South African Adventure!

Just got back from ten days in South Africa. It was a business trip to Durban, but I also managed to get a few days in Cape Town and an overnight in a game reserve (Phinda) which was completely amazing.

We got so close to this male lion that it was literally terrifying. He was just sitting there, very quietly, but then got up and walked toward our (open) vehicle. He walked right along side the jeep (next to me), close enough that I could have touched him. I could not BREATHE. But he just looked up and kept on truckin'.





We saw tons of game, as well as amazing birds, bugs and snakes! The lodge was gorgeous and had an outdoor shower. But I didn't enjoy my shower so much as there were monkeys in the trees hooting and hollering at me so I ran indoors like the sissy New Yorker that I am.

Here are some great images from the trip. Some of these were taken by my colleague who brought a better camera, so I can't take credit for all of them...




















The people of SA are truly amazing. Sometimes you go places where people seem very friendly but you know the second you turn your back they are making funny faces at you. (or am I just paranoid?) Here, everything that people say and do is so incredibly genuine. Even when service at the hotels or restaurants is a little kooky (serving 7 dinners to 8 people and not quite understanding why one person, me, is sitting there with no food?) they are so adorable about it you can hardly get pissed off.

Prices were so good that I ended up buying a backpack to carry the clothes I bought! Of course, had I paid the almost $10K in airfare that it took to get me there, it might not have been worth the couple of hundred dollars I saved. :) But that's the joy of traveling on business! Not to mention the frequent flyer miles...

One of the best parts of the trip, though, was the domestic flight from Durban to Cape Town on my way home. The flight attendant who was delivering the safety information was hilarious. First, when explaining the usage of the life preserver, he suggested that we tie the ribbons around our waist as opposed to our neck. Then he pointed out the light "for shining into the sharks' eyes". And lastly, he told us this was a non-smoking flight and that there are "smoke detectors and video cameras" in the restrooms. LOL

It was a great way to see who was actually paying attention!

Next stop... Istanbul in May.

Vote for Tiger!!

And help him win money for Greyhound Rescue and Rehab:

Vote for Tiger!

Cyber ADD - Has Microblogging Killed the Blog?

Facebook, Twitter... almost all of the people I've "met" online through blogging are now status-updating and twittering. 140 characters, a 2-second flash of what's happening in that moment. Instant blogging... just add words.

It's fun, I'm doing it too, but I'm also a little sad because this takes short attention spans to a whole new level. I used to blog pretty frequently, posting photos and writing little missives about everything from my crazy family to politics to pop culture. But little by little, I began to feel as though if I wrote more than a few paragraphs that even my loyal readers would read the first and last sentence and leave a comment.

For awhile, I thought I was being overly sensitive about this. But recently one of my favorite blog friends, Jamie of Kill the Goat wrote a post about infidelity. It was a plea for help about how and if to tell, about her inner struggle. If you actually read the whole thing, it was really an hilarious account of switching hairdressers. But a majority of the comments were about not telling her husband, or coming clean, or the evils of cheating on one's spouse.

If you're still with me, I'll keep going. In the first two years or so of blogging, I used to drive to work in the morning and think about things I wanted to write about. I'd keep little notes to myself when I thought of a good topic. I tried to make time every morning or late at night to write. I loved getting the instant feedback and the whole process in general. I felt as though I had my own newspaper column, but without the deadline.

I miss it. I've been extremely busy with work so I will admit that I've dropped the ball as well. But when I have thought about writing something, I often stop myself and just post the 140 word version on Twitter.

It's just not the same. :(

Separated at Birth?

Carla from Top Chef:





and









Beaker

Goodbye, Mr. Bush

And don't let the White House gate hit you in the ass on your way out.

I am so excited about the next few days, the next 8 years... I could just burst. I am going to be doing a lot of traveling around the world on business this year, to London and Durban and Istanbul, and it is so nice to feel like I don't have to be ashamed of our government and most of all, our President.

Here's a little ditty to send Bush on his way:

"So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, adieu
You'd better go
Or I will throw my shoe.."

Yodel-a-e-oooooo

Well, as my international blogger friends like to say, "one more sleep" until I leave for Switzerland tomorrow. I still have so much to do (to prepare not just for the work part, but also to get everything in place for those who will be helping take care of Lucas while I'm gone.)

I'm a little anxious (10 days is a LONG time to be away from my loved ones!) but also excited about the adventure and the presentation I'll be giving. I know this stuff like the back of my hand, so it's really fun to be able to show that off.)

