Miss Adventures

Sorry, folks, but it’s hard to live in DC and not be lil’ bit political. So here’s a move I applaud.

Pretty smart if you think about it…I know I’d much rather have a bunch of mayors mad at me than an entire police union.

This gives a whole new meaning for the word ‘Weblog’

Saturday I went to see the 10:30AM showing of Fahrenheit 9/11, and I cried and cried throughout the entire two hours. I don’t know if that’s what Michael Moore was going for when he made the movie, but it really hit me like a ton of bricks, starting with the scene when you hear - not see - the planes crashing into the towers until the scene when Lila Lipscomb visits the White House.

A note to the heartless woman who thought the latter scene was staged: that poor Middle Eastern lady has lived under that yellow tent in front of White House for years. I’ll go down and snap a pic of it some time this week. That scene really angered me.

Anyhow, the film is definitely worth seeing.

Over the weekend, some annoying spammer/spamming script infiltrated my blog, leaving some less-than-savory comments. Sorry if anyone saw these and were offended.

I’m so annoyed. I feel so violated. If there’s going to be any g-d cursing on my blog then I’m the one who’s going to f**kin’ do it. Sadly, I’m afraid my choice of words could a*ouse more spam or possibly some unwanted ads.

Still, I’m going to do something about this if I can. Here are a few links that I plan to employ to fight spam when I see it.

Complaining to the Spammer’s Provider
Reporting Spam to Government Agencies

In the meantime, comments for my blog have essentially been cut off. Email if you want to get in touch.

…until I get out of this office and get on with my summer adventures.

I think they’re trying to make my last days miserable though. It doesn’t help that I’m in a half-cube sans file cabinet or real desk space. Now they’ve set aside a space beside me for a new contractor who is extremely creepy. Kind of a Norman Bates-type who talks to much.

I’ve been feeling bad lately, about the denoument of leaving this god forsaken job. I just feel bad about leaving the decent people with my work load. But I need to stop acting like a chump.
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I just watched what is sure to be one of the most thrilling matches of the entire Wimbledon tournament, and I never even turned on the tele.
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Thanks (or no thanks) to my sister, I’ve wasted the better part of the morning figuring out what kind of dog I am. I’ve also started a chain reaction in my office, so I’m getting the occasional email that says, “I’m a Lhasa Apso!” How come there are so many of these games on the Internet? Are we all that distracted? I think it’s just a defense against the big pile of work crap that just got dumped in our laps on this lovely summer Thursday.

Neverthless, I have learned a few things about myself this morning. Apparently I’m a loyal companion and eager to please.

My Results, in case you care to know…
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Coming to the DC area for the 4th and want to know what to do? Here are a few events that I profiled for AOL Digital Cities:

• Independence Eve Bash
• National Archives July 4 Celebration
• University of Maryland July 4 Concert & Fireworks

And more from AOL…

You know, if you’re going to use a foreign language phrase in your headline, by all means check the spelling:

Auf Wiedersen Germany

Sorry, but what do you expect from a copy editor who minored in German?

Last night, I had the pleasure of watching the New York Yankees trounce the Baltimore Orioles 10-4. So the Yankees bought their talent – isn’t that what professional baseball teams are supposed to do? Alex Rodriguez’s salary is indeed bloated, but after seeing him belt two homers – and drive in half of the Yankees’ runs – I certainly feel like he was worth every penny. He made me a believer.

I’m sure he made a number of Orioles fans believers, too, even if they didn’t like the score. Last night was the highest attendance EVER at Camden Yards. 49,696 people came to the game. And though it was a great night for a ballgame, I’m pretty sure that many people showed up on a Tuesday evening just to watch A-Rod play.

Baseball is back, and early attendance records can back me up. For this reason, but not for this reason alone, I’d like to advocate the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington, DC.
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…keeps the creditors away!

No seriously…I don’t know how anyone does it. I have just spent the better part of mid-day working on a pitch — well, two — tailored for one specific magazine. I’ll sit on that one for a little while - let’s hope I hear back. Then I’ll move down to the next market and give it a go.

It’ll be a lot easier to devote my undivided attention to queries once I leave my day job. My last day is next Friday - woohoo! Maybe I’ll spend a lazy 4th of July weekend brainstorming. That’s the only problem with freelancing full-time: your work is never done.
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All I have to ask is what’s with all the spitting?
Totti Gets Three-Game Spitting Ban
UEFA Revive Frei Spit Charge

I’ve desperately been trying to think of how to redesign my personal web site and came across this helpful site. The Web Style Guide lays out the whole process, giving you tips on design, editorial style, and graphics.

