TravelStream™ news feed for member kwagssd3 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/kwagssd3 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:54:42 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1246397572/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1246397572/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1246397572/tpod.html Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:54:42 -0400 The Pacific Northwest and My Voyages Between

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Portland, Oregon, United States

I love this city. It's clean, gregarious, unpretentious, and unassuming, There is a niche for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE. The city is essentially divided into four self- sufficient quadrants by the Willamette River. You can find Downtown Portland on the West side of the River, while districts like Hawthorne branch off to the East. My hostel was located in the Northwest section. Previously the industrial workings of Portland, this quadrant is now an upscale shopping district with high end fashion and accommodations. Needless to say, this was not my favorite part of the city. Rather, it was the East side. The Hawthorne district (located in Southeast Portland) is young, hip, unorthodox, and fringy. Just my kind of scene. Getting there was problematic. Although Hawthorne is accessible by foot from the Northwest region, it is a long walk. Was it wrong of me not to want to walk? I also didn't want to drive. Recall the number of hours I spent in my car thus far. While at the onset of the trip the Mazda 6 and I were close friends, we were now bitter enemies. We both needed time apart. A small scale bicycle distributor provided the perfect remedy. Purchasing a "half- day" rental, I took off on my beach cruiser (although the nearest beach was over 60 miles away) for the Hawthorne District. It was fitting. After all, I DO have the surfer look. While Hawthorne is well over a 30 minute walk, on bike it took a mere 10 minutes. I fell in love with this district! It was loud without raising its voice. Flyers draped every telephone pole from base to wire. Shops were butted up next each other but maintained their autonomy and distinction. For example a "B side" record store stood adjacent to an ancient Chinese travel store. The only commonality they shared was in the consumer they attracted. I seemed to be that consumer. Finding them equally fascinating, I purchased a record, a straw mat and "1,001 Pearls of Buddhist Wisdom." That should keep me entertained for at least 3 years (1,001/365 equalling approximately a quote a day). My day could have ended there. A.D.H.D. is a real bitch sometimes. I conquered only 1 district and it was approaching midday. On my way back to headquarters I explored the OMNSI. That's an acronym of some sort signifying a dedication to advancing science and mathematics. I discovered this upon entering the museum. I had several choices. I could watch an IMAX movie or explore the underworkings of Portland in its evolution as a major city. I chose neither the former or latter. I instead opted to take a few photographs and continue my journey. It was just TOO nice a day to do otherwise...We all know San Diego is beautiful. The sun radiates positive energy, upliftiing and invigorating its citizenry. However, San Diego is a bit utopian. Filled with plantlife foreign to its indigenous Chapparal biome, San Diego yearns to create the perfect ecosystem. It had me fooled for a while. That was until I saw a saturated city on a sunny day. Everything was SO green!Water has therapuetic powers. Mixed with abundant sunlight, it becomes the emboldened mirage. That's what Portland became to me. Since this was one of those rare PERFECT days in Portland, I wanted to soak up all I could of the outdoor activities.After returning my bike, I layed on the West side of the river as busy workers set up for the upcoming Blues Festival. Two other sunbathers seemed to share my vigor for this newfound place. Hailing from Boston, it was only their second day in a city that they would soon call home. They LOVED every minute of it! It seemed as if they were a lesbian couple- Portland was a fitting place. This place would welcome former drug dealers and convicts with open arms. It's just THAT nice!I soon left the Bostonians and ventured back to my hostel in the Northwest region. Affter grabbing a book and cold water at headquarters I found a shaded area in the park and dove into my novel "Angels and Demons." That lasted for about 10 minutes. It's hard to read when eye candy is lurking around every corner. There was plenty of eye candy that day. This one guy looked delicious. I kind of put my book in front of my face and stared at him from just underneath. In all reality it was a very poor attempt at spying, but hey, I tried. Later that night I felt obligated to explore Portland's gay scene. I mean c'mon, I had been looking at guys all day, it's only appropriate that exploration continue into the night. I should have seen the writing on the wall! Portland didn't even sell liquor after 7 p.m. unless it was purchased from a bar. Portland is quite a liberal town, but it is equally quiet- especially on a week day. And seeing that I was heading out alone, I needed to make friends fast. Most of the gay scene occurs in the Northeast section of town about 15 blocks from my hostel. However, since Portland is so closely packed together, 15 blocks can easily be covered in less than 30 minutes. To my satisfaction I was greeted at the 1st gay bar by 2 enthusiastic locals. They were not bashful in expressing their interest in this "fresh meat." After making small talk they pointed me in the direction they believed to contain the most excitement that night. The night was still young. 9 p.m. to be exact. I was optimistic. My optimism vanished upon arriving at the "eventful bar." It was hardly an event. A total of five people lined the edges of the bar while one lone soul explored the dance floor. It was tragic. Where was the wrestling floor and the lubed up muscular gays I was promised? I demanded an answer. I soon got one. Apparently the festivities weren't scheduled to go on until 11 pm. that night!I had neither the desire nor patience to wait 2 hours at a bar barely reaching restroom capacity. The night was a wash. I tried to rally a couple of guys from the hostel to join later but guess what....they were SRAIGHT! Ugh, everyone is straight. Where was my 5% of the population that night? I agreed to join them at a straight bar but the bouncers were tough that night and a guy who just started growing facial hair was not going to pass for 21. My advice: Visit Portland during the day, commute to Seattle for the gay scene at night. I would live out that plan tomorrow. :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245706341/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245706341/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245706341/tpod.html Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:01:28 -0400 The Pacific Northwest and My Voyages Between

