Leaving on a Jet Plane

Today, I depart for Thailand to spend ten days working in Bangkok and two days playing in Chiang Mai. Now that the packing and preparation is done, the anxiety has subsided and I'm full of excitement and anticipation.

Obviously, blogging will be light for the next two weeks. But just think of all the pictures and stories I'll have to share when I return!

Travel Anxiety

I'm leaving on Saturday morning for a twelve-day business trip to Bangkok, Thailand. This trip has been in the works for months, so I’ve had plenty of time to get excited and plan. I'm looking forward to touring exotic temples, eating new and unusual foods, and shopping in colorful markets. But I’m also a bit nervous about spending 20+ hours on a plane, dealing with insanely high humidity and temperatures constantly in the 90s, not knowing what to expect at the work site, etc. Until last night, I didn’t realize how anxious the trip is making me.

Last night, I dreamt I was traveling in Egypt, where met a very friendly Egyptian woman. After spending a lovely day together, she insisted that I meet her for dinner that evening, so she could introduce me to her brother.

I went to the address of the restaurant where I was to meet them, but it wasn’t a restaurant at all – it was a cover up for a white slave trading organization. I was kidnapped and forced into prostitution. When I refused to have sex with my first client, I was beaten and stabbed between the shoulder blades. Thinking I was dead, they threw my body on a wooden cart, which was covered with other dead bodies. I was carted all over and saw people being killed left and right, before their limp bodies were thrown on top of me.

A lot of other terrifying things happened, but I can’t seem to remember them now. I did manage to escape and find the U.S. embassy. I crawled in the front door with the knife still sticking out of my back.

Keep your fingers crossed that this was just trip-related anxiety and that I’m not the next Sylvia Browne.

A Saturday in D.C.

Saturday, Brent and I spent the day in D.C. Our first stop was the Holocaust Museum, where we picked up tickets for the permanent exhibition. Then, it was on to the Museum of Natural History. As always, I was completely intrigued with the fossil exhibits. (How did this ever walk the earth?) We made a quick pass through the insect zoo and were completely disgusted, but in a fun way. As Brent so eloquently put it, “Mother Nature is grody.”

Next, we went to the National Gallery of Art, but only had a little time to browse before we had to return to the Holocaust Museum for our scheduled tour.

The Holocaust Museum. The exhibition was skillfully laid out within the building’s brilliant architecture. The tour illustrated the conditions in Germany in the early 1930s, Hitler’s rise to power, the emergence and rapid growth of the Nazi party, the repression of everything non-Aryan, the concentration camps and “Final Solution,” and the liberation.

The entire experience was overwhelming, but two things in particular struck me to the core. First, to get to the area of the exhibition dedicated to the camps, you’re forced to walk through a model of one of the railroad cars used to transport the prisoners. Standing in that car, even with open doors on either side of me, was stifling and excruciating. Not long after, I found myself facing a casting of the Auschwitz “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate. As soon as I saw it, my heart sank. I’d seen the gate in countless documentaries, but facing it and walking beneath it was almost more than I could bear.

Once we finished the tour and collected our thoughts, we decided the World War II Memorial would be our next stop; it seemed appropriate. I was surprised by the size and complexity of the memorial, but marveled at its perfect location between the Washington and Lincoln Monuments, at the end of the Reflecting Pool. We also visited the Lincoln Memorial before it was time to head back to the metro.

It was an exhausting day – more emotionally than physically – that will stay with me for a long time.

I Heart Fiber

I just opened my desk drawer here at work to find a snack that will hold me over until lunch. The choices I found were Mini-Wheats, an All-Bran granola bar or Triscuits. Okay, so I’m a little fiber-obsessed. It’s true that fiber may help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, but these ailments pale in comparison to the nightmare of constipation. C'mon, you know it's true!

I opted for the granola bar.

Phishing Warning

I received the following e-mail today, supposedly from my credit card:

[Bank Logo]

Last 4 digits of account number: [XXXX]

Dear Amanda Fischer,

We have important information about the status of your [bank name] credit card account. Please call us at 1-800-[XXX-XXXX] today.

