Chicago Adventures: HOWL AT THE MOON

As you guys know, I have a bit of a habit of jumping around in my past to dig out potential things to write about. Last September, I went to the Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Convention in Chicago, IL. I had never been to Chicago before, and true to the rumors, they had AWESOME pizza and hot dogs. In fact, though it's been months, I'm sitting at the Chicago airport right now, writing this blog and eating a hot dog.


I have to put a write-up on this blog for Howl at the Moon. HatM is definitely my favorite way to spend an evening - we have one in Baltimore, but I can't ever get my friends to drive up that far with me. Anyway - what is it? Howl at the Moon is a dueling piano bar, and it's a chain. They have 14 locations around the US, so chances are good that there's one close.

Basic protocol at a dueling piano bar is as follows:

Step 1: Write down your requests (and please folks, take it easy on the Elton John and Billy Joel) on a piece of paper
Step 2: Take a dollar bill, and place it on top of the paper (or maybe a 5, it it's late and you were forced to pay cover to get in)
Step 3: Wad the paper and dollar up into a tidy ball
Step 4: Chuck the request paper/dollar packet onto the stage.


At this point, your request will be picked up and eventually played. If you're at the Howl at the Moon, be sure to request the song "Joy to the World" (the 3 Dog Night version, not the Christmas Song). Trust me, you'll be glad that you requested this particular song (and dance).

The different HatM's I have been to have had different vibes, but overall there is still a sense of great fun and camraderie. So go - you'll be glad you did.

TRIP REVIEW: Dominican Republic, part 2

The Palace Resort at Punta Cana had a few included tours, which we decided to partake in. The first tour that we went on was through Bavarro Runners. They called it a safari, which is a bit of a stretch. Basically, we rode around the island in these zebra jeepy things. The tour took us to a cigar making factory, where we got to watch the cigar artisans roll tobacco (and they had samples). We drove through some traditional towns and got to see the "Dominican Gas Station" and other fancy-type locations (see the picture to the right). Later, we went to a plantation that grew a variety of local fruits and coffee/cocoa. They had some pretty tasty samples, and we got to see how they roast the coffee. There's an optional half day zip-line, but... well, let's just say that I don't get along well with zip lines. That's another story for another day...


The second tour we took was a snorkel trip. I'd like to say that we had an awesome time snorkeling, but as it turned out, we got out to the reef and the currents were too strong (storm was coming in). So, they took us to a cove with a kelp forest, and we waded in the water and drank Mama Juana. For those of you that don't know, Mama Juana is a type of Dominican Rum, where they basically throw all sorts of sticks and fruits inside until it tastes a bit like cough syrup. It's supposed to be an aphrodisiac and halucinogenic. Awesome, right? Luckily, we didn't drink enough of it to feel the effects :P

Another one of our days was spent at the hotel spa, which was awesome. The hydrotherapy pre-relaxation time is just as wonderful as the actual treatment (and you can always go to the hydrotherapy, even if you don't have an appointment for a treatment - so make sure to check it out...) They had a hot and cold shower, steam room, sauna, ice room (we got in an ice-throwing fight. It was epic.), mud room (another war ensued here... we got to rub mud all over each other and then *literally* hose down), and varioius pools. The rooms were separated into mens and womens, though there were some common rooms with pools and waterfalls. I ended up getting a seaweed wrap, which was quite relaxing.

And to finish our trip up, we had quite the adventure getting home. Our flight was delayed 16 hours due to a typhoon - so I didn't get home until 4 pm on Christmas Day. Gotta love the Carribbean...

TRIP REVIEW: Dominican Republic, part 1

Who doesn't like white sand beaches and flowing margaritas? Not convinced? Well, who likes white sand beaches and flowing margaritas when back home is getting hammered with two feet of snow? That's what I thought... This past Christmas, I went to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with my family. Though it's several months too late, I wanted to put together my thoughts in one (or two) succinct blog posts.

Let me start by sharing with you that although Punta Cana is primarily a vacation spot now, it's a relatively new "tourist location". What I mean by that is that the island is still trying to get used to having a sudden influx of people. True to any island dwelling people, the Dominicans are a genuinely happy breed of folks that love to have fun in the sun, but run on their own time schedules. Can we say, island time? The tours and schedules always tend to fall a little bit behind... so be prepared to tolerate some kinks that need working out. This isn't Cancun friends - but if you're vacationing for the beach, you can't beat the DR.

