Happy Tuesday! (Jan 21)

[jennybee1018]

Hi there! How is everyone? This board has been quiet....we need to liven it up :-)

Anything fun happening today?

QOTD: If you could hop on a plane right now, where would you go? :-)

[jennybee1018]

Morning!! :-)

Today has been pretty good so far :-) Worked out at the gym this morning, now I'm at work, and tonight I'm heading to yoga. So busy day! :-) Can't wait to go home and just chill on the couch :-)

QOTD: Probably the Maldives....it's just the most amazing beach paradise and I really want to go back!!!

[dorothyinAus]

Good evening!

Today was my fun-day with DH before he goes back to work next week.  We went out to lunch and then shopping.  Then we came home and watched some episodes of The West Wing.  And (whoo-hoo!) I successfully fried eggs over easy without breaking the yolks!  First time ever!  Now I'm watching an old Disney movie on DVD (The Cat from Outer Space) and he's typing up a blog post.

QOTD:  Tuscaloosa, AL.  I am really missing my BFF lately and that's where she is.  And while I was there, we'd head over to a small town in rural Mississippi about half an hour outside Starkville to see the third of our Musketeers from college (who I haven't seen since before Hurricane Katrina).

[elenetxu]

Hello! Just got in from repotting plants. Mom taught me how while she was here and my new goal is to not kill anymore plants!

QOTD: I would go to Lake Tahoe or Switzerland to go skiing. Alone. The only place where I disconnect/de-stress is on a mountain.

[doctoranda]

Good afternoon. I just came back from physical therapy and am having lunch. I have to work on an article and make some exercises for the boy I tutor this afternoon. After tutoring I am going to go grocery shopping and tonight is a quiet night of nothing. We have leftovers and some good movies to watch.

QOTD: Sicily

[irish]

Morning. I'm supposed to be on my way to my mum & baby boot camp. But being up half the night with that baby has me without energy to do the class. I know, I really should go but there is no way I could have done jogging/sprinting/jumping jacks/squat jumps etc for an hour solid...

Getting through today is my goal, though dh is little or no use with dd2 in the evenings. He rarely takes her from me. Grr...

QOTD: anywhere warm and quiet on my own... As long as it had a comfy bed and nearby food sources... I just need a break at the moment

[GilliC]

I'm counting the minutes until I can go home today. I was up late cooking a TexMex feast last night, and I'm just not in the mood for work this afternoon.

QOTD: The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Because when else would I be able to visit?!
If it has to be a commercial flight, I'll pick Socotra.

[Waffles]

Good afternoon! We need to revive this board!

QOTD: either somewhere gorgeously beachy like the Maldives or somewhere isolated like a cabin by a lake in Canada where I could go with H to be snowed in and not have to see anyone else. Either way, I'd love some quality time with H away from reality!

[klingklang77]

Good Afternoon! Today has been good, but my day doesn't really start for a few hours. Today a real estate agent came by to take pics of our apartment. I'm kind of stressing out about finding an apartment in Munich. I'm going there this weekend, and I hope we find something, so this can all be done!

QOTD: Cape Town or somewhere beachy, maybe Aruba.

[Deleted]

Good afternoon!

It's DS2s birthday today. Baked some cupcakes and he'll get to smash one tonight. Otherwise just working away. Got the galleys for my book recently and sent in a few changes yesterday. That's the last time I will see the book before I get a print copy. Feels weird that this process is almost done.

Booked flights to Paris next month!! Meeting my sister there. Bringing DS2 because DH says he can't handle both boys for three days on his own. Would have loved to go on my own but I don't think this opportunity will come around again soon.

irish I feel for you. I wanted to get up and run this morning before DH left for work. DS2 not sleeping great - feeding all night - so I had to can it.

QOTD: Somewhere warm - maybe Rio? Cape Town would be fantastic. Weather here is 50 shades of terrible today.

[Wanderista]

Hi there, I am working for now but keeping an eye on the weather. I'm working from home though so it isn't really a big deal for me if it snows.

QOTD: It'd almost be easier for me to list places that I wouldn't go than places that I would. I probably wouldn't go anywhere too snowy that doesn't have great public transport right now. I don't want to drive in the snow! I guess it'd be fine if someone else were driving who is used to that. I'd generally want to stay away from areas with major weather problems. But yeah, I wouldn't mind going somewhere random and new to me. If it is kind of surprising then that is even better.

[Brit]

Hey y'all! I have been a lazy poster, but I agree, time to get this board moving!

I'm just looking forward to the weekend at this point. Only two work days to go. I feel like my weekdays are kind of dull lately. Basically all I do is work, do laundry, make dinner (lame dinners at that), and maybe go for a run if I'm lucky. Blah.

