The 'er' Files

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

2010-02-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

Of course I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

It was such a big hit a few years back. Plus, it was a woman-penned travel memoir, and I'm a big fan of that genre.

I'm also a fan of Elizabeth Gilbert. She is a great essayist--smart, witty and insightful--so I was looking forward to her new book.

It's called Committed and it is about the institution of marriage. In it, Gilbert is struggling with the idea of getting married. She's already been married once, which didn't go well, and now she is planning to get married a second time. In order to help herself feel more prepared and educated this time around, she decides to research the history of marriage.

For those who are expecting another travel tale -- don't. While most of the book does take place somewhere other than the U.S., she mentions being in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Bali, really this is a book about her marriage research and her own thoughts on marriage. There are some travel bits, which keep the narrative lively, but this isn't a travel memoir.

However, I loved the book. I read it straight through in one weekend. Gilbert's writing style makes it so easy to keep humming along.

I loved reading about the history of marriage. I found it very interesting, and as a married woman myself, and as a woman who has worked for a feminist newspaper and has written about women's issues, I agreed with much of what Gilbert had to say.

If you've got what we'd call here in the U.S. "traditional" views of marriage, your ideas will be challenged reading this book. But I wouldn't let that stop you. Gilbert is a great writer and by the end of the book, she does make peace with marriage.

Now that I've turned the last page, I'd be very curious about a man's point of view on this book. Gilbert, because she is a woman, spends most of the book musing on the meaning of marriage for women. I can't help but think this title will end up being required reading somewhere down the line in women's studies classes.

I'm wondering what the chances are that I can convince my own hubby to give this a read . . .

Westhoff Coffee and Tea

2010-02-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again -- winter. Invariably, this means I'm stuck inside for long periods of time. And invariably, this means that sooner or later I get around to cleaning out my office.

This year in my office cleaning, I found an envelope full of souvenirs I'd collected on a trip through Europe back in 1997. (Yikes what a long time ago!) The envelope contained mostly maps and ticket stubs.

Among these, though, I also came across a tea bag and the top of a coffee creamer cup. Both were "Westhoff" brand. Obviously, I'd saved these because of the name connection, Westhoff being my name and all.

It's not the most common name here in the U.S., so I remember it was a thrill to have discovered my name boldly labeled on products in restaurants and cafes.

On that same trip, we also landed ourselves in a small town called Westhoffen, but that's--I suppose--a blog post for another time.

After going through all the papers I'd saved from that long ago trip, I ended up tossing most in the recycling bin. Did I really need a metro stub from Berlin? Probably not.

But I am going to keep my Westhoff tea bag and coffee creamer.

Getting Ripped off In Flight

2010-02-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

GoNomad recently posted a story about travelers Getting Ripped Off in Flight.

The story was contributed by traveler Brian Peters who writes the popular blog, No Debt World Travel, which is all about how you can travel the world without spending a lot of cash.

The article was a quick read, and cautionary too, about travelers who have gotten up to go to the bathroom while on a flight, only to come back and find that money, credit cards (and even their passports!) have been stolen from their carry-on bags while they were away.

I was shocked that flight attendants didn't really provide much help at all in trying to recover the goods. And I was also shocked that other nearby passengers didn't speak up and say anything about having seen so-and-so reaching for a bag.

On the other hand...when I'm in the air, am I watching everyone else's bags? No...

Reading this article was a wake up call. I like to think of myself as a pretty savvy traveler, but I know I am guilty of leaving my bag under my seat and going to the bathroom.

Especially if I'm traveling with my laptop. Airplane bathrooms are so small to being with. How am I supposed to bring my laptop bag along with me?

Obviously I need to be a little more vigilant when I'm on the airplane. Maybe we all need to be, for each other's sake.

Wayzata Students Bridging the Ocean

2010-02-02T11:06:00.003-06:00

I interviewed a group of area high school students who are in the process of starting a nonprofit organization to collect money and build schools in Vietnam.

Most of the kids involved are high school juniors, and I was impressed with their vision and drive. They are calling their group Wayzata Students Bridging the Ocean.

