Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 29, 2008 in
music,
travel 
Who’s been by my side this last month of traveling? None other than my trusty iPod. iPhone actually. Thanks to my dad, who I’m pretty sure just bought me one so I could teach him how to use his. Not that that matters.
I decided today, while fuming about the KLM debacle, that I needed a revised playlist. So I made it a mission, during the 5 hours from Asmterdam to Bahrain, to go through my entire iPod and pick out the songs that had to do remotely with traveling, or my feelings during my travels. And here ya go. (Disclaimer: travel songs are mostly sad, but I’m not. 
the sleep stuff is true though. )
These are just from the songs on my iPod. Please don’t comment that I left off Steve Miller’s Jet Airliner.
1. The Beatles – Wait
“It’s been a long time, and now I’m coming back home, i’ve been away now, oh how, i’ve been alone.”
2. Snow Patrol w/ Martha Wainwright – Set the fire to the Third Bar
“I’m miles from where you are / i lay down on the cold ground / I pray that something picks me up / and sets me down in your warm arms.”
3. Okkervil River – Black Sheep boy
“Here i am back home again / I am here rest. All they ask is where i’ve been, knowing I’ve been West.”
4. Ben Folds – Golden Slumber
“Once there was a way to get back homeward, Once there was a way to get back home, sleep pretty darling, do not cry, and I will sing a lullaby.”
5. Ben Lee – Begin
“It’s ok for you to care, cuz i can feel you in the air. While you wonder how’s the gonna end, i only want it to begin.”
6. Benjamin Gibbard – You remind me of home
” you remind me of home / a broken bed with dirty sheets that creaks when i am shifting in my sleep.”
7. Billy Bragg & Wilco – Airline to Heaven
“you wanna ride this train, have your ticket in your hand, before it is to late. you can get a way to heaven, on this aeroplane. take this airline plane, it will take you home again.”
8. Black Keys – Aeroplane Blues
“i’m on an airplane, close to sea, going nowhere, i wanna be, distant lands, don’t know who I am, eyes are heavy, mind is shook, can’t feel, drugs I took, distant lands.”
9. BRMC – Berlin
pretty much just the title. and because they rock. hard.
10. Bob Schneider – Tokyo (i pretty much hummed this the whole way to and from Tokyo)
“tokyo’s not far enough, from where and when i wanna be, today.”
11. Brazilian Girls – Tourist Trap
“lining up at the pool, peeing into the ocean, peeling off, losing at the casino, drinking wine and tequila, throwing up TOURIST TRRRAAAAP!” this song makes me laugh every time i hear it.
12. Cat Stevens – The Wind
“i listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul, where i’ll end up, really God only knows.”
13. Centro-Matic – Huge in Every City
“you say you’re huge in every city, but not this one today.”
14. Chris Cornell – Wave Goodbye (yes, im the one person who bought his solo CD)
“when you miss somebody, you tell yourself a hundred thousand times, that nobody lasts forever, so you give in one more try to wave goodbye. wave goodbye.”
15. Counting Crows – Raining in Baltimore
“i need a phone call, i need a raincoat, i need a big love, i need a phone call.”
16. Gomez – See The World
“See the world, Find an old fashioned girl, And when all’s been said and done, It’s the things that are given, not won, Are the things that you want.”
17. I Am Kloot – No Direction Home
” Crawl upon the earth, scour the universe you know, Set my compass north, circumscribe the earth and go – no direction home”
18. James Taylor – My Traveling Star (thanks for the CD, momma!)
“Nevermind the wind, nevermind the rain, nevermind the road leading home again”
19. Joseph Arthur – Black Lexus
“You don’t know where you’re going, Almost anytime, Things lost just lighten up your load.”
20. Kings of Leon – Rememo (borrowed this one from MCA)
“On a plane, on a plane, off to see the city girls again, only bring them what i carry on, so you know i won’t be long”
21. M.IA. – Bucky Done Gun
“London, Quiet down I need to make a sound, New York, Quiet down I need to make a sound, Kingston, Quiet down I need to make a sound, Brazil, Quiet down I need to make sound.”
22. Morrissey – Hairdresser on Fire (the last time i was in london, i walked around Sloan Square just so I could listen to this song.)
“Here is london, giddy of london, Is it home of the free, Or what?”‘
23. My Morning Jacket – Bermuda Highway (fave MMJ song)
” sometimes I walk around town looking at faces
wonderin why their bodies go to silly places.
Walkin past the carpet mills looking in and takin stills,
your ass it draws me in like a Bermuda highway.
