The Anthropologist

So Long Farewell.

I’ve decided its time to try something a little different. While I’ve loved being a backpacker, it’s not really my life anymore. I’ve uploaded all my posts to a new blog, and don’t worry – I’ll keep writing about travel. I just need something more versatile. So thanks friends for all your support, but stay tuned to the peony papers.

Maison Cailler Swiss Chocolates

Someone in the office left a bag of Cailler Swiss chocolates in the kitchen today. I took the liberty of sampling them. If Adam gets to go on assignment in Switzerland, I’ll be a very happy girl.

The lait (milk chocolate) was fantastic. Creamy and full of cocoa, this chocolate has a lighter taste than your typical Hershey’s bar. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the dessert or cremant chocolates. The dessert has traces of praline which i’m not a fan of, and the cremant was an ‘extrafine dark chocolate,’ and I’m not into that either. 

But unexpectedly, the blanc chocolate was my favorite. Super silky and supple, just like chocolate should be.  What’s your favorite international chocolatier?

Photo source 1. Source 2.

A Silver Screen Soire

Clearly, I am working on being a bit more proative about keep up with the trends. Today I became obsessed with Nonpareil Magazine’s June 2010 issue: A Silver Screen Soire.

 

Source.

I am totally obsessed with so many of the ideas in here. There’s a DIY for lanterns shaped like Lord of the Rings’ fireworks, table settings based on The Great Gatsby and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and three pages of chocolate-based recipes. I can’t wait to try out the Breakfast at Tiffany’s hair style and maybe do some baking. Great edition for some classic inspiration!

Airport Snafu’s

TIME magazine released a great little slideshow of  some pretty big ‘Oops!’ moments at airports aroudn the world. While this article originally debuted in March, it’s interesting that the front page is showcasing it now- 5 days after the closed runway at JFK was scheduled to be reopened. Luckily for them, it reoped “under budget and ahead of schdule,” according to this CNN article.

Source.

Others on the list include the disastrous opening days of British Airways’ T5 at Heathrow, where thousands of bags were lost and passengers stranded, and the redevelopment of Chicago O’Hare aiport. All but two of the O’Hare runways intersect, and the redesign project will oust the residents of nearby Bensonville. Also on the list was the 2007 JetBlue incident where passengers on nine flights were stranded on the runway for upwards of 11 hours. Congress didn’t pass a passenger’s bill of rights until 2009.

Any good airport accidents you’ve witnessed?

The Greenbrier

According to Lilly Pulitzer’s Facebook update today, The Greenbriar in West Virginia is the East Coast place to be this Fouth of July weekend. Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Gardner, Ben Affleck, and Brooke Shields are going, so it must be cool. [Photo Source.]

I took a virtual wander around the resort and was entertained and impressed. Want to try your hand at falconry? No problem. Want to eat the wonders of a “renound chef [and his] culinary brigade?” Go ahead. Need room for your kids? How about staying at Heritage level accomodations with two to four bedrooms. I wonder who won the spacious seven bedroom Presidential Suite- Brooke and Jessica must have had a walk-off to determine that one.

How about being at the grand opening of the Casino Club! Scheduled for tomorrow, this “102,000 square foot facility” has over 300 slot machines and a measly 30-plus gaming tables. I’m sure you can fit in family time between hands of Black Jack and Poker.

But for the regular travelers out there, you can book a family package for $250 a night with kids staying free, or pay just $125 if they want their own room. You can golf the famous Old White Course, a new addition to the PGA Tour, FedEx Cup series in 2010. And you can take advantage of the ‘Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia’ through kayaking, white water rafting, and mountain trail rides. Then relax at the spa with signature treatments and natural mineral waters. For a fun, adventurous weekend getaway, I’d sign up in a heartbeat. As long as there weren’t any celebrities blocking the view with their egos.

Can’t it look more like the Delorian?

According to a late post from cnet.com the FAA has approved the first flying car. The regulations for a light sports aircraft weigh in at a 1,320 pound limit, but thanks to the bad-assedness of the plane’s MIT developers, the  Terrafugia Transition is a whopping 110 pounds overweight. Thanks FAA for letting passengers have airbags and other road safety features. But if I were driving one, I’d probably try to keep the road time to a minimum. Maybe now I’ll take flying classes!

Romance Novels

Romance novels are a fantastic invention. Lately there has been a bit of chatter around CNN about why they’re so popular, and why women prefer their britches and boots wearing, gun handling, broody but first to arrive on the scene to help heroes to their real-life male counterparts. Plus these pocketbook paperbacks make great travel buddies. One romance novel made it through 6 of my friends on Spring Break senior year at Elon.

Today’s article is aptly about the relase of the third installment of the Twilight series, Eclipse. While I won’t ever be a ‘Twihard,’ I’ll never read the books, there is something compelling and mystifying about such a strong love between this awkward teenage girl and her damned soul-mate. I’ll be interested to see how this half-vampire child issue works out in the final film…

Here are the stories that have shown up lately. Any thoughts?

I Write Romance Novels…So What? CNN, 5/10/2010

A Romantic Hero Wouldn’t Do That CNN, 5/31/2010

Why Women Find Vampires Hot CNN, 6/30/2010

Photo Source.

Most Expensive Cities

 Yahoo released a list of the world’s most expensive cities today. Not surprisingly, most of them are in Japan, and the rest are in Northern Europe.

Number One? Tokyo:

Source.

Have you been to any of these?

Weekly Newscap

In our office cluster, we send out articles of the day. I’ve decided to do a weekly post with the best articles of the week each Friday to share these story gems with you. Thank you Sydney for pioneering this practice each morning.

Friday: A British man has outdone himself in a display of masculinity. If it was Pierce Brosnan, I would be the first in line. The gentleman auctioned off the opportunity for intimate waxing to raise money for charity, nearly rendering himself unable to produce offspring. Might not be such a bad thing. Also, Southwest Airlines had some loose baggage on a recent flight in the form of human heads. Photo Source.

Monday: Video day from Sydney. The first video poses the question of what has humanity come to? The second two depict what a  true American looks like and reminds me of the MUFON article that Kara and Sydney uncovered a few weeks ago.  Video 1. Video 2. Video 3.

Tuesday: The German soccer team currently in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup has admitted to being bored in their time off, but not so much that they will play with the native giant iguanas. We also became immediately distressed by the accidental kidnapping of Todd, Sean and Jonas. And then we were glad that we don’t in fact eat unicorn meat.

Photo Source.

Wednesday: World Cup fever has taken over the office. Drew has expressed that this would be his reaction if “office decorum allowed it.” We were also relieved to learn that Jonas, Todd and Sean were found and returned to camel kiss their owners. Photo Source.

Thursday: I have had discussions about proper ways to make macaroni and cheese, but luckily none have them have involved 4th degree assault from one of my family members.

Today: In case of emergency Friday, please follow this Florida woman’s example. And get excited for the Bionic Kitty.

Well there’s our newscap for the week. We had some drama, excitement, danger and suspense. But most importantly plain moronic behavior that entertains us in the office. Until next Friday.  

 

This photo is for Kara in honor of her undecorated cubicle. Now you have something to look at. Photo Source.