful to ask for places with a pool and gym so that we could exercise while there. Oh my gosh! They want as much as an extra $100/day to use the workout facilities. Ouch! I don't care who is paying, I'm not buying into that nonsense. I plan to walk my little tushie off while visiting so that will just have to count as my exercise for the day. Walking is free (I think?) even in Asia.... but if there is a way to charge extra for I'm sure they will find a way. The next move will probably involve a mandatory 'strolling permit' when you plan your visit. Crap, I hope they aren't reading my blog and getting any ideas. For the price they are charging for a room to sleep in you would think they could afford to throw in the exercise facilities, the Internet connection and 3 meals a day..... I am stealing as much soap as I can to off set the gouging extra charges.
My other news involves 'down dog'. I have been trying Yoga for the last 8 months to gain back my strength, flexibility and balance. Post-surgery you have no idea how beat up you are until you try standing on one foot and topple like a poorly stacked pile of books. I never thought I'd hear myself tout the benefits of Yoga. It used to bore me to tears and I'd cringe at the thought of a class. Now I'm addicted. I attend 2 classes a week at the NAC (where I teach swimming). Both a little different in their approach and level, but each beneficial. Now I have Marshall doing it with me. He's hoping it will help with his tight hips and lower back problems. I'm happy to have a partner in crime for my practice. Marshall is really very good at a lot of the poses without any effort. Hand stands, back bends, plank and down dog all come easy to him. Lucky man. He does have his challenging asanas ("positions", I'm trying to learn the lingo as I go, bear with me) but he is sticking with them. Determined to conquer all. That's my man.
Next week we will be doing our 'down dog' on the Great Wall of China. How neat is that!
xox
m
Thursday, August 12, 2010
moving right along.....
Hi,
it's been over a week since my last blog session. I'm trying to do this at least once a week but I don't always have a tale to tell or something to rant about. This writing stuff can be draining when you have to make things sound interesting that aren't.
Last weekend we (Marshall & I) had a fabulous time at Lake George. We have neighbours, Kim & Malcolm Brown who have befriended us and when Marshall commented that the flight from Yardley to Lake George would be under 2 hours in our plane, Malcolms' eyes lit up. Kim spends summers at their lake house, with Lela the Hungarian Vizsla wonder-hound. Lucky her & Lela. Malcolm commutes up & back most weekends and has to drive 5½ hours each way so a 2 hour flight sounded very appealing.
We flew up last Friday morning and we were swimming in the lake by 11am. Nice smooth flight at 10,500'. Malcolm couldn't believe get got there in 1:47. Kim picked us up at Ticonderoga airport and the whole things went smooth as silk. Cute airport, nice runway, no traffic, perfect landing. Marshall was in "the zone".
Saturday we drove down to Saratoga to see a car show in town. We stopped at the Sagamore Hotel to see what the people with money were up to. Gorgeous place to visit but I don't think I can afford to stay there. The car show had a wide variety of interesting vehicles from Chevy's to Lamborghini's and everything in between. Back up at the cottage, I was back in the lake swimming with Lela & Kim for the rest of the afternoon. Kims' sister Karen came by in their boat and took us out for a ride down the lake. We had dinner outside and toasted marshmallows. What a treat.
Sunday morning we went for a hike up the mountain. Spectacular vista view from the top. Marshall then took Kim, her sister Karen & brother-in-law Dave for a plane ride to show them the lake from the air. That was a huge hit. Flying home was almost as fast as flying up (slight head winds) but Malcolm was still amazed at how fast the trip was. I can't wait to do it again.
Back at the ranch... swimming lessons have picked up. All of a sudden there is a demand for lessons after a pretty quiet summer season. I have 4 new students, 2 kids, 2 adults. The NAC pool is closing for 3 weeks the end of August, opening again September 7th. It usually takes a few weeks for my schedual to settle down once school starts and the routines are set in place. It's first come, first serve for slots in my day and 2 moms have already called to pick their times & days. I seem to have a pretty steady clientele and more students than I need. It will all sort itself out but I do have to deal with a bit of juggling until it does. I'm going to grow gills & fins one day soon.
xox
m
it's been over a week since my last blog session. I'm trying to do this at least once a week but I don't always have a tale to tell or something to rant about. This writing stuff can be draining when you have to make things sound interesting that aren't.
