The American LadyThe American LadyI'm an American freelance journalist living in rural Austria with my London Black Cab and my adopted Jack Ruseell. If we aren't transporting sheep in the London taxi, we're stumbling across Vietnam, Armenia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, North Africa. Co Articles
When "Not Bad" Is Not Enough
2007-11-19 17:06:00 Not long ago Remi and I taxied over to the cafe in Sir George. Once we got settled--me with my beer and her with her, I dunno what, pig's lung or something--a man sitting nearby came over and introduced himself to us. He was British, and wanted to know about my London Taxi. So we got to talking. He said he lived in Germany maybe 20 years ago, and had a German girlfriend. "I really should have
What About (a) Bob?
2007-11-16 15:22:00 When I was in Saigon last month I went to a hair salon, which I found via a YouTube video. It's got something like four floors, and these computer-simulated images of what you would look like in various hairstyles. I didn't need the simulators because I knew what I wanted, which was just a trim. I was shown to my seat, and three people stepped forward to assist me, not including the stylist.
Now THAT'S A Theory
2007-11-15 21:11:00 The theory goes that the more sex you have, the less neurotic you are. Controversial Austrian/American psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich claimed that, in essence, the number of orgasms you have in your life are directly proportional to how much you really care about anything else. But maybe too much puts you over to the Other Side: According to Wikipedia, he "claimed to have developed a form of energy More About: Theory , Theo
Don't Get Sicko Today-O
2007-11-14 23:40:00 I was happy to get the checks, but honestly. I didn't understand why they were coming. I SMSed my insurance agent three times to get to the bottom of it and, voila, got an sms back four days later saying he was sick and he really wanted to be left alone and he was going to turn the lights down now, so pls. SMS with a quiet whisper next time, because, really, he's sick. We settled for a meeting More About: Today , Sicko , Day-O
The (Measuring) Cup Runneth Over Her Feet
2007-11-13 20:10:00 Last night I dreamed that my former coworker was sitting across from me reading a newspaper, wearing plastic stilettos in the shape of measuring cups. More About: Feet
Drive By This
2007-11-12 16:55:00 Remi and I went and did some drive-by hunting this afternoon, a technique I employ when it's too cold/wet/snowy/rainy out. Like today. I drive really slowly on the dirt farm road (averages about a tractor every two hours), and when either of us spot a grouse or pheasant, I stop the car and she gets out and runs her butt off in pursuit of them. She comes back to the car panting, hops in, and More About: Drive
Final Seconds of Imedi Broadcast in Tbilisi
2007-11-09 12:56:00 This clip shows broadcaster Giorgia Targamadze of Imedi TV, describing the takeover of the station by special forces. As he describes (there is English translation), journalists were being arrested and held at gunpoint as he was speaking. Once the cameras went off, he was also arrested. The TV station is located on the outskirts of Tbilisi, and people in the neighborhood gathered outside the More About: Broadcast , Final , Broad , Seconds
State of Emergency Issued After Broadcasters Are Forced Off the Air in Tbil
2007-11-09 12:28:00 This account of Nov. 7 events was published by Transparency International, an NGO (non-profit) in Tbilisi: Throughout the day, journalists were vulnerable to attack. Many journalists, both local and international, have reported being physically assaulted by the riot police and regular police force and have had their equipment and material confiscated or broken. A little before 9 p.m. on More About: Forced , State , Emergency , State of Emergency , Emerge
A New Brand of Tourism: Criminal Tourism!
2007-11-09 10:25:00 Next month the newest EU members will have fully open borders with Austria. Nothing like using this as an opportunity to scare the bejeezus out of an already paranoid and leaning-toward-xenophobic provincial population: This mailer advertises deals on security alarms of all races and creeds, sizes and shapes, so YOU don't become the victim of those vicious Criminal Tourists! I can see it now: More About: Tourism , Brand , Mina
An Email From Tbilisi
2007-11-08 18:47:00 My friend Margie started the J school in Tbilisi, and I worked with the program for a few months the first year (visual journalism), and have been back nearly every year since then to work with each year's new crop of students. The school has produced what are now the leading journalists in the country. The following are email excerpts from Anna--a former student who is now a teacher in the More About: Email
Inside Look at Tbilisi Demonstrations
2007-11-08 18:39:00 These photos are some that are featured online at a Georgian forum. More About: Inside , Demons , Stration , Mons , Demonstrations
On the Scene in Tbilisi
2007-11-08 16:40:00 A former student, Leli Blagonravova, who is now a teacher at the J School in Tbilisi, has some photos online (Brosse Street Journal) of what she shot yesterday of the protests there (she was a professional photographer before she began her studies in the MA program). More About: Scene
Saakashvili--In His Own Words
2007-11-08 11:10:00 This interview with Charlie Rose took place just after Saakasvili came into office about four years ago. His comments are eery. When speaking about Shevardnardze, he complains that Shev refused to listen to the people when they said they wanted a change in government. [Shevardnardze squandered] "a great opportunity to be a founding father of a new nation..." And he goes on to say this: "So what More About: Words
More More Georgia
2007-11-08 10:16:00 What I wrote just two days ago for The Guardian website is hopelessly out of date this morning. Of course it's breaking news, but it's also so unnecessary. Nothing to say, except how to do you prepare J students to deal with state of emergency press bans... most of our students are in high-level positions now and are faced with this unexpected turn of events. More About: Georgia
More on Georgia
2007-11-07 23:04:00 My article related to the protests in the Republic of Georgia is up on The Guardian site.
Happy Birthday, Rob Eure
2007-11-07 00:04:00 I miss you. Love, Patti and Remi More About: Happy , Birthday , Happy Birthday
Can You Say Military Police?
