A Return to the Corporate World

How do you make the hard decisions? When to take a job? When to stay? When to go? When to end a relationship? When to jump in with everything you've got? Lately it seems that these are the questions I've struggled with the most.

When I returned to the United States several years ago, I decided that I would focus on my career. I would "climb the corporate ladder" but in order to do that I needed to come up with a list of what I wanted in a company. I interviewed at various places, I networked, I kept my eyes and ears open and I turned down jobs. Wait, what? That's right, I turned a couple down, to the utter shock and dismay of at least one of my parents. Few understood why I said "no" to good companies and good positions in a down economy, but I knew what I wanted. I kept looking and I had confidence in my ability to find it.

I started doing contract work and it picked up significantly, before I knew it I was running my own schedule and working with a start-up company to build its marketing program. This wasn't my plan at all, yet there were a number of great qualities about the position. In September, the company experienced some financial trouble and my contract wasn't extended. We parted ways; I returned to the hunt.

After a bit more contract work and some job searching, it all paid off when I was offered the ideal position at the end of November. During the interview I loved the people I was meeting, the opportunities the job offered, the location and the size of the company. It hit all the main points. Following Thanksgiving I started the new role, excited and wide-eyed. I'm about six weeks in and I'm still enjoying its ups and downs. I just wish I could apply the same successful approach to dating and relationships.

Such a Great Quote

It's so fitting to come across this quote at a time when I'm unsure of my future. This is the second time it's inspired me to move forward. The first time it took me to New Zealand. Where will I end up this time?

The Human Library?

While researching social media I came across this strange phenomenon: A library that loans out people in a human library.

Basically, you "check out" people to have a 45-minute conversation about who they are and hear their story one-on-one. It's to help us get past our prejudices and the stereotypes that exist around someone that we've never actually had any interactions with like a gypsy, a transvestite or a person of a different religion.

www.humanlibrary.org

It started in 2000 at the Roskilde Festival. A poster from the event said in big bold letters: "Don't judge a book by it's cover" and then in Danish underneath, "especially when its not a book." The far right corner continues in Danish:

"Borrow a person you normally would think you would not like. We have a wide selection of unpopular stereotypes. Everything from gays to hip hoppers to immigrants. Take a walk, have a talk or dont. Just remember to give back the person within two hours".

The event was so popular that it has since spread across the globe. Here's a video from The Guardian, regarding an event in England:

I love the idea that a personal conversation is being used in such an interesting way to fight prejudice and stereotypes. In this case, it's marketing for a good cause. And possibly a good back-up plan if my other career options don't pan out. I'm just not sure if I would be a better "book" or "reader."

When Risk Doesn't Pay

Risk can be a great thing...in fact, it's created a lot of wonderful memories in my life. But when it doesn't pay out it can feel like a punch in the stomach. Yesterday, I felt that direct hit when I was laid off from my job. It was a risk when I stuck with the company last Spring on a contractual basis. Unfortunately, the company is struggling now, so I'm back at home looking for work.

My favorite comfort foods

Specifically, my position was cut due to the financial situation at the company. Although I knew the company was struggling I had thought my blow had been dealt when my weekly hours were cut from 32 to 20 less than two weeks ago. As far as I knew I was going to continue through the end of the year with fewer hours but with a job. Unfortunately, that changed.

During my particular meeting, I was reassured that it was a decision that was made based on the company's finances and not on my performance. It was meant to be reassuring, but it was all I could do to stop from breaking down. I couldn't even concentrate on putting pen to paper to leave my personal contact information. And when the meeting finished, I was asked to leave the office without saying a word. So I took a few minutes alone, put my chin up and walked back to my desk, packed up my things discreetly and made my way out the door. But that meant that I couldn't say goodbye to my co-workers who I have become friends with over the last 9 months. I couldn't pass along my contact information or wish them luck with the remainder of the year. That was probably the hardest strain of all.

Pesto kept a vigil

What I don't think all companies understand is that some of us know it's about business. It's not personal, there are still a lot of people that are depending on companies to make good financial decisions right now so that they can keep their own jobs. But if you take away too much of the personal feel, it becomes just cold. I was left with a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. Fortunately, I know that tomorrow is a new day. Now back to my Oreos and wine...

