True Confessions part deux

I have a confession to make.

I am addicted to reality TV.

My struggle began innocently enough.  23 seasons ago,  an adventure show called “Survivor” first aired. I liked the premise- a bunch of castaways have to out wit, out play, and out last their fellow survivors for a chance to win a cool million. You’ve got an exotic destination, barely-clothed beautiful people (with a few creepy-eepies thrown in), physical and mental challenges and MONEY. Oh, and you are guaranteed to lose at least a third of your body weight. I was immediately hooked! Thursday nights, twice a year, for several months, nothing could stand in the way of my Survivor fix. Tivo it? Not a chance. I had to see this “live”.  I would then immediately get on the phone with my Mom, another heavy user viewer, an hash out the details. “Can you believe Johnny Fairplay lied that his precious Grandmother had died? OMG!”  “That Dragon Slayer is such a freak!”  

Since that time, I’ve dabbled in many, many reality shows, including The Bachelor, Millionaire  Matchmaker, The Amazing Race and  Top Chef. I love that one, but I gained too much weight running back and forth to the ‘fridge during commercials. None, however, gave me that high I was accustomed to with Survivor. The buzz wore off too quickly, and I was left wanting, needing, more

I’ve been a long time user viewer of Project Runway. Last week began the “all-stars’ competition, and since I’ve watched every season since season 2, I know, intimately, all the players. Actually, I pretty much set my entire schedule up around it. The fashion! The drama! The catty remarks and sabotage!   What a total buzz-kill that Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum are no longer a part of the show. It will be too risky to quit that one cold turkey, so I’ll slowly try to ween myself off of it. Wish me luck.

I’ve known for a while that my addiction was getting out of hand. I found myself fidigiting,  sweating, even nauseous if, god-forbid, we were out to dinner during American Idol. I actually excused myself from a friend’s dinner table one night, snuck up to her bedroom and turned on Being Bobby Brown- the one that proved just what a train-wreck Whitney Houston really is- “Hell To The NO”!  I just couldn’t stay away!

Finally, I hit rock bottom. I maxed-out my TIVO recording space, and Comcast on Demand (so NOT on demand) wasn’t showing re-plays of what I needed to get by. And I wasn’t getting high on the same amount of view-time anymore. It was affecting my daily life.  I just laid on the couch and stared into space. No more Joie de Vivre.

What to do? I needed a substitute. Maybe there was something lighter on reality TV? Something that wouldn’t grab me in it’s clutches and obliterate the “other” world–the real world.  ”Lite” reality.

Imposing an intervention on myself, I began to flip through stations. A&E had lots to offer, especially Intervention.  My Reality show addiction wasn’t nearly that bad!  I never forgot to feed my dogs (well, there was that once during a Big Brother marathon). I certainly never alienated my friends (oh, wait…)  Those people were truly fucked-up.

Jackpot! Right after Intervention came Hoarders. Another show to help me realize how high-functioning I am. OMG! This one guy let his 2 pet rats multiply in millions! They were living in his mattress, even! And this one lady was too lazy to get her ass off the couch to go to the bathroom, so she shit in her diapers and just left them strewn all over the house. You can’t not watch this stuff!

Although I still try to catch my A&E shws on TV, my guilty pleasure has switched to HGTV. That station rocks 24/7. From Sell this House to Curb Appeal to Real Estate Virgins, I am glued to my flat screen. The best, the icing on the cake, though, is House Hunters International.  Imagine finding your dream home in the South of France. Tuscany. St. Lucia. It just doesn’t get better than this.  So far, HHI is my new drug of choice.  I haven’t had any ill-effects from it, and I know if I miss an episode, I can catch up online, or even see it another time. (They re-air them frequently). 

For now, anyway, I think I have a handle on my addiction. If I keep it light, try not to use view before 8:00pm, and keep my promise to not watch in bed, I think I can get this junky-monkey off my back. Wish me luck.

