heard about a book called "You Ruined it for Everyone! 1010 People Who Screwed Things Up for the Rest of Us" by Matthew Vincent.
link to story in USA today by clicking on the title to this post
I'm an anglophile, and the cold toast thing always bugs me....
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
What to do when you have to go
This blog is about restrooms
Bathrooms, toilets, WCs, loos..you know what I mean.
This should be simple, but when you're in a foreign country, it's sometimes nerve-wracking.
First time I was in Tokyo, just off the airplane. I go thru customs and run to the nearest toilet I could find. I go in, go to the first stall and was confronted with a gutter, or a drain. Not sure what to call it (an in-ground sink?), but it sure as heck wasn't the familiar stool that we encounter here in the US. It's more common in Japan (and in other countries) to find a "squat toilet", kind of like peeing on the ground. Only it's not the ground, it's porcelain and has water and a flusher, but you pretty much have to squat. I never really got the hang of this, since my balance is precarious. Suffice to say that I took to wearing skirts, or got used to undressing from the waist down in order to answer the call of nature!
WIkipedia has nice explanations and photos so you can see what I mean:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan
(or click on the title of this blog post too)
I've also encountered squat toilets in Europe too (the top of St. Peter's in Rome comes to mind!)
Besides Japanese toilets, I've also learned that when traveling, it's good to keep some things in mind:
Some restrooms will have attendants and they expect a tip. Sometimes in exchange for a tip, they will give you a few squares of really scratchy toilet paper.
Some restrooms will have attendants that expect a tip and don't even give you some scratchy TP in return. I always pack travel size tissue packs for this purpose.
Some restrooms have no attendant, so always good to come prepared with tissues and even hand sanitizer.
McDonald's tend to have recognizable bathrooms that no one will hassle you for using if you don't buy anything (though if you like ICE COLD milk, this is the place to find it)
Places like Brazil have little covered wastebaskets that you put ALL paper waste into (even when I stayed at a fancy, hermetically sealed chain like a Hilton in Sao Paolo) since the systems can't handle the paper.
Always good to search out information on this stuff. Maybe it's because i'm a woman, but peeing seems to be more of an issue for me than my husband. He can even pee into the gutter in Japan and no one even looks twice (only really works late at night, when every other salary man is off work and out for a few drinks with friends!)
Happy Travels!
Bathrooms, toilets, WCs, loos..you know what I mean.
This should be simple, but when you're in a foreign country, it's sometimes nerve-wracking.
First time I was in Tokyo, just off the airplane. I go thru customs and run to the nearest toilet I could find. I go in, go to the first stall and was confronted with a gutter, or a drain. Not sure what to call it (an in-ground sink?), but it sure as heck wasn't the familiar stool that we encounter here in the US. It's more common in Japan (and in other countries) to find a "squat toilet", kind of like peeing on the ground. Only it's not the ground, it's porcelain and has water and a flusher, but you pretty much have to squat. I never really got the hang of this, since my balance is precarious. Suffice to say that I took to wearing skirts, or got used to undressing from the waist down in order to answer the call of nature!
WIkipedia has nice explanations and photos so you can see what I mean:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan
(or click on the title of this blog post too)
I've also encountered squat toilets in Europe too (the top of St. Peter's in Rome comes to mind!)
Besides Japanese toilets, I've also learned that when traveling, it's good to keep some things in mind:
Some restrooms will have attendants and they expect a tip. Sometimes in exchange for a tip, they will give you a few squares of really scratchy toilet paper.
Some restrooms will have attendants that expect a tip and don't even give you some scratchy TP in return. I always pack travel size tissue packs for this purpose.
Some restrooms have no attendant, so always good to come prepared with tissues and even hand sanitizer.
McDonald's tend to have recognizable bathrooms that no one will hassle you for using if you don't buy anything (though if you like ICE COLD milk, this is the place to find it)
Places like Brazil have little covered wastebaskets that you put ALL paper waste into (even when I stayed at a fancy, hermetically sealed chain like a Hilton in Sao Paolo) since the systems can't handle the paper.
Always good to search out information on this stuff. Maybe it's because i'm a woman, but peeing seems to be more of an issue for me than my husband. He can even pee into the gutter in Japan and no one even looks twice (only really works late at night, when every other salary man is off work and out for a few drinks with friends!)
Happy Travels!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Italian class!
a month ago i started taking Italian classes again. i am the same student i always was in college: i left my homework until the last minute and did it last night. i did manage to practice my verbs on the train to work this morning. i feel that fluency will not be achievable until i find time to go to Italy and get lost for a few weeks.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
20th anniversary week continues!
okay...so yesterday was our "official" anniversary day.
Our picnic has been put off until this evening, and it will be in front of the TV catching up on Burn Notice.
We had a bit of a situation to deal with last night. Bjorn crashed on his bike commuting home from work.
This meant I had to assist with hosing him down with Bactine and applying some bandages. We only had energy for some
Mexican take out after that (and watching some season 2 of True Blood).
Woohoo! who says we don't know how to celebrate?
Our picnic has been put off until this evening, and it will be in front of the TV catching up on Burn Notice.
We had a bit of a situation to deal with last night. Bjorn crashed on his bike commuting home from work.
This meant I had to assist with hosing him down with Bactine and applying some bandages. We only had energy for some
Mexican take out after that (and watching some season 2 of True Blood).
Woohoo! who says we don't know how to celebrate?
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
In homage to the Discovery Channel....
August 1 brings us Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. My husband and I FINALLY caved in and got cable (for the reception - those digital TV antennas and close proximity to MSP airport don't mix) a few months ago. Hence, it will be our first Shark Week as a couple.
But we've been married 20 years. This week. So we decided that we needed to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary with a week long string of events (some big, some small, some not really events at all...but work with us, we've never done this before).
So we're celebrating 20th Wedding Anniversary Week (restraining order free since 1990!)
Sunday: Como Zoo and brunch
http://www.comozooconservatory.org/
Monday: husband picked me up after Italian class w/ a box full of gourmet cupcakes from Sweet's Bakeshop
http://www.theitalianculturalcenter.org/
http://www.sweetsbakeshop.com/
Tuesday (tonight): Tapas and drinks at Solera!
http://www.solera-restaurant.com/
We'll see what else happens this week!
PS - My niece will be moving close to the HQ of the Discovery Channel in MD (in honor of shark week?)
But we've been married 20 years. This week. So we decided that we needed to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary with a week long string of events (some big, some small, some not really events at all...but work with us, we've never done this before).
So we're celebrating 20th Wedding Anniversary Week (restraining order free since 1990!)
Sunday: Como Zoo and brunch
http://www.comozooconservatory.org/
Monday: husband picked me up after Italian class w/ a box full of gourmet cupcakes from Sweet's Bakeshop
http://www.theitalianculturalcenter.org/
http://www.sweetsbakeshop.com/
Tuesday (tonight): Tapas and drinks at Solera!
http://www.solera-restaurant.com/
We'll see what else happens this week!
PS - My niece will be moving close to the HQ of the Discovery Channel in MD (in honor of shark week?)
Monday, May 24, 2010
to quote John Lennon
life is what happens when you're busy making other plans
my blogging has fallen by the wayside in the rush to keep up at work
my blogging has fallen by the wayside in the rush to keep up at work
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