** FARE ALERT ** (Iceland)

Round trip fare DTW ->Reykjavik, Iceland for under $170!

WOW Air, valid Nov/Dec 2018.

Don't think. Just DOO it!

Amazingly Simple Recipe: Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Autumn’s cooler temperatures and rich colors bring to mind the smooth, warm decadence of hearty soups. A quick YouTube search will filter through thousands of ways to make thousands of soups. . Soups like squash soup, with wildly varying flavor-altering ingredients from chicken stock to curry to apple juice to vinegar. 

Not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point within the last week, I became obsessed with finding and making the perfect squash apple soup. I sifted through a few dozen versions on YouTube, but I just couldn't find the right recipe. I was looking for a combination of rich and creamy with a little sweetness and spice. 

So I made my own recipe. It's delicious(!), but this is only my first go-round. If you decide to make a few edits of your own, I won't be mad a ya ;)

• 6 cups chopped butternut squash
• 6 Granny Smith, Michigan or other sweet apples, peeled & chopped
• 1/2 chopped large white or yellow onion
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1/2 cup half and half
• Olive oil

1. Cover bottom of pot with olive oil over high heat. 
2. Add onions and ginger. Stir and cook until onions are translucent. 
3. Add broth, squash, and apples. Bring to a boil. 
4. Simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
5. Turn heat off. 
6. Use blender or bullet to blend contents together. 
7. Return blended soup to simmering pot. 
8. Add cream. 
9. Add any of these if desired: thyme, salt, pepper

Enjoy!

** Fare Alert **

Get huge savings with Spirit Airlines with one way flights as low as $23! Sounds like a pain, but once you put together both flights, it's worth it. 

For example:

12/13 one way Detroit ->Orlando $23

12/16 one way Orlando->Detroit $23

That's less than fifty bucks for a round trip!! 

Book by 11:59pm on 9/19/17. 

Follow this link for the full list of bargains and start using that vacation time :).

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DATES

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AIRLINES

United & Air Canada (FYI, layover in Toronto...like that's a bad thing?!)

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Random Rant

So this post started out as a rant on a whole different subject, but I got sidetracked and started a completely new rant, and then deleted and deleted the former rant until all the old rant is gone.

-----


Part of the reason I travel is because learning how other people live is amazing. Even random interactions with people in other environments are amazing.

But also, I'm too confined by the social rules here. I need better examples of good friends. I need companionship from people with the same ethics, with no judgement, and who will earnestly listen when I talk. I need to be around people who enjoy helping others, and laughing out loud. The people I met in the DR just two years ago send me family photos and Skype calls, for God's sake.

I can't express myself freely here because I'm always judged. And I expect the head tilts and dismissive tones when I try now. Even still, I hesitantly attempted to explain my feelings about a recent incident to someone recently. And as expected, she mocked me and gave me the "well, THAT was stupid" response.

So.I no longer make excuses or ask for pardon for my feelings. But it makes me sad that I have such a large social network but no one who'll even get me.

I can be screaming in a crowd of a thousand people and no one will hear me.

But my friends from Brisbane, Australia... both people listened patiently and then explained back to me how I'm feeling. Neither did it as a method of pacification. Both actually finished my sentences.

They get me.

Honor Him

We often forget the grand task our fathers are burdened to bear. They can only show strength - as it's unforgivable for the head of household to appear weak - but be conscious and empathetic when we cry. Lest we not forget that our fathers came home with sore backs and tired feet from working enough to keep us warm and sheltered.

When your mother coddled and protected you, your father nurtured your sense of independence and survival.

When your mother insisted you join teams and clubs, your father worked tirelessly to provide the means for you.

When your mother gave you a seed and helped you cultivate it and watch it grow, your father taught you to take it by its stalk and tear it down and use it to nourish one thousand other things.

Your mother taught you to carry peace in your body to settle the unruly. Your father taught you to put up with bvll$h!t it only once.

He is the gear that shifts you from resolution to determination. You cannot make your own family without carrying the weight and the honor of his name. And you can't look in a mirror and not see him looking back, assessing his work.

Your father granted you shelter.

Conditioned your strength.

Made you fearless.

Except for spiders.

Rooted your stability.

Demanded your integrity.

Made you better.

Honor Him.

- Michelle Russell

** Fare Alert **

R/T flight - Boston --> Dominican Republic for just $294...woohoo!!

