Still a wannabe

Clearly a wannabe BLOGGER considering the two month lag in posting. Yikes! Wish I could feign grand adventures but alas, it's just life getting in the way as usual. Between house renovation (the other one, not ours... we've finally thrown in the towel and hired professionals to finish it. And somehow one week in we're already £3K-- nearly $5K over budget), work and gorgeous weather (ummm-- it might  have been our summer), there just doesn't seem to have been any time.

(It's SNOWING in Scotland... and due to come south in the next few days. This after 80 degree weather last week. WTF.)

All things aside, wannabe still refers to my wanting-to-be a wayfarer. It seems that life is also thwarting THOSE plans. I was due to go to China at the end of the month for work-- CHINA! Beijing and Shanghai, to be exact. I was so excited-- I've never been to Asia, and have always wanted to go; and to be able to go on the company dollar and get my bearings on a work trip was all the better. Alas, it was not meant to be. Timing due to some follow-up treatment from my January surgery is happening this month and it can't be postponed. Which means I miss my chance to go to China. Argggh. But did you know you can fly to China from London for less mooh-lah than it costs to fly to NYC? And there's a direct flight to Beijing. Who knew? Of course, I'd be going on my own because MRN has absolutely no desire to go. Any takers? Come on-- I know you want to come with me to China!

:( Maybe next time.

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

 
Just back from a very happy few days in NYC. I was in Connecticut for the week for work, but had a few days on either end in NYC. What a treat. Aside from the mobs of tourists clamoring for glimpses of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and the windows at Saks and Barney's, the city was perfectly pleasant (as long as the touristy areas were avoided-- which I did with the exception of a tactical error which took me right through the middle of Rock Center just before the start of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular matinée. Rookie mistake). But man, do I miss that City. I was lucky to get to spend quality time with my dear Lynn and Cam-- how lucky I am to have been "adopted" by them so many years ago when I lived there and to still have a close friendship with them today. Plus my Daves were visiting with lots of their friends but I was able to see them and finally meet my beautiful goddaughter Sophie Ladurée. And even better?? Montu and Casey came in for the weekend with their gorgeous littles Kieran and Maya. We had such fun hanging out, and I loved spending time with their delightful kiddos. I told MRN that he now has competition-- my new boyfriend Kieran is giving him a run for his money.


I hung out with my dearest of dears, Jes, who is kicking some serious bootie on Broadway (sort of literally). I seriously love this girl, and am so proud of her. We don't see each other often and talk even less often, but when we do it's like no time has passed and we just pick up where we left off. She took me backstage of her show "Warhorse" and I got to see her dressing room. And of course I had to take a photo. Yes, I'm so that girl. But I'm thrilled for her and had to document the moment!

Also spent time with my wonderful Mary, who's honesty and generosity never fail to amaze me. She effectively kicked me back into reality and also introduced me to an incredible facial product line that she swears by (it had me at dozens of masks-- my favorite facial product). She knows all the tricks.

I had a few nostalgic moments, as I am apt to have when visiting my favorite City. Yes, even after all these years, it's the City I love most, and the one that I'll always regret leaving (though, I do have pangs of nostalgia for Chicago too-- especially my wonderful neighborhood and the convenience of city living). The first was sitting in the bar lounge at the W Hotel in Union Square in the late afternoon with Montu, Casey, Lynn, the Daves and all the kids. I was on the floor playing with all the kiddos while the grown ups sipped sparkling water or champagne and was struck with the oddness of it all-- 10 years earlier we would have been there late night, enjoying a night out. It was surreal. Next came Christmas Carols at Brick Church, where they shut down a portion of Park avenue and everyone comes out to sing and to see the lighting of Christmas trees that line Park Avenue from 45th-95th streets. That brought back lots of memories of friends and adopted family, and a new one of holding my goddaughter and singing in her ear. The final was having a late dinner at Brother Jimmy's with Mary. Brother Jimmy's was the site of many a gathering back in my early 20s... birthday parties, graduations, nights out... lots of celebrations and good memories with good friends forged there. At one point Mary had gone to the restroom and I was distracted by a table filled with 20-somethings next to us... they were very jolly (drunk) and excited (talking at the same time) and singing. I got a pang of nostalgia, thinking, "that used to be us." It made me miss those days and my old friends. (Oh-- but they have an expanded menu that includes a buffalo chicken chopped salad... can we say to die for??)

