Fuzzy Bus

I have loved the country of Thailand for as long as I can remember.  My parents would take us every few weeks to the Thai restaurant in our neighborhood, and the delicate hands of the traditional dancers depicted in the paintings on the walls, and the small statues of the dancers throughout the restaurant intrigued my young, but ballet filled mind.  I could not take my eyes off of those hands.  It was many years later that I was able to take my first trip, and I landed on the Island of Phuket.  My traveling partner had booked us into a fine hotel he booked online.  Look here to find your perfect accommodations.

My friend had traveled throughout the country extensively and insisted we take a safari jeep tour.  I was really wanted to find a performance of the Thai dancers I remembered from my youth, and he promised that after seven days in the outdoors, he would take me to one of the most beautiful performances of my lifetime, so I agreed.  There are many breathtaking beaches along the coasts of the Island, and we started our journey at the Prai Waterfall. We had a bit of a swim, ate lunch and fell to a very deep sleep in the resort.  To be honest I was thrilled that we were to spend the night in a resort, as camping in tents just really makes me nervous.  From there we headed the next morning into the mountains and to the town of Surat Thani.

Again, I must say, that the hotel accommodations were incredible and I was holding my breath for the night we would be in tents.  We watched birds, we relaxed in the natural hot springs of Klong Thom and explored the regions that have not been touched by tourism nor commercialism.  Each night we stayed in cozy rooms, and each day was spent in Mangrove Swamps and learning the ways in which monkey communicate.  After the Safari, he did take me to the most amazing dance performance I had ever experienced, but to be honest…the days on the safari tour are what I will remember most.

When I think back on winter as a child, I recall carefree days of playing in the snow, sledding down the hills, and rejoicing over the too few days of cancelled school. Now as an adult I am aware of the challenges that winter presents. Broken heaters, frozen pipes, sick children and icy roads are just a few of the many inconveniences that winter presents. But while we are busy trying to keep the house standing and the family healthy, we do not want to forget about the real troopers–our cars. Driving the hazardous, snowy roads with the possibility of sliding off the road at any moment is not the only potential risk to our winter-worn vehicles.
It is important, before those dreaded winter months hit, to take your car in for a tune-up. Checking all the belts, hoses, and wires should ensure that everything is functioning properly. Also, don’t forget to have them check the brakes. Sliding down an icy hill would be a most unfortunate time to have your brakes go out. You can also have your fluids changed at this time as well. Change out your washer fluid and make sure your vehicle is set on antifreeze/ coolant. Not enough and your fluids will freeze and cause key elements in your engine to crack–a costly and time consuming repair. Your auto parts store will have a variety of different kinds; some made especially for those who particularly cold climates.
Once your inside is set it is time to move on to the outside. To protect your paint from the massive amounts of salt it will be driving through this winter, begin by giving it a good wash. When it is nice and clean you can put a special sealant on your car to protect it from all the salt build up. The key is to keep it clean all winter. It sounds daunting, but by hosing down the exterior, and especially the undercarriage, you can prevent rusting which could lead to severe damage and more costly repairs.
While your looking at the outside check out those custom wheels and tires. Look for any tread wear or balding that could lead to poor traction on the roadways and a potentially dangerous situation. It is also important that your tires are properly inflated. If you have 20 inch rims made of steel, you will want to replace them with 20″ rims stock rims to avoid rust.
The key to keeping your vehicle in tip-top shape during the winter is planning ahead. If you take the necessary steps early on you are that much closer to ensuring a fun, safe winter.

Singapore’s been on lots of different cultural maps lately, and it’s easy to see why.  There’s always plenty of things to do here, and many different varieties of entertainments available.  It doesn’t seem to matter what time of year you come to visit, because there’s always something interesting, and always something new.  There is also that strange but wonderful phenomenon that happens with urban centers that have been cool for awhile: there is a sudden interest in a new artist or movement, and after a bit we can start to see the predecessors, and realize that everything that happens here is based on what happened previously.  That is to say, it exists in time and history, like everything else.

It’s extraordinary when you can participate in the history in the making, and getting to Singapore, and getting around here is very easy.  There are some excellent hotes at this link here that cater to those with a taste for individual touches along with a gorgeous sense of hospitality.  It’s also easy to find excellent events in town from any of the hotels, and visitors might be lucky enough to come across the work of local artist Jimmy Ong.

It’s probably not correct to call him local, when he’s living in New York now, but Singaporeans like to continue to claim him as one of their own.  This artist is famous for his large-scale works, and he’s had quite a career here.  The past few years have seen him flourish as an artist that can stand in a local as well as a global context, which is to say, he’s either arrived, or is extremely close.  His works are as interesting as his themes.  Taking the local conception of the Hungry Ghost based in Buddhism, where those who die without offspring are left to roam the earth forever, and then attaching this idea to queer identity, there is a very potent combination.  It speaks to a very particular time and place, and when we walk in history, we enter into this realm, which is much more complex than anyone could have imagined.

I was able to visit my good friend John last summer at his small studio apartment in San Francisco. The trip was absolutely amazing and it had been over five years since I had seen him. We were extremely close years ago when we were studying together in Flagstaff, Arizona. At the time we had the same group of friends and he and I even worked together at the same local café for two years. Much of our time there was spent by each other’s side and some people even considered us to be inseparable. Other’s thought we were destined to be together and were continually anticipating a wedding announcement. That could not have been any further from the mark however, as John and I, although opposite genders and extraordinarily close we were never more than platonic friends, which I’m more than certain is the way that both of us wanted it. In fact, I think I can safely say that neither of us ever had any romantic interest in the other.