Get yours @ SecretFlying.com.

"Chained to the Rhythm" Hits Home

This new song by Katy Perry is FIRE! I'm digging the smooth dance hall groove and the danceable melody. It's already stuck in my head.

But the lyrics are really quite powerful, matched with a killer video that really drives the message home. I think both can easily match our emotions regarding our current state of affairs. And if you're an adult in America, at least one of the messages is heavy on your mind these days.

The video starts with Katy walking into a Utopian theme park with a crowd of oblivious citizens. Horrible, inhumane things are happening all around them, but the crowd remains unconcerned.

Katy boards a roller coaster with seats marked "male" and "female". Two people of the same sex can't sit together. They're scored at the end of the ride: the male gets 9500 points, the woman only gets 17 (gender inequality).

She passes a catapult that literally sends families home by hurling them over a wall (sound familiar?).

Not so subtle messages about the housing market, conservatism, immigration and how we're glued to our technology. (I love how the crowd enters the park, too busy taking selfies to enjoy themselves.) You'll even catch some references to nuclear war and the Flint water crisis (look for the people drinking the blue fire water).

But check the lyrics:

Chained to the Rhythm
Are we crazy?
Living our lives through a lens
Trapped in our white picket fence
Like ornaments
So comfortable, we're living in a bubble, a bubble
So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble, the trouble
So put your rose-colored glasses on
And party on
Turn it up, it's your favorite song
Dance, dance, dance to the distortion
Turn it up, keep it on repeat
Stumbling around like a wasted zombie
Yeah, we think we're free
Drink, this one is on me
We're all chained to the rhythm
To the rhythm to the rhythm


Okay, so maybe I've listened a few too many times. But the lyrics hit a nerve (or seven or twenty) on a more personal level for me. If I'm listening but not watching the video, it feels like Katy's lecturing me about my life. All aspects therein.

Pretending everything is okay. My work. My friendships. My health. My world. Day by day, I pretend everything is okay.

Well, everything is definitely NOT okay. Keeping my opinions and frustrations about outrages shown to me and others every day, pretending to only see the topical and ignoring the strong current below, pretending everything is just perfect.

Katy's right. I'm stumbling around like a wasted zombie.

DS9: The "Tito Jackson" of Star Trek

So there are five original Star Trek TV series. There's the original, The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise. 

Each series addresses a specific element of creator Gene Roddenberry's vision. One deals solely with social issues, another is about calculating risks. But they all have an important part to play in the world of Trek.

Well, most of them. 

The Next Generation and Voyager are obviously the "Michael" and "Jermaine" of the series respectively. TNG shines much brighter than the other with a captain who is the epitome of a great leader and a strong subset of important characters. Voyager's sparkle is a bit less bright, but is still a great second because of the story's innovative fiasco resolutions. Plus, the late addition of the Seven of Nine character gave the series a much-needed reboot that sparked a whole new generation of fandom.

Enterprise is the "Marlon". You kinda remember it. Nothing interesting. Pretty to look at. But it just kind of fades into the background to hold up the stage props. Coulda stayed home.

And then there's Deep Space Nine. Crappy, nonsensical Deep Space Nine. The "Tito" of the group. For lots of reasons.

A. The series' tone is completely off-key. It's the written version of that one guy at the karaoke bar who thinks he's amazing but actually sounds like a werewolf on crack. 

B. It's cast of characters are boring. I don't even remember what they look like, really.

C. Captain Sisko confuses violence with relevance.

D. They don't even leave the damn space station! 

It's like someone said "we need a new Star Trek series, but we have no budget, no creativity and no message...hey, lets call this crap 'Deep Space Nine'.  

Sigh. I can't even.



Recent Post: Respect the Trek

Glad I'm Not the Only One

*** Just Booked ***

Round trip flight ... DTW >Myrtle Beach for $53! WOOT.

Via SpiritAir.com flash sale.

Tiny House World and Gozilla Fest

So I don't know if this is a worldwide phenomenon or if it's just the new stateside obsession, but we are suddenly in love with the "tiny house" movement. 

Click here for the full ep.

The US has 4 series that I can think of that are dedicated to the tiny house trend.  There's Tiny House Nation, Tiny House World, Tiny House something-something and that other one with the one lady who talks too much.