Now if I can find a web site on overcoming procrastinating tendencies…

So, I will let you in on a little secret. In less than three months, I will be moving to Mumbai (formerly Bombay), where for the next little while I hope to derive travel writing inspiration from the Indian metropolis’ mind-boggling array of sights, scents, and cultures. It shouldn’t be too hard. That is, it shouldn’t be too hard to find inspiration.

I’m not so sure how I will handle living in Mumbai, but I’m sure it will be with a sense of absolute wonder.

It’s pretty cool that my first trip to Asia will be when I actually live there. But, if you don’t mind me giving myself a congratulatory pat on the back, that’s exactly how I first encountered Europe. The first time I went there was when I moved to Germany as an exchange student in 1991.
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I’ve seen this lead pop up a few times over the past week, and I have to say it’s a tempting offer. Not for the money, but just because of the subject. Gosh, I wonder if they’ll accept a random story about my daily commute…

Window Seat Press is looking for off-beat, funny, inspirational or tragic international bus travel stories of 750 to 4,000 words for a bus travel story anthology. Whether you’re in Kathmandu or Cozumel, the bus is where it all happens. It’s where you meet the people, hear the language and taste the culture for the price of a fare. Whether you glimpsed fear in the eyes of Rwandan refugees or played poker with Laotian nuns, we want to read your bus story. Make it funny, serious or off-beat, but make it true to the experience we’ve all shared from our seats on the bus. We pay one $500 editor’s choice per book plus $100 and two book copies for each published story. Multiple story submissions accepted. Publication summer 2005. To submit, send your story in the body of an email with subject line “Where Do We Get Off?” to: wheredowegetoff@windowseatpress.com or send a self-addressed stamped envelope with each submission to: Where Do We Get Off?, Window Seat Press, 1519 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #301, Washington, DC 20036. All submissions must include story title along with author’s name, address and phone number.

On some days, like today, I waste half my time browsing for market leads, interesting writing opportunities, and advice. Some sites are a big waste of time, while others always have me coming back for more. My list of bookmarks is all over the place, which is why I’m going to list my fave sites below.
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I’ve got one of those nasty summer colds right now, so my head isn’t quite right today. So it seemed like a good day to browse the net – also the BootsNall Boards – to see what was going on.

I come back to the topic of travel writing, in general, and writing “on spec,” specifically, because it is one of those topics that I can’t seem to find agreement on, either on writing sites or within myself.

Writing on spec - or, on speculation – is one of those no-nos they tell you about in Travel Writing 101. Here’s the scenario: you query an editor and the editor likes your idea but asks to see a fully-written article before he/she agrees to pay you for it. In 9 cases out of 10, you will put in a lot of hard work for little or no gain.

I’ve technically written on spec once, but thankfully was paid for it. But what of the hundreds of queries I have sent out and never fully fleshed out?
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Woo hoo! I’m so glad the Pistons proved my whole theory wrong. Now maybe I’ll have more confidence in former and current Washington players. How about Ben Wallace getting 10 rebounds in the 3rd quarter alone? It was so heartwarming to see the looks on the Lakers’ faces when they started to realize that they really aren’t that good of a team.

Well, since I’ve proven that such a good predictor of future events, I will now predict that I will NOT win the lottery. I will NOT win the lottery. *wink*wink*

I have been an avid follower of the Euro Cup since 1992, when a start-up Denmark beat reigning World Cup champs Germany. I was an apathetic exchange student in Germany at the time, and was more than happy to cheer on – along with my Nirvana-loving host brother – the defeat of a powerhouse. My love for underdogs goes way back.

Now it’s time for Euro Cup again, and I’m ready to watch. Only thing is that you can’t watch any of the matches in the U.S. unless you get pay-per-view. I clicked on ESPN2 this morning and got to watch the wife of NRA President Wayne LaPierre hunt down and kill big game in Africa. Why can’t I watch something more civilized like the second biggest soccer tournament in the world??
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Zucchini is in season right now, and soon there will be so much we won’t know what to do with it. I could probably eat zucchini everyday. It’s so versatile - grill it, sautee it, fry it up. Yesterday morning, I took to frittering it.

I modified this recipe from the May 2002 issue of Bon Appetit. It was a special “Mediterranan” edition, and I think these fritters were inspired by recipes from the Greek island of Samos (maybe Syros). At any rate, the recipe needs to be tested again, as the fritters didn’t come out perfectly. Some solutions follow:
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