Don’t carve me out, don’t let your silly dreams, flal in between the crack of the bed and the wall.”
24. The Perishers – trouble sleeping
duh
25. Peter Sarstedt 0 Where do you goto my lovely
the ultimate paris song. best lyrics ever:
“When you go on your summer vacation
You go to Juan-les-Pines
With your carefully designed topless swimsuit
You get an even suntan, on your back…. and on your legs”
26. Ray Lamontagne – Three More Days
“3 more days, girl, you know i will be coming home to you darling, i no it’s wrong to be so far from home, i know it’s wrong to leave you so alone.”
27. Whisketown/Ryan Adams – 16 days
“got 16 days, one for every time i’ve gone away”
28. Ryan Adams – Nightbirds
i usually just use this melody to fall asleep
29. Snow Patrol – It’s beginning to get to me
” I tried to tell you before I left
But I was screaming under my breath
You are the only thing that makes sense
Just ignore all this present tense“
30. Son Volt – Highways and Cirgarettes
“can’t escape the smell cigarettes, still living out these american midnight blues.”
31. Son Volt – Windfall
“ Catching an all-night station somewhere in Louisiana
It sounds like 1963, but for now it sounds like heaven”
32. Tori Amos – Hotel (you didn’t think Tori wasn’t going to make an appearance, did ya?)
“met him in a hotel, met him in a hotel”
33. Tori Amos – Black Dove (January)
“but i have to get to TEXAS, yeah i have to get to TEXAS, and i’ll give away my blue, blue dress.”
34. U2 – Trying to throw your arms around the world.
yeah, i am.
35. Wilco – Dash 7
“Dash 7 in the air,
Dropped to the sun alone,
Jets hum
I wish that I was still there,
Props not a jet, alone,
Where the sun doesn’t come down
Because I’ve found the way those engines sound,
Will make it kiss the ground,
When you touch down”
36. Wilco – Do You Miss Me?
“I’ve been sleepin’ alone, out on my own
I’m sure it seems like I’m takin’ my time to get back to you
You been doin’ your part, working real hard
I’m not lying, sure it seems like I’m trying to get back at you
Do you miss me too?
Baby say I’ll miss you, just say you’ll miss me to.”
37. Zookeeper – Trumpets
“the jungle is filled with my friends
we sleep when and where we can
and i don’t know the last weekend
we saw”
Tags: iPod, playlist, travel. music
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 29, 2008 in
travel 
So, things have been pretty smooth traveling wise during this 3 week stint. Of course, aside from the 8 hour hellish delay at IAH, oh, and that little issue of my house almost imploding on itself the first week I was away. But besides those incidents, I’ve had a pretty drama-less travel experience. Silly me to think it would last.
I’ll make this short: #1 because I’m exhausted, and #2 the more I tell about it the more it makes me want to strangle 3 airport workers. (Is that gonna be pick up on some terrorist spider?) Kidding, kidding.
I check in to Schipol airport for my Bahrain flight, print out boarding pass. Easy enough. I’m getting good at this stuff. Go to counter to drop bag. Bag(s). With an “s”. I’m traveling for 2 weeks straight. An “s” at the end of “bag” would be expected. Si? Eh, not so much, says KLM. I’m allowed 20 kilos (about 40 lbs). That said, I’m a pretty light packer. Not one of those gals whose shoe to day ratio is 3 to 1. I’m practical. I have one medium sized bag for 2 weeks, plus a carry on. However, since I’m attending tradeshows, I have an extra bag with tradeshow stuff. Two bags. One person. About 40 kilos. 20 more than KLM allows. So, what’s a girl to do? I ask.
KLM baggage drop girl (<—official title): “Well, you can throw out 20 kilos.”
me (kinda laughing): “You want me to THROW AWAY 20 kilos of my stuff.”
KLMBDG: “Well, yes ma’am, unless you want to pay extra to send this bag through.”
me (not laughing anymore): “How much?”
KLMBDG: “It’s a lot.” <—-her ACTUAL answer.
me (growing impatient): “How much?”
KLMBDG: “A lot.” <—-still, her actual response.
me: blank stare
her: “400 Euro”
me: still blank stare. then a maniacal laugh. (thinking she doesn’t know what’s about to happen.)
me: “Well, YOU tell ME. If this was you, what would YOU do?”
