desperately seeking susan

goodbye - we're off to dubai...

2007-12-12T17:47:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe I haven’t written anything since last January. I guess my life has been so consumed by becoming a resident teacher that I have yet taken time to record my life! And honestly the only reason I have time to write is due to the fact that I am home from school because I tore my acl in the classroom in Sept and I had reconstruction surgery 4 weeks ago.

What a sad fact…I had to have surgery to find time to do something I love. ;(

Anyway, lately I’ve been productive cleaning out the house and packing unused items up. Why? You might ask…well it’s my way of throwing out some “good karma” out into the world in hopes the universe will help aid our decision about Chris’ upcoming interview with Emirates Airlines. For those who are outside the airline realm, Emirates is a beautiful & luxurious airline that operates international flights out of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

I am fortunate enough to have flown on them twice. So, when Chris brought this idea to the table back in June I of course was "onboard" immediately and obsessively. For those that are not as close to me, when I say obsessed I mean obsessed. When I get something in my head I need to know all I can know and nothing gets in the way of my obsession until I move on to my next fix ~ Sad but true.

Ever since Chris and I met in 2002, our life has had a centralized theme…TRAVEL. We met because of it and we live for it. We never turn down an opportunity to get out and see new places. However in the past year we’ve been limited because of my teaching residency. We were planning on making up for the lack of travel this summer by subletting out a house in Amsterdam for a month. Then Emirates came along…now we must get prepared for the possibility of living in Dubai.

Dubai of course is not our first choice in international destinations. But it is a very interesting city full of many different cultures, new architecture, worldwide appeal and opportunities.

We leave tomorrow for 6 days ~ 2 days of travel (15 hour direct flight from jfk), 3 days of an interview, and one day of pleasure (I have a stand-by ticket ~ so fingers-crossed). Time will tell, but until then I’ll continue to prepare for a big move in hopes Emirates likes us and we them.

Stay tuned for more details.

trains held together by roaches...

2007-01-19T03:44:00.000-05:00

let me just start by saying first class in this country is totally different than what my western mind had expected and i did not have huge expectations...

allow me to tell you about our first class train ride....

first, we check out of hotel in kolkata and head off to mother teresa's house called the "mother house". it was a simple building filled with much love. her tomb was large and covered in flowers saying "jesus is love" and behind the tomb a sign saying "i thirst". we were given charms for love and protection, which we later needed. we then continued on the the zoo. i know, i know...a zoo??? but please remember the great love sarah shares with nature and i am of course always game. so, we get there and the only animals that are truly on display are US!!! we leave within minutes agreeing it wasn't our brightest idea and go to our favorite internet cafe until our 7 pm ride to the train station.

now, our biggest fear so far on this trip is kolkata taxi drivers ever since we were almost killed at least 5 times the first night of arrival. so we enter this cab with already psyched out thoughts and hugging one another. the traffic was very bad, which we later figured out was due to the ending of the work day and along with us...EVERYONE is heading to the train station and i mean EVERYONE. bikes, cabs, rickshaws, barefoot workers and buses so long & continuous they look to be the train.

india houses 1 billion people but my eyes overwhelmed & in wonder counted at least 2 billion going to the kolkata train station.

getting there with 20 minutes to spare, we notice much of the same activities taking place in the station as on the streets, there are dogs, cows, women carrying produce and people occupying every inch of space.

we board our train relieved we have made it in time, find our beds in the indian version of first class. we chat among ourselves wondering about the other 1 billion passengers also boarding lesser classes of space on the train?

how do they do it? such strength, such limited space, and such chaos.

we were not alone in our cabin...we were greeted by cockroaches and creepy peeping tom's (and not of the average curious indian fashion) ready to join us...yuk.

we then decided in unison that we would not be sleeping on this train ride. but rather we worked as a team killing roaches all night and monitoring the curtain for intruders. we then realized that the train does not have a system of announcing arrivals whether by intercom or by person. now on top everything we worry about missing our stop in varanasi.

14.5 hours later we exit the train starving because we disposed of all our snacks to keep the roaches away and tired because we have been up or 27 hours.

we immediately agree the next train ride we already have booked to agra, which mind you is longer and of a lower class of cabin is now going to be avoided at all costs!!! we immediately book our airfare. we just can not fathom doing it again. looking at one another we are proud to have tried but have agreed the indian railroad has won!!!

my awkwardly beautiful place....