As I was interviewing the group, one of students said something that really stood out for me. She said: "I've always been told that I can make a difference and finally I am."

Yes, I thought. When I was growing up, adults also said the same to me. Even now, as an adult, the message still circulates that each and every one of us can reach out and help others. We can all make a change, even if its small, in the way the world operates for another person.

But how often do we really seize this opportunity and actually do something about it?

After that interview was finished, what this one student said continued to linger in my mind. I am proud of these students for having carved out an opportunity for themselves in which they can feel they are making a difference.

It doesn't really matter if their organization turns out to be a smashing success that continues for years or a one-time mission trip. What matters, I think, is that these teens are empowered.

Having had this experience so early in their lives, who knows what else they'll be able to image for their futures, and for the futures of others.

If you'd like to read the article, here it is:

Wayzata Students Work to Build Schools in Vietnam

Photo (c) Mark Trockman.

Swedish Mystery -- Girl With a Dragon Tattoo

2010-01-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

I tend to steer clear of the books that everyone raves about. Every once in a while I give in to the "this is SUCH a good book" pressure. Usually, though, I'm disappointed. Whatever the current "SUCH a good book" is, it's been so gushed about that it has little hope of meeting expectations.

But I'm eating my words on this one.

I've been avoiding The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson for well over a year. However, I just finished reading it. The American paperback version is 590 pages and I read the thing in three days. I was obsessed.

Plus it's labeled a "mystery," another type of book I usually steer clear. Well, not anymore. At least not when it comes to this author.

Larsson penned three books in this mystery series and started a forth. Unfortunately, he died of a heart attack in 2004 before finishing that last one.

The books have been translated and translated and translated. The third book hasn't yet been released in the States although it's due out this year. I can already tell you that I'll be lining up to get my hands on it.

So what's the story? The main character, Mikael Blomkvist, is a financial journalist who has just lost a case in court. He was found guilty of libel for an article he wrote about one of Sweden's biggest businessmen. After the verdict, Blomkvist is in need of some serious R&R. He also needs to get out of Stockholm and away from its media coverage.

That's when a retired CEO from one of the country's wealthiest families contacts him. He invites Blomkvist to live on his family's island compound for a year. He wants Blomkvst to ghost write his autobiography and to do something else...40 years ago, the ex-CEO's niece disappeared. No one has every been able to solve the mystery of what happened to her and he's desperate to have an answer. So desperate that he's willing to pay a convicted journalist to take on the matter.

Vikings and Tet -- A Strange Combo

2010-01-25T11:50:00.004-06:00

What a strange weekend it was! First of all -- the Vikings. I actually watched the game. Out of one eye while reading a book, but still, it is an extremely rare occurrence for me to show any sort of an interest in football. Too bad they blew it. Hubby's moans of dismay were so loud that he scared the dogs off the couch!

But that was Sunday. On Saturday we were all wrapped up in a completely different sort of affair. We spent the day attending Tet celebrations. Tet is the Vietnamese version of Chinese New Year.

This year, Chinese New Year is on Feb 14. Why the Vietnamese Community of Minnesota decided to hold it's Tet festival three weeks early is a mystery to me.

Nonetheless, we ended up spending a good portion of our day attending the festivities. And why not? There were dancing dragons, singers, bubble tea and more! Even a beauty pageant!

Haiti Outreach -- Minnesota Nonprofit

2010-01-20T05:00:00.002-06:00

A couple years back I interviewed a local couple who had gone on several mission trips to Haiti. While there, they helped build homes and dig fresh water wells.

They traveled with a nonprofit organization called Haiti Outreach, which in the course of writing the article, I learned was headquartered in my neck of the woods.

Since then, I've run into several people who are involved with the organization in some way. They've attended a silent auction for the group or a benefit dinner.

Haiti Outreach spends a lot of its resources on digging wells. In the course of my budget and global travels, I've seen some pretty sorry drinking water situations. Because of this, I know how much a new well can mean to a community in need. And because of this, I've kept tabs on Haiti Outreach since learning of its existence practically right down the street from my house.

