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Travel Essentials VII: 5 Things You Should Always Have in Your Suitcase
I consider myself both a veteran and inveterate traveler. There are certain travel rituals that I practice that enable me to hop on a plane with little or no notice without having to think about what to pack. All I do, in advance and courtesy of a spreadsheet is combine “mix ‘n match” pieces of…
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Dating – Is it Better to have a Bird in the Hand?
I’ve been thinking a lot about old sayings –you know – the ones we use to help us make decisions. For example, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” I used to think that made sense until experience proved me wrong. It’s always better to keep both hands open. Not too…
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Lucky At Cards
There’s an old proverb that says, “Lucky at cards, unlucky at love.” The Italians turn it around and say, “Sfortuna al gioco, fortuna in amore”. Translation: Unlucky at cards, lucky at love. And they would know. And then there’s me unlucky at cards and unlucky in love. So what’s a Café Girl to do when…
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Hitting the road
The year got off to slow start but I will be making up for it in spades this spring – starting with a trip to Las Vegas. Look for posts from Amsterdam to Zealand and points in between – coming soon. Photo: © iStockphoto.com/tonyoquias
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Timing is everything
My trip to Tokyo was ill-timed for attending a milonga but not for taking a tango class. This time, instead of a private lesson, I took a group class at the Tropicana bar/club located in the Roppongi Hills area in the Minato district of Tokyo. It’s a high-rise, über-urban community that allows residents and visitors…
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Lucky Me!
Not only do the two major religions — Buddhism and Shinto — coexist peacefully in Japan but they also overlap in a practical sort of way that is uniquely Japanese. While the other world religions are literally and metaphorically battling it out for supremacy, “My god is bigger than your god,” the Japanese make no…
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Lost in Transportation…
The Japanese transit system is quite an experience. The trip to and from any destination can be quite short – even a long distance trip seems to pass quickly – because of the efficiency of the trains and metro systems themselves. It’s point A to point B travel at its best. Photo: © iStockphoto.com/Dansin The…
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Making the Grade
After a year of steady business travel in economy class and logging tens of thousands of miles, I did it! I am flying to Tokyo in business class an occurrence so rare that it ranks right up there with a World Series win by the Cleveland Indians or the appearance of Haley’s Comet. Upgrade certificates…
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Shall We Dance, Tokyo?
Thanks to all of you tangueros and tangueras who were kind enough to provide contacts to instructors and milongas in Tokyo. If any of my other fellow dancers have suggestions on milongas or salsa clubs – I’ll happily take them as I don’t leave until Thursday. In the meantime, I am going to treat myself…
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The Naked Truth
We North Americans live in a throwaway society. We discard clothes, hardly used electronics, toys, games, recreational equipment and, sadly, sometimes relationships or friendships without really thinking much about it. A lot of our conversations are peppered with throwaway lines: “How are you?” we ask, without truly listening to the response. Sometimes we complain for…
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