2007-11-06 11:23:00 Every now and then I work with the Media Diversity Institute, founded by Serbian tv journalist, Milica Pesic, who was run out of Serbia during Milosevic's reign. Milica (Meleetsa) and I were working together in Tbilisi and there was a hotel clerk struggling to pronounce her name. Milica said it reminded her of a time when she had organized a seminar for international journalists. One guy came More About: Military , Police , Military Police
When Ballots Aren't an Option
2007-11-05 20:51:00 (Republic of) Georgia is on my mind. I've been emailing back and forth with a former student (now an editor in Tbilisi) about the rallies going on there (I've spent a significant amount of time there--and got Remi there!). Anyhow, she's very nervous, of course, since Saakashvili doesn't appear to be listening to his increasingly angry and frustrated constituents. I asked her why Georgia always More About: Allo
The Tattle Tale Has No Tail
2007-11-04 19:53:00 My friend Bobbie has two little granddaughters. The older one, Katherine, spent the night at her Omie's house this weekend, and in the course of their conversations, Katherine reported that her little sister was just a bit of a tattle tale. Yesterday when it was time to go home, Katherine's mother came to pick her up, with little Olivia in tow. Bobbie greeted them at the door, and lightly More About: Tale , Tail
Spooky, Spookier, Spookiest, Spookisms
2007-11-04 14:04:00 My sister in England keeps up her American traditions with her kids, including Halloween. The top photo shows her youngest, Ethan, in the middle, next to two of his friends. They carved pumpkins, as shown below, and Ethan--a.k.a. Mr. Haunting Death-- is posed next to one of the jack-o-lanterns in the third photo. I've cropped the last image to see Ethan just on his own. More About: Spooky
The Color Orange, Bells, Chants
2007-11-04 13:08:00 I dreamed last night that I was walking up the stairs while a stream of Hara Krishnas--some naked, some not, paraded down. The naked ones had little doohickies covering their doohickies, and there was one H.K. that was shouting like a Frat boy. More About: Color , Orange , Chan , Chant
One-Sentence Stories
2007-11-03 20:33:00 It's fantastic how powerful writing gets when you have only one sentence to get the point across. Here are a few good ones from the one-sentence story site: "I sat in the last row of the crowded plane, realizing I had gotten on the wrong flight." "I've stopped dancing on my work desk after hours ever since I learned anyone can see right through the blinds." "On graduation day, I gave my More About: Stories , Sentence
Saying Cheese in Saigon
2007-11-03 10:30:00 In the Saigon newsroom, I turned around to the part-time copy editor, a Canadian, and asked her how a headline sounded--just wanted to bounce something off of her. "Do you think it's hokey?" "Yea, it might be kinda cheesy." My wunderkind starts clicking through his online translation dictionary. No definition for hokey. "Cheesy: That which is made of cheese." More About: Cheese
One Man's Sophistication is Another Man's Lack Thereof
2007-11-02 17:19:00 A while back, someone I know commented that Vienna wasn't as sophisticated as they imagined it would be. Not sure what they were thinking they'd see---women doing their shopping in ballgowns, perhaps? I thought about this when I was in town a few nights ago and someone had rolled an upright piano out onto the street and was giving an impromptu Strauss performance. More About: Lack
Halloweens Past
2007-10-31 20:13:00 Not feeling well today. A life plagued with kidney gripes. No trick-or-treaters tonight--a new concept here that's just taking hold, so no surprise. Plus, they have to brave a dark yard and a growling terrier. Not worth any baby toblerones. Clive Davis over at the Spectator links to a Guardian article on how the American Halloween tradition has been turned on its head by the English. So many More About: Past , Allo
A Spa, a Credit Card and a Needy Girl
2007-10-30 21:43:00 So when my neighbor and I were stomping around in the mud with our dogs a couple of months ago, we started talking about all the wellness spas in Austria. I told her I wanted to try one, she said that Blumau was the most famous, I said Cool, and the next thing I know, she's holding me to my usually empty words and we're in the car, headed for Steiermark. Blumau is the most famous spa because 1) More About: Card , Credit , Girl , Credit Card
A Trip to Wellness
2007-10-29 22:39:00 It's late and I've just returned from a day trip to a wellness spa. Will post later on the 100 euro bathing suit. Now that my sea legs have been put to the test (lots of water), I'm home and, well, getting ready for a hot bath.... More About: Trip , Wellness , Well
The Scott McCracken Who Never Was
2007-10-27 09:06:00 I'm the youngest of six. First there were two boys, then three girls. So when Number Six was ponying along, everyone assumed it would be a boy. In fact, so sure were they, no one bothered to pick out a girl's name, and settled on Scott for a boy. When all that turned out to not be the case, my sister Sarah wrote a letter to my cousin Richard, asking him to be her brother, since basically she was
Mark Twain Nguyen
2007-10-26 20:50:00 One of the journalists brought in this Mark Twain version of "Adam and Eve," with both a Vietnamese and English translation. I can't explain the Little House on the Prairie Meets Harlequin Romance cover image, but there you go. From Eve's diary: "The moon got loose last night and slid down and fell out of its scheme--a very great loss; it breaks my heart to think of it. There isn't another More About: Nguyen
Post-Coital Deep Knee Bends
More articles from this author:2007-10-25 23:23:00 A visit to the Museum of Contraception and Abortion in Vienna. The photograph is of 1928 instructions on one method of contraception. Roughly translated: As the man lies on the bed after sex (actually, it recommends that he go ahead and go to sleep) the woman is supposed to run in a circle around the room three times, doing 10 deep knee bends. So. Am I the only one who still does this? More About: Post , Deep 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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