Luckily, Haiti Outreach didn't suffer any personnel losses in the recent earthquake there. Most of their missions are in the countryside, far away from Port au Prince.

However, they've posted a couple updates on their web site and mentioned yet another logistical nightmare I hadn't yet thought about.

The Haiti Outreach members in Haiti right now, have been loading up their large trucks and trying to deliver water to those in need, and they've hired another truck to do the same. But...they are running out of diesel.

If you're in the Twin Cities and you're seeking a local connection to Haiti, check out Haiti Outreach. The organization, which is a registered 501c3, is taking donations through its web site.

Or...if you have a soft spot for chocolate and wine -- and who doesn't? -- consider attending the Wine and Chocolate Tasting on February 12.

Kiva is More than I Thought

2010-01-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

Several months ago, a friend gave me a present. She gave me a $25 credit with a nonprofit organization called Kiva.

I'd heard of Kiva and knew it was an organization that specialized in micro finance. It gave small loans to everyday people in developing countries so they could pursue their small business ideas.

I wasn't too sure how the whole thing worked, however, so I was excited to give it a whirl.

It was kind of like an online dating service. You can choose a region of the world or country that you're interested in and a bunch of profiles pop up. Each profile tells the story of an individual or small group, what he/she/they want to do, and how much money they need to do it.

You decide who you want to support and your money will go toward completing that person's goal. Once enough people have agreed to support them, then they get their loan.

I picked a group of women in Vietnam who were trying to get a small livestock operation started. They needed money to buy their first few chickens, pigs and cattle.

I felt good about the process and it was fun to have a say in who got my money, but what I didn't realize is that I would get my money back!

A few days ago, I got an email from Kiva telling me that my loan had been repaid and I once again had a $25 credit to dool out to someone else.

Too cool! I hadn't expected that my money would come back. It makes sense. It was a loan, after all, and a loan is supposed to be repaid. But I hadn't expected that the money would come back to me, that I would get to use it again. I guess I thought it would go back to Kiva, to the organization, for administrative costs or something.

I've just finished "shopping" for my second Kiva loan. This time I chose a 60-ish man and his wife in Paraguay who are trying to renovate the front room of their house and turn it into a laundry service.

Having used many of these businesses in the course of my travels, I decided this sounded like a winning idea.

I'm excited to see how long it takes this couple to get their dream finished and their loan repaid so that I can give out a third loan!

SugarMade Toilet Paper

2010-01-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

Let me just say straight up that I realize the subject of toilet paper makes for a strange blog post, but I am pursuing the topic nevertheless.

After all, this won't be the first time I venture into the bathroom realm. I did write two posts about contraptions that let women pee standing up and another about World Toilet Day.

So anyway...a couple of months ago, a friend and I went to a craft fair. All of the products at this fair were supposed to be made from recycled or repurposed goods. It was a "green" craft fair.

There were a couple of booths supporting local stores that sell only "green" household goods. It was at such a booth that we found SugarMade toilet paper.

I was immediately interested in the stuff. This toilet paper was made from crushed sugar cane, and as it says right on the label, is 83% tree free and 100% biodegradeable.

I guess I had sugar on the brain. See, I'd recently written an article about fair trade sugar, so the idea that crushed sugar cane fibers could be used to make toilet paper was intriguing. It seemed an extension of the article I'd just finished researching.

Instead of buying a roll for myself, however, I somehow convinced my friend that she needed to buy it. There were only two rolls left and she scooped them both up.

And wouldn't you know it? I got one of those rolls back as a Christmas present from her!

A couple of days ago, the regular TP ran out so I reached for the sugar cane roll. It's definitely just a 1-ply roll. There's nothing cushy about it. But it's not scratchy either, so all in all, it's not bad. I've definitely used worse.

Call me crazy, but there's just something about the idea of using sugar cane toilet paper that makes me happy. It's important to appreciate the little everyday things, right? Wait. Does that make my appreciation of the sugar cane toilet paper an example of wabi sabi?