Things to be thankful for:
- Good friends and family
- A cat that keeps me company
- Books to temporarily take me away from reality one page at a time
- Better tomorrows

Privacy on the Web?

How much of my life should I publish in a blog and how much should I keep between me and the few people I let into my weird little world? It's a hard question to answer. It's one that has kept me away from the blogging world for the last few months.

When I returned to the United States I enjoyed travelling all over the US visiting friends and family. Blogging about that is easy. It's travel and sights and fun stories from far off places. But last Fall I settled into a routine with work and a job search and I located myself in one city. It was then that I started focusing on other things like friendships and love interests. And blogging about that is more difficult than I expected. How can I write about the man I'm dating or the person I fall in love with? How can I convey the heart ache when the relationship doesn't work despite our best efforts? Those are things that I'd love to share because they are certainly not unique to me, but exposing so much of myself just doesn't feel right. So I stayed quiet. Through hilarious stories of dating mishaps, through love and heartbreak, and now I'm back. I may still not explore the romantic side of my life but I realized that even in my daily life "at home" it's still pretty interesting. And really my blog has always been about living life to it's fullest.

And on that note, I'm going to shout-out to a college friend of mine from MU who is enjoying her life to the fullest as well. She keeps a regular blog and was recently featured on the Jeff Probst Show due to her incredible energy and approach to really living, even after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. Since we met our freshman year she has had this energy. And as our paths crossed now and again since she's never lost it. But what's impressive is how she's maintained that zest over the last year in the face of adversity. See her clip from the show.

Viewing the Venus Transit

Making big news yesterday was the transit of Venus across the sun. With my love for Science (and because I hate to miss all the action), I rearranged my plans on Tuesday to see the event. The transit was set to begin at 5:04p in Chicago. The evening was perfectly clear with not a cloud in the sky and the weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately, that meant that everyone in the city decided to head to the planetarium. By the time I got there, the telescopes that were set up outside had lines wrapping from one corner of the building to the other and everywhere in between. We squeezed in the shortest line available. And then, with much anticipation, we peered through the filter (telescope lines were so long we wouldn't have been able to see it in time) and focused on the tiny pin hole appearing over the sun (as the docent explained it was the same size as the Earth). Incredible. And even more incredible:  All the people getting a glimpse of this small marvel from Sydney to Bahrain to Chicago and everywhere in between.

Today a coworker shared a link to some very cool photos from around the world here. I'm thinking that it would have been pretty amazing to see it through a telescope. Of course, if I had been more prepared I could have had nearly as much fun taking pictures of the crowd, that was quite a spectacle in itself.

A Return to Blogging

That's right, I'm back and blogging again. My life has started to get fully packed with a job, friends, dating and activities which means other things fall away as I try to carve out enough time in my day, lately its been blogging, cooking and going to the gym. And as much as I like my smart phone there is just something to be said about a good old fashioned planner where I can write my to-do list and start crossing things off. So for my return to blogging I thought I would start with an update:

My Humble Abode
I'm living in the Gold Coast of Chicago in a great apartment that I'm renting from my aunt. Unfortunately it didn't sell when she put it on the market a few years ago so I've moved in to pay her rent and live in a great location. I live near North Avenue Beach, Lincoln Park, the lake shore bike path, the grocery store, several train stops and my gym. I'm also a short walk from Michigan Avenue, downtown and my office.

Amanda and me in Miami, FL

Jet-Setting
My travel bug has definitely been dormant lately. I've made a few fun trips to various places including Miami (to visit an old college friend over Easter weekend) and Boston (for work and then a weekend with my family). But for the most part I don't have any fun exotic trips planned in my future. Maybe I should start working on that...after I put money back in my bank accounts.

Replenishing My Funds
I have found a job! I started working for a start up company as the Director of Marketing in February. The company creates virtual 3D environments for use during marketing research. For example if a large company wants to put out a new bottle of ketchup they may do in-store testing to see what the consumers will think of it before they spend the money on the new direction. Instead of using in-store testing our company can create a store in 3D online that can be used for testing instead. It's a cheaper and faster option.