I'm so obsessed with these properties. They're beautiful and completely modern, and perfect for one or two people. You can pretty much place the plot anywhere, so scenery is your choice. No mortgage, home equity up the wazoo, and low, low home expenses.

I'm watching Tiny House World. This Australian couple...they're looking at this beautiful new 600 sq ft tiny house...which is WAY bigger than the 250 sq ft US versions...it has these floor-to-ceiling windows and tons of tech conveniences...and they're complaining about the lack of room. They're practically whining about the size.

And the wife. Oh. My. God. Like nails on a chalkboard. Right now, she's going off about how the house is $30,000 and they only wanted to spend $10,000. Granted, I can only understand every 3rd word they're saying, but I know "whiny" when I hear it.

TEN GRAND!? Over here, lawn mowers cost ten grand! Ten grand is a down payment on a new car. I know that Australian and US economics & finances and stuff are different, but for us $30k for a tiny house is insanely cheap. And again, "tiny house" for us is basically a doll house. Nothing near the scale of what I'm seeing on this show.

I've binge watched 4 episodes thus far and have been seriously considering taking my moolah and investing in one of these cribs. 

So I am trying to watch this show and meanwhile my house looks like the reenactment of the ending to every Godzilla movie ever filmed.

I could really, really see myself living in that kind of solitude.  

Peace and quiet and solitude and a view. 

Oh, and wifi.

And no spiders.

Seriously. If I see a spider in my shiny new tiny house, it's getting torched.

"Here Comes the Fat Chick"

That's the look I get when entering the gate area at any given airport.

Ugh. The eyerolls. The looks of disdain.

There should be a giant red sticky note on my airline ticket: "TWF"

Traveling While Fat. 

Cue the horror movie music.

I'll venture anywhere for a quick swim in a blue ocean, but I can't get there without experiencing some form of prejudice based on my size. And so my vacation quests are typically stunted by the thought of people judging the way I look in a bathing suit.

Or in an airplane seat.

Or in baggage claim.

It's why I mentally check off where all the seat pockets are in relation to what I'll be using in-flight, like my Kindle Fire and water bottle. Whatever it takes to avoid disturbing my neighbor further. 

It's also the reason I use the airport restrooms several times before a flight, even if I don't have to go. And if I get the urge during the flight, I hold it...no matter how long the duration.

And so Spirit Airlines is probably the best bet for those of us who are larger in size. Sure, the flight attendants sleep for the entire flight, and the term "customer service" gets the same treatment as the term "terrorism", but the giant seats in the front row are sure to accommodate anyone my size. 

Today, I watched two flight attendants play Russian roulette with the emotions of a large man who sat next to me. I'm still not clear on why he didn't "fit"in the seat...he looked fine to me...but sometimes the seatbelts are less than generous. Whatever the reason, the attendants loudly proclaimed that he would have to sit in two seats in a row further back. This misplaced the two original seat holders, and their grumbles and shuffling to their new seats caused even more commotion and attention. 

And if you wear any size below a woman's size 18, you have no idea what I'm talking about and can't relate.

And that's okay. Because I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone.

Except maybe my ex. But he deserves it.

What I Bought
Spare yourself a bit of humiliation: Airline Seatbelt Extenders

N'awlins Decadence

Brought back a tray of day-old croissants,
milk and other random snacks from the
corner shop for the homeless man who
sleeps across the street, but he never returned. :(

I haven't shared much with the masses ("masses" lol...right) lately. I recently experienced a pretty heavy life event that hit me like a ton of bricks. I haven't discussed it with anyone, but the reminder of that event is burdensome and is with me every day - physically and in mind. But it also serves as evidence that what happens to us is the direct result of our own actions. Our own imperfections create our own tsumi 罪.

Enough of that.

So, randomly, I'm in New Orleans. This city is alive. Like that part where Neo realizes he has cool powers and the walls shift. Or something. I'm not a Matrix fan. Its preachy bible-thumping cloaked as an apocalyptic scifi.   Which makes it as cheesy as Star Wars.

This city feels like...

Decadence.

So I've always been fascinated with the disco/Studio 54 era. I immediately head to the non fiction>history>culture section in bookstores and study the photos in retrospection books.

