by Annie | May 24, 2010 | Travel
The first time I laid eyes on Sofie, I knew she was a pretty dog. The first time she nuzzled me, I sensed she was a sweet dog. Now, a few days into our roadtrip, I’ve learned that she was built to be a world traveler. With all our necessities on board our VW Jetta, you can surmise that space is limited, to say the least. Sofie has thus been confined to a cramped corner atop her beloved denim LL Bean dog bed, folded in half and crammed above pillows, towels, camping supplies, and various other somewhat soft items. Unlike the Princess and the Pea situation, however, Sofie doesn’t seem to mind her lumpy mattress or her inability to sit up without hitting the ceiling. In fact, she spends most of her time gazing out the window at FedEx trucks and cornfields while experimenting with new sleeping positions. Sofie’s trusted pal Squirrely always hangs out nearby to keep her company as she dreams about upcoming...
by Annie | May 23, 2010 | Travel
Cornfield, cornfield, soybean field, cornfield. Yup, you guessed it – we’re in the Midwest. Land flat as a pancake and roads straight as a pole. Great for testing visibility, not so great for sneaking up on enemies. So what does one do while counting cornfields? Why, eat, of course. Dream about what to eat, plan around what is actually available for eating, prepare area for eating, consume procured foods voraciously, clean up any traces of having eaten, and repeat. Here is a very limited portion of what my stomach has been busily processing within the past 24 hours or so: – several squares of perfectly bite-sized Swiss milk chocolate hazelnut delights – countless handfuls of Sun Chips out of an annoyingly noisy 100% compostable bag – sunflower seeds, both shelled and unshelled, salted and unsalted – prunes, an attempt to proactively ward off the imminent travel constipation – Fazoli breadsticks, fresh from the oven – one slice of white pie – biscuits and gravy, along with a thorough description of the many varieties of fat that went into the making of said gravy – several varieties of Lays potato chips, often consumed simultaneously – a bigger slice of white pie – iced hazelnut latte, mostly ice and hazelnut syrup – iced tea lemonade – shaken, not stirred Ah, how I delight in spotting those magical blue road signs, one after another, proclaiming the endless possibilities for palate stimulation and digestive exercise. Forget the freshman fifteen. Roadtrip fifteen, here I come!...
by Annie | May 22, 2010 | Travel
How did people ever drive across the country without mobile technology? I mean, I love my husband and all, but 50 some-odd hours of talking and car games? That could very well lead straight to a trial separation. The three smartphones in our car have essentially turned my spot in the passenger seat into a mobile command center. I could probably orchestrate a small war without getting out of the car. Here are a few of the things I’ve been doing: – playing several simultaneous games of Scrabble, the best game on Earth – listening to audiobooks, which is the best way to read – taking pictures of state welcome signs, which can be stressful at 60mph – checking email every few minutes – checking facebook when not playing Scrabble or checking email – looking up random facts to settle disputes and general curiosity – mapping our progress and searching for exits with Chick-fil-A’s Overall, I’d say I’m overwhelmingly relieved that we have access to the world at our fingertips. I mean, if you think about it, these smartphones are more than smart. They offer marriage insurance and sanity maintenance. Never leave home without...
by Annie | May 21, 2010 | Travel
West Virginia, wild and wonderful. Well, at least, it used to be wild and wonderful. Apparently now it’s just “Open for business.” Yes, it’s only day one of our cross country adventure, and we’re already starting geeky car games like trying to name all the state slogans. Here are a few of my favorites: Washington – SayWA! Oklahoma – Oklahoma is OK Maryland – Seize the day off North Dakota – Legendary Kansas – Kansas, as big as you think Slogan writing must be an entertaining job. Right up there with naming paint colors. Today has been a highly hectic, somewhat stressful, and seemingly endless day. After frantic last minute errands before breakfast, we started cramming our car full of our countless piles of junk. Meanwhile, the cleaning company and electrician slaved away simultaneously to make our house look somewhat liveable again. Several reshufflings and exasperated sighs later, the car was packed, the dog walked, and the house cleaned to a brilliant shine. I must say, it feels somewhat surreal to finally be on the road after months of preparation, anticipation, and occasional frustration. But now there’s just Joe, Sofie, me, a car full of stuff, and the open road ahead of us. Let the adventure begin!...
by Annie | Apr 27, 2010 | Logoland
I love logos. But what I love more than logos are logos with hidden meanings. Those are the ones I look back on again and again, because they reveal an extra layer, one that makes me think about the organization the logo represents. Take a look at these famous logos. Do you see the hidden meanings? 1. FedEx Looks pretty straightforward, right? Look closely, between the E and the x. See the arrow created by the white space? Pretty clever, eh? 2. Toblerone Sure there’s a mountain, but do you see the hidden bear? 3. Goodwill At first glance, you might see half a smiley face. But look closely, and you’ll see that the smiley doubles as the letter ‘g.’ 4. Yoga Australia Typical yoga pose, though this one forms the shape of Australia. 5. Amazon We’ve all been to amazon.com, to buy everything from books to toilet paper. That’s because Amazon has it all, from A to Z, as shown by the arrow, which also doubles as a smile. So the next time you come across a logo, take a second look. Maybe you’ll find some hidden layers of meaning waiting to be...