I'll hopefully have some internet access and time to post from time to time. In the meantime, keep shopping on Amazon!!

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Happy Prepare-for-the-Christmas-Madness Eve

If you're going to shop via Amazon again this year, please do it through the links on my blog if you can!! Lots of vet bills again this year, and every little bit helps.

What have I been doing lately? READING MY KINDLE!!! I absolutely love it. Buy one for someone you love...



And Happy Turkey Day!

Panthergirl - International Woman of Mystery

Oh, I've been such a bad blogger this year. Between work, home and Facebook... I've just neglected my poor blog. Hope to turn that around soon.

But for now, I need the help of my traveling and international blog readers. I'm off to Switzerland from 12/6 to 12/16 on business. I am staying in FOUR different hotels (one night when I arrive, the Lady's First Design Hotel. Then on Monday I head up by cable car to the Rigi Hostellerie for my meeting in the mountains. Then, on the 12th, I head back down to center city to stay at the Ema House until Monday the 15th when I will move again but to a hotel near the Zurich airport (unspecified at this time) for one last meeting before I head home on the 16th.

WHEW!!!

What I need from you guys are ideas of things to do from Friday the 12th through Sunday the 14th, while I have down-time in Zurich. I'd like to take a little side trip to Lucerne, but am also open to ideas of things to do and see.

I'm going to try and learn a little more German than I already know (otherwise I'll be getting nothing but pens, pencils and kisses the whole time I'm there, in quantities from one to ten.)

Mit freundlichen Grüssen ,
PG

Update: I'm going to spend the second weekend in Lucerne... hotel still undecided... all recommendations are welcome! I'm leaning towards "The Hotel", although one called "Hotel Krone" looks interesting too, but saw varied reviews on that one.

A President We Can Be Proud Of

What can I say? Last night was more emotional for me than I had ever thought it would be. I knew I would be ecstatic to see Barack Obama become our next President, but I didn't realize how deeply moving it would be to witness. John McCain appeared to have recovered his marbles and delivered a gracious and beautiful concession speech. We didn't have to listen to Sarah Palin. And Barack's acceptance address just shook me to the core.

We are realists... we know that he is going to have a steep pile of crap to shovel us out of (thanks, Dubya). But if you didn't feel a collective raising of the country's spirit last night then you have to be dead inside. Even Sean Hannity admitted that his hotel REVERBERATED at the announcement of Barack's win.

The country is smiling this morning. The world is smiling this morning. And we can finally stop cringing when our President represents us to that world.

President Obama. Pinch me.

Bob the Hairdresser

With all of the recent "Joe the Plumber" talk, I felt it was time to edit and re-post my list of people more aptly named for their professions:

Bob the Hairdresser
Jim the Personal Trainer
Bill the Accounts Receivable Mgr.
John the Plumber
Joe the Starbucks Barrister
Tom the Cat Groomer
Taylor the Seamstress
Chuck the Major League Pitcher
Pete the Gardener
Mike the Sound Designer
Jay the Birdwatcher
Sue the Lawyer
Mary the Justice of the Peace
Wanda the Travel Agent
Cosmo the Astronomer
Frank the Hot Dog Vendor
Patty the Short Order Cook
Penny the Coin Collector
Sandy the Lifeguard
Doug the Archaeologist
Jimmy the Burglar
Philip the Gas Station Attendant
Dolly the Mover
Cole the Chimney Sweep
Lily the Florist
Brad the Carpenter
Art the Curator
Mark the Graffiti Artist
Brian the Pickle Maker
Lou the Janitor
Earl the Web Designer (I love that one)
Jack the Auto Mechanic
Hugh the Hair Colorist
Willie the Director of Horror Movies
Laurie the Truck Driver

Meet the Press Delivers a Colin Blow

Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama was superb. I was SO delighted that he minced no words... about Sarah Palin, about McCain's judgement, about the tone of the attacks against Obama... none of it. If you didn't see it, please take the time to listen.

Not a Master-debate

OK, so the "Town Hall" last night was pretty much of a snooze across the board. The format was horrible, the "rules" were stupid, and nothing much new was said.

My key takeaways?

First of all, McCain, I’M NOT YOUR FRIEND. If he said “my friends” one more time I was going to scream.

Second, McCain knows how to capture Osama Bin Laden but isn’t going to do it, or help do it, unless we elect him President? My, how patriotic.

