Same, Same, But Different

After traveling in a car together for many, many hours, and then spending time in hotel rooms, Airbnbs, attractions, restaurants and bars, Birchie and I found out a lot of things about each other! The Blogger Extraordinaire was fun, not just for the sights seen, people visited and photos taken, but getting to know each other better was an adventure in itself. Of course, as adult people who have lived independently for many years over our lives, we found out some things that we definitely had in common and some things that we did differently. The question is, how did it stack up? Did either of us change due to seeing how other people did things? Let's find out! 

Same, Same

Alone Time: We both appreciate our alone time! It does not always jive up at the same time, but for the most part, we like a quiet morning, and a chill evening. We also don't mind listening to an audio book or podcast rather than always talking in the car, although this did not happen a lot, it did happen from time to time. 

The End Result? In the morning, I would often take a run while Birchie did her thing, and then in the evening after dinner, we would often do our thing or watch a show. However, this did evolve as we went along, and was maybe influenced by our newfound Traitors obsession. 

Food: Luckily, we were pretty much on the same eating schedule. We had a small breakfast, often stopped for a car sandwich lunch around 11:00 am, then were ready for dinner pretty much as soon as we got settled in the lodging, which was generally around 5:00 pm. 

The end result? We are both happy to be part of the early bird special and usually made sandwiches at a gas station or rest area for lunch. 

Picnic in Buffalo, WY

Beer: We both like beer, but especially IPAs. Need I say more? 

The end result? We would happily share a flight to try different beers, or even share a beer if it came down to it. 

Beer selection at the Sleepy Coyote in Ten Sleep, WY
Note the saw in the background

Music: We both like musicals and also love singing along to them! 

The end result? On the trip, we listened to Sound of Music, Hamilton and The Music Man (sparked by our drive through Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana!) I also had Phantom, Les Mis, In The Heights, Newsies and more queued up, but in the end, we just could not get to all of them! We also went to see the Medora musical in North Dakota. 

Outdoor theater in Medora, ND

Mayo: Spicy mayo for life! 

The end result? We only needed one sandwich condiment! 

Exercise: We both wanted to be sure that we kept to a semi-regular exercise routine, given we would be in the car and eating strange foods etc. 

Hiking at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The end result? I often went on a run around town, we took at least one walk or hike per day, and we also sometimes did push ups (Birchie more than me!). For me, my average steps per day for the 15 days we were on the road was just under 16,000, and there was no day under 10,000 (one day was 10,008!)

--------------------------------

But Different

Multiple Car Loads: I like to bring everything in from the car all at once. This is not just on vacation, but also when I buy groceries or really whenever I have to unload anything from the car. Birchie likes multiple trips. This could be that she travels in style, road trip style I mean, and has a cooler and other nice gadgets to make the trip more enjoyable. I have one bag, and can carry the cooler and multiple other bags at once in order to do it all in one. 

The end result? By the end, if the room was hard to get to (aka up a set of stairs, further away etc.) Birchie was okay to take just one trip. If we were parked right in front of the room or door, I was okay to just do one. Did we rub off on each other? Yes. 

Luggage: As you know, I travel light. I normally do this, but currently all I have is my bike stuff, so its even lighter than normal! Birchie has a deluxe road trip set up, with a cooler, coffee maker, electric kettle and more. I also only have two black outfits (and a running outfit) so I don't have many clothes either. 

Birchie (left), Me (right)
PC: Birchie (more info here)

The end result? I got a lot of ideas for my future campervan set up! The electric cooler is clutch. When cycling, I eat a lot of processed foods that don't need refrigeration, and it was so nice to be able to buy cheese or beer and have it be cold when you want it. Birchie did mention that she is considering swapping over to the all black ensemble.  Did we rub off on each other? Yes!   

Audio Speed: Birchie listens to audio (books, podcasts) at 1x speed. I listen at 2x or 2.20x. We did try listening to some audio at 1.1x to see what Birchie thought, but it was a bit of a fail. 

The end result? If the podcast was one that I had listened to before, the voice often sounded like the person was sick or had had a stroke or something. I didn't love it. Birchie didn't really like anything more than 1.1x. Did we rub off on each other? Not this time. 

Sandwiches: I had turkey, she had tofurkey! 

The end result? We both had sandwiches and it is not hard to carry around two different kinds of meat (in Birchie's excellent cooler). Did we rub off on each other? We didn't need to! I would eat tofurkey if needed. I think Birchie would eat turkey but wouldn't love it. 