Of course, life goes on and even though you have fond memories of the past, you realize that the present is just as good, if not better. Even still, sometimes I wish I could go back to those good times and relish them a little more thoroughly... time moves too swiftly for my liking, and I miss the girl I was then, especially because I feel like I've just begun to get to know her.

P.S. Shake Shack. If you haven't been, you must go. I can't believe I'm going to say it, but I think it's better than In and Out. Admittedly I had a cold and couldn't really taste much... but the part I did taste... man. It was worth the 20 minute line. Man, and if New Yorkers are queuing for food? It must be freaking good.

Budapest-ing it up

Gresham Palace from the Funicular

Back from a fantastic trip with the Daves to the beautiful city of Budapest. It was really more of the Dempster and Mikie show since Gullino was otherwise occupied-- while we missed him, I did love my quality time with Dempster which consisted much more of wining and dining and heart-to-hearts late into the night than sight-seeing (though we did see lots of sights). My kind of vacation! We had an almost mishap in the beginning due to the Daves' plane being delayed from the outset-- they almost missed the connection (and meeting up with me!) in Amsterdam! I was told by the gate agent that they'd already been taken off the flight-- there was only 20 minutes between connections and they had to get from terminal F to terminal D, plus through customs. If you've ever been to Schipol Airport, you'll know that that is an impossible feat. I had waited in the boarding area until they all but shoved me onto the jetway-- and then hung back, hoping upon hope that they would make it. I kept glancing back and was the only one on the jetway when, TA-DA!!! Dave Gullino comes running around the corner, closely followed by Dempster! I was SO EXCITED I yelped and jumped up and down with my arms in the air. Leave it to the Daves! They all-out SPRINTED and made it to the gate and begged the agents to let them on the plane. WHOO-HOOO! Sweating bullets and completely out of breath, but they made it-- which made for an especially exciting start to our trip. (And my being ever prepared, was able to ply them with water, face towelettes, verbena hand wipes and caramel waffles-- an Amsterdam specialty that I picked up for them at one of the great food shops in Schipol, where you can also buy huge wedges of cheese and wooden shoes. I may not have been a Girl Scout, but always wanted to be!)

We were absolutely thrilled with the GORGEOUS summer weather-- low 80s, cloudless and bright-blue skies. So much sun that it actually hurt my eyes (yes-- pathetic; but so goes the woes of northern English-living). We stayed in an apartment which was terrifically inexpensive but clean, modern and best of all, had a balcony. It was a great way to settle into the city, do some cooking (well, more of putting together pre-dinner appetizers) and hang out but still have our own space.

We ate our way around the lovely city, searching for the best goulash and dumplings (which is really more like spaetzl). The BEST was found at the Budapest Central Market at the end of the Vaci Uta (the shopping street). The market is a sight to see-- with food stalls on the ground floor and lots of tourist kitsch on the second. But there are great food stands upstairs where you can sample more authentic local fare (my recommendation: avoid the restaurants up by Buda Castle. Expensive and not very good).

The BEST meal however, was in fact at an Italian restaurant along the pedestrian walk leading up to St. Stephens called... I have absolutely no idea. It was something really simple like "The Italian Restaurant." Really. But despite not remembering the name, the food was unforgettable. Being so close to Italy certainly doesn't hurt, and this modern Italian restaurant with amazing decor, great service (which is few and far between in Budapest) and delicious food (not to mention an expansive cocktail list) makes this a must-go place (especially if you're a foodie). Okay, I may have been tainted by all that heavy goulash, but I did enjoy it. Reservations are recommended (especially if you want a table outside), though we were able to walk in (though it was on the late-side). To find it, walk down the pedestrian street from the front steps of St Stephens a few blocks, and it's on the corner on the left hand side.

Another Hungarian treat is Plinka, which is a fruit-infused liquor that is a Hungarian specialty. Plum is the traditional drink though they also have sour cherry (it tastes like cough medicine) and pear. It is a little like drinking brake fluid (or what I can imagine drinking break fluid would be like). But it's worth a try just for the experience (and they serve it in little shot glasses that should be sipped so it's not like you're drinking a pint-full).

Loved, loved, loved seeing two of my favorite people and continuing our adventures around Europe. Next year we're talking Spain. Ole!

We made it!!

Home Sweet Home

Budapest Central Market

PAPRIKA! (and fresh produce- yum!)