Voices raise. I am pissed. Supervisor comes. I have no choice but to pay the nearly $600 dollars (go on, read that one again). Ok course i can’t do that from that window. It’s a differnt window, at the other end of the airport. AWESOME! Get to THAT window, my credit card don’t work. AWESOME! End up paying $600 of my own money. AWESOME. Rush to gate. Oh, what? No gate G34? After rushing to the end of the airport?! Oh, that’s my seat number?! I’m at gate A3? At the OTHER end of the airport? AWEEEEESOME!
Fun times, fun times.
Ok, I realize the next few paragraphs have nothing to do with anything above, or with each other for that matter. Cut me some slack. It’s a brain dump.
Could It Be?
No joke, standing at the gate in Amsterdam, ready to board for Bahrain. Overhead on airport loud speaker: “Will passenger Lil’ (im taking liberities with the spelling) Jon departing Amsterdam for flight 455 to Houston please report to the gate. You are holding up the plane and you bags will be pulled.” Could it be the Krunk Juice King? Would it be a stretch to believe he was in Amsterdam “Uhhnnn. What?!” Get low.
More reasons to hate KLM
This is a small thing, but when you’ve been ticked off all morning at traveling, those small things are the ones that getcha. Know how when you’re watching the inflight entertainment and the captain or flight attendant comes on the speaker to make an announcement? Well normally, the movie stops, and resumes when the announcement is over, right? Fair enough. Well, not so much at KLM Airlines. Not only does the movie NOT stop, the sound goes off, the FF and Rewind controls don’t work, so you are a watching a movie, not sound, while the announcement is repeats in 7 languages. So silly me, as soon as they finish, and it comes back on, I hit rewind. What happens? They come back on to repeat the announcement in Dutch. So i’m stuck watching the part i just watched without sound, now, at twice speed backwards. Awesome. I gave up and watched 30 Rock. And glad i did, because I was reminded by Mr. Tracy Jordon, to Kenneth the page, to “live every week….like it’s Shark Week!” Ah, what great advice.
What chew lookin’ at Willis?
Apparently, it’s perfectly normal to STARE at someone for over 30 seconds in foreign airports. WTF? If you think my new coat that I just bought in Amsterdam is hella cute, just SAY something. Don’t stare at me like I am an Alien. YES! A real life American. Go ahead, touch me. That will be 400 Euros.
Let’s look at the bright side: I REALLY like the way the girl in Perth waxed my eyebrows, and the cab driver in Bahrain was playing Timbaland when I got in. Score.
(p.s. Jenny, if you are reading this, I could have really used a Bloggess photoshopped KLM Sucks pic)
Tags: amsterdam, baggage, excess baggage, KLM sucks, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 27, 2008 in
travel So while I’ve been traveling, I’ve had a few different friends graciously house sitting for me. This week it’s my dear friend Maggie, who knows how much the bathroom incident freaked me out, so she delivered the following status update to me today.
Click here to see the whole slideshow.
Tags: friendship, MagsMac, status update, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 26, 2008 in
travel 
So, you may be wondering how on earth I could possibly be bored in a city like Amsterdam. How pompous of me to actually complain about being able to be in this wonderful city on my company’s dime. But truth be told, I’m bored to tears here at the RAI.
My last 4 hours have consisted of the following activities (in no particular order):
Check Twitter
Check Email (add this one in about 657 times)
Chat with Dad on Yahoo Messenger about Mom
Chat with Matt on Google Talk about Caroline Collective
Chat with Matt on new iPhone about Caroline Collective
Check Twitter
Check Twitter
Check stats on Cosmopolitician Blog
Post on funny bathroom sign
Check stats on Cosmopolitician Blog
Check Twitter
Check stats on Flickr (KOL pics still the most viewed by far)
Tried to figure out who Rana June is. Still didn’t really figure it out.
Check Twitter
Tried to figure out how much of Queen’s A Night at the Opera track list i could remember.
Cheated and Googled it.
Was pretty accurate.
Argued with my boss about Bicycle being on A Night at the Opera.
Learned that Bicycle is NOT on A Night at the Opera.
Sang all the lyrics from A Night at the Opera that i could remember.
Cheated again, and Googled it.
Had a solo karaoke session of A Night at the Opera.
Check Twitter
Did some research on Co-Working, anticipating Caroline Collective’s opening.
Ate a bad piece of pizza.
Drank a Diet Coke. “Coca-Cola Light” in Europe.
Googled “Cosmopolitician” I’m all top 3, yay!
Caught up on Houstonist.
Checked to see what HappyKatie has been up to.
Read the latest TechBlog Posts
Talked with boss about where we are going to eat dinner.
