Am fine, will update soon. XO Jason [View Full Entry]

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This is as accurate and honest an account of my time in Bordeaux as memory, decency and legality permit. It was a place and time where the laws of man and nature were momentarily suspended to permit me a gulp of life direct from the mountain source. From Berlin These are the exact kind of spirited, lively and attractive Spanish people I am born to love! They are the poster Euros, the new generation. I can't believe I ended up in a sleeper car with 5 of them! I wish they would shut the hel [View Full Entry]

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Because I couldn't even make a dent in my itinerary of sights to see. Because I want to learn German. Because it's so cheap. Because the food is good..and cheap. Because the people are nice, and if the're not, it's usually only temporary. Because it's so weird. Because it's such a schizo city. In parts where it appears it's most ugly, a backyard reveals a beach volleyball court, or huge courtyard garden, or underground superclub. Because where it appears to be most beautiful, it really is, even if there's no living depth. I could go on. I went to the Sage [View Full Entry]

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After my day in the sun, taking useless pictures of animals and generally enjoying myself, I was overcome by a strong sense of guilt. It had to be guilt. Either guilt or heatstroke. Surely there was some imbalance in the Jason, as I'd indulged my whimsy but not my intellect. Cavorting about Berlin on a rickety bicycle, drinking cheap beer and laying in the sun was all well and good, but when was I going to grow up, put on long pants, and play adult? Hoping to avert disappointment and expand my mind, I visited the two most immediately appealing of [View Full Entry]

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After the first few days of meteorological madness, Berlin's skies seem to have settled down. I'd been debating what to do with my days as I'd earmarked most nights for clubbing and bars. Everything looked too educational for me. Too historic, too cultural. Where could I go where I could essentially take a day off for sunbathing and yet not feel like I boated a whole day? The Berlin Zoo (Zoologischer Garten) is the largest in Europe, which is as good an excuse to visit as anything. Also, [View Full Entry]

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That train ride was positively Brutal. The family opposite me in the six-seater cabin refused to put their luggage overhead. So, I query, where should it be placed? Why, directly on the floor! Who needs a place to put your feet on an 8 hour overnight ride!!?? Not the stinky, grumpy American in the hilarious sleeping mask and earplugs. Everytime the floorspace (approximately 2 square feet) shifted in dimensions, there was a mad tapdance as we all jockeyed for a place to put our barking dogs. For eight hours straight, everyone is barely asleep. Jostling occurs. As does tossing, [View Full Entry]

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I've officially slept on my first airport floor! It was terrible. Catching a 6 am flight out of Dublin may be economical and timed well for a daytrip to the land of chocolate, but having to curl up on the dustladen floor beneath the escalators was too economical for me. Apparently a good tip for airport naps is the arrivals area - they cush it up for those who are waiting for others. First brush with braying footie fans - a pack of prematurely acromegalic losers armed with warm six packs. Recall that this is 5am in the morning. I watched, [View Full Entry]

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California Dreaming From the moment I landed, I could recognize the echoes of the Bay Area in Dublin. It's younger inhabitants are hipper and more distinct from the old UK guard than I had expected. Perhaps it is because I walked out of my hostel and straight into the throbbing heart of the youth culture, on nearby Camden Street. In a glut of organic eateries, juiceaterias, cafelounges and multipurpose pubspaces, I found the two-headed monster that is Whelans and The Village. A pair of shiny nouveau loft buildings so out of place amongst the weathered brick that I half [View Full Entry]

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Last American Post. It's 4:30 am on the day I leave and I'm packing and repacking and rerepacking. It's madness. I'm wired and exhausted like the tail end of a guarana pill. Crap! I can hear birds chirping. And Polish Hip Hop. I'm not sure which distresses me more. Today Howie and I were maxin out in the pool and the Sam, the family German Shepard, took off after a chipmunk and bagged it. He climbed out of the pool and slid it on to a shovel and tossed it over the fence. He chuckled and said, "He's not coming back. [View Full Entry]

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I am not ashamed to admit I overate at the same sushi place on consecutive days. 2 out of 3 meals. Distended belly. Elevated mercury levels. Look of concern and revulsion on the face of the chef. All indicators that I ate sushi with authority. American Style! I cannot say for certain how a fantastic sushi restaurant named Mikado found its way to tiny Glens Falls, NY. I also cannot say for certain that I feel right about publishing it's presence on the internaught. What if the Sushi Commission finds out and redistricts Danny and his family to San Francisco or [View Full Entry]

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