2007-01-17T02:59:00.001-05:00

as most of you know sarah and i are in india. we flew into delhi and caught up on some rest and then 2 days later boarded a plane for kolkata or better known by the west as calcutta. delhi was not for me. although kolkata is my new found love.

tonight, we head off to varanasi (holy city on the ganges) for a few days by sleeper train. this should be a an experience. although. we've managed incredibly well thus far without hot water, with drivers more interested in watching us from their rear view mirror then doing their job, the always lingering smog in delhi and being female in a male dominated country.

the poverty is numbing at times. however, we push on and help where we see fit. india has a way of cracking egos, doubts and needs.

but, it does feel refreshing to be without normal routines and schedules of home. however, i do miss the smell of clean clothes and sheets. i also miss chris. hearing his voice yesterday helped to relive some of the home sick feelings that were creeping in. sarah is a delight to have around for many reasons like, her love of researching the historic sites, cities and wildlife. she is also very organized and i am finding myself trying to keep up. my bag is now way more organized then before i left on this journey.

yesterday, we found ourselves enjoying the food and sites of kolkata. we even manged to buy some clothes to replace smelly articles in our bags, however towards the end of our walk we found we were losing our voices from constantly telling merchants, "no thank you", "please stop following us" and "no we do not want to go to your store". but all in all the city of kolkata is close to the name it calls its self "the city of joy". i know i have experienced joy here. and plan to return again with chris.

some pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sstorklipglossfool/

2 blondes (one real & one assisted), 2 planes & 2 weeks in india

2007-01-03T19:14:00.000-05:00

so in 9 days sarah and i'll be flying to india to explore, discover and fall in love with the beautiful settings of the unknown.

we planned this trip many mouths ago and it is finally just around the corner. i've been there once before when i was a bit younger and a bit more naive. i wonder if the past seven years of finding myself will add to the experiences and moments in the most beautiful place i've ever laid eyes on?

sarah is by far the best travel companion one could ask for...she's creative, practical, resourceful and fun. i look forward to our adventures together traveling from new delhi to kolkata. we've refranined from planning too much, because we desire for the adventures to unfold for themselves. however, the taj mahal, varanasi, the ganges and a couple bird & animal sanctuaries are on our list.

if anyone has any advice, comments or suggestions, please pass them on.

can't sleep...

2006-10-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

something is keeping my eyes open and my mind turned on...

the submarines

2006-10-11T19:16:00.000-05:00

i stummbled upon this group on my drive home from work last night on a broadcast of KCRW's "mourning becomes eclectic" program. after, one song i was hooked. i bought the album within minutes of signing on to my computer. please check them out, you won't be disappointed.

here's some lyrics

Darkest Things:

The more delicate the task
You find the shakier the hand
You try to undersand and fight it
All that you need
Has brought you to your knees
Trembling with greed still you fight it

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find when you've been searching
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

When you're alone would you put your hands
Through the camera lens to reach her?
Behind the screen does she call your name
When you hear it through the stream
Do you fight it?

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find the light you bring
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

So here we are
Lovers in the room breathing oxygen
Still you fight it
Well come move my hands
I will not breakdown
Or turn into a pop-up advertisement

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find when you've been searching
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

And it's funny how the darkest things
You only find when you've been searching
Don't back down from what you need
Guiltiness it only makes you mean

I'd have waited a lifetime for a sign
Only to fall apart when love arrives
But we're coming home
We're coming home
We're coming home

where's olive?

2006-08-14T09:50:00.000-05:00

"one of those rare movies that brilliantly mixes laughter and heartache to engross you in every obstacle the characters face"

just go see it!!!

there is good in our world...

2006-07-04T11:15:00.000-05:00

i just watched the film called "paper clips"...this film documents the moments of a middle school in rural tennessee learning, growing and empowering their community to remember the 6 million holocaust and 5 million gay & gypsy victims of hitler...this film details what a community can do and what our youth are capable of if given direction to grow....words can not explain the emotions felt while watching this film...please watch and pass on your comments!!!

riding in cars with my boy...

