More Trippin'

I promised myself and others this would be the year of remaining stateside for a longer period of time than last year's world tour. Tell that to the airlines who seem to be giving flights away these days in the form of mistake fares I discovered for both Stockholm and Madrid.

I'm going to Stockholm in September for an obscene discount in airfare. It's a direct flight each way, so no layovers. I had been to Sweden before, Helsingborg and Malmo, on a day trip that was part of my Denmark vacation. I liked these two towns, but they didn't offer enough excitement for me and I decided I would probably enjoy Stockholm instead. I was true on my word that I'd come back when I booked the flight, and I think I'll love visiting this city.

I snagged a mistake fare on Delta for the end of December to Madrid. I hate Madrid. I know I've mentioned this many times before. For $238 round trip total, there was no way I could refuse this offer. What I'm trying to do is use it as a base to go somewhere else, like Barcelona, Lisbon, or maybe even to the UK. Whatever cheap tickets I can find on a low cost carrier will be fine.

I still haven't planned the "Big Trip", I try and take during Thanksgiving week. I am hemming and hawing over where I want to go. I have my mind on a few places, but still haven't made a final decision yet.

Watch this space!

The One Where I Learn Cyrillic

I'm trying my damnedest to learn the Russian alphabet. It's pretty necessary if I'm going to do this trip independently. With my busy schedule, and a twist of laziness, so far, I have only learned a bit. A, K, M, O, T all match the Roman alphabet. P translates as R, C translates as S, etc. I'm getting it, but not quite. I assumed I would ace it early on, that is, until last week on the subway when I stood over a woman reading a Russian language magazine and I fully realized that I couldn't make any of the letters out.

So, after hunkering down and practicing, I can say somewhat confidently that I think I can manage. I've got quite a job ahead of me though, so that confidence might just go out the window, or fail me at an all too important moment.

Who knows if this knowledge will be retained past my trip. I need to learn a language for school and Russian has been a serious contender in my decision making.

Scenes From a Neighborhood

Last night, was a historic day in America. It means that anyone, regardless of the color of their skin can be president of the United States of America. President-elect Obama was born during a time when many African-Americans were refused the right to vote and it was illegal in many states for his parents to marry. We've come a long way.

Walking down the street, it just felt as if the bulldozers arrived and leveled the playing field. The old regime is out, replaced by new blood and new ideas for reshaping this country. We need it, regardless of who was voted in.

Naturally, the park near my home is a historic place to go to in times of political victories, and defeats. Last night was certainly no different. We approached, the sounds of cheering and singing leading the way. It certainly was glorious. I felt elated and on a victorious high.

Ireland - Day Five

Just got back!

Last night, as planned, I went out some of my hostel mates. Had a faboo time. The disco nap on the bus back from Belfast did me a world of good so I could be in top form for going out. We hit a bar near to the hostel before stopping at a pub on the Quay near to the Temple Bar area.

The pub was packed and we were highly amused by the antics of one girl in particular, whom we nicknamed "pink shirt", and was dancing wildly and out of sync. Kind of like Elaine from Seinfeld, but sped up and the appearance of a seizure or two thrown in. We weren't out for too long, but enough. One of the girls turned me on to a great drink - cider with a shot of blackcurrant. We stumbled back and I clocked in under four hours of sleep but made sure to get up super early this morning to catch the bus back to the airport.

It was quite soothing really. Taking in the last of the city so early in the morning. I miss that feeling of being alone for few minutes in Dublin, before the hustle and bustle begins for the day. Thankfully, I didn't let time slip because the airport turned out to be so crowded. I had avoided doing an online check-in, which I ended up regretting because I ended up with possibly the worst seat on the plane! The middle seat in the last row of the plane. Having only four hours and needing some sleep was so difficult. I ended up throwing a blanket over my head to get some semblance of shut eye. Given that I was in the middle, there was no way I could curl up anywhere. It was a rough ride.

Naturally, I miss Dublin already. But I feel I did so much in the short time allowed there. I really moved around. I would definitely visit Ireland again. However, it would be a trip to focus on the western side of the isle. Getting back to NYC, it was depressing getting hit like a ton of bricks by the heat. Aside from the spurts of rain, Dublin had such perfect temperatures.

Ireland - Day Four

Yesterday, was the day trip up to Belfast. I had always wanted to visit this city, but didn't know if or when I would ever get to go. Enter Paddywagon Tours. They offered a cheap one day trip package up there with stops in Drogheda and at Monasterboice. The buses are Kelly green with leprechauns emblazoned on them. Really obvious and bizarre. Unmissable, really.

