Results tagged “travel” from Overlooked

It has come to my attention that, in an attempt to detract publicity from money grubbing religious affiliations, a group of kindly atheists have decided to step up and grab some of the heat (and money) with their website Eternal Earth-Bound Pets. Eternal Earth-Bound Pets is a program that (for a modest sum of $110) ensures animals a caring home after their devout owners are raptured. The Eternal Earth-Bounds may slap on an extra $15 for each additional pet, but this is an insignificant price for the assurance that, when you are gone, your furry loved ones will have a home with a confirmed animal loving atheist. If that's not a bargain, then I'm not a flamboyant Billy Goat.

Eternal Earth-Bound Pets is obviously on my scam-dar, but I am going to stop being cynical for a second to congratulate the entrepreneurial atheist who thought of this scheme: congratulations Sir., you get yours. We live in a tough economy, and if you can find an (albeit underhanded) way to make money, then I salute you. Unfortunately you screwed up, and it is my job to expose your screw up here:

• All Dogs Go To Heaven.
• All animals were saved on Noah's Ark (why should the rapture be any different?).
• Man HAS TO BE God's least favorite creation. Man has taken Earth's resources, drunk them in full during an all night bender, and then puked them back up on his Father's shoes; if you think about it, man is like the Elizabeth Stone of the creation family, and if anything is going to get raptured, I'd place my bets on the dog. Which leads me to my suggestion for a much improved Eternal Earth-Bound website called Eternal Earth-Bound Humans.

I wonder if any rich Cocker Spaniels would be willing to pay for this?

There are a few things I need to get out right now so, unfortunately, this is going to be a drawn out rant; if you do not feel like attending my ranting party, please feel free to throw away your invitation and click the "x" button located on your right. Be sure to check back for a more agreeable blog post. Thank you.

First thing on the List of Things that Have Annoyed Me this Past Week: People who believe the opposite of a general consensus--out of ignorance--and argue about it heatedly. What I mean is someone who, for example, argues that a movie ticket is five dollars, has always been five dollars, and that the person working the ticket window is trying to rip him off by charging him ten dollars. Everyone knows a movie ticket has not been five dollars since 1985 (or earlier) so unless you are a child or a senior mister know-it-all, please stop being a douche. When someone argues about such ridiculous things, It may not be the person's fault--I suppose some people cannot help their overall lack of intelligence--but it really makes me want to throw a feral cat in his face.

Second thing on the List of Things that Have Annoyed Me This Week: People who take sarcasm seriously. Go trip on a piece of broken sidewalk.

Third thing on the List of Things that Have Annoyed Me this Week: The MTA. Yeah I know the MTA annoys everyone, but my commute is, on a good day, 1.5 hours. And when the bus schedule is inconsistent with the schedule that they tack onto the rusty bus stop pole, it makes life that much more difficult. Twice this week I sat there--like a fool--and waited thirty minutes for the two buses that never showed up to take me to my house. I ended up walking home. I worked from home the last half of last week in protest. That'll show them. Yeah. I hope they suffered revenue losses without my $23.25.

Maybe I should just hike over to work in one of these great new cars:

Of course I will be made fun of at first, but there are definitely benefits to riding in one of these things:

• These cars are battery charged and therefore environmentally friendly.
• They are cheap, and so they can be replaced easily when you break them (which you will).
• Because you break and replace, you do not have to concern yourself with car dealerships and repairmen.
• Also because of the above, the model you drive will always be in style.
• These cars are compact, and therefore you will have less trouble finding a parking spot.
• No gas costs, and no waiting for public transportation.

Wow, I think I am actually talking myself into this.

I was a young, naive, and bright-eyed idealist out to change the world for the better.

After an 18-hour 4-airplane flight I arrived in my new country, and at my new hometown after an 8-hour long, bumpy, bus trip. And not one of those luxury buses with a bathroom and shock absorbers. This had 4 wheels and that was enough.

I was met at the bus station (a bush with a signpost) by my host and translator Abu. He knew enough English to smooth over the embarrassing social situations and I knew enough Wolof to communicate with the babies and other foreigners.