I will preface my review by reminding you that I was in the DR prior to the Haiti earthquake, and I'm not sure how the island was (or was not) affected. We stayed at the Moon Palace, Punta Cana - which is part of the Mexico based timeshare resort company, Palace Resorts. If you haven't stayed at a Palace Resort, I highly recommend it. This resort is all inclusive, and had great food and beautiful amenities - not to mention a private beach. Whether we were up for sitting in a lawn chair reading, or going for a walk on the grounds, or going to the Spa (oh yes ladies, did I mention they have an AWESOME spa?!?)... this place has it all. They're building a golf course now too, but I'm not sure when its expected to finish.

Enjoy the beach pictures, blog reader... more to come about the tours we took and the Spa -

QUICK TIPS: Living like a hobo

And when I say "like a hobo", I mean it in the kindest way possible. Living like a hobo is, quite simply, living out of a suitcase (or if you're from Australia, the Waltzing Matilda). I digress.

Having to live out of a suitcase is never pleasant, but it's made a lot easier if you know how to pack correctly. I have had two occasions now where I've spent 2-3 months living from a suitcase - first while I was in Drum Corps, and second while I was TDY to Japan last summer. The first question to ask is - do you have a bed? If so, you can already mark one item off of your list - the air mattress. If you don't have a bed, make sure this is the first thing you pack, or you'll be in for an uncomfortable living situation all the way around.

As I said in my quick moving tips, your suitcase needs to be in good condition. Make this your top priority. Moving right along, here is a list of things I recommend you bring with you - whether you're going to be living from your suitcase in Denver, CO or in Dushanbe.

- Clothing. Don't overpack though - remember, your living situation is temporary, and you may have to unpack and repack several times. I would recommend only bringing the clothing that is absolutely necessary (no more than 2 weeks worth of clothes). If you might be going a while between laundry trips, I would suggest packing your clothes by outfit, in gallon sized (or larger) Ziploc bags. If you push the air out of the bags, it helps to keep your suitcase organized and leaves lots of room for the rest of your items. And just because it's proved handy for me before: bring extra socks/underwear.

- Sturdy shoes. Shoes get their own category in my packing list. Bring tennis shoes, and shower shoes/flip flops. If you need to dress nicely, I would bring ONE pair of black dress shoes. Remember that shoes are HEAVY ladies... do you really need 10 pair of shoes?

- Toiletries, essentials. I learned the first time that I lived out of a suitcase that if you don't need to bring the Costco sized shampoo and conditioner, don't. Ask yourself this simple question - am I going to a third world country? If you answered no, you can buy your shampoo/conditioner there. The only things that I've found which vary significantly from America are toothpaste and deodorant (namely because I'm convinced that half the countries in the world don't have proper grooming skills). Again, take what you need but give some definite consideration to your quantities. Oh, and ladies - don't forget your feminine hygiene products. I NEVER trust those products overseas... they're totally different.

- Flashlight/Batteries. You never know when the power might go out, or when you might need one. Just take it. Trust me. I got stuck recently in tropical storms in a 5 star resort in the Dominican Republic. That's right folks, we lost power.

- Basic medication. Just because it's summer doesn't mean you won't get sick. If you won't have access to medicine, this is EXTREMELY important. During the summer when I marched with the Blue Knights, I caught pneumonia and it went for weeks before I could get in to see a doctor. Early prevention is key. At the very least, I would always pack aspirin/Tylenol, travel cough medication, TUMS, and Imodium. Don't forget the Imodium if you're traveling to a country with sketchy water.

- Band Aids. Enough said.

- Sewing Kit. They usually have travel sewing kits at the airport, and you never know when you might need one.

- Baby wipes (and a pack of travel-sized tissues when you go out in public). These come in handy in a variety of circumstances. Many countries have... shall we say... questionable toilet paper situations. Plus it can't ever hurt to have wipes for cleaning your hands, etc.

- Hand sanitizer. Because you never know if things are as clean as they look. I'm going with "no".

- Appropriate power adapters. Check the voltage before you go, and be sure to get your converters.

- Snacks. Granola bars or beef jerky are great. Be sure to pack something that comes in its own wrapper/container that won't spoil.

- If you need Internet access for your laptop, bring a phone cord. Most hotels in other countries don't have wireless Internet (and even if they do, be VERY careful... wireless security can be poor to non-existent).

- Camera. I always bring my camera... you'll want to document your living conditions for a good laugh in the future.

Things not to pack when you're living out of a suitcase:
- Valuables.

- Heavy non-essential items. I'm a big reader, but I need to remind myself to bring only paperbacks, and only a few books - remember, you have to carry what you pack (and you may need to make weight at the airport).

- Curling irons/hair dryer/hair styling doo dads/complete makeup collection. This is just my personal thought... these items take up lots of space and really, you look great without all of this stuff. No, really - you look great.

