Song Association

Waterloo Sunset (David Bowie cover): the song that inspired going to London 2003
Tubthumping (Chumbawanba): overplayed in France 1997
Hollaback Girl (Gwen Stefani): blaring everywhere in Australia in 2005, especially in the surf clothing store at the Cairns airport
Samba de Janeiro (Bellini): Anthem blaring throughout Rennes during Nouveau Boujolais 1997
Put Your Hands Up for Detroit (Fedde Le Grand): In all the Reykjavik clubs 2007
Big Sur (The Thrills): first song heard on the radio in Ireland 2003
I Want You Back (Jackson 5): Song I got caught singing along to on the train from Brussels to Amsterdam 1997
Ray of Light (Madonna): Anthem hear everywhere in Israel 1998
Enter Sandman (Metallica): Glod hits the wall when the guys she was moshing with backed away at Boo Radley's, Galway, Ireland, 2003
Young Folks (Peter Bjorn and John): on all the radios in Iceland 2007
Bitch (Meridith Brooks): Song I fled when going to France, only to discover our boarder loved it, and blasted it in his free time 1997
Hang Me Up to Dry (Cold War Kids): On the way back from Maine 2007
Sunchyme (Dario G): In all the clubs in Rennes 1997
Just the Girl (Click 5): In the stores shopping in Seattle 2005
The Cup of Life (Ricky Martin): on both nights at the Underground, Tel Aviv, 1998
Run (Snow Patrol): First time heard on US radio in the car on way home from Burlington, VT, 2004
Hey Ma (Cam'Ron): On the radio at least once every trip on the MassPike to CT in 2003-2004
California Love (2Pac): In my head the whole time in San Fran. 2001
Long Time Coming (Delays): In my head as I boarded the plane in Boston to LA on my way to Australia 2005
Universally Speaking (Red Hot Chili Peppers): In my head as I landed in LA 2003
Anything SpiceGirls: the insanity that they were in Europe 1997

My Guilty Reality Pleasure....

is watching the Real World Sydney....and knowing exactly where they're living. Darling Harbour, see right. And knowing that Louisa's apt. our home base was less than a mile away. Love Darling Harbour...such lucky reality stars...

Showing the Sox Pride Worldwide

I love the Red Sox. Being from Boston, it's in the blood. As I watch the ALDS game tonight vs. Anaheim, I've reminiscing of the times I've shared explaining the obsession....
Since they won it all in 2004, it's been a lot easier to spot the fans. I went to Williamsburg, VA in Spring 2005, just months after they won it all, and was overwhelmed with how much Sox gear I saw. Granted it was school vacation week for Mass. students and the Red Sox were slated to play in Baltimore a few days later...the Boston fans were everywhere...
While changing planes in Melbourne, Australia later in 2005, I was wearing Red Sox sweatshirt. The sales clerk stopped flirting with my friend (wearing the Red Sox hat), and said, "is that a Red Sox jumper...they won a championship recently..." Yes, I replied, thankful I knew sweaters/sweatshirts are called jumpers in other parts of the world. I was stunned he knew them. Earlier in that trip, Louisa, Elizabeth, and I posed in our Sox garb with our Improper Bostonian (never ran our picture!) demonstrating our Sox pride in Circular Quay.
Tickets are so hard to find at Fenway, that seeing the Red Sox on the road is much easier (and cheaper) than securing tickets for a home game. I've only seen the Red Sox on the road once, in Cleveland in 1991....before all of the madness started. My Dad and brother have followed them to California. They're the biggest road draw in baseball...and a lot of that is due to the scarcity of tickets in Boston.
Spring training is my favorite time to see the Red Sox. There's something about wearing shorts in March while watching batting practice. And then calling home and finding out your Mom is stuck shoveling out the driveway since your Dad has taken the kids to Florida. I love being able to be so close to the players. I love riding bikes on Sanibel Island, and then going to a game that night. I haven't been since the Sox won in 2004. It was getting harder to buy tickets then, and spring training tickets are almost close to impossible to score now. That's why my Dad now schedules his spring training trips for when the Red Sox play the Twins across Fort Myers at their facility.

Presidential sightings

On Tuesday this week, I heard the President of Iceland speak at Harvard. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson spoke as part of Harvard's Center for the Environment "The Future of Energy" lecture series.
Grímsson's lecture highlighted Iceland's success in using geothermal energy as a power source. His talk, "Geothermal Energy: Harnessing the Fire Inside" detailed Iceland's international partnerships to expand geothermal power usage throughout the world. From Germany to Dijibouti to China, Iceland is partnering with these nations to build geothermal power stations. It was interesting to hear about how different countries are approaching geothermal energy. Grímsson was in the United States to speak before Congress on the advantages of using geothermal power. Grímsson showed photographs of his presentations to several high profile American politicians, including Barak Obama.

The presentation included several images of Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon (the byproduct of a geothermal power plant); images that reminded me of the natural beauty of Iceland. Definitely a place to which I hope to return. I'm all for geothermal power, such a great clean, usage of natural resources. But please, do something about the strong foul smell it creates when used to heat hot water...pursing my lips as a rinse out shampoo is not my idea of getting clean!