Astronomy Major Enjoys Delhi Observatory
Jackie was an astronomy major in college though ultimately she ended up pursuing a career as a stock day trader. Her passion was in the stars, though somehow she figured working for herself at her own computer would be more freeing. And it wouldn’t require any advanced degrees. Sometimes she looks up to the night sky and wonders how she ever thought anything else could be more freeing. This feeling also enveloped her whenever she made travel plans as one of the things she most looked forward to when visiting a country or city was to tour their observatory. This would also lead Jackie to consider going back to school and continue her studies in astronomy.
And so it was with her while she was planning her trip to India with her mom. Jackie’s mom was interested in the more standard attractions and insisted that they stay in the finest Delhi luxury hotel, while Jackie could and would have been happy with almost any accommodations. And while Jackie and her mom were extremely close and usually spent a lot of time together, it seems like almost from the start of their trip they couldn’t have been more interested in doing the opposite thing.
On their first day their Jackie’s mom was intent on visiting the Akshardham Temple. Jackie could certainly understand this interest as it was absolutely beautiful and spectacle of grandeur. However, Jackie was way more interested in the rustic nature of the masonry built observatory in New Delhi. Her mom had little to no interest in visiting the observatory so the two of them decided to part ways for that day only. However, when the next morning rolled around, Jackie wanted to sit quietly at a nearby café and enjoy and Indian pastry while she sipped some coffee. Her mother couldn’t wait to get on the road and visit the Baha’I Lotus Temple. Jackie would have liked to have gone, but was more interested in reading the literature she gained from the observatory the day before. And so it went, almost every day of their stay in Delhi, Jackie and her mom parted ways early in the day and didn’t meet up again until the evening or later. Interestingly, they both had a great time.
10.26.09Group of Friends Have Reunion in Mallorca Hotel
Madeline had not seen her best friend Julie since high school and it was quickly approaching their twenty-year high school reunion. While she was responding to the invitation she wondered how on earth the past twenty years could have gone by without their seeing each other. Of course a great deal had happened in both of the their lives, but still, they were best friends after all, and best friends don’t just disappear from each other’s lives. As she put the RSVP in the mailbox, Madeline hoped greatly that Julie would be at the reunion. She had tried in the past to locate her, but could not find a phone number of email address and she never pursued it more than that.
The evening of the reunion finally arrived and Madeline asked at the welcoming table if Julie was expected to be there. Her hopes for the evening quickly vanished when she found out that her friend would not be attending. At that point Madeline considered leaving before it really even began. Suddenly Jeff tapped her on the shoulder and then embraced her with a big hug. Jeff had been a good friend to both of them and was hoping to find Madeline there. He told her that a few of the people from their circle of friends couldn’t make the reunion but were trying to schedule a trip to one of Spain’s Balearic Islands instead. He told her that Julie was one of those people and she was trying to find Madeline to invite her along.
Madeline couldn’t believe her ears. Not only was she going to reconnect with her best friend from high school, as well as some other close friends, but she was going to be able to do it on a beautiful island. Jeff took Madeline’s contact information and was soon called her to let her know they were getting reservations in one of the top Mallorca hotels. Madeline was ecstatic, the trip was getting set and she would soon be whisked away to a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea as well as to a place in her life she had nearly forgotten. The group spent a great deal of their time in Palma and Julie and Madeline reminisced over the old days as they strolled along the Old Town streets. Then they caught up with current events as they learned how to scuba dive at one of the near by marinas. Just as the island of Mallorca is itself, their reunion was a beautiful blend of the past and present.
10.26.09Best Food Fight is in Valencia
After my journey through Bergamo, which is just outside of Milan in the northern part of Italy, I and my sister finally arrived in Valencia, Spain. We are here for our long awaited ‘La Tomatina Festival’. We spent three days with distant relatives in Bergamo. The distant relatives, who I never met before, were the nicest people I and my sister could have ever imagined. On our way back to England, we will be spending one more night with them, and we are really looking forward to it. Actually, my sister and I wish we could just stay with them, they are so wonderful. The meals they cooked for us were astounding. Appetisers, pizza slices, pasta, and then desert, coffee, biscuits, tea, which aid with digestion. The food never stopped coming! Never!