Last weekend we (Marshall & I) had a fabulous time at Lake George. We have neighbours, Kim & Malcolm Brown who have befriended us and when Marshall commented that the flight from Yardley to Lake George would be under 2 hours in our plane, Malcolms' eyes lit up. Kim spends summers at their lake house, with Lela the Hungarian Vizsla wonder-hound. Lucky her & Lela. Malcolm commutes up & back most weekends and has to drive 5½ hours each way so a 2 hour flight sounded very appealing.
We flew up last Friday morning and we were swimming in the lake by 11am. Nice smooth flight at 10,500'. Malcolm couldn't believe get got there in 1:47. Kim picked us up at Ticonderoga airport and the whole things went smooth as silk. Cute airport, nice runway, no traffic, perfect landing. Marshall was in "the zone".
Saturday we drove down to Saratoga to see a car show in town. We stopped at the Sagamore Hotel to see what the people with money were up to. Gorgeous place to visit but I don't think I can afford to stay there. The car show had a wide variety of interesting vehicles from Chevy's to Lamborghini's and everything in between. Back up at the cottage, I was back in the lake swimming with Lela & Kim for the rest of the afternoon. Kims' sister Karen came by in their boat and took us out for a ride down the lake. We had dinner outside and toasted marshmallows. What a treat.
Sunday morning we went for a hike up the mountain. Spectacular vista view from the top. Marshall then took Kim, her sister Karen & brother-in-law Dave for a plane ride to show them the lake from the air. That was a huge hit. Flying home was almost as fast as flying up (slight head winds) but Malcolm was still amazed at how fast the trip was. I can't wait to do it again.
Back at the ranch... swimming lessons have picked up. All of a sudden there is a demand for lessons after a pretty quiet summer season. I have 4 new students, 2 kids, 2 adults. The NAC pool is closing for 3 weeks the end of August, opening again September 7th. It usually takes a few weeks for my schedual to settle down once school starts and the routines are set in place. It's first come, first serve for slots in my day and 2 moms have already called to pick their times & days. I seem to have a pretty steady clientele and more students than I need. It will all sort itself out but I do have to deal with a bit of juggling until it does. I'm going to grow gills & fins one day soon.
xox
m
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Junior Birdman
Hi,
Marshall has passed his flight test and is now a fully, reinstated, member in good standing, pilot. Whew!
He had a great test experience with an examiner who looked at his log books (yes, he's already filled one and is working on a second) and asked "why are we doing this test?" The Flight Gods/FAA deemed it necessary and so it shall be done. Fine. They went up, the examiner asked for a few maneuvers, a landing at Princeton and called it good. He could tell that Marshall was an experienced, conscientious pilot that needed to take this test about as much as Tiger Woods needs golf lessons. Tiger could use some lessons on other matters but I'm not going there right now. Marshall has his pilots' license back in order, including his IFR (instrument flight rating) certification, so he is good to go. Now he making noise about getting his commercial pilots' license... that opens a whole other door. Faster planes, paying customers..... don't ask.
My next big news is that we are traveling the end of this month. I've been invited to tag along on a business trip to China & Japan for 15 days.... yippee! We're going to Beijing, Chengdu & Shanghai. Then over to Tokyo. I'm so excited. I have a cousin who lives in Tokyo (Matt Naiman) who I've never met but I've met his dad, Laurie, who I Skype with on occassion. Matt runs a bunch of night clubs in Tokyo. I'm excited to meet up with him. The rest of the time Marshall is spending most of his visit working so I'll get to explore the lay of the land. He does want to see the Great Wall while we are in Beijing so I'm guarenteed his presense for that much. I was in China, visiting Cara, 18 years ago. I know it will be eye opening to see what has changed. We will be spending our 5th wedding anniversary in Shanghai. I promised I wouldn't hold him to setting a precedent for anniversary celebrations in exotic lands. My paper work for the Chinese visitor visa is in the pipeline, airline tickets have been purchased, hotel arrangements are being made and I am ready to rock & roll. Peking Duck, here I come.
xox
m
Marshall has passed his flight test and is now a fully, reinstated, member in good standing, pilot. Whew!
He had a great test experience with an examiner who looked at his log books (yes, he's already filled one and is working on a second) and asked "why are we doing this test?" The Flight Gods/FAA deemed it necessary and so it shall be done. Fine. They went up, the examiner asked for a few maneuvers, a landing at Princeton and called it good. He could tell that Marshall was an experienced, conscientious pilot that needed to take this test about as much as Tiger Woods needs golf lessons. Tiger could use some lessons on other matters but I'm not going there right now. Marshall has his pilots' license back in order, including his IFR (instrument flight rating) certification, so he is good to go. Now he making noise about getting his commercial pilots' license... that opens a whole other door. Faster planes, paying customers..... don't ask.