So, the natural question is how did five years pass without two friends of such an allegedly close relationship making any effort to see each other. Ah, there’s the rub, there were efforts made and some initial plans were attempted, but as everyone should also know, life easily positions itself directly in the path of plans like that. And particularly after college, the freedom of youth vanishes into thin air.

Last summer though, the stars were perfectly aligned and John was free for a full week and I was able to make the flight. He invited me to stay with him in his studio, but I was going to be there for a full week and didn’t want to crowd him. I made reservations for a modest, yet comfortable room in one of San Francisco’s hotels. John and I had an amazing time the entire week. We took an two hour Bay cruise, which included a fabulous lunch and incredible views. We also saw a play at the Golden Gate Theatre and took a tour of the Berkeley campus, which had been the reason John moved there in the first place. He received his graduate degree from Berkeley and stayed there after he graduated. One thing is certain, well a few are, but whatever happens John and I will not wait five more years to see each other.

I always secretly wanted to be Biff.  Maybe it’s not all that secret.  When I was in high school, I was on the wrestling team every year, and I did not want to take drama, but I had to.  There was something about it being the only elective left, and there was one other except for drama and that was homemaking class.  So it was just drama that was open, and that’s what I decided to take but I didn’t want to.  But then I started to be in the class and it was interesting, and then I started doing a scene about the guy in sales, the guy who dies.  

That was a very different play and I liked it a lot because I got to play Biff, and everyone told me I nailed it.  I didn’t know you could nail it in a drama class, but I did, and that was good.  I don’t know what I did, but there was a moment when I was deciding to think about how I was mad at someone who took some cash from my wallet and I decided to think about that, and then I don’t remember the rest.  That was a few years ago, and now I’m sometimes going to check into these New York business hotels because that sounds like something Biff would do, and I wait to have meetings with a boss the next day.

But you know what?  Just like in the play, there’s no meeting.  I’m not there to meet anyone.  It’s sad.  I’m there not to meet anyone but just so I can say I did, because I don’t know why I do it.  There’s something about this Biff Loman that makes me feel like I’m reminded of someone who is me.  And I think if I were like the guy who wrote the play so he could marry Marilyn Monroe, that would be all right, too, but it would have to a be a younger one, because she’s got to be like way old by now.

After a great nights sleep in our hotel room, we went for breakfast in the hotels restaurant. We decided to check out the Bonneville Dam, which would take us most of the day to get there from Seattle. But, it was a part of our educational section of our trip. By the time we arrived, via rental car, we were just in time for a tour to begin. Our ranger was really nice and she gave us a wonderful tour and took us to see the Dam turbine room. She explained to us how all the fish get through the Dam via a series of ladders with which the fish can easily traverse when they need to go upstream for spawning purposes. But, going downstream, it’s a little treacherous, because they have to swim through the turbines, which the fish do get a little shredded by the actions of the turbines, but our ranger assured us that is was a very small percentage. Apparently, the downstream fish flow wasn’t considered or factored by the original Dam design. They have since built special tubes that the fish can use to bypass the turbines, which does increase their survival rate.

Our visit to the Dam was very beautiful, it’s set in the Columbia River, so we had a little bit of time before heading back to the best luxury hotels Seattle, where we are booked, and we took a small hike to Beacon Rock. It only took us 45 minutes to reach the top, and only 20 minutes to come back down! At the top, we had a brilliant view of the Columbia River and the Gorge itself. Washington State is on one side and Oregon State is on the other.

The drive back was slow going, apparently, it being a Sunday evening, everyone seemed to be heading back to Seattle. We did get back and we were famished. We found a nice place that actually served an excellent Gumbo, even better that the Gumbo we had in New Orleans! The drive wiped us out, so we just headed back to our hotel and stayed in for the night.

“…to the moon Alice!”  The famous comedian Jackie Gleason was always saying that to his wife in the old TV show “The Honeymooners”.  A show currently running at the New York Hayden Planetarium will take you not only to the moon, but to the stars as well.  The show “A Journey to the Stars“, opened late last summer and features images of telescopes that were captured from the ground and from deep space.

Some of these images had never been seen before, outside of research labs.  And the experience of catching glimpses of our world, and all that surrounds it are astonishing, and to be honest, pretty mind-blowing.  There is always something to witness at the Planetarium, and the American Museum of Natural History which sits just next door, which shows you where you fit in this world, and in this galaxy.  This is a theatrical performance as well as an educational one.

More than forty scientists from around the world, collaborated with those at NASA.  It was an international affair, just putting it all together.  Whoppi Goldberg is the narrator, and she adds this to her list of accomplishments, along with an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, serving as an ambassador to the United Nations, and a Tony.

The show begins each half hour Monday through Friday, running from 10:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon, and from 10;30-5 on the weekend.  This is an incredible journey through the life of the stars, including our most precious star, the sun.  The Planetarium and the Natural Museum are located close to some of your favorite hotels of New York, making this a convenient trip out any day of the week.  It is an educational experience as well as a theatrical performance, one which will leave you with not only a better understanding of our solar system and our place in it, but with a sense of wonder and amazement.

Phoenix has not been thought of in the past, as one of the US cities with a large art community.  This is just simply not the case, as throughout the greater Phoenix area of Gilbert, Glendale, Chandler, Tempe and Scottsdale, festivals, music concerts, art openings and theatre and performance art is continuously happening.  Do you need to look a little harder for it?  In some cases, but in the downtown area, many of the coffee shops, the best Phoenix hotels, restaurants and boutiques are always hanging art on the walls and supporting the arts and the shows at the Herberger Theatre, or Grady Gammage in Tempe.  Many lesser known artists participate each month, in the downtown First Friday Art Walk.

