I have about 3 posts I’ve been planning on writing about my 2 months in Singapore (it will be 2 months next week). But I’ll do the most obvious first because it’s the one people seem most curious about.
seriously (fixin’ to get ready to) travel
I know I’ve been MIA for the past couple weeks. Got serious about traveling and so had to make some changes in order to be on the road for the next several months. All my stuff is stored in Texas (including my car) and mail and bills are as taken care of as possible. My system isn’t perfect, but it’s better than it was a few months ago. I’m in Dallas taking care of a few more things, like replacing my luggage that the USPS lost when I mailed it in for repairs (next time: FedEx).
There’s a conference in Toledo where I’m co-presenting a paper about labor violations in the Nevada brothel system (yes, it’s focusing on one particular brothel but it’s not named in the paper and won’t be named here – ahem). That’s the week of my 34th birthday! That takes care of the first week of October. After that…probably wandering around the US for a bit. There are people I would like to see in Chicago and DC, if nothing else. Then out again. I’m looking hard at Asia right now. There are a lot of things attracting me and there are a lot of places to go and see on that side of the world. It should occupy my interest for a while.
No plans are set in stone and I don’t have dates until I have tickets in hand. I Twitter when I’m traveling and post stuff in my Personal Updates column to the right.
So there you go: The Plan — such as it is. For once, my silence has not meant anything negative, just busy and pre-occupied (and minimal Internet access).
traveling as a “lifestyle”
A friend sent me a link to this article. I found it interesting, moreso the commentary.
I’m highlighting some negative comments because the attitude is surprising to me.
random news and bits
Not sure where to put this, so it goes here. If that’s not what my blog is for, then I’m not sure why I’m paying for hosting.
Only Britain would put a bit about the behavior of a particular species of African tit (the bird) in the international news section of the paper. Only Britain would have an all-birdsong radio station – which was recently shut down – sparking protest.
Ryanair is considering removing bathrooms on some of its planes (people can cross their legs for an hour says the CEO). It’s also considering levying a 5GBP boarding-fee (the paper pointed out it’s hard to take a flight without boarding the plane). And it’s also considering making customers not only pack their own luggage on the plane but pay for the privilege too. Please tell me I misread that one.
I’m going to miss the D-Day celebrations.
Doctors have issued a warning that children are at risk of injury if on a trampoline with drunken adults. Seems to be a growing problem, actually.
Time for the annual Tienanmen Square news blackout!
Forgot to mention you should get used to crawling out of cabs in London. There’s no other easy way to do it. Their seats aren’t configured like an American cab.
And when working here, most of your business will be Monday-Friday because men can more easily explain away their time with work excuses. Not that weekends will be dead, but mostly.
In this IQ2 debate over paying for sex, a sex worker (near the end of the article) summed up the absurdity of the Swedish model: “Suppose it were legal to write a column,’ she said, ‘but illegal to read one. Imagine how your income would be affected.”
work differences: london
I start off with some light observation, then go into a discussion of working in a (mostly) decriminalized system.