Visit www.[bank name].com/creditcards for fast, reliable account service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You'll find our online account service makes managing your account fast and easy.

Customer Support Division

It certainly looked legit. I called the 800 number and was greeted by, “Thank you for calling [bank name]. May I have your sixteen-digit account number?” I said, "Well, before I give out my credit card number, I'd like to know that this is actually [bank name]. Can you verify that in some way?" He chuckled and said, "Um, how would you like me to do that?" I said, "I don't know. How do I know this isn't a scam? I mean, I got this e-mail about some supposedly important account info and it listed this number." He said, "I’m sorry, but I can't access your account to find that information without an account number." I said, "Well, I'm not giving some random person my credit card number over the phone. Bye!"

I immediately called the phone number on the back of my credit card, explained what happened and gave him the phone number from the e-mail. I was informed that this was, indeed, a case of phishing. He asked if I gave out any personal information (which I didn’t) and requested that I forward the e-mail to their fraud department.

This really scared me. They had my full name, e-mail address, what appeared to be the last four digits of my credit card number (although I later realized the digits were not correct) and knew I had a credit card with this bank. The warnings of fraud and identify theft are everywhere nowadays. And now I know why.

Easter Weekend Recap

It was tough coming to work this morning. Ernie and I spent the three-day holiday weekend in PA with my family and had a grand time. Dinner at McGrath’s Irish Pub on Saturday was delish, especially the baked potato soup. Dan’s bacon-wrapped scallops looked amazing. He said they tasted as good as they looked and suggested it might be worth the trip to the emergency room for me to try one, but I declined.

Easter Sunday, my mom and I made an apple pie, then I did the dishes and straightened up, while Dan took a bike ride and my folks took Bert and Ernie for a romp in the woods.

I read in the sunroom for a few hours – okay, read for an hour, napped for an hour – before enjoying a wonderful dinner of baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, lemon poppy seed bread and, of course, apple pie.

I visited my beloved chiropractor and the massage therapist on Monday for a much-needed adjustment and massage. Then I treated my folks to lunch at The Brickerville House and shopping at Esbenshade’s Greenhouse before Ernie and I hopped in the car and headed home.

Now I just have to find creative ways to prepare the forty zillion pounds of leftover ham mom sent back with me.

Update: I successfully made it through Lent without chocolate and rewarded myself with a Hershey bar at 12:01 AM on Easter morning. "Why a Hershey bar," you ask? Well, I think Hershey makes the best chocolate, period. It's simple and it's delicious. And after being chocolate-free since March 1st, it was pure heaven.

Cartoon Censorship Continues

The Danish cartoon controversy rages on…

Borders, which also owns Waldenbooks, announced last week that it would not carry the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine, which contains the Danish cartoons that offended many in the Muslim world. Though there have been no reports of direct threats against stores carrying the magazine, a Borders spokeswoman says the decision was "based on the potential for a compromise of the safety and security of our employees."

...and on...

On Wednesday night, the cable network Comedy Central showed a censored episode of the animated cartoon, South Park, refusing to allow a brief depiction of the prophet Mohammed.

(Keep in mind that the network did permit the depiction of Americans, President Bush, and Jesus defecating on each other and the American flag.)

So Borders and Comedy Central are effectively demonstrating that threats of violence are a productive means of getting what you want. Isn't that great? Please join me in sending messages to these companies to thank them for their cowardice:

Borders Group, Inc.: ccare@bordersstores.com
Comedy Central: Comments About Programming

Upcoming Travel Plans

I’m scheduled to travel to Thailand at the end of the month for work. Last week, I was asked to make a side trip to Nepal for a few days as well. The idea of spending a weekend sightseeing in Kathmandu and possibly going on safari in Royal Chitwan National Park was very appealing, at least until the protests began late last week:

Nepali security forces fired on stone-throwing protesters Saturday, killing two people and wounding at least five as increasingly violent demonstrations against King Gyanendra spread across this Himalayan nation.