Tried my hardest to remember the cab ride home last night.
Facebook messaged one of the guys Jill and I met in Amsterdam 3 years ago at the bar I went to last night.
Walked around to find out which booth has the best goodies.
Took a Zantac for my heartburn.
Decided to make a post on what i have done for the last 4 hours.
Did it.
Hopefully, I will have more thrilling posts in the future. I promise to try to be more exciting.
Killer, Queeeeeeeeeeeeeeen.
Tags: amsterdam, Queen, RAI, stuff to do when bored at a tradeshow, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 26, 2008 in
travel You probably can tell I love taking pics of humorous international signs. I often wonder what action first occurred, that led to the creation of these signs.
Case in point: The sign i noticed in my bathroom in my Amsterdam hotel room.
Really? really?
It’s cold and rainy today, and I almost got a hit an ride from a crazed bicyclist this morning. Yes, they are EVERYWHERE. But still in good spirits. We had an excellent dinner last night at a Steakhouse in Leidsplein, Rancho’s, and then hung at the Irish bar on the corner, the Rock n Roll out (where Jill and i met the Canadians years ago) and then to the Three Sisters Pub.
The show is slow today, and I’m getting sleepy. I’m looking forward to my day off on Thursday so I can run around town and hang out. I head to Bahrain on Friday to meet some co-workers for another show.
p.s. if you are keeping up with the bathroom disaster saga back home, they are supposed to be repainting this walls this week. we’ll see how THAT goes.
Tags: amsterdam, funny international signs, the netherlands, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 24, 2008 in
travel 
Dickens said it best: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That pretty much describes my last 48 hours.
If you’re one of the tweople keeping up with my tweets, you know the hell I experienced on Friday night with a 5 hour delay at IAH. The plane was supposed to depart at 7pm. At about 6:30pm they told us there would be a delay. No reasons, just that there would be a delay.
At 8pm, they came back on, telling us that there would be another update at 9pm. Again, no reasoning, just that the next update would be at 9pm. At this point, I had been at the airport 4 hours, and people were getting unruly, which was not helped by the bitchy Continenal staff’s rude “updates.”
At 9pm they came on and informed us that there was a faulty engine and the part had just arrived, and we wouldn’t be departing until midnight. A fact, that if known at 7pm, i would have gone home and taken the next day flight. At this point they started offering food vouchers, um, what does $8 buy in an aiport? A newspaper? And not only that, it was only minutes before all the restaurants closed, when ensued in a mad dash to all the remaining opened restaurants. read: Pappasitos.
I chose to spend my $8 voucher wisely on 2 beers, in an effort to calm my temper. And as i sat, not more than 30 seconds, a yellow caution tape was thrown up around the 5 chairs I sat near. Disinterested airport worker: “Ma’am, this table is closed.” Me: “How do you close a table in an airport?!”
So I gather my 2 beers, 2 carry-ons and search for power. Of course not one of the outlets at IAH is anywhere NEAR a table or chair, so I plopped myself down on the floor, in the middle of the terminal, and charged up. At this point, just laughing at each new experrice like a maniacal traveler. Delirium set in, and as I talked to the 3 main M’s, i think they were all worried for my sanity. Maggie made me laugh, Mom was concerned that my loud comments concerning Continental was going to get me kicked out of the airport, and Matt did what he does best, make me feel normal even when I feel like a crazy person. Banana, banana, banana.
Around midnight, I made it on the plane, thankfully yo an entire row to myself. I spread out, and slept for the entire flight. BEST part of the night.
Once I arrived in Amsterdam, I was still pretty exhausted, but happy to be as far away from IAH as I could be. After taking a spill down the escalator in the train station with FOUR rolling bags, and nearly getting caught in one of the steps (thought about you Rhonda!) the maniacal laughing returned and I had no choice but to make light of the situation. I arrived at the hotel, cracked open a Heineken from the mini-bar and took a deep breath. Hello, Holland!
I quickly showered and decided to make a night out of it. It was almost 6pm by the time I arrived, so i wanted to head out and get as much done before i had to officially start working on Monday. I headed to the hotel bar for another beer, before I made my way to Leidsplein. Here’s where the luck starts to turn.
At a bar I usually visit while in Amsterdam (i SWEAR it was the same bartender as 3 years ago), I started talking with a few guys at the bar. Two English guys, and 2 Dutch guys. We had a few drinks as I explained to them my last 24 hours. They all vowed to make sure my next 24 were drastically different. (Would it be poor taste to say at this point i felt like Natalie Hollway, I mean, the Dutch boys and all. Oh, kidding! Mom, don’t freak out.)