Specifically I'm working in a contract position for 32 hours a week which leaves me time to continue some of my other contract projects on the side. I'm really enjoying the challenges of starting up a functioning marketing department. It helps that my co-workers are fun people to work with as well.

Seina, me, Renee on a beautiful St. Pat's

Keeping Up My Social Life
I have continued to meet lots of great new people in the Windy City. It's amazing how many people you can meet when you are open to talking to anyone anywhere. Maybe this was always a trait I had but didn't use, or maybe I learned it while I lived overseas, either way, an outgoing personality definitely seems to open a lot of doors.

Dating has become much easier when you meet people on the street, at the gym, doing errands and get a little help from Match.com. Of course I still haven't found anyone that I'm serious about so I'll have to keep working on that. But with my new and old friendships comes fun activities:

Our group for playing paintball

• Polar plunge in Lake Michigan at the end of January (Air temp: 34. Water temp: 33)
• Slumber party with a bunch of girls reliving our childhood with games, facials and stories
• Playing Paintball in March with a big group of friends
• Celebrating St. Patrick's Day by the river (a must do in Chicago)
• Running the Shamrock Shuffle (without training!)
• Catching a baseball game at Wrigley in April
• Trivia nights at a local bar

So what's next? Well, we'll just have to see. I seem to have a knack for keeping my life interesting.

New Zealand Book is Finished!

I finally got all of my memories and photos into one semi-consolidated book!!! It's 154 pages, but who's counting. That was after much editing and deleting and re-adding and more editing of photos and fun stories. Understandably, it's just not easy to summarize the incredible year I had! My hard copy arrived very quickly last Friday and every time I look through it, more memories come flooding back.

You can preview my book here. A combination of blog posts, photos, and a few additional memories, I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I hope you like it:

Adventures in Aotearoa by Jessica Martin | Make Your Own Book

Please note: If you really like it, you can purchase a copy for yourself through the site. Although my main goal for posting it here is so you can preview the finished product, I know several people asked about purchasing a copy. Also, there are a lot of pictures so sometimes it takes a minute to load (particularly on slower connections) just be prepared for that.

It really was one of the best years of my life and so I thank you for being a part of that, even if it was just as a supporter through my blog. I look forward to getting back to New Zealand again sometime soon. Until that point comes, I'll have to be satisfied with my new visual reminder instead. And I'll continue to blog when I have new fun memories to share.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

After spending so long without a proper snowfall, I'm happy to say that the snow is finally falling in Chicago. We have had unseasonably warm weather this winter, including 50 degrees over the holidays, which meant I could look cute for New Year's without worrying about the bulky clothing. So you would think that this weather would only help people appreciate the snow more when it finally came, because we are in Chicago, it will come. But over the last two days 90% of the people I talk to are miserable about it, or at least I thought they were.

Walking home from work along North Avenue, Chicago

I have a new theory... when you talk to someone about the upcoming snow in Chicago, it's just our way of saying "Hey, how you doin'?" It's a conversation starter. It's a good opening line so you don't have to spend an elevator ride staring at the weird pattern of the carpet. I have a suggestion though: don't throw them off by telling them that you actually like the impending doom that may be falling on the city. Because that act alone throws off the balance of it all and gives away that you don't belong...even if you've been in the city for nearly 10 years.


And in case anyone had any doubt of my sanity, I'll be stripping down to my swim suit and plunging in Lake Michigan on January 28 with the Lakeview Polar Bear Club. After all, if I'm going to cross this off my bucket list (again, since I did one in Auckland already) I might as well do it during a warm winter. Care to join me?

Looking Forward to Another Great Year

Where am I now?

