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Nothing like Paris in the spring time...

nobody@vox.com(CupCate) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:33:25 +0100

This is as close as I could get to the Mona Lisa

So, instead of just giving you a link to my Flickr account, I thought I would just upload all of my good photos from Paris here. It turns out there are quite a few, so, please feel free to just ignore them if you so wish.

Paris was a beautiful place, and we (for the most part) were blessed beautiful weather. However, around day 3 of being in Paris, we started to realize how very close to home we were, and to how very, very tired we were. Iain caught a fever, and for some reason being locked up in a hotel room in Paris for hours and hours at a time wasn't so bad.

Iain slept, I watched an entire first season of Weeds on my laptop and ate tons and tons of Babybel cheese and the most fantastic little coconut cookies I've ever had the pleasure of putting in my mouth. Also? I discovered the most delicious sangria that was sold IN A BOX and cost less than 3 euro and was 7% alcohol. HELLO.

My favorite part of Paris: has to be Montmartre

My favorite thing in Paris? Breakfast - they believe in eating half a baguette first thing in the morning...HELLO.

My favorite memory: at Montparnasse Bienvenue station when Iain decided he wanted a Twix, but the machine fucking wasn't working, so he pressed in the code to get a Snickers instead, and when he reached in to grab the Snickers, he found a handful of Twix, too. We laughed all the way to the next train stop.

Best thing to eat: A Croque Monsiuer with an Orangina, and then a citron and sucre crepe...mmMMmmMmMm.

Least favorite memory: dealing with the asshole staff and the asshole tourists in The Louvre. Here's a hint, if you're a tourist and you want to see the Mona Lisa up close - YOU WON'T. Why? Because there are millions of other people who want to see it. If you would like to take a picture of it, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO. Why? Because there are

The best business card holder EVER.

millions of asshole tourists taking photos of it WITH THEIR FLASH ON and the FLASH will ruin your photos.

Favorite purchase? I bought waaaaay too many postcards with nifty things like this and this on them, but I bought a business card holder at one of those little sidewalk tourist shops near St Germain with what looks like a topless French prostitute smoking a cigarette. It's pretty much the best thing I've ever bought.

If you missed all of our fantastic photos from Tokyo, they are here.

I'd also just like to take this opportunity to thank the fantastic people at Six Apart for giving us the opportunity to see the world in a way we never dreamed we'd be able to see it. Thank you to all of the people who took time out of their busy work schedules to not only meet up with us, but to get drunk and do karaoke with us. Also, an extra special thank you to Ayako who did such a kick ass job of showing us around Tokyo. I miss Japan already, and Tokyo was my favorite part of our trip.

And, for the record, I totally squealed and jumped up and down when I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time. (And I nearly squealed when we saw the Moulin Rouge. I'm such a Moulin Rouge fangirl, so, this was very cool for me.)

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333 meters off the ground & an 1380-year-old Buddhist temple

nobody@vox.com(CupCate) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:11:09 +0100

Two very white people at a Buddhist temple

I'm slowly but surely running out of ways to express how amazing each things have been here in Tokyo.

The time we spent yesterday in Shinjuku Gyoen National Park, sitting under the cherry blossoms was incredible - and I am so pleased to report that today was even better.

Ayako from Six Apart's Tokyo office took us around today, and I have to say, I don't ever think I could ever thank her enough. She not only went with us on a Hato Bus tour of Tokyo Tower (which is 333 meters off the ground - my lucky number and the time I was born) and the Sensoji Temple - but she also took us out for a Kushikatsu lunch, and then on to Roppongi and to the National Art Center.

I cannot tell you what a massive difference it makes to have someone show you around, help you out with the language, and help explain what it is your eating (and how to eat it) makes. Ayako, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. This has been one of the best days, and I will never forget it!

The Sensoji Temple is AMAZING and we're actually thinking of going back again tomorrow afternoon to take some more pictures, and spend some more money on over priced souvenirs. The atmosphere is so amazing that you almost don't even notice how crowded it is, especially on a weekend.

