Tidbits of Conversation

Jan: If I love Death Cab do I have to start wearing makeup?
Me: Mmm maybe just a bit of eyeliner.
Jan: I can do that.

Kristie's Baby Shower

My girls. . . . Kristie with a 7-and-a-1/2-month-old bun in the oven. I think Kate's still getting over the shock of the size of her tummy.

Kristie shows off some of the clothes she received for her unborn daughter.

Little Fiona (one of Kristie's nieces) helps with the presents.

Me with my new little friend Aidan, who, as I was sitting on the floor, kept on running up to me and plopping down in my lap, thus winning my heart. He's such a cutie!

That Travis, He's a Riot!

Me: I'm writing my letter of resignation. Weeeeird.
Travis: E-mail it to Brodeur on accident. Ask him to pass it along to Steve.

**NEWSFLASH!**

I am resigning from Metroland. My last day will be Aug. 16. More to come!

My Life:

*grin*

Waiting in Line. . .

. . . for Harry Potter!!

Trees Are Smart

(Found in the parking lot outside the office.)

Best Of Wednesday

Get me the holy hell out of here.

Oh How I Love My Sushi

Lunch with Kim in Portland.
I love it I love it I love it I love it.
I could eat it forever.

Go See It

So, I went the other evening to see the new Harry Potter movie with Mitch and his girlfriend, Kathy. I loved it. It is definitely the best one to date. Of course, it's always better to have read the books first, but this is the first movie in the series during which I didn't feel like I'd be a little lost if I hadn't read the books. My brother pointed out, "They gave you just enough information before leaving the scene," which is a really accurate statement. They switched up some details, but all in all, it worked. And! It's only about 2 hours and 10 minutes long--the shortest of all the movies to date--for a book that was more than 800 pages long. The director, David Yates, (who also did a great made-for-TV film called The Girl in the Cafe) did a terrific job.

Venice, Cont.

Among other things (canals, for instance) Venice is known for its masks. . .

. . . and its glass.

Hotel Bauer, where we stayed. It was gorgeous.

A taxi station in front of the Rialto Bridge.

A little girl feeds the pigeons in St. Mark's Square.

A view of St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco), with St. Mark's at the far end.

Venice!

A view of one of the canals. Just beautiful.

One of the ubiquitous gondoliers. We did not take a gondola ride because it was a bit on the expensive side--100 Euros for a half hour. And that was standard. We asked around.

A dusk view of the Bridge of Sighs. This bridge was built in the 16th century and the view from it was the last criminals were granted before they were imprisoned. According to Wikipedia, it got its name from Lord Byron in the 19th century, who thought that prisoners would sigh at the beautiful view of Venice.

A "parking lot" outside our hotel. In the background, a city bus goes by.

A beautiful street view.

Santorini, Greece

These poor donkeys were the saddest creatures ever, sweltering in the sun. There were hundreds of them. Their purpose is to climb up and down the steps that scale the side of the volcano that Santorini is perched atop, carrying tourists who pay for the ride. We opted to take the cable car to the top, and to walk back down.

This is the view from the top of the above-mentioned steps. Laura and I walked down them very carefully--we slipped on the polished stones every few feet. Damn those flip-flops!

Aha! As we sat and ate lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants perched in the side of the mountain, Laura and I spied our Swiss cohorts on a deck below us.

A beautiful view of a church in the side of the mountain.

Santorini has a very wide selection of absinthe--and, the shopkeeper told me, a very long list of American buyers, to whom the Greeks ship their wares.

A gorgeous staircase complimented with perfectly matching flowers.

Some European Graffiti

Found on the main drag in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Found in a small piazza in Venice.

Pretty Picture

This is what happens to my hair when I have no time in the morning.

Mykonos, Greece

I love this pic of me and my dad.

Holly, Laura, Ken, Gram, Dad, Me.

Just a Smattering . . .

of photos from the cruise. Many many more to follow, I'm sure.

Our boat. It was 11 decks high.

A gelati truck in Rhodes. Very important.

Laura and I spread American cheer to the Swiss and Canadians.

Me and dad at dinner.

The Swiss boys give Laura a smooch.

Many more to come. . .

My Favorite Photo From PortlAANnd

Gord takes a dip in a bathtub full of beer in the Weekly Dig's suite during a late-night par-tay.

PortlAANd

So, this year's national AAN conference was held in Portland, Ore. It was my first time there, and I absolutely loved it. It is such a beautiful, progressive city. I was very impressed.

This is me with Gord from See Magazine, which is in Edmonton. Gord is a ton of fun. He is leaving his paper, though, to take a few months to travel. Jealous, much? I think so.

Here's Steve (my boss) chatting with Erin (my friend and the ME for Baltimore City Paper--and former ME for Metroland) after dinner one evening. No doubt he's trying to woo her back to Mland! :-)

Not only is Portland very bicycle-friendly, the bikes there are very stylish and cute. Here's one that caught my eye. Can you guess why? :-)

Where I've Been

Well, really, where haven't I been?

Over the past couple of weeks I have traveled to Portland, Ore., for the annual AAN conference; the same day I got back from that, I left for Venice, Italy, for an almost-two-week vacation with five members of my family (for those of you who like to know the details, it was with Gram, Uncle Ken, Dad, stepmom Holly and stepsis Laura). We went on a cruise during which we toured a small portion of the Mediterranean--we visited Bari, Italy; the Greek Isles (Santorini, Mykonos, Katakolon a.k.a Olympia, and Rhodes); and then Dubrovnik, Croatia, before spending a couple of days in Venice. It was amazing and there is so much to tell about everything, and of course, hundreds of photos to be shared. I will post some here over the next few days.

I promise I will be posting more regularly now that I am back! ;-)