Protesters ransacked government buildings and attacked security forces in provincial cities, but a curfew and a threat by authorities to shoot anyone violating it, spared the capital, Katmandu, from further violence after two days of protests.

This puts a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm, to say the least. But the current situation may prevent me from obtaining country clearance to travel to Nepal, so my concerns may be moot.

Brief history of Nepal: Nepal’s constitutional monarchy was established in 1990. The country has been in a state of revolt since 1996 as Maoist communist party rebels have attempted to overthrow the government.

In 2002, Nepal’s Prime Minister dissolved Parliament in order to hold elections, but later claimed that security issues caused by the insurgency would prevent such elections. The King fired the PM and appointed three other PMs before finally declaring a “state of emergency” in 2005. This declaration allowed the King to assume all executive powers and the role of Chairman of the government.

The move was initially welcomed by many Nepali who were tired of the political corruption and communist revolt. But the failing economy, continued insurgency and the King's failure to restore democracy has resulted in an alliance of the country’s seven main political parties, which have called for the current strike and protests.

Weekend Recap

I can hardly believe the weekend is over already.

Friday, I went to Blues Alley in D.C. to see Jack Jones. When Brent made the suggestion a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard of Mr. Jones, but wasn’t familiar with his voice or style and thought he might be an old lounge lizard with a vibrato a mile wide. Boy, was I wrong! His voice was in fantastic shape and his show, a mixture of standards and showtunes, was great. A really lovely evening of conversation, laughter, dessert, music, and a walk through the streets of D.C., huddled under a tiny umbrella.

I spent Saturday relaxing at home, doing some cleaning, reading and watching Corpse Bride (which was great). A great way to spend a rainy day.

My mom came down to visit on Sunday. We enjoyed a terrific meal at Macaroni Grill before we headed to Baltimore to see Michael Bublé. (Surprisingly, I won two tickets to the concert on eBay for $50; they were originally $75 each.) He was just as fantastic the second time around. My mom loved him, particularly his rendition of “Come Fly With Me.” She said she had to remind herself to breathe several times during the show.

It was a wonderful weekend.

Video of the Week: Faith

A two-legged dog? Amazing.

Choice Goes Up in Smoke

The City Council-approved ban on smoking in D.C. establishments goes into effect today.

The provisions of the ban implemented today cover the dining areas of restaurants and most indoor workplaces. The ban provides exemptions for outdoor areas, hotel rooms, retail tobacco outlets and cigar bars. In 2007, it will expand to include bars, bar areas of restaurants and nightclubs...

Personally, I enjoy having dinner in a restaurant without cigarette smoke wafting over a thin partition between the smoking and non-smoking sections, or coming home from a night out with friends and not having to wash the stale smell of smoke out of my clothes immediately. I like not having to deal with smoke. But this ban is not about smoke. It’s about infringement of property rights. It’s about choice.

The City Council is legislating what private businesses should be deciding for themselves. Proprietors of privately-owned businesses have the right to ban smoking in their establishments if that's how they want to do business. It’s a choice.

We as customers determine how important the avoidance of secondhand smoke is to us by deciding which establishments we will support with our business and which we will not. It’s a choice.

Advocates of the smoking ban say it's for the "greater good," that non-smoking employees and patrons suffer by being forced to inhale secondhand smoke in a public establishment. But no one is forced to work anywhere. No one is forced to patronize any establishment. It’s a choice.

This is not a ban on smoking. It’s a ban on choice.

United 93

On April 28th, Universal Studios is scheduled to release United 93, a real-time depiction of events that occurred onboard the flight that crashed in western Pennsylvania on 9/11. The movie's tagline is "September 11, 2001. Four planes were hijacked. Three of them reached their target. This is the story of the fourth."

The cast is made up of relatively unknown actors who were provided detailed studies of their real-life characters. Writer-director Paul Greengrass obtained the approval of all the victims' families before moving ahead with the film. And the families unanimously agreed to the project, with some of them participating and most of them anxious to have the story told.

The trailer is already causing a stir. It was pulled from one Manhattan theater after it received several complaints and one woman’s tears. An audience in a Hollywood theater shouted, "Too soon!" when it played last week. So when, exactly, is it the right time for a movie on this topic?