Deli meats

Coffee: Part of Birchie's cool road trip packing set up is a pour over coffee maker, electric kettle, half and half (in the cooler) and premeasured ground coffee. I like good coffee, but also can drink pretty much anything, including instant coffee. I generally drank the hotel coffee, or made drip coffee if we were in an airbnb. Also, she has only one cup, whereas I want two or even three if we have time. 

The end result? She made her coffee each morning, and I sourced my coffee from various places, including the hotel lobby, gas stations, the in room coffee maker, or my own emergency stash of Nescafe. Did we rub off on each other? Halfway. I would go up the scale, but I doubt Birchie would go down. 

Last day of the trip, I splurged!

Parking: Birchie is a parking lot/garage person, whereas I am a curb/street parker. I can and do parallel park and free parking is always better than paid parking. Birchie just wants the car to be safe and the parking to be simple and does not care about the price. 

The end result? When I drove, I parked wherever, although of course was influenced by the fact that the car was not mine, so probably parked in more conservative places than I would have if it were my own car. Birchie did not attempt to park on the curb. Birchie only attempted one curb parking job, and it looked like a drunk person may have parked the car (unfortunately I did not take a photo, but I do believe two tires were on the curb. Also, she has approved this joke in advance! I would never make fun of her without her permission.)  Did we rub off on each other? Hard No. 

Questions for you! Let us know what your preferences are in these categories! Even if you just have time for one, let us know, what speed you listen to your audiobooks at and how many trips you take from the car after you get groceries or come back from a trip! 

Rainy Day People

Remember my story about the Spanish cleaning lady? The day after that, I went for a morning run on the Guadalquivir River in Seville, where there is a dedicated running path. If you ever walk or run a route near your house, you will probably make eye contact with people walking the opposite direction and maybe nod or smile or wave or acknowledge them in some way. Or maybe you don't, and if that is the case, maybe you can explain why barely anyone on the path made eye contact and those who did just gave me a side eye and looked away. No smile, no nod, nothing! I guess I assumed that people living in a warmer country, who can get outside in the winter in much of the country, and who speak the language of romance, would be cheerful! 

Guadalquivir river path ---> glum

On the flip side, when I went running on the Vistula river in Krakow, and it was about 13 degrees F (-8 C) out, everyone I passed smiled and nodded and waved. Now, I am sure that in reality, there is no correlation between weather and friendliness, but I thought that people in the warmer climes would be more engaging; I mean, you are outside, it is a beautiful day and it is not 13 degrees F outside! Rejoice! 

Vistula River path --> very cheerful

After seeing several people with glum faces, I started trying to make eye contact with people and then smiling at them and basically out of the couple dozen people who I tested this on, one person smiled back. What is happening here (besides them probably thinking that I am loco in the cabeza! I mean, they may not be wrong)? 

So then I thought that maybe it was just a city thing. I mean, if you are in San Francisco versus being in a small California town, you will probably get more people just going about their business and not saying hello to every passerby, whereas in a small town, we wave at everyone, whether we know them or not. However, even in San Francisco, if you are running on a path next to the ocean, you may still give a brief nod of solidarity to other runners.

Pacific promenade --> slight nod

Anyway, then I went to the Costa del Sol to a small town on the coast, and ran along the promenade there, and tried to make eye contact (loco!) and still was not getting any response. 

Mediterranean promenade --> still glum

And then it rained. You know me; I never let a bit of wet deter me, and I went out for my daily run along the beach. There were not a lot of people out. It was raining and very windy and the drops were pelting my face and I could not even hear my music. But then it happened! The few people going the other way were smiling! Even a guy on a bike looked straight at me and WAVED! I was so happy! 

Rainy day at the beach --> Happy as!

I mean, look, I have not made any lifelong friends from this experience, but it turns out that braving adversary together seems to be the ticket. Maybe that explains why the Polish people were friendly? Braving the cold = we are in this together! 

What is the vibe like on your normal walking or running route? What is your theory about cold vs hot and friendliness?   

Connections

Have you ever taken the Meyers Briggs test? I am an ISTJ; here is what the website says about that: A Logistician (ISTJ) is someone with the Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Judging personality traits. 

Regarding friendship: Logistician friends are not spontaneous. They are not talkative, or particularly playful in their affection. What Logistician friends are is loyal, trustworthy, honorable and dependable. Others may come and go with the ups and downs of life, but Logisticians stay by their friends’ sides no matter what, with a deepness of commitment that other types may not even believe is possible.

Logisticians are a very methodical personality type, and this loyalty isn’t given away lightly. Often slow to make friends, Logisticians usually end up with a smaller circle, but they consider that circle to represent a promise to be there for the people they care about, and Logisticians’ promises are not easily broken.