Things to carry with you at all times:
- Passport
- Credit cards/Cash
- Valuables (if you had to bring them).
- Laptop computer. This is my personal suggestion, which may or may not be feasible. If you are bringing a laptop or cell phone to another country, I HIGHLY suggest you keep it on your person... you never know who might be snooping around in your room.

I hope this helped some, and while I'm sure there are more items that I can add to these lists, this should be enough to at least get your hamster running on his wheel. And remember, living out of a suitcase can be fun... just think of it as an adventure - like camping?

DC Adventures: IRELAND'S FOUR COURTS, PUB QUIZ

I have nothing of real interest to report to you, since for the last few weeks I've been so busy in training that I've barely had time to recuperate during my weekends for the next Monday. Mondays suck. The only thing really that makes my Mondays worthwhile is Pub Quiz.

What is Pub Quiz? Why, I'm glad you asked!

Pub Quiz is little more than a fancy name for Trivia Night. We have a big group that goes every Monday at Ireland's Four Courts. Basically, you get to form your own teams of up to 5 people, and we all get together for drinks/dinner ahead of time. This pub is the best we've found because they have $6.95 burgers and half price appetizers until 8 pm. (the burger special goes all night). You have to come up with a catchy name for your team, usually to do with a weekly "Current Events" theme.

There are seven rounds of the trivia game. One round is always a picture round, where you try to figure out who/what is in the picture (ie celebrities, athletes, countries, flags, etc). There are always 3 general knowledge rounds (the last round is worth double points) and the rest of the rounds have various themes. In total, there are 80 points possible, plus bonus questions (10 pts per round, last round double points).

If you win the prize rounds or the team name challenge, you can win gift certificates for the pub... we've won the name challenge a few times, but it seems like we never have a well rounded enough team for winning by our answers. If you were to put together a dream team for pub quiz, here are the type of people you should have:

- Sports Trivia-Know-It-All
- Movie Buff
- Music Buff
- One 90's generation (Gen-Y or Millennial) teammate (to answer picture round questions)
- Useless Information Know-It-All

Go check it out sometime! The Quiz starts at 7:30 pm every Monday night :)

More coming soon.

DC Adventures: ANNAPOLIS

Jess and I decided to go up to Annapolis for the day, after we struggled to find Mother's Day gifts in Dupont Circle. We left from Reston around 9 am and arrived in Annapolis, MD about an hour later. I have to say, that drive might be the only time I haven't hit traffic driving to Maryland. Anyway -

For those of you who live under a rock, Annapolis is home to the US Naval Academy, and all of the Navy students were out in their dress whites. We couldn't figure out why, but it was pretty cool to walk around with all the men in uniform around. The town of Annapolis is right on the harbor and in true Maryland style, there are tons of restaurants with rockin' crab cakes. We ended up wandering the cobblestone streets and poking into stores for gifts. There were a lot of tourist type things for sale, as well as nautical themed sailing mementos. I ended up buying quite a few things, including my very first caramel apple.

For lunch, we tried to find a waterfront restaurant and ended up at "Famous" Pusser's Landing. They're known for their seafood and rum, and we had a really nice lunch. The restaurant is right along the harbor, so we got to watch the boats going in and out. They have a lot of guided sailing tours, and we had to laugh about all of the pirate-themed adventures. It'd be really nice to go up when its a little warmer and take a sunset sail.

All in all, it was a great day and the oceanfront was beautiful!

DC Adventures: NATIONALS BASEBALL

There's nothing like a good game of baseball to ring in the Spring. We went to an afternoon baseball game on Earth Day at Nationals Stadium (Nationals v. Rockies). I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of baseball, but I love going out with friends and enjoying some much needed sunshine. The weather was great - a bit windy an overcast (and it did start to rain a bit during the game, but we were sitting under a roof thing)... but it wasn't beastly hot and I didn't have to worry about getting a sunburn.

The Nationals moved into a new stadium in 2008, and I have to say - its REALLY nice! They've got a few VIP type areas, and stores for kids like Build-a-Bear. They have concessions from some of the biggest names and staples from Washington DC. I ended up grabbing half-smokes with chili from Ben's Chili Bowl (est 1958) and Helmet Sundaes from Giffords Ice Cream (est 1938). There aren't a lot of Washington based traditions, but these are both very well known and have awesome food. The food prices were a bit high, but you pretty much expect that at a baseball game.

We had GREAT seats, right above the pitcher's bullpen, and we only had to pay $20 per ticket! I guess they have some cheap seats at the top of the stadium starting at $5. Can't beat cheap entertainment! The Rockies ended up winning 2-0 (but I was rooting for the Rockies anyway, so it ended up well).

The stadium is the first of many renovation projects to the downtown Navy Yard district, and its bringing a lot of new visitors and revenue into the area. I'd definitely recommend catching a game there, and hope to do so again before I move :)