Goulash and dumplings

Goulash, brats, cabbage and beer

St. Stephens Cathedral

St. Stephen

Interior dome of St. Stephens

 

FUNicular FUN (to Buda Castle)

Gresham Palace from the funicular

Parliament from Castle Hill

Matthias Church at Buda Castle

Buda Castle

Fishermen's Bastion at Castle Hill

Vivaldi at St. Michael's on Vaci Uta

Bye-bye Budapest!

See you at Christmas!

Getting my Buda on

Buda Castle

I'm off to Budapest in a few weeks to meet The Daves. MRN is opting out of the hols (as they say in England) because he's not into the city vacations (and he thinks that I'll have more fun without him... not true!!). All the same, it's my first time in Eastern Europe (well, I've been to Austria, but Salzburg which is decidedly west...), and I'm super excited. I've been listening to Learn Hungarian! podcasts (I have absolutely no chance of speaking Hungarian despite my daily lessons, but it's fun to try) to prepare for the trip, and reading up on the history of the fair city (I like to know my history before traveling). Mostly I'm excited about the seeing the beautiful Neo-Gothic architecture and to walk along the Danube (on both the Buda and the Pest sides). And of course visit a medicinal bath (not for the swimming part because I'm super not into being in a bathing suit in public, nor am I a big fan of public pools). But I've been told that it's what you do, so I'm going to suck it up and give it a go-- because I'm not anything if not someone who will try anything at least once (well, so far...).

The fabulous thing? It's a quick 2 hour flight (as opposed to the poor Daves' nearly 15...). I'm meeting them in Amsterdam and we'll fly together to Budapest. Seriously-- I need to be taking better advantage of living in Europe.

The Peak District

Can we say breathtaking? We had an awesome weekend (a few weekends ago now...) in the Peak District in Derbyshire. And little did I know that the town we stayed in (Beeley) was the land of my ancestors. It neighbored the town of Endsor (pronounced "Ensor") which happens to be my grandmother's maiden name, and, we suspect, where her family originated. Too cool.

We stayed at a wonderful B&B called Fold Farm. Named because, well, it's a farm (and still a working farm). We learned from one of the proprietors (a retired major from the Welsh army-- and an absolutely charming man with a wicked-- err, dirty, sense of humor) that his partner was the only landowner on the Chatsworth estate aside from the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire themselves. Alas, we weren't able to get the story behind that one (we were sworn to secrecy), but intriguing all the same. The good old major Vince was the life of the party-- he greeted us with afternoon tea in the garden, and was our tour guide/waiter (he cheerily served breakfast alone with constant happy chatter). And what a spread breakfast was-- homemade butter and jams, a full English (that's 2 eggs sunnyside up, sausages, bacon, roasted tomato, mushroom and all the toast you can eat for all you non-Brits), fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, fruit juices, water and bottomless pots of tea and coffee. Certainly better than any hotel (and terrific for the price). Major Vince is also a world champion fly fisherman and captained the Welsh team at the World Championships in Jackson Hole, WY in 1997. The farm house itself is full of character with low ceilings, exposed beams and quirky passageways.

Oh, and Chatsworth House. Pretty incredible. I don't have any good photos, partially because my iPhone battery was dying and partially because it was undergoing renovations, so the whole front side of the property was covered in scaffolding and tarps (an impressive feat!). The Devonshires have an impressive collection of art, both masters and modern, and the decor is a fabulous juxtaposition of old and new (my favorite thing). The property and gardens are equally impressive, and we very much enjoyed a tractor ride around the property and into the wooded hills behind where there are three vacation rentals that us lay-men can rent out (bit of trivia: Prince William lived in one of them for a few weeks during school as part of a work/study placement. Even royalty does stuff to get into college). Definitely something to look into for the next adventure in England.

Fold Farm-- the B&B

The Lane at Fold Farm

Private residence at Fold Farm

View of Chatsworth House from the garden

Dried thistles to discourage visitors from sitting on the fancy furniture

Cupola in the main stairway (previously obscured by a false ceiling that the Dowager Duchess had removed)

I loved the carpet

Wonderful sleeping lion in the sculpture gallery

The Hunter's Tower (Where Prince William stayed)

Off to the Peaks

Whoop-whoop! Wayfarin' weekend, and we're off to a part of England I've never been to: The Peak District. Located in north-central England (it's pretty big for a small country), The Peaks is the first national park in the British Isles. With an estimated 22 million visitors per year, the Peak District is thought to be the second most visited national park in the world (after the Mount Fuji National Park in Japan). Who knew?

