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402 days. 402 (plus or minus… mostly minus) posts.

Category: Lists

February 4, 2013

Day 72: Bean Day

I’ve been eating a lot of chili lately. A non-comprehensive list of people as beans was inevitable. Here she is:

Black Bean. Everybody knows and loves you. You’re humble and unpretentious, but you can be the life of the party in a pinch. You experimented with veganism in college, but you quit when you realized you couldn’t eat real cheese. You love cheese.

Kidney Bean. Depending on the day, you either look classy or glassy and gross. But even on your gross days, you’re very fit. While you’re not an exercise fanatic, you have a consistent cardio workout schedule and enjoy a good detoxification diet. You manage your blood pressure well.

Soybean. You’re well traveled, versatile and have dabbled in multiple different lines of work. People tend to either love you or hate you, and you’re generally successful with your ventures. You don’t like cold weather. And although you’d never admit to it, you secretly think you’re the best bean.

Garbanzo Bean. You’re a little wacky. Deeming yourself indestructible, you once jumped off the roof of a two-story building with a parachute made out of kale. Most things are funny to you and you are funny to most people. You come from a huge family.

Black-Eyed Pea. A born bean, you legally changed your last name to “Pea” on your 18th birthday, but you regretted the decision immensely when “Elephunk” came out in 2004. Even though you seem a little bitter, people see your softer side and generally like being around you.

beans

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January 31, 2013

Day 68: Things About 30

Even though they say 30 is the new 20 (or 25… or 27? I’m always a little unsure when “they” say things), 30 is way better than all of those ages. I’ve been 30 for almost four weeks now and here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. Knowing what you want and knowing how you want to live are different (and not equal) concepts. In my 20s, I felt guilty for not having any major career goals. It took me 30 years to realize that the how is more important than the what. No matter what I do during my life, if I strive to keep learning, smile often, work hard, and be compassionate and thoughtful, I’ll always be on the right path (cue the forest animals singing together in sweet harmony).

2. Wearing lots of sunscreen in your twenties pays off when you’re 30. It just does.

3. Mostly, being 30 feels awesome. You can look back at the decisions you made when you were 21 (which seemed like great ones at the time) and know that you’d make entirely different ones now. You’re smarter, you have more confidence and frankly, you’re just a little more tired.

4. Your friends will be in every possible stage of life. Some will be traveling the world with backpacks. Some will be pregnant. Some will have multiple children and will be the best parents ever. Some will be exhausted. Some will be vice presidents and CEOs of the successful businesses they started. Some will be starting over. Some will long for the good old days. Some will own houses and cabins. Some will still panic at the thought of committing to one place or one person. Some will be engaged. Some will be divorced. And some will be just starting to feel comfortable in their own skin. It’s amazing.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.

sunsetThis is how I recommend contemplating turning 30: during a beautiful sunset while on a sailboat in Australia. 

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January 28, 2013

Day 65: Five Types of Airplane Travelers

I’m no expert (I don’t even use the “expert traveler” lane at security), but my recent experiences with international travel confirmed the following traveler types.

The Social Drinker
You become fast friends with all the flight attendants before the plane even takes off. If you haven’t finagled your way into first class, you’re either upgraded to business class or you have an exit row seat. During the flight, your charm, wit and amiable attitude affords you a couple of free Bloody Marys and a slew of new Facebook friends who would be happy to put you up the next time you are visiting (insert exotic land here). When the plane lands, you barely notice how much time has passed because you’ve been having such a great time with your new besties.

The Sleeper
Something about travel lulls you. You’re nearly REM cycling at the waiting gate, so it’s a miracle you even make it to your seat. You always request the window, because it’s hard for you to wake up and let your seatmates in once you’ve already gotten comfortable. You don’t read any of the magazines you brought, since you only wake up twice—once when you intuitively sense the beverage cart is passing and again when the wheels hit the ground at your destination. You have a constant crick in your neck, but you’re too sleepy to buy a neck pillow before takeoff.

The Suit-Wearer
You reminisce for the good old days (most likely before you were born), when people dressed up to travel. No matter how long the flight, you wear pressed pants or a skirt, a jacket and uncomfortable shoes. You gingerly lay your jacket on top of everyone’s overhead luggage only after takeoff to ensure no one else disturbs it. Sometimes, you opt for the luxury of reclining your seat, but for the most part, you sit straight up and type quietly on your laptop or watch the in-flight movies. You do not sleep on planes.

The At-Home-Anywhere
You have no qualms about wearing pajamas to the airport. And if you didn’t think the TSA agents would find you strangely suspicious, you would wear your bunny slippers, too. You come fully equipped with a giant pillow, blanket, headphones and pre-packed meal, plus 18 different magazines, the latest New York Times bestseller and an iPad. If there is an open seat next to you on the plane, you spread out into it and nap (Why not?). You tried to paint your nails once, but the fumes bothered your seatmates.