I was able to catch a quick nap on the way to Drogheda, falling in and out of consciousness as the bus driver gave his spiel about the counties we were driving through and what we were going to see at our destination. Our first stop, St. Peter's Church, we were given about 15-20 minutes total to visit and see the remains of Oliver Plunkett. His head is the highlight and I was surprised that it's just out there in the sanctuary for everyone to see. If you regularly attend services at this church, you might possibly end up sitting in a pew that has a direct view of his relics, and his head! Too creepy.

Our next stop, outside of Drogheda, was Monasterboice monastery. The sun was out in full force. This was picture perfect considering there were lush green open fields surrounding the monastery. Our group was fairly small and we had the place to ourselves, making it out just as one of those mega tour buses pulled up.

We arrived in Belfast a half hour early. This worked in our favor because we now had more time to spend there. We arrived in the city centre and transferred over to the Black Cab tour, which took us to both the Shankhill and Falls Road areas of Belfast. What I saw will stay with me forever. Shankhill Road is the Protestant (or loyalist) section. Falls Road is the Catholic (or nationalist) section. The murals were fascinating, some of them very disturbing. Our tour stopped at the Peace Wall. It was amusing to be handed markers and crayons and told we could write on the wall.

We returned back to the centre with a few hours to kill. I had become chummy with some of the group so we headed to the Victoria Square Mall to see the city from the observation dome. Our group then split up and myself and another person walked over to the Crown Pub. On our way there, we passed a woman with who appeared to be her daughter. This kid was probably no older than six. Passing by them, the woman was scolding her, hissing "stop being a little wench!". We were flabbergasted. Because of time restrictions I ordered only tomato soup. As delicious as it was, I sorely regretted not getting the Irish stew that passed by me. The Crown is a historic Belfast pub and it's stunningly gorgeous inside. Across the street is the Europa Hotel, which has the distinction of being the most bombed hotel in Europe.

We had a little time to kill over by the pick up spot and listened to the symphony warm up for the BBC Proms that were taking place on the lawn of city hall. We ended up getting back to Dublin early, giving me time to eat at Beshoff's and get ready to go out.

My time in Belfast, though short, further enriched my trip to Ireland. It was quite the learning experience. Seeing some of the differences in partitioned country was eye opening for what little I saw.

Ireland - Day Three

Today, I figured for the purposes of change of scenery, I would venture outside the city to check out the 'burbs. I rode the DART first to Howth, which is a sleepy seaside town, and walked around. The ride over was ruined by some stereotypical loud and large Americans, one of whom thought it necessary to read aloud to his entire group, word for word, from the tour book about Howth and continually butchering the pronunciation of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary). Annoyed, I ended up changing cars.

The trip to Howth was quite short for such a drastic change to a seaside scenery. The skies were quickly turning dark, and I wondered if I would be stuck in the rain the whole day. I walked the edge of the seashore on a raised stone wall walkway towards the lighthouse. Coming back, I decided to walk up the hill towards Howth Village. Then, the sun came shining through. I stumbled upon St. Mary's Abbey, which are ruins of an old church from the 12th century.

I hopped back on the DART to head towards Dun Laoghaire. I ended up falling asleep on the train, thankfully waking just two stops before I was to get off! If Howth was a sleepy seaside town, Dun Laoghaire was it's aggressive big sister. Also a seaside town, Dun Laoghaire is much more commercial and busy as it serves as an arriving and departing point for the ferry from Wales. An equal mix of retail and residential, it was in this town I spent the bulk of my time, walking around taking everything in, browsing the shops and small mom and pop stores.

A huge plus to the visit was the discovery of a frikkin' huge Tesco! I stocked up on the things I wasn't finding in Dublin. Much more cheaply I might add. I even snagged a couple of containers of Cadbury's Instant Hot Chocolate. This is the one item I can never find in the US.

I had also heard about the town called Killiney (pronounced Kil-Loiny). It's a more affluent town known for being the residence of Bono, Enya, and other Irish celebrities. I wasn't going there looking for them, mind you, but I wanted to see what the town was all about. What I got, however, was a different impression. Killiney turned out to be a bust and I stayed on what seemed to like an endless loop of a bus route trying to get back myself to Dun Laoghaire. My fellow bus patrons seemed to be mostly old people and school kids.