Thanks to my "only friend in England" (the wonderful Liz), we're off for a weekend jaunt around the countryside with she and her equally wonderful Kelvin. The plan is to explore the little villages in the central eastern part of the Peaks today and then tomorrow spend the day at Chatsworth House, an historic home and estate where many a movie has been filmed, including The Duchess, Pride and Prejudice (The Keira Knightly version; The BBC Classic-Colin-Firth-*SIGH*-version was filmed at another historic Peaks home, Lyme Park) and The Wolfman (errr-- did anyone see that movie??).

It's a strange mix of sun and rain today, so I think it will be a Wellie kind of a day. And even though it's summer, it's 60 degrees (yes, people-- in August), so jackets and woolly socks will come along as well. Stay tuned for photos!

Getting lost in the countryside

We live a few minutes drive in any direction from some of the most gorgeous countryside. One of my favorite things to do is to set off and "get lost" in the country. With no specific destination in mind, we see what we stumble upon-- from sleepy villages and 100+ year old pubs (there are pubs EVERYWHERE in England... even in the middle of nowhere), historic homes and National Trust treasures to rolling hills, shaded forests and running brooks-- there's a lot to discover. Roads that are barely wider than your car lined by old stone walls or trimmed hedges (which are sometimes TALLER than your car); Sleepy forests with rabbits and hedgehogs and owls and badgers and pheasants; Rolling hills dotted with sheep (or curly haired cows or majestic horses); and of course the terrific old stone farmhouses. Ahhh-- heavenly.

The best is finding a little pub in the middle of nowhere and stopping in for a snack (or meal-- depending on the time of day). We did just that yesterday and stopped into the Tempest Arms in Elsack-- which happens to be the 2011 Pub of the Year. Admittedly, this stop wasn't an accident, as we previously discovered it a year ago when we were on another similar drive around the countryside. Even though it's only about 30 minutes from where we live, it is nestled in the middle of pretty much nowhere, and this is the first time we've returned since last year (mostly because we couldn't find it again-- one of the downsides to wandering around in the countryside). It's an Inn in addition to a pub/restaurant. And it's one of my favorite kinds-- low ceilings, open fireplaces, cozy tables and a pub mascot-- a lovely old lab who wanders around and greets all the patrons. Dogs are allowed in the pub area, and it's amazing how well behaved they are (and that they don't beg at every table...). We had a mid-day snack-- this delish cheese and pate board. Yum-mee.

Most visitors to England don't get past London. But venture a little further, you'll discover a beautiful country that's much more than double-decker buses, red phone booths and fish and chips (although those are pretty good too).

A Few of My Favorite (NYC) Things

In my continued effort to organize (and categorize) my blog, I stumbled upon this list, still in draft form, that I originally wrote in 2006. I had lived in Chicago for two years by then, but clearly was missing NYC and my 7+ years of living there. The list still holds true today-- and there are countless more things that I could add. But at 60 things, it's probably a good place to start. I think 75% of the things on the list are food-related (restaurants, markets and food). Good to know some things never change.

*********************************

1. Astoria
2. Diners
3. Chocolate egg creams
4. Broadway Tavern (neé Station)
5. Lemonia (it's not called this anymore, but it's still some of the best Greek food you'll have outside of Greece... just look for the place on Broadway/30th street in Astoria)
6. Elias' Corner (Greek seafood and ornery waitresses in Astoria... YUMMM)
7. The Yoga Room
8. Buttercup Bake Shop








9. The notions district
10. The fact that I could get anything, anywhere, at anytime
11. MOMA Design Store
12. Central Park
13. NYC-only restaurant chains
14. The fact that you always get napkins with any food item you buy (even if it's just coffee) and that everything always comes in a paper bag (even coffee).
15. Street food vendors & ginormous cinnamon rolls.