Third, I almost spit my coffee out (yes, I needed coffee to stay awake during this one, sorry) when he referred to Obama as “That one.” How vile!!! Even for him.



Fouth, the best word for McCain last night was “curmudgeonly”.

Fifth: Obama missed a BIG opportunity with that last question ("What don't you know and how are you going to learn it?"). He could have said, “No President knows everything, which is why I’ve chosen an intelligent, experienced running mate and will continue to surround myself with intelligent, experienced people in my Administration.” Gazingo, Palin.

And last, when I saw McCain refuse to shake Obama's hand…. I was stunned.

Guilt by Association

What the current "guilt by association" tactic of the McCain camp drives home for me is that I could NEVER run for public office. You know why?

- Because I was friends with a girl in HS whose mother worked in a department store, stole credit card numbers and was charged with grand larceny. Her Mafia friends used their "influence" to get the charges dropped.

- Because I used to "pal around" with some shady characters at a local bar, some of whom would chat about their stints in prison (and here I thought "Shanksville" was a town in Pennsylvania).

- Because once, when I was in third grade, I went to a local candy store with a friend and she stole a pack of gum. I didn't report her to the police. I didn't do anything. As such, I silently condoned her behavior.

Now, you might say that anyone who would think that these past indiscretions disqualify me from public office is pretty desperate. Yeah, I think so too.

Enjoy the debate tonight.

Why Palin Matters

If I hear another pundit say "We don't vote for the Vice President" when pooh-poohing the incompetence of Sarah "Don't Confuse Me With the Facts" Palin, I'm going to scream.



Tom Brokaw mentioned Dan "Punchline" Quayle as an example of someone who lost the debate but was part of a winning ticket anyway.

Can someone PLEASE point out the fundamental difference here?



It matters because Palin's running mate is a 72-year-old, not particularly healthy individual which makes the chances of her winding up as President frighteningly real. Are you kidding me?

Thankfully, I think most people in this country (even if they aren't admitting it out loud) are not ok with that scenario. Sure, she didn't come out with any serious one-liners last night (except for the fact that she doesn't know what an Achilles Heel is), she had crib notes. She didn't answer several questions at all, but redirected to the talking points that she had boned up on.

If the Republicans are really so comfortable with her now, let her loose on the media FOR REAL. Have her do an open press conference. Put her on the Sunday morning news show circuit. Get her on The Today Show and let Matt Lauer have at her. As Campbell Brown so beautifully stated, it's sexist not to.

I'd like to be able to ignore her, but the VERY REAL possibility that this person could fake her way into the highest office in the nation scares the bejeezus out of me.

Unscripted

THIS is how you need to see her:


Watch CBS Videos Online



Yes, Sarah. The duck hunting accident was the WORST thing that Dick Cheney did. Uh huh.

If I Were Moderating the VP Debate...

...here are the questions I'd be asking Sarah Palin:

1. Why do you appear unable to utter the phrase "global warming"? When did this term morph into "climate change"? Doesn't that imply that the earth could be freezing over? (like hell would before I'd vote for you)

2. If life begins at conception, will all American pregnant women be able to claim their zygotes as dependents on their income tax returns, under your (god forbid) administration? If not, why not?

3. How many children have you, personally, adopted? How many of those are non-white, crack-addicted, or the two-headed variety produced via incest? Yeah, I thought not.

4. How do you define "feminist"? I'm having a real problem with that one.

5. You intimated to Charlie Gibson that Barack Obama is probably sorry he didn't pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate. Do you realize, had he done so, that you'd still be an obscure Governor of a state of 250,000 people? Do you honestly think that you're a substitute for Hillary Clinton? "I knew Hillary Clinton, Governor, and believe me.... you're no Hillary Clinton."

Move over, Gwen Ifill...

R.I.P. Paul Newman

The very first man I had a major crush on....

I used to make out with my pillow and pretend it was him in "Hud". Hey, I was only about 10... give me a break! (my sister used to make out with the mirror...THAT was telling!)

What Would Sarah Palin Name YOU?

Find out here with the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator! Mine would be "Shove Maggot". Nice, eh?

Well, when your mother names you after the math class she probably failed* ("Trig"), you gotta wonder. Then again, the Little Rascals had a mule named "Algebra".

*See, "Alaska produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy." Yeah, 3.5% is "nearly" 20%...

Biggest Political Rally in Alaskan History ...

