One of my lifelong dreams has been to travel. All my life, I’ve been reading books and hearing stories of exotic locales and longing to see them for myself. I’ve been making a list. It’s quite a long list, and so far I’ve only been able to cross off two places. It's sad that “so much of what I see reminds me of what I’ve read; shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
I know that I probably won’t make it to all the spots, but I’d love to try. My plan is to marry a very wealthy, older gentleman who will have nothing better to do than to sail around the world on his yacht with me. At the very least, I intend to take myself to London—hopefully next year!
There are so many places I’d love to go and things I’d love to see. They call to me, whispering tales of adventure, romance, and danger. They have stories to tell me about the people who have left their signature there, some for thousands of years. The monuments and marks left by humanity tell our story: through the care and creativity of their original construction, as well as by their modern preservation and endurance.
So far, most of the world has been experienced through others’ eyes for me. I want to go and see for myself. Life has always been the same struggle for survival and meaning. People haven’t changed since they designed and built the pyramids somehow. Someday, I will get out there and live the world for myself.
Places to Go, Things to See
Sydney Opera House—Sydney, Australia
Christ the Redeemer Statue—Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Angkor Wat—Cambodia
Niagara Falls—Ontario, Canada
The Great Wall of China—Badaling, China
The Forbidden City—Beijing, China
The Moai—Easter Island
The Great Pyramid and Sphinx—Giza, Egypt
Valley of the Kings—Luxor, Egypt
The Tower of London—London, England
Stonehenge—Salisbury, England
Lascaux Caves—Montignac, France
Palace of Versailles—Versailles, France
Neuschwanstein Castle—Bavaria, Germany
The Acropolis—Athens, Greece
The Taj Mahal—Agra, India
Babylon—Iraq
The Wailing Wall—Jerusalem, Israel
The Colosseum—Rome, Italy
The Sistine Chapel—Vatican City, Italy
Kiyomizu Temple—Kyoto, Japan
Grand Torii Gate—Miyajima, Japan
Petra—Jordan
Timbuktu—Mali
Chichén Itzá—Yucatan, Mexico
Monte Carlo—Monaco
Wellington—New Zealand
Machu Picchu—Peru
Red Square and the Kremlin—Moscow, Russia
The Potala Palace—Himalayas, Tibet
The Hagia Sophia—Istanbul, Turkey
The Grand Canyon—Arizona, USA
Pearl Harbor, O'ahu—Hawai’i, USA
The Statue of Liberty—New York, USA
Mount Rushmore—South Dakota, USA
Samarkand—Uzbekistan
Victoria Falls—Livingstone, Zambia
Showing posts with label london. Show all posts
Showing posts with label london. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Resolved This Day
I know that traditionally all resolutions are enacted at the onset of a new year and remain effective for approximately three weeks thence. However, I do not put much stock in traditions and am more than willing to dispose of any that are deemed idiotic and/or superfluous. This applies doubly to the area of resolutions, which I believe are best ratified when relevant, regardless of date.
A few of my recent resolutions include (but are not limited to):
Yogurt—I’ve started eating more yogurt and actually try to eat a serving each day. Yes, it is mostly because of Michael Westen, but it’s also healthy.
London—Going to London and England as a whole has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve decided that it will within the next year. If you want to come along, just let me know.
Blog—Especially during the summer, I am determined to post every day as a matter of personal discipline and creative exercise.
I cannot keep waiting for my life to start. Life is right now! If I keep saying “I’ll do it after I’ve paid off all my loans” or “I’ll go there after I’m married,” I’ll never do anything. I would hate to realize when I’m 85 years old that I lived too safely and didn’t have all those experiences. Sometimes, you’ve just got to make it happen. Why wait?
A few of my recent resolutions include (but are not limited to):
Yogurt—I’ve started eating more yogurt and actually try to eat a serving each day. Yes, it is mostly because of Michael Westen, but it’s also healthy.
London—Going to London and England as a whole has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve decided that it will within the next year. If you want to come along, just let me know.
Blog—Especially during the summer, I am determined to post every day as a matter of personal discipline and creative exercise.
I cannot keep waiting for my life to start. Life is right now! If I keep saying “I’ll do it after I’ve paid off all my loans” or “I’ll go there after I’m married,” I’ll never do anything. I would hate to realize when I’m 85 years old that I lived too safely and didn’t have all those experiences. Sometimes, you’ve just got to make it happen. Why wait?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
A Sad Day for Hockey
This morning, I am having a very difficult time finding anything to celebrate. My beloved Pittsburgh Penguins were slaughtered last night. Thankfully, they're a vigorous lot and will be back again next year, much like the Antarctic breed, but still... heartbreaking. My heart is broken. It's lying on the ice in a thousand little pieces, each a frozen tear that I shed.
This unfortunate event is not a complete surprise. The Montreal Canadiens massacred the Washington Capitals just two weeks before in the biggest upset of the season. The Habs have the hottest goalie in the league at the moment and effectively halted Ovechkin's blitzkrieg before rolling into Pennsylvania. It will be interesting to see how much further they can go and it would no longer shock me if they went all the way to the top. Still, I have my suspicions about last night's game and will detail them here for you.