One of the guys was spinning that night at the infamous Grasshopper coffee shop and bar. They invited me to come and we were off. I wish I had some pics, but I stupidly left my camera in the room. I had 4 escorts for the night, and we ended up having a blast. Dancing all night, and into the morning. Ended back up at the hotel about 5am, with European house music still pumping in my head. Reminded me of the last time I was in Amsterdam with my sister, and we had a similar experience at the Paradiso with some Canadians and a Vin Diesel look alike. I’ll have to upload those pics here when i return home. good times, good times.
So there is the story of my last 48 hours. I sure hope the next are more like the later 24.
Headed out to dinner with some work peeps, some pics soon.
Tags: airport, amsterdam, europe, houston, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 19, 2008 in
arts + events
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 19, 2008 in
arts + events,
travel So i’m home for a few days. Um, yeah, jet lag is a beeatch. But think I’m finally back on track, although my appetite has not returned. Not that i’m complaining.
I arrived home Friday night to a super clean and floral apartment, and yes, the paint in the bathroom was all done. Thanks to Matt for taking care of all of that. Now, each time I leave, I check the shower nozzle. It’s created an OCD behavior. Great.
Sunday was February edition of Dr. Sketchy at Avant Garden Another wonderful turnout, a beautiful model, amazing sketchers, and a blast was had by all. Were you there? Upload your pics to the Flickr group and remember to tag with “houston sketchy” and “dr. sketchy”. Below are a few of my favs from the the Fabulous Fayza and Groovy Groovehouse. Hope you call can make it out in March. date coming soon, check the site for more details.
My next leg has been jumping back and forth, but looks like I’m headed to Amsterdam on Friday, then to Bahrain, finally returning on March 6th.
For now, back to resting up and rocking out.
photos: groovehouse + fayza
Tags: amsterdam, dr. sketchy, houston sketchy, jet lag, photos, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 12, 2008 in
travel Probably had my first bout of homesickness today. Been so busy the last 2 weeks that it’s been hard to focus on anything else. But travel comes with it’s own stresses, I’m learning.
The Perth trip is winding down, and I’ve been in the office for the last 3 days. Actually getting a lot done, given the 15 hour time difference that allows me to shoot 100 emails out with no response back, until 10pm when everyone in the Houston office gets in.
I miss my bed, I do. I miss my fridge, albeit, nothing in it. I miss walking into my house and loving the view. It hasn’t helped that the word I’ve gotten from back home is that the painters are doing a shitty job, and I just wanna be there to see it. Still haven’t seen any pics.
Funny, being away makes you really evaluate your close relationships, and who you miss talking to everyday, and who you don’t.
Alas, reminding myself how lucky I am to be experiencing this, and how fortune I am for this opportunity. But I do still miss you, Houston. I couldn’t not.
Here are a few pics around my office, and where I walk everyday for lunch.
This will be my last post from Perth. I leave tomorrow (Thursday) late night to Singapore, then to Tokyo, then to LA, and finally arriving in Houston at 6pm on Friday. A long 24 hours of traveling. Not looking forward to it.
I hope to see some of you this weekend before I head out to London next Wednesday. I will def be at Dr. Sketchy on Sunday, hope to see some of you there!
It’s hard to be away. But it’s nice to come home.
Tags: australia, perth, travel
Posted by Monica Danna on Feb 10, 2008 in
travel 
My Dad surfs. My uncle Charles surfs. My uncle Henry is a famous surfboard shaper. Heck, my parents met on a beach.
You would THINK I would be a natural, right?
Um, not so much.
And I’ve got the bumps and bruises to prove it, including a tennis ball sized goose egg behind my ear from when another surfer’s board slammed me in the noggin. Ouch!
I tried and tried and tried to get up. After seeing everyone else in the class streaming into the break, I was getting very frustrated, which I’m sure didn’t help. I switched my lead foot. I tried starting off with one leg up. I tried it all. The only thing I got was some extra attention from the instructor. Which wasn’t all bad.
After TWO HOURS, and much embarrassing encouragement from the WHOLE class, I finally managed to stand on the board, only to fall into the ocean seconds later.
My frustration soon faded as I reminded myself, “I’m in friggin’ Australia, in the Indian Ocean, attempting to surf.” This ain’t Galveston.
Tags: australia, perth, scarborough beach, surfing, travel