********* See here for True Confessions Part 1

 

Photo Friday

Here are some photos from our trip to Bhutan for my 50th birthday.
This old man welcomed us top Bhutan with candy and gold strings to wrap around our wrists for luck while traveling in his country.

One of many Phallic symbols that adorns houses in Bhutan

One of the thousands of stray dogs

Our accommodations in Bhutan
bathing in a horse trough. Hey, after 10 days, who’s complaining??
Tigers Nest Monastery No words to describe it.

 

What’s your word for 2012?

Every year around this time I come up with a word to define my objective or whatever for the year.
Last year’s word was focus, which I managed to do a better job of, but i still fall short of my desire in the ability to really focus.
I don’t repeat my word 2 years in a row, it would reveal failure.

This year, my word will be perseverance.
per·se·ver·ance/ˌpərsəˈvi(ə)rəns/
Noun:
Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

Continuance in a state of grace leading finally to a state of glory.

I like that. I need to persevere, especially in my writing. It seems that after attending one of the many conferences or workshops I take, that I get all psyched-up, rush home to begin a new masterpiece, get a paragraph, a page or 2, then just stop.
Or I send in a query or story, receive a rejection letter or worse, nothing, and throw in the towel.

This year, with my writing, reading, and many other aspects in my life, I vow to practice perseverance!

Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain. ~Author Unknown

What is your word for 2012?

 

Jingle Bells, y’all!

There’s  just nothing like getting together with fiends  friends for some holiday cheer! Jingle Bells, y’all!

 

The Descendants Movie Review

This weekend, HK and I went to see The Descendants.  Based on Kaui Hart Hemmings’ 2007 novel,  George Clooney plays Matt King, a workaholic whose neglected wife, Elizabeth, is in a coma following a boating accident. He is suddenly faced with the responsibility of taking care of his 2 daughters; a 10 year-old smartass named Scottie, and 17 year-old Alexandra, who has been sent away to boarding school. Thrown into the role of Father, Matt readily admits he was the “backup parent,” although it becomes increasingly apparent that his wife was no Mother of the Year herself.

Further complicating his life, Matt, who is descended from Hawaiian royalty, is the primary beneficiary of  25,000 acres of pristine, undeveloped land on Kaua’i, and must make the decision to sell it to developers or keep it an unspoiled paradise. Beau Bridges plays the greedy cousin pushing him to “make them all rich”, and all of Hawaii is awaiting his final decision. No small burden to bear, especially given that he seems to be getting shit from everyone.

Only after Matt decides to become the husband and father that he should have been does he get blindsided. First, he learns that his wife will not recover, and her living will stipulates that she not be left to linger.  So the family and friends must prepare to say goodbye to her. Adding insult to injury, Alexandra informs her father that Elizabeth was having an affair. She has been furious with her Mother, and Matt tries to soften her resentment while experiencing his own emotions. Throughout, Clooney balances the fine line between overwhelming anger/grief beautifully.

Making the dutiful  journey to tell Elizabeth’s parents the news, Alexandra demands that Sid, her stoner boyfriend come along.  Sid is the kid that speaks before thinking, provoking others with an innocence perfectly played. Elizabeth’s father, played  by Robert Forster, idealizes his daughter while blaming Matt.  His struggle to withhold the truth has us grinding our teeth in frustration, but fortunately, the director throws us some comic relief in time to take the edge off.

When Matt travels to Kaua’i to confront Elizabeth’s lover, he learns that the adulterer is married himself,  adding even more layers of complicated emotion. Utilizing Alexandra’s savvy, we watch the two form a bond that was previously non-existent. In fact, the bonds formed in The Descendants is what keeps this movie from being as depressing as it could potentially be.

Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election) directs this family dramedy with perfection.  It is a delicate balance between human tragedy and sometimes hilarious (but not forced) humor.  The characters are real and fallible, and IMHO, this is one of Clooney’s finest roles, not to mention one of my favorite films of 2011.

