The Hills Are Alive...

I have been looking for a unique holiday destination that would take me someplace I have not yet been while also being something of an adventure. I have tried to recline and relax on the beach but after an excrutiating 5 minutes of nothing, I start needing something to do. Today, I have found a trip that has my name all over it and if all goes well and I can pull it off, I am going to do it ... The Beijing - Lhasa Express

As I have already been to Beijing a few times, I am not planning to spend any time there, but basically just hop aboard the train for 2500 mile trip to Lhasa, Tibet. The train makes 6 stops, including on in Xian, where I plan to deboard and see the Terracotta Army and another at Tangulashan station, which sits at an altitude of 16,640 feet making it the highest train station in the world, before pulling into Lhasa. At the peak altitude, iPods and computers stop working, pens and sealed bags can explode, headaches and nausea can occur and all passengers have oxygen masks to help with the decrease in oxygen at that altitude. Anyone going on the trip has to sign a declaration that they are free from heart disease and any other ailments that might be heavily affected by the altitude. I am so looking forward to the adventure. Now the only questions are: Do I go this fall or next spring, and who is coming along?

There I was, scouring CNN for the breaking news of the world, when who's name do I come across but Joan Jett. Yes siree, the very same Joanie that gave us "I love Rock and Roll" close to 3 decades before Britney would claim it as her very own. I have often spent a sleepless night wondering what happened to her, and there she was in the headlines talking about punk. Mel Gibson, who has made a big deal about taking the moral high-road, has bashed homosexuals, produced "The Passion of the Christ" and slammed Jews as being the cause of all wars in the world, has just entered rehab... Guess he should have given it some thought before casting that first stone... I say Amen. By the way, for anyone who is not aware, the Jewish people did not kill Christ. The simple fact of the matter is, Jews in that day put people to death primarily by stoning. Hanging people on the cross was a Roman practice. Not that I think blame needs to be shifted to the Italians... And also, I don't understand why people get so angry about the crucifixion. If it were not for the crucifixion, there would be no Christianity today as the very foundation of the religion is the death and subsequent ressurection... I have a feeling we would now be seeing a shortage of unblemished lambs... or perhaps we could just clone them.

Sunday afternoon, I saw the film "The Lake House". Being the hardcore romantic I am, I wanted nothing more than to find my own magical mailbox and fall in love. That probably explains my less than optimistic mood Sunday evening about love and all things even semi-related to Cupid. Of course, it would be my luck that the one person it worked out with lived 2 years away from me.

Not only can Adam talk dirty like nobody else I know, but he can deliver the goods, baby . That was one mean macaroni and cheese he made last Saturday (not to mention the deviled eggs that I managed to eat way more of my share of, to the point I thought I was going to have to pull a Naomi and do a bit of purging). Of course, I didn't get to have as much mac and cheese as I wanted as a glass was dropped on the counter right nest to the pan and while I was tempted to throw caution to the wind, decided it was better to wait for another batch I could call my very own.

Perhaps a snack to take on the train...