We hiked back towards the cluster of mud huts. I was surprised to see a satellite dish near one of them. I asked Abu about it and he stated "Chaub Wegee". This word wasn't in the Wolof vocabulary builder courses I had taken so I shrugged it off.

A group of kids had formed as a tail to our procession, yelping with glee at the new "Toubab" that had arrived. All of them were decked out in the latest from the Shady Limited line, and they all wore Air Jordans. I found it interesting that they all chose to wear the same name brands, but I didn't make a big issue of it. I was still new to the village after all.

Abu brought me to his home. Out front of it sat a Peugeot 205 riding on some serious dubs. We entered his hut and he introduced me to his wife Aissata and his children Ali and Mahmud. His wife was a charming woman with her hair coiled into tight little buns and his children were little balls of mischief grinning impishly. His wife was wearing a Louis Vuitton print dress that suited her perfectly. His hut was stocked with the latest in kitchen ware and home gadgetry. He had a stainless steel stove that looked like it could prepare dinners for a whole army. His fridge, microwave, and dishwasher were all stainless steel too. I was struck dumb. I asked him how they were able to afford such luxuries. He told me about the program that the previous Peace Corps Volunteer had started. It consisted of a local workshop that employed the artisans of the village in creating traditional crafts and then selling those crafts online.

I was amazed by it all. Abu offered to show me the whole operation and the "Chaub Wegee"(which I assumed was what they called the crafts they were making) after lunch. But I was too impatient and asked him to show them to me immediately. He smiled and agreed, understanding that I was still on Toubab time.

He showed me the hut where the artisans were creating traditional silver jewelry. They were very intricate and beautiful and fetched a high enough price online that the villagers did not want for anything. I was still curious about this Chaub Wegee though, I asked Abu if he was the head chief or the local protective Animist Spirit that the village prayed to. Abu laughed heartily and slapped me on the back. He grabbed my hand and ran over to the hut with the satellite dish. He ushered me in and pointed to the middle of the room. In the middle of the empty hut was a plastic table, a chair, and a computer. On the computer screen was Chaub Wegee.

Imagine if the next time you're on a plane, the guy sitting next to you pulls out his SkyRest Travel Pillow^TM, inflates it and then settles in for a relaxing snooze (I guess you'd need a nap after blowing this thing so full of air, especially at altitude). Wouldn't you look around at the other passengers sitting near you, hoping someone else sees this guy so the two of you can laugh at your neighbor's expense?

How do you react if you're sitting in front of this guy? Do you fully recline and risk smashing into his head, or go the whole flight sitting in passive-aggressive upright silence? Also, does a drool guard come standard with this pillow or does it cost extra? At the very least, I'd hope the fabric is water-resistant.

I've seen those inflatable neck pillows before, but not this. I think seeing someone with this on my next flight would be the best in-flight entertainment I could ask for. Have any of you ever seen one of these in the wild?

Ed. note: This product comes courtesy of Judi, who runs the fantastic blog This One's For You.

Since we actually *buy* some of the stuff ShopWiki indexes, we figured we'd point out a genuinely useful product, not that an alpaca doesn't have its uses.

I bought the Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder 18 based on the recommendation of a friend who also works at ShopWiki. We were at a wedding in D.C., and I watched him pull this thing out of his backpack. Inside was a two-piece suit, a few dress shirts, ties, and other more casual clothes. He was like some sort of magician. Meanwhile, there's my burdened self, having driven down from New York with some big-ass piece of luggage or other.

The folder comes with a big plastic card that you fold your suit/shirts/etc. around. Instructions for folding are printed on the card; you remove the card after each item is folded. After everything is folded up, you Velcro the folder shut, and toss it in a large backpack / carry on suitcase. Upon arrival, you might need to press your suit, but you'd probably want to do that if you packed with a standard garment bag.

Eagle creek makes these in a few different sizes, depending on how much stuff you need to lug. Since I've bought mine, I haven't had to pack a garment bag once.