I know sometimes we fit ourselves into our horoscope or other personality boxes, but I have to say, the above really does describe me to a tee. This may be something for another post, but one of the other things it talks about is integrity and how ISTJs follow through and don't understand people who do not do what they say they are going to do (yes!) so this personality description really does tick a lot of the boxes for me! 

But I digress; what I wanted to talk about was blogging. Why do people write stuff about their life that is personal and put it out in the ether for others to judge? For me, I started blogging when I was traveling around Southeast Asia as a way to communicate what I was doing and where I was to multiple people at the same time, instead of writing an email newsletter or something more tailored to a few people (here is my first blog post). My only readers were probably my parents and my grandma, who would never comment but would talk to me or email me about things later, so I knew that I had at least three followers. My grandma has since passed away, but my parents are still here somewhere (hi guys!)

I would guess that for the first few years I got a handful of comments from people that I actually knew and none from anyone I did not know. This space was more of an online (public) journal. 

Then I got my first comment from a stranger. It was so satisfying; I had made a connection! I answered them right away and was excited when they commented again on another post. I started reading their blog and commenting and they would answer me back. Back in these days, all comments from readers went into my email inbox and the way to respond to comments was to email the person back. Sometimes we would have a long private back and forth about a lot of personal things and would learn a lot about each other that was NOT put out into the ether. It was very satisfyingly. 

A short while after that, I met up with some of my online friends in real life! My other friends and family thought I was crazy, and one of them even asked me if I worried that my blogging friends may be psychos, but the trip went so well that since then I have met up with several other people that I have met online! There is something about the connection you get when you hear a lot of people's inner thoughts and you learn about their everyday life, as well as the interaction you have along the way. 

Minneapolis - September 2011

There were years when I just did not feel like putting myself out there (in 2019 I only posted once), but I have still kept the connections that I have made. This year I decided to start writing a little bit more again, and I have met many new people that I feel are kindred spirits! 

However, going back to my ISTJ personality, I am slow to make friends and I am not one to have a lot of friends with shallower or lighter connections; I like to have a smaller handful of closer connections. I find this also translates to my online connections; I don't read or comment on a hundred blogs or write just to see how many comments I can get without answering them. I like to have the interaction and the back and forth, and I have been known to stop following someone who seems to be just trying to win a popularity contest. However, some of the connections I have made over the years have resulted in friends for life and that is the coolest part of this story. I know that meeting people online now is de rigueur, but back in the day (when I walked uphill both ways in the snow) it was not as normal, but I am glad that I put myself out there back then, and will continue to do so now. 

If you have taken the Meyers Briggs, what personality type are you? If you have not, please do (it only takes a few minutes) and tell me what your result is and if you think it fits your perceived personality! 

Why did you start blogging and/or why are you here reading? Have you ever met any of your online connections in real life? 

Live it Up Like a Local

I used to travel a lot. If you are a new reader, you probably didn't know that. You were probably wondering why this blog is called Travel Spot. You may have thought it was because I do a lot of foot travel. Well, that is true; I do, but I used to actually go to other countries, backpack on back and hiking boots (or flip flops) at the ready.

It's been been almost two years since I have been out of the country. That is a sad state of affairs.

I have friends that travel sometimes. They stay in 5 star hotels and do package tours and all-inclusive vacations. I am not saying that this is a bad thing; it's just not my style. Okay, sure, I like to put on a fluffy robe and lounge on a king sized white pillow top bed just as much as the rest of them. However, I also like to go to countries and experience them the local way. I like to ride the bus with the chickens and stay in the rattan hut with the mosquito nets. I like to find my own way. For me that is part of the fun.

Albania

When I went to the Himalayas to hike to Everest Base Camp, the fun part was slogging up the mountains (no, really!) with my pack on my back, making my own way up the mountain, without help. When I got to the next place to lay my head, I felt pride and a sense of adventure because I had done it myself. There were times when Mr. Lovely and I were all alone, without another soul around, and we could admire the majestic mountains and the endless peaks without a bunch of fellow tour members. That's how I like it. It may be more work to get there on my own, but in the end, it is totally worth it.

Nepal

I have stayed in a wide variety of accommodations. Sure, sometimes the low end route is pretty crappy. In India, I stayed in a mold infested room with mosquitoes keeping me awake all night, and it was not something I would like to repeat. I see no reason to subject myself to that! But I do like to experience some of the local flavor. Why go to Mexico if you are going to stay in an American hotel and eat American food? You may as well go to Newport Beach or Fort Lauderdale for that. 