Once back in Dun Laoghaire, I decided to call it a day and hopped the bus back to Dublin. A long trek, it was refreshing knowing I would be back at my destination. This day exhausted me so. I managed to get a seat up top and in front and three raucous young girls sat next to me. They were screeching and swearing up a storm. I was shocked given the fact they were only about the age of ten and so disarming in their pastel and frilly track suits. They saw some mates outside and began banging on the window hoping to catch their attention before running off the bus to catch up. Relieved I was to be rid of the little brats.

In their place sat a trio of older school girls. When we all witnessed some unlucky soul running for the bus, but missing it, one of the girls relayed a story about her mother witnessing her missing the bus and informing her "never run after a bus...or a man".

Back in Dublin and hungry, I headed for the famous Leo Burdock's for fish n' chips. I have to say that for this trip, I lucked out with my restaurant choices, getting to eat at mostly all of the places I hand picked. With Burdock's, I wasn't disappointed. Walking towards Christ Church Cathedral, the bells began ringing to mark the 8 o'clock hour. It was so beautiful and moving, I momentarily forgot my surroundings.

Back to Leo's! After waiting in line outside, I ordered the usual (cod and chips). There are no places to sit so I curbed it, digging in to my delicious meal. I'm not too keen on Irish chips for some reason, but these were good. Halfway through, it began to rain lightly. I didn't care and just sat there finishing up and relishing the moment. Thankfully, I had Wet Wipes on me, or else the situation would've been really dire.

Getting back to my room at the hostel, I soon realized I wasn't alone. A group of women from England (West Midlands) on a girl's weekend had taken up residence, bringing with them alcohol and spreading out their things to the point that it looked like a hardworking beauty salon. They were so friendly and even invited me out. I declined because I would have to get up early the next day for Belfast, but confirmed that I would indeed go out with them the next night.

Ireland - Day Two

Got a somewhat later start yesterday. This was due to what amounted to the kiss of death for someone suffering their first day of jet lag - I took an evening nap. After eating dinner, I came back to the hostel to put my things down. I laid across the bed and that was it. I was awoken by the sound of someone in the room, a new hostel guest. I got myself together, but it was too late to really do anything since Dublin closes up shop so much earlier. So, I walked around the city a bit, checking things out. Still, when I got back to the hostel, I couldn't get to sleep until really late and that screwed me for the next day.

However, for day two, it didn't stop me from getting out and seeing it all. Instead of doing too much walking, which always seems to do me in, I decided to rely a lot on the buses to stave off the exhaustion that occurs from walking everywhere. This new plan worked and I found I had more energy at night. I took advantage of the Hop On Hop Off bus that was part of my super saver ticket. Starting from the beginning, it was a great way to see certain things quickly that walking would only take up too much time doing. I got off at the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) stop because this was one of the attractions I really, really wanted to visit. I wasn't disappointed. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.

Afterwards, I grabbed the HOHO bus back to the city centre. I hoofed it over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room. I was more impressed with the Long Room. Saw the Molly Malone statue, aptly nicknamed "the tart with the cart". Doing research about places to eat, I had read about a little cafe called Queen of Tarts that I wanted to try. It turned out to be exactly what I needed for dinner. Since the hostel served a full Irish breakfast, and I got a late start, I was full for the entire day and only needed a light dinner.

I decided, last minute, that I really did want to visit the Guinness Storehouse. The HOHO bus had stopped there prior to the Kilmainham stop and I began to feel that this was something I shouldn't miss. I'm not a beer drinker and I can't stand stout. Having visited both Amsterdam and Copenhagen, I could have cared less to visit the Heineken and Carlsberg breweries. But, there was something about Guinness which made me rethink my position about visiting a brewery. It turned out to be a cool experience and the complimentary pint you get up top in the Sky Bar was actually quite smooth and creamy. I had always heard the cliche about Guinness tasting better in Ireland, and now, I get to be part of the choir who agrees - even though I don't drink the stuff. The views of Dublin from the top of the Sky Bar are fantastic!

For the rest of the day, I centered my travels around the Grafton Street area, and walking a bit through St. Stephen's Green. I tried a Butler's hot chocolate but was more impressed with the service I recieved than the actual drink. It was so lukewarm, I ended up throwing most of it out. At night, I walked around the Temple Bar section before calling it a night.