More well known and international artists can be found on Thursday night, at the Scottsdale Galleries art walk.  Local musicians fill the streets, and art is everywhere, in fact—a little known fact, is that the city of Scottsdale sells more art each year than the art capital of the United States, New York City.  Running through the month of May, people visiting the city will have the opportunity to view the work of one of the most famous artists of this city, Allan Houser.  This is part of a collaboration, between the Phoenix Botanical Gardens located at the foot of the Papago Mountain Range , and the Heard Museum, located directly downtown.

This showing is entitled, “Tradition to Abstraction”, and will feature many of Houser’s paintings, as well as eighteen bronze sculptures, sketches and drawings.  The show opened in November of 2009 and will continue through the next five months.  Houser’s work has gained worldwide recognition through his intimate depictions of life, and his evocative use of shadows and light.  Houser was born in Arizona in 1914, and was one of the children of the survivors of Fall Sill, and the Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache Tribe. His sculptures are modern, much in the style of Francisco Zu and Henry Moore, but he has become in his own right, known as the father of Native American Indian Sculpture.  Throughout his life, up until his death in 1994, Houser was dedicated to creating bold figures in bronze and stone.  His work will forever be remembered and cherished, long after the show closes in May.

Mic was a strong willed, independent and ambitious young athlete. Since he was two years old his parents noticed a definite stubborn streak in their child and watched as he instantly climbed furniture, counters and other miscellaneous dangers items before he was one year old. They both ended up getting into better shape than they imagined they would simply by chasing him around. They were also terrified of what would happen when he hit his terrible twos. Oddly, Mic sailed through them with ease. He never seemed to want to rebel but simply follow his own path, which was always in motion. Of course it isn’t called rebellion in two year olds, usually, it’s a time of early identity development and a period of time when babies are figuring out they are separate from other people, animals and objects. However, with Mic it really seemed to his parents that he was born with a self knowledge and conflict only occurred when it got in the way of his movement.

It may be obvious at this point that Mic’s interests veered more toward running than other sports, which is true and he certainly loved track. However, he also enjoyed applying his speed and agility to the football field and frequently played in the position of running back during his Pop Warner days. Throughout high school he had an equal passion for track running and football, though he was noticeably small for a football player. For this reason one of his coaches and also his parents recommended he apply for track and field scholarships.

Mic thought about this for some time but finally decided he would apply to three schools, though he absolutely wanted to go to University of Washington. By this time his true ambitions had solidified and he had every intention of someday playing for the Seattle Seahawks. It was natural to him he would want to stay in his hometown and play for the Huskies prior to his professional career. Mic thought about all of the hotels Seattle that would be full of football fans and wondered how many of them would be there to watch him play. That was the single fantasy of glory he indulged in. At all other times he was genuinely passionate about the sport and his favorite team.

When I lived in Los Angeles I was in a very fortunate position.  My dear friend is a screenwriter and as such is a member of the Screenwriters’ Guild.  One of the perks of being in the Union is that he got into movies for free, and so did his guest.  It was during that time that I became familiar not only with the various movie theaters in the greater Los Angeles, but as he was “in the business” he would take me not to mall cinema or the multiplex theaters, but to the theaters around town that had a history.  A history of Hollywood and of movie-making, for many buildings in the city hold a history, be it the grand and wonderful Chinese Theater or a best Los Angeles hotel or a great beach-side restaurant in Malibu, the history of the great age of glamour and story telling is evident and all encompassing.

The Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax was a regular haunt for us, a place where there is still a live person accompanying the movies, and before the feature, short films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin still bring laughter from the audience.  The Rialto Theater in Pasadena does show currently released films.  But the experience of the movies here is intensified as sculptures and velvet curtains line the walls, and the balcony that is now not open to the public due to structural damage from earthquakes over the years, still looms behind as a reminder of the days when movie stars such as Mary Pickford, Clark Cable and Fred Astaire would sit up in those seats while attending their movie premieres.

The Nuart Theatre is on the West Side of LA, right on Santa Monica Boulevard.  This is a theater which still has the ticket taker booth out front.  Movies vary here, and back then we saw everything from “The Third Man” to the “Blair Witch Project”.  This theater has the most eclectic movie showings in town.  The Egyptian Theater, the El Capitan and of course Grauman’s Chinese Theatre line Hollywood Blvd. and have all been in business for almost one hundred years.  Now that I no longer live in Los Angeles, going to the movies is just not the same.  The seats may be more comfortable, the vibe is missing and for some reason the popcorn just does not taste as good.

There are some people, it’s very true, who can really brighten up a room.  Sometimes it depends on the people, however, and sometimes it depends on the room.  There are moments when these bright spots can come from unexpected places, like the co-worker who’d been written off as boring, suddenly making the right smart-aleck comment at the just the right time.  It can lift the atmosphere of a place, and make even a dreadful board meeting suddenly interesting again. There are those, too, who have that elusive star power, who seem to attract all the best things in the world to themselves, and seem to have a hidden talent for creating beautiful, romantic, or terribly funny moments out of thin air.

But even superstars have their dull days, and even if you’re a superstar, sometimes the best way to brighten up a room is by actually brightening it. That’s where Next Day Blinds comes in, because that’s a splendid way to help change the light in your surroundings.  You can control the flow of light any time of day, and the gorgeous blinds, made from some stunningly beautiful materials, are a beautiful touch. They add a certain instant elegance, and they can go with any decor.  It’s also flexible enough to be able to create vibrant effects, a sense of luxury, or a touch of casual beauty to any situation.

Perhaps best of all, the way your surroundings look and feel can absolutely affect your own inner state, and perceptions of how things are.  When you are surrounded by beauty, it’s much easier to resonate beauty from within, and your own star power can really come out.  Not everyone wants to shine in this way, of course, and sometimes it sounds a little exhausting.  But with Next Day Blinds, there is the possibility to shine and glow in unexpected ways, and you don’t even have to make an effort, because the light does all the work for you.