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San Francisco, California, United States

Couples + 1 Inn is great. You get to be the third wheel of every party. And WHO doesn't want to be the third wheel? In reality I stayed with 2 great couples who were very inclusive of me and my "singlehood." The first "couple" stop was at Aaron and Kelly's place in Dowtown SF.Brief overview of San Francisco. Below you will find the CalTrain route from South to North approaching San Fran. | Mountain View Zone 3 | Palo Alto | Milbrae Zone 2 | South San Francisco | 22nd St. Zone 1 | San Fran There are several intermediary stops of which I cannot remember. However, this gives you a general impression of "Greater San Francisco." I will often refer to this "map" in giving the details of my SF trip. So take a few seconds and look over it.....1.......2.....3...o.k. times up. Back to the story.So as I said before, my first stop was Aaron and Kelly's place on Market and Guerrero (Zone 1). Guerrero is pronounced "Gerr- arrow" b.t.w. so your Spanish skills will get you nowhere as I learned after several mispronunciations. I picked Aaron up curbside at his place since we had only 20 minutes before his soccer game across town. Before you get your hopes up let me remind you that this was a CO- ED game. These games lack the suspense, thrills and competitiveness of normal league games. Quite frankly it's just an excuse for people to stay in shape (considering people pass around 6 packs before and after the match, it's not MUCH of a workout). So after meeting the players and suiting up, the whistle blew and the game began. I was on the sideline. I was already visualizing my several moments of glory. Upon entering the game I would distribute the ball down field and ultimately find the ball connecting with my head and soon the side netting.Not the case. Instead I found the ball connecting with my foot and then the other team. C'mon our jerseys were hard to tell apart. Theirs were white and ours were red. Those colors are close on the color wheel, right? At any rate, the game was not very exciting. I've had more fun watching paint dry. The team was MUCH better at drinking than they were at playing soccer as I soon learned following the game. We all met up at the local bar for tacos and beer. The team went to the SAME bar every week. Why you ask? Because the bar freaking sponsors the team. How funny! They bought them jerseys, offered them free drinks and helped fund league and referee fees. It was cute. They even hung jerseys of x- "stars." How endearing. Here I met the team's girlfriends. And trust me, they ALL had girlfriends. Kelly, Jessica, Jennifer were a few of the girls' names I remember. I was once again reminded of my "singlehood." I could tell RIGHT away who the teachers were. They could see right down to your inner soul. They have an analytical way of listening. You leave the conversation feeling uplifted, valued and affirmed. Aaron's gf is a teacher. She teaches 3rd grade. She's pretty awesome. So awesome in fact, she had Aaron sample his DJ'ing skills for the class. The result was a bound book the class created thanking Aaron for sharing the gift of music. It was SO cute. Each page was decorated with the kid's depiction of the experience. Kids are SO authentic. I love it. So many of them talked about how they "wanted to be D.J.'s just like Aaron." SO CUTE!!So back to the lecture at hand. Kelly and Jessica were pretty awesome. As well they should be considering the "awesomeness" of their boyfriends. The whole crew were graduates of Cal Poly. Therefore conversation was always rich. Matteus was my favorite. Not only had he attended Cal Poly, he was also good friends with my best friend Nate. They grew up together! They even worked in the same surf shop before attending college. Matteus had this quirky way about him. He was awkward and random. He was naturally humorous. Catching you off guard he would transition from deep conversation to a random dance move. In short, we meshed pretty well. So it's midnight and Sarah finally calls me back (I was scheduled to stay with Sarah and Ryan during my time in SF). She informs me that she lives in Mountain View! Refer back to the map above. Did you notice what zone Mountain View lies in. That's right- Zone 3! That's an hour by Cal Train and 45 minutes by car. Let me remind you that I had already traveled over 700 miles that day to get into SF. So naturally I was not very enthused to travel back the way I came another 30. Yet I endured. I arrived at their place around 12:30 and was greeted by Sarah and her............CATS! Oh no! I'm HIGHLY allergic to cats. In fact the sight of them makes me sneeze, twitch, and on rare occassions- go into convulsions. And without an antihistamine handy, I was almost assured of an acute allergic reaction.Yet to my surprise I had none of the sort! I seemed to have outgrown my cat allergies. Perhaps cats know to avoid me. If not, they are wrapped up in a comfortable blanket and dropped off the balcony. (to affirm the "9 lives" cliche- old childhood memory).Sarah, Ryan and I caught up over cold pizza and water. Needless to