The cast: (AKA the Beirut Scooby Doo Gang. Can’t imagine the trip without any one of these people.) The great friend who collects art and people, the dentist/ friendtist who fixed my tooth. And, our fearless leader. There’s a reason you don’t hear about scaredy-cat leaders. It takes a big, swinging set to wrangle a group of people […]
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“Um, yes?” is the new “Go for it,” my father will not be stopped, and other lessons from a writing workshop in Italy
Oh hi. I’m a shitty example. Last month I was in Italy, teaching 30 people that there’s always something to write about. I even passed around a printed guide I wrote called The Art Of The Start (How To Start Writing Anything). I got everyone writing. I came back all jazzed to write about it. But I return from […]
KEEP READINGA business lesson from being dissed and then eating sand-covered ribs in practically a hurricane
That day at the Sunshine Shack, we’d done everything right. Our friends Dan and Jess* had scored us beach chairs early. Dan had put in our order as soon as the owner showed up to start basting his meat. And yet, after watching everyone on the beach but us get their delicious-smelling ribs, Dan went to check on our lunch […]
KEEP READINGThe bad kind of cancelled
I’m home! Today’s the first day back after my trip to Costa Rica. Or, it was supposed to be. The night before my 7:15am flight, my friend (and ex-imaginary-arch-nemesis) Ash messaged me that a volcano had erupted and covered the San Jose airport in ash. (Really, what are the odds that my trip to visit Ash would […]
KEEP READINGI used to be an idiot, and other notes from Miami
I went to Miami last week for a few days to hang out with one of my best friends from high school. GIRL TRIP! Here are my notes. 1) I could live in Miami. I want to live in a room at The Standard or some other hotel that offers both the Times and the […]
KEEP READINGThe good kind of jet lag never lasts.
Help! My jet lag is deserting me. Eastbound jet lag sucks, but I love the westbound kind. It’s the only thing that makes me wake up early, unless you count having to pee, or leg cramps. I’m genetically programmed to sleep till at least 9. I’m very defensive of my night-owl/ morning-sloth tendencies, because I don’t like […]
KEEP READINGNo forks in the toilet: 6 crucial flying tips you haven’t heard
The other day, I posted about my vacation. The part I didn’t post about was the flight back. Here are a few things to know next time you fly. 1) Meridiana sucks hairy ones. That’s the terrible airline we flew. Never heard of it? Neither did the passport agent in NYC. He was like, “Meruh-what? […]
KEEP READINGDon’t fall, do have eyelashes, and other tips /notes from Italy vacation
Yup. The blog resumes with a semi-trip-report. I research every trip to death, which includes sifting through old-people trip reports on Fodors’ forums. I have to skim them, because they’re exhausting to read — every morsel of food, every moment of the flight, the cab from the airport, the brand of walking shoes (Aerosole/ Merrel), the brand of theft-proof […]
KEEP READINGKnee Defender, Shmee Defender. Here’s what we really need.
Announcement! Talking Shrimp is going on vacation. No, not without me. I’m on an afternoon flight tomorrow, direct to Napoli, Italy. My husband is probably thinking I’ve given away too much information – like knowing our destination will make burglars more likely to break in. We have an elaborate alarm system of lasers like in Robin […]
KEEP READINGHorsemeat is the new beef, and other notes from vacation
Just got back from a trip to Italy. By “just” I mean Monday, and it’s now Friday. I always regret telling people the actual day I’m coming back, rather than lying and giving myself a few extra days to pretend I’m not here. But I once had a boyfriend who did that, and he was […]
KEEP READINGYou people are animals.
I snapped this photo on my vacation last week in a wonderful, charming fishing village on the southern coast of France. No, actually, I was in Vegas. I spent two nights there for a work project. This quaint town square is really an exit corridor of a giant mall called Miracle Mile.
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