I have so much to tell you, and so any Western tourists to complain about but for now, I think we need some rest. Jet lag, you win. Okay? YOU WIN!

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Of good karma and Hanami...

nobody@vox.com(CupCate) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:31:30 +0100

Today was our day in Japan, and I have to say, today has been one of the best days of my life. We didn't try to jam in a whole bunch of touristy things into our schedule, we simply walked through the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, with the simple goal of sitting under the cherry blossoms in Shinjuku Gyoen National Park.

Hanami means "flower viewing" in Japanese, and tons, and tons of families, friends and couples gather in parks, like Shinjuku Gyoen, to picnic, drink, and admire the cherry blossoms.

Now, I had of course heard that this time of year was the best to go to Japan because of the cherry blossoms. I've seen pictures of them. I've seen them in movies. I've read about how the blossoms look like snow when they get caught in the breeze and flutter to the ground.

However, nothing can compare to actually seeing it in person. I was so moved and so taken aback when I stepped foot in Shinjuku Gyoen, that I have to admit I teared up every now and again.

I am forever thankful to whatever ever good karma I sent out in the world to that allowed me to be in Japan this morning. The feeling I had while standing under the cherry blossoms, having those tiny pink and white petals falling gently fall down to the earth around me - catching in my hair, and softly brushing past my skin - I will never forget it.

Up close...

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Good morning, Tokyo!

nobody@vox.com(CupCate) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:58:04 +0100

It's 7:56am on Saturday morning in Tokyo. Here's the view from our hotel room in Shinjuku. All I can say so far is that the Japanese are so kind and polite it makes me want to weep and hug every single person I meet.

Good morning, Tokyo

PS. OMG I CAN SEE MOUNT FUJI FROM MY WINDOW!!!1!! You can't really see it in this photo because it's sort of hazy, but it's there. IT IS THERE.

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Apparently Tokyo hates women and Paris is racist

nobody@vox.com(CupCate) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:13:51 +0000

No dicks allowed...

So the whole learning Japanese and French thing is going a whole lot slower than I had hoped for, as I forgot about that whole job thing I have and all the work I have to do. However! I have made time to read the Rough Guide books on Tokyo, San Francisco, and Paris that we bought.

While these aren't necessarily books you can read from cover to cover, I have read through the whole Customs, Etiquette, and the General Pointers section of each book..and I'm not gonna lie. I was a tad bit alarmed by what I read in The Rough Guide To Tokyo:

"In this very male, strictly hierarchal society, men always take precedence over women. so ladies shouldn't expect doors to be held open or for seats to be vacated. Sexual discrimination is wide spread, and foreign working women in Japan can find the predominately male business culture hard going."

Right. Okay. It's fine. I'm going to a different city, a different country, and their culture just happens to be a bit more misogynist than my own. It's fine. I don't need doors opened for me. It's cool....

...And then I read further on:

"The generally low status of women in Japan is reflected in the amount of groping that goes on in the crowded commuter trains - there are even pornographic films and comics aimed at gropers. If you do have the misfortune of being groped, the best solution is to grab the offending hand, yank it high in the air, and embarrass the guy as much as possible. Fortunately, more violent sexual abuse is rare; though most stalking, harassment and rape are seriously underreported...Women should exercise the same caution about being alone with a man as they would anywhere."

"Roughly" the truth?

So...I know that there's a big problem with men groping women on trains in Tokyo. That's why they have the women only carriages. There's just something about seeing the phrases "low status of women" and "groping" in a guide book about a city you're really excited to go to that is really depressing. I also enjoy the sentiment that, "Hey! It sucks you've had the misfortune of being groped by some sleaze bag on the subway. Fortunately, you weren't raped."

I'm not really sure what to think about that. It, of course, doesn't make me any less excited or happy to be going to Tokyo, it just makes me wonder if any of you who either have lived or have visited Japan have experienced anything like this?