Carrie and Joe thought they had finally made it when they moved into their newly renovated beach home in Malibu, California. The city had been a dream move for the young couple that met while they were both attending UCLA. Joe was a history major though he would quickly open his own computer distribution business after college and Carrie was an English major. Her dream was to open a small used bookstore in Malibu that would also serve coffee and pastries and sometimes host informal performances such as poetry readings.

They moved into their new home in June last summer and immediately invited some of their friends form Los Angeles up for a visit as well as various family members from across the country. They took their guests to Zuma Beach where the spent a beautiful day in the sun and sand. Joe was an avid surfer though Carrie had never tried anything more than a boogey board though she really enjoyed those.

Since Joe and Carrie had just moved in neither one of them had been able to fully explore the sights and cultural features of Malibu before they began inviting guests to visit. In fact, they hadn’t even fully unpacked, but their old college friends didn’t mind and the four of them had a great time. Joe offered to pay for a room for them in one of the Malibu hotels but his guests wouldn’t hear of it. They went to the Montgomery Art House for Music and Architecture, which Carey had heard was interesting and hosted some quality performances. They passed by it on their way back from the beach and thought it looked intriguing. A local band was playing there when they visited and they were interested to learn that it was designed by Eric Lloyd Wright, who is the grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright. They had a great time but promised their friends they would be completely settled in before their next visit. Maybe Carrie would even have her bookstore open.

Many people today are becoming concerned with a ‘greener way of living”.  Now, modern comforts are something that many people rely on those comforts such as electricity and our cars, but many things can now be done to ensure that all of our products of comfort, running more efficiently, with less damage to the environment.  This is true for fireplaces as well.  Choosing to heat your home with a wood burning fireplace or stove, will save on the electricity bill, but some people may be concerned about the smoke from the chimney, and the effects that it may have on the environment.  During the 1990’s, the Environmental Protection Agency became concerned with this as well.

Many of the wood burning stoves are now EPA certified, these are models that through technological advances are not only more efficient, but they burn cleaner as well.  One way you can make certain that yours is most efficient is by the installation of a fireplace insert. What this is is simply the installation of a stove, into your pre-existing fireplace.  They are constructed using cast iron or steel, and many are fitted with glass doors.  The cast iron will hold the heat, just as in the free standing gas stoves of old, and will continue to heat your house long after your fire has gone out.

There are many design options for inserts, some of them will extend out onto the hearth, which is not only interesting in looks, but will further increase the efficiency and the heating capabilities of your fireplace.  A fan blower can be mounted on the top or on the side, which will force the heat further throughout the house.  Many of the blowers are fitted with a thermostat, giving you more control over the temperature of your home.  Not only is this a great way to utilize your fireplace to the fullest, it will serve to lower your heating and electric bills throughout the winter months.

Wood pellet stoves are the recyclers of the wood burning fireplaces and stoves and is does this efficiently. So taking another look at the wood pellet stove it offers some added benefits to other heat sources. The recycling part is not only burning the wood but also burning the recycled chips of other wood projects. The wood chips that are burned in these stoves comes from scrap wood of saw mills. This idea started centuries ago. Make sense when wood was the big commodity of survival in early human history.

The Presto Log was invented finally in 1930 from the use of sawdust that came from the Potlatch pine mill in Idaho. This encouraged the development of the miniature pellet stove in 1980. The way it burns is the same. The pellets are put into a hopper, which is a storage container, and then slowly put into the burn area. The automation of this helps create a constant flame so it doesn’t need the constant stoking or adjusting. That is were the efficiency comes to play.

These great stoves have evolved from the old boxy style to now many styles to fit the decor of different homes. There are so many home designs out on the market today and people are taking advantage of the many stoves designs that are out there too. Even though the pellet stoves have been around for a long time, they began their popularity when consumers where looking for alternative forms of heating during the 1973 oil crisis. With in the past ten years the pellet stove has become even more popular. The consumer is encouraged to burn even more than wood. Now the pellets have a mixture of other biomass ingredients. Left over farming scraps are blended in like wheat, cherry pits, sunflower seeds and the ever popular corn.

Singapore is an incredible metropolis that is full of diverse cultural elements and unique performance events. In addition to these great cultural aspects, Singapore has excellent dining opportunities and offers great cuisine from around the world. With this in mind, the sushi Singapore is still one of the favorite choices for both locals and the numerous tourists who visit the city every year. There are also a nice variety of restaurants and food venue establishments that cater to every sushi taste and dining atmospheric preference.

Sushi Tei in Singapore is one of the city’s main institutions for great sushi. It is a standard favorite for many and is almost the default option for hungry sushi diners that just want great food and don’t want to have to search for it or take a chance. The establishment offers both in house dining and also a great take out menu. Both areas of this restaurant are consistently busy with sushi enthusiasts. Some of the popular items from the take out menu include fabulous party packs that serve multiple people. These are great for business meetings and house parties such as birthdays, anniversaries and other celebration events.

There are also great appetizer options available on the take out menu and the individual combinations include an assortment of sushi and are affordably priced. Some of the favorite take out combination meals include a plate full of salmon sushi, kappa maki, tako sushi, ebi sushi, maguro sushi and more. This is just one example of the extensive variety plates that are available. And simply based on their descriptions alone, they seem almost like a party platter themselves, so it is obvious that those platters must be even more inclusive and incredible. Whatever your sushi desires and or needs include, Sushi Tei has the menu to satisfy them.