My next big news is that we are traveling the end of this month. I've been invited to tag along on a business trip to China & Japan for 15 days.... yippee! We're going to Beijing, Chengdu & Shanghai. Then over to Tokyo. I'm so excited. I have a cousin who lives in Tokyo (Matt Naiman) who I've never met but I've met his dad, Laurie, who I Skype with on occassion. Matt runs a bunch of night clubs in Tokyo. I'm excited to meet up with him. The rest of the time Marshall is spending most of his visit working so I'll get to explore the lay of the land. He does want to see the Great Wall while we are in Beijing so I'm guarenteed his presense for that much. I was in China, visiting Cara, 18 years ago. I know it will be eye opening to see what has changed. We will be spending our 5th wedding anniversary in Shanghai. I promised I wouldn't hold him to setting a precedent for anniversary celebrations in exotic lands. My paper work for the Chinese visitor visa is in the pipeline, airline tickets have been purchased, hotel arrangements are being made and I am ready to rock & roll. Peking Duck, here I come.
xox
m
Monday, August 2, 2010
down to the wire....
Hi,
Marshall has been working his tail bone off the last few weeks. Tomorrow is his big day: he's taking his flight test for his US pilots license. I know he's going to pass with flying colours (no pun intended) but he is still plugging away at getting all his ducks lined up so that there is no chance of failure. I have complete faith in his ability to nail this test, wow the examiner and spike the ball in the end zone... sorry wrong game but you get the idea. Wish my man good luck and clear skies for tomorrow morning. Not to be considered a bribe in any way, I have baked chocolate chip cookies to give his FAA examiner tomorrow when all is said & done. Showing up with home-baked food is always a good thing... after the test is done, they can celebrate.
Everything else is hunky-dory. Swimming lessons are light this month. People are still away for the summer or kids are at camp. That's fine by me. I get to swim more laps for my own health and take Yoga classes more often. I'm enjoying the Yoga more and more as my body gets with the program. Saturday I learned to get from a pose called 'crow', where you balance your knees on your elbows as you plant your hands on the floor and lift your toes off the ground. You are putting all your weight on your planted hands. From there, you spring your feet backwards and end up in a 'plank' position, like the top of a push-up. It's really cool looking when you do it. I'm good at head stands too but my hand stand needs work.... and then there are all the pretzel poses that I may have to learn in my next life. This body is just not going there.
Time to move on. We have a mason redoing the front walkway of the house and parts of the back patio. All the pointing (cement joints) needed pulling out. It's looking terrific. I hope he's done today so that I can get rid of the concrete dust. Then we have to spray some sealer on it and it will look better than new. Own a house, get a job. There is always something to fix here.
xox
m
Marshall has been working his tail bone off the last few weeks. Tomorrow is his big day: he's taking his flight test for his US pilots license. I know he's going to pass with flying colours (no pun intended) but he is still plugging away at getting all his ducks lined up so that there is no chance of failure. I have complete faith in his ability to nail this test, wow the examiner and spike the ball in the end zone... sorry wrong game but you get the idea. Wish my man good luck and clear skies for tomorrow morning. Not to be considered a bribe in any way, I have baked chocolate chip cookies to give his FAA examiner tomorrow when all is said & done. Showing up with home-baked food is always a good thing... after the test is done, they can celebrate.
Everything else is hunky-dory. Swimming lessons are light this month. People are still away for the summer or kids are at camp. That's fine by me. I get to swim more laps for my own health and take Yoga classes more often. I'm enjoying the Yoga more and more as my body gets with the program. Saturday I learned to get from a pose called 'crow', where you balance your knees on your elbows as you plant your hands on the floor and lift your toes off the ground. You are putting all your weight on your planted hands. From there, you spring your feet backwards and end up in a 'plank' position, like the top of a push-up. It's really cool looking when you do it. I'm good at head stands too but my hand stand needs work.... and then there are all the pretzel poses that I may have to learn in my next life. This body is just not going there.
Time to move on. We have a mason redoing the front walkway of the house and parts of the back patio. All the pointing (cement joints) needed pulling out. It's looking terrific. I hope he's done today so that I can get rid of the concrete dust. Then we have to spray some sealer on it and it will look better than new. Own a house, get a job. There is always something to fix here.
xox
m
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