India

I realize that everyone travels their own way. But what do you do when you are of one camp and your travel buddy is of another? A friend and I are trying to plan a vacation and she is one of the 5-star-hotel package-tour all-inclusive people. I want to get down and dirty, eat what the locals are eating, how they are eating it and I want to do what the locals do. This is difficult, as I don't want to spend $200+ for a hotel in a country where people make ten dollars a day.  She wants to stay in a place with fluffy robes and pillow top mattresses. She wants to be guided; I want to find my own way.

We are at an impasse. I ask you for help. What do you think we should do?

What camp are you in? Live it up? or Live like a local?

Then and Now: May

Another month gone by already. It seems like only yesterday when I was talking about how I couldn't believe it was May already. Today is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! Now for the Who, the What and the Where -- May 2011 vs. May 2012.

The Who: 

In 2011:

I spent some time in Australia with Mr. L, then it was back to the US for:

Baseball with the broski, his lady and Gma, and my friend Hashi and his lady

Birthday fun with the parents

Mimosa Brunch in the Mission with K and A

In 2012: 

 Good times were had by my Relay team

Another Giants game with the trio (a tradition, it seems)

Mother's Day/Birthday with my two families

My, look how she's grown! 

2011 vs 2012

The What: 

Books:
2011: / 2012: 8

I definitely had extra time to read this year, due to the fact that I was traveling a lot last year vs this year. Also, my computer was down for about a week and a half in 2012 and it's amazing how much reading I got done because of it! Some of my favorites: Secret Daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. See my Bookshelf page for more!

Running:
2011: 0 / 2012: 157

This month was not only the start of the ramp up for marathon training, but I also added a few miles due to some longer trail runs and a new goal to try to complete an ultra. I think that this is my highest mileage month to date.

Races:
2011: 0 / 2012: 2

This month I participated in The Relay, which for my portion was 23 miles over 4 runs over 24 hours. I also completed race number 5 of the 12 in 2012 challenge, which was a trail race in Oakland called the Cinderella Trail Run. You can check out my Races and Places page for more!

Cakes: 

2011 vs 2012

Apparently I turn 5 years old every year.

The Where:

In 2011, after getting back from Australia, 

I spent a lot of time in California. 

Also, note that it snowed. I think that photo was taken on May 28th.

In 2012,  I also spent a lot of time in California. 

San Francisco, Sierra Nevadas, Napa, Oakland

 
The verdict? My hair is longer, my fitness has improved tenfold, and it seems like the birthday baseball game with grandma and the kids has become a tradition (as well has the Mother's Day with my second family). It does seem like May is when the weekends start being full of outdoor related and other fun activities, no matter where I am! All in all, I would give two thumbs up to both May 2011 and May 2012!

How was your May this year? How is it different from last year? Is it better, worse, or the same? 

Then and Now: February

Maybe because we had an extra day this year, February was a little long for me. It went by fast but it was a weird month motivation-wise, emotion-wise and mentally in general I guess. This is strange, because I had a month filled with family, friends and good food as well as adequate exercise. However, for some reason, I am feeling a little strange this month. Hopefully March will bring a change in seasons and attitude!

Here is my February recap, the Who, the What and the Where, where I compare what I was doing one year ago to what I am up to now.

WHO:

2011: 

Mr Lovely, 

A Vietnamese Butcher and 

a thousand people, chickens and items on motorcycles.

2012: 

K and A and A, 

The parentals and

the Broski.

(as well as many other friends and family who are not pictured).

WHAT:

2011: 

Squid on sticks, 

Dragonfruit and

Pho for breakfast. 

2012: 

Frjtz fries,

Turkish sampler,

Beet salad and

an apple crepe.

Miles Run: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 =111

Lucky number 111! This is good, because I would like to keep up a base of at least 100 miles a month, since I may sign up for a marathon at some point this year and I want be halfway ready at any time!

Races: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 = 3

Thank goodness for virtual races! They are a fun and inexpensive way to supplement your normal racing schedule!

Bay Breeze Half Marathon (Race #2 of 12 in 2012)

Run For Sherry Virtual Race

Grandma Lill's 95th Birthday Virtual Race

Books Read: 

2011 = 3 / 2012 = 5

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford: This book was about a Chinese boy growing up in Seattle during WWII. He has a Japanese friend, and when she gets sent to the concentration camps, he is devastated. Not only that, but he has to deal with his father's hatred of the Japanese.

Tisha -  Robert Specht: This is a true story about a young teacher in the 1920s who gets sent to a small town in Alaska to teach. She learns quickly that the divide between the whites and Indians is deep, but somehow manages to not bend to the white men's prejudices. Her struggle is moving and her courage is inspiring.

You can see the other books HERE.