 

New Zealand Adventures

Years ago, HK and I traveled to New Zealand for a month.  He was working for a Fortune 500 company that (generously) gave high-performing employees a month-long sabbatical every 4 years.  It was our first time to fly first class (on Air New Zealand, a fantastic airline.)  We went in February, late summer in New Zealand. Our plan was to rent a car, spend 1 week on the North Island and 3 weeks on the South Island.  That was a good choice, however, we could have spent lots more time in the country and still not experienced it all!

Stepping off "The Ledge"

Our first adventure was in Waitamo, where we took a “Lost World Epic Tour“, a full day of exploring the cave systems in this area. We began with a 325-foot abseil into a seemingly bottomless ravine to get into the cavern. I was petrified when the guide told me to “just step off and enjoy the view.” The descent takes a full 30 minutes, and after the first 3 or 4 minutes, it was a blast!  The next day was even more adrenaline-filled with the Haggas Honking Holes adventure. I highly recommend either (or both) of these day trips to anybody that likes a rush!

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Tongariro Alpine Crossing is said to be new Zealand’s most spectacular one-day tramp (hike), and one of the finest in the world.  It’s just over 12 miles, but with extremely steep ascents and descents, takes at least 7 hours to complete. Beginning in sub-alpine vegetation, the tramp takes you up the slope of a volcano, to the crater, and down to different-colored emerald green and turquoise blue lakes.  HK and I are strong hikers, but I’m grateful that we took hiking poles to take some of the stress off my knees on the long, steep descent.

Kaikoura

After taking a ferry to the South Island, we headed to the small town of Kaikoura, on the east (Pacific) coast of the Island.  Here we unpacked our bags and settled into a little efficiency apartment for several days.  There is so much to do in Kaikoura, including whale-watching, dolphin sighting, hiking, biking and, of course, eating seafood!  There are several small local crafts shops in the area-a great way to spend a rainy day. We also enjoyed ourselves at the local cinema. We saw “The Full Monty” and had an absolute blast cutting up with the Kiwi’s in the audience. The theater had a 15-minute intermission for smokes and drinks.

Sperm whales and Dusky dolphins are found in abundance in Kaikoura. We spotted 7 whales, then took a small boat a long way offshore and swam in freezing cold water (with wetsuits) with a huge pod of Dusky dolphins. The captain basically lets the dolphins find the swimmers, and I found myself in a pod of about 30 of them. We were instructed not to touch them, just let them do what they wanted to do.  10 minutes was about all we could handle in the water. Hot chocolate was a nice warm-up.

Willy & the Boyz

As a side note, Kaikoura is where we purchased our travel mascot Willy and the Boyz.

Sailing the kayak

The 3-day Abel Tasman adventure combines sea kayaking, water taxi’s and trekking, along with staying in one of the most beautiful little bohemian lodges at Awaroa. Our sea kayaking portion was guided, as the tides in this area can be tricky. In order not to fight the tides at the end of our paddle, we hoisted sail on the kayak and cruised right in to the beach. I swear, I’m going to look into buying one of those little sails for my ‘yak!

When hiking to Awaroa,  it is essential to plan your crossing during low tide. The tides in the estuaries rise quickly, and, having missed our water taxi and window of opportunity, we ended up crossing in what quickly became chin-deep water, hoisting our backpacks over our heads! It was worth the effort, though. On arrival at the lodge, I’ll never forget swinging in a hammock listening to Cat Stevens over the speakers. It was HK’s introduction to one of my favorite artists, and to this day, Cat Stevens always reminds us of New Zealand.