Ireland - Day One

Glasnevin Cemetery was utterly fantastic!! I grabbed the #40 bus there and got to sit up top in the front row. I had read that the tour was free, but became a bit concerned when I saw that there would be an 8 euro charge. I was assured that today it would be free. Woosh! Such a feeling of relief.

Prior to the tour, I used the bathroom, but faced a quandary afterwards when I soaped up my hands, turned on the water, and nothing came out of the faucets! Walking into the flower shop with soapy hands, the clerk was sympathetic but couldn't do anything. She explained the waterworks had just flooded and they had to shut the water off. I searched for, and found, a huge puddle in the cemetery to dip my hands in to finish washing up. I must've looked silly, but desperate acts call for desperate measures.. This was a dire situation!

There were only a few of us for the tour, our guide looked like what you would expect a person of history to look like - a bit disheveled but a fountain of knowledge. He showed us around and gave us a run down of the cemetery's beginnings and many of the famous people buried there. We were brought into the tomb of Daniel O'Connell and also shown the tiny room which contains the resting area of his descendants. The thing is, they aren't entombed. Instead, their coffins are stacked on top of each other creating an unsettling sight. This was a bit too freaky for us, especially since we were only a few feet from the coffins, and learning right then and there that since most of the older coffins in the cemetery are lead lined, they still contain the diseases of the day. So, say for instance, a coffin breaks and the person inside had perished from cholera, the preserved disease will now enter the air.

Still, it was all too fascinating for words. What was especially cool were the thousands of Celtic crosses throughout the cemetery. Most of them very ornate. Many are in need of repair and in today's dollars, the work needed to restore them would go into the tens of thousands. Some of them into the hundreds of thousands. Politics also plays in important role because of the sectarian groups associated with the many people buried there. You see this in the laying of flowers and in the epitaphs. The military does do a sweep of the cemetery to make sure there is no sectarian vandalism. Glasnevin doesn't get funding from the government for upkeep, which explains the dire state of some of the gravestones. However, some of the graves are tended to by certain political sectarian groups, but only for their own. Also fascinating was seeing the final resting place of the many who shaped Irish history.

Afterwards, I headed back to the city center and putzed around browsing some of the shops. The exchange rate is still terrible so any shopping sprees are out of the question. I may sashay into Penney's (Primark) for some cheap new threads though. I headed to the Epicurean Food Hall, which is a big food court type place. I had read about The Pie Kitchen and was interested in ordering the root vegetable and cheddar pie. It turned out to be delicious, but my taste buds had to get used to food that wasn't laced with some sort of sugar or preservative, like most things are in the US. As satisfied as I was, I couldn't resist ordering the apple crumble dessert. When the counter woman came over with the double cream, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I left stuffed for the entire night. This time, thankfully, the tea was drinkable.

I've Landed in Dublin

The flight was uneventful. In addition to picking a choice seat online, I managed only a carry-on for the trip over. Yeah! We even got in early. Forget about any halfway decent sleep on the plane, which wasn't such a surprise. It would have been nice to get at least three or more hours. But that wasn't possible. The meal was decent. I ordered the beef dish. I sat next to an older cougar-ish woman with bleach blonde hair who talked my ear off a bit prior to landing, but she was at least entertaining and gave me some good tips. Her outfit was a trip; very busy patterns with bare tanned legs and open toed shoes. Her headband even matched the dress. Tons of clunky jewelry. She was originally from Ireland, but had lived in the US for decades, so there was no trace of an Irish accent. Bless her heart.

The airport was so ghetto and confusing for such an international destination. The customs room was tiny and unorganized. Getting down to the arrivals room, I immediately purchased the three day saver for 25 euros. This pass would give me free transportation to and around the city plus it's environs, in addition to use of the hop on hop off bus for the entire duration of the ticket. It was sunny when I stepped outside, but quickly turned to dark skies and light rain once I got on the Airlink bus to get into the city.

My first impressions? Immediately outside of the airport you are met with lush farmland, which gives way to industry. Finally, entering Dublin, it reminded me of a less busy London.

The Airlink bus stopped on O'Connell Street right near the GPO. Finding the hostel was fairly easy, once I got my street bearings. The room wasn't ready, so I put my suitcase in the left luggage room. This kinda sucked, because it didn't give me a chance to settle in and freshen up before hitting the city. Since breakfast was over, I found a place around the corner and ordered an egg and chip dish with tea. The tea was gross and had a bit of a bleachy taste to it. Blech! I hope this isn't going to be an ongoing thing here in Ireland.