16. Papaya King
17. Roasted chesnuts for your pockets in the winter
18. Good Enough to Eat
19. Theater-- all and any





20. The N Train
21. Eisenberg's
22. Subways in general, actually
23. That you always know where you are (except maybe sometimes in the Village)
24. That 20 blocks equals a mile
25. That even streets ran East

26. The Queensboro Bridge
27. 31-62 29th Street
28. My view from Apt. 6f

29. Kate's Paperie
30. Chat-n-Chew
31. Campbell Apartment (the bar/lounge)
32. oh-- and the Campbell's Apartment (1361)
33. Grand Central Station
34. 41st Street (between Madison and Fifth)
35. The New York Public Library
36. Dancing in the rain in Bryant Park
37. Karaoke in Korea-town
38. Brother Jimmy's
39. My little slice of heaven on 23rd street between 6th and 7th
40. That I never once made the street fair on Broadway in Astoria (but the NYPD always knocked on my door to let me know that I should move the car before it was towed)
41. Ciao Bella (both the original and the upgrade in Brooklyn)

42. Basillica










43. Mister Softee
44. Going to three different Tasty Delight's, in a three block radius, to find the right flavor
45. J.G. Melon
46. Eli's




47. Zabar's
48. Arthur Avenue (and Dominic's)
49. That in NYC there are three places-- in Manhattan ALONE-- to take the freakin' GMAT; in Chicago, there's ONE.
50. That in NYC, I'd be able to find the Merrell boots I want in about a hundred places (and in Chicago, no one's ever heard of them...).
51. That some of the best friendships of my life were made there.
52. That said friends made my last days in NYC the best ever-- accomplishing my "wish list" of walking over the Brooklyn Bridge; having drinks on the roof of the MET, and seeing the Public Theater's production of my FAVORITE Shakespeare play, "Much Ado About Nothing," in Central Park (starring fellow VC alum, Lorenzo Pisoni), all in one day.
53. That there are still so many things that I want to do there.
54. Montu and Casey dancing in the street.
55. Montu and Casey in general.
56. The Daves and their Times Square haven.
57. My soul sister, Jes.
58. The sanity to my insanity, Mary C.
59. The Conran Shop.
60. Christmas in NYC.

Jerk!

I'm a big fan of the old fashioned. When I was little I loved Victorian everything-- the clothes, the shoes, the history. I even talked my mom into subscribing to Victoria magazine (yes-- it did exist) so I could relish in days gone by. I loved Anne of Green Gables and wished upon wished that I could wear those beautiful dresses with puff sleeves (oh, and marry Gilbert Blythe of course). Old movies (Garbo, Bacall, Hepburn, Grant, Bogart-- you name it, I loved them) I'd watch with my grandmother. I loved the 50s-- the music, the poodle skirts (I had several that my mom made for Halloween but I decided I loved them so much that I would wear them to school... oh, yes. Purple plaid poodle skirt with a white Hawaiian-print shirt. I think there's a photo of me at Disneyland in that gem of an outfit).

So imagine my delight to have read this article in the NYT this morning. The emergence of old fashioned soda shops and even better, soda jerks? Score! I LOVE me a chocolate egg cream (How can you not? A drink that contains neither egg nor cream?), and would faithfully order one, regardless of time of day or what I was eating, if I spied it on a menu. Not that they were prolific. I had to do some serious hunting in my NYC days to find one (of course my favorite Eisenberg's has them). Ice cream sodas, egg creams, REAL cherry, vanilla or chocolate cokes? Yummmm!! If I still lived in NYC, I would totally be heading to the Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain for a potato head sundae: vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, caramel sauce, whipped cream and North Fork potato chip wedges. Awww-yeah. (Plus-- love the name. It's a play on fact that the building used to be a real pharmacy and the locally sourced products that he uses in his recipes-- hence FARM. The owner even kept some of the crazy old stuff that was in there-- like ointment tins from the 40s and anti psychotic drugs from the 70s to display alongside his wares and, well, ice cream, I guess.) I love that these emerging soda shops are sourcing local products and making their own concoctions-- from syrups to ice cream. What a great thing for sustainability-- not to mention a totally fresh and delectable gastro-experience.

If only one would open in England. Although we'd probably have to introduce the concept first. I had a "coke float" at a restaurant the other day... because it was there, of course. It was a summer special, apparently. Special it was but for all the wrong reasons. That, my friends, is another blog post altogether.