Sledging

We had never heard about white water sledging prior to our trip to NZ.  We’re both fans of rafting in big water, though, and we jumped on the opportunity to steer ourselves down a white-water river on, basically, what looked alot like a kneeboard. A company called Frogz was the outfitter, giving us basic guidelines, transfers and equipment before our put in at “The Gorge” for a full day of over-the-top excitement. The “Chinese Dogleg” was the highlight, a Class IV rapid that begged to be surfed. I love this picture of me yelling “Outta my way” as I surfed over the guy in front of me!

parapenting Lake Wanaka

Wanaka. Asked where in the world I could live, I have often stated, beyond a doubt, Wanaka. This is an adventurers town with more to do in a small area than anywhere else I have been. At least, it was that way in the 90′s. Sitting on our balcony sipping a beer after a strenuous hike, we watched people rising above the mountainous terrain with a parachute. One look at each other, and we ran down to the lakeshore and signed up. Our Tandem parapenting began with a brief instruction from our respective guides, followed by a cable-assisted lift behind a power boat over Lake Wanaka. (I don’t think they do this anymore.) Amazing views of the surrounding area took my breath away. Then the guide unclipped us from our tether and we were gliding at an altitude of 3000 feet. OMG! I have always claimed to be afraid of heights, but this was not terrifying in the least.  I felt like an eagle for the 15 minutes that we soared over mountains. Landing was easy in an open field. (Not so easy for HK, he was captured by a strong gust and landed in the downtown post office parking lot!)

View from Diamond Lake track

1st skydive

OK, I take that back. The “scared of heights” remark. I was in near-panic mode as we climbed to an altitude of 15,000 feet preparing to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. What were we thinking when we signed up for this following our parapenting experience?  I wanted to chicken out, but being a total cheapskate, HK , I, wasn’t about to blow the $$ we’d pre-paid Skydive Wanaka for the jump. So out I went, heart in throat. The freefall was what I assumed was my last cognizant moment of life, until the cord was pulled and we were just as suddenly floating back down to earth. Euphoria consumed me. Landing was a gentle trot on the ground and then I got to watch HK as he came in for an equally graceful descent. If you’ve never skydived, do it. You will literally be on cloud nine for days, maybe weeks!

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on earth. And our 3-day Milford Track hike was one of the wettest backpack trips we’ve ever taken. Was it worth it? YES! At only 33 miles, it has been called one of the “finest walks in the world”.  We had signed-up for a “guided walk” because a very limited amount of people are allowed on the track at any given time, and since we were on a tight schedule, we played it safe.  Hearty meals, warm, clean lodging and drying rooms to dry our boots and clothing made our first “Hut to Hut” walk so much more pleasant. Plus we met some cool people on our trip. I have to admit, though, when we saw the backpackers on the trail, I felt embarrassed about being so pampered, since we are typically in the backpacking sector.  Then again, seeing their soggy clothes and the sparse huts that accommodated them, I got over that pretty quick.

negotiating more heights

They say it always rains in the rainforest, and that just makes for some outstanding waterfall views.

lush

Milford Sound

Arriving at Milford Sound, we enjoyed a boat ride on the sound, located just off  the Tasman Sea, surrounded by 4000 ft. rainforest and waterfall-clad peaks.  Returning to Queenstown by prop plane, we reflected on our journey through this microcosm of landscapes and climates. The diversity of this land of contrasts makes New Zealand one of my all-time favorite destinations.

 

A Lifelong Love of Travel

Happy 40th Birthday

Travel. It is my passion of passions. (Besides my passion for dogs, but that is a completely different blog). I think my love of exploring the world began when I was “knee-high to a grasshopper”, exploring the wooded wonders of the Appalachian mountains where I grew up. Never content to sit at home, I was out and about by any means possible, whether that meant on foot, my pony, bicycle or dirt bike. As I crossed that threshold into my teens, my world became bigger, with more thrills and dares to take.  Boyfriends with fast cars or, better yet, motorcycles were coveted. (Used? Maybe.) I occasionally even resorted to using my thumb as a way to oppose my parents and meet my transportation needs.