say I could barely keep my eyes open. 750 + miles of driving tends to do that to you. Seeing my fatigue they elected to converse more the next day. After inflating the air mattress and applying the appropriate bedsheets I laid my head down and entered a world of oblivion.See you in my dreams! Highlight #2: U.S. Soccer and Gay pride. Perhaps the ONLY time you will find such events united is right here on my blog. That's right, it's possible to be both an avid fan of both world class athletes AND "the gays." I experienced both in one day! It's not everyday the U.S. Soccer team is in the semi-finals of an international tournament, let alone playing a world class team like Spain. However, that's exactly the way it set up that fateful Thursday at the pitch in South Africa. Finding a place at the bar beside Aaron, his brother and Eric, I ordered a Stella and hoped the U.S. could pull off the upset. Things started out quite well. Upon arrival I learned that the U.S. side had struck first to take a formidable 1-0 lead. It was only 15 minutes later towards the middle of the second half that they scored again. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Beating Spain would be an unbelievable feat, shutting them out, literally unheard of! Yet that's what the score read when the final whistle blew. Untied States 2, Spain 0. The win shocked soccer fans throughout the world. Finally the United States was a team to be reckoned with. We scrapped our way into a Federation Cup Final, beating some of the BEST squads in the process. The day was destined for success. Aaron led the ensuing tour. He showed me some of the coolest record stores along with small shops in search of renovation. I even purchased 2 new C.D.'s following Aaron's recommendation. We soon found ourselves back at Aaron's apartment enjoying wine and dominoes. O.k. so maybe I wasn't enjoying dominoes as much as the wine. It took me only minutes to realize how fiercely competitive a tandem Aaron and Kelly are when it comes to dominoes. I was of course just learning- however much to their disappointment, beating them in the process. A brief history of Aaraon's and Kelly's Dominoe record.... 50 wins and 0 losses. That's unofficial of course but I'm sure it's accurate. So, given that background you can imagine how they were feeling with the "novice" in the lead. What was even more agonizing for them was fielding my endless questions regarding rules, strategy and timing. I really was just learning. If you know anything about Dominoes, read the next 2 sentences, if not skip to the next paragraph...........So I was only 1 score (5 points) away from the win with Kelly a distant second- 4 scores back. From 4 scores down, Kelly surmounted what I believed to be an insurmountable lead, finishing the game at the onset of a new one with an initial 10 point score! Kelly winning at Dominoes was only fitting. I didn't want to make enemies with my only connection to the city and downtown life. Sensing that Aaron and Kelly wanted some "alone time," I ventured into the Castro for the GLBT film festival. Playing in the historic Castro theater was "Prodigal Sons." This documentary followed a recent transsexual on her trip back to her small Montanan hometown. The intention of the documentary was to show responses to her recent gender change. A little background on this girl. She was the STAR quarterback at her old high school. Shattering all kinds of records she was once scouted by professional football teams. She was as smart as she was athletic. An honors student earning well above a 4.0 G.P.A. she could have handpicked the college she attended. However with all that success, she was STILL unhappy. I cannot imagine the pain transgenders must endure inside a body completely foreign to them. Everything on the outside indicated she was "male," yet on the inside she yearned to be female. She could only hope her old classmates would embrace her new gender... The story was heartwarming and rare. The town DID embrace her as did her family. The documentary was a remarkable tale of the power of love in overcoming all odds. I felt right at place in the theater. On my right was a single gay man, while on my left sat a cute lesbian couple. They both commented on how "refreshing" it was to witness my enthusiasm. How could I NOT be enthusiastic! I was like a little kid in a candy store- surrounded by proud, powerful people. After the documentary they invited the cast onstage to field questions from the audience. The family amazed me. They approached what could have been a destructive situation and instead chose to react with love, understanding and courage. On the CalTrain ride back I reflected on my journey thus far. Already I formed new relationships, strengthened existing ones, and learned more about myself in the process. Love, peace and harmony!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245533508/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245533508/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245533508/tpod.html Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:51:30 -0400 The Pacific Northwest and My Voyages Between