The answer: Now. The words "We Will Never Forget" were plastered everywhere after 9/11. But in the four and a half years that have passed since that day, some people have already forgotten. And they don't want to be reminded.

The typical characters with big box office draw are an unlucky-in-love, quirky thirtysomething who finds her soulmate in the most unlikely place, or a devilishly handsome crime solver who beds the beautiful woman and drives the expensive car. These are the movie characters we talk about as if they are real people, even heroes. Yet when a film about real events, real people, real heroes, comes along, it opens to cries of, “Too soon!”

It’s time we were reminded of our promise to never forget.

(Note: 10% of the gross ticket sales from the opening weekend of this film will be donated to the Flight 93 National Memorial. I'm scheduled to depart for Thailand the day after it opens. As uncomfortable as it may make me to see this film the day before I fly to the other side of the world, I will be there.)

April Fools' Day

Another April Fools' Day has come and gone for me without any practical jokes. I usually don't find humor at someone else's expense all that funny. But that wasn't always the case.

My freshman year at college, I decided to play an April Fools' Day prank on my parents. I managed to swipe a few pieces of school letterhead and an official school envelope while the secretary of the music department was away from her desk. Then I used these tools to craft a letter to my parents, supposedly from the Dean.

The letter explained that their daughter was on academic probation due to poor academic performance, and was in danger of losing her scholarship. (Of course, none of this was true and I was sailing through my freshman year with a 4.0.) After several paragraphs of warnings and advice on how to handle such a shameful situation, the letter concluded with a statement along the lines of, “We would hate to see someone with Amanda’s abilities end up flipping burgers and wearing a paper hat. Sincerely, Dean Byron L. Hawbecker.”

So, I sent the letter and waited. I expected a phone call from Mom and Dad on April 1st that would go something like, “We got a letter from ‘the Dean’ today. Yeah, we were pretty worried until we read the last line. Ha, ha. Very funny.” But April 1st came and went without a word, then the 2nd, the 3rd...still nothing. Finally, I called home. The conversation is kind of a blur, but it went something like this:

ME: Hi, Mom.
MOM: (Trying to be civil) Oh. Hi.
ME: Soooo, any interesting mail lately?
MOM: Mandy, that was NOT FUNNY. I opened the letter, started reading it and burst into tears. I couldn’t even finish it because I was crying so hard. Your father came to see what was wrong, so I threw it at him and screamed, “See what your daughter’s been doing?!” Reading the letter, his face turned beet red. When he finally got through it, he threw it back at me and said, “Read the last sentence!” So I did...and I wanted to kill you even more!
ME: I’m...sorry. I only meant it as a joke.
MOM: Well, it was not funny.

Oops. As Ellen Degeneres explained in Here and Now, I obviously don't understand how kidding works, because my parents and I should all be laughing.

Simple Pleasures

I considered going to D.C. to see the cherry blossoms today, but I decided to spend the day doing things around home instead. Ernie was happy with this decision, since it included a lovely four-mile walk with him.

It was a perfect spring day – sunny and warm with a slight breeze. We crossed paths with quite a few people, all of them saying "Hello," and smiling as they passed. Other folks were outside doing yard work, playing with their children, or just relaxing and enjoying the day.

Afterwards, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. While browsing the frozen foods I came across VIP Smoothies. On sale for $2.50, I decided to try the Cherry Berry Blizzard flavor.

The instructions were simple enough: pour the frozen fruit (a mixture of blueberries, bananas, strawberries, cherries, and red raspberries), smoothie mix and fruit juice (I used apple) into the blender, blend until smooth, and enjoy. And MAN, did I enjoy it! Thick, fruity, sweet, but not too sweet, and incredibly refreshing, it was exactly what I was craving. Plus, with its nutritious benefits (antioxidants, vitamins and fiber), it made a great snack.

Ernie and I sat on the patio while I sipped my smoothie, enjoying the sounds and smells of the spring evening. It doesn't get much better than that.