********ORGANIZATION UPDATE*************

You may have noticed that my organizing frenzy has extended to my blog-- if you peruse the right hand menu, you'll see some organizing additions such as a search box (which I'm not convinced really works) and labels (like my recipes or food pics? check out food/foodie/recipes. can't get enough of my randomness? check out warblings; want to check out the latest home disaster/makeover? Well, you get my drift). I'm not quite finished going back through and cleaning up labels (5 years of blogging... while I'm hardly a consistent blogger, there still are A LOT of entries), but soon it will all be labeled and yours for the finding.

PLUS! I've added "reactions" to each post under comments... so, feel free to react! (or suggest other reactions to add-- you can customize!) :)

Sucker

I'm a total sucker for service. Always have been, always will be. I can go to a mediocre restaurant and think it's the most amazing place if the service is amazing. And I'll keep going back over and over again. Is it this way for everyone? Presumably not-- but it certainly can't hurt.

I complain (a lot) about horrible customer service. And not in silence. I write letters, e-mails, complete surveys. I am my father's daughter. I would say that 99% of the time it does absolutely nothing. But every once in a while, someone-- or something, surprises me.

For those who know me, I'm extremely polite-- and smiley. I'm nearly always in a good mood and I'm very "please and thank you" even to the rudest of people (I find it annoys them which ultimately pleases me-- I mean, why ruin everyone else's day because you're having a bad one?). But in a customer service situation, I'm rarely met with the same courtesy in return. I thought it was bad in the US-- especially in NYC; but it's WORSE in the UK. People simply cannot be bothered. Why work in customer service if you cannot be customary or service-oriented? Find a job where you sit at a desk or don't interact with people.

Companies underestimate the power that positive customer service can bring to a brand-- and at very little, if any, cost. Just having someone greet you, offer assistance, remember who you are (even if they're faking it), being responsive and saying the four small words: "Have a nice day" can go a LONG way. It can inspire loyalty, return customers and, the all important and often elusive and overlooked, "word of mouth" marketing. I'd all but given up on having anyone so much as smile at me here until two experiences this past weekend bolstered my faith: one from an expected place, and another from a most unexpected.

The first was at the Four Seasons in London. Okay, okay-- cheating, I know. The brand is all about service, and they did not disappoint. I LOVE the Four Seasons. It's my favorite hotel and I would live there if I could. I've only ever stayed there for work but a rockin' weekend rate (since Canary Wharf is sort of out of the way and primarily a business district) allowed for a leisure stay. Literally from the doorman to the maid service, this is the best example of customer service across any industry hands down. We arrived at 9 a.m.-- well before their designated check-in time (3 p.m.) because we had an event to attend in the morning. But rather than point out their check-in time in a "you should know better" kind of way that you typically get, they tried to find a room for us. But as they were fully booked the night before, they were unable to do so. We weren't expecting to check in-- just to drop our luggage; but were pleasantly surprised when before even asking us if we wanted to check our luggage, they inquired as to if we wanted to use their workout facilities which had a fully-stocked bath and shower-room to freshen up. Umm-- yes please! We were ceremoniously shown to the lovely bathroom with all the L'Occitane amenities where we freshened up (from our 2 hour train journey-- well, why not) before returning to reception to check our bags. From there one of the staff took our bags and then walked us to the front door, apologizing for the "inconvenience" of our room not being ready 6 hours ahead of schedule and to make up for it, they'd upgraded our room which included an amazing view of the water. Okay, okay- so I'm not that much of a sucker that I don't realize that obviously they were not full and they had rooms to spare. But why don't I care? Because MOST places wouldn't do this. And that my friends, is why the Four Seasons is incomparable not only in the hotel industry, but in any industry.

The next came from an unexpected place-- GHD, the hair straightening super tool dominating the market today. Mine had broken-- there was some sort of short in the electrical circuit (which was causing some concern of potential fire). Now, these are not cheap things. At 99 GBP (before the 20% sales tax-- making the total price about $180 US), you expect these things to last. So when mine petered out a little over a year after purchase (and I nowhere near use this thing daily), I was a little miffed. I knew it had a 2-year warranty, but darned if I could find it. So online I went and found information about repairs and returns which required a proof of purchase only. Thwarted again. I knew I had bought it at my hair salon, but obviously didn't save the receipt. I was able to find what could have been the purchase in my bank statements, so I crossed my fingers, threw caution to the wind and sent it off to the designated returns address fully expecting it to be rejected or at best, to be charged for the repair.