Today I was definitely called out on my lack of blogging, so I thought it was time to revisit and start answering a few of the questions I've been getting a lot of lately:

What exactly are you doing?? This is my favorite and given the insane amount of activity I've had in the last 18 months, it seems quite boring to just say I'm living in Chicago now. But if you know me, you know that my life is never without activity. After all, I rescued a lost child, aided a woman who fell in the street, helped a woman who had a seizure while shopping, not to mention my crime fighting job... just your everyday activities. Alright, well, maybe not the fighting crime, but all of the other things really did happen. What I don't think I've ever experienced before is such a connection to so many of the people around me. I have stopped to help countless people with directions, I've had brief conversations with some of the most random people including the guy begging for change (and in our brief connection he never once asked for anything). I don't know if this is because I have more time to appreciate the people around me or because I've become more open to everyone after living in New Zealand. Either way, I like what has happened.

And, when I'm not saving lives, I stay busy with other activities (including shooting guns, hosting a Friends-thanksgiving, and a few bar crawls). I'm make ends meet with contracted jobs and temp work. I haven't resorted to standing on street corners yet...

How are you handling all of this? I am naturally a pretty positive person. I have confidence that things will work out eventually, at least, based on my past experience I have no reason to believe they won't. One of the positives: I get to spend more time with my family around the holidays.
Have you thought about moving back to New Zealand? Absolutely. If I were to move anywhere right now that would definitely be on the top of my list. But it's hard for me because I have such wonderful friends in Chicago and my family is now close enough for me to easily visit. With summer hitting the Southern Hemisphere and so many friends still back in New Zealand, I constantly think about what it would be like to move back there again, but for now, I'm sticking to Chicago.

What is your next adventure? I love this question because it means that people are supportive of my crazy whims. I just took my first train ride from Chicago to Kansas City and I loved it! I think it would have been even more fun if it hadn't been dark outside for a majority of the trip, however, it was still a great experience. Monday I fly out to Colorado where I am meeting up with more family for a week of skiing. Saturday afternoon I head back to Chicago to enjoy the holidays, hopefully with some snow and a picturesque walk along Michigan Avenue. I'd like to make it to Miami and St. Louis early next year to visit friends and as the weather warms I'm also hoping for a trip to Washington DC. But much of this planning has to be put on hold for now so that I can build up my savings again and be able to afford these trips and adventures. In the meantime, I have a guest bedroom and an air mattress and anyone is welcome... just don't expect much food in the refrigerator.

Quotable

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."

- Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the United States)

Go the All Blacks!

Every four years twenty teams from around the globe compete in the Rugby World Cup (RWC) for the rights to the Ellis Cup. The tournament is only surpassed in viewership by the Soccer World Cup, the Olympics and the Tour de France. This amazingly rough and exciting sport is viewed in more than 200 countries by millions of viewers, but most of the people in the US don't even know of its existence. This year, the RWC was hosted in New Zealand which is a huge ordeal and great opportunity to show off the country. And, even better, the New Zealand team (the All Blacks), were playing well too! It was looking to be a good year for New Zealand rugby fans.

My new flat screen tv for the RWC

In September, just after moving into my apartment in Chicago the RWC kicked off with an amazing opening ceremony. I stayed up late to watch it on my new flat screen tv, purchased so that I would have it in time to view the event. There were several hakas performed and some beautiful effects. Little did I know, this would be the last rugby game I would be able to watch live during the tournament.

I kept up with the news, I tracked my friends' updates on Facebook, I followed my teams as best as I could from the other side of the world (the time difference didn't help as most games were played at 11p and 2a). The United States didn't make it out of the first round. But the All Blacks were still looking strong winning games and showing promise.


In this video the All Blacks perform the haka before playing Australia in the semi-finals.

After years of preparation and speculation, and seven weeks of games the All Blacks made it to the final round. The game was slated for 9pm in Auckland at Eden Park against France. That meant it was a 4am kick off time in the Eastern United States, where I was staying in Tampa. After a fruitless search of the sports channels, I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be able to watch the game. I was wrong. Thanks to Skype, amazing friends, and my uncle's internet connection, I was video skypped (is that a word?) into the viewing party at my friend Daniel's house. Daniel, his girlfriend, and 10 other people were watching the game and were more than happy to include me (via Daniel's laptop) in the party.