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San Luis Obispo, California, United States

So most of you know that I attended Cal Poly SLO; what many of you do not know is that my best friend Nate (affectionately called "Natera") attended Cal Poly as well. What's even better is that his parents still live there. Stop #2: San Luis ObispoNate's mom is an absolute riot. I swear she is a "Wagner" in disguise. Whereas Nate is mellow and low key, Nate's mom is a ball of energy waiting to be unwound. Seeing that I arrived 3 hours before Nate, I had the astute pleasure of unraveling that ball...Nate's mom and I are inseparable. In another life (in which I was straight and Deb was younger) we were soul mates. We danced, I played piano while Deb sang, and we concluded with a symbiotic counseling session. What's great about Deb is that she is SO EASY to get to know. She is open, genuine and courageous. She sees what she wants and goes for it. Her house was a testament to that self actualization. It was adorned with ancient Eastern artwork and symbolism.Nate comes from a family of healers. This becomes evident after only minutes of interaction. They are into the consummate development of people - physical, social, mental and emotional. The mediums they choose in which to carry out this development are obscure yet pertinent. Debb chose to analyze me using "character" cards. The task was simple. I was to shuffle the cards and feel for one that simply "felt right." My card not only "felt right," but also contained sound advice for my development. (Of course ALL the cards held advice/ tips necessary for personal growth- but it was fun nonetheless). The card spoke of lowering the expectations I placed on myself. It spoke of the danger in upsetting our natural equilibrium by trying to be "all things" to "all people." This demand is not only impossible to maintain, but more destructively, it prevents us from truly experiencing things as they come to us. We all want to be liked. But being liked comes naturally. It cannot be forced. And paradoxically, I have found that people like us more for what we admit we are not, rather than what we already are. This admission invites vulnerability and allows others to build a connection. It is that connection and comfortableness that allows people to TRULY be who they are, and ironically what they really are not. Deb helped me see this and I am eternally grateful for that "connection."Nate arrived shortly thereafter. Nate and his mom are adorable together. Their love radiates exponentially, infecting everybody within that realm. I just loved watching them interact. Nate worked on his mom's back, while his mom worked on his soul. Nate has such an amazing healing touch. He can find your pain before you even tell him there indeed IS pain. I desparately wanted Nate's mom to go out with us- mostly for selfish reasons. #1: Deb would be a LOAD of fun! #2: She would help me feel less awkward at Nate's 10 year reunion. Question- Would you feel awkward at a reunion for a high school you never attended? No less one in which most people went 10 years without any contact. I decided on my game plan before arriving to Firestone. I was the "exchange student" who spent only a week at the school before returning to my German homeland. I mean c'mon, I look German, I am German, and I can speak with a German accent! (It's more Austrian than German but hey, most Americans wouldn't be able to tell the difference). My cover was blown in seconds. Mainly because I didn't have the balls to go through with it. Nate was gracious in introducing me to all of his friends, but this was HIS thing. My saving grace was a guy in a similar position. His girlfriend dragged him along and he appeared equally as awkward. In fact, that became our conversation starter. We came up with a "Top 10" list of things you do if "Not part of the 1999 San Luis Obispo graduating class." This included random trips to the bathroom, purchasing collective drinks, and most prolifically, making conversation with the bartenders. Good times. Firestone was over soon enough and the graduating class moved to an "awkward moment killer"- the Bar. Two strong Vodka Sodas usually kills all feelings of awkwardness. In fact, not only are you now part of the graduating class, you ARE the graduating class. You are the event coordinator. And while you are planning the next adventure, people are still wondering "Who the hell is this guy?"The culminating event took place at Mother's Tavern in downtown SLO. Little did we know that on the same evening as the 10 year reunion, another girl was hosting her bachelorette party. Rather than make conversation or slowly work my way into the dance circle, I did what seemed appropriate at the moment, freak with the Bride to Be. Much to everyone's surprise she thoroughly enjoyed it.....because I'm gay. You see if I was straight not only would she have been repulsed, she probably would have slapped me across the face. Instead, she seemed to predict every one of my next moves. We were n' sync. A harmonious juxtaposition of two people from completely different worlds. One ready to commit her life to monogamy and family, and another seriously contemplating being single the rest of his life. The dance circle ultimately enclosed me. I was trapped in the middle. How embarassing right? Wrong! It was liberating. The girls loved it. Nate soon joined, and as I moved to the outer edge of the circle, he made his way to the center. Some guy had the nerve to "booo" us, but trust me he was jealous. And I'm not just saying that. We were dancing with the hottest girls in the bar at will. He was confined to the wall with his lonely drink. Nate drove us home. On the way back I reminisced of all the good times I spent in SLO. And to think at one point I looked forward to getting OUT of college. Now I would do whatever I could to get back IN. Haha. Life's funny that way.Word!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245187869/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245187869/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1245187869/tpod.html Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:44:45 -0400 The Pacific Northwest and My Voyages Between

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Los Angeles, California, United States