But, now in Valencia, it’s absolutely beautiful. It was really interesting to see how a lot has changed since I was last here with Dad, everything is so lush and green. It’s nice to know also that they’ve hosted the America’s Cup.
It’s amazing how a little town, approximately 40 to 40 minutes out from Valencia, can pack in over 40,000 people into it for the La Tomatina Festival. I and my sister were overwhelmed, it was so crowded. Even though the crowded festival takes place outside of Valencia, we had a hard time booking a room in Valencia, but fortunately, one of the 5 star hotels Valencia is known for, had a room for us, plus we got a great deal!
Food Fight! The festival starts with a giant pole located in the center of the square. It gets grease with pig fat and there’s a dead pig skewered at the top of the pole. Then the locals take turns climbing the pole, the goal is to reach the pig. When a person manages to reach the pig that’s when the tomato throwing starts. There are huge trucks located strategically around the square and they are loaded with soft tomatoes. The open the back of the trucks and tons and tons of tomatoes come out, spewing all over the ground. We were in the middle and we were chest deep in tomatoes. We stank so bad afterwards. But, we never had some much fun in our entire lives! Our train ride back to Valencia was loaded with drunk, stinky people.
10.26.09Public Markets in Baltimore
One of the best things to do in when traveling is to check out the local farmers markets. Not only will you find local produce, delicious and abundant, you will also get a better grasp on the people of the city, the merchants, the street performers and the artists. I booked a room at one of the recommended luxury hotels of Baltimore with my friend. We freshened up and headed out. There are six public markets in the city of Baltimore. There are florists and butchers with stalls just next to vendors of some of the best food from around the world.
We started at the Lexington Market, the most well known and the oldest of the markets. Here live music happens every day, at all hours, and there were just about one hundred and fifty different stalls where you could find everything from candy, to fresh crabs, to scarves and jewelry. We then headed to the Cross Street Market. This was a much smaller market but the vibe was one that was influenced by the people of the neighborhood. This is a traditional meeting spot for those in the area and we had a great meal of fresh seafood at Nick’s Inner Harbor Seafood restaurant.
We decided to fore go the Broadway market, as we had heard that it was mostly food vendors and dessert makers, and being that we had just eaten, we would have to save that market for another day. However we found that our trips on full bellies to the Northeast Market and to Hollins Market were tortuous, as many of the stalls located in both are geared towards food, very great look food, but again, at this point we were looking for more art, more cool purses and scarves.
We found what we wanted at the Avenue Market. There were many food vendors, but here you could also find everything from a high tech cell phone to the old testament. And we found our art, on tee-shirts, on hats and even on some canvas. The tour we took that day of the markets of Baltimore was a whirlwind of sight-seeing, very good food, and a very nice hat to top it all off.
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How to Take Care of the Brakes on Your Vehicle
I have never been one to do my own automotive repair. I had always wanted to learn, but was timid about even approaching the hood of my car. Cars seemed mysterious, the engines just looked like a large puzzle that would have been too difficult to understand. I have learned the hard way, that many car maintenance procedures can be done at home, saving money and aggravation as well as larger problems that are caused down the road.
One such lesson had to do with the brakes of my Honda Accord. They had been squeaking for a bit, and once I moved to Los Angeles–they began not only squeaking, but grinding as well. By the time I took the car to the shop, the rotors were destroyed and what I could have been taking care of myself I ended up spending close to one thousand dollars to fix. Brakes are the most important safety feature on one’s car or motor cycle. Manuals which can be purchased at any auto shop make the process of checking brakes and brake pads very simple. It just takes a little bit of muscle and a little bit of time. Taking a look at your brakes two times a year will ensure that the normal wear and tear will not reach dangerous and expensive to fix levels. Most times on current models of vehicles, it is not even necessary to remove the wheel of your car.