Bright and early (3:45am), with my hair in a rough ponytail, my glasses on, no makeup and a sleepy glaze over my eyes, I waited on Skype to say hello to many of the friends I left over 8 months ago. Aside from the occasional nudity (courtesy of my friends in the room having a little too much fun with the computer cam), I had an awesome view and was able to watch the game in a prime seat (a table directly in front of the flat screen) for the entire game.

The haka took on a new excitement when I was around my Kiwi friends again. And then as the game progressed, I could hear the shouting and cheering as the time ticked down and the All Blacks scraped out a win against the French (final score NZ 8 v France 7). The raucous singing of "We Are the Champions" was the perfect end to my night (or morning) and it reminded me of how wonderful that country and the people that live there truly are... one more great memory to add to an incredibly long list.

Trips, Trips, Trips

Sometimes time just slips away and pretty soon it's been more than a month since I last posted to my blog but my life hasn't slowed down. I thought I would take a minute to update everyone with my latest travels:

Colorado

Family and Friends in Boulder

Over Labor Day weekend I was fortunate enough to visit my grandparents in Colorado for a week. It was my last trip around the United States to catch up with my family and friends (or so I thought). While I was there my grandfather played the perfect host. The two things I definitely wanted to accomplish before I left (a trip to Pearl Street Mall and buying a post card) were done within an hour after I arrived. Which meant that everything from that point on was a bonus! Some of the highlights of my trip included:

Pearl Street, Boulder

• Pearl Street Mall: A great place to see hippies, yuppies, and every rare species in between. The pedestrian mall has street performers (it really gets busy on the weekend nights), cute shops and restaurants. It's definitely quintessential Boulder.
• Boulder Creek Festival: A series of tents set up along the river in downtown Boulder where we perused the arts and crafts and Grandma had fun observing the people. My grandmother, who suffers from dementia, is still one of the funnier people I know, particularly when she doesn't realize she's being funny.
• Dinner with the family: On Saturday night I got to enjoy a nice lasagna and then college football with my grandparents, my cousin and his girlfriend, a friend of the family and her daughter (Jen and Madelyn). It started with bunny ears made from our napkins and just got sillier from there.
• Denver Art Museum: Grandpa and I took a trip into Denver (a place that I've never really explored despite all of my trips to the area) to see the art museum. My favorite part was throwing clay in a workshop they had set up for their special exhibit "Mud". The rest of the museum was really nice and in an impressive building, with some interesting permanent exhibits. I had a soft spot for the Pacific Island collection of artifacts they had which included a few Maori pieces.

Throwing clay, Denver Art Museum

Missouri Homecoming
Last weekend, I was able to drive back to Columbia, Missouri for a reunion with my friends from college. It was the first time since I left school that I've been able to make it back for the Homecoming game and this one was the 100th anniversary of our Homecoming so it was kind of a big deal (MU likes to claim starting the tradition of Homecoming but I've never really looked into the truth behind that). I stayed with a friend (also a former college roommate) at his house in Columbia with some of my other friends and their significant others. We went out on Friday night in town to watch the Cardinals game and have a few drinks and then got up early on Saturday for a full day of tailgating.

Tailgating outside the stadium, Columbia, Missouri

It wasn't until I was sipping my Trops (a delicious frozen beverage that's basically a slush with alcohol) at 10:30a sitting around the BBQ and elaborate spread of food that I realized this was the first official tailgate I've ever been to (I can't believe I claimed to be a Midwesterner before this point - it's atrocious!). I spent the rest of the day bouncing between friends and other tailgates and food. I was in heaven. Oh, and we won the game but that was merely a side note for my day.

Celebrating the MU win with college friends

After a very long day on Saturday, I woke up early again on Sunday to make the 2.5 hour drive to my mom's house in Kansas City. I spent the day visiting with her (and catching up on my sleep) before packing up my car and driving back to Chicago the next day. It was a long drive home and it was only made longer by the yowling of my sister's cat that I was bringing home with me (my cat was perfectly quiet curled up behind my seat), the rain, and a gas overflow at one of my fuel stops.... but I made it home and it was a fantastic weekend.

