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It's an end of an era...

I've been blogging since November 24, 2001

Much of it has been personal. VERY personal. So personal, in fact, that it's become burdensome. If you're wondering why I'm stopping - that's it, in a nutshell. The joy I once felt in writing in this space is gone, for more reasons than I care to recount. But I am busy, things have changed - and I'd rather spend my time doing things, than talking about doing them.

My only goal when I started blogging/writing was to make some sense of what I was going through. And to tell the truth.

Blogging has evolved dramatically in the last 9 years, and with it....comes the time to ask myself if I need to evolve also. The answer is yes.

So, with that - it's time to go.

I want to thank you - those of you that have taken the time to read my stuff, and give me feedback, comments, email me, etc. I appreciate all that you've shared with me, positive and negative.

And no, I haven't stopped writing completely - it's just time for the journey to take a new direction.

This leg is over.

Now on to the next.....

UrbanVerge: your premier destination for reviews with an Urban Edge

Luv-A-Nu: to rediscover Love Anew

and the movement that will change the world......

Globalhaus: bridging the gap between social good and profitability/efficiency worldwide. Globalhaus isn't just an idea - it's a movement.

(yeah, I know they don't speak Spanish. Pero, voy mundial! )

I climbed a mountain, y'all!

I climbed a mountain, took a horsedrawn carriage up to a castle, danced on a table top with a rather femme Hulk Hogan look-alike, watched paragliders sail over mountains, drank Proseco at the base of a waterfall, ate curry-wurst in the town square, viewed some of the most beautiful stained glass in the world, and ate sushi. (I hate seafood, so my friends know that last part is truly amazing.)

And all of the above (and more) answers the question that you haven't asked (but want to) - Why Switzerland?

Well, there is this... (refresh to change the pics below - they change randomly with page refreshes)

The main reason, however, is because my friend A___ is an expat. She's been living in Switzerland for about 18 months, and invited Tash and I to come visit. This is our second major trip abroad together, having done a tour of Buenos Aires & Rio for the Study Abroad program where we met. And where the term "Vamos a Chile" was born. We will Vamos a Thailand sometime in 2010.

But for now - Switzerland.

Or more specifically, Schaffhausen, Zurich, Glarus, Klöntal, and Schwammhöhe (I could not make up that name if I wanted to). As well as Füssen, Germany, and many points in between. Schaffhausen, where we stayed, is both a quaint little Swiss town 32 miles from Zurich, and a balls-out (literally - the mascot is a ram with golden balls) canton, boasting a beautiful waterfall (the Rheinfall) an old canton fortress about 300 steps from the street (the Munot - I counted these as we climbed them...lol) and a historic town square. We ate great cheese (or course), yogurt (Bio yogurt is amazing!), ice cream and of course - chocolate! We also indulged in the shopping (I love European shoe stores) and eateries, including tasty pastries, nut tortes and good dairy. Oh, and the ever-present jamon y queso (schinken und käse). Who knew ham & cheese sandwiches were a universal food?

A____ also indulged us by giving us tours of nearby attractions. We climbed a mountain (well, via car, but still) through Glarus, Klöntal, and Schwammhöhe, to see one of the most amazing mountain views I think I've ever seen in my life. Along with the countryside, and valleys, the sun breaking through the clouds was (corny as it sounds) breathtaking. And the oxen, cows, and horses we passed along the way, as well as driving through a "no-bombing" zone, on a 2-way mountain road barely 8 feet wide wasn't too bad either!

I bought a banging pair of grey over-the-knee boots for a steal in Zurich, and ate great roasted poulet aux champignons (chicken with mushrooms) at the Brasserie Lipp. We even shook our groove thangs at Kaufleuten Lounge, with the Hulk Hogan look-alike, and a bunch of very flirty European, house, reggae and all things musically funky-loving men. Slight aside: they (apparently) either LOVE black women, or think American women make quite a flirty target. The attention we got was divine AND a lil weird (who licks a stranger's face?...lol).


thing is...it's about experiences:: because at the end of the day, life is short, so we should all play hard. And despite my friends assuring me that cruises, and the caribbean are amazing (I don't disagree) - I want to see the entire world. And even though I used to think travel was expensive, anything worth having is worth planning & saving for. With a little planning & savings, other destinations are definitely within reach. From Cozumel to Costa Rica, from Antartica to Asia. Every time I step completely out of my comfort zone, I have the most amazing, memorable experiences - that I truly can never recreate. I'm thankful that I realized this at a relatively young age ;) , so I can keep adding stamps to my passport.

So, yes - Switzerland. And Rio. And Buenos Aires. And Thailand. And London. And Paris. And Johannesberg. And Morocco. And Lima....

Are you still sitting there? Get your passport up. Seriously.

Yeah, I wrote that I'm trying to get the saga before the saga back, and that is true..but I still love who I am and what I've got...

...a couple of years back, I visited Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. If you're a long-time reader, you remember me writing about this, right?. If not, click the link, or check the Travel Archives.

I thought I brought a lot of things back with me, including a healthy appreciation for other cultures. But two things just popped back up into my head this summer: Color & Curves.

The Curves: I didn't take nearly enough pictures (I felt a lil weird about snapping other women's booties), but the Brazilian appreciation of the body is well documented. But it's not just about some big-bootied perfection. We saw shirtless Grandfathers, and Grandmothers in bikinis. People were really comfortable with ther bodies and their curves, with their cellulite and fat thighs, and non-flat stomachs and it was very freeing. I almost wanted to don a bikini!

Now, here I am rethinking my feelings about my body. There are parts I really am enamored with - namely the parts that still point to the sky ;) And when I think about fashion and think about what's flattering, I know that the sum look - the total package, weighs more than the individual parts. So instead of focusing on the things I should hide and living in MuMu land with big oversized non-fitting dresses and baggy pants, I embrace my curves, my jiggly parts and enhance the parts of my body I really love.

The Color: I am a fan of black, but it's so heavy and so wintry! And when I think about my trip to South America, I think about all the variances with life here in America, about sand & surf and morning runs on the beach, about dancing & living "Da Vida Brasileira" and about embracing color. Bright blue on my fingernails, and yellow on my toes!

Even in clothes - my favorite fashions for summer are the ones that add color! My pretty maxi dress in its varying shades of blue that mimics the ocean, my black cocktail dress with the huge red poppies at the hem, or even simply adding a dash of teal eyeliner for a pop of color on the face. It all reminds me of the costumes at La Plataforma:

Colorful, curvy, beautiful, and deserving of adoration - that's my reminder of my trip to Brazil, and to me that's summer and that's y I luv what I've got. :-)