It is necessary though that you do have clear sight and are able to see the metal disc–which is the rotor, and the brake shoes themselves. Normal wear is evident on the rotor in the form of small lines, what is not normal is uneven wear or a dullness to the disc. With the brake shoes, if they are less than an eighth of an inch thick, it is time to replace them. Should the pads need replacing, they are inexpensive and easy to do at home. Once I learned that I was able to this, I deciding that there was nothing scary about my Honda’s small engine. Repair manuals now take up space on my bookshelf, and I know that, at least the small stuff, I can take of myself.
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Cape Town Car Renting Makes Touring the City Easy
Janice was never much of a traveler. In fact, she had never been out of the United States. She was born and raised in a small town in Kansas and after college she got a job in Denver, Colorado. She has spent time in various states and has had the general philosophy that until she had properly visited all of the states she had no business traveling outside of the country. This was not due to an inherent superiority belief on her part, but rather an obligation to fully explore her own country before she deserved to explore others. While this could be seen as a noble endeavor, in actually, it simply served to support her already reluctant to travel nature.
However, last year this all changed and in a drastic and irreversible nature. The company for which she worked had a particularly successful and prosperous year, and Janice was one of the top computer salespeople. She and four other staff members, of over one hundred, had their names placed into a container and four of them were randomly drawn. The first place prize was a trip to South Africa, followed by a trip to San Francisco and a few other prizes that concluded with fifth place being an afternoon in the local spa. Janice was, not surprisingly, hoping to win the day in the spa and was already imagining herself on the massage table. However, as fate may have had it, when the first name was drawn she was amazed to hear her own name read.
At first Janice considered trying to trade her prize and then she even considered selling it, before deciding at last the she would just give it away. However, and luckily for her, her best friend Steve talked her into going, claiming it was her duty as the top salesperson. Steve of course may have had an ulterior motive because coincidentally he is the person she asked to join her. Steve waste no time in structuring an agenda for the two of them once they landed in Cape Town. Their first top off the plane was to make reservations for a pick up at Cape Town car rentals. Janice was amazed with the country from the moment of their arrival and had a great time there with Steve. They saw a production at the Arena Theatre in the Artscape Theatre Center that guaranteed Janice would see more theatre. She also loved walking along the streets of Cape Town’s historical district. They also loved the whale and dolphin tours they took. The entire experience was so enlightening to Janice that she decided traveling was going to become a major priority in her life.
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Riding High in Sydney
The most interesting thing to do in Sydney is to see it by Helicopter. Not only by Helicopter, but with a Helicopter with the doors off ! The IMAX Theater and the Sydney Aquarium pale in comparison.
It was truly a frightening tour to fly in a helicopter without doors. I was scared when the pilot turned the helicopter to the right, because I was sitting in the front on the right side of the pilot. So, when the helicopter went right at a 90 degree angle, I let out a scream, but it was more like a thrilling scream and all the while I was thinking what if my seatbelt broke.
Yesterday, I went to Darling Harbor and visited the Sydney Aquarium, the Maritime Museum and the IMAX Theater. There was never a moment were I was bored. There’s so much to do at Darling Harbor, both for the locals and the tourist. The aquarium was outstanding. The exhibitions at the Maritime Museum would’ve been outstanding if I was into boats, but I’m not. At the IMAX, I watched a 3D movie about the Deep Sea. The filming was beautiful, but I was tired and sitting in a comfortable sofa made it hard to stay awake. The guy next to me fell asleep! After that, I later did some shopping and then went to Star City to play the slot machines. Then I got to have a free dinner there, that was really great! The free dinner had something to do with all the credits I had from the slot machines. I had the roast beef, of course! I’m beginning to like Star City just as much as Sydney. Heading back, I walked past some boutique hotels Sydney Australia has right next to Darling Harbor and wandered inside the lobby of one just to see what the difference is between my hotel and a boutique hotel. Huge, the difference was huge! So beautiful and inviting. I think next time I come to Sydney, I’ll have to make reservations here.
10.14.09My Friend is coming to visit
I have an old friend coming to visit me here in New York. I haven’t seen him in many years and it is one of those situations where we have been friends for a very long time. We have really grown apart over the years, in my opinion and I am not really looking forward to seeing him. My dilemma is not having to spend some time together it is that he thinks he is going to stay here with me.