The Package Deal
Whether there are two of you or twelve of you, you arrive together, check in together, sit together, go to the bathroom together (unless one of you is watching everyone’s stuff), eat together and board together, differing boarding zones aside. You do whatever it takes to make sure you’re seated next to each other, even if it means giving away your window seats and the m&ms you bought in the gift shop. You socialize with others only when necessary, armed with the knowledge that everything you need is right next to you (probably attached to your arm).

Package Deal

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January 19, 2013

Day 56: What We’ve Done

In only a few short days, here’s a smattering of things Ciara and I have done in Australia so far:

  • Gone through two full bottles of SPF 70 sunscreen
  • Gotten minor sunburns
  • Met wonderful, funny, smart and welcoming people who laughed with us and made us feel right at home (especially the lovely folks on Maggie Island)
  • Taken part in the first-ever dance party at the Marlin Bay restaurant
  • Gotten lost and made our way out of the bush and back into Australian civilization
  • Hiked until our hearts were happy and our calves were useless
  • Swam in the prettiest water in the world
  • Worn stinger suits in order to not get stung by deadly jellyfish in the prettiest water in the world
  • Washed what I’m convinced was a tiny animal out of a cut on my toe (apparently it may have been seaweed)
  • Awoke at 3 a.m. to the screams of the Curlew birds
  • Quietly stalked a very easygoing Echidna outside his home in a large, knotted tree
  • Tried to smash coconuts (impossible) while yelling, “WILSON!”
  • Tripped (four times each) on that one funky stair at the Airlie Beach YHA hostel
  • Eaten lots of pizza
  • Consumed at least 60 liters of water between the two of us
  • Referenced “rubbish” instead of “trash”
  • Sweat (we continue to sweat)
  • Planned a sailing trip, which we’ve been on for the last two days (more on that later!)
  • Driven over 600 kilometers and seen landscapes from this (note the stinger suits drying in the tree):

Stinger suits

To this:

Bush

And this: 

Airlie Beach

More to come.

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January 14, 2013

Day 51: Stuff To Know About Flying

After 20 hours of flying time (and an unexpected 14 hours of airport time), this first post from down under is actually about the up and over. I promise that prettier pictures will follow.

I learned a lot of good airport/flying stuff, so I chronicled what I think you should know based on each leg of the trip.

A note: I’m operating on a really old computer with really spotty internet, so apologies if the formatting is a bit messy this week. 

Minneapolis International Airport

  • Try not to get salad dressing in your hair before you’ve even left the country. Even when you rinse it out, your locks will still smell like dressing 30+ hours later.

Flight 1: MSP to LAX

  • If you’re seated next to someone with a cold, periodically holding your breath is not a good germ-avoidance maneuver. It mostly results in lots of gasping for air, usually right after your seatmate sneezes.
  • If you think you discovered a secret military/UFO observation base while flying over the mountains, you probably didn’t (or did you?).
  • When offered peanuts, pretzels or cookies, go for the pretzels. They’re adorable and delicious.

tiny pretzel

Los Angeles International Airport

  • Get to your international flight ridiculously early. You never know when your airline will be “transitioning to a new boarding system” and you may have to stand in multiple lines for multiple hours.
  • If you do end up standing in a line longer than the one you ever stood in for Space Mountain, make some quick friends. It will be fun to chat with them and you’ll appreciate their willingness to watch your stuff while you run to Starbucks and get lost on your way back to the gate.

Flight 2: LAX to SYD

  • Sleep when everyone else is sleeping and take full advantage of all the blankets, pillows and free eye-masks available.
  • Adjusting your feet-to-butt-to-head angles will enable you to plan for the direction your head will loll when you’re out cold. For example, squeezing your feet to the left of your backpack and moving your butt slightly forward and to the right on your seat will direct your head back and to the left. Then, you won’t risk lolling forward and drooling all over your lap.

Sydney Airport

  • The free wifi will work for a magical five minutes and then you might be out of luck. Don’t send any emails requiring immediate attention (i.e. “I’m not on that flight! Pick me up at 5!”)
  • If you’re going to wash your face in the airport bathroom, you might have to dry your face using a super powerful hand dryer. Be prepared to experience 400 mph (approximation) air rushing into your nose and mouth. And if you accidentally get any water on your neck, just plan on having a wet neck.

Flight 3: SYD to CNS

  • This is a good time to look yourself over and see if there’s anything you can do to hide the fact that you’ve been wearing the same clothing for 36 hours. Scrape off the chocolate stuck to your shirt, double-check your hair for that salad dressing smell, etc.

island

And then you’ve made it!

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