WHERE: 

2011: 

Cambodia, 

Vietnam and 

Thailand 

 

2012:

San Francisco, 

Home

What I see by looking back is that I am spending way more time with family and friends this year, which is great. I have also traveled this February, but only within the State, whereas last year I traveled much further. But no matter what year it is, the food is always good!

Do you like squid? Are you loving this February more or less than last February?

Then and Now: January

Well, January is over already! This year is already going very fast. I must be getting old or something! It's fun to look back a year at all the photos and see what I was up to last year vs whats going on this year. Last year I was traveling, so things are a bit different now! Not to say that any one is better than the other, but they are definitely different! Some things, such as my mileage, have changed drastically. Others, such as the weather, are similar. Here are the comparisons of 2011 vs 2012, the Who, the What and the Where of January.

WHO:

2011

2012

WHAT:

Miles Run: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 = 85

When you look at it this way, it seems like I ran a lot of miles in January, even though January mileage is so much lower than my last 6 months of running. This puts it in perspective though and makes me glad I am running more miles this year than last! 

Races: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 =  1

Coyote Hills Half Marathon - Fremont, CA 

(race recap HERE )

Books Read: 

2011 = 7 / 2012 = 5

The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton:  

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a fun, easy read about a woman who goes searching for her grandmother's ancestors and finds out more than she bargained for.

Still Missing – Chevy Stevens:

This book gets a 4 out of 5 as well. It was good, and it held my attention, but it didn't quite end the way I thought it should. I guess you could say there was a twist. I was kind of dissatisfied by the ending though. 

You can see the other books HERE. 

WHERE: 

2011

2012

How was your January? Did it differ much from last year? How are you doing on your resolutions so far?

Then and Now: December

Happy New Year's Eve! I hope that wherever you are, you are having a great weekend! Have a wonderful time tonight and I will see you next year! 

The holidays are often very similar each year. There are holiday parties, get-togethers with friends and food to be eaten and presents to open with family. This December was no different. There were many people to see that I see every year, and many holiday traditions that were observed this year, just as they were last year. There were also a few things that were different. Here is December 2010 vs 2011, The Who, The What and The Where.

The Who:  Every year I get together with friends in San Francisco for a snackapalooza. This year was no different, except we got together in November instead! So we met up in Sacramento for some carb loading before the marathon instead. Also, I get together with my old HS buddies on the day after Christmas each year. It's great fun and I am glad we have kept the tradition alive!

2010: Snackapalooza, San Francisco, 2011: CIM carb loading

2010: Hail, grey skies and a large group, 2011: Sun in the eyes and less people

The What: Last year I did many of the same things as this year. I went to see the birds; I ate cheese platters; I make cookies. The only huge difference was the running. Last year I took lots of walks; this year I took many runs instead (mileage last December: 0 miles, this December: about 100 miles).

2010: Walks, 2011: Runs

2010: Birds + great reflections! 2011: Birds but no reflection

2010: Small cheese platter, 2011: large cheese platter! (2012: Cheese table?)

2010: Pumpkin Choc Chip, 2011: Macaroon

The Where: Last year I went on a road trip from California to Iowa, where I met up with my friend Red at her new house. This year, I have been in California all month.

2010: Iowa

California

What were you doing last December? Do you do the same thing every Christmas or are your holidays varied?

Cookie Monsters

Last weekend I got together with the girls and we had a cookie decorating party. The original idea was that we would have our friend C and her two kids over, so that we could have a fun time with them, but they were not available. This did not deter us; we decided to have the party without them. 

In attendance was my friend N and her mom, me and my mom and our friend C.  We were assisted by little C, who is about 18 months old and actually decorated cookies better than I did, I think. Excuse the lighting, the low winter sun was shining right in the window and made it really hard to get a good photo.

Everyone brought snack foods to eat while we were hard at work; as hard as I tried to eat only carrots and hummus, I think I may have snuck in a lot of cookies along the way too. I mean, you have to try each type of cookie with each type of frosting! Right? 

My friend made two kinds of cookies: sugar and gingerbread, and three kinds of frosting: maple, orange and butter cream. 

We had several shapes, such as a bone, a star, a Santa, a couple of men, a heart, a tree and a bell.

We used food coloring and sprinkles to create our masterpieces.

We had a great time, all of us adult girls, decorating cookies badly. 

Have you ever had a cookie decorating party? Do you think you could do a better job decorating (meaning if you have preschool skills or higher) than we did? 

Note:  I just realized that my posts from the last few days were not showing up in Reader! After much detective work, I went to a site that I already followed and signed in, and VOILA, they were back. What the heck, google.