There is not a lot of space here in my New York apartment and having someone here that I am not really close to is difficult. My friend doesn’t seem to notice the changes between us and I find that a very difficult part of the situation. He is still living near where he was born, working at the same place he has since high school and doesn’t go anywhere but where he has been before, well except for now, coming to New York. I hate to sound judgemental but we have little in common any more. It is as if he has limited his liefs experience and see the world through a very narrow lens. I am not into listening to his limited and limiting points of view and do not want to have to politely listen to him go on about stuff that he is clearly misinformed about.
Well to solve the problem I’ve let him know there really is no place here for him to stay, my apartment is just to small and that I have booked him a room at a five star hotel New York city near by. I told him I know he will be more comfortable the
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Violin Shopping in Florence
I’ve been playing, or more appropriately, studying the violin for three years. I began on a three quarter sized instrument and have recently reached the age and size that I need a full sized violin and also my teacher had told me and informed my parents that I have advanced enough in my playing to warrant the purchase of a new instrument. This was extremely exciting news to me and since we had been planning a family vacation to Florence, Italy, my parents reluctantly agreed we could shop for new instruments while we were there.
Of course actually traveling to another country is not necessary finding a new violin, however you can certainly imagine that added to my excitement. So, the day finally came and my parents, sister and I were heading off to stay in one of the historic hotels Florence Italy. My sister thought she would meet the love of her life there, and I simply wanted a new violin. I’m not sure what my parents were hoping to get out of the trip. However, they were certainly impressed with the city, even as we were landing. My mom was almost overcome with awe at the beauty of the architecture and what did she say, the overall ambiance, which she called breathtaking. And it really did seem to take her breath.
So, my parents seemed more interested in dragging us to the museums and art galleries, than in helping us find our soul mate and violin. We went to the Uffizi, which I admit was in a beautiful building and had some incredible exhibits. I was more impressed with the Renaissance sculptures in the Bargello Tower. We also went to the Palatina gallery, and one other I can’t remember the name of. It seemed to be small and locally based. Finally, after all that my parents agreed to look at the music shops, but I didn’t find a violin that we could agree on. Actually, the near miracle happened while we were having pastries in a street café. Some old man overheard us talking about violins and mentioned that his brother made them and had a small shop just outside of town. I didn’t have high hopes, but my parents took me their the next morning. I can’t believe it but I found the perfect violin there and my parents agreed to buy it for me. My poor sister never did find the love of her life.
10.13.09Quality Outcomes
When you’re driving through the neighborhoods of Oklahoma City, you might occasionally see a sour green apple colored Smart car, standing out among the others. It’s very bright in color, and is really rather delightful to the eye, and it’s also much smaller than most cars. Most people by now have seen or at least heard of these fuel-efficient vehicles, but you may not know that in Oklahoma City, you’re probably seeing Mary Myrick. The car is really something to see, and it’s cute enough to have a name. This would be Bev, or Beverly, the name Mary Myrick gave to it when she bought it in Beverly Hills.
This car demonstrates some of her core values, and these values are reflected in her organization, Public Strategies Inc. Using less fuel shows a concern and a sense of responsibility for the next generations. But it also reflects a personal style and flair, unafraid to express individuality and stand out in the crowd. This is not to attract attention necessarily, although there is a playfulness here, but it’s more concerned with the greater good, putting a smile on people’s faces and making the day just a little bit brighter.
Public Strategies began in 1990, and has nearly two decades of service to the communities in Oklahoma City. They have offices in Colorado, Texas, and Washington, DC as well, and the mission is to offer strategic planning and project management to facilitate client-focused solutions. Her diverse team has enormous expertise in a variety of working methodologies that spell success and excellence. Integrity and efficiency are some of the main focuses here, to insure that the clients get the consultation and plans for implementation, in order to create quality outcomes that serve the neighborhoods. It’s an idea whose time has come, and the apple green car is like a breath of fresh air.
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