This story starts with a dog. A very small dog. His name is Tookie and he likes to take Dookies. O.k. I lied. This story has absolutely nothing to do with a dog and even less to do with excrement (although there may be something of the sort involved). This story instead begins on the doorstep of Jenny's apartment in Woodman, Los Angeles. I arrived at my first destination. The vacation began how any vacation should- on the couch across from 1,000 channels of Direct TV (with Tivo). For a moment there I actually contemplated spending the next month in that position. However, my A.D.H.D. kicked in in no time and I was up and ready for the next adventure. Jenny and Derek were passed out however, so my adventure found me relocating to an inflated air mattress in the "guest room" where I crashed for the night. Having fun yet? The entry above had way too many details. You are probably thinking, "If 2 hours of doing nothing took 2 paragraphs to write, what will a whole day look like?" I have good news, it will be short and to the point. Inclusive only of events pertinent to my development as a person. Or stories that are just good fun. Story #1: Jenny and her dogs. There's walking dogs and then there is walking JENNY's dogs. Two entirely different experiences. The former involves little effort, whereas the latter involves avoiding all precarious situations. Precarious situation numero uno: Encounters with much larger dogs. Chihuahuas and Poodles have this insufferable disease called "Napolean's Dog Complex." Napolean was short, but his dog was even shorter. Even on a thoroughbread horse. Perhaps in some other life these dogs ruled the universe, but in today's world they are nothing more than scraps lining an endoskeleton. So Tookie, Pierre and Stanley (the three small dogs) start barking prolifically at this massive dog. The dog doesn't take too kindly to their chatter and responds by gnarling his teeth, taking the owner all his manpower to prevent Tookie and the bunch from becoming the next meal. End of story.Story #2: Tennis with the Bro. Wagners are competitive. At times fiercely competitive. It stems from a childhood in which we competed for attention. (There are probably several other factors involved, but that sounds good for now) So you know a tennis match between two Wagners is anything but friendly. But that's not the focus of this story. The focus of this story is "The Godfather." I call him the Godfather because he pretty much ruled the park. He somehow had an ear into all the happenings. There was NO way a tennis match between Chad and I was going unnoticed. The Godfather assured Chad he had a "Wicked Serve." I was fortunate enough to earn the title "Killer forehand." Sidenote: Nobody minds when the Godfather gives you praise. In fact, it's quite uplifting. It's when the Godfather gives you advice that you start losing your mind. "A little more topspin." "Finish higher." "Be more patient." At any rate, Chad and I definitely got a kick out of him. It's almost as if we had something to play for. Approval by the Godfather meant keeping respect, and earned you an invitation into the hardcore "Park Club."Chad lost his cell phone. That sucked. Chad's life revolves around the cell phone. It's hard to run your own business without one. It proved to be a godsend however, as the Iphone was only a $100 upgrade away.Story #3: Alex the old man with a wooden cane. O.k. so I have this friend Alex who lives in L.A. He's basically my connection to everything that's happening in West Hollywood aside from being a great friend. Thursday night is Tiger Heat or Tiger Trash depending on your outlook and attitude that night. The plan: meet at Alex's place for a pre- drink, then head out from there. Scenario: Alex will be taking a nap but will leave the door unlocked for easy access. Problem: Alex's apartment is not numbered. So it made logical sense that the apartment I was in was Alex's. I mean with the way the apartments were numbered and all. However, there were no guarantees. And upon seeing a wooden cane, an extensive library of war and espionage novels, and a place completely DEVOID of pictures confirming the identity of the residents I was QUITE apprehensive in placing the alcohol in the fridge."Alex!" I literally screamed at the top of my lungs. I pictured my horrific death. I was the uninvited guest in a random home. The old man who lived there would beat me over the head with the wooden cane until I died of a massive head wound. At this point, most people would leave and wait for Alex's phone call. Not me. I was in the mood for adventure. After trying unsuccessfully to contact Alex via phone, I decided it was time to venture into the closed rooms. I pushed the first door open and was greeted with volumes and volumes of books. Still no pictures. Nothing confirming Alex was indeed the resident here.The second door clearly led to a bedroom. Through the crack I saw what appeared to be a figure sprawled out on the bed. This made sense. Alex said he would be taking a nap. "Alex!" Still no response. Naturally, the sleeping occupant had his pillow sprawled across his face- making it impossible for me to identify if it was indeed Alex. So call out again- right!? Wrong. Solving this dilemma required more persistence. The pillow was the only thing preventing me from positively I.D.'ng Alex. That pillow had to go. With an elevated heartbeat and sweaty hands and feet I inched towards the sleeping beauty. I extended my arm, reached for the pillow and held my breath....Alex was the DEEPEST sleeper I have EVER met. Even more so than my sleepwalking brothers- who aside from horses are the only living entities who can sleep standing up. Alex and I shared laughs over cocktails on the couch. It was great re- connecting before our exploits of Tiger Trash. Tiger Trash turned out to be even more successful. Success of course was equivalent to a positive ratio of "getting numbers" as opposed to being rejected. One number was all I needed. It turned out the guy I was dancing with just happened to be a lifeguard at the pool I ALWAYS swim at. Funny how that works. Never had the courage to speak with him at the pool out of fear that he was straight, in turn sabotaging my effort to spy on cute guys in speedos. Now, here we both were in a completely different town living out the same fantasy. Touche? ;) I left the club feeling proud of my accomplishment. I crashed at Alex' place and looked forward to a day of golf in the Los Angeles Valley.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1246510491/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1246510491/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/9/1246510491/tpod.html Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:35:17 -0400 The Pacific Northwest and My Voyages Between