Those people did things we would never dream of doing today...having random, unprotected hook-ups without fear of disease or guilt or skankiness. Doing drugs openly. Hard stuff. Even audaciously. The people in the photos seem so carefree and absolved of worry. Their expressions say, "I'm a superhero...nothing can touch me as long as I'm in this space."

These people were regular people. People with bills and families and drama just like the rest of us. But they walked into a club and suddenly became fearless? 

That isn't logical.

I finally realized that the mood captured in these amazing stories and pictures were not swayambhu. The sense of invincibility and awesomesauciness was a byproduct of living in that exact moment. Letting that surreal environment - with the rhythmic beats and the glittery shadows and the pomp and la fantaisie - overwhelm their want for normalcy.

They were swallowed by the decadence.

And so that is the best way I can describe New Orleans. It's decadent.

The aforementioned ominous street.

I walked the French Quarter last night. Not that huge of a feat. It's maybe 20 blocks total? But when I stopped in the middle of a dark street that leads to the hustle and bustle of Bourbon Street, I closed my eyes and let the city take me. New Orleans - with it's rich, dark history and eclectic people and gauche - it's provocative. And like those people who use to pose their way into Studio 54, in this city, I don't think about my bills or my worries or responsibilities. Or my recent traumatic bout. I only feel an overwhelming sense of abandon and decadence.

The city has me.

And then I realized I'm still on Detroit time which is one hour later and I cabbed my old ass back to the hotel.

Also, I lost 6 lbs. in the last month, and I gained it all back this weekend eating pralines and poutine and crawfish.

What I Bought
The Last Party - a collection of photos and mayhem from the Studio 54 nights
Spirit Airlines - my choice for cheap Detroit>Nola flights
Cafe Beignet - best beignets in the FQ (and recommended over Cafe Du Monde by locals)

Why WITS16 Didn't Work for Me

A friend recently informed me that I wear my heart on my sleeve.  I think she meant it to be an insult. Actually, I know she meant it as an insult, because an expression of pity accompanied the comment.

But I don't see it that way.

Creating/being in social situations tops my list of needs. I feel "off" if I don't hold a conversation with a new person every day. I'm one of those geeks who speaks to every person she passes. If I see someone struggling to get to their flight gate with heavy or awkward luggage, it takes everything in me to not jump up and help them.

I like to make others' days better. And as cheesy as it sounds, I truly believe that offering a quick "good morning" can literally change a stranger's day.

So when I arrived at the 2016 WITS (Women in Travel Summit) conference on a beautiful Saturday in California, I was super excited for the chance to mingle with hundreds of women from so many different walks of life, with so many different experiences, but who shared my obsession with travel.  Hell, that was my ready-made ice breaker right there.

Unfortunately, I arrived at the conference on day three (which was originally day one, but the leaders later added more days and activities) and took a spot at the almost-full table in the back, my table of ladies barely noticed. Throughout the day, I tried to insert myself into others' conversations but it was no use. Everyone had already formed comfortable friendships...long story short, I felt (ironically) very alone.

And it colored my entire WITS16 experience. When group activities were announced, I exited the banquet room and grabbed coffee or chatted with the vendors in the lobby. The leaders had also planned some really cool excursions that I'd hoped to group up for, but ultimately I just drove back to my hotel.

No new BFFs for me.

I'll look for other travel-related conferences and events...and I'll post what I find here. :)

What I Bought
Info about the Women in Travel Summit
Members of this large grassroots organization are a great resource for solo female travelers: She's Wanderful
I stayed at the breathtaking Air Venice in Venice Beach

The ol' "Shifty Eye"

"All inclusive": Free booze and sunburn wherever you turn.

So I'm sitting in the corner of a hotel lobby in the Dominican Republic, kneading my sunburn and cursing myself for not using sunscreen earlier today. 

Sitting in the corner of any given crowded room gives you an awesome vantage point.  

Case in point: I'm watching this married couple waiting in line to check in to the hotel.  She looks tough. They're like every American sitcom couple. He works 80 hours a week and golfs. She complains about life and cooks meatloaf on Thursdays.

Yeah, that couple.

A slender/blonde/attractive (take your pick...they're all the same, right? #bittermuch) woman walks by.  My eyes dart back to the couple because I'm nosy and I want to read both the husband's and wife's reactions to this ostentatious disruption of reality.   