2006-05-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

a month ago my grandmother called and offered us her 14 year old toyota with 155,000 miles on it which has a working ac so we decided to take it...i now feel as if i'm driving in style not only does it have ac it has "cupholders"...i have NEVER had a car with these precious little gadgets before and to most this sounds crazy but i have spilt at least a million drinks in my cars previously and this gadget will save my floor of the car from my accidents with soda...this car is however our second "granny mobile" our first was bought before our wedding and only cost 2,000 but is a 6 cylinder which is a bit of a gas hog and has NO ac...

this 1st granny car has been shared by us both for months now and what i'll miss most about having only one car will be the time riding with my husband...we bonded on our way to work and school in ways that most couples miss out on...chris says that we'll still ride together because he'd like to make the most of using the public transportation to the airport but i know it will be less likely just because we now have more flexiblity with two cars and i'll be less incline to wake at 3 am to take him to dca before my 9 am class in college park...however, either way we saved on gas and learned to respect one another's schedules to the point that there was never a issue in our one car family...this was a welcomed choice to save on gas, oil, insurance and parking on our city street...it made us work together and respect each others schedules and made me smile even at 3 am because of the quality of the time spent talking and listening to npr...

sprinkles, everywhere...

2006-04-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

if i could i would add sprinkles to everything!!!

why??? you might ask...well, they make me happy and when the pressures of life and school are consuming me, sprinkles bring me back to those long legged, natural sun-kissed hair days of my youth...

last week at work i was helping the girls make french toast and came across sprinkles in the cabinet...so, i added them to the mix...i was then questioned by all 6 girls, WHY would i do such a thing??? my answer was...why not, they make things fun!!! the girls thought for a second and they too agreed that they did in fact "make things fun"...mission accomplished!!!

so, when your day is blue add a few more colors like red, pink, white, green, and yellow to the mix and the blue gets over shadowed by the rainbow of your childhood...

sold out...

2006-03-03T23:08:00.000-05:00

i knew she would...i look forward to seeing beth orton in 8 days with all my dear and fabulous friends...

get the funk out...

2006-02-28T16:58:00.000-05:00

chris and i went to see george clinton and the p-funk all stars this past weekend...great crowd and great tunes...although after the show we pondered, how all the musicians actually coordinated their performances...all night there were 20-30 people on stage at any given time and most of musicians were acting like it was a family reunion rather than a show...however, more entertaining then most family reunions...george's eyes did show the "wear" of 65 years of FUNKING it up, but his colorful manner was present in his fans, dreads and soul on stage...great show and experience for the "less than funky self" i've come to know as me...

too much...

2006-01-30T00:47:00.000-05:00

i'm currently working in a group home for teenage girls ages 14-18...needless to say, everyday i work i become more STERILE!!!

my geisha obsession...

2006-01-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

i refused to see the movie "memoirs of a geisha" before i finished the book...being blessed with a small amount of patience, i found myself outside the movie theater minutes before the movie began, finishing the memoir...i loved the book for the in-depth view of the lives of geishas of the past and the movie for the beautiful scenes...plus, all in one day was a true delight...or in my case an obsession

what if...

2006-01-01T21:06:00.000-05:00

my perception of my small space is off...what if...all that i am is a storage shed for energy that can not be destroyed or created...what if...i really am not as nice as some people would like to believe...what if...i never make it to vet school...what if...i do...what if...i save a few bucks on ebay...what if...i never go to my high school reunion...what if...i never become a mom...what if...going to india changed me...what if...my animals only use me for food...what if...i have nothing to give...what if...i do...what if...there are other life forms watching us...what if...i really like mayo...what if...i don't always find things to be funny...what if...i believe in past lives and young & old souls...what if...i obsess about what people think of me...what if...sometimes i feel bad for mr. bush and the messes he's created...what if...sometimes i daydream about love and death...what if...i obsess about random things for short periods of time...what if...i prefer to eat tofu and i love being a vegetarian...what if...i suffer from headaches...what if...i pray to more than one god and guru…what if…my life never amounts to anything more than being content

iso my space...

2005-12-26T00:29:00.000-05:00

Check me out!

life with an aging car...

