Travel Tuesday: Where Do You Want to Go Today?

Photo from Microsoft Office

As a re-vamp to my blog (since I pretty much took the summer off and played hooky from EVERYTHING), I've decided to make Tuesdays all about traveling. It could be places that truly exist, places only in books or films, places that once existed, but don't anymore, or even places that may some day exist, if I only live long enough.  

As a start to that, I have a few questions for you, my too-long-neglected readers. Feel free to answer any or all of them in your comments on this page, unless you, too, have dematerialized from blogworld to go on your merry way. Here they are:

1. What part of the world today would you most wish to visit? 

(My answer: Great Britain. Yes, even after that travesty of an opening ceremony, I still want to go there most.)

2.  What mythical/fictional place attracts you most? 

(My answer: Neverland. But I'd hope that J.M. Barrie was there to give me a tour--amazing man, if everything I've read about him is true. That freaky island from Life of Pi was cool, too, but I don't think I actually want to visit it.)

3.  What place from a long time ago do you wish most to see? 

(My answer: The Parthenon, in all its glory. Then again, if it was garishly painted as some scientists suggest, I might just pass. I'd love to see Atlantis, too, but perhaps that should be classified as "mythical/fictional.")

4.  What future experiences in travel do you envision, whether place or mode of travel?

Photo from Microsoft Office

(My answer: I wonder about moon travel, but I can't say I'm itching to go myself. I love the idea of traveling super fast--so that I could fly to Great Britain in an hour. It would be worth a little stomach lurching if it could save me 8 hours stuck in the middle of a five-person row of seats.)

But my answers aren't nearly as exciting as your answers. So get answering. You see, even if I drop the ball for months, I can still be impatient with others. Pretty cool, huh? So answer me already! 

Music Monday: The BEST Part of the London Olympic Ceremonies

Sometimes I am reminded how much better the world is with a little humor, when something knows it is beautiful and serious, and yet can laugh at itself. 

I caught a lot of the Olympics, but an ill-timed flight in July made me miss the opening ceremonies. Honestly, if you missed it, too, you didn't miss much. For some reason organizers decided a five-line speech from Caliban in Shakespeare's The Tempest was enough to represent the greatest writer of all time, and they pretty much skipped over the rest of British history until the Industrial Revolution, which was, well, revolting.

But one tiny glimmer of loveliness came out of the otherwise boring and clumsy presentation, and it involved the theme from Chariots of Fire, accompanied by none other than Mr. Bean. Due to copyright laws, I can't post it here, but I laughed and laughed. My kids are fans of Mr. Bean, for he's over the top stupid. Usually that simply irritates me, but his humor this time was spot on. 

And it's humor with music. It's along the same lines of the Looney Tunes' "What's Opera, Doc?" Brilliant use of beautiful music to create comedy. 

I forgive all the rest of the crappy ceremony because of it. Okay, maybe not. I am such an anglophile that I was hoping for spectacle that truly reflected the history of my favorite place. Where was King Arthur? Where were the bagpipes? Why ignore 90% of their own history?

Pretty sad when Mr. Bean is the only bright spot. Bright spot he was, though, thank God.

Not Dead

I'm sure you thought I was. Or you forgot I had ever been alive.

But any dark thoughts you had mulling over my demise are mere fantasy. I'm alive, I had a great summer off, and I have plans for this year.

One plan, of course, is to keep blogging next summer, and not drop off the face of the earth again. But next summer is a long way off, and my focus is on the now.

So stay tuned. Much news will be coming your way, and the revamping I've done of my blog so far is only the beginning. I hope to catch up with all of you on your own blogs, so if you've missed me and want me to visit super soon, just leave me a nagging message below.