Heading out to Glasnevin Cemetery shortly. Every Wednesday is a free tour.

Obama-Biden

Well, it looks like I was clearly wrong from the beginning. Not surprised there! I originally (and incorrectly) predicted that Biden or Richardson would be the democratic hopeful for president this year. Now, with today's news, knowing that at least one of them will be on the ticket, I'm a little more confident about rooting for Obama. Still, I would have liked to see a Clinton-Biden ticket, or Clinton-Richardson, but this will certainly do.

I can't wait to see who McCain picks as a running mate. So far, the choices the media has as possibilities would be pure suicide, should he go with them.

We need change. And I firmly believe that it cannot come from another Republican administration. In fact, in my lifetime, I don't recall any positive outcome from having that lot in the executive office.

8-8-8 A Day Not In Infamy

Today is supposed to be one of the luckiest days of the year. That is, according to the Chinese. For me, it was spent lamenting and getting anxious that nothing of permanent note was occurring for little old me. By permanent, I mean marriage, delivery of a baby, or anything else that would seal the deal, so to say, about the luckiness of this day.

I'm usually not reduced to hokum, except when it comes to numbers. Having numerical OCD doesn't help matters much. Especially when it's of the symmetrical variety. So, a day such as today gets me hopped up with anticipation of what might occur. Strange, I know.

Today, I did however, take advantage of a summer half-day Friday to stop into my doctor's office and either request an on-the-spot vaccination, or make an appointment for one. It was suggested that for the trip to Russia, I should get a combination diphtheria-tetanus shot. Turns out, they could take me and administer the vaccination. In addition, I was given full blood and urine tests and another appointment to return for possibly more vaccinations. Not that I was upset. It was good to get all of it out of the way. Regardless, my right arm should be sore for about a week or so.

To sum it up, 8-8-8 pretty much went bust for me, and was spent removing various fluids from my body in hopes that I will be healthy for 9-9-9, and beyond.

Another Reason My Church Kicks Ass!

Christmas in July!

Today, we sang Christmas carols in a sweltering sanctuary, complete with a decorated lit up tree. It was to remind us that love, charity, and acceptance of others aren't to be focused on in December alone.

I hadn't attended in some time, so it was great to see so many more new members. Several of them in my age group. This is a first in a congregation that for the past ten years counted only a few members who were under the age of 35.

Eleven Years On

And I almost forgot.

It wasn't until last night when it occurred to me that today is my eleven year anniversary of moving to the city. I only realized this when during a conversation with one of our shelter guests, she revealed that she had once lived in the same residence I had when I first moved here.

Even more special is that today is the actual day, Sunday, when I arrived.

Another odd thing. This very residence is now a luxury hotel. My own friend will be staying there when she visits in a few weeks. I can't wait to go back and check out my old haunt.

Sew Focused

Yesterday, I participated in my first ever focus group. This was something that had been an interest of mine for years now, so anytime the opportunity presented itself, I would dutifully apply and hope to be accepted. Sometimes, it seemed like I was forever this close, but invariably one of my answers during the pre-interview would trigger that I wasn't in some way qualified for their study. However, as luck would have it in this particular case, being female and an intermediate sewer, I was finally a candidate!

I arrived early for the 5:30pm start, filled out the necessary paperwork, and took my place among seven other women. I don't recall if we were allowed to reveal the details of what transpired during the focus group. To be vague, it involved critiquing sewing product ideas for a well known person who happens to keep a tight rein on their empire. We were asked a ton of questions and for our personal opinions about product placement and celebrity endorsements.

We were also shown three television clips and asked to compare and contrast each of them. The comments and ideas flowed throughout us group of women and it was obvious that the moderator was pleased with our honest responses. That they provided cookies and refreshments only helped us settle in and relax a bit more. The entire discussion was filmed for them to review our responses later, but we were assured that it wouldn't end up on YouTube or anything like that, which was a relief!

The focus group lasted a little over an hour and a half. For our time, we were each handed $75 in cash at the end of the session. I think I'm liking this focus group stuff.

The (Eco) Bag Lady

While out shopping a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist purchasing an EcoBag. It was only $4.95 and hanging there, pleading, "buy me, buy me". I relented as I only have one large size canvas shopping bag, and that's the one I received free for showing my student ID at Whole Foods. While it's a nice size and serves a great purpose, it's emblazoned with the Whole Foods logo and is bulky, making it difficult for regular errands. I like to keep things low key. Very low key. The EcoBag stays on the down low and is sturdy and roomy. Perfect for my grocery and errand running needs.

