Happiness is a Warm Puppy
I was signing some Christmas cards and thinking of the Merry Christmas and Happy New Year that we throw around so lightly at this time of year, and started to wonder what do we really mean when we say Happy New Year. Certainly we don’t mean it as an adjective modifying the noun, because it’s non-sensical to think that something inanimate, such as a new year, can be happy. Everyone knows that only people or puppies can be happy. And I am happy. Flat out. No doubt about it. If you would have asked me, I may have had a hard time defining happiness or even why I am happy, but there you are, I am happy. Having gone this far, however, I decided to go a bit...How to See Europe on Only $2000 a Day
Those of us of a certain age will recall the popular travel guides of some years ago that touted “See Europe on $$$$ per Day”. The fill in the blank number that I remember ranged from $20.00 to $200.00. These books were largely responsible for the flood of American tourists that roamed through Europe from the 60’s onward seeking to immerse themselves in European culture. The reality is that most of those that followed the proscriptions of such “How To” books became acquainted with small dingy hotel rooms, wine that tasted like paint thinner, and that particular brand of European body odor, but, nevertheless, returned home happy and knowing more than when...What They Don’t Tell You About Venice
Ok, I’ll admit it. When S. made her desire known to go to Venice on our European jaunt, my first reaction was a giant groan. First of all, I’ve been there, done that, and secondly, it’s really a white bread kind of place to go. At best, a really old European Disneyland for adults. Gimme a break….gondolas. Tourists coming out of the old wazoo. What a way to spend a few precious days when we could have been in Slovenia or some place really interesting. But I was wrong. Well, not completely wrong. It is, more or less, a Disneyland for adults, but a very fine one, and one with significant history and culture. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you a...Oh Paree, I Thought I Knew Ye
Any one who thinks they have the ability to understand a culture other than their own is a fool. I remember an old asian hand, who after several miso wari’s (scotch and waters for you non-old asian hands), opined about a common malady of expats who had stayed too long. We called it asian fever, and it happens in other areas of the world as well. He told me that perfect comprehension of the Oriental culture came only when one finally realized that he would never understand. It’s relatively easy to apply that wisdom to eastern cultures, where things really look different, but we often fail to understand that it applies equally to places where things on the...