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Seattle, Washington, United States

To say my uncle has a killer place would be a gross understatement. A nice place doesn't necessarily come with the following amenities:1. Lake access from the deck2. Serene views of both Seattle and Lake Washington3. Rooftop terrace overlooking much of Western Washington4. Full service bar (specialy: gin and tonics)5. Driving distance to a robust night lifeThe only setback to this prime location- figuring out how to get there. Apparently my uncle has a GPS chip in his head. He never gets lost. Us mere humans do. I mean I followed his directions exactly, it's just that somewhere between the 48 degree angle turn counterclockwise to where the hypotenuse of an obtuse triangle formed two parallel lines, I got lost. Keith was baffled. His place according to him was "easy to find."My uncle is a man of particular taste. Someone who thrives on routine and systems. His wake up time is regimented, his skiing on the lake runs on a strict timetable, heck even his bowel movements seem to line up just perfectly. So when I arrived 5 minutes late, you could imagine his reaction. Like a strict utilitarian would do however, I admitted my incompetence, thus ensuring a grand 5 days with my uncle. After showing me my room, he professed that he had some work to do back at the office. This was just fine by me. I was in need of a nap, and with a gentle breeze blowing westward off the lake, it seemed my wish would be granted. Grabbing a towel and some sunscreen, I dedicated myself to darkening 2 shades. Skin cancer usually comes later in life anyhow.Annie came later. She is quite wonderful. She is the "yin" of Keith's overwhelming "yang." Patient, understanding, thoughtful and strong, she could balance out even the WORST cases of OCD. OCD has its advantages however. Keith cooked up a flawless meal of steak, potatoes, vegetables and bread. A gin and tonic provided the perfect counterpart. Was it strong? It didn't seem to be, however reality proved otherwise. I was slurring my speech after only an 8 ounce drink.This was of no consequence to Keith and Annie. Their bed time works in conjuction with the setting of the sun. 10 pm found me face down on a queen sized bed with only the gentle crashing of the waves against the deck to keep me conscious. Until tomorrow morning...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/7/1214754420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/7/1214754420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/kwagssd3/7/1214754420/tpod.html Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:55:10 -0400 UGANDA 2008

