Ohhh I have neglected LJ!! I just can't keep up with everything lately so I've mostly been active on Facebook. It isn't journal-friendly really, but I like the fact that I can quickly keep in touch with friends and family. If anyone is on there you can add me with maeganc@gmail.com.

Hope everyone is well! I am enjoying the sunshine and working on several projects.

<3

Off to Santo Domingo, happy Thanksgiving! :D

This was my second trip to Aruba. A quick 1 night 1 day event, but when I look outside at the falling snow, well worth the effort.

Aruba is indeed a beautiful place, but I haven't quite grasped the essence of it. Perhaps it's because I stayed in a resort where you can wander the shopping area to buy Louis Vuitton bags, play Keno to your hearts content, or soak up the sun in the pool by the cabana. But I don't quite feel like I am standing on a little island off the coast of Venezuela. It seems like such a key location for the mixing of cultures. It feels more like Beverly Hills. On the other hand, I can see the beauty of Aruba in the land, but I am lounging in a chair on the beach with Americans and Western Europeans so I don't experience any culture here, either. Not that I'm complaining, it just seems odd to me. But, I'm guessing most people don't travel to Aruba for culture?

In the cab on the way to the Airport I chat it up with the cabbie who is a native of Aruba. Who first inhabited this island? Where are your agricultural crops? Do you have any local art specific to this island? He answers me in a thick island accent that the original inhabitants are no longer around, the agricultural crops that once existed have been replaced with imported food, and the high-end clothing shops make more money than traditional crafts. I look over the airport for a few signs of locally-made items, but even the spices are made in Jamaica. I can, however, buy chocolate from Switzerland and an Aruba t-shirt from China.

Perhaps if I traveled outside of the resort area I could find a bit of culture. Next time, maybe.


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http://www.chenahotsprings.com/index.php

Must add this to places I'd like to visit someday...

This email was forwarded to me from a friend working in the peace corps in Niger. Just wanted to share it -

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Right now my two favorite things are my new car GPS and cruise control.

Sleeeeepy

*Edit: three things. This warm mug of hot, sweet thai tea in my cold hands. Mmm.

Omg I think I almost pee'd myself watching this.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/16/snls-crazy-mccain-rally-l_n_135463.html?page=10&show_comment_id=16899094#comment_16899094

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ghostly-pumpkin-pudding-recipe/index.html

Of course I can't eat it, but I'll make someone else eat it!

http://www.ripten.com/2008/10/10/wow-whore-has-36-accounts-raids-by-himself/

wtf?

Akeru

"to pierce, to open, to end, to make a hole in, to start, to expire, to unwrap, to turn over, an empty space that is created, the opening in which a new beginning can take place, to begin and to end"

Lovely word and concept.