Not properly maintaining your hot tub will lead to unnecessary expense and shorten the life of the unit. Your hot tub was made durable, tough and can withstand the heat and the cold, but if neglected, these features can’t last forever. Even portable hot tubs needs to regularly maintained. You hot tub comes with a maintenance guide from the manufacturer; read it before you use your hot tub and any other manual if provided. Familiarize yourself with every detail of your new hot tub system. Hot tubs all have the same use, but they don’t all have the same functions.  Get to know what the water pump, control box, thermostat, heater, timer and filter look like. Learn what exactly their function is and how they work and how the sound when turned on. If something goes wrong, you will immediately hear the difference and you will be able to do something about it.

The filtration system is the component that keeps the water clean. If you frequently use your hot tub, you need to regularly clean the filter; twice a week is considered good maintenance. Don’t be fooled by a new filtration system that does a good job of making sure your water is good, because the filter will degrade, over time, even with regular cleaning. Replace the filter after a year. As for your pump and heater, you should inspect them regularly to ensure they are working efficiently. If the water temperature becomes too hot or too cold, or if the water isn’t draining properly, then it is due to deficiencies in performance. It’s easier to fix an issue early on rather than wait until it completely breaks down. If you do not no how to fix the component, call the manufacturer, or call your hot tub service as soon as possible.  Maintaining a balanced pH level is a good safety measure. Inappropriate pH levels will affect the skin and corrodes the heater coil. If the water isn’t heating properly, check for corrosion on the heat coil. Levels should be tested once a week and depending on how much you use your hot tub, the water should be changed every 3 months.

Like most people, I’ve lived around fireplaces all my life — living in the Northwest, it’s practically a necessity, but I’ve never given much thought to the actual parts of a fireplace or its construction.  I’d never even considered how a wood insert might transform a drafty fireplace into a really energy efficient heater for the home.   As the winter months are fast upon us, and because I have a fairly drafty fireplace that doesn’t get much use now, I took a look around at what was available:

Wood inserts fit around or in the fireplace, have a glass front, and a fan that you can adjust to stream the heated air into the room through vents.  I could see immediately how this would improve the heating efficiency of any fireplace.  Heating efficiency is another term I had to learn: It means BTUs or British Thermal Units, and there’s a recommended amount for the square footage in a fireplace; that amount would be about 25 to 30 BTUs for every square foot of space.   So, let’s say, I install an insert for a wood burning stove, that’s going to mean that I’ll have about 75 per cent efficiency as opposed to the 25 per cent efficiency one gets with an open fireplace.  Obviously, if you jump up 50 per cent in efficiency, inserts are going to save you a great deal of time and money (time it takes to heat the room; money it takes to purchase the wood, etcetera).

I’m also learning that there are different types of inserts, such as a pellet stove, which burn compact pellets.  The pellets are made the byproducts of wood waste, things like hulls of wheat and other “biomass.”  Whatever it does, it’s supposed to be really friendly for the environment.  The more I investigate the wood inserts, the more I’m convinced I’m going to get one…  some come with a cooking top, and I really like the kind of primeval idea of cooking a meal in a fireplace.

Those who have traveled with a small child knows that it is a daunting task. The difficulty and the extra time required to do anything at all with a toddler or an infant in arms and the thought of planning a flight with a small child is overwhelming. Plus, an additional worry has been thrown in the mix for parents of toddlers. For example: many parents were quite shocked to read a news story of a family being kicked off an Air Tran flight, all because of their 3 year old daughter was having some kind of meltdown as soon as they boarded the plane. The child refused to sit in her seat, although the parents most likely wouldn’t gotten their daughter under control given a few minutes, they were asked to leave the plane!

When using the services of a charter jet, a squirming toddler is no issue. Plus, you can drive onto the tarmac and board immediately. No lines or carrying strollers through security screenings, no convoluted rules for carry-on bags. Your stroller will be with you, so you don’t need to worry if it arrives to your destination with you. You can even take longer flights, because your toddlers favorite meal or snack was prepared a head of time. Kid’s can squirm, stomp, sing in the cabin without disturbing anyone. An extra bonus for you, is there’s plenty of room for your babysitter too.

All the necessities are arranged for your children, and as parents, you can relax and indulge right along with your children. You too can have your favorite foods, snacks and drinks. Enjoy stretching out in the extra space. Ask the charter jet company to arrange ground transportation to meet you at you destination. No more hassles at arrival and none at departure. You’ll arrive stress-free, rested and ready to spend that vacation together like you planned all along.

The lakes and palaces of Udaipur, India, make for extraordinary sightseeing.  Known as the “Venice of the East,” and the City of Lakes, this city was once the capital of the kingdom of Mewar, dating back 1200 years.  When a place has this much history, there’s often a legend that goes with it.  In this case, Maharana Udai Singh met a hermit when hunting and the hermit blessed the king, asking the ruler to build a palace on the spot where they met, and also asked that it be well-defended.  The king did as he was asked.  In 1568, a Mughal emperor captured Chittor, and so Udai Singh moved the capital to the site of his home, and this became the city of Udaipur.

Today, this beautiful area is dominated by lakes, palaces, and offers many places to stay, including Udaipur five star hotels.  A quick, half-day tour of the area may help you find your bearings.  In that amount of time, you can take in the City Palace, the Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir, the Jagdish Temple, Fatehsagar Lake, Pratap Smarak, Sahelion-ki-Bari, the Sajjan Niwas Garden, the Museum and the Zoo.  That sounds like a lot for a half day, but remember, this is more like an exploratory excursion:

The City Palace towers over the lake on a hill, a combination of pavilions, terraces, courtyards, corridors, and hanging gardens.  You’ll enter through a triple arched gate, where the maharanas were weighed in gold, and that amount of gold was given to the local population.  There’s also the Suraj Gokhada here, the balcony of the sun, where the Suryavanshi Maharanas of Mewar would address the people in troubled times.  The Jagdish Temple is a great sample of Indo Aryan art, and is considered to be one of the biggest temples of Udaipur.  The Bharatiya Lok Kala Museum is a place to see Indian folk arts; the Maharana Pratap Memorial is a bronze statue of the king on his horse, Chetak — a very popular sight.  Fateh Sagar is a lake with Nehru Park, a garden island which may be reached by boat.  In Sahelion-ki-Bari, you will find the Garden of the Maidens, a place with pools and fountains and exotic plants.  In Sajjan Garh, you’ll find the Monsoon Palace, which Sajjan Singh built to watch the monsoon clouds; later used for hunting.  You’ll also see Gulab Bagh, a rose garden, spectacular in form, created by Maharana Sajjan Singh.  The garden features a library, too, of ancient manuscripts.

