Banned Book Week!

Until the 28th of this month, it's BANNED BOOK WEEK. Take a look at the following quotes from some author's in regards to BBW. There are some good ones in the mix.
Banned Book Week

My Birthday

Brunch @ the Baku Fairmont Flame Towers

The beautiful Veranda

On Septmber 22, 2013 I turned 34 years old. To mark this celebration, I invited some co-workers to do a couple things: to help me celebrate my special day but more importantly, start brunching all over the city.

Now, while this wasn't the standard UAE brunch (different beverage packages, a plethora of food) it was pretty good for having just opened.

waffle on a stick

a Mango nectar with a chocolate on top

As I looked around, I felt pretty comfortable (maybe all those brunches had de-sensitized me in some way) in my surroundings but it didn't have anything to do with the environment, food, or music (there was a harpist in the dining room playing for the crowd). 
The company that sat at my table was the reason I was so "at home," like I'd worked in Baku for years. It's funny how that happens...as you get older and meet new people, you instantly bond with them and it seems like you've known each other for years. I know the same can be true with my oldest friends. We don't have to speak everyday but when we do, we pick up right where we left off. You know it's a good one when...so as the harpist played "HBD" and my table (and the rest of the restaurant) sang, I raised my glass and said, "Here's to us, to you and the next year filled with shenanigans!" If that day is any indicator of what is to come, I know I'm in for a great ride. 

Rubber Duckie on a World Tour

Here's the duck in the Harbor of the Caspian Sea in Baku, Azerbaijan

     So I decided to re-launch my non-existent blog with a new name for a new purpose. On Sunday September 22, 2013 I will turn 34 years old. With the birthday looming, I began to ponder a lot about where my life has gone but more importantly, where I've been since I was born 34 years ago. 

     When I think about my life I look back at many great times with great people (many of whom I still in contact with). Of course, within those great times there were some pretty sad/ugly/dramatic filled episodes that frankly weren't needed. 

     I started my career in teaching 12 years ago as a wide-eyed enthusiastic teacher of the 5th grade in Woodbridge VA (btw, those kids are all 21. REALLY? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?). Over the years, I've taught hundreds of students of varying ages, abilities, socio-economic status, and orientation. My ability to reach those students relied on many of my talents but most of all my experiences as a human. 

     Experiences brings me to the point of this newly launched blog...TRAVEL. Over my 12 years of teaching, I've had the pleasure of globe-trotting (in a most fabulous fashion I might add) around the world, adding to my database of experiences, sights, smells and sounds. 

    This blog will hopefully, inspire you to dream, to research, to open up but most of all to connect and GET OUT THERE. 
    So, starting Sunday September 22, 2013 I will embark on my goal of hitting a total of 40 countries before I turn 40 years old. I'll post pics, blog about food, fashion, experiences and life in general along the way. 

Thank you for reading my thoughts via this forum. I hope in some way you can connect and appreciate the wide world around you through my adventures. 

a view of the Caspian Sea and the Park Boulevar from the Four Seasons Baku