Tampa, Florida
In the midst of all of my traveling, moving and socializing, I have actually been searching for a job. The process is a little slower than I would like but I'm getting a bit of work in the meantime to make ends meet. One of my latest jobs is helping my old company with its conference in Tampa, which means I was able to come down a day early so that I could see my family in the area for the evening. To make the trip even better, my rental car was upgraded (for free) to a new mustang. I was sad I only had it for one day.

My Upgrade at Avis

It was a last minute opportunity so unfortunately it didn't give me a lot of time with them but it's always nice to see family. And although this will be a busy week, I have Halloween to look forward to next weekend!

Photos Galore!

I realize it's been awhile since I last posted on my blog. I've been busy trying to get the most out of my summer before it's all over. As it's finally coming to a close, I thought it was time to cross a few things off my list that have been there for awhile. The first: posting photos from the remainder of my Asian Adventure on Facebook and on my blog. Enjoy! (Click on the album below to see it in full screen mode)

Cambodia


Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An)


Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa)


Guilin & Xi'an, China


Beijing, The Great Wall and Home

Just Like Christmas

You know that feeling when you wake up on Christmas morning and you know you will have gifts but you have no idea what they will be or what the day has in store?  Well, yesterday I had Christmas in August! Seventeen months ago I packed my entire apartment into a storage unit and sent it away leaving only the things I would be taking to New Zealand. Yesterday, the container was delivered and moved into my new apartment in Chicago.

I've never had professional movers before so it was a nice treat to just watch (or at least attempt to, as it turns out I'm not very good at just observing without helping) as my things were marched out of the storage unit.  I found myself getting more and more excited as boxes and belongings popped into view.  My tent! My golf clubs! My rollerblades! My ice skates!! I actually started to feel bad for the two movers because they couldn't keep me off the truck. I kept going up to try to "help" by pulling out all the odd shaped items that wouldn't stack neatly on their piles.  Or at least that's what I told myself, in reality I just wanted to see what might be next in this box of goodness.

By noon everything had been unloaded and it was time to open boxes and put things away. What many people dread during a move, was just more Christmas to me. One of the things I have missed most over the last 9 months (that's how long it's been since I've had a place to call home), is cooking for myself regularly. I wouldn't consider myself to be a cook, until I had to go without a kitchen for extended periods.  I tackled the kitchen first (cleaning before things could be put away) and then I moved to the bedroom, bathroom and storage.  I was an unpacking machine.  Dishes, clothes, photos, it all brought back a familiar feeling and memories.  There was always an odd one too... (where did that lei come from and why did I decide I needed it??). 

I even left my unpacking mania momentarily to meet the neighbors and see if anyone had a wireless signal I could temporarily borrow.  I was thrilled to find that directly across the hall is a couple that is my age and awesome!! I think I'm going to like it here (for awhile anyway). 

This morning I woke in my own bed.  Tonight I made dinner with my own pots and pans, cutting food with my own knives. I left dishes out after I ate. I filled the refrigerator with my own food. I still have a lot to do, in fact my list is about a mile long, but it's a start. Now I just need to find my own job.

Things to be thankful for:
- Great neighbors
- Another new beginning
- Future opportunities

Last Stop: Motor City

Our last stop on this road trip included a few nights in Detroit to stay with our aunt and uncle (actually our great-aunt and great-uncle, but sometimes I forget that). I have stopped over many times to visit them in Grosse Ile, which is actually just south of Detroit but this was the first time I had a chance to stay longer than just one night.

Uncle Don, Aunt Lee and Matthew (their grandson, our cousin)

We crossed the bridge into the city from Canada at 9:00p on Monday and my sister pulled over into a gas station so we could get our bearings and type in the address on my GPS (we hadn't had cell signals since we left Maine on Thursday).  We were followed into the station by a green SUV, which was then followed by a police car.  Within two minutes the guys in the SUV were taken out and cuffed. After looking around we realized we may not have chosen the best location to stop...we quickly put ANY address into the GPS and left.