2005-10-28T15:30:00.000-05:00

so, my mercury topaz is getting the best of me lately...it all started on that very humid, august day, when the air conditioning worked then 2 minutes later it stopped...then the drivers side automatic seltbelt locked into place and to top it off, it makes a VERY loud motor "grinding" sound for 10 minutes after you've opened or closed the door...then the passenger side window quit working...then last week the rear tire blow out, on my way to my chem exam...now we must get our car inspected to pass maryland's emissions and everything that is required is now fixed BUT that crazy seatbelt...our mechanic has been searching all the junkyards in the land and go figure ALL 1992 models have the same seatbelt problem...just what i've been striving for in life...to be like everyone else...i thought i was avoiding being like everyone else by "just" having that damn car...who knew

jury duty is hell on earth...

2005-10-06T12:44:00.000-05:00

so here i am performing my civil duty as an american and i have never felt so much dislike...how am i to make a good day out of any of this??? i arrived at 8:15 am to find myself seated in a room with no air and bodies everywhere; everyone is in a bad mood, not to mention my claustrophobic issues...

now it's 10:15 and all they've managed to get finished was giving 001-600 people their 15 bucks and a sticker...let me just say i will be leaving here today negative cash, because the parking is 12 dollars (no vouchers) and the internet is 7 bucks...not to mention the 3-4 bucks on junk food to keep me ALIVE!!! at this present moment cleaning my toilet sounds fabulous!!!

i understand there could be worse places to be although i can't believe i will leave this place today with less money then i stared with after payment and NOTHING accomplished!!! AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF WE CAN'T LEAVE UNTIL 4:30

no go on tokyo...

2005-08-29T03:30:00.000-05:00

but we did make it to maui...not a bad second choice...we loved it and hope to return soon...

schools out...

2005-08-17T19:23:00.000-05:00

i now have the rest of my summer off to play and i'm taking full advantage of all 14 days...fall classes start on the 31st and i'm taking 13 credits in hopes to finish by december of next year...it's been a long 3 1/2 years of almost constant classes, it will be well worth it when i finally finish...chris will be happy about that fact, too..i'm watching a zillion netflix movies between now and tokyo to make my membership worth it...

tokyo or bust...

2005-08-14T20:23:00.000-05:00

in less than a week my husband and i will be traveling to tokyo...let's just say that i am more than excited to use my passport again and i also look forward to having my husband to myself for a week...in the 4 and 1/2 years of our relationship this will be our first overseas trip together and his first ever...we can't do a lot of planning prior to going, because we're traveling non-rev which means we only go if there are seats...which as of right now, first class seats are still avaible but we'd be more than happy to be in coach if it means going...we hope to travel to mt. fuji and leave the rest up to fate...stay tuned for more info and pictures...

my man's ride...

2005-08-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

we should get a bumber sticker for our '92 mercury topaz that reads..."our other ride costs 19.5 million dollars"

up in the air...

2005-08-11T23:32:00.000-05:00

my past life as a flight attendant is deeply missed every now and then...so i decided to venture back to my old ways...chris (my pilot husband) was over-nighting in birmingham, so i decided to meet him for the night...two metro rides and four flights later i'm back home, 27 hours after departing...we really didn't do anything special but sleep in and eat at subway...although there is something calming about flying for me...when i’m feeling trapped by the world that surrounds me, a flight nowhere is the best solution...i like watching moments unfold when everyone else is consumed by security, time, work, or excitement and i have no plans but to get away...i know my days of being a flight attendant are over and i most likely will never be one again...although, my past has taught me a lot about the person i am today, not to mention helped me meet the only love of my life (for those that don't know, we did meet on a plane, as passengers but became interested in one another after talking for hours on the ground in the pittsburgh airport and we didn't fly together as a crew till we were already dating for months)...however, the best part about my life now, is the fact i still get the benefits of flying at a moments notice to almost anywhere and i don't have to say "ba-bye" anymore unless I desire to...

can we take it home?