From Mudflats:

"‘Alaska Women Reject Palin’ Rally is HUGE!

I attended the Welcome Home rally for Sarah Palin this morning. Hooo. It was an experience. About a thousand (maybe) hard-core Palin supporters showed up to hear her speak at the new Dena’ina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage.

After shaking it off with a good double shot of espresso, and a brisk walk back to my car, it was time to head to the Alaska Women Reject Palin rally. It was to be held outside on the lawn in front of the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage. Home made signs were encouraged, and the idea was to make a statement that Sarah Palin does not speak for all Alaska women, or men. I had no idea what to expect.

The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It’s probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets. One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally “a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots”, and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought. The women, of course, received many nasty, harassing and threatening messages.

So, as I jettisoned myself from the jaws of the ‘Drill Baby Drill’ crowd and toward the mystery rally at the library, I felt a bit apprehensive. I’d been disappointed before by the turnout at other rallies. Basically, in Anchorage, if you can get 25 people to show up at an event, it’s a success. So, I thought to myself, if we can actually get 100 people there that aren’t sent by Eddie Burke, we’ll be doing good. A real statement will have been made. I confess, I still had a mental image of 15 demonstrators surrounded by hundreds of menacing “socialist baby-killing maggot” haters.

It’s a good thing I wasn’t tailgating when I saw the crowd in front of the library or I would have ended up in somebody’s trunk. When I got there, about 20 minutes early, the line of sign wavers stretched the full length of the library grounds, along the edge of the road, 6 or 7 people deep! I could hardly find a place to park. I nabbed one of the last spots in the library lot, and as I got out of the car and started walking, people seemed to join in from every direction, carrying signs.

Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state. I was absolutely stunned. The second most amazing thing is how many people honked and gave the thumbs up as they drove by. And even those that didn’t honk looked wide-eyed and awe-struck at the huge crowd that was growing by the minute. This just doesn’t happen here.

Then, the infamous Eddie Burke showed up. He tried to talk to the media, and was instantly surrounded by a group of 20 people who started shouting O-BA-MA so loud he couldn’t be heard. Then passing cars started honking in a rhythmic pattern of 3, like the Obama chant, while the crowd cheered, hooted and waved their signs high.

So, if you’ve been doing the math… Yes. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin’s rally that got all the national media coverage! So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around (links are appreciated) to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans. The citizens of Alaska, who know her best, have things to say."

Blind Dating, Italian Style

For Photo Friday: Relationships, an appropriate rerun:





One of the reasons I am so puzzled by my mother, who can be seemingly soulless, is because her parents were incredibly soulful. They were sweet and funny and extremely loving, and since they lived upstairs when I was a chld, I credit them with teaching me everything I know about being a good person.

My grandfather had a particulary interesting sense of humor. In February of 1907, he wrote a letter to a woman he knew in Italy. He had come to the US ten years earlier on the SS Barbarosa (I like to think of it as the SS Vinnie Barbarino), and was ready to get himself a wife. So, he wrote this letter asking the woman to send him one of her daughters. I don't think he was very much more specific than that. He sent a picture of himself, a handsome 21 year-old man with a full head of red hair. My grandmother (all of 17 years old), selflessly offered herself up as she knew that her mother was struggling to feed all of her children, and that making this sacrifice would help ease the burden. She did this knowing, too, that she might never see her family again.

She boarded the SS Patria on February 5th, traveling "steerage" which meant packed like sardines in the lower quarters of the ship, and arrived at Ellis Island after sixteen grueling days at sea.

After the immigration process, she was taken to the Bushwick section of Brooklyn to live briefly with a cousin. There, she met the man she was going to marry. The only problem? The picture he had sent was a little, er, outdated. He was, in fact, 31 years old, fat and bald. According to my grandmother (in her adorable little accent that she never lost) "I cry for a year!"

Probably due to the extremely reduced expectations that people of that generation had for happiness, they remained married for over 60 years. In all of that time, much of which was spent on the 2nd floor of our house, I remember them having only one fight... and that was a dispute over what the weatherman had predicted for that day.

She was a feminist before her time (even cutting her hair when she arrived in America and not piercing her daughters' ears. She refused to be bound by old-world traditions). He was the "mayor" of our block, playing with all the kids and tossing lit firecrackers at their feet while yelling "Dance-a! Dance-a!"

And so, I say "Salud" to Sal and Lucy.