I had been looking for more canvas tote options, desperately wanting to limit the amount of plastic shopping bags the shops use. I will only accept one (or two) to use for my regular garbage and feel that even this could be improved upon by using small biodegradable garbage bags.

It's all about doing the best one can do to help the planet. On this day, Earth Day, the goal should be about moving forward with change and thinking outside the box.

Frailty of Life

Leaving work yesterday, right outside the building, was a scene of pure carnage - a gruesome accident involving a bicycle rider and a DHL truck. Thankfully, I had stepped out as the ambulance was pulling away, sirens blaring, carrying this poor nameless soul off to the closest hospital. Walking over to the scene of the accident, complete with yellow police tape and gathered crowd, what I witnessed in the aftermath of it all, left me sick to my stomach.

Those who saw the whole thing, including a friend who happened to be outside immediately after the collision, surmised that the rider had perished. By the looks of the deep river of blood filling in the crevices of uneven pavement, sadly, I could only agree. This morning, as reported in two of the local papers, he did.

February Shelter Duty 2008

In a word - cabin fever.

Last Friday, all day, it poured rain. Buckets. That left a night, full of guests, who were at each other's throats. It's hard enough being homeless. It's even harder when you're holed up with the same group of people day in and day out, sheltered from the inclement weather with nowhere to turn to for some quiet personal space. I can't fault a person for feeling like they're about to burst.

The guests arrived at our shelter from the drop-off center, bringing with them the minor squabbles and exhaustive nitpicking. A battlefield of emotions. I intervened many times until morning, trying not to take sides, hoping that given my limited understanding of the scope of their problems, I could help sooth the negative environment.

I only pray things got better for them.

Super Duper

Today was New York's turn to participate in Super Tuesday. To tell you the truth, as much as I care deeply about the country and who runs it, when it comes down to choosing between Clinton or Obama, I really don't care. We need change, and I firmly believe that it has to come from a Democrat.

In the eleventh hour, right there, in the voting booth, I pulled the lever for Clinton. I went with experience. However, should she not be the nominee, Obama is fine, if not a bit of a worry due to his lack of experience up against the current cesspool of Republican candidates.

Let's Make History Happen

I've noticed lately that my options have opened up tremendously on this journey I call "completing my Bachelor's degree". Whenever that will happen. After much thought, I have chosen to complete the last half of my studies through distance learning. It was a difficult decision to make. I enjoy going to school. But the physicality of attending grew harder and time constraints have become tighter. I simply had to find another way to make this successful.

What has worked in my academic favor is that many schools, especially highly respectable brick and mortar establishments, are offering more degrees through distance learning. In the past, it seemed all you could major in online was Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Psychology. Now, the possibilities and choice of majors are becoming endless. Also, the world of scholarship and grant opportunities has widened compared to just a few years ago when us non-traditional students didn't really have many avenues out there for financial support. All in all, a good thing.

So, after looking into six colleges that either offered my degree, or something similar, I chipped away and narrowed them down to three.

The number one choice has firmly become my dream school. To my surprise, I just only recently, accidentally, discovered the existence of their online program. A top 100 university, solid New England institution, with some serious name recognition. More importantly, an excellent choice of courses. It has everything going for it. What's the catch? The price tag (ouch!). But I have a feeling that this is the "one". Another positive thing to consider is this school has a lot of its own scholarship and grant opportunities available to returning students.

The number two choice is the first (I think) serious brick and mortar university to offer my major online. For this reason alone, there will always be a place in my heart for the school. That it had an excellent selection of courses to choose from also made it appealing. The only problem is the rigorous acceptance policy and that they allow only a few students into the program each year. A little too confidence crushing for me. Plus, the deadline to apply now is tight. Another thing that worries me is the semester structure. The winter and summer sessions are seriously lacking and not conducive to finishing my degree quicker. That alone is a very important thing to consider.

The number three choice is a really great Midwestern school. The college offers an excellent choice of courses and a nice semester structure. It also has an easy acceptance policy. Sort of a safety school.

I seriously hope I can concentrate, ask a lot of pertinent questions, and get all the information needed without resorting to rash and impulsive decisions; of which I am well known for. There are a handful of schools to choose from, but I know that the final say will happen during the admissions process, when for once, in my academic journey, someone else will have the final say.

