Stokes in Peru

Greetings Loyal Readers, I am going to take this entry in a different direction than what you've expected in the approximately nine years I've been doing this blog.  Recently, one of my favorite sports writers did a post entitled "50 Things That Make Me Happy", as an antidote to the wave of negativity that seems to permeate any visit to the Internet these days.  After reading through the list (you can see it here ), I found myself alternately smiling and thinking it was a great idea for both my sake and hopefully, those of my family and friends too. There is no particular order to the list, except for #1-that item is perfectly placed.  Keep in mind that the focus is upon things, otherwise the list would be dominated by you all. So, here you are-50 Things That Make Me Happy.  Ohh, and if you are pressed for time, I do encourage you to skip right ahead to #1 on the list. Enjoy! 50.  A Walk Around The Block At My Mom's To be accurate, we are talking a...

Hello Again, I promised you that I'd be coming back quickly! As we were planning our trip to Portugal, one thing we did not really anticipate was catching live music.  We were going to schedule a night of Fado (more on that in a bit), but unlike any other place we have visited, the music came at us from unexpected and various places. On our first day out and about in Lisbon, we were near the main square when we saw these nattily dressed youngsters with their big band instruments.  We arrived just in time for the performance and Marianella explained how this is a common group in South American also, a group of business school students who busk for projects or trips.  Especially impressive was the gymnastics of the young guy with the tiny hand cymbals: The only occurrence where we paid to see live music on the vacation was a fado dinner show on Saturday night.  Fado is the traditional music of Portugal, their version of the blues that is sung in dimly lit clubs...

Greetings All, As the birds begin to chirp and the trees blossom in Beijing, the cold and dark months of January and February are inching towards a distant memory.  We had forgotten what winter was all about, having lived the last four years in Dhaka; while we did not have to endure the snow and ice that mark a Minnesota winter, we got close enough to the experience to remember the joys of spring. During Chinese New Year (at the end of January) we escaped to Portugal, specifically the cities of Lisbon and Porto.  While Europe may not be a traditional winter destination, we were quite eager to experience our first excursion together into the continent.  While it was warm compared to Beijing and the rest of Europe, we certainly were not roaming about in shorts and flip flops; instead, we strolled through the rolling, tiled streets of these ancient cities as the crisp autumn-like air would compel us to duck inside every so often for a delicious pastry and hot drink. ...