Dreaming of Any Place Else

Usually the Portland area looks like this, this time of year. But lately it has looked like this:
and this:

Which in turn has lead me to dream of this:

and this:
or this:
I wish my Spanish was better so I could work in Mexico. Oh well maybe some day.

What place are you dreaming of?

Powered by ScribeFire.

Hostel.com is the place to find cheap sleeps on the road

I love to travel. And for me one of the essentials for traveling is getting a decent, cheap place to lay my head. I don't need a 3 or 5 star place to hold up in. I just need a place to sleep for 8 hours, take a shower and maybe catch a nap, if the caffeine wears off. If I spend more than 11 hours a day in my room I am doing something wrong. So when I found Hostels.com, I knew I had stumbled upon a little slice of traveler's Heaven.

At Hostels.com one can search for hostels and other cheap places to stay, around the world. The front page claims they list more than 26,000 places to book. All that is required is for you to pick which country and city(ies) you plan to travel to and when and helpful booking app on the front page does all the work. After a few moments it spits out a list of available hostels and other cheap places. It lists what kind of rooms are open and how much the rooms cost. You can book the rooms right then and only pay a 10% fee of the total cost. The balance is due when you check in.

CAUTION:Each place has terms and conditions, so you would be wise to read them. For example, one of the two hostels I booked in Washington D.C. does not take cash, and I must confirm my reservation 24 hours in advance, or I lose the room. Also check here for check-in times.

For each of the hostels I booked I was given clear directions on how to get to them, either by train, plane, bus or Metro. Also included where photos of the place, of staff and former guests. More importantly there was a section where former guests rated the hostel. Most seemed to like the hostels I booked, but it seemed almost every bad review was from a fellow American. I am not sure what to make of that. There was also a star-rating system for such things as Character, Security, Location, Staff and Cleanliness. For me the most important consideration is security. There is nothing worse than a fellow traveler who steals. 9 times out of 10 if some asks I would be happy to buy them a meal, or lend them a couple of bucks for beer, or a ticket to their next destination. But that is neither here nor there.

So if you are planning a trip here in the good ole US of A, or Asia, or Europe, or Africa, or South America, Hostels.com is the place to find a decent, cheap place to lay one's head.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Will the increase incidence of 'Cougar' attacks be far behind?

Scientists in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Briton have just finished a 2 year study of testosterone patches on post-menopausal women. The Scientists "found that a high dose of male hormone gives post-menopausal women a modest, but meaningful boost in the sex lives after a year." (emphasis mine)

Maybe this Cougar enhancing patch can be sent to Mexico City to help deal with the pill popping Grandpas. Perhaps the wife of Mexico City's mayor can encourage him to pass out the patches, for free, to the more mature ladies of Mexico City. And maybe the entire country will be in line for blue pills and libido patches if he wins the presidency. If only we could get a program like this here in the States.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Portland Ignites

Check out Ignite Portland on June 18th at the Bagdad Theather on SE 37th and Hawthorne. It should ignite ideas or passion in all who attend.

The idea is that a presenter gets 5 minutes and 20 slides which rotate automatically. They can present on topics ranging from 'Why Deutschland Loves David Hasselhoff,' 'How to Live Like a Japanese in Portland,' and 'The Complete and Utter History of the Numa Numa Dance.'

There is also a chance to win great swag. At Ignite 2 I won a pull over golf jacket, a UBS flash drive and a computer bag. It made the wait out in the cold worth it.

The organizers have set it up so that it is possible to register, download and print out tickets. So only those who haven't pre-register have to stand outside and wait. I wouldn't advise this, as they had a really good spread of hors d'oeuvres set up last time, and I suspect there will be some goodies set out for those of us who show.

Doors open at 5:30pm. Those without pre-printed tickets get in after 6:15pm until there are no more seats. The presentations start around 7pm. See you there.