Reasons the Canadiens Won
• Hal Gill is one of the best defensemen in the league. We loved him as a Penguin and miss him very much. Maybe a little too much. It seemed as though nobody could remember that he was playing for Montreal and kept giving him the puck, just like the good old days. Hal may have also just taken it for himself a few times, because let's face it, who's going to argue with a 6'7, 240 lb hunk of man who's holding a stick?
• Everyone knows that Canada wants the Cup this year. They think it would be really cool to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year (and honestly, it would be cool for them). I believe this sentiment to be shared by several Canadians on our team, namely Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, whose performances were apathetic at best. It is my assertion that they desire the victory more for their native land than their current team and therefore did not fight as hard as they could have against Montreal.
• As team captain, much of the blame falls on Sid "The Kid" Crosby, and rightly so. His apparent inablity to score, let alone effectively lead the team, is crippling. If you're going to be in charge, DO SOMETHING! Otherwise, I say we hand Mario a pair of skates and let him get back out there.
• While he is generally an excellent goal-tender, Fleury has his off nights just like every other guy. Coach Bylsma must have also been having an off night because he really should have pulled Fleury out by the end of the first period.
• I'm pretty sure the refs were bribed.
Consolations to the Penguins
• We did play all seven games of the series.
• It was not a shut-out, thanks to some of the guys who actually showed up to play. Big shouts out to my boys Geno and Jordan: LOVE YOU GUYS! Also Brent Johnson, whom I think should replace Fleury in the line-up next year.
• Speaking of next year, we're about to move into the beautiful, brand-new, state of the art, Consol Energy Center! Although I'm not sure how much improvement has been made in the art of freezing water in the past several thousand years... Anyway, the new arena is very exciting!
• Even though we have lost our shot at the Cup this year, so have the Capitals and the Red Wings. At least if we won't have it, neither will they!
• I found a dime on the sidewalk this morning.
So if you see me walking around doing my Keith Richards impression, it's just because I'm remembering that while you can't always get what you want, if you try, sometimes you get what you need. Right now I need my depression medication. I did just get some good news from my boss (apparently the Business Office isn't completely heartless), which is slightly exciting. I also found out that a roundtrip ticket to London costs about $1000, so any contributions would be appreciated. Then again, who needs roundtrip?
This unfortunate event is not a complete surprise. The Montreal Canadiens massacred the Washington Capitals just two weeks before in the biggest upset of the season. The Habs have the hottest goalie in the league at the moment and effectively halted Ovechkin's blitzkrieg before rolling into Pennsylvania. It will be interesting to see how much further they can go and it would no longer shock me if they went all the way to the top. Still, I have my suspicions about last night's game and will detail them here for you.
Reasons the Canadiens Won
• Hal Gill is one of the best defensemen in the league. We loved him as a Penguin and miss him very much. Maybe a little too much. It seemed as though nobody could remember that he was playing for Montreal and kept giving him the puck, just like the good old days. Hal may have also just taken it for himself a few times, because let's face it, who's going to argue with a 6'7, 240 lb hunk of man who's holding a stick?
• Everyone knows that Canada wants the Cup this year. They think it would be really cool to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year (and honestly, it would be cool for them). I believe this sentiment to be shared by several Canadians on our team, namely Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, whose performances were apathetic at best. It is my assertion that they desire the victory more for their native land than their current team and therefore did not fight as hard as they could have against Montreal.
• As team captain, much of the blame falls on Sid "The Kid" Crosby, and rightly so. His apparent inablity to score, let alone effectively lead the team, is crippling. If you're going to be in charge, DO SOMETHING! Otherwise, I say we hand Mario a pair of skates and let him get back out there.
• While he is generally an excellent goal-tender, Fleury has his off nights just like every other guy. Coach Bylsma must have also been having an off night because he really should have pulled Fleury out by the end of the first period.
• I'm pretty sure the refs were bribed.
Consolations to the Penguins
• We did play all seven games of the series.
• It was not a shut-out, thanks to some of the guys who actually showed up to play. Big shouts out to my boys Geno and Jordan: LOVE YOU GUYS! Also Brent Johnson, whom I think should replace Fleury in the line-up next year.
• Speaking of next year, we're about to move into the beautiful, brand-new, state of the art, Consol Energy Center! Although I'm not sure how much improvement has been made in the art of freezing water in the past several thousand years... Anyway, the new arena is very exciting!
• Even though we have lost our shot at the Cup this year, so have the Capitals and the Red Wings. At least if we won't have it, neither will they!
• I found a dime on the sidewalk this morning.
So if you see me walking around doing my Keith Richards impression, it's just because I'm remembering that while you can't always get what you want, if you try, sometimes you get what you need. Right now I need my depression medication. I did just get some good news from my boss (apparently the Business Office isn't completely heartless), which is slightly exciting. I also found out that a roundtrip ticket to London costs about $1000, so any contributions would be appreciated. Then again, who needs roundtrip?
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