Maybe not. But regardless, one of my favorite things about the SugarMade toilet paper is the bar code. Look, it's made out of sugar cane!

Kelly's Revenge Redux

2010-01-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

In August 2008 I took a trip to San Diego. There, in a neighborhood liquor store, I came across a bottle of wine called Kelly's Revenge.

On that trip, I never got to taste Kelly's Revenge. When I got home, though, I searched online for information about the wine. I didn't find much. Except a slick corporate web site with little info.

I was hoping to learn where Kelly's Revenge was made. I'd never been to Australia and it seemed to me (and still does) that a trip to the Kelly's Revenge vineyard would be a great reason to go.

I also tried to find the wine in local liquor stores but nobody had even heard of it. All my attempts at finding revenge turned up dry. Sigh.

Recently, though, something happened that put me back on the trail. A friend went to San Diego, was in a liquor store, happened across a bottle of Kelly's Revenge, bought the bottle, and brought it back home for me.

Once again, I went online trying to find info. From a press release I learned that the wine is named after a notorious, 19th-century, Australian outlaw named Ned Kelly. After a stressful day, a glass of Kelly's Revenge is supposed to help you unwind. After all, the best revenge is living well.

And I also found an inappropriate web site. I guess, with a name like Kelly's Revenge, that's to be expected.

Oh well. Some things, I guess, are meant to remain a mystery. I may never know exactly where Kelly's Revenge comes from, but at least I now have a whole bottle to myself.

I think it's time to sign off and find my corkscrew.

Hell's Kitchen in Minneapolis

2010-01-11T05:00:00.002-06:00

I was excited to meet a friend for lunch at Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis.

The restaurant, which has no relation to the TV show, has been a popular breakfast-lunch joint in the Twin Cities for a number of years. It outgrew it's initial digs about a year ago and relocated to a new spot.

I hadn't been to check out the new location so I was rarin' to go. Once I got there, however, this large chandelier gave me pause.

365 Days, 365 Points of View

2010-01-08T18:38:00.003-06:00

There's always a lot of talk about resolutions this time of year. Here's one that's easy to follow: tune into this funky new blog: 3six5.

A couple of guys in Chicago came up with this idea -- get 365 different people to contribute to one blog. Each day, a different person gets to write the entry. Entries must be 365 words or shorter.

Posts must be timely and personal. Each post is like a tiny window into someone else's life and by the end of the year you'll have had a peek into hundreds of lives.

I've been keeping up with the posts so far. Since they are short, it's a quick daily read.

The editors are still seeking writers for the later half of the year. I sent in my name, but haven't heard back yet.

Photo from the 3six5 blog.

Yellow Underwear Rings in New Year

2010-01-05T10:16:00.002-06:00

So I'm flipping through the paper on a lazy morning in this new year when I run across a tiny little article about yellow underwear.

All across Latin America, says the story, people believe they can influence their luck for the coming year depending on the color of underwear they are wearing.

Red underwear brings love. Yellow underwear brings wealth. Apparently, this year, the yellow underwear has been most popular, especially in Mexico City.

The whole idea behind this short little article sent me to Google. I just had to check this out, see if I could find any blogs or travel pictures to back this up. I found tons.

This blog, Year in Bolivia, posted a great photo of a market stall full of yellow underwear.

As 2010 kicks off, I couldn't help but think that all this yellow underwear business is at least bringing wealth to one segment of the population: the vendors!

Photo (c) Joe Boxer

Reading Fortune Cookies

2009-12-30T12:56:00.001-06:00

This fortune cookie seems to know me well.

Either that, or it doesn't know me at all.

I'm probably the last person a fortune cookie needs to tell to read a book and expand my horizons!

As this year heads to a close, I'm looking back over my year-long reading list.

I read more books this year than I am years old! And many of them had themes dealing with other cultures.

As I type this, I realize there's a smile across my face. I'm proud of my reading list. Once an English teacher, always an English teacher.

If you're curious about what I've been reading this year, you can check out my 2009 reading list here.

