The Unfortunate Photo: Flipping Off The Acropolis (not really)

Posted on September 17, 2013 by sglaser

Indira and I take a break from our sprint to the ferry to look at the Acropolis in the distance.

Athens, Greece, 1995. After meeting up with my friend Indira at 3 a.m. in the Athens airport, we slept in a hotel for about 4 hours before getting up to catch a ferry to the Greek islands. Underestimating how long it would take to get to the ferry, we ended up sprinting to the port. However, we took a two-minute break so we could revel in the Acropolis. Two minutes, photo, done.

Because we spent all our time island hopping, I never made it back to the Acropolis. So this is my memory. Oh, and it appears that I’m giving the Acropolis “the bird” or maybe just the photographer. Actually, I was pointing with my index finger, but it looks, suspiciously, like my middle finger.

Signs of the Times: Time to get the crane for this one…

Posted on September 9, 2013 by sglaser

Nothing to misinterpret here.

Port Adelaide, South Australia. I’ve found that Australians tell it like it is. They say what they mean, so better bend your knees and lift from the legs on this one — or get a crane.

The super heavy container.

Travel Oops: Seriously, Do I really like Nescafé?

Posted on September 3, 2013 by sglaser

The crystals before they work their magic. @Editor At Large

Kiev, Ukraine, 2006, 8 a.m.

Dipping a teaspoon into the plastic jar and scooping out the sparkly, gravely grounds, I added them to a boiling cup of water and watched the particles dissolve into dark brown ribbons. It took about 30 seconds.

This was not right. The dark brown steaming liquid was ready in an instant as it promised — like a powdered NASA beverage. It was not coffee; it was — Nescafé.

Having arrived in Kiev late the night before, I was tired and desperate for some caffeine. I looked through the cupboards and fully stocked refrigerator of the apartment where I was staying and found nothing else resembling coffee. And this apartment was set up. The refrigerator housed what looked like two frosted glass sculptures full of Ukrainian vodka, international meats and cheeses that could have been part of a catering tray from a UN smorgasbord, fresh bread and bags of luscious red tomatoes. So how was there no bag of ground goodness in there?

©Habib.mhenni Commons Wikimedia.org

And it wasn’t just the taste, I hated the idea of instant java — no grinding of beans; no brewing; no aroma wafting through the kitchen while you try to wake up; no holding of the cup to warm your hands. Just dump some coffee flakes — I mean ‘crystals’ — into boiling water. It was almost like adding fish food to an aquarium. Where was the ritual in that? Drinking coffee is sacred in some countries. Was a coffeehouse close by? Surely Starbucks was somewhere in Ukraine’s cosmopolitan capital city.

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Signs of the Times: A real travel Oops

Posted on August 27, 2013 by sglaser

Bali, Indonesia. How cool is this photo of this restaurant, which I feel compelled to visit!? This pic was given to me by Lottie Nevin, who is a fantastic blogger and photographer. Her hilarious blog is one of my favorites, and I consider Lottie to be a dear friend. She has always encouraged and supported me. Thanks, Lottie!

Signs of the Times: Slipping with Serious Style

Posted on August 23, 2013 by sglaser

Jazz hands everyone! Falling can be flashy..

From Ski Cooper, Colorado: Jazz hands everyone! The Flashy Fall.

It seems like in every country, we know that yellow or orange signs signal caution. But that doesn’t mean these signs have to be boring and the same! I’ve noticed that “Slippery When Wet” signs vary quite a bit. The above sign is my favorite — this guy knows how to slip and land on his bum Broadway Style. Jazz hands everyone!

The following photos are part of the Slipping with Style collection.

Ski Cooper, Colorado. Skiers may know a few things about falling so there’s nothing wrong with adding some style — like the can can

Love the high kick on this one. Time to do the Can Can Save!

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Travel Teacher Oops: Basically Neighbors with the “Biebs”

Posted on August 16, 2013 by sglaser

One of the Hallways of Le Fevre

Adelaide, Australia. 2010. Raiding the supply of “blueys” or blue withdrawal room forms in the staff room of Le Fevre High School, I grabbed a substantial stack. Recently, I had been called a “f**king bitch” in class by one of my year 8 students, so I armed myself with the blue tickets to the “naughty room.”

The withdrawal room was where you sent unruly, belligerent or uncooperative students. As I contemplated how long my blue pile would last, the assistant principal Jane Prince, whisked into the staff room.

“Steph, we need you to teach the Year 7 transition class today,” she mentioned while filling teacher pigeon holes (mailboxes) full of paperwork.