The wife is busy checking her purse for something, so she's missing all of the action.  The husband, however, is immediately aware that a hottie is in his field of vision. He does a quick glance, and we know what's going to happen next.  He's going to find some way to look again and take in her entire being, then he's going to store all that data and quickly return to whatever he was pretending to do.  But it'll be sooo smooth and quick. 

I love this part. I call this highly-evolved, stylized cognizant method of ogling "The Shifty Eye". It should have it's own theme music, really.

Okay.  It's about to go down. As I'm texting this, he's already turned away from his wife to "check his texts". Now, let's observe how smoothly he pulls it off...

This is awesome. It's like watching a NatGeo promo with the driving background drum beat and the way-too-serious voice over guy...

Okay, he's "texting"...and "texting"...aaaaaand 

BAM! He pulled it off without a hitch, ladies and gentlemen! He just glanced up very directly at the hottie, practically mentally undressed her, stamped the image and stored it in the appropriate folder in his brain and returned to "texting"...all within like 5 seconds.

I seriously want to put down my phone and write "10" on my napkin and hold it up for him, but I don't want to call him out and disrupt his natural habitat. I wish I'd recorded it.  It's a thing of beauty, really.

Seriously. Men are amazing creatures. Whenever a man pulls off The Shifty Eye, it's like watching the marine biologist guys try to catch a whale on camera. You know they're going to surface at some point. But to watch it in action is awesome.

They think they're so slick and shady. But really, this is proof that they're only as slick as the length of rope their spouses give them. Tthe wife is still busy getting their papers or credit cards or whatever's in her ridiculous giant purse, so she isn't minding the environment. The woman is completely unaware that a private fiasco just went down. 

Men are great social chameleons. They'll be whatever you want them to be, as long as the room's colors don't change too quickly and give them away. 

People watching at it's finest. Cheers!

What I Bought
Hotel Riu - Punta Cana
Aftersun Aloe Vera Gel (only available at stateside CVS's)

*** Fare Alert ***

New airfare bargains including this r/t Detroit-->LaGuardia on specific dates for $141. 

Visit Orbitz.com for the details. 

Traveling Amidst the American Political Saga and our Evolving Social Climate

I've taken a few quick trips to nearby locales recently. I traveled solo, as typical, anxious for the opportunity to meet new friends with interesting stories and backgrounds. And I've noticed something odd lately...maybe you have, too...

We talk to each other differently.

I mean to say that how we interact with strangers who we may have formerly approached apprehensively...well, it's all changed.

And I have a sneaking suspicion that our current state of political affairs has a lot to do with it.

We have an outspoken, often foot-in-mouth but at-least-he's-honest non-politician running against the first female front runner for the Executive Office of the President of the United States. An office that is currently held by the first African American family to receive it.

Regarding the former contestant, I'm positive that his sardonic nature and often incredibly insensitive tone are indirectly related to the influx of Caucasian men and women, also on vacation with their families, who approach me (a plus sized African American female) plainly and without the aforementioned apprehension, simply for general conversation.

Plainly, I think the race for President has made us more comfortable with one another. We're not as timid about approaching someone, even if we suspect they live a completely different lifestyle than we do. We're not afraid to voice our opinions to strangers. And that makes me happy.

That's the positive influence our presidential candidates have unknowingly bestowed upon us. We're more comfortable expressing ourselves to people of other cultures and ethnicities.

But here's the negative impact. We're more comfortable expressing ourselves to people of other cultures and ethnicities...

Sigh.

My Uber Guy is CRAY!

My Uber driver is CRAZY!! He's...

1. Driving all over the lines
2. Running other drivers onto the shoulder of the road
3. A speed demon in the right lane
4. Facebooking and Googling at over 85 mph!

I think my spleen just flew out the window.

#sweetbabygeezus

#coveringmyeyes

*** Fare Alert ***

R/t flights DTW --> MIA via American Airlines for $107! Multiple dates on September, October and January. 

Orbitz.com. 

Sea of Kits

So I got a little carried away yesterday and made a "few" too many hygiene kits. I had to put half of them in my trunk just so that we wouldn't trip over them. 

If you live in the Detroit area and you'd like some to distribute to someone(s) in need, please follow the links to the left to contact me. They'll be in my trunk, so if we work together or you live in the area, I can just bring them to you. :) #outofspace #gotcarriedaway #simmerdown #helpthehomeless #weekendwarrior