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Gulu, Uganda

Yay for sleeping in! Today I woke up at get this....9 am. Thatmay not sound that late. Especially if you are Will and sleep in until 1 pm.However, for me, it was late. Eleven hours of sleep does the body good! I wokeup on Cloud Nine. A night full of dancing, and a morning fully refreshed. J I showered with coldwater. Let me tell you something about showering Ugandan style. Well Idescribed earlier a Ugandan shower, but that was with warm water. Try a Ugandanshower with cold water! So everybody has been in a really cold pool beforeright? The strategy I found best is to jump in head first- in order to exposeyour body to the dramatic temperature change all at once. Not so easy with aUgandan shower! Here, you must pour small cups of water over your body onesmall section at a time. Therefore, you experience excruciating cold over and overagain. One positive of the showers: They wake you up! Feeling fullyrefreshed we headed over to the IC house where the agenda included first adiscussion of our yesterday's events, and next, a response to the requiredreading. Yesterday's most notable event was the controversial speaker I alludedto earlier. He made some remarks that could be offensive to both women andhomosexuals. Most people put the prejudices into context- explaining how suchpractices were never outlawed until the British came. With the British came aharsh system of rules and guidelines adhering strictly to Christian faith. Ibelieve this to be only part of the truth. Values are an accumulation ofattitudes both embedded in tradition and learned behavior. To me the Acholiattitude is no different. It stems from fear. Society has always been dictatedby the most powerful people. These people were always men who generally had severalwives. Therefore, women and homosexuality were naturally degraded since theywere denounced by those most powerful. People in power feared such groups fromgaining pride since it may have meant a transference of power. All in all, I explained that I completely understand theAcholi's position on homosexuality and women. However, I also believe that forprogress to take place, they have to be careful in dictating these values ontoothers. Just as we as Americans have no right dictating our culture and valuesonto the Acholi. In other words, keep you cultural tradition and attitudetowards homosexuality and women if you like; but don't profess it as anultimate value and ideal. J We also discussed the required reading "Economic Hitman."This book detailed the exploitation of indigenous people in order to buildempires. Most groups were in agreement of the assertions that John Perkinsmakes: For example, empire building is beneficial in the short term, butultimately destructive in the long run. Or, any leader who stands in the way ofglobal empire is killed. However, our concern as a group lied in theauthenticity of John Perkin's account. After researching Perkins we learnedthat he is now hosting tours in Ecuador to promote an unusual form of mysticism.This would be fine if he was using the profits to filter back into Ecuador'seconomy. Yet, he is doing this only to promote his own self- actualization. Howdifferent is his line of work than the exploitation of indigenous cultures atthe hands of "economic hit men?" Also, if he felt so convinced that what he wasdoing was wrong, why did it take him so long to quit? The man is so self-glorifying. He blames himself as the sole cause for 9/11!Understanding the use of propaganda here helps us betterassess the validity of Perkin's