Out of all the 300-something pages in this book, which highlights all of the wonderful things about this city, only about 2 paragraphs touch on the supposed misogynistic, perverted part of Tokyo and the Japanese culture.

On the same token, in the The Rough Guide to Paris book, there's only a short blurb about how, oh by the way, Parisians are sort of RACIST.

"France has a bad reputation for racist attitudes and behavior...there are occasional reports of unpleasant incidents such as restauraunts and hotels claiming to be fully booked, and travelers of north African or Arab maybe unlucky to encounter outright hostility or excessive police interest."

They go on to say that if you are "unlucky" enough to have an "unpleasant" experience like they described, they give you the number of a support line to call as the "police are unlikely to be sympathetic". But! There is good news if you're a woman:

"Full-on sexual harassment is extremely unusual, though female travelers from Anglophone countries may find ordinary male behavior chauvinistic."

Ordinary behavior, huh?

I was pleased to find that the Rough Guide To San Francisco had a whole section on Women Travelers, and they didn't really have one negative thing to say, aside from the fact that if you'd like to carry gas, whistles and pepper spray if you're traveling alone, that that would be a good idea.

A part of my heart always stays here...

"In the West Coast's most politically progressive city, women are treated with respect and courtesy almost everywhere, and commonly hold positions of power and authority."

That sentence just makes me want to lick the city of San Francisco.

While most people who are proud and love the cities they are from and live in don't want to admit that that "they're a tad misogynist" or that "yeah, some of us grope women on trains" or especially that "um, we're definitely a little bit racist", I still appreciate the fact that this information is included in these books....I think.

No city is perfect, no culture is perfect.

If you were coming to London, and I had to write a completely honest, unbiased paragraph on how women are treated here, I would have to mention that, "Yeah, the door won't always be opened for you, and some of my friends have had men grab their ass on the tube." But, on the same token, you also get the lovely British men that will give you their seat if you're struggling with grocery bags in a pair of stilettos on the train, and even a busy Londoner who will happily open the door for you, despite their gender.

Do you think that travel books like Rough Guides accurately depict the culture and the personality of the city their describing?

Advice...I needs it.

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Three cities in fourteen days...

nobody@vox.com(CupCate) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:30:13 +0000

Look where we're going!!!!!

Vox World Tour

We're totally going on the Vox World Tour next month. Does anyone know a good way to learn Japanese and brush up on my French in just over a month?

*squeals*

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VOX is the new Oprah

nobody@vox.com(CupCate) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 01:30:50 +0000

Around the world, around the world! (God I hate that song!)

Where do I even begin...

I don't feel like I usually write about what's actually going on in my life. Besides my wedding, and my dad...I don't ever really, just...talk.

Today, I just want to talk with y'all...ya know?

I love Vox like a mother fucker.

It's not about the website.

Sure I love uploading videos, and being able to make my own banner (okay, get my husband to design one for me), it's all of the super neat stuff like that that makes it so easy to use, and love.

However, none of that would matter if the people that power this website were not who they were.

The people who write on this website MAKE IT what it is.

The fact that the kick ass people who make this all possible ACTUALLY CARE and write and share about their own lives is amazing, and even surprising sometimes.

I hate to get mushy, and I think PantsParty said it best: "you tell anyone I wrote such sappy shit and I will cut you."

This place is REAL.

And it's because of that, I have been able to whip out my blogging balls and BE MYSELF.

WRITE like MYSELF....

I was invited here by my friend Liz, that I worked with many moons ago at the Starbucks at the Arden Fair Mall, in Sacramento, California.

Way back then invited my lovely friend Kristen to Vox, who I worked with, not so many moons ago, at a Starbucks in Carmichal, California.

This trip is so positive. It's encouraging, and uplifting, and means more to the two of us than I think anyone could ever comprehend.

It's hard for me to accept successes. To feel good about winning things, or accept the fact that I'm loved or liked, even by friends.

