Posted by Monica Danna on Jan 31, 2008 in
travel So it’s no secret that i have the best parents in the world. Seriously, no offense to yours, but I do.
So i don’t know why it even surprised me that when i arrived home from work today, I had a package waiting for me. A Travel goodie bag from mom and dad.
You can view all the items closer on Flickr here.
Inside the bag was:
The People Puzzle Book – filled with crosswords
Feb 08 Wired Mag
The latest Rolling Stone
Ambien
A book reading light
Travel books on Malaysia, Australia, and a travel journal
Bookmark Pens
Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, and Godiva Chocolate
and, as if that wasn’t enough….
AN IPHONE!
Yes, Dad graciously bought me (and himself) an iPhone today. (Mainly so i can show him how to use it, i’m sure) 
So it looks like I’ll have plenty to do on the plane now!
I’m all packed thanks in part to the lovely organ_printer who made sure I stayed on task, and curbed my procrastination.
Soon I’m headed up to the Proletariat to say my goodbyes, since it’s closing this weekend. 
Hope to see some of you up there, if not, see ya when i return!
Tags: awesome parents, books, candy, iPhone, music, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Jan 30, 2008 in
travel So it’s my last night to pack. And in true procrastinatory fashion, I’m just now beginning to pack. Staying focused with the help of Matthew, i am getting down to business.
Just started last load of laundry.
Clothes picked up from the cleaners.
Dinner ordered.
No excuses left.
Thanks to Lifehacker, I’m learning how to Pack Like Pro using the Bundle Method
Wish me luck! Hope to see all of you at the Proletariat Thursday night!
Tags: packing, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Jan 28, 2008 in
travel 
Raise your hand if the only reason you got into reading was in 3rd grade because you wanted to win a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza? Or you liked stickers. Pretty good chance it’s one of the two.
Come on. Yes, I read. Don’t act so surprised. How else would I know that Jessica Biel made JT fly to London where she was after rumors (ahem, rumours) of him and Miss Penny Lane playing smoochy smooch at an LA night club. What the hell, why don’t stars just hang out in Idaho like Demi and Ashton?
So when I finally decided to remind myself that I was leaving town in a mere 5 days for over 4 weeks, the natural stop was to the bookstore. Hey, I’m pretty entertaining, but 20 hours on a flight? Come on, I’ve had relationships shorter than that.
After a quick stop at one of my fav stores in the Heights, Tansu, to pick up an overpriced, oversized, cute as heck packing checklist that I had eyed there months ago, it was on to the bookstore. I also learned that on Sundays at Tansu you can fold paper in to tiny animals like rats and armadillos (some people call this origami—i call it a papercut waiting to happen). But only if you bring the owners a coke. Diet for her, regular for him.
I LOVE going to bookstores. And not in a “trying to impress you that I read books” kinda way. But I really love being at the bookstore. Mostly because people just leave you alone. Or creepily stare. Both which are fine by me. But I must confess, that 95% of my time is usually spent in one of 2 places: the paper goods section (i’m a sucker for good graphic design) or the books on brains. Yeah, I know, not exactly a lot of variety.
Truth be told, a majority of the books I read are non-fiction. History, medicine, science, psychology, etc. If I hated it in school, there’s a good chance love it now. Dude, you’re talking to a girl who once spent an entire year researching Russian history because of a damn Tori Amos song. (Creepy, super fan. That’s me.) So I usually have a hard time finding a good fiction to read, mostly for the same reason I don’t like sci-fi movies. Um, it ain’t real.
Luckily, I had a friend with me to guide me down the fiction path, and who picked out a few selections. My only rule was, “please pick something you think I will like, not something that you like.” Sorry, but the “Investigation of Surface Mechanical Environment as an Optimization Criterion for Improved Tissue Engineering Scaffolds” ain’t the kinda thing that’s gonna hold my attention across the entire Pacific Ocean.
We ending up deciding on Bret Easton Ellis’ Glamorama; and after trying to take pictures with our cell phone cameras of every page of the Kuala Lumpur section in every Malaysia guide book, we were on our way.
I’m hoping it doesn’t take me 20 hours to read this book. Of course, I’ll probably ditch the book and pick up every back issue of US weekly I can get my hands on in the overpriced airport bookstore. Wonder of Jessica and Justin will make it? I hope I do.
image: slightclutter (taken at half price book in houston, tx)
Tags: books, bookstore, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Jan 25, 2008 in
happy hour,
travel 
…yes, i know, so cliche. but i am. for a long time. well, a month, which is an eternity without my friends.
so next thursday (Jan 31st), partly as my goodbye to the last Rockbox at the Pro, and my goodbye to the Proletariat itself (since it’s closing feb 3rd), please stop by to tell me how much you are gonna miss me while i’m gone. cuz im def gonna miss you. (i will also take this time to politely ask you to not spam my inbox while i am off gallavanting across the globe.)
i leave feb 1st for singapore (a grueling 20 hour flight), a week in kuala lumpur, then on to perth for a week, back home for 3 short days (including dr. sketchy!!), then back off to london, amsterdam and orlando. whoo-hoo O-town!, which if these looks like it doesn’t belong on the list? disney world??
i hope you can make it by the Proletariat later, we may hit up poison girl for happy hour for you pansies that can’t stay out late. so let me know if you are interested in that.
if i don’t see ya then, see ya when i get back!
im going to attempt to blog a bit about my travels, but don’t hold me to that, k?
peace in the middle east, fools! (wait i may be going there soon)
Tags: happy hour, travel