The Story of Stuff

A couple months ago I was able to catch the short video hosted by Annie Leonard called The Story of Stuff. I was recently reminded of it, and I thought it was something I should share with everyone. The video goes through the life cycle of “stuff” (i.e. commercial products) that the world produces, and how it is a grossly unsustainable system. The video is very objective, and brings everyone back to basics… it’s hard to ignore and dispute the facts she presents. From using far too many natural resources, all the way through to the enormous amounts of waste we produce, this is something I believe everyone should see, and everyone should think about.

Euro Trip: Pictures Posted

So after transferring, sorting, adjusting, naming, and saving all my photos from Europe, I’ve now uploaded a small but delicious helping of picture goodness to Flickr. I couldn’t upload all of them (8GB!), but the ones that are there are the better ones, showing a majority of the places we visited. Go take a peak and post a comment, or – go back to what you were doing.

Euro Trip: Home Again, Home Again

So we made it back home safe and sound with a head full of memories, cameras full of pictures, and backpacks full of dirty clothes, and various souvenirs from Europe – including some bootlegged wine that I’m particularly stoked about.

I wasn’t able to blog nearly as much as I originally intended (due to finding computers with internet), but the rest of the trip was great, and right on par with the beginnings. This was the most exciting but exhaustive trip I’ve ever taken. The last 2 weeks feel more like 2 months.

Rome was brilliant; the ancient Roman remains were incredible, the Vatican was super interesting, with loads of great art and architecture, and the Italian people were very warm and sincere.

With everything all said and done, I am very glad we went, and am very glad we’re home. Part of me is still living somewhere between here and Europe as I haven’t been fully acclimated due to changes in time, weather, and whacky sleeping patterns – jet lag is something else. I am however grateful to be back and can’t wait to upload all my pictures and videos, and share stories with everyone. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll hopefully see you all soon!

Euro Trip Days 4, 5, & 6: Paris

It’s hard to think of the right adjectives to describe a place like Paris. It’s a wild place. There are so many different types of people here, so many interesting people passing through, a definite cultural melting pot. There is so much to see here, Ashley and I have been running ourselves ragged trying to see it all, and today I think we finally hit our wall. We wised up and after visiting the Louvre and Orsay museums, we decided to go back to the hostel and recharge for the rest of the night. I can already tell you it has been worth it.

So far we’ve seen (deep breath…) the Basilica de Sacre Couer, the Arc d’Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Jardin de Tuilleries, Champs Elysses, Pere Lachaise, and countless amounts of amazing art. I have taken almost 8GB’s of pictures so far to prove it and I can’t wait to post them all.

Tomorrow we’re off to Versailles, the Pompidou Centre, Saint Chappelle, and hopefully the Catacombs. Another very long day, but we’ll be ready for it.

Euro Trip Days 2 & 3: London Rules

Every day that passes I am more and more stoked about London. It seems like everywhere you look or go there is something impressive. I’ve had to restrain myself not to take pictures of every single thing I see.

Yesterday was pretty much amazing. Windsor castle is soaked with history, Stonehenge is nothing short of brilliant, and Bath was fantastic. My favorite day so far. We capped it off and did a pseudo-cultural thing and saw a movie at the ‘cinema’. Even something that trivial is an experience to remember.

Today we walked our socks off, seeing more original art (Van Gogh, Cezanne, Renoir, Da Vinci!), ate fish & chips in a legitimate english pub, and even went bowling. London is a beautiful and incredibly interesting place and I cannot wait to come back and see more of it. Tomorrow we’re off to Paris!