2005-08-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

i've used this phrase many times during my life...first, with the random animals on the farm, then with the random animals in the shelters...then with my random boyfriends during my teen years...i really do (pets)/did (ex-boyfriends) have a warm and interesting spot for some of the most random and at times "unwanted" creatures (although, i am happily married now)...

so when my 7 year old cousin starts in with the "can we take it home?" how am i to turn him down...so we left the pet store last week with 2 feeder mice...one black and one white...it really started off as one mouse although as the man got out the black mouse he carelessly, due to their status of "feeder mice", dropped the white one on her head and i felt it was my duty to claim her as well...i had a feeling we'd be down to one mouse "sooner than later" due to the appearance of the little white but i've been surprised before with unlikely come backs...my cat leroy, for example...

however, sadly i was told today that little white one passed and my cousin said it looked as if she was praying as she left her tiny body...so as her soul is drifting off to that unknown place...hopefully she is being reincarnated into something more pristine than a feeder mouse...i hope she enjoyed her last 2 days on earth in the hands of my cousin who loved her very much and hopefully she didn't die of a "popcorn" overdose since he found she favored it over the mouse chow...

a whole new meaning to ambulance chasing...

2005-07-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

so there i was driving back from doggie daycare with the mutt in the back seat...out of nowhere comes a ambulance trying to break free through bumper to bumper traffic on the interstate with no lanes to merge into so...i turn as far to the left as i can and others start to follow and the ambulance finally squeezes through but does everyone politely go back to the order we started with.....NO "do they ever???"...it's every man/woman for themselves and to top this rude behavior off, a van behind me with two seniors pushing 80+ speed up and tailgate the ambulance in efforts to skip the traffic which WORKS!!! i've never seen a senior drive SO fast...maybe they really needed to get to bingo or an early bird special...

what if no one's watching...

2005-07-07T00:18:00.000-05:00

i've never had the type of interest in a performer as i do for ani... i look forward to her show and i feel terrible for putting her on the back burner of my ipod...

death valley hydrated...

2005-06-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

a friend sent this to me and i had to share it with the world..well just my dear friends because the "world" isn't viewing my blog...this is an amazing moment of of seeds being stored until the right elements appear...enjoy

as the wrinkle turns to find botox...

2005-06-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

so here i am trying to complete my paper on women's health issues... i turn the tv on as background noise...i never watch daytime tv although growing up on a farm in bridgeville, pa where our "foil" covered rabbit ears only broadcasted "the young and the restless" followed by "the bold and the beautiful" and then "as the world turns"...the lack of cable made soap operas my "sponge bob" of the early 80's...so i am familiar with these daytime characters and their drama...

so getting back to the background noise, i happened to glance up and i realized that most if not all the characters were the same ones i watched while i was still in diapers...i can't believe these people are still alive!!! did the researchers from botox do all their trial runs on soap opera stars??? how many times can one character die, cheat, steal, have babies that turn 20 before the end of the season and sleep with their ex-husbands father before they kill them off for good??? if you end up an unemployed soap star...you truly sucked!!!

ass getting ass...

2005-06-17T01:51:00.000-05:00

so there we were, driving to gettysburg, pa on a family outing to the battlefield when off on the side of the road were two donkeys showing the world their loving moments...i guess, in a typical family, scenes like this would only go as far as a giggle or a moment of embarrassment in hopes that no one else saw you looking at this act, but, not our family...we whipped our mercury topaz around (maxed out with five adults) into a u-turn and went back for a better view of donkey porn...needless to say like most loving moments it ended quite quickly...the day at the battlefield lasted longer than any donkey could have dreamed of...

wish it would rain...

2005-06-14T03:31:00.000-05:00

summer is truly over-rated...i only like early mornings and nights in the summer...it's too hot for this fair skinned girl...classes are going well at umd although i look forward to being a professional of "something" soon...bella is at doggie daycare suffering in the sun as i chill indoors guess i'm not being the best dog mom today...happy birthday sarah...chris is off flying...listening to ani can't wait for the show...

here goes nothing...

2005-06-03T21:22:00.000-05:00

i have been inspired by my husband to blog my thoughts...so here i go with training wheels intact...writing for me as never been enjoyable until recently, due to my childhood of "special" reading and writing classes, these childhood moments caused me to avoid reading and writing because "others" thought i wasn't good enough...this snowballed into a complex that to this day still inhibits me to explore my creative side...so as i journey to discover my ideas and grander visions of myself i hope to inspire other in the way i have been inspired by my husband and friends...