We are finally getting in a good weekend groove here, but are still lacking in the friends department. I guess that makes sense, with most moves it has taken me the better part of a year to 'develop' friends.

QOTD: I think I would go on a beach vacation. Maybe the Maldives or Seychelles. It has been chilly in Dubai and I could definitely tolerate some steady 80* weather!

ETA: After reading everyone else's posts, I think we should all just flake from real life and hop a flight to the Maldives!

[Brit]

Jan 21, 2014 4:05:05 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

Hello! Just got in from repotting plants. Mom taught me how while she was here and my new goal is to not kill anymore plants!

QOTD: I would go to Lake Tahoe or Switzerland to go skiing. Alone. The only place where I disconnect/de-stress is on a mountain.

Good luck with your plants! We just planted three potted plants on our balcony, two flowering ones and a kumquat tree. I hope that H can keep them alive because I suck at remembering to water them.

[jennybee1018]

Jan 21, 2014 11:04:34 GMT -5 Brit said:

Hey y'all! I have been a lazy poster, but I agree, time to get this board moving!

I'm just looking forward to the weekend at this point. Only two work days to go. I feel like my weekdays are kind of dull lately. Basically all I do is work, do laundry, make dinner (lame dinners at that), and maybe go for a run if I'm lucky. Blah.

We are finally getting in a good weekend groove here, but are still lacking in the friends department. I guess that makes sense, with most moves it has taken me the better part of a year to 'develop' friends.

QOTD: I think I would go on a beach vacation. Maybe the Maldives or Seychelles. It has been chilly in Dubai and I could definitely tolerate some steady 80* weather!

ETA: After reading everyone else's posts, I think we should all just flake from real life and hop a flight to the Maldives!

It's only a 4 1/2 flight to Maldives for us and Qatar Airways is having a sale. Let's do it!

Sorry to hear you haven't made too many friends yet. I hope that changes soon!

I'll be in Dubai at the end of March & end of April (Zumba certification trainings), so maybe we can meet up! I can introduce you to my Dubai friends :-)

[Brit]

jennybee1018 - Let's have a meet up!

[jennybee1018]

Jan 21, 2014 13:21:43 GMT -5 Brit said:

jennybee1018 - Let's have a meet up!

Hooray! :-) Sounds good. My friend from Bahrain (who is on this board sometimes - jupiter2311 ) will also be in Dubai the last weekend of March, so we can have a small IN gtg :-)

[dorothyinAus]

Jan 21, 2014 8:01:24 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I'm counting the minutes until I can go home today. I was up late cooking a TexMex feast last night, and I'm just not in the mood for work this afternoon.

QOTD: The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Because when else would I be able to visit?!
If it has to be a commercial flight, I'll pick Socotra.

Even after watching the ship get stuck in the ice?  And are you not worried about tourist-caused damage to the region?

[elenetxu]

Jan 21, 2014 9:08:35 GMT -5 klingklang77 said:

Good Afternoon! Today has been good, but my day doesn't really start for a few hours. Today a real estate agent came by to take pics of our apartment. I'm kind of stressing out about finding an apartment in Munich. I'm going there this weekend, and I hope we find something, so this can all be done!

QOTD: Cape Town or somewhere beachy, maybe Aruba.

I'm sorry you're stressing. I would be too!
That being said... Munich! I'm a bit jealous!

[GilliC]

Jan 22, 2014 1:24:40 GMT -5 dorothyinAus said:

Jan 21, 2014 8:01:24 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I'm counting the minutes until I can go home today. I was up late cooking a TexMex feast last night, and I'm just not in the mood for work this afternoon.

QOTD: The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Because when else would I be able to visit?!
If it has to be a commercial flight, I'll pick Socotra.

Even after watching the ship get stuck in the ice?  And are you not worried about tourist-caused damage to the region?

I sailed on the ship that replaced the ship that sank in 2007. Sailing at the same time of year, in the same region, under operation by the same company. Getting stuck in the sea ice doesn't sound as bad as evacuating into the zodiacs, and I was mentally prepared for that given the circumstances.

As for the environmental impact, no I'm not terribly concerned. At least not yet. It's an incredibly expensive destination, and the prices are not going down. Landing sites are already limited, so the effects are very localized to certain areas. Moreover, studies have shown that penguin populations have increased in popular expedition sites, because the threat of skuas raiding nests is reduced. Of course any tip in the balance is dangerous, but compared to the threats to sea birds from commercial fishing, small shifts in skua predatory areas concerns me far less.

I do think that IAATO needs more power and more authority, but the operators I have experience with are incredibly concerned and rigorous about conservation. In fact, many of the tour operators are more stringent than the research stations, and I've heard plenty of horror stories from researchers who've worked in the region.