Detroit has taken a huge hit from the loss of jobs and the economic downturn, particularly in the auto industry and we learned that unlike most cities there is actually a shift going and people are leaving the inner city.  The city is essentially hollowing out as the economy is changing.  In order to counteract this shift, the government has taken a unique stance and they are encouraging "urban farming." (A few of the names I came across as I was looking into this are: Hantz Farms, Urban Farming, and Earthworks Urban Farm in case anyone is interested in more information).  It was fascinating and encouraging for me to learn the government was thinking outside of the box.

1956 Thunderbird in the museum

This leads me to my quintessential Detroit: the auto industry. My family has told me for years that I should visit the Henry Ford museum and each year I had to pass due to time constraints.  Well not this year and now I wish I had found the time sooner.  The museum is a huge building that masterfully brings visitors into the excitement of trains, planes and automobiles (and this coming from someone that looks at a car and usually just sees a car, not a piece of art). Although it's a massive building it's separated into sections to help you view what is of interest. Volunteers are spread throughout the museum to help you understand more about what you are seeing and in some cases they allow you to get right up close (I sat in a 1917 Overland and on the same seat where Rosa Parks refused to yield on the infamous bus).

Lydia driving the 1917 Overland

We spent much of the day exploring and wandering the area and we didn't even make it to the "village" where they have re-built famous buildings (nail for nail) from America's past including the home where Webster wrote his first American dictionary, and Edison created the light bulb, or where Lincoln practiced law.

At the end of our visit we each shared our favorite from the museum (we had split up during the day to focus on what we wanted to see).  It was interesting to hear how five different people had been in the same place and found so many different things to explore.

Lydia and I arriving back in Chicago

It all came full circle when I realized that my own car, which has taken me more than 3500 miles around the country on this trip, was also a Ford ('99 Escort) and had roots in this city as well. How fitting that this was the last stop on my trip before getting home.

Next stop:  Colorado over Labor Day week


Author's Note: Thank you to all of my wonderful family and friends who opened up their homes to me (and my sister) while we went on this fun journey.  I am happy to be home in Chicago now, but I am happier that I had time to spend with you all after so many years (because it was long before I left for New Zealand that I last saw many of you). To those that I haven't seen yet...my traveling is never really over...

**Update**
My grandfather sent me some interesting numbers to help with the image of Detroit's population. I thought I would share them with you:

• in 1900 Detroit had a population of 300,000.
• in 1950 Detroit had a population of 1,000,000.
• in 2010 Detroit has a population of 300,000.

Ooo la la, Montreal

What an awesome city! I arrived on Thursday to stay with one of my best friends from college and her new husband in their apartment in Montreal (it was their wedding that started the trip for me in Missouri in July).  This was the first time I've visited this apartment in Montreal and it was a great location! On Friday I did a little bit of relaxing and exploring the shops nearby and then we grabbed an early dinner and some drinks that evening.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day and we took advantage of it by using a cool bike rental program in the city. Bixi bikes cost $5 for a bike rental for 24 hours.  The only key is that you pick up the bike from one of the 200 locations they have around the city and then you have to drop it off again either at the same location or a new one within 30 minutes. It's a great way to move around easily, cheaply and get exercise at the same time. We rented a bike in the Old Port and went across the river to one of the other islands (Montreal itself is on an island) to explore.

Without many clouds in the sky it started to get a bit warm by the afternoon so we headed back for some Thai food and naps before hitting the town that night. I was having a blast practicing my French (or lack thereof) greeting and thanking everyone throughout the day. (This only became a problem when they tried to respond at all with more French).

Saturday night we went out to get dinner in Saint Laurent (at L'Academie) which was very good and then we hit a martini bar (A Gogo Lounge) and finally settled at B Side, a very empty bar (which packed out as the night went on) with some great 90s music and a DJ that looked a little like Jesus but went by the name of Derek. The night was really leading up to was the poutine - a Montreal staple.

Poutine, a Montreal essential

When I asked what was "quintessential" Montreal, poutine was the first thing that was mentioned. Poutine originated in Quebec and is a dish of french fries, with cheese curds and brown gravy covering it all. Needless to say, I was not overly excited about this considering I only moderately like all of the ingredients included. I still think that this is not a food for the sober man (others may disagree).  However, for someone that has just left the bars on a Saturday night...it was oddly delicious!