With independence came true wanderlust, and now in my filthy’s (uh, fifties), I’ve had the good fortune to experience many countries around the world. I’ve got album upon album of the trips I’ve taken, the photographs carefully culled and filed within a week upon return. Along with pictures, I have journaled most of these trips, the good, the not-so-good, and even the ugly, and have been pouring through these for inspiration for a travel piece I’m working on.

So I’ve decided that I have enough fuel to fill my blog for awhile, and am going to start posting some of these trips here on JulesRules. I’d love you to comment on my blog, letting me know the places you have enjoyed, your experiences, questions, just whatever comes to mind. So go grab a latte, tea or glass of wine, sit back, and lets hit the road! I hope you enjoy the trip!

This first segment of Hit the Road is a collection of totally random shots that have little connection, they are a basic “introduction” for you.

Hitting the road w/ my BFF- age 12

Rome, age 15

Italy was my first international destination. I was with the Harlan Musettes, an all-girl singing group that won GOLD in the International Choral Festival. We sang for the Pope. I quickly realized that group travel was NOT my bag. Here I’m plotting how the hell to break away and enjoy the boys and some Italian vino.

Ticket to Ride

Remember when passports and driver’s licences looked like mug shots?

 Here I’m thumbing a ride on the Pan American Highway after we had to ditch the horses near Banos, Ecuador.

Galapagos Islands 1995

  This was my first skydive jump, in Wanaka, New Zealand, one of THE most beautiful places on earth!

Machu Picchu, Peru 1996

 

Photo Friday-British Columbia camping

Glacier at Joffre Lakes Provincial. Park, BC

While traveling through British Columbia, HK and I camped at Birkenhead Lake, a remote, pristine Provincial Park located about two hours north of Whistler . As we were setting up the pup-up, the park ranger told us there were bears in the campground right now, to watch out for Chance. We kept him on a pretty short leash those couple of days.

Birkenhead Lake Campground

While there, we took a long, strenuous hike through a boulder and scree-field-the result of an avalanche- to Joffre Lakes. Beginning the hike, a fine but steady mist fell on the already saturated ground, making the going slippery and a bit unnerving. Chance went along, but HK had to carry him on the boulder walk.  Roxy and Kismet couldn’t join us due to foot injuries). We passed a few brave souls on the hike, each commenting on what a trooper our little dog was. Chance loves to hike, and pulled his leash and encouraged us every step of the way.

As we climbed and scrambled to seemingly non-stop rocks and mud, the cloud cover dissipated, offering a beautiful vista of the glaciers looming just beyond the lakes.

Joffre Lake

Have you traveled to rural parts of British Columbia? We’d love to see your pictures!

 

Atlanta Pride

As planned, I went to Atlanta Pride parade on Sunday.  I went to this parade several years ago, and was pretty disappointed  in the quality of the parade. I seemed too low-key and not nearly celebratory enough to be a celebration. After enjoying several Vancouver Pride parades in the last couple of years, I decided that this year I would give Atlanta another shot. I’m glad I did.  This year, Atlanta Pride, the largest pride festival in the southeast, was a lively, fun celebration of diversity.

The parade started out very slow and solemn, and frankly, I was afraid it would fall flat. There were also long gaps between marcheing groups, and those could have been filled with the Dykes on Bikes, who were in the front end of the parade, riding around in circles and lightening up the I was surprised and really pleased with the number of churches that were marching, inviting everyone to worship with them. That was refreshing, especially given the small groups of closed-minded bigots and homophobes that were protesting the festival. Also celebrated was the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” YAY!!!!

The parade  still has lots of room to grow and develop. I’d like to see more “OUTrageous”  floats and revelry, but, hey, this is the American South, so I’ll take what I can get.

For a history of the 40-year old pride movement in Atlanta, see this link. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, my camera battery died before I got the first decent picture. These pics are compliments of an old Sewanee pal, John Bently. Thanks, John!

 

Photo Friday

Corny, Huh?

Here’s me in Mitchell, SD at the World’s Only Corn Palace!