Brittany Murphy in Ramen Girl

2009-12-21T19:45:00.003-06:00

Hubby and I were shocked to hear that actress Brittany Murphy died over the weekend. Just a week ago we rented a movie in which she starred -- The Ramen Girl.

We picked it up on a whim at Blockbuster. It sounded quirky and fun and we were both surprised by how much we liked it.

In it, Murphy moves to Tokyo. She goes to the city because she's following her boyfriend who is working there. Except as soon as she arrives, he decides he's feeling crowded, packs his things and leaves her there alone in his apartment.

After wallowing in self pity for a few days, she eventually plucks herself up and explores her neighborhood. She ends up in a local ramen shop eating what she thinks is the best bowl of ramen she's ever had.

Soon, she is deciding that her goal in life is to learn how to make the perfect bowl of ramen. She convinces the grumpy ramen chef to take her on as an apprentice and the movie unfolds from there.

We both agreed The Ramen Girl was more entertaining than the other movie (a Renee Zellweger flick) we'd rented along side it.

As winter sets in, perhaps you'll find yourself looking for a movie to help pass a cold Friday night. The Ramen Girl will give you several laughs and a taste of another culture to boot. Plus, you'll pause to realize the bright, smiley woman who starred in it is no longer with us.

My Haiku on Rick Steves' Radio Show

2009-12-16T12:57:00.002-06:00

I’m a radio star!

Well, perhaps not quite. But I did get my name mentioned on air along with two of my haiku!

Many months ago, I submitted two of my travel-themed haiku to Rick Steves (travel guru extraordinaire) for inclusion in one of his future radio programs. Well, the future finally arrived. My haiku were read on Saturday’s show, which was December 12, 2009.

You can listen to the entire broadcast online. The first half of the program is about how Christmas is celebrated in Wales. The second half of the broadcast is all about sheep. Yes. Sheep.

The travel haiku don’t come in until the very end–specifically at minute marker 50:25. Once the program uploads, you can easily skip ahead to the best part, which is–of course–the haiku part!

My haiku are the second and third to be read.

Here is the link to the radio program.

And if you want to try your own hand at travel haiku to see if you too can get yours read on the air, this page will tell you how to do it: Travel Haiku with Rick Steves.

Stormtroopers Day Off

2009-12-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

A friend shared this link with me. It totally made me smile. And now I'm passing it along.

Ever wonder what Stormtroppers do on their day off?

Now you know.

Photo (c) Stefan

Peruvian Fat Suckers

2009-12-05T05:00:00.002-06:00

Many years ago I traveled to Peru and hiked through the mountains to reach Machu Pichu.

It was a three night, four day trek. At night, after hiking through the Andes all day, we slept in tents.

Each night our guide would tell us ghost stories around the campfire. His stories always freaked me out -- as good ghost stories always do -- and I've never been able to forget them either.

One was about these evil dwarfs that look like babies. At night, they cry outside your tent. You wake up, think it's a baby, go out to rescue it and then they snatch you!

Another was about these evil beings that sought out lonely travelers, grabbed them, bit their arms (sort of like a vampire) and then sucked out all your fat. Once your fat had been drained they dumped you and left you for dead along the trail. This story really gave me the willies. There was just something about "fat suckers" that totally grossed me out.

So imagine my surprise when this headline flashed across my screen this week: Peru's Murderous Fat-Stealing Gang: Crime or Cover-Up?

Of course I had to follow the link, and of course I had to read the whole thing.

Apparently, a police force in a remote region got itself into some trouble. When a story was about to break detailing their illegal doings, they distracted the press with this long-lost legend of fat-suckers.

They claimed they'd raided a fat-sucker hideout and had collected bottles of human fat supposedly drained from recently murdered bodies and sold on the black market for cosmetic surgery purposes.

The press was successfully distracted, however, now the entire sham is coming to light. Hmmmmm.

The Girl Effect

2009-12-04T14:10:00.002-06:00

A woman will reinvest 90 % of her income in her family. A man will only reinvest 30-40 % of his.

Check out this video. It brings tears to my eyes every time. Then check out GirlEffect.org.

