new york recommendations, please!

i have been negligent in my trip planning, which is rather unlike me as i typically spend more time planning for a trip than actually on a trip.  call it a hobby, if you will. 

and now i am need of a) a place to stay in about the ~$100/night range that offers a fantastic location, good atmosphere, the opportunity to meet people, and enough space that my 5'2" frame can sleep comfortably.  b) ideas on places to eat that are absolutely delicious, not particularly fancy or expensive, but just tasty.  c) your thoughts on what attractions/sights/museums/events that are not worth my time/money/energy.

for instance, if you were going to travel to san francisco on your own i would offer you the following advice:

a) stay at the mosser where you might have to share a bathroom, but the rates are completely manageable, and the location is ideal. 

b) i would insist that you go to the ferry building martketplace and sample the delicious fish tacos at taylor's automatic refresher (which, a google search tells me has been rebranded as gott's roadside, but i would still insist you eat there because its owners are the same), have a pannacotta at miette, and a cup of coffee at blue bottle coffee.  i would also suggest grabbing a newspaper and hitting the neighbourhood of north beach to savour something on a cafe's brunch menu while you people watch. and i would also suggest going to knob hill for a cappuccino and to poke around the boutiques.  eat anything mexican, mexican sounding or otherwise latino in mission and make a stop at tropisueno for more authentic mexican food. 

c) i would suggest that you make fisherman's wharf your last stop and fit it in only if you need to kill some time, do alcatraz if you really love prisons, self guided tours, or really chilly boat rides, and give the bridge a miss unless you need to see the thing up close.

how do you feel about new york city?  i have 5 days to bust a move about town after spending a week on long island holed up in a conference facility, no where to stay, no itinerary as yet, and a whole lot of scarves to wear to keep warm during february.

international women's day

today is international women's day and to celebrate, i went shopping. well, not exactly (but sort of: purple shoes - check, dress - check, 2 button down shirts - check, skinny black belt - check, fishnet tights - check, 2 pairs of work pants - check, scarf - check, green spring coat - check, bronze woven belt - check), i went to a function at the calgary public library last night with one of the greatest women i know.

we listened to senator pamela wallin and afghani journalist khorsied samad speak on the status of women in afghanistan and canada's involvement in the military and humanitarian efforts in the country. the event was hosted by the calgary based foundation canadian women for women in afghanistan and i was completely and utterly impressed by the speakers themselves and the work that this local ngo does.

the price of our tickets went towards a specific initiative to build libraries in afghanistan and 100% of all the money raised by the organisation goes straight towards the development projects. their focuses are on teacher training and building libraries, did you know that the annual salary of a teacher in afghanistan is $750? i am sure that many of us could afford that if we saved just $14.40/week for 1 year or even $7.20/week for 2 years.

one of the interesting aspects of the speeches included a discussion on the resurgence of the use of the burka for safety and security and that is was originally a fashion trend introduced to afghanistan by the indians (now pakistanis) as clothing worn by the aristocracy and it was only when the taliban used it to force women out of public society that it became a tool of oppression.

pamela wallin brought up many good points about military funding and if the canadian military had more money to spend, it could pave roads or use helicopters to travel in insecure areas to prevent improvised explosive devices from continuing to take canadian soldiers' lives. she also hit the nail on the head, as far as i am concerned, by calling canadians on their anti-americanism, which has come into vogue in the last decade and is completely against all that canadians claim to be - tolerant, accepting, and diverse.

after our educational saturday night, we went to divino and enjoyed a cheese plate of 5 of the most amazing cheeses i have ever had (seriously) followed by a crume brulee that ties the one that i had in paris for sweet, sweet decadence. i am not ashamed to say that it was so good it almost made me cry.
and at the end of an evening celebrating women and our achievements and challenges throughout the world, a nice gentleman offered to carry me through a snow storm to my car. and i didn't take him up on the offer! he was cute and charming and i am still kicking myself that i did not say yes and allow him to throw me over his shoulder and save my tootsies and their hot pink flats from the cold and wet.

as gloria says, the fact that i had a choice to be carried to my car, or not, is proof that women in this country have come a long way.

happy international women's day!

still here, i promise

really, i am.

i even had a few ideas for posts. and even starting drafting them. but until i get back to them, here are a few tidbits:

• Australia is not such a long movie and it has great big screen movie star kisses, cheesey lines at just the right moments, and hugh jackman on horseback. it is worth the sitting time just for that last bit.
• tis cold. so cold in fact that i bought a pair of uggs. i know that there are other brands that are cheaper, but i just felt like i should go hard or go home. however, they are so cozy, i would eat them if i could. and hugh jackman on horseback. yum.
• yesterday my friend was telling me how her nose ring once fell out during a meeting and she had to casually cover it up and we chuckled. then this morning, i yawned during a training and drooled on my shirt! seriously, who does that? i didn't even know it was possible.
• i wrote my spanish placement exam and they said i have a good handle on the language. i guess they were not considering my big capital letters saying, '¡NO ENTIENDO EL SUJUNCTIVO, AYUDAME!' but at least i remembered to put the ¡ in there so it makes it at least punctually correct
• i don't know what all this talk about an economic downturn is about, i have spent more money in the last few months than i have in years. pish posh.
• somalia's still crumbling, if anyone cares to notice.
• i could really go for a beach holiday. is it appropriate to follow that last comment with this one?
• it is if i also say that i am in the middle of Zanzibar Chest, which is fantastic and i wholeheartedly recommend it even though it is not my policy to recommend a book before i am done with it. but it covers the chaos that is somalia and other african historical bits and bobs while the author relays his experience as a white kid in africa and then a foreign correspondant in war zones.
• i am not sure if i have ever recommended it here, but Emergency Sex is also a great read. similar idea. more un, less reuters than the other book, but same conflict zones. same appeal to me, the reader.

african rains

it is raining. no light sprinkle. no drizzling. no shower. rain. and i think i will be drying out until about the time i have to turn around and walk back home after today's morning commute. i am pretty sure that the red mud will stain my cute stripey capris and i will most likely be too cold all day as i sit at my desk, feeling rather soggy. at least i had an umbrella and didn't have to tie a plastic bag on my head like some of the people i saw walking to work this morning. but that didn't do much to stop the matatus and buses from splashing me with dirty road puddle water as they sped by.

last night i had a true post-colonial experience although it could have been 50 years ago and i don't think much would have been different. i went to a gorgeous house in a totally landscaped and secluded neighbourhood and ate THE best indian food i have EVER had and watched Liverpool beat Bordeux 3-0 while a house man (what do you call them - steward, butler, house help...?!) made us a fire to keep warm on a chilly kenyan night and served us the aforementioned delicious food as we sat under the stars and drank Tusker beer. it was a pretty strange feeling, being served by a kenyan man while listening to accents that would be more familiar in the halls of oxford or king's college than nairobi. but all in all, it was a nice time and i met some rather interesting people.

home...

feels good. feels great, in fact.

a bit cold though, i was expecting some more warmth.

the fresh tulips, warm smiles, and bottles of wine shared when i arrived made up for the lack of warm weather.

easy like sunday morning

my favourite thing to do on a sunday is have breakfast with friends and this morning i got to do just that. wonderful french toast paired with wonderful conversation.

i went to leeds yesterday, a nice place with an industrial charm. and tonnes of people, but that is nothing new, there are 60 million people crammed on to this tiny island and northern ireland.

can a person learn how to patient? anyone have any tips? i am realising more and more everyday what an impatient person i am. i once had a boss who said that people who were patient were not dynamic, so maybe i should embrace my impatience and make it work to my advantage. i bought a cadbury's advent calendar that is sitting in front of me, making me impatient for december to hurry up and start so i can eat some chocolate!

yesterday was the coldest i have been so far in england. it is definitely winter but i like the crispness (is that a word?) of the air when there are no clouds and the sun is shining and you can see your breath.

today i learned that the korean war was in fact not an act of collective security. yesterday i learned how to put my cds on itunes. tomorrow i hope to learn how to bake cookies, prepare a presentation, and work out all in the same night.

foggy specs

i will take cold and sunny over rainy and blowy anyday and last night really proved that. i had my winter coat on, hood up, mittens on, and was all zipped up, just like you do at home to stay warm. BUT, regardless of all this my pants were wet, the wind blew the rain right into my face so i had to take my glasses off rendering me eyesight rather fuzzy, and my mittens were soaking wet. and all this during a 5 minute walk home from the gym.

i have corrected more than a few people in the past days about the difference between the words 'eskimo' and 'inuit.' someone also tried to explain to me what lacrosse was too. i can't blame people's ignorances, especially because no one is immune to the phenomena of ignorance, but it gets tiresome.

i learned another new thing today. perhaps didn't learn it so much as realise it:

i cannot get frustrated over all the talk of theories in my course that all lead me to believe the entire population of the earth is doomed, because in the realm of theories it is our job to analyse and reanalyse and make arguments and pick apart arguments and discuss and discuss and discuss. although i love thinking big thoughts and making my brain wrap itself around a theory, i am a do-er. i don't think that academic study for the sake of academic study is very useful unless you DO something with it. but now is not yet the time and here is not the place. all in good time.

i still think the world is doomed. in a rather hopeful way, if that is possible.