With luck, a drive by these areas will provide you with a better understanding of the area and where you’ll want to concentrate your time for the rest of your trip.

Malaysia is a complex mix of cultures, with a fantastically complicated history.  The present is no less layered, and the country’s relationships with traditions and technologies means that it is always growing and evolving in new and magnificently fascinating ways.  It is impossible to understand Malaysia as a whole, and even in parts it is baffling and mystifying, and there is always more that’s hidden beneath every surface.  The collision between Malay, Indian, and Chinese culture makes for a very multilayered environment, and it is rich in culture, arts, and cooking.  All of these things, and many more, make it a perfectly fantastic place to visit, and one trip is never enough.

You can certainly get a lot out of one visit, however, and even newcomers to the habit of travel will find Malaysian hotel accommodations to be most pleasing.  There is a terrific sense of hospitality here, making you feel like you’re an honored guests.  Of course, you are!  But it’s lovely to be greeted warmly, and to fall asleep and wake up in splendor, with a decor that speaks of a timelessness that can only be found here in this country.  There are plenty of excellent ways to spend an evening, and some of the arts and performance works in Kuala Lumpur speak to a very sophisticated conversation in the international arts scene.

Even dance that might be considered traditional to Malaysia, such as Sutra Dance Theatre and their exquisite work, is very much in touch with contemporary performance practice, and at times, even leads the scholarship in the field.  Their work incorporates traditional Malaysian forms like Menora and Makyong, with Bharata Natyam and Odissi from India, and work contemporary post modern and modernist dance sensibilities into their works.  The results are spectacular.  And the group is often led by Ramli Ibrahim, considered by many to be the foremost contemporary dancer in Malaysia, and one of the most respected artists in the world.  They have a very exciting schedule of events, and are one of the most exciting groups working in dance in the world today.

When TransGlobe Property Management takes care of the needs of their residents, they are not only providing excellent personal care, and taking wonderful management care of the owner’s building, they are also creating a much easy future for themselves.  This is the kind of investment that every rental property owner must look for when they are choosing a management team.  What this does, is keep people renting, it keeps the units full, and helps to increase long term tenants.

This is a double your money back guarantee.  A lot of money must be spent when a tenant moves out of a building.  There is often cleaning and renovating to be done, there are new tenants to find while that one unit remains empty.  There are many ways to go about ensuring this and one of those ways is by the continued appreciation for and acknowledgment of the tenants. Many high end building managers offer such amenities to their renters such as tickets to the theatre or to sporting events, pickup for dry cleaning and shipping services and gift certificates to restaurants.

This is the definition of a company that goes above and beyond the needs of the tenants as well as those of the owner.  This care accomplishes a few things at once, for as previously stated, the tenant remain happy and will move out less, because to be honest, in today’s world how often do businesses really take care of their clients.  And another thing that this accomplishes is the creation of a sense of community.  Boxes of chocolates on Valentines Day, or cookies at Christmas are simple ways to make people fell good.  Some management companies may even create a residential newsletter.

This is a way that all the residents can get to know one another.  This is seen just walking down the street of any city, and noticing the differences.  In Chicago, people sit out on their front porch stoops most evening during great weather.  I knew my neighbors in Chicago, and we all got to the point where we knew each other’s names and left small gifts for each other during the holidays.  Living in Los Angeles however, I never met my neighbors, and there were no colorful packages left on people’s doorsteps.  For this kind of care with your property, trust TransGlobe Property Management.  You will not just own a building, but you will have created a community.

At a local Hollywood coffee shop, I asked a friend about what there was to do in his native city: Perth, Australia.  He instantly suggested Kings Park.  He compared it to New York’s Central Park.

I went home and took a look online and discovered the park was originally known as Perth Park and opened in 1895.  It was renamed King’s Park in 1901 and eventually the apostrophe just dropped away, leaving us with Kings Park.  Like many places in Australia, the names of the park refer to British royalty.  The park was renamed to honor King Edward the VII’s ascension, as well as a visit that George, the Duke of Cornwall, and Princess Mary made to Perth.  May Drive, a main road in the park, is in honor of the Princess.  The park is actually larger than Central Park, and rests on Mount Eliza’s crest, with a view of the city.  Today, the city has a population of over a million and a half and is the fourth largest city in Australia, lying on the western coast, off the Indian Ocean.

If you ever find yourself enjoying one of Perth hotels Australia offers, then you might want to plan your trip to take advantage of this great park.  During September and October, the park is host to the biggest wildlife exhibition in the country.  In the next few months, you can see lectures by visiting UK scholars and research scientists as well as plays and concerts, such as Peter Pan and Wendy (January); Shakespeare in the Park: The Taming of the Shrew (January and February), and The Beach Boys (February), as well as A Night with Barbara Bonney & WASO (February), and The Panics with WASO (February).

I’ve never really considered a trip to Australia before, but the more Australians I meet, and the more I hear about cities like Perth, the closer I come to making the arrangements.