arguments. Most of what he says is probablytrue, however it has been skewed to boost his image while devaluing that ofMAIN (his employer). Ok enough of the boring stuff! You are wondering what IACTUALLY DID today! Well, I will tell you. After our discussions we had 2 hoursin town at Gulu. It was in Gulu that I e-mailed all of you telling you how Ihave been. I hope the e-mail directed you here, and you are now enjoying theexploits of my writing. After sending the e-mail we ate the scariest food ofour lives. I will explain. We go into this Arabic restaurant where they servedus fish....only a minute after ordering. Scary! The fish looked like it was stillalive! Did they catch the fish out back in an artificial pond? Did they zap itin the microwave? How the hell was it ready in a minute. It also didn't helpthat Sarah was in a tank top only 10 feet away from a Muslim women in full onVEIL! We sized things up. Nobody eating there. Sarah in a tank top. Foodprepared in 1 minute. Woman in Veil. Solution: Eat as fast as the food came.One minute later we jammed out of there (me of course paying for the meal sincethat seemed more customary in Arabic culture). ... I will finish this entry later!As promised, here is the rest of the entry. Be understanding, as I am over a month removed from these events. Following our obscure, unsettling lunch we boda'd back to the IC house. Here, we met with the rest of the group and left for St. Jude's Orphanage. Amy asked us to prepare emotionally for what we would certainly encounter. I conjured up images of half naked children, malnourished, fly infested, dirty and desperate. In essence I braced myself for the worst. The kids were in reality quite happy. While their physical appearance was systemic of the perpetual poverty existing in the area, their overall attitude was not. I quickly organized a soccer game, as this seemed to be one of the prominent interests among the children. These kids were amazingly talented. They would emulate any move I attempted, except they would perfect it. Without video games or TV to distract them, they had become abundantly affective in perfecting their past times. There was one trick however that they could not perfect. In fact, they didn't boast even one success. It's the move where you throw a leg over the ball as it descends to the ground- the foot below sends it back to the spot from which it came, at which point you begin juggling again. While I was preoccupied with the soccer match, others were intrigued by the younger children. It was clear we all wanted to be parents. The way we held these random Acholi kids in our arms, wrought with desire to bring them the love and care they so desparately needed. I would shutter to say it was beautiful, but rather dissapointing. There was no way we could bring these kids home with us. God knows it would lift a burden off of the over- worked caretakers (of which there were 4 and 82 kids). The pictures will do more justice to this entry. I will leave you with only a small plea. If you want to adopt, do so in Northern Uganda. These kids are desperate for love and affection. More importantly they are desperate for the basic necesseties they can in no way obtain in this small orphanage.
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Athens, Attica, Greece

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Florence, Tuscany, Italy

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Berlin, Germany

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Salzburg, Austrian Alps, Austria

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