Category: Travel Page 22 of 29
Facing East – Thievery Corporation. Amazingly universal. Whether preparing for a departure toward DCA from ATL in a tiny Embraer, or lumbering down a JFK runway for IST in an A320, this works.
Gimme Shelter – Rolling Stones. A familiar bitterness. (linking solely for soundtrack)
All around me are familiar faces, worn out places
[ . . . ]
And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad,
that the dreams in which I’m dying
are the best I’ve ever had.
Joe le Taxi – Vanessa Paradis. My first ever celebrity crush. I still remember watching this video on the Super Channel, out of Amsterdam. Over and over, and over again. She was, maybe, a couple of years older than me. Last I heard, she married some loser named Johnny Depp.
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – Jimmy Somerville. Oh, more on this some day. For now, go read about Jonathan Raban’s insight on the infidelity of travel.
Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan. This song has carried me across continents.
Whenever I hear someone say that they don’t pay attention to the news or politics, usually because “it doesn’t affect me” and “there’s nothing I can do about all the bad news anyway,” they become – to me – part of the problem. True, personal ignorance may well be bliss in the short term, but we are all paying a very real price for that collective indulgence in ignorance. And it can only get worse, so long as people fail to put even minimal efforts into being responsible citizens. I think it’s absolutely unconscionable to live in and benefit from a society without putting a bit of time and effort into its common management and benefit.
That said, I *do* understand and appreciate the pleasures of opting out. When I travel, I do my best to actively avoid any news that doesn’t involve my host country or next destination. For me, there is something quite satisfying about not knowing about the latest idiotic Administration move, or next bit of campaign pandering, or manufactured bit of faux outrage from some astroturf interest group. So, for some time, I do know and enjoy the bliss of ignorance. And to that end, I’ll be indulging myself in that bliss over the next couple of weeks. I’m off to [somewhere], and – save for the posting of a few nearly-finished drafts here and there (airports are good for that sort of thing) – I’m heading offline. Happy holidays to all.
Check out travelvice.com. Start at the beginning, and keep going until you’re bored. If you’re like me and the people I’ve passed this URL on to, you’ll get a long way. Essentially, it’s a guy with a healthy sense of self that has managed to cover some impressive ground in the past couple of years. I’ll skip over the criticisms (of which there may be a number) and give him perhaps the best compliment I could – he’s really quite honest. If you know anyone who is seriously entertaining dreams of going off grid and traveling for a few years, send this URL to them (esp. if they’re a bit idealistic about it).
A really nifty little art project. At the moment, I’m the first clip you see when you click on “Looking Left”, and I hope to get a few more clips up soon. Very easy to contribute – consider adding some from your own town and travels.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEhDtePc1ow&feature=related[/youtube]
So, I’m working on putting together a trip (it’s been too long), and I keep coming across examples of new entrance requirements for many countries. Japan will now take your photo and set of prints every time you enter it. Bolivia is joining the ranks of countries that have now decided to charge US citizens as much as it charges their citizens to apply for a visa ($134 for 30 days!). You can thank US policy for leading the way on all of this.
I realize that, as a holder of US and EU passports, I have it easier than pretty much anyone else on the planet when it comes to travel without restrictions (and even emigration). So I’m not really complaining about, say, the $134 to go to Bolivia. But I am foursquare behind making international travel easier, more accessible, and more frequent for *everyone*. And the US’s actions are helping countries around the world implement programs that work directly against that goal.
Ah, the joys of an Orange line commute. And just wait until the Tyson’s extension is connected!
Seriously, isn’t that a great picture? James Calder caught it at the DC Zombie Lurch this past weekend.
Other bits that don’t fit anywhere in particular:
- Flying While Brown: still not (yet) a crime, still not a hassle free activity.
- My interest in the technical aspects of operating systems disappeared long ago, but I found this review of the new OS X version (Leopard) so well written that I didn’t even skim over the bits about the kernel. Recommended if you’re considering upgrading (I think I’ll hold off for a while) or if you’d just like to see what a well written technical article for a popular audience looks like.
- I wish I were a size small.