There’s so many things to see and do in Mumbai, that it’s impossible to even try.  It’s one of the world’s most remarkable cities, with a dense and vibrant urban population, and you can see all walks of life here.  It’s very difficult to come to India and not be changed in some significant way.  There is an energy here that is very magnetic, and there are possibilities for finding a spectacular calm, and these extremes can show you why so many people are drawn to this particular spot on the planet.  It’s endlessly fascinating, and often extremely baffling, where contradictions seem to exist at every turn, yet it still flows on, in an endless stream of creative human activity.

It’s lovely to be here, but it’s also nice to have fine accommodations, where you can rest at the end of the day and refresh the body and mind for more adventures in Mumbai.  Bombay hotel hospitality is famous, and you’ll find yourself enjoying the splendid treatment from the fine staff, and look forward to waking up in splendor.  There is a delicate art to hotel design, where it has to speak of modernity, yet also appeal to the traveler’s desire for the exotic, and you’ll enjoy the marvelous attention to detail in your own lodgings.  Art seems to flow more easily here than in other countries, and this is certainly apparent in Mumbai’s galleries.

There’s a tremendous amount of visual art here, and it’s a great city to see new work in lots of different media.  For photography, the most visible gallery is the Piramal Gallery.  They’re connected to the National Center for the Performing Arts, and connected to the Center for Photography as an Art Form, which has received funding from the Ford Foundation for preserving India’s photographic heritage.  Here at Piramal you can see some of the historic work, along with fantastic exhibitions of new work by local and international photographers, and the gallery’s design is modular, allowing for easy reconfigurations to suit the exhibit.

Whether you are the owner of a small business or a professional operating your own practice, you are a business leader.  This is defined by the fact that you have decision making responsibilities and authority when it comes to evaluating the best way to tackle sales process improvement.  So what then, does it take to succeed, the business is there and you want to keep it just so.  This involves coming up with bold and innovative strategies while following the true and tested values of those who came before you.

If this is the role you have chosen, then you must allow it to continue to motivate and to challenge you.  This is a charismatic role, one that has a mission–the survival and the prosperity of your company as well as the care you take in ensuring that your employees are well looked after.   You must think in terms of the future, planning sales training meetings and team building workshops to ensure that this will not be a short term venture, but one that will stand the test of time.

Look to the strategies of successful business leaders of the days gone by, educate yourself and prepare for each new step that will take your business to the next level.  This will prove to attract the same like-minded individuals to your company.  Employees value the strength and the dedication of a group, a group that they can depend on as well as support.  This serves your company, your staff, your consumers and your community in the best possible way.

And while this may seem like ‘grass roots’ ideology, well…hopefully it seems like ‘grass roots’ ideology’, the crew of a ship is only as strong as its captain.  So be ready, have clear goals and aspirations in mind.  Tough decisions may be necessary.  But take a step back, accumulate the right kind of information to access information about certain situations and take charge.  This is your team, and they are looking to you to lead them.

Historically speaking, Jaipur is an endlessly fascinating place.  The design and layout of the city goes back to the 18th century, and the pink color has its origins in the 19th, and both reflect Jaipur, and India’s, relationship with the world at large, as well as a consciousness that belongs to the place.  Cosmic principles lie behind the city layout, which is remarkably sensible, and also speaks to a desire to connect with something mysterious and larger than the flow of daily life.  The rhythms of Jaipur, however, are very easy to get caught up in, and there is a charm and elegance to the moments that pass here.  There are many fantastic reasons to visit Jaipur, and there is always more to know and understand, where the city reveals itself more on every visit.

It would be reasonable to expect that there are elegant lodgings in Jaipur.  Hotels are plentiful, and there are great choices that can suit every sensibility.  But it’s always lovely to experience a luxurious place from a perspective of luxury, and some of the accommodations are simply out of this world.  It’s rather heavenly to wake up somewhere where the decor speaks to the glories of the great state of Rajasthan, and beginning a day with an elegant meal served up by some of India’s top chefs is also a slice of paradise.  The sense of sumptuousness is all around you in Jaipur, and sometimes it’s hard to tell if the gorgeous sensibility comes from the city itself, or from the creative minds of the people from here, or maybe it doesn’t make a difference.

These lines all get crossed when you look at the fashions created by one of Jaipur’s most successful fashion designers, Anita Dongre.  Her clothing lines reflect her childhood here, and are a reflection of her ability to absorb the artistic sensibility and combine it with a contemporary aesthetic that makes clothes meant for wearing.  There is a lovely mix of the practical with the beautiful in her work, because she understands that women like to move.   And her work makes waves wherever it’s shown, as exemplified when her new line was shown in Kolkata.  Here, there was a wonderful demonstration of what can happen when the local tradition for glorious cloth meets international fashion consciousness, for a look that reflects Jaipur in all of its manifestations.

The city of Indianapolis, Indian has a great deal to offer visitors as well as residents and regional populations. Just one of these, though definitely one of the most nationally recognized and respected is its National Football League team the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have been a point of pride for Indianapolis from 1984, after a complicated and conflictive move from Baltimore. Tourists who visit the city and stay in one of the Indianapolis luxury hotels may not be Colts fans, though they most likely have a strong respect for the team and perhaps also a fascination.

The team has seen its ups and downs since arriving in Indianapolis and has also produced stars and worked with some of the sports’ great players. Peyton Manning is just one of these, though he is definitely a significant one. Manning was born in New Orleans in 1976 and first gained a high recognition in college while playing for the Tennessee Volunteers. He was picked up by the Colts in the first round of the 1998 draft and has played for this team since then. It was beyond doubt one of the wisest or luckiest moves the Colts have made as Peyton Manning is often considered by valid sources to be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to have played.