I realize I'm up against some challenges here completing the last half of my degree online. The school's appellation is going to have to work extra hard because of this. The name of a school can sometimes raise eyebrows, which is one of the reasons I chose to avoid the "big three" that are heavily advertised. In my experience, I've been cognisant of people's views of online education, so my choices are based on a set criteria, which contributed to the difficultly of making it to this point. First, I refused to bend and insisted on a certain major, and never budged. It was never an option to settle on the limited majors that until recently, most online school programs offered. Last, an important factor was to have the degree attached to an esteemed brick & mortar institution (which all three of my choices are). This proved to be a difficult task in the beginning, but things are now definitely shaping up in both these departments.

Good things happen to those who wait, right? We'll see.

Trip of Success

San Francisco did not disappoint. In fact, the trip was a welcome respite considering all of the airline travel woes experienced in 2007.

The King George Hotel, which is located in the Union Square area of the city, was fantastic and we got a tremendous deal for our stay. How fitting that yours truly should be staying at a place named the King George, huh? The only complaint was that, for our package, there was a charge for the breakfast buffet, which wasn't anything special considering Lori's Diner was right next door and served a heartier meal for less than what the hotel wanted to charge us for continental fare. We were lucky to be comped one free hotel breakfast for our first day by the night manager. The next three day's breakfast we chose to eat at Lori's instead.

We made great use of the city's public transportation, buying a three day MUNI pass that covered all transport and cable car rides. The public transportation in San Francisco is incredibly easy peasy. For me who gets easily confused with the bus system, we were zipping around almost exclusively on the bus during the entire stay.

Day 1 -
It rained throughout the day, but that didn't stop us from getting up and at 'em. Our first excursion was on the number 71 bus to Haight/Ashbury. Haight Street is pretty normal up until you pass right by Buena Vista Park. Then, you are reminded that you have ventured into the setting for the infamous Summer of Love. Now, Haight is only a memory of the past. It cannot be recreated. So, you walk around, entering cafes and shops that try to recreate this feeling of the lost hippie era. It fully hits you that you can never really go back. We took our place under the infamous Haight/Ashbury sign. To protect them from theft, the signs are bolted to the sign post much higher than all of the other street signs around San Francisco.

My mother wanted to see her hero, Janis Joplin's former home, at 122 Lyon Street. We also trudged up the hill to the former home of the Grateful Dead on 710 Ashbury Street. Another home we just had to ghoulishly pass by was at 636 Cole Street. The former residence of Charles Manson - shudder. Naturally, we did a bit of shopping. I found a cute necklace at the Goodwill store. My mother found a coin purse at a place called Positively Haight. We also stopped by the Blue Moon Cafe. I will never forget the Eggnog Chai I had there. So delicious!

We took the bus back to Market St, transferred over to the F street car, and headed to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Here, it was mostly walking around and window shopping. Don't buy wine here. It's horribly expensive. Go to the supermarket where it's cheap. I was on to their tactics from the start when I noticed that all the wine sold at Pier 39, you can get cheaper at home. We were lucky enough to see the sea lions sprawled out on the docks, vocal.

Dinner was at the Fog Harbor restaurant. Unfortunately, because of the weather, there were no nice views to be had on this day. We proceeded to walk around and we got ourselves up a very steep hill to Lombard St. which is considered the "crookedest street in San Francisco". It was nighttime, so we didn't get any good photos. Coming down the hill was just as bad as walking up. You had to walk down sideways so as not to build up momentum.

Day 2 -
Such a beautiful, sunny day. We had to be out in front of our hotel at 8:15am to be picked up for a tour of Alcatraz, Muir Woods, and Sausalito. We were disappointed in how the tour company operated. We arrived there at about 8:45 only to be told that we wouldn't be brought to the ferry for Alcatraz until 9:45. Honestly, we could have made our own way to the ferry without having to hang around the tour company's building for so long. We made lemonade out of lemons and decided to walk around the area. I discovered that Lombard St. was only a few blocks away, so it ended up working in our favor. We were finally able to get some good shots, including some video, of the cars driving down the crooked street.

Alcatraz was fucking brilliant. The audio tour was recorded by former guards and prisoners. This added greatly to the experience. I was so amazed at the views the prisoners had from the prison. I learned later that this affected them deeply. It could be frustrating to see the city from such a short distance, see people having fun on their sailboats, and hear party cruises float by with people celebrating and having a great time. It proved to be a constant reminder of not having freedom of movement.