Gift Idea for World Traveler

2009-11-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

The holiday shopping season is upon us, which means we're scrambling for great gift ideas for those we love.

If you've got a world traveler or an altruistic friend or family member on your list, consider hoping over to the Unicef site. There you'll find Unicef gift ideas.

Buy soccer balls for kids in refugee camps, or picture books for displaced children, or water sanitation supplies for rural villages, or mosquito nets for families in tropical climates. There's a gift to fit any budget.

Then, Unicef's web site will take you through a process where you can specially order a greeting card that tells your loved one which Unicef gift you purchased in their name.

Photo from Unicef site.

How to Travel with Your Spouse

2009-11-25T05:00:00.002-06:00

My story about how to travel with your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend or life partner has been posted at GoNomad.

If you'd like to check it out, here's a link:

Love the One You're With: How to Travel without Killing Each Other

Honeymoon From Hell in Marie Claire Mag

2009-11-24T12:39:00.005-06:00

In flipping through the December issue of Marie Claire Magazine, I came across an article called My Marriage Fell Apart...On Our Honeymoon!

With a title like that, how could I not be intrigued? Of course I read on.

It was a personal essay about how this couple had gone on a four month backpacking trip through South America after getting married and how the trip drove them apart. They learned they couldn't travel together.

Considering the title of the essay, I expected the essay to end in divorce -- but it didn't. They stayed married and agreed not to travel with one another any more.

That was the solution?

I felt so displaced when I got to the end of the story that it fired me up. Long-term budget travel had the exact opposite effect on my marriage. Sure, we fought along the road, but we didn't split up and our experiences convinced us that we're all-around good partners, at home or abroad.

And so, instead of writing a letter to the editor about how much I disliked this article, I decided to do something better: write an article about how to successfully travel with your significant other.

It will soon be posted at GoNomad. I'll let you all know when it goes live.

Bevy of November Articles

2009-11-23T05:00:00.001-06:00

I had a whole crop of articles come out this month. Since I'd written a number of them several months ago, it was a surprise to watch them all pile up and realize how busy I'd been.

There was the story I wrote about fair trade sugar, and another about a Minnesota man who has taken a position within the Obama Administration. And then there are a handful of others.

Like the one I wrote about a tattoo artist. Or another about a man who installed a geo-thermal heat pump in his house. Or tips for organizing your kitchen pre-holiday madness. Or where to find interesting and yummy coffee drinks in town.

Or this one, about an area man so addicted to bargain shopping that he left his job and started a web site devoted to bringing customers great deals.

If you'd like to read about Brian Larson of Razor Dog! Deals, click through to my article here:

Bargain Hunter

Does My Head Look Big in This?

2009-11-20T05:00:00.002-06:00

If you've been following my blog over the past couple months, you may have noticed I've been on a young adult literature kick.

Because of my interest in travel and other cultures, the books I've been gravitating to stick to these themes. I've also been able to read through them more quickly as they are often shorter than adult novels.

But that's not to say they don't tackle heavy ideas. For example, I just finished reading a book called Does My Head Look Big in This written by Randa Abdel-Fatta.

The book takes place in suburban Melbourne (the author is Australian) and is about a high school gal dealing with some critical identity issues. Even though she is Australian, she is also Palestinian and Muslim. She attends a hoity-toity private school with a strict uniform policy and she has recently decided that she wants to wear a hijab, or head-scarf.

Will she be able to manage all the typical social pressures any normal high school girl must deal with while also managing the stereotypes and questions that come with the hijab? You'll have to read the book to find out.

This is Abdel-Fatta's first book, and I could kind of tell. Sometimes the main character got too preachy and high-strung. However, that wouldn't stop me from recommending it to a teen reader.

It does offer an interesting cultural perspective. The United States isn't the only country in the world where people deal with hyphenated ethnic labels, and this book clearly illustrates that. Plus, even for me, an adult reader, it was interesting to encounter the thoughts and feelings that a Muslim woman might go through in decided whether or not to don the hijab.

Wise Words from a Fortune Cookie

2009-11-18T05:00:00.000-06:00