A loud knock on my door early this morning found the Royal Mail standing at the door. "MRN! Did you order another power tool?" I shouted up the stairs. The negative reply had me opening the box to find-- a BRAND SPANKING NEW straightener-- the latest on the market and more expensive version than my current (which they still retail). Huh?! A letter confirmed that they had received my broken straightener, apologizing profusely for the problem and confirming that they follow the strictest safety regulations. AWESOME. Now I am a GHD loyalist-- not only for product quality but mostly for freaking good customer service. What can I say? I'm easy.

Now, I know these aren't necessarily crazy examples of people performing virtual acts of God in the name of good customer service. Maybe just another example of getting what you pay for-- or perhaps it just speaks to the lower (jaded) expectations that we as a society have. But I say hurray for the Four Seasons and GHD for their gold standard, above and beyond approach to service. Keep fighting the good fight. Leading by example, I think, is the way we change the world. Small steps.

Wayfaring in 2010

1. Los Angeles (x3)
   
2. San Francisco (x2)
   
3. Benecia, California (x2)
   
4. Napa, California (x2)
   
5. Birmingham, UK (x too many to count)
   
6. London, UK (x too many to count)
   
7. Windermere, UK
   
8. Newcastle, UK (**NEW DESTINATION!**)
   
9. NYC
10. Hartford, Connecticut
11. Chicago (x3)
    
12. Nashville/Cookeville, Tennessee
13. Paris, France (x4)
    
14. Honolulu, Hawaii

Now to work on going to places I've never been... though I suppose technically this counts as wayfaring.

What to write

I'm in awe of people who can blog everyday. I know they exist because I follow them-- religiously. They have this knack-- and art, really, of engaging you to WANT to read what they have to say-- everyday.

Unfortunately I have neither this ability nor gift. Partially because I can't think of something to blog about everyday. And if it's ain't interesting to me, who out there in cyberspace would be interested?

I attribute part of the death of blogging to facebook and twitter. Why write a novel about something you can tweet in a sentence? (Plus, I have to admit, that fact that those vehicles force an over prolific me to tone down my prose into short tidbits of information is better for everyone).

Of course, it's very tempting to use a blog as a diary of sorts... and way to spill guttage. But that's not fun for anyone-- particularly the author when (s)he looks back on old posts and wonders "what the heck was I thinking?!?"

All the same, I still push myself to encounter something inspiring everyday. Thanks to the faithful few who continue to visit to see what's up with this wannabe wayfarer.

Speaking of which-- thinking of Cyprus in March. Anyone ever been? It's still cold (around 60 degrees F), but something adventurous about it (and importantly, somewhere I've never been...). :)

Whew!

Surprise, surprise-- my prolific burst of posting dwindled into none. Alas, a flurry of criss-crossing across the UK (with a few Parisian trips thrown in to mix it up) and the year-end business activity has gotten me into a twist. Counting down the days until Christmas (5 more working days until I'm on my 2 1/2 week vacation-- to HAWAII no less! Whoop-whoop! And I'm not bringing a computer-- work or otherwise). I CAN'T WAIT!

I love Paris in the Springtime...

But not so much for a work trip in the winter? I'm headed to Paris-- and no, the time is not an illusion. With a 6:45 a.m. flight, I need to be up and out of my house by 4:00. Of course I'm not blogging right now; I've scheduled this post to launch at the time of my departure to the airport. Clever, huh?

I've actually not been to Paris in the Springtime... just in the Summer. But I'm sure if I had, I'd have loved it (particularly because more would be open as opposed to in August when the city pretty much goes on holiday). This blink-or-you'll-miss-it trip is quick overnighter-- sounds romantic, but really, it's not. It's for a two day meeting, where I'll be locked in a corporate compound with techies and then hotel room scurrying to meet a crazy deadline that quite frankly, I do not think we'll meet. But, whine, whine, whine, right? At least I'll be in Paris? The hotel is also next to the Louvre-- so I'll get to look at it longingly and hate the trip even more since I won't be able to actually GO IN. Booooo.

But at least I'm wayfaring at last and 2010 won't be a total wash for lack of travel.

If I could go back in time...

I'd choose my NYC days. (Like you're surprised.) I was taking a trip down memory lane and reading some of my very old blog entries (I was funnier 4 years ago... age and life has seemingly stolen some of my joy). But this one made me smile... there's some of this person still in me.

Bored on a Plane

And this was only an 8 1/2 hour flight. We're screwed for Hawaii.