Except I'll be with Iain, not a 60 year old Russian artist

But, Vox...

You are giving me Paris.

PARIS.

A trip around the world...A honeymoon with my husband that we would have never dreamed possible.

Travel has been such a precious topic between Iain and I. From the very begining the thought of seeing the world together was so important to both of us....

"You take the pictures and I'll write the stories!" I'd say.

And we'd laugh and imagine all the places we would go. The adventures we'd have.

All of this before we had even met.

You are giving us this amazing trip, and it will keep us positive, and be a constant reminder about what life is truly about.

Thinkin' outside the bun, ya know?

Not worrying about vacation hours, and needing time off in order to live.

When I think of us seeing places we've never seen before, together.

The Eiffel Tower...Tokyo...

Struggling with languages together and fumbling with our "Conversational French for Annoying American Tourists" and our "Japanese for Europeans Without A Clue" books....

I still can't believe that this has happened to us.

To Kristen...

Iain....

Myself....

Vox. Thank you. Thank you for this.

The power of words is highly underestimated, is it not?

I was in shock for the past 48 hours. I didn't feel like I deserved this. Not just so I could fish for compliments and hear why I really did deserve this...But just, it's so hard for me to wrap my mind around the way my life has changed just in the past year....

And now this?

This amazing community of people, from all over the world, who have so kindly embraced my writing, myself, my husband, and my life.

My thoughts, and my pain, and my life, and opinions...They are all met with such discussion, and with the sharing of stories, or appreciation. Celebration...

And you all have no idea how much you have helped me just WRITE, and be myself...

My wonderful neighbors and friends who take time out of their lives and days to write me emails, and read my posts, and comment...I am OVER WHELMED by your support and love.

For a person who has spent years and years emotionally and mentally beating herself up over and over again...

For someone who is still just grasping the idea that not everything has to be a struggle. That not everything needs to be a negative, uphill climb...

But that sometimes, there are things that are just lovely, and simple, and deserved....

The fact that I can just let go,bask, and experience this opportunity to it's fullest...And allow myself to be lucky, and not feel guilty for my successes and good fortune.

It's indescribable.

Vox...

Mena, Gladys....

And everyone else at Six Apart that has helped plan this....

My gratitude cannot not be measured, or described in words. There are not enough [this is good]s in all of Vox land to describe how honored I am to be given this opportunity...

[it would be good if someone bought me this]

I think video blogging me chugging a Vox Vodka straight out of the bottle, whilst eating pink cupcakes as I dance around in my Vox T-shirt and screaming "THIS IS GOOOOOODDD!!" may help you grasp how gosh darn excited I am..

But even I have boundaries..

(Which reminds me...My apologies to Mena and Gladys for screaming "HOLY SHIT!!!!" at you, on tape, after I was told the good news! My boundaries apparently don't include swearing during taped phone conversations...)

You are ALL such lovely people.

Anil Dash who wrote such a lovely post on Six Apart's website...Thank you!!!!

After reading that I burst into tears of joy for about 20 minutes. I think reading that really made it sink in for me.

This is amazing.

This ISN'T about Web 2.0 crap or traffic or about popularity.

This is about people. Our lives. Our sorrows. Our joy.

Comfort. Friendship.

And above all else it shows us that we are not alone, really. (Cue Michael Jackson....)

We are all a bunch of nerdy people, sitting in our offices, on our couches, or standing up half naked in our kitchens every morning, just checking in on different people all over the world...

Simply because we care. They make us laugh. They give us support. They make us think.

They INSPIRE.

I seriously hate to be so freakin' cheesy, but Vox has changed my life.

Blogging IS fun again.

And to think it's only been few months...

Here's to you, Voxers, and Voxees.

I love this place.

I believe the universe has a fabulous way of working, and I'm so thankful that I have finally opened up my eyes, and am just enjoying the ride.

Vox...Thank you.

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