Sunday was spent relaxing (a theme for the weekend) intermixed with a bit more walking around the city (I now own a great new pair of shoes, checked out a few clothing boutiques, tried some frozen yogurt, and saw part of the Montreal Pride parade).  It is a wonderful, sophisticated city with a lot of European flair. I would go back again in a heartbeat, but my liver is much happier to be on the road again.  Next stop: Detroit.

Andrew, Malena and me out on the town Friday night

Memories in Maine

Looking out on Great Moose Lake, Maine

When I was a kid we went to Maine for a month every summer.  We would spend the time on the lake at our family's camps (cabins for those outside of the Northeast) by Great Moose Lake. The other families that live or summer on the lake have been there for generations (it was our great-grandfather that originally started the Martin business in the 1920s) so my sister and I were known as "Greg's daughters" and most of our family still lives in the area. It's very different from the way I grew up in Missouri where my nearest relatives were in Colorado a 10 hour drive away.

Lobster Fest in Maine

My return to Maine this year brought back many of my memories from childhood and I gained some new memories too. Within two days of arriving, I genuinely forgot what day of the week it was (always a good sign at a vacation place). Time just seems to become unimportant. We spent time swimming, kayaking, reading, and relaxing. But with some effort I also made sure to continue my tourist mission and I ate lobster at every opportunity, drove Route 1 along the coast, visited L.L. Bean and Freeport, and went to a festival (the Lobster Fest!) to make sure I was seeing quintessential Maine.

Beyond the copious amounts of lobster I made it my job to eat, one of my greatest highlights of my time in Maine was spending an afternoon with my family. It's been a long time since we've been all together for a BBQ (although there were still a few people that were missed).

Lydia, Grampie (who turns 93 this month!), and Me

 
Things to be thankful for:
- My car making it to 100,000 miles!

- The Northeast. I don't know when I'll make it back again, but I will miss it until I do.

Biking Block Island and Heading North

On Saturday morning my uncle, cousin, sister and I took the ferry over to Block Island just off the coast of Rhode Island. (Author's note: I now realize that this naming could cause some confusion for people that aren't familiar with this area since Rhode Island is not actually an island at all.  It does have several islands off its coast, one of which is in fact where the state's name originated from.  The full name of the state is "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" but that seems awfully long for the smallest state in the country and I wasn't even aware of it until I checked out Wikipedia...)

Paul: Pure concentration

Anyway, back on Block Island, the four of us arrived and immediately went to rent bikes and start exploring.  Unfortunately, it was turning out to be a hot day so what may have been a long ride became a much more leisurely paced tour around just a small slice of the island.  We stopped by the road to putter around on some greens kindly set up by a local (I barely scraped out a win in our own round robin family tourney). The golf was followed by more biking (this time mostly downhill) and a stop at the beach for some swimming, splashing and a few short races (again amongst ourselves).

That afternoon we headed back to the mainland for a BBQ hosted by my aunt's family in Narragansett. There were times when I wouldn't have been shocked if a Casey Affleck character had walked in and joined the conversation with his own stories of growing up. I was surrounded by true Northeasterners: dialect and all.  I enjoyed sitting back and taking it all in.

Meagan, Me, Kate enjoying the afternoon

And then...it was time to leave.  My entire week in Boston and Rhode Island ended in the blink of an eye. I was having so much fun re-visiting places, doing things I haven't done and catching up with people, that I didn't even realize it was flying by. I made it back to Boston on Sunday and was fortunate enough to meet up with my American roommate, Meagan, who was coincidentally also in the city visiting a friend. We had a great afternoon in South Boston and then an awesome dinner by the water at a swanky Mexican cantina (called Temazcal in case anyone is in the area. I would recommend it).

I ended my fantastic week talking politics, solving the world's problems, and sipping wine with my family on the back deck of their house. Monday morning it was off to Maine for more family time and a bit more "quintessential" America.

Next up: Moving up the coast to Maine