Manning has achieved numerous distinctions and honors during his career and stands out among others in many of his statistics. Some of the records he holds include maintaining consecutive seasons with over four thousand yards in passing and also has the greatest number of seasons with consecutively passing over four thousand yards. He holds the record for active quarterbacks in his career average passing is rated second only to the all time high of Steve Young. In 2009 The Sporting News listed him as the number one, top player currently active in the NFL. Manning is also popular off of the football field and has appeared in national commercials and was featured as the guest star in an episode of Saturday Night Live.

The family is coming together this winter in Boulder, CO. We are all getting together for a ski vacation and family reunion. My brother and sister-in-law hatched this idea because they moved to Boulder two years ago and they have a large house that will accommodate a lot of the family. For those that won’t fit my sister-in-law has reserved a block of rooms at a nearby Boulder hotels for those that can’t be fit into their home and has hired a caterer for the big reunion dinner we will be having one night while there.

I understand at this point there will be about 30 family members coming into Boulder for the reunion this winter. Many of these people I have not seen since I was a child. It will be really cool to see everyone and hear about what they have been up to. My favorite aunt will be flying in from Italy where she has lived for two decades now and the rest of the family is coming in from all over the country and Canada.

I know the skiing in Colorado is supposed to be amazing. Beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery, powder snow and sun shine an unbeatable ski combination. I have not been skiing in several years so meeting up with the family and skiing in Colorado will be a perfect winter get away.

Boulder is well known for its numerous outdoor activities. There are all kinds of hiking trails from easy to difficult, canoeing and fly fishing, snow hoeing and rock climbing, down hill and cross country skiing to name just a few.

My brother really likes it therein Boulder. He said he feels part of a close knit community. He said that many people there are of a like mind, loving outdoor living and sports, interested in conservation and the protection of the natural environment. It must be nice to be neighbors like that. He has been so happy since they moved up there two years ago.

Malaysia is a diverse country in Southeast Asia with absolutely incredible views and geographic elements. This is something that residents are able to enjoy on a daily basis and accept as an aspect of their lives, tourists however are often amazed at the beauty of the country and remember some of their views in pictures and postcards long after their visit. Another thing that many guests staying in one of the luxury hotels Malaysia in the month of October may remember is the great food they encountered while visiting the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival. Many of them will also be taking home recipes and meal planning ideas, as well as favorite new restaurant genres and dishes.

One of the early intentions of the festival was to increase the amount of fine dining experiences the country offered as well as to increase the level of interest in an assortment of fabulous cuisines. However, throughout its nine years of existence the festival has become a major event and draws in visitors from all over the country as well as internationally. It is one of the world’s leading events for culinary festival followers and draws in great crowds of tourists every year.

Many different chefs and restaurants participate in the festival and it has become a great resource for exposure for up and coming venues and chefs. This is an interesting aspect of the festivals development. For what was originally intended to broaden the pallets of the fine dining population has become a career and skill-broadening event for many chefs. The festival now includes many restaurants and great food from around the world can be sampled. Some of the participating restaurants from the 2009 festival include L’Heritage, which serves French Continental cuisine, Neo, which serves global tapas and Lai Po Heen, which serves classic Cantonese dishes. This is a minor sampling of the great restaurants and food that was available at this year’s festival.

The Canary Island of Lanzarote is a volcanic island which is more than two million years old. The last volcano erupted about three hundred years ago, and with that, almost half of the island was covered in ash. There are currently more than three hundred active volcanoes, but so far the lid has been kept atop them. The landscape, following the last eruption, is to this day a bit desolate, but beautifully so. It is quiet, peaceful and a way that is almost haunting, beautiful. Lava and what it leaves behind, is very good for the soil, and thus, good for the vegetation.

Lanzarote is one of the islands known for their fruits and vegetables, and their fields of vineyards. The local wines served in the 5 star Lanzarote hotels are sweet, thick and delicious. Aware of the richness of their land, locals keep up with the conservation and the protection of their environment. They are not being “green”, just being real. The natural beauty of the land stands as testament to their dedication. And this draws people to the region.

Since the mid 1970’s the largest contributor to the economy has been the industry of tourism. One of the special journeys to be taken when visiting Lanzarote is a trek through the mountains to the Timanfaya National Park, atop dromedary camels. One may take a bus to this region, located in the Fire Mountains, however on a camel, it is an experience that one will never forget. As with most journeys taken in such a manner, it may get wearisome and just a bit smelly, they are camels after all, but once at the Park, the journey will be one which is well worth it. This is a range of mountains created through volcanic eruptions and although no eruptions have happened as of late, the surface temperature remains elevated, quite curious a natural occurrence. There are many tours like this one, that will open up an entirely different world to travelers who come to this region.

My wife just got home from work she was so excited she could hardly contain herself. Well once she announced she won the companies top sales award and besides a nice cash bonus and raise we also will be going to Alaska on vacation next summer all on her company, I couldn’t blame her. All we are needing to do is pick the dates get plane tickets and book the rooms at luxury hotels Alaska pack and we are ready to go.

My wife worked really hard to hit this sales goal and be number one. I am happy she made it. She would have been very disappointed if she missed out after all the time and effort she put into making this goal. All year long she has been meeting with clients late into the evenings, giving up weekends and holidays to entertain clients and skipping over her vacation time to work on promotions and make contacts. I have to say when my wife puts her sites on a goal there is just about nothing that can stop her. Well this time is has paid off big and we are now looking forward to ten days in Alaska next summer.

We will be staying Juno, never having been to Alaska before I am looking forward to this adventure in the wild north. We have been talking about what we want to do while we are there. we definitely want to get out on the water and do some deep sea fishing. My wife is competitive in all aspects so she is just as excited about this as I am. We have not come up with much else that we want to do, but we are also limited in our knowledge. When we have some time we will have to research the subject.