“The what class?” By now I was so used to winging it at Le Fevre, where I had been assigned as an American exchange teacher, it didn’t faze me one bit to be given a class I didn’t have a clue about.

A classroom awaiting students.

“The transition class. Year 7s from feeder schools will be visiting today. We need to introduce these prospective students to our maths and language arts programs.”

“Jane, you really want me to teach this class?

“Yes, why not?” Jane grabbed another stack of papers, licked her thumb and began rifling through them. Soon they were completely sorted. She turned to look at me, while peering over the top rim of her glasses frames.

Because, seriously, you want the kids to come here, right? To impress them.

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Signs of the Times: Really “Rustic” or “No-Frills” Yurt?

Posted on August 4, 2013 by sglaser

The convenience of cabins off the highway.

Highway 285, Colorado, USA.

Along this highway that winds down from a mountain pass on the way to Denver, CO, two signs advertising cabins and lodges show up. Location is everything, but placement may be more important. These signs appear right next to a domed pump station. Due to the weathering of the signs, it’s difficult to even see that mileage to the cabins is actually displayed. So, a person who wants that rustic mountain experience may be convinced that the pump station is really some kind of high tech or really no-frills yurt.

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Travel Oops: “Pardon Me, but I’m Stuck on Your Sequins.”

Posted on July 28, 2013 by sglaser

Sequins have been used as flair for clothing dating back to

Sequins have been used for centuries as flair for clothing. In earlier eras they were made out of metal.

San Francisco, USA. 1994

Sequins: the most indestructible flair in fashion. These sparkly plastic disks are surprisingly tough — especially if you get caught on a Drag Queen’s sequined gown in a crowded bar in the Castro District of San Francisco during Halloween.

Unwittingly, I volunteered for this sequins durability and strength testing on October 31, 1994. One week earlier, my friend Cathy and her boyfriend Grant invited me to come with them to the Castro for what was sure to the biggest and most outrageous Halloween celebration around. We decided it would be far more exciting than spending the night in Berkeley where we all lived. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I couldn’t think of a better place to be than the Castro.

A bit of history on Halloween in San Francisco and the Castro

The Castro’s celebration, essentially a massive street party, was the most popular Halloween event in the nation for decades. Traditionally, Halloween has been a celebration during which many members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in San Francisco have felt free to be themselves or their alter egos. In San Francisco, Halloween, as a holiday embraced by the city’s LGBT community, has roots dating back to the 1950s. The Tenderloin, North Beach and Polk Street have all been hosts to the blowout. The Castro naturally inherited the celebration when more gay residents moved to the area in the 1970s. It has rivaled Mardi Gras as far as major ragers go.

Unfortunately, like all good parties that draw the masses, the Castro’s Halloween celebration ballooned to more than 10,000 participants in the early 2000s. City officials canceled the celebration after a 2006 shooting injured nine revelers. While people still gather in the Castro on Halloween it is nowhere near as epic a celebration.

Colonel Sanders is in the House

The flappers and Tinkerhell

Cathy, Grant, their friend Ally and I arrived in San Francisco around nine o’clock. When we got to the Castro it was a total free for all.

Scantily clad guys sprinted down Castro Street while gorgeous drag queens sashayed down what turned into an asphalt catwalk. Public displays of affection abounded. This was a homophobe’s biggest nightmare.

For a woman, however, it was awesome. No cat calls, whistles, getting groped or ordered to “Smile.” Cathy and Ally were dressed as sassy flappers, and making use of a former bridesmaid’s dress and lots of black kohl eyeliner, I was “Tinkerhell,” Tinkerbell’s evil Gothic twin. Basically, we could have been naked and on fire and no one would have given us a second look.

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Signs of the Times: Travel Poops (sorry, I couldn’t help the pun…)

Posted on July 25, 2013 by sglaser

A friendly clean up your dog's poop sign

This is sort of the hippie make-love-not-poop (but if you do, it’s okay) sign.

From gentle reminders to accusations of destroying civilization, signs are everywhere prompting people to clean up their dogs’ poops. (Sérieusement, Paris, France, écoutez-vous?)

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Priceless Products and Packaging: Canada takes the “old” out of the Common Cold

Posted on July 21, 2013 by sglaser

A Moai tissue holder at the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, Canada. You also can order one for $28 online from Upstart Crow, a San Diego company. (http://upstartcrowtrading.com/online-store/novelties/tiki-tissue-holder)

Who wants to retrieve tissue from its original manufacturer’s box? Boring. We haven’t seen many advances lately in the tissue and tissue accessory industries — aside from adding lotion and aloe, which was exciting for probably the first two years after the new product was introduced. While roaming around in the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, Canada, I came across these far-from-boring tissue keepers.

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