Unfortunately, the tour company we chose didn't allow time to see more of the island. I would definitely love to go back to explore, and learn more about the Native American takeover in 1969. Graffiti is still visible, which serves as a reminder of their occupation. A bonus was that since Alcatraz is owned by the National Parks Service, we were able to get NPS passport stamps in our books.

We were taken back to the tour company's headquarters to transfer to yet another bus for the Muir Woods and Sausalito leg of the tour. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County. There were some beautiful views heading into Muir Woods, but unfortunately, we were only given about an hour or so to explore the actual park. There was also a stamping station for our books, and the new 2008 Centennial stamp became available.

We walked around, staring up in awe at the majesty that are the Redwoods. Though not as huge as the Sequoias, Redwoods certainly hold their own. Can you believe that most of these have been chopped down and that only a very small percentage exist? This stunned me. What stunned me more was learning that in San Francisco, for a home to properly be considered a Victorian, it has to be made out of...Redwoods! So, in essence, Redwoods still abound, they have just taken the shape of something else aesthetically pleasing.

Our trip back to San Francisco included a stop in the harbor town of Sausalito. This was the most disappointing part of the tour. We didn't arrive until about 5pm, when just about everything in the center of town was closing up, including all of the small eateries. We were given about an hour to eat, so any major restaurant was out of the question. Strolling the main street, we stumbled upon the Fingerhut gallery and went inside to view some of Grace Slick's artwork. She's actually a very good artist. Although it appeared to be heavily based on Alice in Wonderland and White Rabbit scenes, I was impressed with some of her other paintings.

Our time was short but bittersweet in Sausalito. The tour driver, although a bit blabby, gave a lot of interesting and amusing information about the town.

Day 3 -
Another fantastically gorgeous, sun filled day. After seeing the lines over an hour deep for the previous two days, we made sure to get to the cable car stop very early and managed to grab a seat. It was a chilly ride, but we got some great views. The finale was veering down Hyde Street, which I was able to film. Afterwards, we grabbed a bus to Coit Tower and climbed to the top for some of the best views the city has to offer. The WPA murals inside are exquisite. I got some excellent photos of them. Afterwards, we strolled through Union Square Park and got to meet our very own "Birdman", but not of Alcatraz. This gentleman kept exotic birds and would let them out for a breather in the park.

Next, we took the bus to Golden Gate Park and finally got to see and experience thee bridge up close and personal. I decided to walk a bit over it, which was a bad idea. It was so windy and the guard rails aren't that high. I could barely get over to them for pictures because my fear of heights became so pronounced, I couldn't handle it. I got sick to my stomach and couldn't even make it to the middle. Regardless, I did get what felt like millions of pictures of the bridge. No matter how beautiful and iconic the Golden Gate Bridge is, you feel as if you cannot take a proper picture of it.

We walked around the Presidio taking in the views, and NPS passport stamps. However, since it was New Year's Eve day, everything closed up early so we weren't able to get stamped. Not a problem because Muir Woods is part of, and already issues a Golden Gate National Recreation Area stamp, so we were all set in that department. Even if a bit disappointed.

As for shopping, surprisingly, we didn't do much of it. I eyed this cool body shape flattering Tye-dye shirt at Positively Haight, but I wasn't exactly feeling the price tag. I ended up getting a cute, cheap necklace at the Goodwill store on Haight. I purchased the requisite amount of post cards normally collected to mark my travels. Plus, I bought two magnets at Alcatraz, one for my mother and one for myself. No visit to San Francisco is complete without a stop at See's Candies. I just about passed out once I got inside two of their stores, where I stocked up on lolly pops and chocolates.

Since I was with my mother, this was exclusively a "sites only" trip. Not a problem, I had such a blast. I would love to go back and see more arts orientated things such as museums and galleries. For now, I'm happy about what I did get to see.

What I took away from this trip was the importance of scenery. It seems that you can view the harbor from almost any point in the city, and it's precious to each and everyone. No matter where you found yourself in the city proper, a vista of the harbor was to be had. I felt this was an important lesson. From the best to the not-so-nice neighborhoods, almost everyone had a chance to see the same view. The harbor brought a sense of equality among the masses.

For the flight back to JFK, we arrived an hour early! Knock on wood, hopefully 2008 will bring more of that good flying mojo.

Photos of the trip can be viewed here.